The Good, Bad And Ugly, Week 8: Justin Fields, Aaron Glenn Finally Get A Jets’ Win

The NFL’s Week 8 early window wasn’t awe-inspiring, but we are now guaranteed of nary winless teams. And nary tush push successful 2026.

On Sunday successful Cincinnati, nan Jets rallied pinch 23 fourth-quarter points to hit nan Bengals, 39–38, giving them their first triumph of nan play and nan Aaron Glenn era. For Cincinnati, it’s a sadistic loss, dropping nan Bengals to 3–5. 

Then location was different arguable infinitesimal pinch nan tush push, pinch a would-be turnover that drew nan ire of millions crossed nan country.

Elsewhere, nan Falcons mislaid astatine location by 24 points to nan antecedently one-win Dolphins, while nan Texans sewage a important triumph complete nan 49ers, pinch C.J. Stroud throwing for 318 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Patriots besides stayed atop nan AFC East standings, arsenic Drake Maye went for 282 yards and 3 touchdowns successful a 32–13 triumph against nan Browns. 

But we commencement pinch a wide look astatine nan NFL playoff races, which look to beryllium arsenic murky arsenic ever. 

Through nan early model of Week 8, let’s inquire a question: How galore teams are decidedly going to nan playoffs, and really galore tin you destruct from nan race?

Using nan New York Times’s playoff model entering Sunday’s games, nan Colts, Bills, Patriots, Chiefs, Chargers, Eagles, Rams, Buccaneers and Packers person astatine slightest an 80% chance of making nan postseason.  That’s 9 teams. Conversely, nan Dolphins, Jets, Browns, Titans, Raiders, Giants, Vikings, Saints and Cardinals person little than a 10% chance of reaching nan postseason. That’s different 9 teams. 

If those numbers extremity up base out, we’re looking astatine 14 teams fighting for 5 spots. Based connected Sunday’s results, there’s nary logic to deliberation that’s changing soon. 

The Falcons person had chances complete nan past 2 weeks to make a decisive move aft beating nan Bills connected Monday nighttime successful Week 6, but person mislaid soundly to nan 49ers and Dolphins. Speaking of San Francisco, it was handled 26–15 by nan Texans, moving some teams toward nan middle. 

Some years, astir of nan divisional races are complete early. This season, nan only divisions that look sewn up are nan AFC South (Colts), NFC East (Eagles) and NFC South (Buccaneers). The others each person aggregate suitors, pinch a fewer having 3 teams successful play. 

There’s much than a half-season ahead, and plentifulness to beryllium parsed out.

Bad: This full week for New York shot until nan Jets won

First, it was Woody Johnson. Then, it was Cam Skattebo. Then, some teams were playing football. 

Everything went incorrect successful Gotham this week, opening pinch nan convention gathering successful midtown Manhattan, successful which Jets proprietor Woody Johnson told reporters it’s reliable to triumph games pinch a backmost playing arsenic Justin Fields had. Johnson, who has owned nan squad since 2000 and hasn’t seen a playoff berth since nan 2010 season, apparently believes his 1–7 squad is simply a backmost distant from contention. 

On Sunday, nan Giants mislaid 1 of their trio of breathtaking rookies, erstwhile Skattebo went down pinch a dislocated correct ankle injury. Skattebo had nan limb placed successful an aerial formed earlier being carted disconnected pinch an evident season-ending ailment, putting him connected nan sideline on pinch prima receiver Malik Nabers and his torn ACL. 

On nan field, nan Giants fell erstwhile more, losing 38–20 successful Philadelphia aft giving up 33 fourth-quarter points to nan Broncos past week. They’re now 2–6 connected nan year.

However, Gang Green scored 39 points, including 23 successful nan 4th fourth for a chaotic 39–38 win. Fields showed his proprietor what he’s made of, getting to commencement pinch Tyrod Taylor’s knee wounded and putting up 275 full yards and a touchdown. Sure, it’s not awesome for draught position, but that’s a speech for April. For now, it’s a culture-builder for Aaron Glenn, who earned his first triumph arsenic a caput coach. 

If history is immoderate indication, 2 things are existent astir nan tush push. One, it’ll past this season. Two, it won’t beryllium astir successful 2026. 

On Sunday, we sewage different look astatine why. Against nan Giants successful a 7–7 game, Philadelphia ran nan play, and Jalen Hurts looked to beryllium stripped of nan shot by separator rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux, who besides had a clear recovery. Instead, guardant advancement was ruled, pinch a reappraisal besides going nan Eagles’ measurement contempt what appeared to beryllium clear grounds of a turnover.

Earlier this season, location was ample disapproval of nan play, pinch aggregate instances of uncalled, false-start penalties. 

At this spring’s owners meetings successful Eagan, Minn., nan play was put to a ballot and narrowly survived, pinch 24 votes needed to eliminate its existence. It only sewage 22. You tin stake nan owners will put it to different ballot successful March of 2026 astatine nan meetings successful Phoenix, and it’s going to beryllium banned aft each nan contention it’s causing. 

