Packers ruin Aaron Rodgers’ revenge, plus NFL Week 8 grades and picks for Commanders at Chiefs on Monday night
Welcome to the Monday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!If you love blowouts, then Week 8 might have go down as your favorite week ever because EVERY GAME was a blowout. Well, not every game. The previously 0-7 Jets somehow managed to pick up their first win of the season in a game that LOOKED like it was going to be a blowout. The Jets were trailing by 15 points going into the fourth quarter before pulling off a wild comeback to beat the Bengals, 39-38. Of the 12 games that have been played so far in Week 8, that’s the ONLY one that wasn’t decided by double digits. Every other game was decided by at least 10 points. Even the Steelers lost by double digits, which ruined Aaron Rodgers’ chance at revenge against the Packers. Eight different teams lost by 18 points or more, which is the most we’ve seen in a single week in 11 years. That’s the kind of day it was in the NFL .Anyway, it’s Monday, so we have some grades, plus we’re going to make picks for tonight’s Commanders-Chiefs game, which will probably just be another blowout. As always, here’s your 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: Packers earn high mark for topping Aaron Rodgers and the SteelersWelcome to my favorite part of the Monday newsletter, which is where I hand out grades for all 32 teams. Actually, this week, I didn’t grade all 32 teams because there were SIX teams on a bye, and then we have two teams playing tonight, so you’re only getting 24 grades.
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Anyway, here are the grades from three notable games that were played Sunday:Jets 39-38 over Bengals (full recap)Jets takeaway: Justin Fields almost got benched this week, but he ended up playing and he responded with his most impressive performance of the season. With Fields and Breece Hall leading the way, the Jets piled up more than 500 yards in a game for the first time in four years. The duo took over during a fourth quarter where the Jets put up 23 points: Hall ran for 53 yards and two touchdowns AND threw a TD while Fields was 6 of 7 for 68 yards. The Jets defense wasn’t great, but no one in the locker room cares about that right now after a day where this team picked up its first win of the season. Grade: A-Bengals takeaway: This was an ugly loss and the Bengals only have their defense to blame. The Bengals got zero pressure on Justin Fields, they couldn’t stop the run and that was all compounded by the fact that they constantly missed tackles. They surrendered more than 500 yards to a Jets offense that had only totaled 302 yards over the past two weeks COMBINED. Joe Flacco. Joe Burrow. Joe Montana. It doesn’t matter who the Bengals have at quarterback, they’re not going to win games if their defense continues to play like this. Grade: C-Broncos 44-24 over Cowboys (full recap)Cowboys takeaway: Heading into Week 8, the Cowboys defense had given up the most yards per game this year (401.6), the most passing yards per game (260.3), the third-most points per game (29.4) and the third-most rushing yards per game (141.3), and none of that is going to change after this loss. The Cowboys defense was bad and when that happens, Dak Prescott has to play a nearly perfect game for his team to win, but that didn’t happen this week. Prescott struggled to complete passes against a Broncos secondary that picked him off twice while holding him to 188 yards. The Micah Parsons trade continues to look worse and worse for Jerry Jones. The Cowboys need him to fix his own problem by adding a defensive playmaker before the trade deadline. Grade: FBroncos takeaway: The Broncos got to go up against one of the worst defenses in the NFL on Sunday and they definitely made the most of it. Sean Payton was probably thrilled to see his rushing attack go off against the Cowboys. JK Dobbins found several big holes as he rushed for 111 of Denver’s 179 yards. And then there’s Bo Nix. After throwign an interception on his second pass of the game, Nix rebounded to throw for 247 yards and four touchdowns. The Broncos defense also deserves a lot of credit for shutting down the Cowboys’ high-powered passing attack despite the loss of Patrick Surtain. The Broncos are a well-rounded team capable of beating anyone and they still have a very real chance of ending the Chiefs’ nine-year reign atop the AFC West. Grade: A+Packers 35-25 over Steelers (full recap)Packers takeaway: In the Aaron Rodgers revenge game, it was Jordan Love who stole the show. The Packers QB tied a franchise record by completing 20 straight passes, something that Rodgers never did in Green Bay. Love threw for 360 yards and three touchdowns on a night where he out-dueled Rodgers on a national stage. Most of the Packers’ big passing plays went to Tucker Kraft, who caught seven passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively, the Packers struggled some in the first half, but they pinned their ears back and went after Rodgers during a second half where they sacked the QB twice while limiting the Steelers to just 117 yards of offense. Brandon McManus did miss two field goals, and that could be a concern going forward, but for now, the Packers continue to look like one of the best teams in the NFL. Grade: A-Steelers takeaway: Aaron Rodgers didn’t get his revenge and that’s mostly because the Steelers defense continues to look like the opposite of the Steelers curtain. For the fourth time this season, the Steelers surrendered more than 30 points. With the Packers totaling 454 yards, the Steelers have now given up at least 365 yards in six of their seven games. The team seems be plagued by the same issues ever week: This time around, their secondary got torched by Jordan Love and a big reason that happened is because the pass rush generated almost zero pressure (The Steelers didn’t have any sacks). Rodgers has been solid football all season, but the Steelers don’t really have the firepower to keep up in a shootout and with the defense struggling, every game is now turning into a shootout. With two straight losses and the defense struggling, it feels like the AFC North is officially up for grabs. Grade: CAs for the other 18 grades we handed out in Week 8, you can check those out by clicking here. 2. NFL Week 8 winners and losers: Jonathan Taylor is playing at an MVP levelYou 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 winners, and his biggest one just might be Colts running back Jonathan Taylor.
