NFL Week 8 2023 Highlights: Live Tracking the Top Plays from Sunday's Results
With the 2023 NFL season inching toward the halfway mark, the contenders have separated themselves from the pretenders for the most part.
The teams that have fallen below expectations so far do at least have time to right the ship.
That designation certainly applies to the 2-4 Los Angeles Chargers, for whom missing the playoffs would be a bitter disappointment. Should they lose to the Chicago Bears, who are yet again without starting quarterback Justin Fields, head coach Brandon Staley's seat might be scorching.
In terms of marquee matchups, it starts with the Cincinnati Bengals and San Francisco 49ers, two teams with Super Bowl aspirations. Either can burnish its credentials with a win at Levi's Stadium. For the Niners, plenty of fans will be eager to see what Sam Darnold can do in place of an injured Brock Purdy.
Elsewhere, Tua Tagovailoa and the Miami Dolphins play the last-place New England Patriots. Beating the Buffalo Bills helped ease some of the criticism toward head coach Bill Belichick, but suffering a heavy defeat at the hands of Miami would put the Patriots right back where they were.
With a full slate of 14 games on tap, here's a rundown of the biggest plays from Week 8 as they happen.
Top Plays
1 of 15
The award for "Best Catch of the Weekend" goes to... A.J. Brown!
Tua to Tyreek, it's just what they do.
First you do Will Levis + DeAndre Hopkins, and that equals a touchdown. Then you multiply it by three and you have yourself a winning equation.
Come for the Ja'Marr Chase touchdown, stay for the backflip.
DaRon Bland, pick-six.
Los Angeles Chargers vs. Chicago Bears
2 of 15
1st Quarter
Tyson Bagent got the Bears off to a nice start, though they wouldn't capitalize with points.
The Chargers pull out all of the stops to (checks notes) gain about seven yards.
Austin Ekeler is doing Austin Ekeler things yet again.
Simi Fehoko doubles the lead for the Chargers.
2nd Quarter
Roschon Johnson rumbling and stumbling for a first down.
It might be a very long night for Bears' fans.
D.J. Moore with a crucial third-down conversion for the Bears.
Much to the chagrin of fantasy football players everywhere, Darrynton Evans scores Chicago's first touchdown of the night.
Justin Herbert is on a heater, closing out the first half with a touchdown pass to Donald Parham Jr.
3rd Quarter
It has indeed been a long night for the Bears.
4th Quarter
Justin Herbert to Keenan Allen, like clockwork.
The Bears keep on fighting, forcing a turnover.
Bagent gets a late touchdown.
Cincinnati Bengals 31, San Francisco 49ers 17
3 of 15
First Quarter
Joe Burrow somehow stayed upright on this play and fired a 10-yard pass to Tee Higgins.
Tyler Boyd put the Bengals ahead to cap off a 10-play, 85-yard drive by Cincinnati.
Brock Purdy flashed the wheels on 3rd-and-8 to run for 16 yards and a first down.
Christian McCaffrey got the San Francisco 49ers on the board with a two-yard touchdown run.
Burrow took advantage of a free play and hit Andrei Iosivas for his second touchdown pass of the day.
Second Quarter
The Bengals were poised to score to close out the first half until Irv Smith Jr. fumbled at the 49ers' 5-yard line.
Purdy quickly hit George Kittle for a 34-yard pass.
Third Quarter
Purdy will want this throw back as he didn't count on Germaine Pratt extending his arm to knock the ball up for an interception.
Fourth Quarter
Purdy has thrown two interceptions for the second week in a row after gifting one to Logan Wilson.
The Bengals offense didn't waste any time as Burrow found an open Ja'Marr Chase in the end zone.
San Francisco was back in business when Purdy engineered a 10-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a touchdown pass to McCaffrey.
Joe Mixon's five-yard touchdown run gave the Bengals more breathing room with three minutes left in the contest.
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Seattle Seahawks 24, Cleveland Browns 20
4 of 15
First Quarter
The Seattle Seahawks drew first blood on a three-yard touchdown run by Jake Bobo.
