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

Vikings @ Lions

Final Score: Lions 19, Vikings 15

Senior Writer: Benjamin Haller (@benjaminhaller1.bsky.social on Bluesky)

 

An eagerly awaited match-up in the NFC North pitted one of the NFL’s most eclectic offenses, the Detroit Lions, against the formidable defensive prowess of the Minnesota Vikings under Brian Flores. However, the true outcome of this game wasn’t which one could beat the other, as both played to an exceptionally high standard and did exactly what we expected of them. The game was won and lost in the matchup between the leaky Lions defense and the stuttering Vikings offense, with all eyes on embattled signal caller Kyler Murray. And Lions Defensive Coordinator Kelvin Sheppard took the plaudits, as despite Murray playing well in patches in this contest, there was no rhythm to the Vikings offense and the play calling from O’Connell was once again in the spotlight on a number of drives. Both teams missed a field goal, and both quarterbacks threw a poor interception, but the momentum swing came on a play directly after Lions linebacker Jack Campbell was carted from the field with a serious neck injury. O’Connell decided to go for it on 4th & 5 at the Detroit 25-yard line down 12-7 early in the fourth quarter. It failed, and despite the Lions not taking advantage and punting back to Minnesota, there was a notable swing in momentum. The Vikings also gave up the chance at points in a tight contest, an interesting and uncharacteristic call from the Minnesota Head Coach that put more pressure on the offense. They did respond with Murray finding Jordan Addison on a deep ball before lobbing one up for Justin Jefferson to make an unbelievable one-handed catch to give the Vikings the lead.

A big boy drive from Jared Goff, who took advantage of a tiring Vikings defense, answered straight back as the Lions managed to establish the run in the second half. Goff marched down the field on a 7-play, 69-yard drive that ended in Goff’s only touchdown pass to Williams, who burned the ageing Harrison Smith in a mismatch to put the Lions into a lead that turned out to be the winning score. Inexplicably, O’Connell then chose not to go for it on 4th & 5 from his own 33-yard line with only three minutes left in the game. The Vikings never got the ball back, and Detroit held out for the narrow win. Questions remain about this Vikings offense, while the Lions nab back-to-back wins in the division to kick-start their playoff push.

 

Three Up

  • Jahmyr Gibbs – after struggling to find opportunities in the first half, the Lions made the necessary adjustments and featured their star back throughout the second half. It was a game-winning performance, with Gibbs finding more joy on the inside rather than his usual outside zone.
  • Jameson Williams – a clutch touchdown grab at the end of the game made up for some poor discipline with penalties in the first half for taunting. Williams took advantage when it mattered and where it counts. He still sits heavily in the boom-or-bust fantasy category.
  • T.J. Hockenson – returning to Detroit, Hockenson was the Vikings’ only consistent presence on offense, and he turned that into another productive fantasy day. The tight end now has three touchdowns on the year and is a handy low-end TE1 option.

Three Down

  • Aaron Jones Sr. – the Vikings overthought this running game after using Jones as the bellcow for multiple weeks. The result was a disaster both on the field and for fantasy purposes. Jones saw the returning Jordan Mason snag eight carries to his two.
  • Sam LaPorta – after becoming a “distraction” for Campbell and the Lions, LaPorta has become a part-time option for Goff, who has not looked his way nearly half as much as in the past two seasons. A 19-yard grab over the middle on the Lions’ first touchdown drive was his main contribution in the contest.
  • Justin Jefferson – the most professional receiver in football could not hide his frustration after the Vikings punted the ball away with only three minutes left in the game. Despite his phenomenal grab for a touchdown, KOC and Kyler just cannot get him the ball anywhere near enough as they need to,

 

Minnesota Vikings

 

Quarterback

 

