We’re effectively and actually into the center of the NFL season and week eight has been a dramatic one up to now.
From a surprising Hail Mary to a different loss for Aaron Rodgers and his Jets, these are the 5 fast hits from the motion on Monday morning.
1. Commanders escape with a fortunate Hail Mary toss
Jayden Daniels related with Noah Brown on a 52-yard Hail Mary as time expired to present the Washington Commanders an 18-15 victory over the Chicago Bears.
Daniels scrambled for a number of seconds earlier than heaving the ball from the Commanders 35-yard line. It was deflected about three yards wanting the purpose line and fell into the arms of Brown, who was standing alone in the long run zone.
Chicago had taken its first lead with 23 seconds left within the recreation, going forward 15-12 on a 1-yard TD run by Roschon Johnson after a pass-interference penalty on the Commanders (6-2).
The Bears (4-3) had their successful streak snapped at three after falling behind 12-0 and giving up the Daniels-to-Brown play that despatched gamers and followers within the stands right into a frenzy.
The unlikely TD was Daniels’s twenty first completion on 38 makes an attempt whereas taking part in by means of a rib damage that left his standing unsure till hours earlier than kick-off. Within the NFL’s sixth match-up of rookie quarterbacks taken with the highest two picks within the draft, Daniels threw for 326 yards and ran for 52.
The surprising ending ruined a turnaround for primary general draft decide Caleb Williams, the Washington-area native who engineered a late 62-yard scoring drive after beginning the sport finishing simply 4 of his first 16 passes. Williams completed 10 of 24 for 131 yards, and D’Andre Swift ran for a TD as a part of his 129-yard efficiency.
2. Packers win however lose quarterback Love to a different damage
The Inexperienced Bay Packers might need to play with out quarterback Jordan Love once more.
This time, it could possibly be longer.
Love injured his left groin on the opening possession towards Jacksonville, left the sport for good within the third quarter after which had a front-row seat as backup Malik Willis rallied the Packers to a 30-27 victory.
Coach Matt LaFleur mentioned he had a “excessive degree of concern” for Love’s newest damage. Love missed two video games in September with a sprained left knee.
With Love watching from the sideline, Willis accomplished a 51-yard cross to Jayden Reed that arrange Brandon McManus’s second successful kick in as many weeks. Willis accomplished 4 of 5 passes for 56 yards, with a landing and the most important completion of the day.
“The second’s by no means too huge for him and he made a variety of big-time performs on this recreation, not solely along with his arm,” LaFleur mentioned.
Willis discovered Reed vast open down the left sideline after security Andre Cisco cramped up and fell down.
“I already knew I used to be going to be open earlier than the play was even referred to as,” Reed mentioned.
It was all of the Packers (6-2) wanted to rebound from Trevor Lawrence’s completely positioned, 14-yard landing cross to Evan Engram that helped tie the sport.
3. Jets stoop to a different loss as Rodgers seems to be for solutions
The New York Jets made some main modifications to attempt to jump-start a once-promising season that was heading downhill.
Robert Saleh was fired as coach after a 2-3 begin, interim coach Jeff Ulbrich modified offensive play callers and the Jets acquired Davante Adams to reunite him with Aaron Rodgers.
But New York is by some means in even worse form now.
The Jets misplaced 25-22 to a New England group that had misplaced six straight and was pressured to herald Jacoby Brissett, the quarterback throughout the Patriots’ 1-4 begin. Brissett, taking part in after rookie Drake Maye was sidelined with a concussion, led New England to its first house win in additional than a 12 months.
And it helped ship New York to its fifth straight loss — and third in a row beneath Ulbrich. The Jets at the moment are tied with the Patriots for final place within the AFC East.
“It is a second of darkness, and we perceive that the skin world goes to get actually loud proper now,” Ulbrich mentioned.
Added Rodgers: “Yeah, I have been within the darkness. You have to go in there, make peace with it.”
Greg Zuerlein missed two kicks — a discipline purpose and an additional level — and the Jets burned by means of all three first-half timeouts within the first quarter, two of them 44 seconds aside on the identical drive.
“On one in all them, we had been lagging out of the huddle, one I used to be attempting to get the safety proper,” mentioned Rodgers, who threw for 233 yards and two touchdowns.
“One I felt like we might have gotten off, however it was advantageous to take it there. Our operation was a little bit sluggish at instances.”
4. Chiefs preserve their excellent begin alive as Kelce scores first landing of the season
Patrick Mahomes handed for 262 yards and two touchdowns and the two-time defending champion Kansas Metropolis Chiefs remained undefeated with a 27-20 victory over the reeling Las Vegas Raiders.
The Chiefs (7-0) prolonged their successful streak to 13 video games, together with the playoffs. Their final loss was at house to Las Vegas, however the Chiefs are 5-0 towards the Raiders at Allegiant Stadium and 6-0 there together with the Tremendous Bowl in February.
Las Vegas (2-6) has misplaced 4 consecutive video games, however this was the primary time the Raiders had scored not less than 20 factors since a 20-16 victory over Cleveland on September 29.
Mahomes turned the quickest quarterback in NFL historical past to succeed in 30,000 yards, doing it in his 103rd recreation. Matthew Stafford had hit that mark at 109 video games.
Mahomes’ prime goal was Travis Kelce, who had 10 catches for 90 yards, each season highs. He final caught double-digit passes on October 22, 2023, and this was the highest-yardage output since Nov. 26.
Kelce additionally had a landing catch, his seventy fifth to cross Jason Witten for fifth on the NFL tight finish checklist. Kelce moved inside two of breaking Tony Gonzalez’s group report.
5. Ladd McConkey makes a reputation for himself on the Chargers
Ladd McConkey had two landing catches, together with a 60-yard rating within the third quarter, and have become the primary Chargers rookie receiver in 11 years to have a 100-yard receiving recreation as Los Angeles defeated the New Orleans Saints 26-8.
Justin Herbert had 328 complete yards (279 passing, 48 dashing) and two landing throws to assist the Chargers (4-3) bounce again from a last-second loss final week.
The Saints (2-6) have misplaced six straight for the primary time since 2005. Alvin Kamara, who signed a two-year, $24.5 million contract extension earlier this week, had 122 complete yards. Chris Olave had eight receptions for 107 yards.
Jake Haener changed an ineffective Spencer Rattler within the third quarter and accomplished 9 of 17 passes for 122 yards.
Rattler — making his third straight begin with Derek Carr sidelined with an indirect damage — was 12 of 24 for 156 yards. The Saints did not attain the purple zone and managed solely a discipline purpose within the 9 drives he directed.
New Orleans’s factors on offence got here on a pair of discipline targets by Blake Grupe.
McConkey, chosen within the second spherical of the draft, completed with six receptions for 111 yards to change into the primary Chargers rookie to succeed in the century mark since Keenan Allen had 5 such video games in 2013.
AP
