Welcome to the Week 8 grades!
The big news this week is that the Cleveland Browns are back! OK, maybe they're not back, but they did pull off a huge win on Sunday.
Through the first seven weeks of the season, the Browns were the only team in the NFL that had yet to score 20 points in a single game, but that streak ended with Cleveland's 29-24 upset win over the Ravens. The win marked the first time since Dec. 28 that the Browns topped 20 points in a game.
With Deshaun Watson out for the season, the Browns turned to Jameis Winston, who diced up the Ravens defense for 334 yards, which is especially impressive when you consider that Watson didn't throw for 200 yards in any of his seven games this year before getting injured last week (his season-high was 196 yards).
So, what kind of grade did the Browns get for their surprising win?
Glad you asked. Let's check out the grades for every team from Week 8, starting with the Monday night game in Pittsburgh.
(The grades for the Rams' win over the Vikings on Thursday can exclusively be found in our NFL newsletter here. It's free and you don't have to sign up for anything, you just have to click over.)
Pittsburgh 26-18 over N.Y. Giants
| B- |  |
| The Giants were actually in a position to steal this game, but Daniel Jones committed two back-breaking turnovers in the final three minutes. And that's just been the story of his career: He hasn't been good enough. The Giants defense also wasn't good enough in this game. And really, the Giants haven't been good enough at anything this season, which is why they're now 2-6. One of the few bright spots for New York was Tyrone Tracy Jr., who bulldozed through the Steelers defense for 145 yards and a touchdown before leaving to be evaluated with a concussion in the fourth quarter. The rookie running back, who was taken in the fifth round this year, continues to be an unexpected surprise. | |
| B |  |
| The Steelers have suddenly turned into an offensive juggernaut with Russell Wilson. Wilson has made two starts and the Steelers have gone over 400 yards in both games, marking the first time in six years they've gone over 400 yards in back-to-back games. Wilson did have a late fumble, but he was mostly sharp (he threw for 278 yards) and did a good job of spreading the ball around with six players finishing with at least two receptions. The offense also got some help from Najee Harris, who has turned into a wrecking ball. Harris finished with 114 yards and has now gone over 100 yards in three straight games. The Steelers also got a huge momentum bump from Calvin Austin, who scored the first TD of the game with a 73-yard punt return score in the third quarter. The biggest surprise of the night was that the Steelers defense struggled to slow down the Giants, but despite the struggles, they still came up with some big plays, including a strip-sack by T.J. Watt late in the fourth quarter. This team isn't flashy, but they win games. That's all that matters in the NFL. | |
Cleveland 29-24 over Baltimore
| B- |  |
| The Ravens only have themselves to blame for this loss. Offensively, Lamar Jackson played well -- he threw for 289 yards and two touchdowns -- but he also missed several wide open receivers and the Ravens struggled on third down, going just 2 of 10. Defensively, the Ravens melted down during a second half in which Jameis Winston threw for 224 yards and three touchdowns. On special teams, Justin Tucker's streaky season continued with a key missed field goal early in the fourth quarter. Basically, everything that could go wrong for the Ravens went wrong and they still barely lost, so although this one will certainly sting, it won't be surprising to see Baltimore bounce back big next week against the Broncos. | |
| A+ |  |
| Well, hello Jameis Winston. In his first NFL start since 2022, Winston engineered a huge upset by throwing for 334 yards and three touchdowns. In seven games with Deshaun Watson, he didn't throw for 200 yards a single time and the Browns never hit the 20-point mark with him. With Winston, the offense looked rejuvenated. Between Joe Flacco's performance with the Browns last season and Winston's performance in this game, it's pretty clear Kevin Stefanski's offense can work with the right QB, but Watson wasn't the right QB. At 2-6, it will be very interesting to see where the Browns' season goes from here. | |
Philadelphia 37-17 over Cincinnati
| A |  |
