14 things we learned: Week Eight

Week 8 didn’t throw up too many surprises in terms of results, but some teams certainly looked better than others, and a few made sure that experts aren’t overlooking them when assessing this year’s Super Bowl contenders. There were performances to remember, performances to forget, and then there was Baker Mayfield’s – something we may never see again.

There was a lot to take out of Week 8’s action, and Preme Football have broken down the major storylines and talking points from each of the past weekend’s games into 14 simple paragraphs, so here are the main takeaways from the seventh week of the regular season.

1) There was a once in a lifetime game in Tampa Bay

The weather at Buccaneers home games all season so far has been inclement. There was a lightning delay in their home opener against the Cleveland Browns, but that didn’t have nearly as much as effect as torrential rain did on Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons. Baker Mayfield attempted 2 passes in the first quarter, which both fell incomplete, and while he did attempt a third (also incomplete) early in the second half, that was all she wrote for Tampa Bay’s quarterback. He ended with a remarkable 0 completed passes, as the Buccaneers rode Bucky Irving and Kenneth Gainwell for a combined 310 rushing yards and a tremendous defensive performance to shut the Falcons out and become the first team in over 50 years to win a game without a completion. The most unbelievable stat of the afternoon was that this was the first time since 1950 where a quarterback, Michael Penix Jr., threw more interceptions (4) than his opponent did passes.

2) Jordan Love is putting the Packers on his back

Green Bay fans have combined their frustrations about coaching with praise for their star quarterback for a number of years now, but it’s been more evident than ever in 2026. Love dealt another 3 touchdowns and close to 300 passing yards yet again in a win over the Carolina Panthers last week, leaving him 1st in the NFL in passing yards and 4th in passing touchdowns at the midpoint of the season. The return of Josh Jacobs to the Packers’ backfield over the past fortnight has done nothing to solve their problems in the run game so far, which make Love’s achievements all the more impressive. Green Bay also have 2 wide receivers, Christian Watson and Matthew Golden, inside the top 7 in receiving yards. Self-inflicted wounds by the defense, run game, coaching staff, and especially, kicking game, have continued to haunt this team, but Love is doing everything he can to inspire them and could be near the top of MVP voting if he maintains this form.

3) Minnesota’s offense simply eliminates them from genuine contention

As impressive and unprecedented as the Vikings’ 6-0 start was, almost every game was won on the back of outstanding defensive performances, managing over 25 points in just 1 of those games. Heading into a gauntlet month of November, all eyes were on them against the Detroit Lions to see if they could step up, and it’s safe to say they failed the challenge against a Lions defense which has been fragile against the league’s high quality offenses. Although they did lead with under 5 minutes remaining, they scored just 15 points for the match and now rank 27th on the season in points for. Kyler Murray ultimately has been serviceable at best in his attempts to revive his career, and the unit actually looked its best in the second half of Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers, during which Carson Wentz was under center. They can only hope this is the loss they needed to wake themselves up, but it doesn’t get any easier this week against the Buffalo Bills.

4) Week by week, Cam Ward is slowly getting there

Despite a deflating overtime loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, Ward produced the best start of his NFL career in amassing 345 total yards and a pair of touchdowns, going blow for blow with one of the league’s best quarterbacks in Joe Burrow. In the last 3 weeks, Ward, thanks in part to a couple of great performances by Tony Pollard, has led his team to 86 total points and is perhaps unlucky not to have won all 3 games. The expectations as a number 1 overall pick were for Ward to walk into Tennessee and turn water into wine from his first day on the job, but with a live example of fellow first selection Bryce Young taking all of 3 years to look like a solid quarterback, they were nothing short of ridiculous. The Titans’ decision to trade Jeffrey Simmons indicates they still believe they are a number of years off re-entering the playoff picture, and only when they are ready to do so will we work out whether their selection of Ward pays dividends.

