The once-Super Bowl favoured San Francisco 49ers are officially in a freefall and the play of QB Brock Purdy is a big reason why.
Denver have pulled off one of the biggest upsets of 2023, with their much-maligned defense stepping up to limit Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs to their lowest score of the season.
Meanwhile, the Vikings are immediately in the market for a QB and could pull the trigger on a huge trade in the next 48 hours after veteran Kirk Cousins suffered a potential season ending achilles injury.
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Read on for our wrap of the NFL action from Week 8!
PURDY CRASHES BACK DOWN TO EARTH AS JOEY B SHINES
Three weeks ago, the 49ers and QB Brock Purdy were the toast of the NFL after their 5-0 start to the season.
Oh how quickly things change. Now, San Fran are 5-3 having lost their last three, including this week’s game against the Bengals.
After the 31-17 loss, the 49ers dropped to second in the NFC West, half a game behind the 5-2 Seattle Seahawks.
Purdy suffered a concussion last week, but was able to pass the necessary tests to start against the Bengals on Monday.
He played well in patches against the Bengals, producing a couple of highlight reel throws, but three turnovers proved extremely costly.
The dialogue which is likely to begin is that Purdy isn’t as good as many have made him out to be. That’s going to come with the territory when a player is drafted as low as he was. The reality is, fair or not, the leash just isn’t as long than those drafted early on.
In Purdy’s defense, it hasn’t been all his fault of late.
After excelling over those first five weeks, the 49ers defense have been uncharacteristically inconsistent during the losing streak.
Bengals QB Joe Burrow was able to do what he liked against San Francisco, throwing a near perfect game (28/32, 283 yards, 3 TDs).
After a sluggish start to the season, Burrow and the Bengals are back over .500 (4-3) with the win over the 49ers.
DENVER’S DEFENSE STOPS STREAKING CHIEFS
The Chiefs were riding high on a six-game winning streak entering their Week 8 clash against the Denver Broncos.
However, in the crippling Colorado cold, it was the Broncos who looked like the team that had won their last six games.
This game was threatening to be impacted by snow after some wild conditions in Denver, however, it stayed away throughout the match.
Denver punished the Chiefs, limiting the defending Super Bowl champions to just nine points and forcing two Patrick Mahomes interceptions in a 24-9 victory.
It was Kansas City’s lowest score in over two years since losing to the Titans 27-3 in October 2021.
Mahomes was added to the Chiefs injury report in the lead up to kick off after it was revealed he was battling illness but did play the entire game.
He threw two picks to the Denver defense. Mahomes is now tied-first this season for most interceptions thrown (8).
It has been quite the turnaround for a Broncos defensive unit who was labelled the worst in the league just over a month ago after they allowed 70 points to the Dolphins in Week 3.
Denver have won their last two games, allowing just 13 points per contest.
SEASON ENDING INJURY COULD TRIGGER BUMPER TRADE
Vikings QB Kirk Cousins could miss the rest of the season after sustaining what appears to be a torn achilles.
Cousins limped off the field in considerable pain. with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter of Minnesota’s 24-10 win against the Green Bay Packers.
What should trouble Vikings fans is that it was a non-contact injury.
“We are fearing an Achilles injury, the severity of that I do not know at this point,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said in his post-match press conference.
The Vikings turned to fifth-round rookie QB Jaren Hall to steer the team home. Cousins had starred prior to the injury, throwing for 274 yards and 2 TDs.
The Vikings are now back in the playoff hunt after a 1-4 start, winning their past three. However, with Cousins out and so much uncertainty at the position, it’s likely Minnesota inquire with other teams about a trade for a veteran QB.
Hall may be given a chance, but he’s raw and inexperienced, so the Vikings would be remiss not to at least test the market.
Titans’ Ryan Tannehill (see below), Patriots’ Mac Jones and Falcons’ Taylor Heinecke are three quarterbacks who could be available. All would be a considerable upgrade over Hall and at least give the Vikings – who boast a stellar crew of pass catchers – a better chance to push for a postseaosn berth.
An interesting few days loom for Minnesota ahead of Wednesday morning’s (AEDT) trade deadline.
ROOKIE QB GOES ‘NUTS’ IN STELLAR DEBUT
There is officially a QB controversy in Tennessee.
Titans rookie Will Levis handed in a debut for the ages, throwing four TDs and leading his team to a 28-23 win against the in-form Atlanta Falcons.
