There was a ton of football action yesterday with 22 of the NFL's 32 teams playing. Considering so many games ended up being blowouts, let's run down the list and see what our biggest takeaways were from Sunday.
7. Kirk Cousins is done playing meaningful snaps in the NFL.
With starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. out yesterday, Sunday was a fantastic opportunity for backup QB Kirk Cousins to show that he still has what it takes to play at a high level in the National Football League. It felt like Cousins had an easy task going against a Miami Dolphins team that ranks 31st in passer rating allowed (109.5), even though he was missing starting wide receiver Drake London. Unfortunately for Cousins, he sh*t the bed, completing 21 of 31 passes for a measly 173 passing yards and zero touchdowns.
If we're being honest, those might be the last snaps we see from Kirk Cousins as a starting QB in the NFL. He was benched last year for a rookie, so this was his first start since December 16th, 2024. It was his chance to show quarterback-needy teams like the Minnesota Vikings or New York Jets that he still has some gas left in the tank. But, he squandered the chance and torpedoed his trade stock just nine days before the NFL's trade deadline. Before this weekend, there was still hope that Cousins could revive his career with another team. Now, though, that feels like a pipe dream after that dreadful performance against one of the league's worst defenses.
6. Coaches who were on the hot seat bought themselves a little time.
Going into Week Eight, there was no shortage of coaches on the hot seat. Mike McDaniel has been coaching for his job with the Miami Dolphins ever since they were blown out by the Colts in their season-opener. There were legitimate concerns that Aaron Glenn wouldn't win a game in his first season as the New York Jets' head coach. Even John Harbaugh was feeling a little heat as the long-time coach of the Baltimore Ravens.
The good news is that each one of those guys responded to those pressures with resounding victories. The Dolphins squashed the Atlanta Falcons 34-10, a pleasant surprise for 'Phins fans considering the Dirty Birds were 3-3 coming into Sunday and had a lot to play for. Aaron Glenn earned his first win as a head coach when his New York Jets scored a go-ahead touchdown with 1:54 to go in the fourth quarter to topple the Cincinnati Bengals, 39-38. John Harbaugh used a bye week to beat the streaking Chicago Bears even though he didn't have two-time MVP Lamar Jackson available for the game. The jury is still out on whether these guys will be the coaches of their respective teams next season, but for now, they have all earned the right to coach for at least one more week.
5. The Jets actually showed growth.
Sound the victory trumpets! The 2025-26 New York Jets have finally won a game. They beat the Cincinnati Bengals by correcting past mistakes and showing marked improvement in several key categories.
After his benching last week, quarterback Justin Fields had an excellent bounce-back performance that included 244 passing yards, 31 rushing yards, and a passing TD. Gang Green limited mistakes by committing zero turnovers and only having four penalties accepted against them. They also converted 50% of their third- and fourth-down attempts, which is a significant improvement from the 37.6% conversion rate they have had this season. They had clutch moments to win the game, scoring a go-ahead touchdown on a nine-play, 58-yard drive, and then forcing a turnover on downs on Cincy's next possession to secure the victory. Hell, Jets head coach Aaron Glenn showed growth by executing a near-perfect drive at the end of the first half to kick a field goal and make it an 11-point game.
Is Aaron Glenn a good coach at this moment? No, he's not. But Jets fans can actually point to this game and say that their team learned from its mistakes and corrected them, which is why they won their first matchup of the season.
4. It's time to worry in Atlanta and Pittsburgh.
The Falcons and Steelers both had an opportunity to right the ship in their respective games. Pittsburgh and Atlanta had chances to wash the taste of bitter defeat out of their mouths from their Week Seven losses. Rather than getting back in the win column, they both lost and now find themselves in the midst of two-game losing streaks.
If we're being honest with ourselves, Atlanta has been incredibly underwhelming this season. They have the quarterback and offensive playmakers needed to beat any team in the NFL, but they're 3-4 with crushing losses to terrible teams like the Miami Dolphins and the Carolina Panthers. They don't know when Michael Penix Jr. is coming back and are averaging 14.7 points per game over the last three weeks. It's not time to hit the panic button, but we're slowly getting to that point, especially if they lose to the Patriots and Colts over the next two weeks.
The Pittsburgh Steelers finally looked like they were going to break away from the pack in the AFC with a 4-1 record. However, they've lost two games in a row and are slotted as the fourth seed in the conference rather than in contention for the number-one seed. The Thursday Night Football Game stung, but it was a close loss to a divisional opponent on the road. The loss last night to the Packers was unacceptable. After going up 16-7, you have to put good teams away, not get outscored 28-9. Things might continue to decline for the Steelers since their next two games are against playoff contenders in the Colts and the Chargers.
