The Philadelphia quarterback woke up to lead the Eagles to their best win so far this season
Finally, someone woke up the quarterbacks. This week, five quarterbacks appeared among the best players of the day, including one in the position of honor, a rookie, and one who just a week ago was third in the order of his respective club’s roster.
As a result, there were also a number of receivers who took advantage of a brilliant day on the air, with several of them making our Sunday roster.
The irony, of course, is that the best of matchday eight did much of the damage against his rival, on the ground.
Without further ado, the Colossus of Week 8 of the 2024 NFL regular seasonfollowed by the Honorable Mentions of the day, as always, in alphabetical order:
The best victory so far this season for Philadelphia came hand in hand, naturally, with its quarterback’s best game so far this season.
Hurts once again looked like that strong candidate for the 2022 NFL Most Valuable Player award who directed the strings of the most devastating attack in the league, and who once again shone brightly during the first half of 2023 until Philly collapsed.
Hurts today connected 16 of 20 passes for 236 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions, but he carried the ball 10 times for 37 yards with three touchdowns, including two from the 1-yard line and one more from 7 yards out.
Why is this statistical line so important? Simple. When Philadelphia was at its best a couple of years ago, they were a devastating force on the ground, starting with the contribution of Hurts. To regain that level of offensive dominance, it is imperative to recover that phase of the game for the Eagles, and today they did it against a dangerous, talented team, with its back against the wall, in the AFC playoff race.
Since the retirement of Jason Kelce, the Eagles had lost effectiveness running the ball in short-yardage situations with Hurts, one of their best offensive weapons. But that wasn’t a problem today.
Philly can still give anyone a scare, in an NFC East where Washington monopolizes the spotlight while Dallas may already be thinking about what’s coming for 2025, led by the Giants.
A lot will depend on Hurts, but with a level like today, there will be no worries there.
Honorable mentions
James Cook, running back, Buffalo Bills. After a couple of weekends featuring eye-catching performances from rookie Ray Davis, a fire surely lit under Cook, who responded to the threat with 17 carries for 111 yards with two touchdowns, and three receptions for 22 yards in the win. Buffalo by beating Seattle.
Kirk Cousins, quarterback, Atlanta Falcons. There’s no doubt that Cousins’ job was in jeopardy just a few weeks ago, but the Atlanta quarterback finally seems to have clicked with the rest of their offense, and today he gave us a 23-of-29 performance for 276 yards with four touchdowns without interceptions that could have easily taken the top spot this week, had it not been for Hurts.
Josh Downs, receptor abierto, Indianapolis Colts. Downs isn’t the first name that comes to mind when it comes to Indy’s passing game, but this afternoon, he had four receptions for 109 yards including a 69-yard touchdown bomb off Anthony Richardson that took everyone by surprise. .
Marvin Harrison Jr., wide receiver, Arizona Cardinals. Harrison is turning everyone’s heads with his spectacular plays, week after week, confirming what many predicted: he was going to become a star from his first moment in the NFL. This Sunday, Harrison had six catches for 111 yards with a touchdown as the Cardinals ruined Tua Tagovailoa’s return to the field with Miami.
Jahmyr Gibbs, corredor, Detroit Lions. For the fourth time this year, Gibbs appears among Sunday’s honorees, this time offering an afternoon of 11 carries for 127 yards with one touchdown and an incredible average of 11.5 yards per carry to give the Lions an easy victory over Tennessee in a game that could well have been stopped at halftime to save the Titans embarrassment. The Colossus of Week 7 is not ready for us to forget about it.
Jared Goff, quarterback, Detroit Lions. The Detroit quarterback helped confirm that, in the NFC, there is no one better than the Lions. Against Tennessee, he connected on 12 of 15 pass attempts for three touchdowns without interceptions, and only 85 yards, in one of the easiest victories of any team over another so far in 2024. It was painful to see a team so unprepared to play an NFL game like those in Nashville this Sunday.
Josh Jacobs, corredor, Green Bay Packers. On an afternoon in which Green Bay once again saw Jordan Love leave and not return to action, Jacobs was in charge of moving the chains and putting points on the scoreboard with 25 carries for 127 yards and two touchdowns in a closer victory than expected. that was predicted against the Jags. Meanwhile, the Raiders, who let Jacobs walk in free agency, received 15 yards on 14 carries from his successor in Las Vegas. Alexander Mattison.
George Kittle, tight end, San Francisco 49ers. On “National Tight Ends Day,” the position’s best performance, in a day full of touchdowns, came in Sunday’s final game, where Kittle amassed 128 yards and a touchdown on six catches, responding again and again. in key moments to bury Dallas.
Ladd McConkey, wide receiver, Los Angeles Chargers. It was a good day to be a rookie, and the Bolts wide receiver was among those raising his hand with six receptions for 111 yards with two touchdowns in a blowout victory over the Saints. McConkey’s ability to find holes is something to marvel at in his first year in the league.
Joe Mixon, corredor, Houston Texans. Again, it’s Mixon keeping Houston going. This time, in his fourth appearance on our weekly list among Honorable Mentions, he had 102 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries along with four catches for 32 yards through the air in another not ideal week for his quarterback CJ Stroud.
Bo Nix, quarterback, Denver Broncos. Nix may have finally had his welcome moment to the NFL. The rookie quarterback stood out with 28 of 37 attempts for 284 yards and three touchdowns without an interception, in addition to five carries for 4 yards with another touchdown and, above all, zero turnovers.
Bijan Robinson, running back, Atlanta Falcons. Atlanta excelled offensively this Sunday, and Robinson was part of the party. He ran the ball 13 times for 67 yards, but where he weighed most was in the passing game, where he caught six passes for 37 yards with a touchdown for the Falcons’ cause. Robinson has already spoiled us with regular appearances in our list of highlights each week.
DeVonta Smith, wide receiver, Philadelphia Eagles. Two weeks after AJ Brown appeared in this space, Smith follows in his footsteps thanks to a performance by
D’Andre Swift, corredor, Chicago Bears. Another of those who appear for the fourth time in eight weeks among our Sunday highlights, Swift carried the offensive weight of Chicago on a very difficult afternoon for Caleb Williams. The Bears’ star running back amassed 129 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, to keep alive a Chicago team that, unfortunately, lost with a miraculous play by Washington with no time left on the game clock.
Jonathan Taylor, corredor, Indianapolis Colts. It’s a shame that Taylor had only been able to play four games before this Sunday because, with today’s, he already has three appearances among the best of the day. Against Houston, Taylor contributed 20 carries for 105 yards and a touchdown, along with 12 yards on a catch, in a key AFC South game that the Colts failed to rescue. However, this Sunday’s loss could possibly shed new light on what’s next for the quarterback position for Indy.
Cedric Tillman, receptor abierto, Cleveland Browns. The second-year wide receiver debuts on our list of weekly highlights with an outing of seven receptions for 99 yards and two touchdowns to passes from the next quarterback on our list, for Cleveland to deliver the surprise of the week. Are the Browns in time to save the season? Thanks to Tillman this Sunday, the answer is “possibly yes.”
Jameis Winston, quarterback, Cleveland Browns. It’s incredible that it took an injury to two quarterbacks in Cleveland to give Winston a chance. How did you respond? Well, how does 27 of 41 attempts for 334 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions sound against the hottest team in the American Conference? That was precisely what Winston offered, who would justify the dismissal of whoever decided that he did not deserve anything more than the third place in the Browns’ roster order.
