WINNERS
Will Levis
Will Levis got his first career start for the Titans in Week 8 and boy did he deliver. The rookie QB went 19/29 for 238 yards and four touchdowns, three of which were caught by DeAndre Hopkins. For a guy who fell a little in the draft, Sunday’s performance against Atlanta must have felt unbelievable. With Tannehill still injured, the Titans will obviously be riding Levis’ hot hand again in Week 9 for their Thursday night matchup with the Steelers. If Levis can deliver another great performance in Pittsburgh, he may be taking over the starting role in Tennessee for good.
Joe Burrow
They weren’t making it look easy at the start of the year, but Joe Burrow and the Bengals are all the way back. In Week 8, the team stormed into the Bay Area and took down the 49ers by a commanding score of 31-17. It was San Francisco’s first loss at home since Week 7 of last year against Kansas City. Joe Burrow was absolutely terrific in the win, completing 28 of 32 passes for 283 yards and three touchdowns. He also set a new career high with 19 consecutive completions. If Burrow is back at this form for good, the Bengals will once again be one of the most feared teams in the AFC moving forward.
Bryce Young
It took a lot longer than he would have liked, but Bryce Young finally has a win after Week 8 of his NFL career. If that wasn’t sweet enough, he also got it against the quarterback taken right after him in this year’s draft. C.J. Stroud has certainly looked better than Young for most of this season, but Young outplaying Stroud in their first head-to-head matchup should do wonders for his confidence. In the 15-13 win, Bryce went 22/31 for 235 yards and a touchdown.
LOSERS
Davante Adams
Things have gone from bad to worse in Las Vegas, and no one seems more upset about it than Davante Adams. Earlier in the week, Adams spoke about how he joined the Raiders to play with his college teammate Derek Carr, and with Carr gone, things haven’t been the same for him. Then in Week 8 against Detroit, he got visibly frustrated at multiple points in the game, and for good reason. QB Jimmy Garoppolo missed Adams on deep passes a handful of times, and Davante finished the game with just one catch for eleven yards. As one of the best receivers in the game, a stat line like that should never happen for #17.
Minnesota Vikings
Just when the Vikings were finding their groove, they got dealt their worst loss of the season. In Week 8, they were able to beat the Packers, but it cost them quarterback Kirk Cousins. Cousins will miss the rest of the year with a torn Achilles, and there’s a decent chance that that was his last game as a member of the Minnesota Vikings. For a team that was starting to win even without Justin Jefferson in the lineup, this may be a loss too large to overcome. On Tuesday, the Vikings traded for QB Josh Dobbs from Arizona, who led the Cardinals to a league-worst record of 1-7 as the starter. We’ll see if Dobbs can keep his new team alive in the NFC playoff race.
Brock Purdy
He’s looked unflappable for most of his NFL career, but these last three weeks have not been kind to Brock Purdy. The 49ers’ QB has thrown five interceptions and three touchdowns in his last three games, and the team has lost all three contests after winning their first five. Not only has his play been subpar, but his health has also been in question multiple times in the last month. He cleared concussion protocol before the Week 8 matchup against Cincinnati, but Purdy was seen clutching his head after taking a big hit in the game. Maybe it has nothing to do with his recent play, but either way, the 49ers as a whole need to figure things out quickly, and that will start with Brock Purdy.
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