WINNERSJonathan Taylor’s MVP case. A year after Barkley cruised past the 2,000-yard mark, the Colts star is on pace for an almost equally dynamic season as the centerpiece of Shane Steichen’s suddenly imposing attack. The veteran running back was averaging close to 17 yards per carry (!) just over halfway through a rout of the Tennessee Titans, and he’s been money all year as Daniel Jones’ offensive sidekick.Broncos coach Sean Payton. What a week for the Denver Broncos coach. Days after deflecting a rare Russell Wilson outburst, Payton didn’t just stick it to the Dallas Cowboys, who apparently courted Payton multiple times over the course of his esteemed career; he outright embarrassed them, leading Bo Nix and Co. to a one-sided victory over a superior roster even with top defender Patrick Surtain II banged up.Ravens QB Tyler Huntley. Ravens got into trouble by improperly indicating Jackson might return from his hamstring injury against the Bears. But Huntley, who’s now on his third stint with the club, stepped up in the former MVP’s absence, completing his first nine throws and also scurrying for 50+ yards on the ground to help the Ravens snap a four-game slide and rout the Chicago Bears. If you want to see the rest of Cody’s winners along with his losers, be sure to click here. 3. Overreactions from Week 8: Does Dak Prescott fall apart in big games?
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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 in Week 8 to decide if we’re all overreacting. Statement: Dak Prescott is not a big-game quarterback. Overreaction or reality: Reality. The Cowboys defense is atrocious and is the biggest culprit why they are 3-4-1 through eight games. Dallas didn’t have a chance to beat Denver with the way the defense played, a unit that’s looking like a square peg in a round hole. You know who else didn’t show up either? Dak Prescott. This was a game for Prescott to change the narrative. … He put up a clunker against Denver, finishing 19 of 31 for 188 yards and two interceptions for a 51.5 passer rating. … The Cowboys didn’t move the ball consistently, looking like a shell of the offense that dominated opponents all year. No matter how bad the defense is, Prescott makes $60 million a year. The weight is on his shoulders — fair or not — to carry this offense and keep Dallas in the game.
Statement: Injuries will keep the 49ers from competing for the NFC West title. Overreaction or reality: Overreaction. The 49ers have been bitten by the injury bug all season, and those wounds finally showed against the Texans. San Francisco finished with just 48 yards rushing and allowed 475 total yards in Sunday’s loss to Houston, a defense that clearly was affected without Nick Bosa and Fred Warner (both are out for the season) … Are the injuries to those two — and others — becoming too much to overcome? Bryce Huff was also out Sunday, and the 49ers lost Jordan Elliott, Sam Okuayinonu, and Dee Winters on defense. On offense, Brock Purdy, Ricky Pearsall, Ben Bartch, Jake Brendel, and Brandon Aiyuk are out. Purdy is expected back next week, and the same can be said for Pearsall. The 49ers are banged up, but this is a team that has weathered the storm to a 5-3 record. They aren’t out of the division race yet, but Sunday was a bad loss.Statement: Bengals’ playoff hopes are dead. Overreaction or reality: Reality. Cincinnati was 3-4 and right in the thick of the AFC North race prior to facing the winless New York Jets Sunday, a golden opportunity to go 4-4. Instead, the Bengals lost to the Jets. New York was down 38-24 with nine minutes left and rallied to beat Cincinnati, 39-38, a display of what the Bengals truly are through eight games — a team with a bad defense and their All-Pro quarterback sidelined. … This defense hasn’t been playoff caliber all year, and losing to the Jets is unacceptable if a team is going to make a run at the division. Count the Bengals out of the AFC North race.There are plenty more overreactions, and if you want to check those out, be sure to click here.