5) Joe Milton III is worth a shot for the Eagles

After 6 straight defeats, there are no bad suggestions as to how Philadelphia can potentially get something out of the 2026 season. They won’t make the playoffs as a result of poor coaching and especially, major injury woes. With their most notable name, Jalen Hurts, on the sidelines and with his future up in the air, Tanner McKee has stepped in as the starting quarterback but has ultimately been uninspiring for the most part. Milton III was known for having a cannon of an arm coming out of college, and showed it off on his NFL debut with the New England Patriots at the end of the 2024 season. With nothing to lose anymore, a switch up under center has to be worth consideration if the Eagles don’t want to end the season playing uninspiring football and looking uncompetitive for the most part.

6) It’s Minshew Mania 2.0 in Arizona

It was around this time last season when Jacoby Brissett took over from Kyler Murray as the Cardinals’ starter and injected some much-needed life into the team, but the veteran has failed to carry that form into 2026. Arizona looked down and out late in the third quarter when Mike LaFleur benched Brissett for Gardnew Minshew II, who, alongside Tyler Allgeier, inspired them to a stunning comeback win over the Dallas Cowboys in overtime. It’s been 7 years since the electric rookie season that etched Minshew II into folkore, and although he has since been not much more than a journeyman backup for many teams across the league, he gets another chance now to lead a fun, young team, capable of upsetting anyone on their day.

7) If only every quarter was the fourth for Denver

It’s hard to remember a team whose performances between the first 3 quarters and the last have been of such contrast. Particularly offensively, the Broncos just don’t seem to show up at the start of games. Bo Nix often struggles to throw the ball down field and the run game lacks any sort of impetus, but everything appears to just flip a switch at the final interchange. Trailing by 11 at 3 quarter time against the Kansas City Chiefs, they put together their best 2 drives of the afternoon when it mattered most once again, as rookie Jonah Coleman punctuated the comeback win with an explosive 51-yard gain to set up his own game-winning touchdown. It’s hard to imagine Denver could win a Super Bowl by only showing up in fourth quarters, but if they can put together a complete performance, few teams would want to run into them in the AFC.

8) You can put a line through the Ravens in 2026

Many Baltimore fans’ televisions would have been turned off on Sunday after their team’s very first offensive possession, where Lamar Jackson suffered a hand injury that has subsequently landed him on injured reserve. If that wasn’t bad enough, backup Tyler Huntley was ruled out before halftime, leaving Joe Fagnano to make his first career appearance against the merciless Buffalo Bills. The final score read 36-10, sending the Ravens back to 4-4 and without Jackson for at least the next month, their season is over. A 4-1 start under Jesse Minter delivered a lot of promise at the beginning of Baltimore’s new era, but it will be another year without an AFC title for their franchise quarterback, who isn’t getting any younger, and maybe, just maybe, has played his last game as a Raven.

9) Jacksonville are no longer flying under the radar

Being a small market, the Jaguars’ form to end 2025 went largely unrecognised relative to how good it actually was, but those who took notice are not surprised to see their early season success in 2026. When they win games, they win them by large margins, especially at EverBank Stadium, which has turned into a fortress and is not somewhere a road team will want to visit in the playoffs. Bhaysul Tuten has completely justified the front office’s decision to move on from Travis Etienne Jr. at running back, Parker Washington has emerged as a true number 1 receiver, Trevor Lawrence looks like an MVP, and perhaps most importantly, their defense is among the league’s best. From top to bottom, it’s hard to put a finger on any weaknesses this team has, and no one could be blamed for having Jacksonville as their lead contender out of the AFC as it stands.

10) Drake Maye’s first 3 weeks of the season feel like a long time ago

There’s no denying that the New England Patriots’ quarterback’s start to his campaign were nothing short of dismal. He would be the first to admit that. But his runner-up finish in 2025’s MVP voting meant he deserved more than a couple of weeks grace, which many were unwilling to give him. Since then, he has accumulated 17 total touchdowns and just 3 turnovers, leading the Patriots to 4 wins from 5 games as they have begun to recapture the form that led them to last year’s Super Bowl. With prized recruits AJ Brown and Romeo Doubs, as well as Mack Hollins all having missed significant time with injuries, Maye has ultimately done a tremendous job to get the best out of what he is working with and keep New England in the hunt not only for an AFC playoff spot but potentially a late charge at the AFC East title should the Buffalo Bills slip up.

