NFL Week 8 winners, losers: Gruesome game for stumbling Giants

Sunday was a rather wild day in the NFL.

It saw two Super Bowl favorites, the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs, both go down in upsets. Kansas City’s defeat was particularly stunning, as it snapped a 16-game winning streak over the Denver Broncos, who prevented the Chiefs from scoring a touchdown.

In the early slate of games, five of the 18 starting quarterbacks playing did not finish their games over injuries or performance. Most concerning was Kirk Cousins of the Minnesota Vikings, whose torn Achilles diagnosis was confirmed on Monday.

Here are the winners and losers from a jam-packed Week 8.

WINNERS

Justin Herbert and the Chargers get right

A lot was made of the finger injury Justin Herbert sustained to his non-throwing hand and how it affected his previous three games. He threw for only 653 yards in those contests, marking the lowest total he has had in any three-game stretch in his career. His four interceptions in that 1-2 run, meanwhile, were tied for his most during a three-game span.

In a 30-13 romp against the Chicago Bears, Herbert (31-of-40 for 298 yards with three touchdowns) got right. Wearing a splint to help stabilize the finger, Herbert completed his first 15 passes and was not affected by ball-placement issues that had been prevalent during the previous three games. He spread the ball around and looked like a player worthy of the contract he signed this offseason. On defense, the Chargers (3-4) also returned to form, generating pressure and forcing turnovers. This was exactly the type of game L.A. needed to get its season back on track.

Broncos build some culture with big victory

The Chiefs had beaten the Broncos 16 straight times. Denver’s defense has had stretches of historic ineptitude this season. This is still most likely a lost season for the Broncos, who will continue to rebuild under new coach Sean Payton. Yet beating the defending Super Bowl champions 24-9 is exactly the type of result that can recalibrate the culture at a franchise that has become accustomed to losing.

Kansas City entered Sunday ranked second in the NFL in total offense (396.7 yards per game), passing offense (285.4) and third-down efficiency (48.91%). The Broncos (3-5) limited the Chiefs to 275 total yards, 213 passing yards and only three of 10 conversions on third downs. Kansas City did not score a touchdown for the first time since Week 7 of the 2021 season. Denver held its AFC West rival to an 0-3 mark in red-zone attempts.

Will Levis dazzles in debut

Titans starter Ryan Tannehill, who was out with an ankle injury, had thrown two passing touchdowns on 158 passing attempts through six games this season. Rookie Will Levis, in Sunday’s 28-23 victory over the Falcons, matched Tanehill’s total in one half and then doubled that by the end of the game. With a sparkling performance in his debut, Levis took a massive step toward winning the job, as the Titans (3-4) might consider turning to the future.

Levis (19-of-29, 238 yards, four touchdowns) broke out thanks to his arm strength and deep-ball accuracy and developing a quick rapport with star receiver DeAndre Hopkins (four catches for 128 yards with three touchdowns). Hopkins had not caught a touchdown with Tannehill. This is merely one game and Levis will need to prove he can perform with consistency, but his debut should prevent Vrabel from turning back to Tannehill.

Jaguars are a rising power, but tougher tests loom

In the AFC, everyone is paying attention to the Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills. It’s time they look in on the Jacksonville Jaguars, too. It has been time for a while now. The Jaguars (6-2) have proven they can enter hostile environments, with adverse conditions like rain and wind, to scratch out victories, just as they did on Sunday in a 20-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Jacksonville hasn’t been a statistical powerhouse, but quarterback Trevor Lawrence has been mostly clean, and running back Travis Etienne (79 rushing yards and 70 receiving yards with one touchdown) has become one of the more versatile weapons in the NFL, confounding teams with his speed, power and shiftiness. Still, fans will want to see success against some of the league’s elite teams; the Jags lost to the Chiefs in Week 2 but beat the Bills in Week 5. A great barometer comes after the bye, when they host the 49ers.

LOSERS

The Purdy luster dulls, but Niners should worry more about another position

Brock Purdy’s ability to protect the ball and efficiently manage coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense had been the driving force for his ascension. During the last three games, all Niners losses, those skills have disappeared. Purdy had a pristine 9:0 touchdown-to-interception ratio in San Francisco’s first five games. In the last three games after Sunday's 31-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, that figure is 3:5.

The 49ers (5-3) have been missing key pieces in receiver Deebo Samuel and offensive tackle Trent Williams, but that is still not an excuse for the turnover problems. Questions will come up about Purdy, his future and whether the Niners were wrong to trade Trey Lance. It’s still a little too early for that; Purdy did make several winning plays earlier in the game. Frankly, San Francisco should be more concerned about its defense – specifically cornerback – after Joe Burrow and Kirk Cousins combined for 661 yards and five passing touchdowns over the last two games.

Starting quarterbacks and their injuries in the early slate

Sunday started with the news that Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes had caught the flu. Mahomes would grit through it, but Week 8 ravaged the bodies of NFL starting quarterbacks. Five quarterbacks in the nine-game early slate — Cousins (Vikings), Kenny Pickett (Steelers), Matthew Stafford (Los Angeles Rams), Tyrod Taylor (New York Giants) and Desmond Ridder (Falcons) — didn’t finish games they started. The first four were knocked out with injuries, while Ridder was cleared after a concussion check but held out, anyway. At one point in his game against the New Orleans Saints, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Gardner Minshew II limped off the field, but he didn’t miss any time.

Taylor (ribs) was taken to a hospital for observation. Pickett (ribs) still needs testing to determine the extent. But of all the injuries, the one to Cousins is the most severe. Minnesota (4-4) had just won three in a row, but Cousins now appears to be out for the season.

More on the Vikings ...

Minnesota, which had only started to come on for a potential playoff push, will almost certainly regress. Its backup is rookie fifth-rounder Jaren Hall, an undersized and unproven player with some athleticism but limitations as a passer.

The only good news for the Vikings is that this injury came before Tuesday’s trade deadline, which would allow the Vikings to potentially take a win-now swing on any veteran who may be available. But that would cost draft capital, so the most reasonable outcome here is a free-agent signing. No addition, however, will approach the quality of Cousins, who is ranked second in the NFL in passing yards (2,331), third QB rating (103.8) and tied for first in touchdowns (18). And unfortunately for Cousins, with his contract set to void after this year, the veteran passer is now poised to enter this offseason seeking a contract while undertaking a massive rehab.

More punts than points for Giants vs. Jets

The final minute of regulation and then overtime of the in-state rivalry between the Jets and Giants were actually entertaining. Let’s just say that fans watching in person and on TV earned it because the rest of it was a slog.

These teams combined for 445 yards of total offense. They converted just four of 34 third-down attempts, two per side. Punters Thomas Morstead and Jamie Gillan combined for 24 punts for 1,078 yards. The Jets (4-3) won, 13-10. But it was the Giants (2-6) who were basically unwatchable. The Giants threw for -9 passing yards, the lowest mark any team has had since 2000. The team’s leading receivers were tight end Darren Waller and running back Matt Breida, who each had one catch for 4 yards.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFL winners, losers: Giants, 49ers have gruesome games in Week 8