P.J. Walker coughed it up after getting sacked by Jordyn Brooks.
The Cleveland Browns quickly found themselves down 14-0 after this Tyler Lockett touchdown catch.
David Njoku halved the deficit.
Second Quarter
Riq Woolen forced the second turnover for the Seahawks defense.
Kareem Hunt's one-yard touchdown run brought the Browns to within three.
Martin Emerson Jr. kept the Seahawks off the board to end the first half with his interception at Cleveland's 17-yard line.
Third Quarter
Joel Bitonio went above and beyond to open up a lane for David Njoku on this 41-yard completion.
Maurice Hurst II secured Cleveland's second interception of the game after tipping a Geno Smith up in the air.
Fourth Quarter
The Browns were holding onto a three-point lead when P.J. Walker threw his second interception to give Seattle a chance to tie the score or take the lead inside the final two minutes.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba took a bubble screen from Smith and found the end zone to put the Seahawks ahead with 38 seconds on the clock.
Baltimore Ravens 31, Arizona Cardinals 24
5 of 15
First Quarter
The Arizona Cardinals scored on the game's opening drive, with Joshua Dobbs sneaking it in from a yard out.
Lamar Jackson flung a pass to Mark Andrews in the back of the end zone as the Baltimore Ravens tied the game early on.
Second Quarter
Brandon Stephens went full extension to pick off a Dobbs pass.
The Ravens used the short field to take the lead with a one-yard run by Gus Edwards.
Third Quarter
Geno Stone added to his league-leading interception tally, getting his fifth of the season.
Edwards then got his second touchdown of the day.
Fourth Quarter
A collective effort was required by the Cardinals for Trey McBride to score on this 17-yard catch.
Edwards' third touchdown run was a knockout blow for Arizona.
Marquise Brown tried to keep things interesting against his old team.
Denver Broncos 24, Kansas City Chiefs 9
6 of 15
First Quarter
Javonte Williams got into the end zone for the first time this year after catching a short pass from Russell Wilson.
Patrick Mahomes might be fighting through the flu, but the Kansas City Chiefs star looks like his usual self.
Second Quarter
Marquez Valdes-Scantling gave the Chiefs a first down in the second quarter but couldn't hang onto the ball and fumbled it away.
Jerry Jeudy immediately got Denver into the red zone after rising up and catching a 39-yard pass from Wilson.
Wilson and Jeudy combined again for an 11-yard touchdown.
An interception by Ja'Quan McMillian put the Broncos right back in Chiefs territory.
Kansas City's turnover problems continued inside the final minute of the first half.
The Chiefs nonetheless ended the half on a positive note after Harrison Butker's 56-yard field goal attempt was good.
Third Quarter
Courtland Sutton fought through contact to bring in a 23-yard pass.
Justin Reid blocked a 38-yard field goal attempt by Wil Lutz to keep Kansas City to within five points.
Fourth Quarter
The Chiefs remained their own worst enemy into the fourth quarter when Mecole Hardman Jr. muffed a punt.
Wilson made Kansas City pay when he moved up in the pocket and hit Sutton in the corner of the end zone to put the Broncos ahead 21-9.
The Broncos forced their fifth turnover when Mahomes' desperation heave down the field was picked off by Justin Simmons.
Dallas Cowboys 43, Los Angeles Rams 20
7 of 15
First Quarter
Los Angeles Rams star Aaron Donald sacked Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
A few minutes later, though, Prescott found tight end Jake Ferguson in the end zone for an 18-yard touchdown pass.
A pick-six from cornerback DaRon Bland put the Cowboys up 17-3 in the final minute of the first quarter.
Second Quarter
The Rams' deficit grew to open the second quarter as Ethan Evans' punt was blocked for a safety.
KaVontae Turpin then gave Dallas' offense a short field with a 63-yard return.
Two plays later, Prescott found CeeDee Lamb for a 10-yard touchdown pass.
Lamb hauled in his second touchdown grab later in the quarter as the Cowboys took a 33-3 lead.
Third Quarter
This 32-yard reception by Darrell Henderson Jr. was Los Angeles' longest offensive play.
