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NFL Notes From Week 8: BUF/SEA, CHI/WAS, DEN, KC, SF

Notes on BUF/SEA, CHI/WAS, DEN, KC, SF from week 8!

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – OCTOBER 16: Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills calls a play at the line during the third quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on October 16, 2022 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jason Hanna/Getty Images)

Josh Allen continues to be a front-runner for NFL MVP after leading the Bills to another massive win. He and the Bills will play a big divisional game this weekend against the Miami Dolphins. The Bills are the favorites, as they have dominated the Dolphins over the past few seasons.

Bills @ Seahawks:

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – SEPTEMBER 12: Geno Smith #7 of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates during the first quarter against the Denver Broncos at Lumen Field on September 12, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

This game was not close from the onset, as Seattle could not do anything against Buffalo’s defense. Buffalo’s run defense held Seattle to just 32 yards on 17 carries which is incredible after they’ve gotten beaten very badly by other teams previously. The Bills’ pass rush was also fierce, and even though they only sacked Geno Smith once, they pressured him the entire game. Smith was only able to throw for 212 yards, and the team looked lost without DK Metcalf. James Cook was the star for Buffalo, running for 111 yards and two touchdowns, and was a visionary play that I gave out this past week. Khalil Shakir was fantastic, with 9 receptions for 107 yards. Dalton Kincaid found the end zone as well and looked solid.

Bears @ Commanders:

LANDOVER, MARYLAND – OCTOBER 23: Terry McLaurin #17 of the Washington Commanders and Dax Milne #15 celebrate after a touchdown during the third quarter of the game against the Green Bay Packers at FedExField on October 23, 2022 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

With two seconds left and the Commanders needing a Hail Mary to win I contemplated turning the game off as I was having dinner with my family. Luckily, I didn’t because I got to see one of the most fantastic endings that I’ve seen in quite some time. Jayden Daniels threw the ball 50 yards down the field after escaping the Bears pass rush, and the ball tipped into the hands of Noah Brown, who caught it for a game-winning touchdown. It was an absolutely terrific finish for Daniels, who played well even through an injury with 326 yards and a touchdown. Terry McLaurin had five receptions for 125 yards, and Zach Ertz had 7 receptions for 77 yards. Make no mistake, Caleb Williams did not play well. If the Bears had won this game, he would have gotten the credit, but he wouldn’t have been the reason they won. It would have been because of D’Andre Swift who was fantastic rushing for 129 yards and a touchdown. Williams was only able to complete 10 passes for 131 yards and didn’t look good at all. The biggest head-scratcher was some of the playcalling by OC Shane Waldron, which was absolutely fireable.

Panthers @ Broncos:

DENVER, CO – JANUARY 24: Wide receiver Courtland Sutton #14 of the Denver Broncos catches a pass on the field against the New England Patriots at Empower Field at Mile High on December 24, 2023 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

Denver is on to something, as you can see, that Bo Nix is turning into a very good young quarterback. He threw for 284 yards and three touchdowns and showed a good command of Sean Payton’s difficult offense. Courtland Sutton caught 8 passes for 100 yards, and Adam Trautman made a fantastic catch for a touchdown. The biggest disappointment in this game was Javonte Williams who only had 44 yards rushing in a game where he was expected to have over 100. The whole backup running backs versus Carolina narrative paid off as Jaleel McLaughlin had 47 yards rushing and caught a pass for a touchdown. Bryce Young did a decent job as the starter, throwing for 224 yards and two touchdowns. WR3 Jalen Coker caught 4 passes for 78 yards and a touchdown in garbage time. Chuba Hubbard was only able to rush for 56 yards in the loss.

Chiefs @ Raiders:

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – JANUARY 13: Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs reacts as he takes the field before the AFC Wild Card Playoffs against the Miami Dolphins at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on January 13, 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

The Raiders lost this game as much as the Chiefs won it. The Raiders had their chances to score, but the play-calling in the red zone was horrific. How many times can you try to run the ball when, for the game, they were only able to get 33 yards on 21 carries? If you obviously can’t run the ball, you’ve got to do some play-action passing or use multi-receiver sets. The Raiders were not able to adapt, and that caused them the game. Jacobi Meyers returned from injury with six catches for 52 yards and a touchdown. Brock Bowers was slightly underwhelming, with five receptions for 58 yards. Patrick Mahomes threw for 262 yards and two touchdowns, and Travis Kelce had 10 receptions for 90 yards and a touchdown. Once again, it was the Chiefs defense that was the standout and led the team to victory.

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