Verdict on the biggest overreactions for NFL Week 8 games

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Was Jets owner Woody Johnson overreacting last week when he ripped off quarterback Justin Fields in front of a group of reporters at owners meetings? Probably not, given the way Fields has played the past two weeks.

Did Jets coach Aaron Glenn overreact and bench Tyrod Taylor? Well, we may never know if Glenn actually benched Fields, because Taylor was injured and couldn’t play, so Fields had to start for the Jets on Sunday in Cincinnati. And again, I’m not sure it would have been an overreaction even if the coach had done that.

But the NFL is a week-to-week league, and things can look radically different one week than they did the week before. That’s the case in Florham Park, New Jersey, after Fields’ comeback produced the Jets’ first win of the season and Glenn’s first as a head coach. And for at least one week, Fields has to hold his head up high, knowing there’s a very recent positive answer as to whether he should continue to start for the Jets.

For all these reasons, Fields should also top the overreaction column for Week 8, where we sort through overreactions weekly to try to figure out which ones hold up and which ones are a mirage.

Go to:
Fields established as the Jets’ quarterback?
Garrett wins Defensive Player of the Year?
Did the Falcons miss the trade window for Cousins?
49ers need to trade for a pass rusher?
Crows still in the chase for the AFC qualifiers?
Five fantasy-related overreactions

Justin Fields will be the Jets’ starting QB the rest of the season

Fields finished Sunday’s contest going 21-of-32 passing for 244 yards and a touchdown pass. There was only one touchdown pass, because the Jets allowed running back Breece Hall to throw the pass that put them ahead with just under two minutes to go. Fields also rushed for 31 yards on 11 carries. More importantly, he showed a level of poise and confidence in the pocket that he hasn’t shown since the tough Week 1 loss to the Steelers. If Johnson’s phrase “If we could only complete the pass” was ringing in Fields’ ears on Sunday, you wouldn’t know it was bothering him.

Verdict: Overreaction

Cincinnati’s defense is one of the most forgiving in the league and is a perfect place for Fields to get on the right track after a tough recent stretch. But the Jets have a bye next week before playing Brown, who has one of least The defense was lax in the league, led by player Myles Garrett, who sacked Drake Maye five times on Sunday. Then, the Jets get the Patriots, who excel at stopping the run and forcing teams to pass — not a position the Jets want Fields to be in.

These games are also after the trade deadline, meaning Hall, who had 147 scrimmage yards, two rushing scores and a passing touchdown on Sunday, could be on another team by then. If Fields can hold his own through the first two games after the bye, I’d say he has a chance to keep the job. But if he looks as bad in those games as he did against the Broncos in London two weeks ago or against the Panthers last week, Glenn may still have some tough choices to make about his starting quarterback.

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Myles Garrett will be Defensive Player of the Year…again

The Patriots scored 32 points in Sunday’s win over the Browns, but it wasn’t because they contained Garrett. The All-Pro edge rusher had five sacks in the game, working Patriots rookie tackle Will Campbell when he lined up against him. Garrett also moved around the formation a lot, so the Patriots didn’t know where to send protection. It’s to May’s credit that he kept coming up and having the type of second half that he did. But May will feel the pain on Monday morning, and he has Garrett to thank for that.

Verdict: Not an overreaction

Garrett won that award in 2023, when he had 14 sacks. His five on Sunday gives him 10 for the season with nine games left to play. It can be difficult for players on losing teams to win postseason awards, and with the way the Browns are playing offense, it’s fair to assume they’ll finish with a losing record. But if Jarrett can keep up the performances he had on Sunday, he’ll be hard to ignore. This is Garrett’s eighth straight season with at least 10 sacks, and he’s on pace to break his previous career high of 16.

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The Falcons missed their window to trade Kirk Cousins

Cousins ​​was pressed early in Sunday’s game against the Dolphins due to an injury to Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. Drake London was also injured, which made things difficult. But Cousins ​​was not impressive in this game. He was 21-for-31 for 173 yards, and the Falcons scored just 10 points against a Miami team that allowed an average of 29.3 points per game through the first seven games. Cousins ​​was expected to be the Falcons’ starter after signing a four-year, $180 million free agent contract during the 2024 season. But he was benched at the end of last season in favor of Penix, who Atlanta drafted with the eighth pick a month after signing Cousins.

Whether Cousins ​​would be cut or traded was one of the big stories of the offseason, as he politely told the Falcons he would rather go to a team where he had the opportunity to be a starter. The Falcons refused to cut him and asked for more in trade talks than other teams were willing to pay, recognizing the value of a veteran backup for a young quarterback who entered the league with a significant injury history. Now, with the trade deadline a week away from Tuesday and Cousins ​​having had an uninspiring performance in his first start of the season, it could be difficult to get anything for him even if they wanted to.

