NFL Game Recaps: Week 8, 2025

NFL Game Recaps of previous weeks and seasons can be found via links at the bottom of the page.

Chargers 37, Vikings 10

The Chargers received great news ahead of this game, which was that Joe Alt would return after getting knocked out against the Giants in Week 4. Justin Herbert’s pass protection had been abysmal since Alt suffered an injury. His return would mean that Herbert would have a chance against the Vikings.

Herbert naturally barely saw any pressure in this contest. He dissected the Vikings throughout the evening. He nearly had as many touchdowns (3) as incompletions (7). His lone low point of the night was an interception, but the pass was tipped, so it wasn’t really his fault. Meanwhile, Kimani Vidal eclipsed the century mark, as Minnesota once again had no answer for the opposing rushing attack.

While Herbert was given enhanced protection, Carson Wentz’s blocking worsened. Christian Darrisaw was knocked out in the first half, so with Brian O’Neill and Ryan Kelly also sidelined, Wentz didn’t have a chance. He was hit hard on one play in the second quarter and grimaced after every throw after that. The result was a brutal outing in which the Vikings secured just 12 first downs compared to 29 by the Chargers. It’s unclear why Minnesota’s coaching staff kept Wentz on the field when it was obvious that he wasn’t nearly himself.

Jets 39, Bengals 38

The Jets had every reason to put forth a great effort in this contest. They were 0-7 heading into this contest, so winning a game is something they haven’t done this year. Also, owner Woody Johnson called out Justin Fields, who was given a chance to redeem himself once Tyrod Taylor was ruled out with an injury. This was Fields’ chance to prove the owner wrong, and his teammates had every reason to rally around him. Instead, the Jets laid another egg to drop to 0-8.

The coaches betrayed the Jets early in this game. The offensive play-callers repeatedly called runs on second-and-long, setting Fields up for failure. Aaron Glenn also decided to kick a long field goal on a fourth-and-1 early in the second quarter. Glenn thought getting on the board was a sharp move, but the Bengals just scored a touchdown on the next drive when Joe Flacco found Tee Higgins for a deep score, putting Cincinnati up 17-3.

The Bengals eventually went up 24-10 and 31-16, and it looked like they’d be able to run away with an easy win. However, they suffered a big loss to Trey Hendrickson. With the star defensive end out of the lineup, the Jets were able to move the ball much more effectively. Breece Hall rushed for two touchdowns and threw another to Mason Taylor to eventually take the lead. The Bengals had one more chance to win on a field goal, but the Jets had a rare big stand to force a turnover on downs, giving them the upset victory.

Bills 40, Panthers 9

One of the most misleading stats we’ll ever see is that the Panthers were ranked No. 1 against the run heading into this game. Given the apparent difficult matchup, one would think that James Cook wouldn’t have any success running in this contest. Instead, we saw the opposite occur, as Cook breezed through the Panthers’ defense without any resistance.

Cook hit some big runs early in this game. He notched 78 rushing yards a couple of minutes after the first quarter, helping to set up a couple of Buffalo field goals. Cook then helped the Bills get into the end zone with a 64-yard burst, giving him 146 rushing yards through one-and-a-half quarters.

The Bills went up 12-3, which is when Andy Dalton began making mistakes. Dalton, playing for the injured Bryce Young, lost a fumble in the red zone to ruin a promising drive in which Rico Dowdle ran for 20 yards. Dalton later was picked when he threw the ball right to A.J. Epenesa. It was nearly a pick-six, but the Bills scored a touchdown anyway on a Josh Allen sneak.

Buffalo ended up running away with this game. Cook finished with 216 yards and two touchdowns on just 19 carries. Had the game been a bit more competitive, and Cook was given his usual workload, he may have challenged the single-game rushing record.

Texans 26, 49ers 15

The Texans were embarrassed on Monday night, but had a much more difficult matchup. Their offensive line didn’t stand a chance against Seattle’s No. 2 pass rush. They had a much easier matchup against the 49ers, who were missing their top three edge rushers. So, even though the Texans were missing Nico Collins, they were able to formulate a great game plan against San Francisco’s injury-ravaged defense.

The Texans did a great job of playing keep-away from the 49ers. They were extremely efficient offensively, with C.J. Stroud barely missing any throws despite missing his top receiver. Woody Marks also hit a 50-yard play in the second quarter. By halftime, the Texans were up in time of possession, 24:31 to 5:29. They had outgained the 49ers, 299-65, and San Francisco didn’t convert a single first down until two minutes remained prior to intermission.

The 49ers had more offensive success in the second half. They were able to draw to within one score, thanks to both George Kittle and Jake Tonges scoring on National Tight Ends Day. However, the Texans slammed the door on a potential San Francisco comeback with a field goal drive in which Stroud continued to shred the 49ers’ secondary with ease.

