Patrick Mahomes got the ball back with 1:46 left and needed a touchdown. If you’re a Chiefs fan, you probably figured the game was as good as won. Honestly, I did too when he got inside the 5 like it was nothing.

And then Kansas City had a touchdown wiped out and took a sack on the last play. Just like that, Denver’s in first place, Minnesota’s unbeaten run is over, and Chicago moved to within half a game of the top in a division where even the last-place team is 5–3.

Good luck getting comfortable in the NFC North.

Winners

Denver Took First Place One Yard at a Time

The Broncos were down 24–13 heading into the fourth quarter and had gone three-and-out on all three of their third-quarter possessions. Then Bo Nix found Nate Adkins for a touchdown on fourth down. Harrison Butker missed a 54-yarder that would’ve put Kansas City up six, and on the very next snap, rookie Jonah Coleman turned a short pass into a 51-yard gain before getting the final five yards himself.

What I liked about Nix was how comfortable he looked when Denver actually let him go make plays. He threw two touchdowns on fourth down, and this was already his 15th game-winning drive, which is a record for a quarterback in his first three seasons. It’d be nice if he and the offense didn’t keep putting him in situations where he has to add to that number, but credit to him for coming through again. The 28–24 win moves Denver to 6–2, puts them a half-game ahead of Kansas City, and takes a Chiefs season sweep off the table. That’s one hell of a swing from the one-yard line.

Detroit and Chicago Made Minnesota’s Lead Feel Small

Justin Jefferson’s touchdown catch was ridiculous, and Minnesota’s defense backed up the hype early. The Vikings had three first-half sacks, Jared Goff threw his first pick of the year, and they took a 7–6 lead into halftime. Then Jahmyr Gibbs got rolling. He picked up 110 of his 153 rushing yards after the break, and after Minnesota went ahead 15–12, Detroit called six straight runs before Goff hit Jameson Williams for the go-ahead touchdown. Minnesota had gone six games without allowing a fourth-quarter touchdown. Detroit got the first one and won 19–15. The Lions are 5–2, with wins over Minnesota and Green Bay, though they’re also a bit shaken up by what happened to linebacker Jack Campbell, who was hospitalized with a neck injury. The team said Monday that the early signs were positive.

Chicago went into Seattle on Monday and opened with a 17-play touchdown drive. The defending champs hadn’t allowed an opening-drive touchdown in 16 games. When Seattle pulled within three in the fourth quarter, Caleb Williams found Kalif Raymond for 39 yards on third-and-nine, and D’Andre Swift scored on the next play. Swift finished with three touchdowns and Seattle went 1-for-11 on third down. That’s three straight for the Bears and back-to-back wins over last year’s Super Bowl teams.

And yes, Green Bay’s still here. Jordan Love threw three touchdowns in Thursday’s 27–19 win, and the Packers sacked Bryce Young six times. Carolina came away with three takeaways and just three points from them. That’s a pretty rough way to spend a night when the other team keeps handing you chances to get back in the game.

Pittsburgh and Jacksonville Took Care of Their Own Divisions

Deshaun Watson threw for 324 yards. If you watched Pittsburgh beat Cleveland 27–6, that number probably looks like a typo. The Steelers sacked him eight times and only gave up 34 rushing yards. They got 143 yards from Jaylen Warren alone. Pittsburgh’s won four straight and took sole possession of first place in the AFC North at 6–2.

I’m still trying to find something nice to say about those Jacksonville uniforms, but Trevor Lawrence made the game a lot easier to watch. He threw three touchdowns on 14 attempts, Bhayshul Tuten scored as both a runner and a receiver, and Rayuan Lane took an interception 92 yards to make it 28–0 before halftime. The 42–7 final leaves Indianapolis at 2–6 and puts Jacksonville three games clear of Houston. The AFC South is the one division where somebody’s actually given themselves enough room to have a bad Sunday.

Tampa Bay Found Something They Can Do Again

The Bucs beat Atlanta 16–0 without completing a single pass. Zero. Instead, they ran for a franchise-record 324 yards, while Michael Penix Jr. threw four picks. The rain was nasty, but those first two throws to Alex Anzalone were ugly all by themselves.

The thing I’d carry into next week is that Tampa ran for 258 yards against Carolina the week before, too. The Bucs are 3–5, just like Atlanta, but they’ve already beaten both teams they’re chasing or tied with. In this division, two straight weeks of leaning into what you do well can go a long way.