| With the Eagles in a dogfight at halftime, Jalen Hurts took over in the second half. The Eagles QB threw for 150 yards over the final two quarters while totaling three of his four touchdowns to help Philly roll to a win. The Eagles offense also got a boost from Saquon Barkley, who rushed for 108 yards. The defense struggled against Cincinnati in the first half, but then turned things around in the second half by forcing two huge turnovers, including an acrobatic interception by C.J. Gardner-Johnson off a tipped ball. This was Philly's best all-around performance of the season, and if Hurts keeps playing like this, there's no reason the Eagles can't win the NFC East. | |
| D |  |
| The Bengals absolutely fell apart in the second half and it started with a questionable coaching decision by Zac Taylor, who decided to go for it on fourth down from his own 39-yard line. The call failed and things only got worse after that. The failed fourth down started a string of three straight possessions where the Bengals also had a tipped interception thrown by Joe Burrow and a lost fumble by Mike Gesicki. The Bengals totaled just 106 yards in the second half and their defense got steamrolled for 397 yards in the game. At 3-5, this team has dug itself into a hole it may not be able to get out of. | |
Detroit 52-14 over Tennessee
| F |  |
| Tennessee's defense gave up more than 50 points, and it might have been the Titans' best unit on the field in this game. That's how bad things were for this team. Tennessee's special teams surrendered two returns in this game that went for more than 70 yards, including a 90-yard punt return TD. The offense turned the ball over four times -- including two interceptions from Mason Rudolph -- and the Lions ended up getting 21 points off those turnovers. The Titans defense held the Lions to 225 yards of offense, but when your offense and special teams are making mistakes every time they're on the field, there's just no way to overcome that. This was an ugly loss for a Titans team that's suddenly looking like the worst team in the AFC. | |
| A+ |  |
| This was a nearly perfect performance by the Lions in every phase of the game. The defense blew the game open by forcing four turnovers, including two interceptions in the first half that both led to touchdowns, which basically blew the game open. The offense was led by Sonic (Jahmyr Gibbs) and Knuckles (David Montgomery). Gibbs rushed for 127 yards and a TD, and not to be outdone, Montgomery rushed for a TD and THREW a TD. Even the special teams got in on the action with Kalif Raymond returning a punt 90 yards for a score. (Khalil Dorsey also set up a TD with a 72-yard kickoff return.) This team is already good, and it seems to be getting better every week, which should scare the rest of the NFC. | |
Arizona 28-27 over Miami
| A- |  |
| If you want to know what it looks like when Kyler Murray takes over a game, just watch the second half of this battle in Miami. After a first half where the Cardinals scored just seven points, Murray was nearly perfect in the second half, going 18 of 22 for 228 yards. The Cardinals offense worked because Murray was getting everyone involved, including Marvin Harrison Jr. (111 yards) and Trey McBride (124 yards), who both went over 100 yards. The Cardinals are suddenly one of the hottest teams in the NFC, and this might be a dark-horse team to watch for in the playoff race as the season heads to November. | |
| B- |  |
| This game was all about Tua Tagovailoa, and although the Dolphins didn't win, his return still kind of felt like a success. After struggling in four games without Tagovailoa, the Dolphins' offense looked much better with him back under center. Tua didn't even need to knock off the rust: He led the Dolphins to points on their first two drives. He did take an ugly safety, but that came after a bad shotgun snap. The Dolphins' problem was their defense, and if they don't get that fixed soon, this season might be headed down the drain. | |
New England 25-22 over N.Y. Jets
| D |  |
| It might be time for the Jets to blow everything up and start over, and they might want to start that process with their kicker. Greg Zuerlein missed a field goal and an extra point, and when you cost your team four points in a three-point loss, that's a problem. This marks the third time this season that Zuerlein has missed at least one field goal in a game that was decided by three points or less. Of course, the Jets' other problem is that the offense still looks like a work in progress, which isn't something that should be an issue eight weeks into the season. If the Jets couldn't beat New England, it's hard to see them rebounding to get back in the playoff race. | |