Eagles 38, Giants 20

The story of this game was all about the running backs. This was apparent early when Saquon Barkley hit his first running play of longer than 18 yards all year. On the second play from scrimmage, Barkley ripped through the Giants’ beleaguered run defense for a 65-yard touchdown. And following a Giants three-and-out, Tank Bigsby rushed for an 18-yard gain, following by an 8-yard scamper from Barkley. Thanks to a botched call by the officials where the Giants were robbed of a fumble recovery on a Jalen Hurts tush push, the Eagles went up 14-7.

Unfortunately, there was something on the other end of the spectrum regarding the running backs. Cam Skattebo, who scored an early touchdown, had his foot bent the wrong way in a gruesome injury. The other Giants knew how terrible it was, based on their reactions. Skattebo was carted off the field, and we certainly won’t see him again until 2026.

The Giants couldn’t move the chains consistently without Skattebo. Barkley, meanwhile, continued to pick up big chunks of yards. However, Barkley also left the game, albeit with “just” a groin injury. With the Eagles entering a bye week, Barkley likely won’t miss any time.

Patriots 32, Browns 13

This was Drake Maye’s first real test against a tough defense all year. No opponent ranked in the top 10 of defense heading into this game, save for the Panthers, who had numerous defensive injuries when they battled the Patriots. Cleveland ranked third, so Myles Garrett and company were going to give Maye a great challenge.

Maye hit some big pass plays in this game, but had trouble punching the ball into the end zone. The Patriots had to settle for three field goals in the opening half, as Maye couldn’t scramble very much until late in the game. He was also intercepted when he didn’t see the linebacker in coverage, though the Browns couldn’t take advantage of this turnover because they missed a 47-yard field goal on the ensuing possession. Maye also took six sacks in this game, five of which came from Myles Garrett, who abused both tackles. Garrett was a monster in this contest.

This was just a 9-7 game in the third quarter, but the Patriots hit a big play from TreVeyon Henderson to put them into scoring position. Maye connected with Hunter Henry for a touchdown and then was given another scoring opportunity when Dillon Gabriel threw an interception right to a New England defender. Suddenly, the Patriots were able to put a big distance between them and the Browns, thanks to Cleveland’s offensive implosion.

Ravens 30, Bears 16

Lamar Jackson wasn’t available in this game, but every injured Baltimore player who wasn’t on IR was able to return. Despite Jackson’s continued absence, which came with some controversy, the Ravens would inevtiably perform much better defensively against Chicago. This wasn’t very apparent initially, however, when the Bears put together two scoring drives, albeit with both possessions ending with field goals.

Baltimore conceeded those two scores to begin the game, but locked down the Bears after that. That’s when the Ravens got going with some efficient offense. Tyler Huntley misfired on just one of his 13 passes in the opening half, while Derrick Henry was able to generate some nice runs. Henry, who was happy to welcome back fullback Patrick Ricard from injury, was able to score a touchdown to put the Ravens up 7-6. Baltimore scored twice after that, while Chicago botched a promising drive prior to halftime.

The Chicago meltdown continued in the second half. Caleb Williams heaved an ugly interception to set up another Baltimore touchdown, putting the team up 23-13. The Bears struck back to score, but the Ravens negated that with a touchdown with a couple of minutes remaining in regulation to ice the victory. Chicago had a chance for another touchdown at the end, but we saw shades of the Thanksgiving debacle where the team let way too much time drain off the clock without anything happening.

Dolphins 34, Falcons 10

The Falcons entered this game as touchdown favorites, but no one would have known that based on how these teams performed. The Dolphins looked like the heavy favorite in this contest, as their offense moved the ball with ease despite the blocking issues and injuries to their receiving threats. The Dolphins converted a high number of their third downs (6-of-13) and were able to hold the ball for the majority of the opening half.

Atlanta, meanwhile, looked completely miserable without Michael Penix Jr. and Drake London. Kirk Cousins had severe issues connecting with his receivers, as there were multiple miscommunications between him and his weapons. Meanwhile, Bijan Robinson inexplicably couldn’t find any running room against the league’s worst run defense over the past month. Then again, he never had a chance because he was given just five carries prior to intermission. The result of this as 2-of-11 third-down conversions, with the Dolphins winning the time of possession by about 15 minutes.

The Falcons finally showed signs of life in the third quarter. Down 17-3, Bijan Robinson made a 17-yard reception to move the Falcons into the red zone. However, Robinson lost a fumble soon after, ending all the momentum. The Dolphins turned the give-away into yet another touchdown, giving them the shocking blowout victory.

Buccaneers 23, Saints 3

The Saints were blown out, 51-27, the last time they hosted the Buccaneers. They had a better chance to upset Tampa Bay in this game, given the injuries the Buccaneers had in this game. Mike Evans and Chris Godwin were both out, while Vita Vea was questionable heading into this matchup after missing practice on Thursday and Friday.

New Orleans, however, crushed itself with mistakes. The team put up a good effort, especially when it kept the Buccaneers out of the end zone on seven snaps from the 1-yard line, but Spencer Rattler committed multiple turnovers. He lost a fumble on the opening drive in Tampa Bay territory and later was pick-sixed when Anthony Nelson stabbed the ball in the air. Other Saints contributed in this comedy of errors. Rashid Shaheed lost a fumble, while Tyler Shough – he replaced Rattler in the third quarter – was charged with an interception, but Chris Olave had the ball ripped out of his hands.