Levis replaced regular starter Ryan Tannehill, who was out with an ankle injury. The rookie did a better job moving the offense than the veteran QB has been able to do this season. In fact, Levis’ 4TDs is more than Tannehill has thrown in his six starts.
Levis, who was selected in the third round of the NFL Draft, was able to get the Titans’ star acquisition Deandre Hopkins more involved.
Hopkins’ name has been bandied around in rumours ahead of Wednesday’s trade deadline, but he responded to those with a huge game, catching four balls for 128 yards and three TDs.
With the Titans sitting at 3-4 and unlikely to make the postseason in a tough AFC, you’d have to wonder why Tennessee wouldn’t keep Levis at the helm.
Tannehill has proven he’s well beyond his best and it’s clear Levis is more inclined to push the ball downfield, something that the Titans offense has lacked in recent years.
Remarkably, Levis is the seventh rookie QB to start a game this season, following Bryce Young (Carolina), CJ Stroud (Houston), Anthony Richardson (Indianapolis), Tyson Bagent (Chicago), Dorian Thompson-Robinson (Cleveland) and Aidan O’Connell (Las Vegas).
It wasn’t just Levis who stood up for the Titans, with a number of their defensive stars having big days.
Defensive lineman Jeffrey Simmons had two sacks and forced a fumble while linebacker Harold Landry also had two sacks.
STAR’S INSANE GRAB HIGHLIGHTS RECORD BREAKING DAY
The Eagles and their stud wide receiver AJ Brown can seemingly do no wrong.
Brown recorded his sixth-straight game with at least 125 receiving yards in Philadelphia’s 38-31 win against gritty division rivals the Washington Commanders.
Brown had 129 yards from eight catches and two touchdowns, including an incredible one-handed snag for a score.
Brown’s huge game helped the Eagles come from behind against the Commanders and move to a 7-1 record. Philadelphia are the first team this season to reach seven wins.
It was the second time this season the 3-5 Commanders have pushed the Eagles. A few weeks back, Philly escaped with a 34-31 overtime win.
This week, Washington jumped out to a 14-3 lead before the Eagles roared back. It was 24-24 with 7:17 left in the fourth until Eagles QB Jalen Hurts found the newly-signed Julio Jones for an eight-yard touchdown.
GIANTS ON WRONG SIDE OF HISTORY AFTER BIZARRE STATISICAL OUTPUT
Despite recording just seven passing yards for the game, the New York Giants snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in a 13-10 loss to the Jets.
Up 10-7 with 28 seconds remaining, Giants kicker Graham Gano missed a simple 35-yard field goal attempt which would have given his team a six point lead.
Jets QB Zach Wilson, who had disappointed for much of the afternoon, stepped up in a big way when his team needed him most, completing two huge passes to Garrett Wilson and Allen Lazard to get the Jets into field goal range.
Greg Zuerlein nailed the kick to send the game into overtime where he then kicked another field goal to clinch an unlikely victory.
Jets fans were seen leaving the stadium with 1:33 left when Wilson was sacked on fourht down, giving the Giants possession and seemingly the win.
The Giants just could not move the ball through the air, with starting QB Tyrod Taylor throwing for eight yards before succumbing to a rib injury.
That opened the door for rookie backup QB Tommy DeVito, who scored the Giants’ only touchdown soon after entering the game on a scramble to the endzone.
DeVito though, struggled mightily the rest of the way, recording a passing statline of 2/6 for negative 1 yard as the Giants relied on workhorse running back Saquon Barkley.
Counting for the sacks, the Giants finished with -9 net passing yards. That is the lowest figure in NFL history according to StatMuse.
Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner was quick to point it out in his post-match chat with reporters.
WEEK 8 RESULTS
Buccaneers 18 @ Bills 24
Rams 20 @ Cowboys 43
Vikings 24 @ 10 Packers
Falcons 23 @ Titans 28
Saints 38 @ Colts 27
Patriots 17 @ Dolphins 31
Jets 13 @ Giants 10 (OT)
Jaguars 20 @ Steelers 10
Eagles 38 @ Commanders 31
Texans 13 @ Panthers 15
Browns 20 @ Seahawks 24
Ravens 31 @ Cardinals 24
Bengals 31 @ 49ers 17
Chiefs 9 @ Broncos 24
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