| B |  |
| The Patriots offense hasn't provided very much excitement for fans in New England this year, but the unit definitely provided some in the fourth quarter of this game. Jacoby Brissett, who came in for an injured Drake Maye, totaled 104 yards during a fourth quarter where New England scored 11 of its 25 points. That included Brissett driving New England 70 yards for a game-winning TD by Rhamondre Stevenson. The Patriots might not win many games in this season, but they'll be more than happy to take a win over the Jets, and that's exactly what they got Sunday. | |
Atlanta 31-26 over Tampa Bay
| A- |  |
| Kirk Cousins probably wishes he could face the Buccaneers every week. Three weeks after throwing for 509 yards, Cousins had another huge game with four TD passes against the Bucs. On National Tight Ends Day, Cousins made sure to get Kyle Pitts involved. The Falcons tight end had his biggest game of the year with 91 yards and two touchdowns on four receptions. The Falcons defense did struggle against a depleted Buccaneers offense, but it made up for it by coming away with several big plays, including a fourth-quarter interception by A.J. Terrell. With a sweep of the Bucs, it feels like the Falcons are now in total control of the NFC South. | |
| C |  |
| This game started with Rachaad White fumbling away the football on Tampa Bay's opening possession and the mistakes only piled up from their for the offense. After the first half fumble, Baker Mayfield threw two second-half interceptions and there was also a fourth-down failure in the third quarter. It's hard enough to overcome that many mistakes, and it's almost impossible when you're missing best offensive weapons like the Bucs were Sunday with Chris Godwin and Mike Evans both out. The Bucs have now lost three of their past four, and their season could soon be spiraling totally out of control with games against the Chiefs and the 49ers in the next two weeks. | |
Green Bay 30-27 over Jacksonville
| B+ |  |
| The Packers pulled off a huge win and did it with their backup QB. With Jordan Love forced out of the game due to injury in the third quarter, Malik Willis came in and didn't miss a beat. Willis went 4 of 5 for 54 yards, with 51 of those coming in the fourth quarter. Willis threw a TD to Tucker Kraft early in the quarter, before hitting Jayden Reed for a 51-yard gain with 1:13 left to play to set up Brandon McManus' game-winning field goal. Willis got a lot of help from Josh Jacobs, who helped carry the offense with 127 yards and two touchdowns. If the Packers are forced to play a few weeks without Love, they just might be able to survive, especially since Willis is already 2-0 as a starter this year. | |
| B- |  |
| The Jaguars almost pulled off a stunning fourth-quarter comeback, but they came up empty because their defense couldn't stop a backup QB. With the game tied at 27, the Jags got burnt by Malik Willis, who engineered a 64-yard drive in the final two minutes to get the win. The Jags' other problem was Trevor Lawrence. Although he threw for 308 yards, he also had two inexcusable turnovers, including a lost fumble that set Green Bay up with the ball at Jacksonville's five-yard line in the fourth quarter. (The Packers ended up scoring a TD to go up 27-17.) The Jaguars aren't good enough to win when they're handing points to the other team, and Lawrence's two turnovers led to 14 points for Green Bay. | |
Houston 23-20 over Indianapolis
| B- |  |
| If Anthony Richardson is going to be your QB, you have to embrace his style of play, and it took the Colts two quarters to figure that out Sunday. Shane Steichen tried to run a pass-heavy offense in the first half, which failed miserably with Richardson going 2 of 15 for 81 yards while also throwing an ugly interception that gave Houston the ball at Indy's 7-yard line just before halftime. It was a bizarre game plan from Steichen, who finally got his rushing attack going in the second half. With Richardson struggling, this game could have turned into a blowout win for the Texans, but the Colts defense stiffened up every time Houston got in the red zone, holding them to three field goals and forcing a turnover. The Colts could potentially be a playoff team if they got more consistent play from their QB, which makes you wonder whether they'll end up turning things over to Joe Flacco. | |
| B- |  |
