Judging greatest overreactions for NFL Week 8 video games

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Was Jets proprietor Woody Johnson overreacting final week when he ripped quarterback Justin Fields in entrance of a gaggle of reporters on the house owners conferences? In all probability not, given the best way Fields performed the earlier two weeks.

Did Jets coach Aaron Glenn overreact and bench Fields for Tyrod Taylor? Properly, we would by no means know if Glenn truly benched Fields, as a result of Taylor was injured and could not play, so Fields needed to begin for the Jets on Sunday at Cincinnati. And once more, undecided it will have been an overreaction even when the coach had.

However the NFL is a week-to-week league, and issues can look radically completely different one week than they did the one earlier than. Such is the case in Florham Park, New Jersey, after a Fields-led comeback produced the Jets’ first win of the season and Glenn’s first as a head coach. And for one week at the very least, Fields will get to carry his head excessive, understanding there is a very latest affirmative reply as to if he ought to proceed to start out for the Jets.

For all these causes, Fields additionally will get to steer the Week 8 Overreactions column, the place we type by means of the weekly overreactions to strive to determine which of them may maintain up and which of them are mirages.

Leap to:
Fields entrenched as Jets’ beginning quarterback?
Garrett to win Defensive Participant of the 12 months?
Did Falcons miss Cousins’ commerce window?
49ers must commerce for a move rusher?
Ravens nonetheless within the AFC playoff hunt?
5 fantasy-related overreactions

Justin Fields would be the Jets’ beginning QB the remainder of the season

Fields ended Sunday’s contest 21-of-32 passing for 244 yards and a landing move. There was just one landing move, as a result of the Jets let working again Breece Corridor throw the one which put them within the lead with slightly below two minutes remaining. Fields additionally rushed for 31 yards on 11 carries. Most significantly, he confirmed a degree of poise and confidence within the pocket that he hadn’t proven since Week 1’s heartbreaking loss to the Steelers. If Johnson’s “if we may simply full a move” was ringing in Fields’ ears Sunday, you would not have identified it was bothering him.

Verdict: OVERREACTION

Cincinnati’s protection is without doubt one of the most permissive within the league and an ideal spot for Fields to get proper after a tough latest stretch. However the Jets have a bye subsequent week earlier than taking part in the Browns, who’ve one of many least permissive defenses within the league led by a participant, Myles Garrett, who sacked Drake Maye 5 occasions on Sunday. After that, the Jets get the Patriots, who excel at shutting down the run and forcing groups to move — not the scenario the Jets need Fields to be in.

These video games are additionally after the commerce deadline, which implies that Corridor, who had 147 scrimmage yards, two speeding scores and that landing move Sunday, could possibly be on one other workforce by then. If Fields can hold it collectively by means of the primary two post-bye video games, I will say he has an opportunity to carry the job. But when he seems as dangerous in these as he did towards the Broncos in London two weeks in the past or towards the Panthers final week, then Glenn may nonetheless have some powerful decisions to make about his beginning quarterback.

Myles Garrett will likely be Defensive Participant of the 12 months … once more

The Patriots scored 32 factors in Sunday’s victory over the Browns, however it wasn’t as a result of they contained Garrett. The All-Professional edge rusher had 5 sacks within the sport, working over Patriots rookie deal with Will Campbell when lined up towards him. Garrett additionally moved across the formation a bunch, so the Patriots did not know the place to ship the safety. It is to Maye’s credit score that he saved getting up and had the kind of second half he did. However Maye goes to be sore on Monday morning, and he has Garrett to thank for it.

Verdict: NOT AN OVERREACTION

Garrett received this award in 2023, when he had 14 sacks. The 5 he had Sunday give him 10 for the season with 9 video games left to play. It may be powerful for gamers on shedding groups to win postseason awards, and with the best way the Browns play offense, it is truthful to imagine they are going to end with a shedding report. But when Garrett can hold delivering performances like he had on Sunday, he’ll be powerful to disregard. That is Garrett’s eighth consecutive season with at the very least 10 sacks, and he is on tempo to shatter his earlier profession excessive of 16.

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Myles Garrett goes within the Browns’ report guide with fifth sack

Myles Garrett turns into the primary Browns participant to have 5 sacks in a single sport.

The Falcons missed their window to commerce Kirk Cousins

Cousins was pressed into starter’s obligation on Sunday towards the Dolphins because of an harm to Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. High wideout Drake London additionally was injured, which made issues troublesome. However Cousins was not spectacular on this sport. He was 21-for-31 for 173 yards, and the Falcons scored solely 10 factors towards a Miami workforce that had allowed a median of 29.3 factors per sport over its first seven video games. Cousins was anticipated to be the Falcons’ starter after signing a four-year, $180 million free agent contract in the course of the 2024 offseason. However he was benched towards the tip of final season for Penix, whom Atlanta drafted with the eighth choose a month after they signed Cousins.

Whether or not Cousins can be minimize or traded was one of many huge tales of the offseason, as he politely advised the Falcons he’d favor to go to a workforce the place he had an opportunity to be the starter. The Falcons refused to chop him and requested extra in commerce talks than different groups had been keen to pay, recognizing the worth of a veteran backup to a younger quarterback who entered the league with a big harm historical past. Now, with the commerce deadline every week from Tuesday and Cousins having turned in an uninspiring efficiency in his first begin of the season, it may be powerful to get something for him even when they need to.

