NFL

Biggest losers from NFL Week 8, grades for every game, plus Steelers vs. Giants picks and best bets for ‘MNF’

by
SaC Bot
October 28, 2024

Welcome to the Monday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!

It has been almost 24 hours since the end of the Bears-Commanders game and I’m still trying to process what happened. If you missed the game, the fourth quarter was bonkers. First, the Bears tried to score a touchdown from the 1-yard line by giving the ball to their backup center and that ended in disaster when he lost a fumble. Once that happened, I didn’t think there was any way things could actually get worse for the Bears, but then they did when Jayden Daniels completed a 52-yard Hail Mary on the final play. For the eight of you who haven’t seen the touchdown yet, you can see it here.

As if that’s not bad enough, it somehow gets worse. Bears corner Tyrique Stevenson was taunting Commanders fans WHILE THE PLAY WAS HAPPENING (You can see that here). And the Hail Mary only happened because the Bears basically gave the Commanders a free 13 yards on the play before it. This will almost certainly go down as the most embarrassing fourth quarter of the season for any team.

Anyway, we’ll be talking about that game today, plus the other 13 that went on around the NFL on Sunday.

As always, here’s your daily reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. To get them signed up, all you have to do is click here. Let’s get to the rundown.

1. NFL Week 8 grades: Browns get high marks for upset win

Every Monday, we hand out grades, so that’s exactly what we’re going to do right now. Here’s a look at the grades from two notable games that were played Sunday:

Browns 29-24 over Ravens (Click here for full recap)

Ravens takeaway: The Ravens only have themselves to blame for this loss. Offensively, Lamar Jackson played well — he threw for 289 yards and two touchdowns — but he also missed several wide open receivers and the Ravens struggled on third down, going just 2 of 10. Defensively, the Ravens melted down during a second half in which Jameis Winston threw for 224 yards and three touchdowns. On special teams, Justin Tucker’s streaky season continued with a key missed field goal early in the fourth quarter. Basically, everything that could go wrong for the Ravens went wrong and they still barely lost, so although this one will certainly sting, it won’t be surprising to see Baltimore bounce back big next week against the Broncos. Grade: B-
Browns takeaway: Well, hello Jameis Winston. In his first NFL start since 2022, Winston engineered a huge upset by throwing for 334 yards and three touchdowns. In seven games, Deshaun Watson didn’t throw for 200 yards a single time and the Browns never hit the 20-point mark with him. With Winston, the offense looked rejuvenated. Between Joe Flacco’s performance with the Browns last season and Winston’s performance in this game, it’s pretty clear Kevin Stefanski’s offense can work with the right QB, but Watson wasn’t the right QB. At 2-6, it will be very interesting to see where the Browns’ season goes from here. Grade: A+

Commanders 18-15 over Bears (Click here for full recap)

Bears takeaway: The Bears offense did nothing for the better part of three quarters before D’Andre Swift almost single-handedly brought them back into the game. Swift carried the ball eight times for 98 yards in the second half and was a big reason why the Bears were able to mount a comeback from 12-0 to briefly take a 15-12 lead. Caleb Williams got thoroughly outplayed by Jayden Daniels, but Williams did come up with several big plays during a 62-yard TD drive that put Chicago ahead in the fourth quarter. Defensively, the Bears actually did a great job of stopping the Commanders … until the final play of the game when Daniels completed a Hail Mary. This was a brutal loss for the Bears and it will be interesting to see how they respond on the field against the Cardinals in Week 9. Grade: B
Commanders takeaway: It’s a good thing Jayden Daniels played, because the Commanders needed everything he had. Despite dealing with a rib injury, Daniels still managed to total 326 passing yards with 52 coming on the final play of the game when he connected with Noah Brown for an improbable Hail Mary. The Hail Mary saved what would have been an ugly loss for Washington. The Commanders piled up nearly 500 yards and held the Bears to just 15 points, but they almost lost because they couldn’t score in the red zone (They scored zero touchdowns on three trips). The magic from Daniels saved the day, though, and the Commanders are starting to feel like a team of destiny. Grade: B+

As for the other 26 grades that I handed out in Week 8, you can check those out by clicking here.

2. NFL Week 8 winners and losers: Jets and Jaguars hit rock bottom

You can’t have a week of NFL action without having winners and losers, so we have some winners and losers.

Cody Benjamin came up with this week’s list and we’re going to check out his losers below.

