The NFL served up a sensational Sunday in week eight with one of the biggest shocks of the season, some big scoring and a host of dramatic late finishes.
A change in quarterback helped the lowly Cleveland Browns stun the red-hot Baltimore Ravens, while the Arizona Cardinals and the Green Bay Packers both won with the last kick of their games.
Jayden Daniels stole the show against fellow rookie Caleb Williams with a stunning last-gasp “once in a lifetime” Hail Mary as the Washington Commanders defeated the Chicago Bears.
The Detroit Lions hit a half century, the Kansas City Chiefs remained unbeaten and the San Francisco 49ers piled more pressure on old rivals the Dallas Cowboys.
Winston shines as Browns stun Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens were huge favourites against the Browns in Cleveland – but new quarterback Jameis Winston inspired them to a huge 29-24 upset victory with a touchdown pass to Cedric Tillman just 59 seconds from the end.
The Browns, who improved to two wins and six defeats, have a quality defence, but $230m quarterback Deshaun Watson had led an anaemic offence that failed to score more than 18 points or get 300 yards of offence in a game all season.
After Watson suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon injury last week, Winston managed to eclipse both those marks, passing for 334 yards and three touchdowns in his first NFL start since September 2022.
When Watson was injured last year, veteran Joe Flacco came off the couch and out of semi-retirement to lead the team to the play-offs. At 2-6 it is a long shot Winston can do the same but he has at least brought the team to life.
“You can look at the Browns’ record and say that’s a sorry team, but this is the NFL,” said an upset Jackson after the Ravens slipped to 5-3.
Hail Mary settles Daniels v Williams clash
Both Daniels and Williams struggled during just the sixth ever meeting of rookies taken first and second in the NFL Draft – before a frantic finish saw Chicago come from 12 points down to take the lead with just 25 seconds left.
Step forward Daniels, who danced around evading tacklers for almost 13 seconds before throwing a 52-yard Hail Mary pass, which was tipped out of a bunch of players all jumping for the ball and landed in the hands of Noah Brown, who was all alone in the end zone.
“That’s kind of like a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Daniels of just the latest entry into an already lengthy highlights reel. “Not too many people get to experience stuff like that.”
Despite the 18-15 loss, Williams showed plenty of promise for the 4-3 Bears but Daniels and the 6-3 Commanders look to be play-off bound.
Mahomes ends drought as unbeaten Chiefs go 7-0
Patrick Mahomes threw his first touchdown pass for 11 quarters and Travis Kelce caught his first touchdown pass in 13 regular season games as the Chiefs enjoyed their return to Las Vegas with a tough 27-20 win over the Raiders.
Again, Mahomes had his defence to thank as they bailed him out following a bad interception. The Chiefs rolled on to 7-0 with a 13th win in a row that maintained their unbeaten 6-0 record at the site of their Super Bowl win in February.
The San Francisco 49ers, beaten by the Chiefs in last season’s finale, survived a late comeback to beat old foes Dallas 30-24. The 49ers are now 4-4 but the Cowboys are 3-4 and in all kinds of trouble in the NFC East.
Walk-offs for Cards & Packers – Jets in a mess
Remarkably, both the Arizona Cardinals and the Green Bay Packers won with the last kick of their games for the second week running.
Tua Tagovailoa’s return from concussion sparked a big upturn in the Miami Dolphins’ lifeless offence, but not enough as Cardinals kicker Chad Ryland booted a 34-yard field goal to seal a 28-27 win for Arizona.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur voiced his concern for starting quarterback Jordan Love after he limped out in the third quarter against Jacksonville with a groin injury, but back-up Malik Willis stepped in to throw a touchdown and set-up the winning 24-yard kick for Brandon McManus to beat his former Jaguars side.
There was more late drama in New England as Rhamondre Stevenson’s touchdown with 22 seconds left ended the Patriots’ six-game losing streak and likely finished the New York Jets’ season.
The Pats lost quarterback Drake Maye with a concussion but back-up Jacoby Brissett got the job done to leave Aaron Rodgers exasperated on the sideline as the Jets lost a fifth in a row.
NFL round-up – Red-hot Lions & fun time Falcons
The Detroit Lions scored the second-most points in team history with a dominant 52-14 rout of the Tennessee Titans. Jared Goff only needed to pass for 85 yards in a complete team effort.
Detroit’s defence forced four turnovers, Kalif Raymond scored a 90-yard punt return and even running back David Montgomery threw a touchdown pass as the Lions roared to a fifth straight win.
At 6-1 it is Detroit’s best start since 1956.
A ticket to watch the Atlanta Falcons is usually worth it given they have played in more games decided by seven points or fewer over the past three seasons than anyone.
And they added another with a 31-26 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The victory puts them in total control of the NFC South – especially with the New Orleans Saints going down 26-8 at the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Houston Texans edged out the Indianapolis Colts for just a second ever season sweep of their AFC South foes, while the surprising Denver Broncos comfortably dispatched the Carolina Panthers and the Buffalo Bills powered past the Seahawks in Seattle.
Jalen Hurts scored a hat-trick of rushing touchdowns for the improving Philadelphia Eagles as they moved to 5-2 with their third straight win.
The 37-17 victory in Cincinnati leaves Joe Burrow’s Bengals 0-4 at home this season, 3-5 overall and in serious need of putting a run together before their play-off hopes slip away.
NFL Scores – Week Eight
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Minnesota Vikings 20-30 Los Angeles Rams
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Baltimore Ravens 24-29 Cleveland Browns
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Tennessee Titans 14-52 Detroit Lions
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Indianapolis Colts 20-23 Houston Texans
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Green Bay Packers 30-27 Jacksonville Jaguars
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Arizona Cardinals 28-27 Miami Dolphins
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New York Jets 22-25 New England Patriots
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Atlanta Falcons 31-26 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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Philadelphia Eagles 37-17 Cincinnati Bengals
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New Orleans Saints 8-26 Los Angeles Chargers
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Buffalo Bills 31-10 Seattle Seahawks
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Chicago Bears 15-18 Washington Commanders
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Carolina Panthers 14-28 Denver Broncos
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Kansas City Chiefs 27-20 Las Vegas Raiders
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Dallas Cowboys 24-30 San Francisco 49ers
