Here are 32 observations from Week 8 of the 2024 NFL season:

0. Still the total wins for the New York Jets since they brought in WR Davante Adams (in 2 games). Put differently, still the wins since they let coach Robert Saleh go (over 3 games). Essentially, almost certainly the number of steps this struggling team must take to save their 2-6 season.

0. Still the points scored by the Philadelphia Eagles in the first quarter this season … although they came close with a field goal on their initial drive last Sunday in Cincinnati, missing by just 50 seconds. It’s tough to score early when the Bengals control the game clock for over 10 minutes at the start.

0. The count of teams on bye this week – a first since Week 4.

1. There’s a “national holiday” recognizing a particular group in sports – “National Tight Ends Day” now falls on the fourth Sunday of October. This day unofficially began in 2018, thanks to former 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo’s admiration for All-Pro TE George Kittle, and has led to the annual “Tight End University” held every offseason in Nashville with Kittle, Travis Kelce of the Chiefs, and retired Pro Bowler Greg Olsen involved.

1a. During Sunday’s games, tight ends accounted for 15 touchdown catches, seizing their moment in the spotlight.

1b. Kelce was among those scoring, marking his first touchdown of the season in the Chiefs’ 27-20 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

2. Only two tight ends – Kyle Pitts of Atlanta Falcons and Cade Otton of Tampa Bay Buccaneers – achieved two touchdowns in a single game, helping the Falcons snag a thrilling 31-26 victory over the depleted Bucs to take the NFC South lead.

3. Eagles QB Jalen Hurts scored three rushing TDs in Sunday’s 37-17 win. Including the postseason, specifically Super Bowl 57, Hurts now has four such games under his belt.

3a. Notably, Hurts’ three rushing touchdowns in a single game set a regular-season record.

4. Despite having more first downs (23-17), plays (71-47), yards (416-225), and possession time (35:37) than the Detroit Lions, the Tennessee Titans lost 52-14. The Lions scored all their points in the first three quarters, capitalizing on four turnovers and a punt return touchdown. This scenario illustrates why the Lions (6-1) might be the best team while the Titans (1-6) are potentially the worst.

4a. According to NFL Media, the Lions are the first team in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) to score 50+ points without passing for 100 yards.

5. Detroit’s WR Amon-Ra St. Brown has caught a touchdown in five straight games, holding the longest active streak in the league. He is the first Lion to achieve this kind of streak since Pro Football Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson in 2011.

6. This marks the first time in the Super Bowl era that the Lions have had this many wins through their first seven games, in a period where they remain the only team that has been in existence without ever reaching a Super Bowl.

7. For every season of his career, Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson has rushed for at least 500 yards, now totaling seven consecutive seasons. Only Cam Newton has matched that record in NFL history.

8. RB Derrick Henry scored a touchdown in every game he played with the Ravens, becoming the first player in league history to score in each of his first eight games with a new team.

9. Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen’s streak of nine consecutive games without an interception ended Sunday, but he still holds a record of 300 passes without a pick, contributing to the Bills’ decisive 31-10 victory over the Seahawks.

10. For ten straight games, Los Angeles RB Kyren Williams has made it to the end zone, having scored a 5-yard touchdown grab in Thursday’s 30-20 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

11. Washington Commanders rookie QB Jayden Daniels won over fans by playing through a painful rib injury. Facing fellow Bears rookie Caleb Williams, who has been a local star since high school, set the stage for a matchup that might be remembered as a classic.

12.79. The time Daniels held the ball before throwing a 52-yard Hail Mary to defeat the Bears 18-15. This was the first such touchdown recorded in the last seven years where the throw took more than 10 seconds from snap to launch.

12b. With Daniels leading his team to victory, the No. 2 picks (like him) are now 4-2 against the No. 1 picks in these encounters.

13. The Chiefs have now claimed 13 consecutive victories, dating back to last season, following their latest win in Las Vegas. They remain the only unbeaten team in the league for 2024.

14. Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs joined legends Tom Brady and Peyton Manning as one of three quarterbacks to have three winning streaks of 12 games or more in their careers (including postseason matches).

15. Kansas City joins the ranks of seven Super Bowl-winning teams that have opened their following season with a perfect 7-0 record.

16. The Chiefs have officially achieved a perfect record of 6-0 at Allegiant Stadium, which includes their thrilling overtime victory in Super Bowl 58. Their last defeat against the Raiders during an away game occurred back in Oakland in 2017.