| The Texans defense beat up on Anthony Richardson for four quarters, and that's a big reason why Houston was able to win this divisional showdown. Danielle Hunter tallied two of Houston's five sacks in the game. Jalen Pitre also came up with a huge interception that set up a Texans TD just before halftime. The offense had its struggles, but Joe Mixon kept it chugging along with 134 yards from scrimmage. The Texans also continue to have one of the best kickers in the NFL this year with Ka'imi Fairbairn, who hit all three of his field goals. As long as they don't implode, the Texans should be able to coast the AFC South title now that they've swept the Colts on the season. | |
Buffalo 31-10 over Seattle
| A |  |
| When the Bills are at their best, they're almost impossible to beat, and they were at their best in this game. From their air attack (Josh Allen threw for 283 yards and two touchdowns) to their ground game (James Cook ran for 111 yards and two touchdowns) to their defense, everything was firing on all cylinders for a Buffalo team that has now won four games this season by at least 21 points. Allen seems to get more comfortable with his receiving group every week -- three different players finished with more than 50 receiving yards -- and with his offense getting better and better, the Bills look like one of the few teams in the AFC that could throw a wrench in the Chiefs' bid to win a third straight Super Bowl. | |
| D- |  |
| The Seahawks got punched in the face by the Bills defense in the first half and they never really recovered. With DK Metcalf out, the offense needed a big game on the ground, but that didn't happen. The rushing attack totaled just 32 yards with 16 of those coming on scrambles from Geno Smith. As bad as the offense was, the defense was worse. The Bills were able to move the ball at will through air and on the ground. The Seahawks are in a free fall with four losses in their past five games and based on how they're playing, that free fall might not be ending anytime soon. | |
Denver 28-14 over Carolina
| F |  |
| The good news for the Panthers is that Bryce Young and the offense looked good in this game ... for one drive. The Panthers scored on their opening possession, but that was about the only thing they did right in this game. It was another ugly outing for Young, who threw two interceptions. The Panthers defense surrendered 284 passing yards to Bo Nix, who hadn't thrown for more than 250 yards all year. The only silver lining for the Panthers is that they've now taken one small step closer toward possibly earning the No.1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. | |
| A |  |
| It's been a quiet season for Bo Nix, but he finally had a breakout game. Sure, it came against the Panthers, but when you're talking about a rookie QB, any progress is good progress and Nix definitely showed some on a day where he threw for 284 yards and three touchdowns, which were both career highs. Nix's favorite target was Courtland Sutton, who not only had 100 receiving yards, but he also completed a pass for 28 yards. Denver's defense terrorized Bryce Young with two picks and two sacks. After coasting to a win here, the Broncos will now get two stiff tests over the next two weeks with the Chiefs and Ravens coming up. | |
L.A. Chargers 26-8 over New Orleans
| D- |  |
| The Saints lost their fifth straight game, and like their previous losses, it was mostly because their offense couldn't move the ball. New Orleans started the game with Spencer Rattler at QB, but he was ineffective, so Dennis Allen turned to Jake Haener and he wasn't much better. One reason both Saints quarterbacks struggled is because they were under constant pressure (They got sacked a total of five times). After starting 2-0, the Saints are now 2-6 and it's starting to feel like not even the return of Derek Carr will be able to save them. | |
| A- |  |
| The Chargers defense surrendered the fewest points in the NFL through the first seven weeks and that won't be changing after this impressive performance against New Orleans. Khalil Mack and Bud Dupree led a defensive unit that sacked the Saints a total of five times while also keeping New Orleans out of the end zone. The offense wasn't pretty, but Justin Herbert did more than enough to carry the Chargers to the win. Ladd McConkey came up with the play of the day when he caught a 60-yard TD from Justin Herbert that essentially iced the win. The Chargers won't wow you, but they have a strong defense and a steady offense, which is a key to winning games late in the season. | |