Kyler Murray: 17/29, 210 Yards, 2 TD, INT, 3 Sacks | 4 Carries, 35 Yards

It was a familiar story for the signal caller on the opening drive – after a big gain on the first play, Murray then under-threw Addison on a long ball before failing to connect with Hockenson on a low throw to the sideline on third down. Accuracy was once again an issue as Murray failed to connect with Addison on deep throws on two consecutive drives that petered out into punts. Murray led a 7-play, 74-yard touchdown drive with the aid of a 24-yard DPI and a 22-yard rip to Hockenson over the middle, an area of the field Murray hasn’t targeted much in Minnesota, before consecutive drives that ended in punts again. The play calling wasn’t supporting Murray either, who had multiple opportunities with time in the pocket but nobody open downfield. He also held onto the ball for too long and took sacks when his first reads were open. The only option he seemed comfortable with was Hockenson over the middle, a connection Murray went to midway through the fourth quarter to give the Vikings the lead. It was a rare deep connection with Addison that opened up the game for Minnesota; however, KOC chose to punt the ball away on the next drive, negating any momentum once again. He made plays with his legs and actually led the Vikings in rushing with just 35 yards. He was also battling a hamstring issue throughout the game, something that wasn’t evident on film but came up in the presser afterwards. Murray played quite well, but it just isn’t clicking in multiple areas. His 20.9 fantasy points in Yahoo! was a season-high.

 

Running Back

 

Aaron Jones Sr.: 5 Carries, 22 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 18 Yards

The veteran was responsible for some tough running after the contact to set up the Vikings at the goal line at the start of the second quarter. After taking a dump-off from his quarterback, Jones cut inside after shrugging off one tackle to steam ahead for a big 15-yard catch-and-run. For some unknown reason, Jones then didn’t touch the ball for five straight drives, only popping back up late in the third quarter. He saw the bulk of the work go to the returning Mason, who didn’t do a lot with it and averaged just 2.5 yards per carry. This was a self-destructive game plan from the Vikings.

Jordan Mason: 8 Carries, 20 Yards

DeeJay Dallas: 1 Carry, 4 Yards

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Jordan Addison: 8 Targets, 3 Receptions, 66 Yards

Almost all of Addison’s production came on the 51-yard deep ball that set up the Vikings’ go-ahead score in the fourth quarter. It was a case of fourth time lucky for the receiver as three previous attempts at stretching the field had all failed to materialise earlier in the game. For an offense that doesn’t look to throw long downfield, Addison is a luxury car that isn’t driven off the driveway too often.

T.J. Hockenson: 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 58 Yards, TD

After failing to connect on a third-down pass on the opening drive, the big tight end showed his burgeoning chemistry with Murray on a seam over the middle for a 22-yard gain into the Lions’ red zone at the end of the first quarter. It was one of the few drive-extending plays the Vikings offense mustered on the day. He then connected with his quarterback on a similar play midway through the fourth quarter to give the Vikings the lead. Murray expertly hit his target on a feathered play into the end zone. Hockenson has become a reliable, if not unspectacular fantasy option.

Justin Jefferson: 9 Targets, 5 Receptions, 33 Yards, TD

Jefferson saw his first target late in the first quarter, but the throw was way in front of him as he battled double coverage. Then Murray threw far above his head in the end zone on a perfectly run route that deserved better. So, the elite wideout took things into his own hands with a special catch for a touchdown on a back shoulder fade from Murray at the goal line – Jefferson padded the ball up before twisting his body the other way and bringing the ball in expertly with one hand. An amazing grab. He had another couple of short-yard grabs but nothing of note in the second half, which is worrying. He was seen showing frustration at the end of the game as his Head Coach chose to punt the ball away, a decision that proved to be wrong. He has the right to be frustrated.