4. Crazy stats from Week 8: Jets help make NFL history in stunning win over BengalsEvery Sunday night, I get an email from our research department here at CBS Sports, and every Sunday, that email always includes some wild stats about the games that were just played. With that in mind, here are 14 crazy stats from Week 8: Jets help make NFL history. The Jets’ 39-38 win over the Bengals marked the fourth time this season that an NFL team has come back from 15 points down in the fourth quarter. That sets the record for the most 15-point fourth-quarter comebacks during an ENTIRE NFL season and we’re only in Week 8. The Jets’ comeback was also the second-largest fourth-quarter comeback in franchise history, trailing only a 23-point comeback in 2000. Breece Hall joins rare club. The Jets running back became just the fourth non-QB over the past 55 years to throw a go-ahead touchdown in the final two minutes of a game. Hall threw a TD pass to Mason Taylor with 1:54 left to give the Jets a 39-38 lead. The only other non-quarterbacks to pull that off are Rod Gardner for Washington in 2003, Curtis Martin for the Jets in 2000 and Paul Krause for Minnesota in 1977. Hall also became the first non-QB to score multiple rushing touchdowns and throw a touchdown in the fourth quarter of a game.Josh Allen sets NFL record. The Bills QB had two rushing touchdowns and a passing touchdown in Buffalo’s 40-9 win over the Panthers, marking the 46th time in his career that he’s scored at least one rushing TD and one passing TD in a game, which is an NFL record. Allen had previously been tied with Cam Newton, who did it 45 times. James Cook hits 200 yards without playing the fourth quarter. The Bills running back rushed for 216 yards against the Panthers, which is the most by any player in the NFL this season. The most impressive part is that Cook hit 216 without running the ball a single time in the fourth quarter, making him the first player over the past 35 season to top 200 yards without a fourth-quarter carry. Bengals can’t win shootouts. Following their loss to the Jets on Sunday, the Bengals are now 1-3 since the start of last season when they score 38 points or more in a game. To put that in perspective, every NFL team combined is 58-7-2 when scoring 38 points or more since the start of last season: The Bengals are 1-3, the other 31 team are 57-4-2. Ja’Marr Chase is catching everything. Joe Flacco clearly has a favorite receiver and that’s Ja’Marr Chase. The Bengals star caught 12 passes on Sunday and now has 38 catches over the past three weeks, which is tied with Michael Thomas (2018 Saints) for the most in NFL history over a three-game span. Derrick Henry passes Sweetness in the record book. With two rushing touchdowns against the Bears, Derrick Henry now has 112 for his career, which moves him past Walter Payton for the fifth-most rushing touchdowns in NFL history. The sack attack is back. With two sacks against the Cowboys, the Broncos now have 36 on the season. That makes Denver the first team in NFL history to record at least 35 sacks and while giving up 10 sacks or less during the first eight games of a season.Indiana Jones and the Temple of Awesome Daniel Jones threw for 272 yards and three touchdowns in the Colts’ 38-14 win over the Titans while finishing with a passer rating of 136. That makes Jones just the second QB in NFL history to record a passer rating of at least 100 in his first five home starts with a new team (Brock Purdy was the other QB to pull that off). Jonathan Taylor is a touchdown machine. The Colts running back scored three touchdowns against the Titans, marking the fourth time this season that he’s scored three touchdowns in a game. Taylor is just the fourth player over the past 25 years to record four different games with at least three touchdowns joining LaDainian Tomlinson (six games in 2006 with the Chargers), Marshall Faulk (five in 2000 with the Rams), Shaun Alexander (four in 2005 with the Seahawks) and Priest Holmes (four in 2002 and four in 2003, both with Kansas City).Hurts makes history. Jalen Hurts threw four TD passes in the Eagles’ 38-20 win over the Giants, giving him 15 for the season. That makes Hurts the first QB in NFL history with at least 15 TD passes, five rushing touchdowns with one or fewer interceptions in his team’s first eight games of a season.Myles Garrett on Hall of Fame pace. Myles Garrett racked up a career-high five sacks against the Patriots and he now has 112.5 for his career, which is the most sacks ever by a player under the age of 30. Reggie White held the previous record of 108. Garrett will be turning 30 on Dec. 29. All Saints Day. Alvin Kamara caught two passes in the Saints’ 23-3 loss to the Buccaneers and now has 600 receptions in his career. That makes him the fifth running back in NFL history with 600 career receptions. It also makes him the FIRST running back in NFL history to record 600 receptions and 600 rushing attempts with ONE team. Jordan Love ties Packers’ franchise record. At one point against the Steelers, Love completed 20 straight passes, which tied Brett Favre for the longest streak in Packers history. And the