Sky Sports' Neil Reynolds has the final word on Week Eight in the NFL, picking out his five big takeaways, player of the week and more; Robert Saleh wins Coach of the Week after his New York Jets edge the Giants in overtime to win their third straight.
Tuesday 31 October 2023 13:04, UK
Time to look back on another week in the NFL. It was a weekend that reminded us this season is an ever-shifting and unforgiving beast.
Let's start with the Cincinnati Bengals, who have now won three games in a row. Their win over San Francisco was notable because it was against a quality opponent but also showed us just how good this team can be. The Bengals looked much more like the team that got to the last two AFC Championship games.
Joe Burrow is a huge reason for that, he was more mobile than ever and when he can escape pressure he reminded us that he is a cold-blooded killer. The Bengals are not out of the Super Bowl mix in the AFC.
The San Francisco 49ers have lost three in a row, but I don't think there should be any cause for panic just yet. They are still a quality team. They have had a couple of key injuries to Trent Williams and Deebo Samuel, Christian McCaffrey has been banged up as well.
Now every team is dealing with injuries, but this is just a difficult period in San Francisco's season. I expect them to get right, I expect Brock Purdy to continue to lead this team. He didn't have a terrible game, he had a couple of key mistakes but also made some big plays as well. I think the 49ers in the long-term are going to be just fine.
We often have the conversation and argument about which quarterback is best in the NFL. I think we can do the same about wide receiver in the NFL, especially when Justin Jefferson gets back into the mix. Right now it's AJ Brown and Tyreek Hill leading the way. Different types of receivers in terms of body shape but production is off the charts.
Tyreek Hill reached 1,000 yards after just eight games, that's an NFL record. He has a weekly highlight catch for a touchdown, he just blew the top off the Patriots defense for a 42-yard score this week. And AJ Brown has had six straight games of 125-plus receiving yards for an NFL record.
Importantly, both receivers are targeted when their quarterback has his back against the wall. That speaks volumes.
I could not have been more impressed with the NFL debut of Will Levis, and he proved he was a smart kid already by targeting DeAndre Hopkins over and over again.
I thought Levis threw a beautiful deep ball, he's instantly made the Titans more watchable than they were under Ryan Tannehill and Malik Willis, let's give him a go. Let him have the job for the remainder of the season and see where it takes them.
On that evidence, the Titans might be onto something.
I talked about this season being an ever-shifting and unforgiving beast. Who would have thought the Chiefs, winners of 16 straight against Denver, would go into Mile High and not even score a touchdown?
They lost 24-9. I know Patrick Mahomes was struggling with the flu, but that's an alarming scoreline if you are a Chiefs fan. They continue to play well on defense. I thought their offense was fixed after the outing against the Los Angeles Chargers but they still have questions as we move into the second half of the season.
I thought Dak was excellent against the Los Angeles Rams. There's always lots of pressure on Dak as the quarterback of the Cowboys, but he could not have looked better or sharper.
He finished 25 of 31 passing for 304 yards and four touchdowns. He had just six touchdown passes in the first six games but exploded on Sunday.
He has these kinds of highs, but they are often followed by a mediocre or low performance. With Dak and the Cowboys, it's about finding that high and sticking there. But they look pretty good at 5-2.
I'm going with AJ Brown's one-handed touchdown catch against the Washington Commanders. It was not only an incredible play, which defied logic, but something his team needed so badly at that moment in the game. It speaks to the trust Hurts has in AJ Brown and the need he has for him, they go to him in the big spots and he delivers.
I don't know how Robert Saleh has dragged three straight wins out of the New York Jets with Zach Wilson at the helm.
Their game against the Giants featured more punts, 24, than points, 23, but Saleh's team never give up and fight so hard on defense.
They are getting by on team spirit, determination and coaching and that points to Robert Saleh. For this week, it was not against a great opponent, but more for the turnaround and the fact he's got the Jets alive at 4-3.
The baton has been passed from the UK to Germany, so I am heading out to Frankfurt with the Sky Sports team later this week for the Chiefs against the Dolphins - what a game!
Two 6-2 teams, two of the most exciting teams, traditionally, to watch, certainly the Dolphins this year. And I'm expecting a big bounce back from Patrick Mahomes this week. We will then see Bill Belichick's Patriots against the Colts the following week.
It was a tremendous atmosphere in Munich last year and I'm expecting more of the same in Frankfurt. For me it will be a nostalgic trip because one of the first road trips I ever did covering professional American Football was the Week 10 1992 season when the London Monarchs travelled to the old Waldstadion to play the Frankfurt Galaxy. I was blown away by the atmosphere then, I think I will be again on Sunday.