Verdict: OVERREACTION

I say this for a few causes. One is that, once more, the Falcons do not need to commerce Cousins. He doubtless will get minimize after the season, however they need to hold him round for weeks similar to this and hope he’ll carry out higher the subsequent time they want him. However the second purpose is that groups all the time are on the lookout for quarterback assist, and the Falcons may most likely discover a workforce keen to offer them a good draft choose or two in the event that they determine to deal Cousins, particularly since they’ve already paid such a excessive proportion of his contract. I do not suppose he will get traded, however I additionally do not suppose it will be as a result of the Falcons could not discover a commerce companion.

The 49ers must commerce for a move rusher greater than some other workforce

Enjoying with out star edge rusher Nick Bosa, who’s out for the season, in addition to star center linebacker Fred Warner, who’s additionally out for the 12 months, the Niners had been hanging in fairly nicely. They took a 5-2 report into Sunday’s sport in Houston. However they fell aside on protection towards the Texans, as quarterback C.J. Stroud (taking part in with out his high receiver in Nico Collins) did mainly no matter he wished towards the Niners.

Stroud was 30-for-39 for 318 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He was hit solely six occasions and wasn’t sacked. He had been sacked at the very least twice in every of Houston’s first six video games this season for a complete of 15 sacks. San Francisco could not carry him down nor get off the sphere on third down, as Houston transformed 9 of its 16 third-down probabilities.

Verdict: NOT AN OVERREACTION

The Niners most likely want extra assist than one commerce deadline can present. But when they’re to have any probability of surviving within the ultracompetitive NFC West, they are going to want to have the ability to strain quarterbacks — particularly quarterbacks as straightforward to strain as Stroud.

San Francisco’s harm scenario has left it with a number of issues on either side of the ball. You can argue the 49ers must commerce for a large receiver, a linebacker, an offensive lineman — and nearly any place you possibly can consider. But when there are edge rushers obtainable, that is an improve that may probably have a big optimistic influence on the Niners’ probabilities the remainder of the season. They will not discover the likes of Bosa, just because there aren’t many like him. However they want someone — and shortly.

The Ravens are nonetheless within the playoff combine

Baltimore got here out of its bye week with a 1-5 report, in determined want of a win and with out beginning quarterback Lamar Jackson for the third sport in a row. By the tip of the week, they had been in hassle with the league over their dealing with of Jackson’s standing on the harm report and had the red-hot Bears coming into city.

A preseason Tremendous Bowl favourite whose season was circling the drain earlier than Halloween, the Ravens wanted a win in Week 8 as dangerous as any workforce within the league. They usually received one. Backup Tyler Huntley led Baltimore to a 30-16 victory over the Bears and improved the Ravens’ report to 2-5 heading right into a Week 9 Thursday evening matchup towards the Dolphins.

Verdict: NOT AN OVERREACTION

This was written earlier than the Steelers’ Sunday evening sport towards the Packers kicked off, and the Packers had a huge second half to drop the Steelers to 4-3 on the season. So the Ravens aren’t remotely out of it, particularly since they nonetheless have two video games left towards Pittsburgh. Having misplaced to the Payments, Lions, Chiefs, Texans and Rams, the Ravens face a remaining schedule that appears as if it ought to be a lot simpler than the one they’ve performed thus far. The Steelers, Patriots and Packers are the one groups left on the Ravens’ schedule that at the moment have successful information.

The Ravens get one other mini-bye after Thursday evening, when Jackson is meant to be coming again to assist them beat the 2-6 Dolphins in Miami. The 2025 AFC North may be a division that solely requires 9 victories to win it, and if the Ravens can play something just like the workforce we thought they had been earlier than the season began, there is not any purpose they can not get there.

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Derrick Henry seals Ravens’ win with 2nd speeding TD

Derrick Henry will get stuffed initially, however bounces outdoors to attain a landing.

Fast-hitter fantasy overreactions

• Breece Corridor is an RB1 the remainder of the season. OVERREACTION. Sure, he performed like one Sunday. Sure, the Jets’ remaining schedule seems promising for fantasy working backs. However we do not know if Corridor remains to be going to be on the Jets in 10 days. What if he will get traded right into a committee scenario just like the one the Seahawks have?

• Jaylen Waddle is a WR1 with Tyreek Hill injured. NOT AN OVERREACTION. Dude was the sixth choose within the 2021 draft; he is supposed to be a WR1. With tight finish Darren Waller additionally out with an harm, Waddle and RB De’Von Achane are the one really dependable choices Tua Tagovailoa has within the passing sport.

• Jaylin Noel would be the high waiver pickup of Week 9. NOT AN OVERREACTION. Get him for those who do not have already got him. Houston needs its rookie extensive receivers — Noel and Jayden Higgins — extra concerned within the offense the remainder of the best way.

• Jordan Addison, not Justin Jefferson, is the Vikings receiver you need the remainder of the best way. OVERREACTION. Come on. It is Justin Jefferson we’re speaking about. Addison is an every-week starter assuming the Vikings’ passing sport stays viable with J.J. McCarthy because the beginning QB, however Jefferson goes to be the man to whom any Vikings QB seems for when issues get dicey.

• James Prepare dinner III, not Josh Allen, is probably the most useful Payments fantasy participant. NOT AN OVERREACTION. Love Allen, however an RB who can get you 200-plus yards in a sport is fantasy gold. No purpose to count on Prepare dinner to decelerate the remainder of the best way, barring harm. And Allen will likely be comfortable to maintain handing it to him.