best part for Love is that he did it while facing Aaron Rodgers, who never had never once completed 20 straight passes during his time in Green Bay. If you see any other fun facts, feel free to tweet them at me. 5. Monday night preview: Picks and best bets for Commanders at ChiefsIt has been a week full of blowouts in the NFL. So far, there have been 12 games played in Week 8 and 11 of them have been decided by double digits. With Jayden Daniels ruled out for tonight, the oddsmakers are expecting more of the same with the Chiefs favored by 11.5 points over the Commanders. So is Kansas City going to roll? Here’s one reason why each team should be feeling confident going into the game:Why the Commanders can win: The Commanders are averaging 148.9 yards per game on the ground this year, which is the second-most in the NFL. This is a team that’s at its best when they can run the ball: The Commanders are 3-0 this season when they run for 150 yards or more, but 0-4 when they don’t. If they can get going on the ground, that will chew up the clock and keep Patrick Mahomes off the field while allowing Washington to control the flow of the game. Basically, the Commanders need to do do everything they can to get their rushing attack going tonight and if that happens, they might be able to pull off the upset. Why the Chiefs can win: This game is going to give us Patrick Mahomes going up against a Commanders defense that has struggled to stop the pass this year, so don’t be surprised if Kansas City’s offense goes off. The Commanders have given up at least 250 yards passing in five of their past six games, and in that span, they’re surrendering 27.3 points per game. With Rashee Rice back in the lineup, the Chiefs offense is finally at full strength, so don’t be surprised if Mahomes picks apart the Commanders. 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 (via BetMGM).
ONE RUSHING PROP I LIKE: Patrick Mahomes OVER 22.5 yards rushing (-115): The Chiefs quarterback has not been shy about taking off and running over the past few weeks. Not only has Mahomes gone over this number in three straight games, but he’s averaged 40 yards rushing per game during that span. The Commanders will be focused on slowing down the Chiefs receivers, which should give Mahomes room to run. ONE KICKING PROP I LIKE TONIGHT: Harrison Butker OVER 3.5 extra points (+115): The Chiefs offense has scored at least four touchdowns in four straight games and if that happens again tonight, Butker should hit the over here. The Commanders defense has been one of the worst in the NFL this year, so I expect the Chiefs to be getting in the end zone often, which should get Butker to the OVER on this prop. If you’re wondering how my props are doing this year, I’m 17-17 (7-8 on kicker props and 10-9 on all other props). And now, it’s time for some picks. PICKS FOR ‘MNF’My pick: Chiefs 35-24 over CommandersDubin’s pick: Chiefs 31-13 over CommandersPrisco’s pick: Chiefs 37-21 over CommandersOver on our CBSSports.com picks page, all eight of us are taking the Chiefs to cover as a heavy favorite. This is the only point spread from Week 8 that we unanimously agreed on.
6. Extra points: Jets legend Nick Mangold dies at 41It was 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. Nick Mangold dies at 41. Former Jets center Nick Mangold died over the weekend at the age of 41 due to complications from kidney disease. Earlier this month, Mangold had announced that he was looking for a kidney donor. The seven-time Pro Bowler was a Jets legend who spent 11 seasons in New York. He was a first-round pick in 2006 and he started 164 games during his time with the team. During his time in New York, the Jets made to the AFC Championship game twice. You can read more about Mangold’s life here. Raiders co-owner Carol Davis dies at 93. The woman known as “The First Lady of Raider Nation” died on Friday at the age of 93. Carol Davis, who was the wife of Al Davis, inherited an ownership stake in the team after he died in 2011. When the Raiders moved to Las Vegas, Carol was the first person to light the Al Davis Torch at Allegiant Stadium. Davis was the mom to current Raiders owner Mark Davis. Ravens could face punishment from NFL over Lamar Jackson situation. After listing Lamar Jackson as a full participant in practice on Friday, the Ravens changed his status to “limited” on Saturday before ruling him out of the game, which Baltimore ended up winning. CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones has reported that the league will almost certainly look into the situation. You can read Jones’ full story on the incident here. Raiders expected to sign Tyler Lockett. The veteran receiver, who was released by the Titans last week, has found a new home in Las Vegas. According to NFL Media, Lockett is set to sign with the Raiders, which makes plenty of sense: He spent 10 seasons playing for Pete Carroll in Seattle. He also caught passes from Geno Smith during Smith’s three seasons as the starting QB with the Seahawks. Lockett will now joining a pass-catching group that already includes Jakobi Meyers and Brock Bowers.
已发布: 2025-10-27 16:59:00
