For a while, it seemed like we weren’t going to learn much from the late slate of games in Week 8.
The Kansas City Chiefs predictably handled the Las Vegas Raiders to improve to 7–0. The Los Angeles Chargers were the latest team to beat up on Spencer Rattler and the New Orleans Saints. The Carolina Panthers again embarrassed themselves, this time against the Denver Broncos. And the Buffalo Bills cruised against the Seattle Seahawks, who desperately missed DK Metcalf.
Then there was one game left with two minutes left in regulation. In those two minutes, we learned plenty about Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels, the top two picks in the 2024 draft. After a slogfest that went on for three-plus quarters, the best final four minutes of the regular season to date occurred during the battle between Daniels’s Washington Commanders and Williams’s Chicago Bears.
There wasn’t much to write or talk about until Williams’s go-ahead touchdown drive … which was quickly answered by Daniels’s jaw-dropping Hail Mary game-winner to Noah Brown that gave the Commanders the 18–15 victory.
Let’s dig into what Daniels and Williams displayed to kick off “What We Learned” during Week 8.
Rookie QBs show plenty of fight in epic finish between Commanders, Bears
Many wanted Commanders coach Dan Quinn to sit Daniels to protect his rookie quarterback from a painful rib injury. But Quinn showed why he started Daniels long before the epic walk-off Hail Mary that will be talked about in Washington for many years to come.
Quinn was left speechless looking for someone to hug, while Daniels calmly did a postgame interview like he always knew his team was going to beat the Bears, even after Williams executed a sensational go-ahead touchdown drive that left just 25 seconds to go in regulation.
It’s fitting that a Daniels deep ball spoiled the Bears’ comeback. His knack for pushing the ball downfield has revived the Washington franchise this season after many decades of disappointment. But this deep ball that was launched from the Washington 35-yard line needed help from a Chicago defender to tip it into the hands of Brown, who opened his arms Gladiator-style after the game-winning score. There’s always a chance with Daniels, who showcased the perk of having a star quarterback in a city that’s been without one for a long time.
But Chicago fans should also be encouraged with their rookie signal-caller after their hearts mend from the crushing road loss. Williams showed plenty of guts and earned a ton of respect for the 10-play, 62-yard drive that ended with the Bears taking a 15–12 lead. Williams refused to go down and kept his eyes downfield despite seeing constant pressure from Washington’s defensive front. The Bears (4–3) need to do everything they can to fix the offensive line because Williams proved he’s the real deal with the valiant effort he put together during a grind of a game that became wildly entertaining during the final four minutes of regulation. Williams finished 10-of-24 for 131 yards, and added 10 carries for 41 yards. Daniels went 21-of-38 for 326 yards and one touchdown, and had eight carries for 52 yards.
Many will say the Bears are pretenders because they have struggled against quality opponents. But Williams’s heroics on Sunday could rally the team for a second half surge. As for the Commanders (6–2), they know they’ll be in the mix for many years to come with Daniels, but it’s finally not about “next year.” Washington could have a special postseason run. Daniels has everyone believing in the Commanders.
Richardson continues to test Colts’ patience with slow development
The Anthony Richardson experience must be maddening for the Indianapolis Colts. It certainly is for Pat McAfee and other Colts supporters.
There was so much bad from Richardson during the Colts’ 23–20 loss to the Houston Texans, who completed the season sweep of their divisional rivals. But Richardson also makes it difficult for the Colts (4–4) to give up on his elite skill set, which he tends to show off in flashes, including two downfield strikes to wide receiver Josh Downs on Sunday. Richardson finished 10-of-32 for 175 yards, one touchdown and one ugly interception. (He has an abysmal season completion percentage of 44.4%.)
Richardson’s athletic gifts—he had six rushes for 45 yards—kept many plays alive against a stifling Texans’ defense that gave Indianapolis’s offensive line plenty of trouble. But Richardson’s head-scratching mistakes makes you wonder whether the Colts would have won that game with Joe Flacco as the starting quarterback. Also, Richardson briefly took himself out of the game due to fatigue, drawing plenty of criticism for the strange decision.
Richardson must have frustrated coach Shane Steichen with his poor clock management on the final drive—he failed to run out of bounds to kill valuable seconds and followed by throwing to the middle of the field with no timeouts left. After getting a gift from the officials that left one second on the clock, Richardson didn’t even use his cannon for a right arm to attempt the Hail Mary because he pitched it back as the Texans’ defense swarmed him.
My colleague Greg Bishop recently wrote a fascinating piece for why the Colts will likely continue to be patient with “the best athlete on the planet.” It does help Richardson that the team used a first-round pick on him last year to buy extra time with his slow development. But Bryce Young, the 2023 No. 1 pick, wasn’t afforded that patience because he doesn’t have physical traits that Richardson possesses. Young was benched for five consecutive games before being asked to fill in for the injured Andy Dalton during Sunday’s loss vs. the Denver Broncos.
If the Colts want to increase their odds of making the postseason, they should turn to Flacco now and return to Richardson next season. Flacco unlocked the Colts’ passing attack and got many pass catchers involved during his two starts earlier this season. But the problem with that is that Richardson needs reps to improve his accuracy, footwork and late-game management. Then again, the Colts will likely see Flacco again because Richardson continues to remove himself from games and not just because he’s tired. He constantly takes unnecessary hits that occasionally knock him out of games.