LOSERS

The entire Jets organization (Jets lose 25-22 to Patriots). “Aaron Rodgers got his wish a few weeks ago, reuniting with Davante Adams in hopes of salvaging an otherwise dour New York season. And yet Gang Green has gone 0-2 since, dropping to 2-6 on the year thanks to another inconsistent showing against the lowly New England Patriots. What a disaster.”
Colts QB situation (Colts lose 23-20 to Texans). “Indianapolis is right to see what it has in Anthony Richardson, and the young gunslinger has helped keep the Colts competitive late in games. But the second-year passer was again trying to win in spite of his own inaccuracy against the Houston Texans, making backup Joe Flacco look like a much steadier alternative.”
The Jaguars (Jaguars lose 30-27 to Packers). “Trevor Lawrence hit Evan Engram for a late touchdown, but it wasn’t enough to save a rough day for the entire franchise, which saw key players like Christian Kirk go down with an injury, Lawrence lose yet another fumble and ex-Jag Brandon McManus seal a win for a Packers team without a healthy Jordan Love.”

If you want to see Cody’s list of winners, be sure to click here.

3. 16 crazy facts from Week 8: Jets literally invent a new way to lose

Every Sunday night, I get an email from our research department here at CBS Sports, and every Sunday, that email always includes some amazingly wild facts about the games that were just played.

With that in mind, here are 16 crazy facts about Week 8:

Jets find new way to lose. The Jets scored 22 points, they turned the ball over zero times and held the Patriots to under 247 yards, which always leads to a win in the NFL, at least that used to be the case. Before Sunday, teams that had scored at least 20 points with zero turnovers while holding their opponent to under 250 yards of offense had gone 750-0. So yes, the Jets did the impossible: They literally found a new way to lose.
Jayden Daniels said a prayer. The Commanders rookie completed a 52-yard Hail Mary to beat the Bears, which was the longest game-winning Hail Mary in regulation since Aaron Rodgers threw a 61-yarder to beat the Lions back in 2014. Daniels also became the second rookie since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 to throw a Hail Mary of at least 50 yards to win a game, joining Tim Couch, who did it for the Browns in 1999.
Lions on a scoring spree. The Lions score 52 points on Sunday, which is the team’s highest total in any game since 1997, when they scored 55 against the Bears. The Lions are now averaging 38.4 point per game over their past five games, which is their highest average over a five-game span in any season since 1952.
Lions do the improbable. The wild thing about Detroit’s scoring output is that the Lions put up 52 points even though they only totaled 61 passing yards. That makes them the first team since the 1955 Bears to put up more than 50 points in a game where they totaled fewer than 100 passing yards. The Lions had the largest margin of victory in NFL history for a team that was outgained by at least 150 yards.
Kalif Raymond joins exclusive club. Not only did Raymond have a 90-yard punt return for a TD against the Titans, but he also caught a TD pass. Raymond finished with 190 return yards, which makes him just the fourth player in NFL history to hit at least 150 return yards with a return TD and a receiving TD in the same game. He joins Jermaine Lewis (Dec. 7, 1997), Steve Smith Sr. (Dec. 8, 2002) and Travis Benjamin (Sept. 20, 2015),
Browns offense finally breaks through. Going into Week 8, the Browns had not scored 20 points in a game this season and they hadn’t had a 200-yard passer. Jameis Winston ended both of those streaks by throwing for 334 yards in a game where Cleveland scored 29 points. Winston had more passing yards in the second half (224), then Watson had in any game this season.
Big week for big underdogs. There were two teams that won on Sunday (Browns and Patriots) despite being an underdog of at least seven points. With those two wins, underdogs of a touchdown or more are now 9-8 on the season, which is BY FAR the best record through eight weeks. Before this year, the best record by big underdogs came in 1990 when they went 8-16 through eight weeks.
Heartbreak for Florida teams. The NFL’s three Florida teams went a combined 0-3 on Sunday and they lost their games by a total of nine points. It marks the first time ever that they’ve all lost on the same day with those losses coming by a combined margin of fewer than 10 points.
Kirk Cousins owns the Buccaneers. The Falcons QB had another big game against Tampa Bay. With four TD passes against the Bucs combined with the four he threw against them in Week 5, Cousins will finish the month of October with eight TD passes against Tampa Bay. That ties the NFL record for most TD passes in one month against one team. The last time it happened came in 1980 when Rams QB Vince Ferragamo threw eight touchdowns against the 49ers.
Panthers might want to bench Bryce Young for road games. With Carolina’s loss to the Broncos on Sunday, Bryce Young is now 0-10 on the road in his career. That’s the second-worst road record for any QB since 1950. The only QB with a worst road record was Cincinnati’s David Klinger, who went 0-13.
Cardiac Colts. If the Colts are playing, it’s pretty much guaranteed that the game is going to be close. Every Colts game this season has been decided by six points or less, making them the first team in NFL history to have each of their first eight games decided by six points or less. The Colts lost 23-20 to the Texans on Sunday.
Anthony Richardson has historically bad first half. The Colts QB went 2 of 15 in the first half against the Texans, which gave him the lowest completion percentage (13.3%) by any QB in a first half since 1991.
Eagles’ rough starts continue. With zero points in the first quarter against the Bengals, the Eagles still haven’t scored a single first-quarter point this season. That makes them the first team since the 1991 Packers to score zero first quarter points through their first seven games.
Jalen Hurts makes history. The Eagles didn’t score in the first quarter, but Jalen Hurts still managed to make some history. Hurts had three rushing touchdowns while finished with a passer rating of 132.5, which makes him the first player in NFL history with multiple rushing touchdowns and a passer rating of 100 or higher in consecutive games. Hurts had a rating of 119.3 while rushing for two touchdowns in Philly’s Week 7 win over the Giants.
Bo Nix has breakout game. The Broncos rookie threw for 284 yards and three touchdowns while also tacking on a rushing TD. WIth those stats, Nix became just the fourth rookie QB since 2000 to have at least three TD passes with one rushing TD and a passer rating of 120 or higher. Nix joins Cam Newton (Dec. 24, 2011), Deshaun Watson (Oct. 1, 2017) and Justin Herbert (Jan. 3, 2021).
Bizarre halftime score. The Chargers led the Saints 9-5 at halftime, which we’re only noting, because that’s only the second time in NFL history that’s ever happened. The only other time came in 1975 when the Rams led the Packers 9-5 in a game that L.A. would end up winning 22-5.