I mentioned earlier that the Buccaneers failed to score from the 1-yard line on seven occasions. The eighth time was the charm, as Sean Tucker’s touchdown put the Buccaneers up 14-3. New Orleans’ turnovers allowed Tampa Bay to extend the lead even further. Shough saw action from the middle of the third quarter onward, but couldn’t get the team on the board. His longest drive ended with a sack that saw the time expire.

Broncos 44, Cowboys 24

The Cowboys caught a big break in this game. Patrick Surtain hurt his shin to open the game and missed several snaps. He then returned to action, but was lost again with a shoulder injury.

By the time the second injury occurred, Dallas was trailing by double digits. The defense, which lost yet another safety to injury, had no hope of stopping the Broncos. Bo Nix continued his brilliance in the fourth quarter last week. Following an interception that he threw way behind his receiver, he was able to get his act together by relentlessly shredding Dallas. He threw three touchdowns, two of which went to Troy Franklin, who had a big game. Meanwhile, both J.K. Dobbins and R.J. Harvey had brilliant performances versus Dallas’ poor defense.

Still, with Surtain sidelined, the Cowboys had some hope to come back from a 20-point deficit in the final quarter-and-a-half. The Broncos basically did it themselves last week, after all. The Cowboys put together a drive that entered Denver territory, but the team stalled and decided to punt on fourth-and-6. The next possession was better, with Dallas reaching the red zone. Dak Prescott, however, was picked when he didn’t see a defender in coverage. Denver took over around midfield and eventually scored on a Nix touchdown throw to Harvey to make this game a complete blowout.

Colts 38, Titans 14

The Titans entered this game without their best defensive player, Jeffery Simmons, so they didn’t exactly have much of a chance as a two-touchdown underdog. Yet, they sort of made this game interesting for a while. The Colts led just 17-7 at halftime, as Tennessee inexplicably was able to generate more pressure than expected on Daniel Jones. The Indianapolis quarterback took three sacks, allowing the Titans to hang around.

Things made much more sense in the second half. On Indianapolis’ first play from scrimmage following intermission, Jonathan Taylor took the ball and ran to the end zone for an 80-yard score. This was Taylor’s second touchdown on the day, and he secured his third on a reception to extend the lead to 38-7.

Tennessee’s offense, meanwhile, couldn’t get anything going consistently outside of one drive in the first half. Cam Ward showed a nice rapport with Chimere Dike, and he took “only” three sacks, but this was yet another dreadful performance that can’t give Tennessee supporters much hope for the future.

Packers 35, Steelers 25

Aaron Rodgers was seeking revenge against his former team and replacement, “No Cookie” Jordan Love, and for a while, it appeared as though he would be able to obtain it. The Steelers had their way with the Packers in the opening half. Pittsburgh didn’t convert very often in the red zone, but still managed to enter the second half with a 16-7 lead.

Things completely turned in the third quarter, and it occurred when the officials blew a call on an obvious third-down offside. The refs somehow missed the Packers being offside, forcing Pittsburgh to punt. The Packers scored a touchdown on the ensuing drive, and it began when Love made a great play when he released the ball as he was getting hit. He heaved the ball up for grabs on a third down, and Tucker Kraft snatched it for a gain of 59. Adding injury to insult, Steelers safety DeShon Elliott got hurt on the play. Kraft then converted a fourth down, setting up a touchdown pass to Saivion Williams.

The Steelers kicked a field goal after that, but this was the final time they’d score all night until garbage time. The Packers, conversely, would score on all five of their possessions in the second half. Love was on fire, completing 20 consecutive passes. The streak finally ended on an errant throw in the red zone, but the damage had been done by then. The Packers, who trailed by nine entering halftime, won in a lopsided affair.

Chiefs 28, Redskins 7

For a while, it looked like the Redskins would have a good chance to pull a big upset. This was a 7-7 affair at halftime, with both teams throwing away opportunities to score. There was a sequence during the opening half in which the Redskins failed on a fourth down, then Patrick Mahomes was intercepted on a great play by Marshon Lattimore, then the Redskins failed on another fourth down, and then Mahomes was picked again when his pass bobbled off Travis Kelce’s hands. With both teams shooting themselves in the foot, this 7-7 halftime tie had the makings of a shocking upset.

The Chiefs woke up as soon as the second half began. Mahomes engineered an impressive touchdown drive to go up seven, and then Jaylin Lane put his team on his own 1-yard line by dropping the ensuing kickoff return. It didn’t take the Redskins very long to punt, and the Chiefs took advantage. Mahomes once again led the team down the field, ultimately hooking up with Kelce in the end zone. The Redskins, suddenly down 14 points, didn’t have much hope.

It didn’t take too much longer for the Chiefs to score again, as Mahomes located Rashee Rice for his third touchdown pass. By the time it was 28-7, the Chiefs had outgained the Redskins in the second half, 259-42.