The Rams tried chipping away at the Cowboys' sizable lead with a 20-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to Ben Skowronek.
Los Angeles then broke out the "Philly Special" for the two-point conversion.
Fourth Quarter
Prescott made sure there would be no comeback by completing his fourth touchdown pass, this one to Brandin Cooks.
Minnesota Vikings 24, Green Bay Packers 10
8 of 15
First Quarter
Running back Cam Akers scored his first touchdown with the Minnesota Vikings in the first quarter against the Green Bay Packers.
Jordan Love's struggles are continuing thanks to pressure like this from the Vikings defense.
Third Quarter
T.J. Hockenson got his third touchdown grab of the season in the third quarter.
Three plays later, Josh Metellus intercepted a pass from Love.
That set up a 20-yard touchdown reception for Jordan Addison.
Love kept Green Bay in the game with a touchdown pass to Romeo Doubs on fourth down.
Fourth Quarter
Then it was the Packers defense's turn to step up. They blocked a 44-yard field goal attempt by Greg Joseph.
Then Preston Smith sacked Jaren Hall and forced a fumble to set the offense up at the 15-yard line.
Tennessee Titans 28, Atlanta Falcons 23
9 of 15
First Quarter
The Tennessee Titans' opening drive didn't go according to plan as Malik Willis failed to handle a high snap.
Will Levis hit DeAndre Hopkins with a deep ball to register the first touchdown pass of his NFL career.
Second Quarter
The pair combined again as the Titans made it a two-score game in the second quarter.
The Titans defense got to Desmond Ridder for five sacks before he exited to be evaluated for a possible concussion.
Third Quarter
Hopkins was the man of the moment again in the third quarter when he brought down his third touchdown reception.
KhaDarel Hodge did his best to get Atlanta back in the game.
Fourth Quarter
Fantasy football managers were thrilled when Bijan Robinson scored on a 13-yard touchdown run.
Levis had a debut for the ages as he got his fourth TD pass.
Scotty Miller wanted to spoil the occasion.
A turnover on downs secured the win for Tennessee.
New Orleans Saints 38, Indianapolis Colts 27
10 of 15
First Quarter
Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor is building on his strong Week 7 showing Sunday.
His 42-yard run helped to set up Gardner Minshew's 10-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr.
Saints running back Alvin Kamara tied it up with an 18-yard touchdown reception.
Second Quarter
Zack Moss gave maximum effort in order to break the plane on this one-yard run.
Taysom Hill took the snap and ran 20 yards for a touchdown to bring the Saints to within three points of Indy.
Rashid Shaheed then put New Orleans in the lead with a 58-yard touchdown reception.
Third Quarter
Paulson Adebo was in the right place at the right time to intercept an errant throw from Gardner Minshew.
The Saints turned the interception into six points as Kamara tasted the end zone again.
Fourth Quarter
Originally ruled an interception by Rodney Thomas II, this was changed to a 44-yard pass by Hill to Shaheed.
Hill proceeded to get his second rushing touchdown.
With the Saints looking to put the Colts away, Derek Carr hit Shaheed deep.
Miami Dolphins 31, New England Patriots 17
11 of 15
First Quarter
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw his seventh interception of the season in the first quarter against the New England Patriots.
The Patriots capitalized on the turnover with wide receiver Kendrick Bourne hitting pay dirt on a 24-yard touchdown grab.
Tagovailoa made up for his error when he found Tyreek Hill open in the end zone.
Second Quarter
In the second quarter, it was Cedrick Wilson Jr.'s turn.
Jalen Ramsey got an interception in his Dolphins debut.
Third Quarter
The Patriots opened the second half by recovering a fumble at Miami's 19-yard line.
Raheem Mostert scored on a one-yard run to give the Dolphins a 24-10 lead.
Fourth Quarter
Mac Jones' touchdown pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster provided a lifeline to New England.
A coverage breakdown by the Patriots defense allowed Jaylen Waddle to have an easy touchdown reception
New York Jets 13, New York Giants 10
12 of 15
First Quarter
New York Giants edge-rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux sacked New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson and forced a fumble to put the Giants offense into enemy territory to start their first drive.