11) Brock Bowers will have every chance to retire as the league’s greatest tight end

With one of the NFL’s greatest tight ends in Travis Kelce likely to complete his chapter and retire at the end of the season, Bowers is a ready-made heir to his throne, not only within the AFC West but the NFC as a whole. After his 92-yard, 2-touchdown performance in New York against the Jets on Sunday, Bowers now has 2,421 yards and 15 touchdowns through his first 35 career games, blowing the numbers of Kelce (1,845 and 10) and all-time tight end receiving yards leader, Tony Gonzales (1,093 and 5) completely out of the water. Kirk Cousins has been highly beneficial for Bowers and a Las Vegas Raiders team that has exceeded expectations with a 4-4 record so far this season, but one of the league’s most exciting tight end prospects ever is absolutely living up to the hype in his own right, and still has plenty of upside at just 23 years old.

12) Chicago are more than just an offensive juggernaut

A few years ago, Ben Johnson helped to revive a Detroit Lions franchise that had been crying out for some sort of relevance after a dismal period by helping to create an explosive offense that got fans of all times constantly jumping out of their seats. As fun (and successful) as it was, that Lions team’s undoing in both 2023 and 2024 was a lacklustre defense, conceding a combined 79 points in 2 elimination games. Now in his role as Bears head coach, Johnson has no doubt brought that offensive flair with him, but also made it clear that a strong defense is what will tip them over the edge to become a true contender. The addition of Jeffrey Simmons, who was arguably the best player on the field ih his team debut against the Seattle Seahawks, has only added to that rationale over the past week, and although they failed to contain Jaxon Smith-Njigba, keeping the reigning champions to just 17 points is reflective of the continual improvement this unit has shown. If their offense and defense can work in tandem on the big stage, they will have every right to consider themselves the team to beta in the NFC.

13) The Rams are not the team most expected

While Los Angeles have found some form in winning their past 2 games to return to an even .500 record, it’s needless to say that some people’s expectations of this team have been tempered with regards to how dominant they might be. The sudden comeback of Aaron Donald paired with the acquisitions of 2023 First-team All-Pro Trent McDuffie and 3-time Defensive Player of the Year, Myles Garrett, who has admittedly been on injured reserve since Week 1, combined with last year’s all-conquering offense had the Rams touted as can’t-miss television, but that hasn’t been the case. Matthew Stafford’s regression after a phenomenal, MVP-winning 2025 has been major, and has led to the offense simply not looking as consistently threatening as predicted. Los Angeles have really had to grind teams down to get 3 of their 4 wins, and that was the case once again in a gritty 24-9 victory over the cross-town rival Chargers over the weekend. It’s impossible to rule a team with such talent out of Super Bowl contention, but major improvement is needed in the coming weeks.

14) Pittsburgh’s defensive front should never be underestimated

While in recent times it hasn’t been particularly attractive to watch for the neutral observer, and for Steelers fans, it hasn’t culminated in a playoff win in nearly a decade, there’s an art to their dire style of football, and it’s gotten wins on the board so far this season. Pittsburgh dominated the Cleveland Browns in the trenches en route to their 23rd, (yes, 23rd), straight win at home over the Browns. The timeless TJ Watt, who finds himself among the top of the Defensive Player of the Year favourites once again, recorded 2 of the Steelers’ season-high 8 sacks. Patrick Queen and Cameron Heyward had superstar games to continue their strong seasons, while the less notable names pulled their weight to make life impossible for Deshaun Watson and Cleveland’s offense. The Cincinnati Bengals appear to be Pittsburgh’s primary competition in the AFC North, but whether this style of play can succeed in the playoffs is definitely still up in the air.

What was your biggest takeaway from the eighth week of regular season play?