What we realized in NFL Week 8: Feed Tyreek Hill and A.J. Brown; Jets in playoff hunt?

As soon as 5-0 and looking out totally unbeatable, the San Francisco 49ers have abruptly dropped three in a row.

As soon as 1-3, trying dismal and disjointed, Joe Burrow and the Bengals abruptly seem like … Joe Burrow and the Bengals.

“I don’t use that phrase unbelievable anymore,” Cincinnati coach Zac Taylor stated after his quarterback’s three-touchdown day in a convincing 31-17 win in San Francisco.

“As a result of that’s what you come to count on.”

Simply not in September, apparently.

The Inexperienced Bay Packers nonetheless can’t discover a method to rating within the first half — 9 factors mixed of their final 5 — and have now misplaced 4 in a row.

“Myself, it’s too bumpy proper now,” Jordan Love stated. “I want to search out consistency in my play.”

The Minnesota Vikings, winners of three in a row after Sunday’s win in opposition to Love and the Packers, worry they’ve misplaced Kirk Cousins for the season.

And for the primary time since Peyton Manning was their quarterback — approach again in 2015 — the Denver Broncos beat the Chiefs, snapping Kansas Metropolis’s 16-game streak within the collection.

On a sloppy Sunday throughout the NFL that featured the likes of Brett Rypien, Tommy DeVito, Taylor Heinicke, Mitch Trubisky and Tyson Bagent stepping in at quarterback for his or her respective groups — spoiler: none left with a victory — Burrow’s assertion within the Bay Space was probably the most resounding.

The calf harm? Historical past.

Burrow? Again in MVP type.

The Bengals? Contenders as soon as extra.

Burrow completed with simply 4 incompletions in opposition to the once-vaunted 49ers protection, a unit that’s allowed 852 mixed yards of their final two losses, to the Vikings and Bengals. Burrow carved up San Francisco’s zone many of the afternoon, then when the 49ers switched into man, discovered his favourite goal, Ja’Marr Chase, ultimately zone for a decisive third-quarter landing. It was classic Burrow and classic Bengals — brutally environment friendly, at all times armed with a solution — and it unquestionably places them again within the dialog within the AFC.

As for the 49ers, Brock Purdy threw two second-half interceptions and has now misplaced three straight after successful the primary 10 regular-season begins of his profession. His teammates had his again afterward.

“He’s the rationale why we’ve an opportunity to win video games,” linebacker Fred Warner stated of Purdy, saying the protection was in charge for the group’s latest skid. Up subsequent: a much-welcomed bye.

Right here’s what else stood out from Week 8:

Give them the ball, see what occurs

All this speak about how offenses are struggling this season, about how scoring has dipped, about how quarterbacks — with uncommon exception — haven’t been as prolific as latest years.

Whereas loads of that’s true, so is that this: The league’s greatest extensive receivers haven’t slowed down.

Not Sunday. Not for many of this season. In Miami, Tyreek Hill has already eclipsed 1,000 yards simply eight video games in, changing into the primary participant in NFL historical past to take action. The Dolphins accomplished a season sweep of the Patriots, successful 31-17 in Miami.

Hill has been unstoppable for many of his profession, together with his first six seasons in Kansas Metropolis. However by his personal admission, he’s by no means appeared this good.

“I’m gentle years forward of the place I used to be then,” Hill stated Sunday, when requested about his Chiefs days.

He’ll face his former group for the primary time subsequent week in Germany.

In Washington, Philadelphia’s A.J. Brown turned the primary participant in league historical past with 125 receiving yards in six consecutive video games. The Eagles (a league-best 7-1) accomplished a season sweep of the Commanders with a 38-31 win.

And in Dallas, CeeDee Lamb erupted for 9 catches, 122 yards and two touchdowns — all earlier than halftime. “Give me the ball and see what occurs,” Lamb stated lately. The Rams discovered Sunday what that appears like. Lamb was deadly. The Cowboys saved feeding him. And earlier than the Rams may blink, the rating was 33-3.

The Cowboys (5-2) completed it off 43-20, their fourth win by 20 or extra factors this season.

On a Sunday that noticed a surprising variety of backup QBs take the sphere, the league’s true cream-of-the-crop receivers reminded everybody of their value.

Generally, there’s merely no reply for them.

Did the Titans simply discover their quarterback?

It’s at all times too quickly, too impulsive, to make any type of a daring proclamation after a single recreation.

However one begin into Will Levis’ profession in Tennessee, it’s laborious to not suppose the Titans might have discovered their subsequent quarterback.

For a 2-4 group floundering in a little bit of a no man’s land this season — new common supervisor Ran Carthon needed to inform Derrick Henry they weren’t buying and selling him earlier than Tuesday’s deadline, regardless of inquiries from different groups — the Titans wanted to see one thing from both Levis or second-year QB Malik Willis, who struggled mightily final season as a rookie.

Put merely, with Ryan Tannehill out, they wanted both Levis or Willis to seize ahold of the beginning job.

On Sunday, Levis did.

The second-round choose, who famously tumbled in final spring’s draft, made his NFL debut in opposition to the Falcons, and all he did was throw for extra touchdowns (4) than Tannehill, the Titans’ veteran starter, had all season (two). Levis strutted his monster arm, hitting DeAndre Hopkins for 3 scores, together with one for 47 yards and one other for 61.

“He performs the sport like he’s been right here earlier than,” Hopkins stated of his rookie quarterback.