The Colts might be O.K. with possibly missing the playoffs this season if it means Richardson finds consistency for the long-term. Indianapolis probably doesn’t want to see Richardson put it all together for a different team, similar to what’s happening with Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield. Indianapolis plays on the road vs. the Minnesota Vikings next week and hosts the Bills the following week.
Cardinals’ passing attack finally wakes up in Miami
The Arizona Cardinals won in walk-off fashion for the second consecutive game thanks to clutch kicks from Chad Ryland. But the come-from-behind 28–27 victory against the Miami Dolphins probably was sweeter because the passing game was productive and received contributions from rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.
It was a much-needed bounce-back performance from Harrison, who was criticized six days earlier for his lack of effort in the Cardinals’ win over the Chargers. Instead of complaining, Harrison did something about it with a dominant performance to spark the Cardinals’ rally in Miami.
Harrison recorded six catches for 111 yards and one touchdown, and did it against a Dolphins’ secondary that entered Sunday only allowing 154.5 passing yards per game, the best in the league.
The game started with Kyler Murray doing what he had mostly been doing this season by leaning on tight end Trey McBride and running back James Conner for a conservative offense. But offensive coordinator Drew Petzing finally opened up the playbook and Murray (26-of-36, 307 yards, two touchdowns) took many shots downfield in the second half to put pressure on the Dolphins’ secondary.
If the Cardinals’ offense continues to play the way it did against the Dolphins, they have a strong shot of winning the wide open NFC West. They’re tied atop the divisional standings after the Seattle Seahawks (4–4) were blown out by the Bills. Arizona (4–4) plays Chicago and the Jets next before a Week 11 bye.
The Dolphins’ offense played better with Tua Tagovailoa (28-of-38, 234 yards, one touchdown) back on the field, but they only got two drives in the fourth quarter because the defense failed to get stops in crunch time. Miami (2–5) still has a chance to save its season with Tagovailoa under center because teams aren’t pulling away when it comes to the final two wild-card spots in the AFC. But the Dolphins have a difficult schedule with upcoming road games against the Bills and Los Angeles Rams.
It’s time to stop taking the Bengals and Jets seriously
We can’t completely remove the Cincinnati Bengals (3–5) and New York Jets (2–6) from our football lives because there are too many middling teams in the AFC. It’s too soon to fork these two disappointing teams when it comes to the playoffs, but we can at least stop taking them seriously after ugly losses on Sunday.
The Jets now sit in last place in the AFC East after the 25–22 upset loss against the New England Patriots. Aaron Rodgers got outplayed by New England backup Jacoby Brissett, who filled in for the injured rookie Drake Maye.
The TV schedule makers had the right idea when they moved the Bengals’ home game against the Philadelphia Eagles out of the prime spot of 4:25 p.m. ET and placed it into Sunday’s early slate. We didn’t need a bigger football audience to watch another sluggish effort from Joe Burrow & Co. during the 37–17 loss vs. the Eagles.
Unfortunately for football fans, the Jets have a prime-time game on Thursday night against the Houston Texans, but maybe they’ll play better than they did during Sunday’s embarrassing loss against the Patriots, who entered with a six-game losing streak. The Bengals also lost to the Patriots earlier this season, giving us another reason to believe Cincinnati won’t have a second half turnaround to the 2024 season.
Sure, Rodgers and Burrow could still lead their respective losing teams into the playoffs because the Los Angeles Chargers currently hold the seventh and final seed in the AFC with a 4–3 record. But it’s safe to say these two teams aren’t any kind of threat to the real contenders in the AFC.
Maybe it’s better for the Bengals to prioritize 2025 and look to improve the defense with better draft picks—the Eagles generated 397 total yards in Cincinnati.
The Jets can’t even think about the future because they went all in for Rodgers and Davante Adams. Again, these teams won’t be mathematically eliminated any time soon, but they also won’t be relevant any time soon. Have a good book ready in case the Jets’ sluggish offense does nothing against the Texans on Thursday night.
Buccaneers clearly need receiver help after Falcons loss
Earlier in the week, we reported that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers weren’t in a hurry to trade for a wide receiver following the injuries to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin because they wanted to see what they could do with their current group.
There might now be a sense of urgency after not getting much contributions from their receiving corps during the 31–26 loss against the Atlanta Falcons, who sit a game ahead of the Buccaneers in the NFC South and own the tiebreaker after sweeping their divisional rivals.
The Buccaneers will remain competitive in games because they have three productive running backs in Bucky Irving, Rachaad White and Sean Tucker, and a talented tight end in Cade Otton, but they won’t win many games without more help from wideouts.
Otton recorded nine catches for 81 yards and two touchdowns, and Tampa Bay logged 129 rushing yards against the Falcons. But wide receivers Rakim Jarrett, Trey Palmer and Jalen McMillan combined for only nine catches for 122 yards and no touchdowns.
If the Buccaneers don’t execute a trade for a notable wide receiver soon, they could find themselves with a sizable hole in the standings with upcoming games against the Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers. Cooper Kupp might not be an option after the Rams defeated the Vikings on Thursday night, and it’s tough seeing the Panthers trading wide receivers Diontae Johnson or Adam Thielen inside the division.
Perhaps Buccaneers GM Jason Licht picks up the phone for the Jets’ Mike Williams or the Giants’ Darius Slayton before the Nov. 5 trade deadline. There are plenty of options out there for Licht to support Baker Mayfield and keep Tampa Bay’s season alive during this wave of injuries. The Bucs clearly need the help after falling short against the Falcons.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as What We Learned in NFL Week 8: Jayden Daniels, Caleb Williams Show Poise in Epic Clash.
