Outside of the Monday night game between two losing teams, another week of the NFL season is in the books. Unfortunately, there’s a little more bad news than good news coming out of Week 8. Nevertheless, let’s check out all of the headlines.
Still Unbeaten
There are eight weeks in the books, and two unbeaten teams remain in the NFL. Not surprisingly, one of those teams is the New England Patriots, who moved to 8-0 after a 14-point win over the Browns on Sunday. Of course, the Patriots have only played one team that has a winning record.
Things are about to get more difficult with back-to-back road games against the Ravens and Eagles the next two weeks, followed by dates with the Cowboys, Texans, and Chiefs, so we’ll soon find out just how good the Patriots are this year.
Meanwhile, the 49ers continue to be the surprise undefeated team in the NFL. They moved to 7-0 on the season with an emphatic 51-13 win over the Panthers. The San Francisco defense has become one of the best in the league behind a vicious defensive line, which was on display Sunday. The 49ers will now play three straight games against division rivals, including two against the Cardinals.
Easy Brees-y
Five weeks after undergoing surgery on his thumb, Drew Brees returned to the field on Sunday and didn’t miss a beat, as the Saints pounded the Cardinals 31-9. Despite throwing an interception, there were no signs of rust for Brees, who completed 34 of his 43 passes for 373 yards and three touchdowns.
Even if his thumb is a little sore Monday morning, he and the Saints get next week off before beginning a stretch of four straight games against their NFC South rivals, starting with a home game against the lowly Falcons.
Let’s Think About It
Speaking of the Falcons, they also have a bye next week, and owner Arthur Blank says he will use the extra week to think about head coach Dan Quinn. Blank said there are no immediate plans to fire Quinn, but he will take the two weeks in between games to evaluate where the team is right now. With quarterback Matt Ryan sidelined by an ankle injury, the Falcons lost 27-20 to the Seahawks on Sunday, dropping them to 1-7 at the midway point of the season.
It’s Not Me, It’s You
Following a 15-13 loss to the Colts on Sunday, Denver’s third loss of the season in which they gave up a late field goal, Broncos quarterback Joe Flacco criticized the team’s conservative play-calling. The Broncos led the game late but couldn’t get enough first downs to run out the clock, giving the Colts the ball with enough time to kick the game-winning field goal. “We’re a 2-6 football team, and it just feels like we’re kind of afraid to lose a game,” said Flacco.
Down Again
In a familiar and unfortunate story, Houston’s J.J. Watt has suffered a season-ending injury. Watt suffered a torn pectoral muscle during Sunday’s win over the Raiders. The 30-year-old saw his season end early due to injury in both 2016 and 2017, only to come back strong last season with 16 sacks. He now has to come back from another injury, while the Texans have a big hole to replace on their defense.