17. According to OptaSTATS, the Chiefs have become the first team in history to win eight consecutive road games (including playoffs) without any of those victories exceeding a margin of 10 points.

18. Patrick Mahomes has made history by being the fastest player to amass 30,000 career passing yards, accomplishing this feat in just 103 games—six games quicker than Matthew Stafford.

19. Bo Nix has made history as the first rookie quarterback for the Denver Broncos to secure five wins, following a 28-14 victory over the Carolina Panthers. Take note, John Elway and Tim Tebow!

20. The Cleveland Browns hit a scoring milestone they hadn’t reached all season when new starting QB Jameis Winston led them to an unexpected 29-24 triumph over the Ravens.

21. In his debut as Cleveland’s starter, Winston threw for 334 yards and three touchdowns, marking a significant comeback for him after over two years. The player he replaced, Deshaun Watson, has never reached 300 passing yards in his 19 starts for the Browns and has only thrown three touchdowns once. Winston’s game-winning 38-yard pass to Cedric Tillman with just one minute left in the game may not get the recognition it deserves due to Daniels’ later heroics.

22. Indianapolis Colts QB Anthony Richardson managed to throw 32 passes but had 22 incomplete passes in their 23-20 loss to the Houston Texans, who completed a sweep of the Colts this season. Richardson’s accuracy remains the worst in the league, with his completion rate now at 44.4%.

22a. The Colts clearly perform better offensively with veteran backup Joe Flacco, who boasts an impressive completion rate of nearly 66% this season. The only question is whether Head Coach Shane Steichen is willing to bench the struggling Richardson temporarily.

22.03. On a remarkable note, Detroit’s Jahmyr Gibbs clocked in at 22 miles per hour during his stunning 70-yard touchdown run on Sunday—this speed set the record for running backs this season, according to Next Gen Stats.

23. Texans RB Joe Mixon has achieved over 100 rushing yards in four out of five games with Houston, only falling short in Week 2 due to an ankle injury that sidelined him for three weeks.

24. The Green Bay Packers are now 2-0 with newly signed kicker Brandon McManus, who has successfully made game-winning field goals at the last moment in both victories, including this Sunday’s 30-27 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, his former team.

25. Backup QB Malik Willis for the Packers has been instrumental in their victories after filling in for the injured starter, Jordan Love (groin). Green Bay has a perfect 3-0 record this season in games where Willis throws multiple passes, including a touchdown pass to TE Tucker Kraft on Sunday.

25a. The Packers may rely on Willis again, as Head Coach Matt LaFleur expressed “high level of concern” regarding Love’s latest injury.

26. Kraft caught Willis’ only touchdown pass on Sunday, while the Jaguars notably tried to celebrate October as National Tight Ends Month by allowing four touchdown receptions to tight ends.

27. The Miami Dolphins scored a total of 22 points in QB Tua Tagovailoa’s return on Sunday. This is significant as the Dolphins previously held the league’s lowest scoring average of 11.7 points.

28. Despite this boost in scoring, Miami was unable to defeat the rising Arizona Cardinals, who have now linked up for a piece of first place in the relatively accessible NFC West.

29. Although Arizona’s Trey McBride didn’t score a touchdown—much like many other tight ends on Sunday—he still had a standout performance with nine catches for 124 yards, marking his best game of the season.

30. If the playoffs were to start today (which they are not), the AFC West could send three teams to the postseason, with the Broncos (5-3) and Los Angeles Chargers (4-3) joining the Chiefs.

31. If the season ended today (it does not), the Carolina Panthers (1-7) would “earn” the No. 1 pick for the second consecutive year. They had to surrender this pick to the Bears who selected Caleb Williams earlier this year, having traded for the No. 1 pick of the 2023 draft—this was apparently a regrettable decision as they selected the still-struggling QB Bryce Young.

32. This week’s uniform note: Although the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ creamsicle throwback uniforms may look spectacular, it’s a different story when they continue to be connected to losses, as seen in Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons.

32a. Second uniform note of the week: The Cincinnati Bengals donned their white tiger jerseys for the first time in over a year but unfortunately were still unable to secure a win. They are now 0-2 this season when trying out their monochrome look, having also lost their opener against New England while sporting an all-orange outfit for the first time in franchise history.

32b. Third uniform note of the week: The Washington Commanders debuted their all-black uniform for the first time this season—this attire would have been even better received if it were their primary uniform, as the design and effects truly captivate.

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