Lines were drawn in Week 8 of the NFL season, as blowouts permeated throughout the slate of games on Thursday, Sunday and Monday alike. Some of it just made for boring football, while some of the other results showed us who is for real and who is not as a playoff contender this season.
Take one of the games of the week on paper, between the Denver Broncos and the Dallas Cowboys, for example. Dallas came in at 3-3-1 after an impressive win over the Commanders, while the Broncos sat at 5-2 despite not exactly passing the eye test in a win over the Giants in Week 7. However, the Broncos crushed the Cowboys, dominating on both sides of the ball.
Now, it's clear that Denver is a playoff contender in the AFC, while the Cowboys are not at that level in the NFC. Results like that took place throughout the league, but who came out as the big winners of the weekend?
Ravens keep in touch in AFC North race
The Baltimore Ravens were an early candidate for a the cursed season in the NFL as they dealt with a 1-5 start and a number of key injuries on both sides of the ball. Those issues got even worse when, even after a bye week, Lamar Jackson was still not ready to play after missing time with a hamstring problem in Week 8 against the Bears.
Fear not, as Cooper Rush was out as the Baltimore backup and Tyler Huntley was in, and the longtime Raven balled out in his first start with the team this year. Huntley played some of his best football and the defense played well in the big moments to help Baltimore secure a 30-16 win and get to 2-5.
At the same time, the Bengals inexplicably handed the Jets their first win of the season. Hours later, the Steelers lost at home to the Packers on Sunday Night Football and dropped to 4-3, leaving the Ravens just two games out of first place with two games still to come against Pittsburgh.
Baltimore is getting healthy on both sides of the ball, and now Jackson is back in the lineup for Week 9 against the Dolphins. The defense also seems to be turning a corner, making this a very dangerous team in the AFC playoff race.
Broncos offense finds a groove
The Broncos offense was completely lifeless for the first three quarters in Week 7 against the Giants before coming alive with 33 points in the fourth quarter. On Sunday against the Cowboys, that momentum continued with a 44 point outburst to get a 20-point win over a very capable NFC foe.
Bo Nix threw four touchdowns in the win and the Broncos finished with the third-best EPA per play on the week, including a mark that led the league on passing plays. Denver also ran for 179 yards on 28 carries against a Dallas defense that really had no answers.
The Denver defense also forced Dak Prescott into one of his worst games of the season on the other side of the ball, and Vance Joseph's group is once again one of there most reliable units in football. If Sean Payton can keep this running game clicking and Bo Nix can keep the ball out of harm's way like he did for most of Sunday, the 6-2 Broncos will be a tough out down the stretch.
Justin Fields bounces back
How can you not be happy for Justin Fields? Well, unless you're a Bengals fan. Fields has already been kicked to the curb by two NFL teams, and it looked like the Jets were ready to do the same after benching him for Tyrod Taylor in Week 7.
However, Taylor missed Sunday's game against the Bengals with an injury, leaving Fields to start yet again. It couldn't have been easy to take the field for a team whose owner just bashed you publicly days before the game, but that's exactly what Fields did, and he responded.
The Ohio State product completed 21-of-32 passes for 244 yards and a touchdown while running for 31 yards. He led a Jets offense that notched 39 points to get New York its first win of the season before pouring his heart out at the podium after the game.
There isn't any bigger take here about Fields' viability as a starting quarterback in the NFL. He is clearly a limited player at that position, and it sounds like his job still might not be safe even after his good game on Sunday. But it was great to see a feel-good story from a journeyman QB on Sunday to get the first win of the season for his team.
Saquon Barkley finally looks like himself
The Eagles haven't been bad this season, far from it, actually, but they have been extremely frustrating. The passing game has been inconsistent with a couple of shot plays to AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith mixed in, and the running game hasn't gotten anywhere close to the peaks it hit last season with Saquon Barkley.
Those problems came to a head in a Thursday night loss to the New York Giants earlier this season, and the Eagles got their chance for revenge on Sunday. They did not waste it, running away with a 38-20 win to get to 6-2 on the season despite Brown being out of the lineup.
The Eagles finally were able to run the ball well, racking up 276 yards on 33 carries on the ground. Both Barkley and Tank Bigsby hit the 100-yard mark as Philly was able to grind the Giants down throughout the game.
Philadelphia still has a clearly limited passing game, and the defense isn't playing at quite the level it was last season. Therefore, it will need to continue running the ball like this if it wants to make a run at a repeat. The schedule will give the Eagles tougher tests than the Giants, but this was a great step in the right direction for the defending champs.