If you see any other fun facts, feel free to tweet them at me.

4. NFL Week 8 overreactions: Is Jayden Daniels the best QB in the NFC East?

Everyone on the internet loves to overreact to things, and that’s especially true when we’re talking about the the NFL. With that in mind, Jeff Kerr decided to take a look at several things that happened around the NFL in Week 8 to decide if we’re all overreacting.

Statement: Jayden Daniels is the best QB in the NFC East.
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction. “Jalen Hurts and Dak Prescott are still in the division, but Daniels is certainly making his case for being the best quarterback in the division. Through seven games, Daniels has the division lead in passing yards (1,736), yards per attempt (8.4) and passer rating (104.3). Not forgetting Daniels also has the division lead for quarterbacks in rushing yards (424) and yards per attempt (5.7) to go along with four rushing touchdowns. Daniels is a difference-maker and a franchise quarterback. Is he the best quarterback in the NFC East already? He is making his case, but will have to beat Hurts and Prescott over the next month to stake that claim.”

Statement: Saints’ Dennis Allen will be the next head coach fired.
Overreaction or reality: Reality. “New Orleans has averaged just 15.7 points per game and allowed 29.5 points per game during the skid, this after averaging 45.5 points per game during the 2-0 start. This is the Dennis Allen experience, as things spiral out of control before things get corrected when the Saints are eliminated from the playoff race. This losing streak shouldn’t save Allen this time. The Saints are a bad team in a bad division. It’s time to cut the cord on Allen’s tenure as head coach.”

Statement: Travis Kelce is still a top-three tight end in the NFL.
Overreaction or reality: Reality. “Prior to the start of Week 8, Kelce was ranked as the No. 6 tight end in football so far this season. Over the last three weeks, Kelce has proven why he’s still one of the best in the game. Kelce finished with 10 catches for 90 yards and a touchdown in the Chiefs’ win over the Raiders, giving him 30 catches for 266 yards and a touchdown over his past four games. The yards per catch is still lower than usual (8.8), but Kelce is the player defenses key in on for the Chiefs offense. While Kelce isn’t an All-Pro tight end anymore, he is still a receiving threat and one of the best in the game.”

There are plenty more overreactions from Week 8, and if you want to check those out, be sure to click here.

5. Monday night preview: Picks and best bets for Giants at Steelers

The final game of Week 8 will be taking place in Pittsburgh where Russell Wilson and the Steelers will be hosting the Giants. A win by Pittsburgh would give them a full one-game lead in the AFC North and to get that win, all they’ll have to do is beat the one quarterback who almost never wins in prime time: Daniel Jones.

The Giants QB has a career record of 1-14 in prime-time games, which is the worst record in NFL history for any QB with at least 10 starts. Jones is also 0-7 on “Monday Night Football.”

