What We Saw Roundup – Week 8

We watched every NFL Week 8 game so you don't have to — Here's What We Saw!

Brett Ford
What We Saw 3 Hours Ago
Series Navigation
Introduction
Panthers @ Packers
Ravens @ Bills
Titans @ Bengals
Cardinals @ Cowboys
Vikings @ Lions
Raiders @ Jets
Browns @ Steelers
Falcons @ Buccaneers
Colts @ Jaguars
Chargers @ Rams
Chiefs @ Broncos
Patriots @ Dolphins
Eagles @ Commanders

Cardinals @ Cowboys

Final Score: Cardinals 33, Cowboys 30 (OT)

Writer: Christian Otteman (@COttemanPL on Twitter)

 

Three Up

  • Tyler Allgeier — While the opportunity was largely thrust upon him due to injuries to Bam Knight and Jeremiyah Love, Allgeier had a career game and could have a huge role in future weeks if the rest of this backfield remains injured.
  • Gardner Minshew II — One quarter (and change) was all Minshew needed to overcome a multiscore deficit and lead the Cardinals to an overtime win.
  • Ryan Flournoy — Continued to show deep-league appeal, especially with Pickens nursing multiple injuries.

Three Down

  • Jacoby Brissett — It might be tough for the Cardinals to go back to the journeyman after Minshanity’s rally.
  • George Pickens — Pickens is dealing with multiple nagging injuries and saw decreased involvement and snaps in this game.
  • Javonte Williams — A season-worst performance after running wild in Week 7. At the very least, his role is secure.

 

Arizona Cardinals

 

Quarterback

Jacoby Brissett: 10/23, 119 Yards, INT | 3 Carries, 7 Yards

Gardner Minshew II: 17/23, 188 Yards, 3 TD

As was the case for most of the season, Brissett was largely inefficient on high-volume passing, failing to get anything going against what has been a porous Cowboys defense for most of the season. With just over a quarter left and the team down multiple scores, it wasn’t unexpected to see Brissett benched for Minshew, who seemed to instantly spark the offense. Minshew was more effective, efficient, and exciting than Brissett, tossing three touchdowns in the fourth quarter alone as the Cowboys unraveled. Minshew wasn’t asked to make many high-difficulty throws on his touchdown passes, but he did everything he could have done and more with this opportunity. It would be shocking to see Arizona go back to Brissett after how this game played out, but it’s possible we see some of rookie Carson Beck as well. Monitor this situation ahead of Week 9.

 

Running Back

Tyler Allgeier: 11 Carries, 147 Yards, TD | 5 Targets, 5 Receptions, 44 Yards

Allgeier played a huge role in the Cardinals’ exciting comeback win, breaking off a huge run for his rushing touchdown at the end of the third and extending his arm on a dive just over the plane for an impressive receiving score in the fourth. Allgeier looked like a completely different player than he’s been most of the year, breaking tackles and tacking on extra yards on several carries. I wouldn’t expect a repeat performance in Denver, but at the very least, Allgeier is likely to have plenty of opportunities with the injuries to his teammates.

 

Jeremiyah Love: 9 Carries, 23 Yards

Love took the first several carries of the game but was unable to find room to run against the Cowboys. Love’s biggest missed opportunity came on a fourth-and-1 at the goal line, where he was stood up by fellow first-rounder Caleb Downs. Love also had his ankle rolled up on and was visibly frustrated as he left the game. Given his track record with ankle injuries this season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him miss more time.

Bam Knight: 3 Carries, 8 Yards | 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 10 Yards

Knight unfortunately didn’t have much of a chance to make an impact, leaving early with a concussion. He’s proven to be explosive with limited touches, but he’ll have an uphill battle to clear protocol before next week’s game in Denver.

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

Michael Wilson: 15 Targets, 8 Receptions, 111 Yards, TD | 1 Carry, 17 Yards

Wilson finally had a great game post-Marvin Harrison Jr., leading the team in all receiving categories and catching the game-tying score late in the fourth quarter. Most of his production came with Minshew at quarterback, so a permanent change could boost his stock in future weeks. Wilson just barely missed on a few other opportunities throughout the afternoon, including an end-zone target that was batted away and a diving effort that just barely came short of the ball. Wilson was slow to get up on multiple occasions and is reportedly playing through a couple of broken ribs, so monitor his health throughout the week. He managed to play the entire game, so he seems determined to play through the pain. Hard not to love the toughness.