Ben Yurosek: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 24 Yards

Jauan Jennings: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 11 Yards

 

 

Detroit Lions

 

Quarterback

 

Jared Goff: 18/25, 176 Yards, TD, INT, 4 Sacks | 3 Carries, 0 Yards

The Vikings defense let Goff know early that they intend to spend the game wrecking the pocket. Two sacks on the opening possession decimated a drive that started in plus territory after a missed field goal. Andrew Van Ginkel showed a terrific second effort to haul down a scrambling Goff before Eric Wilson buried him on a blitz zero on third down. Goff was intercepted for the first time this season early in the second quarter as a forced third down pass was picked off by James Pierre on the sideline after Williams stumbled on the play. Goff took two more sacks before the Lions abandoned drop-backs nearly altogether in the third quarter. To Goff’s credit, he switched tactics expertly and got the ball out very quickly in the second half to good results. For a player who has been haunted in the past couple of years by Flores, it was a sweet win for Goff, who executed on several creative plays before taking a backseat and managing the game to focus on Gibbs. He put in a big block for his star running back and also sneaked to move the chains at the end to call game.

 

Running Back

 

Jahmyr Gibbs: 23 Carries, 153 Yards, TD | 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 15 Yards

A couple of solid 10-yard runs on the first scoring drive of the game got Gibbs going; however, opportunities were limited as offensive mishaps and the Vikings’ defense took over the contest in the first half. A 19-yard run on the penultimate play of the first half padded his stats a little, but it was a slow start for Gibbs, who had averaged 2 yards per carry on his previous 10 attempts. After the half, it was a different story. The Vikings’ defense started to tire with their offense unable to sustain drives, and that left more holes in between the numbers for Gibbs to exploit. He touched the ball three times on the six-play touchdown drive that he finished with a powerful 30-yard touchdown run down the left sideline. Power running at its best. Gibbs then tore the Vikings’ defense to shreds on runs of 17 yards, 9 yards, and 9 yards prior to Williams’ go-ahead touchdown. Fantasy managers worried about their star man putting up numbers can rest easy. He’s the best back in the league for a reason, and this was his third 150+ yard game on the ground this season.

Sione Vaki: 11 Carries, 65 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 5 Yards

The Lions clearly involved the backup more to try and show Minnesota something different, and it worked as Vaki found holes in his downhill running. He saw a couple of carries early before popping back up with key gains on the final go-ahead drive too. After the game, Dan Campbell was very complimentary about Vaki and said he’s earned more of a role.

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Jameson Williams: 6 Targets, 4 Receptions, 70 Yards, TD

On the third drive of the game, Goff found his deep ball, letting one loose long to Williams for a 46-yard gain; however, the second taunting call of the day put the Lions back at the 25-yard line instead of the 10-yard line. It was a costly mistake, but it laid the blueprint for how the Lions could exploit the Vikings in the secondary. And so it was that late in the game, Goff went back to Williams for the game-winning score. Williams executed the perfect crossing route behind the linebackers and in front of the safety. Williams has nabbed all five of his touchdown grabs within the last three games, with two of those games being key divisional tilts.

Amon-Ra St. Brown: 8 Targets, 7 Receptions, 46 Yards | 1 Carry, 10 Yards

The electric receiver had a 25-yard finger-tip touchdown grab harshly overturned on review as the ball moved on contact with the turf when attempting to complete the catch. To make matters worse, St. Brown was then taken to the locker room for an evaluation after coming up shaken on the play. He was checked for a head injury but returned for the next drive. He failed to find any space outside of short routes as the Vikings bottled him up nicely. However, Brown had the fun play of the day, lining up 15 yards behind the line of scrimmage before running onto a backwards pass from Goff to convert on a 3rd & 8 at the Minnesota 40-yard line to set up a go-ahead Gibbs running touchdown. And that is what elite receivers do: find a way to impact the scoreline without bulging up their stats.

Sam LaPorta: 5 Targets, 3 Receptions, 33 Yards | 1 Carry, 2 Yards

The outspoken tight end bagged his first target for just 6 yards early in the second half before a nice 19-yard grab over the middle moved the chains on a touchdown drive. After voicing his issues with how his contract extension is being handled, LaPorta seems to be serving some penance on the field so far this season. A disappointing output from the star young tight end.

Tyler Conklin: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 7 Yards

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