Here’s one reason why each team should be feeling confident going into tonight:

Why the Giants can win: Although Jones almost always struggles in prime time, the Giants are going to need a big game from their QB If they want to win. The Steelers have one of the best defenses in the NFL when it comes to stopping the run — they’re surrendering just 81.0 yards per game — but they are susceptible to the pass. Jones has some impressive weapons in Malik Nabers and Wan’Dale Robinson, who both ranked in the top 10 in the NFL in receptions heading into Week 8. If Jones can get them the ball, the Giants might have a fighting chance of pulling off the upset. The Giants are 2-0 this year when they put up at least 325 yards of offense, but 0-5 when they don’t.
Why the Steelers can win: It’s pretty simple here — the Steelers have one of the best defenses in the NFL and they’ll be going up against one of the worst offenses. The Steelers are surrendering just 14.4 points per game, which is the second fewest in the NFL heading into Week 8. On the other hand, the Giants are scoring just 14.1 points per game, which makes them the second-lowest scoring team on average. The Giants have been held to 15 points or less in four games this year and they’ve lost all four and it won’t be surprising if the Steelers hold them below that number again.

You can get a full preview of the game from Jared Dubin by clicking here.

If you’re thinking about betting on the game, here are a couple of props.

ONE PLAYER PROP I LIKE: Najee Harris OVER 65.5 rushing yards (-115 at Fanatics): The Steelers ran the ball 36 times in Russell Wilson’s first start last week and the biggest benefactor of that was Harris, who carried the ball a season-high 21 times. Harris has hit the 100-yard mark in each of the past two weeks, including last week, when he ran for 102 with Wilson under center. As long as Wilson is QB, I think we’ll see the Steelers lean on their rushing attack, which should help Harris hit the over tonight.
ONE KICKING PROP I LIKE TONIGHT: Chris Boswell OVER 6.5 points (-140 at BetMGM): Russell Wilson has only been the Steelers’ starting QB for one game and Boswell scored 13 points in that game and although he might not score quite that many against the Giants, I do think he’ll hit double digits. Boswell is a weapon that Mike Tomlin loves using and since he’s averaging 10.7 points per game in October, I feel safe taking the over here.

And in case you’re wondering, my props are 20-15 on the season (10-6 on kicker props and 10-9 on all other props).

We also have a full betting preview from SportsLine that you can check out here.

And finally, here are our picks for the game.

GIANTS-STEELERS PICKS
My pick: Steelers 30-17 over Giants
Dubin’s pick: Steelers 20-10 over Giants
Prisco’s pick: Steelers 27-13 over Giants

Over on our CBSSports.com picks page, all eight of our NFL experts are all taking the Steelers to win and cover as a 6.5-point favorite.

6. Extra points: Jordan Love could miss some time

It’s been a busy weekend in the NFL, and since it’s nearly impossible to keep track of everything that happened, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you.

Jordan Love suffers groin injury. The Packers QB was knocked out of the game early in the third quarter on Sunday and there’s a chance that he could miss some time. Packers coach Matt LaFleur said he had a “high level of concern” for his QB. Love will undergo tests today to find out the severity of his groin injury and if he he has to miss any games, then Malik Willis will step in at QB. Willis went 2-0 earlier this season while Love was out. You can read more about Love’s injury here.
Drake Maye also dealing with injury. The Patriots QB had to leave Sunday’s game against the Jets during the first half after suffering a concussion. Patriots coach Jerod Mayo didn’t offer any new details about the situation on Monday except to say that Maye is still in concussion protocol. If Maye can’t go this week, then Jacoby Brissett will be the Patriots starter on Sunday against the Titans.
Christian Kirk suffers broken collarbone. The Jaguars receiver broke his collarbone during Jacksonville’s 30-27 loss to the Packers. There had been some speculation that the Jags might look to deal Kirk away before the trade deadline, but that won’t be happening now that he’s done for the season.
Raiders won’t be trading Maxx Crosby. It doesn’t sound like the Raiders star is going to be available in a trade this year. Over the weekend, Raiders owner Mark Davis made it pretty clear that his team won’t be trading Crosby. “We’re Not Trading Maxx Crosby,” Davis said in an email to ESPN. “Before Or After The Trade Deadline!!!”
Injury roundup. As you can probably tell, there were a lot of injuries on Sunday, and we’re tracking all of them here. If you click over, you’ll read about Stefon Diggs, who had to leave the Texans’ game after suffering a non-contact knee injury. We covered every big injury from Week 8, and if you want to see who got banged up, once again, you can do that here.