Trey McBride: 8 Targets, 7 Receptions, 72 Yards, TD

Ho-hum, just another high-volume productive day for one of the league’s best. McBride was peppered with targets by Brissett and Minshew, meaning there’s no concern about his production no matter who’s under center. McBride is talented enough to make first-rounders like Caleb Downs look silly in coverage and will remain an elite option in Week 9.

 

Kendrick Bourne: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 29 Yards

Bourne unfortunately left early with a high ankle sprain and appears likely to miss multiple weeks with his injury. It seems like it’ll be the McBride-Wilson show in Arizona for the foreseeable future.

Simi Fehoko: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 17 Yards

Devin Duvernay: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 14 Yards

Elijah Higgins: 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 10 Yards

Reggie Virgil: 2 Targets, 0 Receptions

 

Dallas Cowboys

 

Quarterback

Dak Prescott: 19/29, 195 Yards, TD | 7 Carries, 20 Yards, TD

Well, Dak didn’t do a whole lot to lose this game for the Cowboys, but he certainly wasn’t at his most impressive in what was a fairly low-volume day by his standards. With Dallas failing to establish the run with Javonte Williams, Prescott was rarely able to sustain drives, going three-and-out on four occasions (five, if you count the fourth-quarter field goal after Arizona’s failed onside kick). Prescott found a fairly productive fantasy day thanks to a rare rushing score, but he hasn’t quite produced the way we thought given the embarrassment of riches on the Cowboys offense. He should still check in as a low-end QB1 against the Colts, who technically still qualify as an NFL team.

 

Running Back

Javonte Williams: 24 Carries, 56 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 1 Yard

A week after running amok against the hapless Eagles, Williams produced his least productive and efficient outing of the season against a middling Arizona run defense. Williams could have salvaged his fantasy day with a touchdown, but he fumbled close to the goal line, and the ball was fortunately recovered in the end zone by teammate James Mitchell. The Cardinals simply overwhelmed the Cowboys at the line of scrimmage, giving Williams very few chances to find lanes. The good news is that next week’s matchup is the Colts, who just allowed Bhayshul Tuten to dismantle them. Williams has one of the most secure jobs in the NFL and should remain a weekly starter.

Tyler Goodson: 7 Carries, 14 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 19 Yards

The only other healthy running back on the Cowboys. Hold as a handcuff if you have the bench space.

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

CeeDee Lamb: 11 Targets, 7 Receptions, 58 Yards

Lamb faced pretty tight coverage from the Cardinals most of the afternoon and did not connect on many downfield looks with Prescott. He still found plenty of chances to impress, most notably on one of the best third-and-5 conversions we’ve ever seen. Lamb looked like me spamming the juke button in “Madden,” except for him, it worked, as it took nearly the entire Cardinals secondary to take him down. Lamb has clearly separated as the alpha in this receiving room and should remain a top-tier option for the rest of the season.

George Pickens: 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 48 Yards

Notably, Pickens was on the field less this game than he has been all season, most likely due to shoulder and hamstring injuries that limited his practice participation this week. Pickens still made a mark with an impressive catch-and-run, but was still overshadowed by Lamb and, to an extent, Ryan Flournoy. It’s becoming more difficult to trust Pickens as an every-week option, but he has a great chance to right the ship against the Colts next week.

Ryan Flournoy: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 38 Yards, TD | 1 Carry, 3 Yards

Flournoy once again demonstrated why he deserves a larger role in this offense, making a great catch to haul in a pass thrown behind him en route to a touchdown. Flournoy outsnapped Pickens 50 to 42 and matched him in targets, meaning that if Pickens continues to deal with injuries, Flournoy will maintain flex appeal in Week 9.

Brevyn Spann-Ford: 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 31 Yards

Spann-Ford was the primary beneficiary of Jake Ferguson‘s early injury, so this should be about the involvement we can expect from him moving forward if Ferguson misses additional time. Spann-Ford likely won’t be a streaming recommendation moving forward unless we see some red zone or end zone usage to suggest a growing role in high-value spots.

Series Navigation
Introduction
Panthers @ Packers
Ravens @ Bills
Titans @ Bengals
Cardinals @ Cowboys
Vikings @ Lions
Raiders @ Jets
Browns @ Steelers
Falcons @ Buccaneers
Colts @ Jaguars
Chargers @ Rams
Chiefs @ Broncos
Patriots @ Dolphins
Eagles @ Commanders

Brett Ford

Writer, Editor and Podcast host for QBList.com, Ravens fan, Cool Dad