3. The Bears, 49ers, and Cowboys have some work to do.
Just when we think we have an understanding of who the best teams in the NFL are, we get a Sunday like the one we got this weekend, where several squads come crashing back down to Earth. Not only did the Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers, and Dallas Cowboys all lose, but they got blown out and came nowhere close to covering the spread in their respective games.
First, we had the Chicago Bears, who came into this week on a four-game winning streak. All they had to do was beat the Baltimore Ravens, who didn't even have their starting quarterback. The Ravens started Snoop Huntley as their quarterback, who wasn't even good enough to make the Cleveland Browns' 53-man roster. Despite all these things working against Baltimore, they ran all over the Bears for 177 rushing yards and two ground touchdowns. This is just a huge missed opportunity for Chicago, which would miss the playoffs if the regular season ended today.
The San Francisco 49ers had even more on the line this Sunday. They're trying to keep pace with the Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams for first place in the NFC West. They could've done that by beating the Houston Texans, who came into that matchup averaging fewer than 21 points per game. However, the Niners' defense couldn't get off the field because the Texans controlled the time of possession 41:22 to 18:38. As a result, San Fran has gone from first place to third place in its division.
Lastly, there were the Dallas Cowboys, who were embarrassed on the road and now sit at 3-4-1 rather than 4-3-1. Obviously, going into Denver is never an easy task, but you would've loved to see more fight from the Cowboys instead of a 22-point drubbing. When you realize that Dallas has only one road win, and it came against the Jets, you have to start wondering if this team can actually be competitive outside of Texas.
2. The Packers, Eagles, and Bills silenced doubters.
There were some worries about how Philly, Buffalo, and Green Bay would play this weekend. The Eagles were still trying to overcome that 17-point loss to the Giants. The Packers needed to prove they could beat a good team. And, the Bills just needed to get back into the win column. Each organization answered the call on Sunday.
The Philadelphia Eagles exerted their will on the New York Giants. Philly running back Saquon Barkley undoubtedly had his best game of the season, rushing for 150 yards and two touchdowns. On top of that, quarterback Jalen Hurts threw four touchdowns, even though wide receiver A.J. Brown didn't play. More importantly, Philly got back to effectively running the ball like they did last season. If this group can continue to lean on the rushing attack, they'll be a force later in the season.
The Buffalo Bills needed to have a bounce-back performance against the hobbled Carolina Panthers to snap a two-game losing streak. They did that with a 40-9 win over the Panthers. They never trailed in this game, and running back James Cook looked like a Pro Bowler once again with a career-high 216 rushing yards. Plus, Josh Allen returned to MVP form with three total touchdowns and 170 total yards. This was the type of get-right game the Bills needed to restore their confidence before hosting the Chiefs next Sunday.
The Green Bay Packers were able to overcome the odds and beat a team with a winning record on the road. They did it in spectacular, comeback fashion, outscoring the Steelers 28-9 for their third consecutive victory. That win allows them to remain at the top of the NFC for another week with the best winning percentage in the conference so far this season (.786). They played well as a team, Jordan Love looked like an MVP, and the pass rush once again got after the quarterback. It feels like the Packers are beginning to hit their stride after a shaky first four weeks.
1. We have a much better understanding of who is a contender vs. a pretender.
Because so many teams were sitting at or around .500 in terms of their records, we got a much better idea of which squads are actually going to compete for a Super Bowl this year, and which teams might just look like they are competitive, when really, they're not as good as we all thought.
The Bears, Giants, Falcons, Cowboys, and Steelers all look like pretenders after the action we saw yesterday. Chicago had its four-game win streak broken by a Ravens squad starting a journeyman backup QB. The Giants lost their energized rookie running back for the season and now have the second-most losses in the NFC. Atlanta had some injuries, but that's no excuse to lose to a Miami Dolphins team that is actively looking for a reason to fire its head coach. The Cowboys got their doors blown off and were outscored 30-14. Lastly, the Steelers have lost two games in a row after starting the season 4-1, which makes them the fourth seed in the AFC currently.
The Packers, Eagles, and Broncos feel like true contenders. The Green Bay Packers beat a division-leading team with a future Hall of Fame quarterback on the road, even though they trailed by two scores in their game. That takes a lot of guts and shows a lot of grit from a team that has answered the call at almost every turn this season. The Philadelphia Eagles proved that they are still the best team in the NFC East by dominating the New York Giants to make up for the loss they suffered two weeks ago. The Denver Broncos continued to build on an impressive regular season with their fifth straight win. Every team just listed should be looked at as a threat not only to make the playoffs, but to win the Super Bowl.