Because of Levis and Hopkins, the Titans moved to 3-4 with a 28-23 victory in opposition to Atlanta. Levis shared snaps with Willis, however Willis by no means tried a move, used solely in speeding conditions. And because of Levis’ sterling debut — he completed 19-for-29 for 238 yards, 4 TDs and a 130.5 passer ranking — there’s little query which of the 2 QBs the Titans will flip to shifting ahead.

If Levis continues on this trajectory, and Anthony Richardson returns to the shape he flashed early this season in Indianapolis, the AFC South figures to be plenty of enjoyable within the coming years. All 4 groups, together with Jacksonville (Trevor Lawrence) and Houston (C.J. Stroud), seem like they’ve succesful franchise quarterbacks in place for years to return.

Hope, in Carolina.

Fleeting because it is likely to be, it’s one thing.

And this franchise wanted it.

After six consecutive losses to open the 12 months, questions on their resolution on the prime of final spring’s draft and a sudden swap in offensive play-caller — coach Frank Reich passing duties off to his offensive coordinator, Thomas Brown — the Panthers wanted one thing to go proper. Something, actually.

Sufficient did Sunday.

In a recreation that includes the highest three picks from the latest draft — the primary time that’s ever occurred in NFL historical past — Bryce Younger earned his first win as an NFL starter, serving to the Panthers to a 15-13 win in opposition to Stroud, Will Anderson Jr. and the Texans. It averted a 0-7 begin for Carolina, which might have been the franchise’s worst relationship again to 1998.

Younger led a 15-play, 58-yard drive throughout the sport’s closing 6:17 to arrange Eddy Pineiro’s 22-yard, game-winning discipline aim. And with that, each group within the NFL has no less than one win this season.

“Down one, exit and attempt to take the sport, what else would you hope for?” Younger stated later.

The Panthers stay skinny on expertise, particularly on the offensive ability positions, however no group needs to enter November and not using a victory.

Are the Jets actually within the early AFC playoff race? (Sure)

“They don’t ask you the way, they ask what number of,” Jets coach Robert Saleh stated after this one, aptly summing up the offensively challenged battle of New York his group someway eked out in additional time.

Saleh’s proper. Neglect the small print. Toss out the field rating. When your star quarterback, who additionally occurs to be a Corridor-of-Famer-in-waiting, is misplaced 4 snaps into the season, you don’t apologize for the wins that observe.

4 of their first seven, together with three in a row?

Doesn’t matter the way you get them. Doesn’t matter what they seem like. Doesn’t matter if the sport featured simply 4 third-down conversions (in 34 makes an attempt) and 24 punts.

Now, the Jets stay a flawed group, Zach Wilson a flawed quarterback, however there’s one thing to be stated for a gaggle that retains scraping out ugly victories regardless of stunningly lengthy stretches of offensive inadequacy. (Breece Corridor’s 50-yard catch-and-run rating within the first quarter Sunday was the Jets’ first first-quarter landing of the season.)

After shedding three in a row after Aaron Rodgers went down, the Jets (4-3) have ripped off three in a row and are — shock — very a lot within the AFC playoff hunt because the calendar flips to November.

Actually, who had the Jets above .500 at any level after Halloween?

“I don’t even know what occurred,” cornerback Sauce Gardner stated after the win, admitting that he thought the sport was misplaced. However Giants kicker Graham Gano missed two discipline objectives, together with a 35-yarder with 28 seconds left that might have clinched the win. Two 29-yard completions from Wilson had been sufficient to get the Jets in field-goal vary.

It’s additionally fairly spectacular the Giants almost received a recreation throwing for a grand complete of minus-9 passing yards. After Tyrod Taylor exited the sport within the first half, DeVito, a New Jersey native, took his place however ended up trying simply seven passes, ending with minus-1 passing yard.

Jaguars are heating up

The Jaguars have quietly grow to be one of many hottest groups in soccer. Whereas Jacksonville definitely entered the season with heightened expectations after final season’s playoff run, it stumbled early this 12 months, falling to 1-2 after a humiliating 37-17 Week 3 loss at house to the Texans.

Then the Jags went to London for 2 weeks and located one thing.

The outcomes since: 5 consecutive wins, leaving them at 6-2 heading into the bye week with a juicy matchup after they return, at house versus the 49ers. On Sunday, the Jags stopped the Steelers’ win streak, beating Pittsburgh 20-10 behind 292 passing yards from Lawrence and 149 all-purpose yards from Travis Etienne, whose 56-yard catch-and-run landing within the third quarter was the longest play of the day for both aspect.

Courting again to final 12 months’s late-season run, the Jags have received 11 of their final 13 regular-season video games.

Ramsey returns, and the Dolphins hold rolling

Ninety-four days after Jalen Ramsey injured his meniscus — this was the second day of coaching camp, and preliminary experiences advised he is likely to be out till December — the six-time Professional Bowl cornerback made his Dolphins debut two days shy of Halloween.

He made his presence felt instantly, baiting Patriots quarterback Mac Jones into an interception simply earlier than the half that Ramsey returned 49 yards. It led to a discipline aim within the Dolphins’ win, their sixth in seven tries in opposition to their division rival.

“He completely upset me,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel joked postgame. “He informed me he was going to return again and have a choose six, not a choose discipline aim.”

“The hype is actual relating to somebody like Jalen Ramsey,” Miami QB Tua Tagovailoa stated.

With the win, the Dolphins accomplished a season sweep of the Patriots and improved to 6-2, their greatest begin to a season since 2001.

(High photograph of A.J. Brown: Patrick Smith / Getty Pictures)