Breece Hall did the heavy lifting on what showed up as a 50-yard touchdown pass in the box score.
Second Quarter
Tyrod Taylor weaved through the Jets defense for a 17-yard gain.
Wilson lost his second fumble of the game to give the Giants great field position.
Third Quarter
Saquon Barkley's 34-yard scamper provided a much-needed offensive spark.
Filling in for an injured Taylor, Tommy DeVito scored the Giants' first touchdown.
Garrett Wilson displayed excellent footwork to complete this catch along the sideline.
Fourth Quarter
Thibodeaux got a pair of sacks as the Jets were looking to at least tie the game late in the fourth quarter.
Zach Wilson got the Jets into field-goal range with a 29-yard pass to Allen Lazard.
Then Greg Zuerlein nailed a 35-yarder to end regulation.
Overtime
Garrett Wilson's 11-yard catch on third down extended the Jets' first drive of overtime.
Zuerlein brought the contest to a close with a 33-yard field goal.
Jacksonville Jaguars 20, Pittsburgh Steelers 10
13 of 15
First Quarter
Pittsburgh Steelers edge-rusher T.J. Watt has helped to keep the Jacksonville Jaguars offense at bay.
The Steelers defense took points off the board when Kwon Alexander forced a fumble inside the red zone that was recovered by Cole Holcomb.
Second Quarter
Pittsburgh's defense stepped up again in the red zone when Damontae Kazee intercepted a Trevor Lawrence pass.
Third Quarter
Jacksonville's turnover troubles continued into the third quarter.
The Steelers offense was failing to match the level of the defense, though. That meant it was still a 9-3 game before Travis Etienne's 56-yard touchdown put the Jaguars up by two scores.
George Pickens responded in kind on Pittsburgh's next drive.
Fourth Quarter
With 10 minutes left in the game, it was Jacksonville's turn to force a turnover.
A 34-yard reception for Evan Engram put the Jags back in the red zone.
Philadelphia Eagles 38, Washington Commanders 31
14 of 15
First Quarter
The Washington Commanders took an early lead on the Philadelphia Eagles thanks to a 26-yard touchdown pass from Sam Howell to Terry McLaurin.
Second Quarter
Howell and Jahan Dotson combined to give Washington a 14-3 lead on the reigning NFC champions.
Kenneth Gainwell fumbled at the Commanders 5-yard line on a 1st-and-goal.
The Eagles offense finally responded as A.J. Brown somehow wrangled in this pass from Jalen Hurts.
Joey Slye drilled a 61-yard field goal for the Commanders as the first half drew to a close.
Third Quarter
Philadelphia's trademark "tush push" ended horribly to open the second half as Hurts fumbled at the 1-yard line.
Brown tied the score at 17-all.
Fourth Quarter
The Commanders refused to go away. Howell got his third touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.
The score was tied once again after DeVonta Smith beat Washington's secondary over the top.
Howell's first big mistake was a costly one.
After the interception, Julio Jones got his first touchdown in an Eagles uniform.
With Washington loading up to stop the "tush push," the Eagles instead went outside with D'Andre Swift for a seven-yard touchdown run.
Jamison Crowder made a diving grab for Howell's fourth TD toss.
Carolina Panthers 15, Houston Texans 13
15 of 15
First Quarter
Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell eluded multiple tacklers on this 11-yard run.
Second Quarter
Bryce Young evaded a sack and completed a 36-yard throw to Adam Thielen after extending the play.
The Panthers were unable to get any points from that drive, but they made the most of their next possession. Young connected with Tommy Tremble for a one-yard touchdown pass.
Third Quarter
Donte Jackson forced a fumble to negate an eight-yard catch for Andrew Beck.
Dameon Pierce got Houston into Panthers territory with an impressive 16-yard run.
C.J. Stroud punched it in from a yard out inside the final minute of the third quarter.
Fourth Quarter
Eddy Pineiro's 23-yard field goal as time expired handed Carolina its first win.
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