In a week with a lot of lopsided match-ups, a couple of teams were able to make some loud statements this weekend. Two teams stood out in the Cincinnati Bengals and the Tennessee Titans. Yes the Kansas City Chiefs are struggling, but in a game where the Chiefs needed a win to get above .500, the Titans whooped them and battered Patrick Mahomes to the point where he had to leave the game. The Bengals went into Baltimore and backed up their trash talk and whooped the Ravens. Let’s break it down.
Bengals vs Ravens:
The Ja’Marr Chase-Joe Burrow connection is special. These two were dynamic at LSU and it has carried over to the NFL. Joe Burrow threw for a career high 416 yards with Chase catching 201 yards, including a spectacular 82-yard touchdown pass. Ja’Marr Chase’s 754 yards receiving are the most for a player’s first 7 games since the AFL-NFL merger and he’s making a strong case for offensive rookie of the year. The Bengals’ defense made it difficult for Lamar Jackson, sacking him five times and forcing him to complete less than 50% of his passes. For the Bengals, this win snapped a five-game losing streak against Baltimore. Bengals’ coach Zac Taylor said his Bengals are “starting to earn respect.” Remember this Bengals team is a few missed goals away against Green Bay from being 6-1. These two division foes will meet again in Week 16.
Chiefs vs Titans:
The Titans scored on their first five possessions and never looked back, punishing the 2x defending AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs 27-3. This was the Titans 2nd straight win over a team that played in the AFC Championship game last season, beating Buffalo last week. Ryan Tannehill was efficient completing 21 of 27 passes and scoring 2 combined touchdowns. Derrick Henry would throw for a touchdown on a jump pass. For the Kansas City Chiefs their struggles continue. Patrick Mahomes continues to turn the ball over and would eventually leave the game as he entered concussion protocol. People are waiting for this Chiefs team to flip the switch, but it doesn’t look their issues will be resolved quickly.
Panthers vs Giants:
There is no way around it, the Carolina Panthers are a bad football team right now. Losing to the Giants is one thing, but to getting beaten 25-3 to a Giants team missing some of their best players is unacceptable. Sam Darnold stunk and finally got benched in the 4th quarter for PJ Walker. Darnold looked like he saw ghosts again in MetLife Stadium, throwing an awful interception. Panthers’ wide receivers still suffered from a few cases of the drops this week, as well. This offense is a mess and quite honestly some changes may have to be made. The Panthers’ offense only generated 173 yards of offense Sunday. The defense did the best they could, but the inept offense put the defense in bad positions all day. Matt Rhule was outcoached by Joe Judge and his players played uninspired football.
Week 8 games to watch:
- 6-1 Green Bay vs 7-0 Arizona Cardinals
- 6-1 Tampa Bay vs 4-2 New Orleans
- 5-1 Dallas vs 3-3 Minnesota