The question: Would nan NFL, shockingly, break precedent and really alteration nan rules  during nan season? It’s doubtful, considering it could unfastened an unwanted Pandora’s box, but pinch each nan sick will surrounding nan play, commissioner Roger Goodell could see it. 

Good: Myles Garrett (and not overmuch else) doing historical things

Since becoming a franchise again successful 1999, location hasn’t been overmuch to cheer astir for Browns fans. One playoff win. A fewer moments present and there. Joe Thomas and Myles Garrett. 

On Sunday, during a 32–13 nonaccomplishment to nan Patriots, Garrett authored a crippled to remember, moreover successful defeat, pinch 5 sacks, doubling his season’s full to springiness him a league-leading 10. He besides earned nan mantle of astir sacks for immoderate protect lineman nether nan property of 30. 

With his 112.5 profession sacks, he’s 27th connected nan all-time list, passing J.J. Watt. Garrett has a morganatic changeable to beryllium 3rd all-time earlier retiring, needing 38 much to drawback Kevin Greene. After that, it’s Bruce Smith astatine 198 and Reggie White astatine 200. 

Garrett is simply a early first-ballot Hall of Famer, and overmuch for illustration Thomas, he’s played connected 1 lousy squad aft nan next. This offseason concisely raised nan conception that he mightiness time off aft a waste and acquisition request, but Garrett reneged aft signing a $160 cardinal statement hold complete 4 seasons. 

The Browns are a 2–6 mess, but Garrett is worthy watching each week. 

Chicago entered Baltimore riding a four-game winning streak. It appeared nan Bears were yet turning a corner, and past Sunday happened. 

Facing nan 1–5 Ravens pinch backup backmost Snoop Huntley astatine nan controls, Chicago gave up 30 points successful a 30–16 loss, including allowing 355 yards and 24 first downs. The Bears came into nan crippled pinch nan league’s worst-ranked defense successful yards per play (6.2) and almost matched nan fig (6.0) against an discourtesy that has generated 4.3 YPP successful nan 2 anterior games pinch Jackson connected nan sideline. 

Meanwhile, Caleb Williams went 25-of-38 for 285 yards. Still, he threw a cardinal interception successful his ain reddish area earlier starring 1 of nan astir perplexing two-minute drives successful caller memory, thing he besides did past play connected Thanksgiving successful Detroit. 

With first-and-goal astatine nan 3-yard statement and nary timeouts, Williams completed an in-bounds two-yard pass, past ran for nary gain, and past threw an incompletion connected 4th down. The full series took 54 seconds, pinch broadcasters Ian Eagle and J.J. Watt near dumbfounded. 

Chicago is 4–3 and very overmuch successful nan playoff race, but they must return advantage of susceptible opponents successful nan adjacent 3 weeks, facing nan Bengals, Giants and Vikings, thing it didn’t do this weekend.

Ugly: Whatever nan Falcons did against nan Dolphins

After beating nan Bills 24–14 successful Week 6 successful beforehand of a Monday nighttime audience, Atlanta looked for illustration a squad connected nan rise. Two weeks later, the 

Falcons look to beryllium an also-ran. 

Last Sunday night, nan Falcons mislaid 20–10 to nan 49ers, pinch Bijan Robinson rushing for only 40 yards connected 14 carries. Michael Penix Jr. besides went down pinch a bony bruise connected his knee, forcing Kirk Cousins into action this weekend. 

Facing a one-win Dolphins team, some Atlanta and Cousins were atrocious successful a 34–10 nonaccomplishment astatine home. Robinson was erstwhile again a nonfactor, rushing for 25 yards, pinch a mislaid fumble, while Cousins threw for 173 yards connected 5.6 yards per attempt. It’s nan worst location nonaccomplishment for nan Falcons since Week 1 of nan 2021 season, erstwhile they fell 32–6 to nan Eagles. 

A superior playoff contender doesn’t suffer to Miami, a squad that was pounded 31–6 by nan Browns past weekend. It only gets tougher for Atlanta, which has nan Patriots adjacent earlier walking to look nan one-loss Colts. 

In 2 erstwhile games without Lamar Jackson, nan Ravens had averaged 6.5 points per game. On Sunday, Baltimore scored 30 successful a triumph complete nan Bears. 

Baltimore is only 2–5 but abruptly it feels rather imaginable nan Ravens make a run. Jackson practiced successful a constricted capacity this week, perchance putting him successful statement to commencement connected Thursday nighttime successful Miami against nan Dolphins. Looking astatine nan schedule, nan Ravens still person 2 dates pinch nan Bengals on pinch nan Browns, Vikings and Jets. That’s 5 sub-.500 games, giving Jackson and nan Ravens logic to believe. 

Another logic to believe? Baltimore’s defense is getting patient and starting to play overmuch better. Over nan past 2 weeks, Zach Orr’s portion has fixed up 19 full points. With immoderate lackluster offenses coming disconnected including Tua Tagovailoa’s Dolphins, don’t spell to furniture successful Baltimore yet. 

Should nan Steelers suffer astatine location to nan favored Packers connected Sunday night, nan Ravens will beryllium 2 games down nan AFC North leaders pinch a brace of games against Pittsburgh still connected nan docket.