Washington 18-15 over Chicago
| B |  |
| The Bears offense did nothing for the better part of three quarters before D'Andre Swift almost single-handedly brought them back into the game. Swift carried the ball eight times for 98 yards in the second half and was a big reason why the Bears were able to mount a comeback from 12-0 to briefly take a 15-12 lead. Caleb Williams got thoroughly outplayed by Jayden Daniels, but Williams did come up with several big plays during a 62-yard TD drive that put Chicago ahead in the fourth quarter. Defensively, the Bears actually did a great job of stopping the Commanders ... until the final play of the game when Daniels completed a Hail Mary. This was a brutal loss for the Bears and it will be interesting to see how they respond on the field against the Cardinals in Week 9. | |
| B+ |  |
| It's a good thing Jayden Daniels played, because the Commanders needed everything he had. Despite dealing with a rib injury, Daniels still managed to total 326 passing yards with 52 coming on the final play of the game when he connected with Noah Brown for an improbable Hail Mary. The Hail Mary saved what would have been an ugly loss for Washington. The Commanders piled up nearly 500 yards and held the Bears to just 15 points, but they almost lost because they couldn't score in the red zone (They scored zero touchdowns on three trips). The magic from Daniels saved the day, though, and the Commanders are starting to feel like a team of destiny. | |
Kansas City 27-20 over Las Vegas
| B- |  |
| The Chiefs never make anything look easy. In this game, it was the defense that saved the day, a defense that sacked Gardner Minshew five times. The Raiders got the ball inside of Kansas City's 5-yard TWICE in the second half, but they only came away with three points thanks to two key defensive stops. The offense doesn't look as good as it has in the past, but Patrick Mahomes is still getting the job done. He threw for 262 yards and two touchdowns with a good chunk of that going to Travis Kelce (10 catches for 90 yards and a TD). The Chiefs have mastered the art of winning ugly, but they're still winning and that's all that matters. | |
| C |  |
| If the Raiders didn't totally implode near the goal line, they might have been able to pull off the upset here. After a Tre'von Moehrig interception in the third quarter set the Raiders up with the ball at Kansas City's 3-yard line, a TD seemed inevitable, but this is the Raiders and that didn't happen. They ended up getting zero points after three straight runs and Gardner Minshew sack. That was the second time in the second half that the Raiders didn't score a TD after getting inside of Kansas City's 5-yard line. Between the two fourth-down failures and a Minshew fumble, it was a total meltdown for Las Vegas in the second half. | |
San Francisco 30-24 over Dallas
| C |  |
| The Cowboys offense has a big problem, and that problem is that CeeDee Lamb continues to be the only major weapon. Lamb had a huge night (13 catches for 146 yards and two touchdowns), but when he wasn't there to save the day, the Cowboys couldn't do anything on offense. Dallas also has no rushing attack, which puts even more pressure on Lamb and Dak Prescott to constantly come up with big plays. Prescott was impressive at times, but he also threw two interceptions. Defensively, the Cowboys disappeared during a third quarter where the 49ers put up 21 points while totaling 167 yards. The Cowboys had a bye week to get prepared for this game, but you couldn't tell that based on how the first 3.5 quarters played out. | |
| B- |  |
| Kyle Shanahan was probably holding his breath for the entire fourth quarter as he watched his team almost blow a 27-10 lead, but they eventually held on for the win. With Isaac Guerendo leading the way, the 49ers were able to run the ball at will on the Cowboys' defense. Guerendo (85 yards) led the team in rushing on a night where the 49ers totaled 223 yards on the ground. Brock Purdy had another efficient game, especially during a third quarter where he was perfect, going 7 of 7 for 103 yards and a TD. Purdy also scrambled his way to 56 yards. Purdy seems to have a new favorite weapon every week and this week, it was George Kittle, who went big on National Tight End's Day with 128 yards and a TD on six catches. This was by no means a perfect performance, but at 4-4, the 49ers will head into their bye with a chance to get healthy so they can make a run at the NFC West title. | |
