NFL Week 8 Review

Detroit Lions 22, Atlanta Falcons 21 - The Falcons really seem terrible this season! I thought that they would have bounced back this season from a truly terrible season last year. But there seems to be a problem with this team. All that hard work to be more physical and tough. Yet, after holding a 21-0 lead in the third quarter, they find a way, against all odds, to lose this game. In a division where the leader has a losing record, the Falcons are now barely clinging to life, with a horrific 2-6 record! The Lions, in the meantime, look sharp. They will have to address the reasons that they fell behind so badly, but they showed a lot of character and grit in fighting their way back. They are now 6-2 and alone atop the NFC North, at least for now!

Seattle Seahawks 13, Carolina Panthers 9 - The Seahawks gritted out a tough road win, exactly when they needed it. In reality, neither of these two teams could afford to lose this game. These were the top two seeds in the NFC playoffs last season, after all! But somebody had to win, and somebody had to lose. Not really a shock that Seattle managed to find the way to a win here, which should help quell discord.

Buffalo Bills 43, NY Jets 23 - I thought the Jets would be a lot tougher in this game. They played horrendously to start, with Smith having one of the worst first quarters that any quarterback can possibly have. Fittingly, he was benched, and the Jets did start to fight back, and made it a relatively close contest by halftime. But the Bills just willed the win, taking over the game. It did not take long for things to get out of hand, either. A needed win for Buffalo, a divisional win on the road. For the Jets, another terrible loss in a terrible season, with no indication that it is going to get any better.

Pittsburgh Steelers 51, Indianapolis Colts 34 - There were definite fireworks in this contest! You would think, in a shootout between these two teams, that the Colts would have the upper hand. Apparently not, as the two teams combined for a total amount of points in the first half not seen in a long time. Roethlisberger threw six touchdown passes, and the Steelers rolled over the previously red hot Colts.

Cincinnati Bengals 27, Baltimore Ravens 24 - Backed against a wall, the Bengals came out swinging, and took out the hottest team in the AFC North, completing a sweep and knocking the Ravens out of first in the process. The Ravens had a chance to take command of the AFC North with a win. Instead, they now find themselves behind Cincinnati, and tied for second with the Steelers, and with the Browns not trailing far behind! A huge win for the Bengals, who now need to get back on track.

Minnesota Vikings 19, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 13 (OT) - It was a slow game, one that the Vikings were winning right until the very end. But Tamp scored a touchdown with very little time left, and seemed to have handed Minnesota a devastating, come from ahead loss. Instead, the Vikings were able to keep their composure and get a field goal, forcing overtime. Once there, they scored a touchdown to earn a tough road win, which was much needed, to boot!

Miami Dolphins 27, Jacksonville Jaguars 13 - This was almost exactly the way that you could figure this game would go. Not too many points, not too much excitement or suspense. Just one team outplaying the other, and earning a solid win. The Jaguars returned to their losing ways, while the Dolphins did what they needed to do to keep up with the Bills and the Pats in the AFC East.

Houston Texans 30, Tennessee Titans 16 - The Texans got out of their slump with a solid divisional win on the road. Of course, when you have teams like the Jaguars and the Titans in your division, you better secure these wins. The Titans have been playing terribly, and Houston was able to bounce out of their own slump by capitalizing on their accommodating schedule, pulling within a game of the Colts, once again.

Kansas City Chiefs 34, St. Louis Rams 7 - Ouch! I was pretty sure that the Chiefs were going to win this game, but that the Rams got blown out like this, one week after a huge, upset win? The Chiefs have looked very solid following an 0-2 start, and they are particularly dangerous in KC. The Rams really never had a chance.

New England Patriots 51, Chicago Bears 23 - Another game that was predictable, although surely no one saw it going quite this bad for Chicago. The Bears were on a downward spiral heading in, and Foxboro has not exactly been a welcoming place for opponents in the last decade and change. New England pounded the Bears, pouring on the points, and making them look like chumps. A second straight loss for Chicago, while the Pats got their fourth straight win in a row!

Cleveland Browns 23, Oakland Raiders 13 - After a bad loss, the Browns needed to bounce back. They had already allowed the Jaguars to earn their first win of the seasons against them, and they did not want to provide the Raiders with that same opportunity. But the Browns, from the comforts of home, took care of business, shutting the door on the still winless Raiders, and jumping right back in the AFC North race.

Arizona Cardinals 24, Philadelphia Eagles 20 - This felt like the kind of game that the Eagles were going to win. They seemed to be outplaying Arizona throughout, even when it was close. It just felt like that kind of a game. So, when they broke a tie with a field goal inside of the two-minute warning, everything was as it should have been, seemingly. But the Cardinals went for the jugular right away, with Carson Palmer completing a 75-yard touchdown pass to John Brown. The Cardinals were able to hold the Eagles off the rest of the way, to earn an improbable win in this showdown of 5-1 teams.

New Orleans Saints 44, Green Bay Packers 23 - This looked like an even match-up. If anything, I thought the Packers, who had gotten hot in the weeks leading up to this, were going to be able to dictate the game. This was tied 16-16 until deep into the third quarter, and then the Saints exploded. They just kept on scoring touchdowns, until the Packers had fallen so far behind, that they could not entertain any hopes of mounting a comeback. Solid, and much needed, win for New Orleans.