NFL Week 8 Recap: Bedlam in the Bay Area

Following the San Francisco 49ers' second straight loss, the news broke that Brock Purdy was under concussion protocol, and it actually looked like the Niners would have to start Sam Darnold in their game against the Cincinnati Bengals. As I was fathoming to possibility of seeing the QB who famously said he was seeing ghosts during the last Sunday of Halloween, an update was made that Purdy was good to go.

Unfortunately, the Niners were a mess again. The Bengals appeared to be on the verge of a resurgence entering Week 8, and as we saw, rumors of their demise have been greatly exaggerated. The Niners could not do a thing with the Bengals, and as a result, Cincy won 31-17, handing the Niners their third straight loss entering their bye. Yikes. They played without Deebo Samuel for the second straight week, and many are saying that Purdy shouldn't have been out there. I never thought the Niners would pull the same stunt that the Dolphins did with Tua last year, but if true, oh boy.

That same late window saw the Seattle Seahawks victorious over the Cleveland Browns, by a score of 24-20. With that, and the Niners' loss, the Seahawks are in first place in the NFC West. Wow! I don't think a lot of people had that ever happening this season, but there it is. Seattle's been on an uprising after trading Russell Wilson prior to last season starting. Last year actually saw the Seahawks in the playoffs, but now, at the near halfway point of this year, they are leading the NFC West. It's absolutely amazing what's going on with Seattle this season, and we'll see if it holds up, or if the Niners get their groove back.

Congratulations to the Carolina Panthers, who finally picked up their first win of the season with their 15-13 last second victory over the Houston Texans! This was a battle between the top two picks in this year's draft: Bryce Young and CJ Stroud, and this low scoring battle came down to a chip shot field goal from Eddy Pineiro, which was successful. I actually had the Panthers winning the NFC South this year, so seeing them as the last team to win a game this season is a bit shocking. From the looks of it, though, the NFC South is still messy. The Buccaneers lost to the Bills to kick off Week 8, the Falcons lost in Nashville, and the Saints won in Indy. As a result, with the season reaching the halfway point, 4-4 leads the division. Honestly, Carolina has an outside shot.

Remember when I buried Purdy for losing to the Vikings last week? Yeah, same thing happened to Jordan Love. I'm not hurt by the loss, I'm honestly angry and embarrassed. The embarrassment comes from having to eat my words and swallow my pride over this loss, while the anger comes from so called "Packers fans" bashing Jordan Love and blaming him when all he is doing is trying. This is his first season starting. I get that 90% of us Packers fans are spoiled, but can we please just give the kid a fair chance and not jump to conclusions? That's all I ask. Don't be like Vikings fans and pick on the QB for no reason.

Speaking of, the win came at a big cost for the Vikings: Kirk Cousins is out for the season. Cousins injured his Achilles, and as expected, it's a tear. Done for the year. I've always liked Cousins, even though his anti-COVID comments are whacked out. Vikings fans pick on him for absolutely no reason; they blame him for losses despite the fact that he makes minimal mistakes, and ignore the fact that he has nothing around him. Maybe now that Cousins will be done for the year, Vikings fans will learn to appreciate him.

It still amazes me that the Tennessee Titans didn't keep AJ Brown. It also amazes me that I have him on Fantasy this season. AJ Brown has been an absolute godsend to the Philadelphia Eagles, their fans, and anyone who has him on their fantasy rosters. The Eagles played a tough game against the Washington Commanders, but in the end, they survived--a 38-31 victory. Brown, of course, led the way for Philly. How, you ask? Let's go to the Fantasy numbers.

Scoring for receivers goes as follows: 1 point per every 10 yards, touchdowns are 6 points, and of course, there's PPR. Brown had eight receptions (8 points), 130 yards (13 points), and two touchdowns (12 points), for a grand total of 33 points even. You want your WRs to have at least 15 fantasy points, but Brown had more than twice that! Again, godsend.

We have another first: the Denver Broncos defeated the Kansas City Chiefs--the Patrick Mahomes-led Chiefs. The Broncos had never defeated Mahomes, who entered this game with a bout of influenza. So already, the Jordan comparisons were made before kickoff, but Mahomes just could not pull it off. Elsewhere, the New York Jets won, 13-10, over the New York Giants in OT, and as a result, they are 4-3--and all without Aaron Rodgers! The Cowboys' defense dismantled the Rams, while the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Miami Dolphins maintained their hold on their respective divisions, as did the Baltimore Ravens. The Chargers beat down the Bears on Sunday Night Football, and Monday Night Football saw the Detroit Lions win big over the Las Vegas Raiders.

Speaking of, the story of the Las Vegas Raiders has been their top receiver, Davante Adams. He is not happy. Not one bit. He wants out. Problem: they won't trade him. Adams has a few reasons to be upset. For one, Derek Carr, the very reason why Adams went to the Raiders? Gone. Now with the Saints. He doesn't like Josh McDaniels (though, who could?), and he's not getting the ball. Adams had one reception for 11 yards in the loss to the Lions. That's it. That had to piss off his fantasy owners, a measly 2.1 fantasy points.

Packers fans are laughing at Adams right now, saying that he chose to go there. I'm not one of them. Yes, Adams chose to go to the Raiders. However, he did not know what would happen. Did he expect Carr to be scapegoated and cast out? No. Did he expect the Raiders to hire the dumbest coach in the entire world? No. Davante Adams is, in the immortal words of the late, great Curly Howard, a victim of circumstances.

Week 9 will bring an end to the first half of the season, and it will kick off with the Pittsburgh Steelers hosting the Tennessee Titans on Thursday Night Football. The Miami Dolphins and the Kansas City Chiefs will be off to Frankfurt, Germany, and it will mark Tyreek Hill's first game against his former longtime team. On Sunday Night Football, the Buffalo Bills will face the Cincinnati Bengals, with the game taking place in Cincinnati for the first time since Damar Hamlin's cardiac arrest. Monday Night Football will feature the New York Jets and the Los Angeles Chargers, while the Lions, Niners, Jaguars, and Broncos will all have byes.

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