Ghostbuster puns, pent-up frustration and high profile reunions. This NFL Week 8 Recap is great.
2019 NFL Week 8 Recap
Dolphins 14
Steelers 27
Playing his former team for the first time, Minkah Fitzpatrick twice intercepted Ryan Fitzpatrick and I think it tore a hole in the Fitzmagic time/space continuum. This can only mean Miami goes 0-16 and New England goes 16-0 in the same season.
Oh, and don’t look now but Pittsburgh’s not quite dead yet. At 3-4, they’re just two games behind AFC North-leading Baltimore and with some breaks down the stretch, could make the division interesting.
Packers 34
Chiefs 27
Aaron Rodgers loves the young energy around him, but he’s giving off vibes much younger than his 35-plus years. That’s probably because after most of the last decade, he’s finally got a solid defense and a running back (Aaron Jones) capable of carrying the load so Rodgers doesn’t have to. I know Patrick Mahomes was absent from this prime-time matchup, but Green Bay looks legit — almost as legit as this ridiculous TD pass.
Unreal.@AaronRodgers12 magic on SNF! #GBvsKC | #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/OzFFykBX0A
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) October 28, 2019
Browns 13
Patriots 27
It was poetic that Bill Belichick notched his 300th win in hoodie weather against the only other team for whom he’s been the head coach — and at the expense of someone foolish enough to guarantee a victory everyone but he knew wasn’t going to happen. It’s no longer a question of whether New England wins the Super Bowl, it’s whether this Patriots defense goes down as one of the all-time greatest along the way.
Panthers 13
49ers 51
Kyle Allen entered this game with 153 straight passes without a pick to start his career, third-best in NFL history (behind only Dak Prescott and Tom Brady). He left not his heart in San Francisco, but his streak, his pride and any hopes that he’ll permanently supplant Cam Newton as the starter in Carolina.
Meanwhile, the Niners are off to their second 7-0 start in franchise history thanks to a dominant ground game — Tevin Coleman joined Jerry Rice as the only 49ers to notch a 4-TD game — and a defense still on pace to shatter records. San Fran had few challenges in the front half of their schedule but games against Green Bay, Baltimore, New Orleans and Seattle (twice) will reveal if they’re for real.
Raiders 24
Texans 27
If you doubt Deshaun Watson is the Michael Jordan of the NFL, click play on that madness above. And he got kicked in the face so he may or may not have even seen his intended receiver. But with J.J. Watt out for the season, Watson will need to play like this on a weekly basis to keep injury-riddled Houston atop a really competitive division.
Jets 15
Jaguars 29
Boy, if the Jets were still holding on to old grudges with the Jags and Sam Darnold were still seeing more ghosts than Haley Joel Osment, I hope they didn’t look up at the Jacksonville skyline. …
Oh my goodness… plane before #Jets–#Jaguars flying with sign that reads “Gardner Minshew ain’t afraid of no ghosts DUVALL” pic.twitter.com/aMInfIWaQj
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) October 27, 2019
Cardinals 9
Saints 31
Drew Brees returned to throw 3 TDs, Latavius Murray had another dominant day filling in for the injured Alvin Kamara and the Saints defense manhandled another outmatched opponent. New Orleans is halfway to what is trending toward a special 14-2 season that ends with the championship glory they should have enjoyed last year.
Bengals 10
Rams 24
It may not be hard for Zac Taylor to coach against Sean McVay but it’s sure as hell hard to coach the Cincinnati Bengals. Marvin Lewis should get in the Hall of Fame just for taking this lousy franchise to the playoffs seven times.
Broncos 13
Colts 15
Remember when we were sending Adam Vinatieri out to pasture? Well, on Sunday, redemption was spelled A-D-A-M.
That, and Denver has a habit of shooting themselves in the foot. Almost literally.
Bucs 23
Titans 27
Tampa Bay didn’t win on the field but they won the feel good story of the week by supporting a former teammate’s family. It’s easier to say when two boringly mediocre teams play, but there really is more to life than football.
Giants 26
Lions 31
Snacks Harrison didn’t exactly feast on the Giants in his first game against Big Blue since being traded a year ago, but Detroit is quietly in the NFC playoff hunt in a top-heavy conference.
Chargers 17
Bears 16
In a battle of teams dogged by late-game struggles, Chicago struggled harder and their crowd reminded them of it. Matt Nagy and Mitchell Trubisky are wasting a great Bears defense — and an opportunity to stand out in a wide open NFC.
Eagles 31
Bills 13
Apparently, Philadelphia took out the Orlando Scandrick frustration out on Buffalo. Count on the Bills — whose wins have all come against teams with a losing record at the time they played — paying it forward to the Redskins.
Seahawks 27
Falcons 20
As bad as it looks in Atlanta, it’s about to get a whole lot worse.
Redskins 9
Vikings 19
This was a predictable result in the intersection of the previously intertwined prime-time struggles for Kirk Cousins and the Redskins. Cousins got the victory to cap a stellar month of the October, while the Skins were held out of the end zone (again) thanks in part to the ongoing QB carousel set off by his departure. Success really is the best revenge.