Verdict: Overreaction

I say this for several reasons. The first is that the Falcons, once again, do not want to trade Cousins. He will likely be cut after the season, but they want to keep him around for weeks just like this and hope he performs better the next time they need him. But the second reason is that the difference always They’re looking for quarterback help, and the Falcons will likely find a team willing to give them a decent pick or two if they decide to deal Cousins, especially since they’ve already paid such a high percentage of his contract. I don’t think he’ll be traded, but I also don’t think it will be because the Falcons can’t find a trade partner.

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The 49ers need to trade for a pass rusher more than any other team

Playing without star edge rusher Nick Bosa, who is out for the season, as well as star quarterback Fred Warner, who is also out for the year, the Niners have held together well. They posted a 5-2 record heading into Sunday’s game in Houston. But they fell apart on defense against the Texans, as quarterback C.J. Stroud (playing without his best receiver in Nico Collins) did whatever he wanted against the Niners.

Stroud was 30-for-39 for 318 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He was beaten only six times and was not sacked. He has been sacked at least twice in each of Houston’s first six games this season for a total of 15 sacks. San Francisco couldn’t get it down or get off the field on third down, as Houston converted nine of its 16 third-down opportunities.

Verdict: Not an overreaction

Maybe the Niners need more help than one trade deadline can provide. But if they have any chance of surviving in the ultra-competitive NFC West, they’ll need to be able to pressure quarterbacks — especially quarterbacks who are as easy to pressure as Stroud.

San Francisco’s injury situation has left multiple issues on both sides of the ball. You could argue that the 49ers need to trade for a wide receiver, a linebacker, an offensive lineman — and almost any position you can think of. But if two superior players are available, it’s an upgrade that would likely have a huge positive impact on the Niners’ chances the rest of the season. They won’t find people like Bosa, simply because there aren’t many like him. But they need someone — And soon.

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The Ravens are still in the playoff mix

Baltimore exited the bye week with a 1-5 record, desperate for a win and without starting quarterback Lamar Jackson for the third straight game. By the end of the week, they were in trouble with the league over their handling of Jackson’s status on the injury report, which led to the eager Bears coming to town.

A preseason Super Bowl favorite whose season was all about attrition before Halloween, the Ravens needed a win in Week 8 as badly as any team in the league. And they got one. Backup Tyler Huntley led Baltimore to a 30-16 win over the Bears and improved the Ravens’ record to 2-5 heading into Thursday night’s Week 9 game against the Dolphins.

Verdict: Not an overreaction

This was written before the start of the Steelers’ game Sunday night against the Packers, and the Packers had a big second half to drop the Steelers to 4-3 on the season. So the Ravens are not far behind, especially since they still have two games remaining against Pittsburgh. After losing to the Bills, Lions, Chiefs, Texans and Rams, the Ravens face a remaining schedule that looks like it should be much easier than the one they have played so far. The Steelers, Patriots, and Packers are the only teams remaining on the Ravens’ schedule that currently have winning records.

The Ravens will get another mini-bye after Thursday night, when Jackson is supposed to return to help them beat the 2-6 Dolphins in Miami. The 2025 AFC North may be a division that only takes nine wins to win, and if the Ravens are able to play anything like the team we thought they were before the season started, there’s no reason they can’t get there.

Exaggerated reactions fantasy fast hitter

• Breece Hall is the RB1 the rest of the season. Overreacting. Yes, he played like he did on Sunday. Yes, the Jets’ remaining schedule looks promising for fantasy backs. But we don’t know if Hall will still be on the planes in 10 days. What if he was traded to a committee like the Seahawks have?

• Jaylen Waddle is the WR1 with Tyreek Hill injured. Not an overreaction. The dude was the sixth pick in the 2021 draft; he supposed To be WR1. With Darren Waller out due to injury, Waddle and RB De’Von Achane are Tua Tagovailoa’s only truly reliable options in the passing game.

• Jaylin Noel will be the top player waived in Week 9. Not an overreaction. Get it if you don’t already have it. Houston wants its two rookies – Noel and Jayden Higgins – to be more involved in the offense the rest of the way.

• Jordan Addison, not Justin Jefferson, is the receiver the Vikings want the rest of the way. Overreacting. Come here. It’s Justin Jefferson we’re talking about. Addison is a starter every week assuming the Vikings’ passing game remains viable with JJ McCarthy as the starting quarterback, but Jefferson will be the guy any Vikings QB looks to when things get dicey.

• James Cook III, not Josh Allen, is the Bills’ most valuable fantasy player. Not an overreaction. I love Allen, but a RB who can get 200+ yards a game is fantasy gold. There’s no reason to expect Cook to slow down the rest of the way, barring injury. And Allen will be happy to keep handing it to him.