Losers

Baltimore’s Running Out of Quarterbacks

Lamar Jackson missed three games with an ankle injury, came back, and then hurt his throwing thumb on his first snap. Tyler Huntley went down with a toe injury, too, so undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano got thrown into his NFL debut behind a line that was already getting pushed around. Baltimore’s defense hung in there for a while, but there’s only so much you can ask of them when Buffalo keeps bringing pressure and the offense keeps going three-and-out. Jackson needs surgery and is headed to injured reserve, which means he’ll miss at least four games. The Ravens are 4–4 now and have to face Jacksonville on Thursday.

Josh Allen, meanwhile, still makes a 40-yard throw look like he’s flicking a bottle cap. He passed Jim Kelly for the Bills’ career touchdown-pass record in the 36–10 win. New England’s still right there at 5–3, though. Drake Maye accounted for three second-half touchdowns in a 24–19 win over Miami, and the Pats already have a win over Buffalo in their back pocket.

Kansas City Wasted a Pretty Good Look at Their Offense

The passing game looked a lot smoother with Rashee Rice out there. Mahomes threw for 321 yards and three touchdowns, and rookie Emmett Johnson came up big with 128 receiving yards, including a 73-yard catch-and-run. There’s a lot to like there.

But then you get to the 11 penalties, the sack before Butker’s miss, and the false start that wiped out Rice’s would-be game-winner. The Chiefs had a chance to create some real separation from Denver. Instead, they’ve lost two straight.

Cincinnati’s Defense Owes Joe Burrow Dinner

I spent a good chunk of this game wondering what the hell Burrow was doing. Amani Hooker picked him off three times. And somehow, Burrow still threw for 462 yards and five touchdowns, hit Tee Higgins to tie it with 1:17 left, then ran in the winner in overtime. Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase combined for 296 yards. Seriously, what are you supposed to do with those two?

You can give Cam Ward credit for a career-high 304 yards and Tony Pollard credit for running as well as he did, but it’s still hard not to think Cincinnati should be embarrassed that they needed overtime to beat a one-win team 43–36 at home. How often can they really ask Burrow to score six touchdowns just to stay in the race?

The Giants Had a Great Day Sitting at Home

Dallas was up 24–10 on Arizona in the fourth quarter, and it looked pretty much over. Then Gardner Minshew came off the bench, threw three touchdowns, and somehow dragged the Cardinals into overtime. Chad Ryland eventually won it 33–30, but not before missing the extra point that could’ve ended the game in regulation. Arizona’s sticking with Minshew.

Then Sunday night, Philadelphia jumped out to a 10–0 lead before Washington ripped off the next 27 points. Jayden Daniels picked up his first win in more than a year, the Eagles dropped their sixth straight, and the Giants got to watch both of their closest division rivals lose from the couch.

The Chargers and Jets Found Different Ways to Make Sunday Hurt

The Chargers came off their bye and held the Rams to 14 yards over their first five drives. They still lost 24–9. Blake Corum ran for 55 yards on the Rams’ first drive after halftime, because apparently that’s how this season is going to go. The Chargers are 0–7 and haven’t scored a touchdown since Week 5.

The Jets had the exact opposite kind of afternoon. Braelon Allen ran for 147 yards and scored on their first six possessions. They still lost 38–33. Brock Bowers caught two touchdowns, and Dylan Laube took a kickoff 95 yards. That return felt like the Raiders in a nutshell: when they’re right, somebody you weren’t thinking about five seconds ago suddenly makes a play. Now they’re back to .500.

The One Thing I’ll Come Back to in December

Chicago gave up two first-round picks for Jeffery Simmons on Thursday. By Monday, he had six tackles, a sack, and a pass breakup against the defending champs. The sack will make the highlight reel, but I’d go back to that little dump-off where he and Devin Bush dropped Zach Charbonnet for a six-yard loss and forced Seattle to settle for three. That’s a pretty ordinary play until a 305-pound man shows up and ruins it.

Chicago’s already lost to Minnesota and Green Bay. When those games come back around, the Bears will have somebody who can wreck a possession from the middle without needing to send extra rushers. In this division, I’d bet that matters more than any single score from Week 8.

All stats courtesy of Fantasy Points Data.

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