FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Was Jets crew proprietor Woody Johnson overreacting final week when he ripped quarterback Justin Fields in entrance of a gaggle of reporters on the homeowners’ conferences? Most likely not, given the best way Fields performed the earlier two weeks.
Did Jets coach Aaron Glenn overreact and bench Fields for Tyrod Taylor? Nicely, we might by no means know if he really benched him, as a result of Taylor was injured and could not play, so Fields needed to begin for the Jets on Sunday towards the Bengals. And once more … unsure it might have been an overreaction even when he had.
However the NFL is a week-to-week league, and issues can look radically completely different one week than they did the one earlier than. Such is the case in Florham Park, New Jersey, the place a Fields-led comeback produced the Jets’ first win of the season and Glenn’s first as a head coach. And, for one week at the very least, Fields will get to carry his head excessive, figuring out there is a very current affirmative reply as to whether he ought to proceed to begin for the Jets.
For all these causes, Fields additionally will get to steer the Week 8 Overreactions column, the place we kind via the weekly overreactions to attempt to determine which of them would possibly maintain up and which of them are mirages.
Bounce to:
Fields entrenched as Jets’ beginning quarterback?
Garrett to win Defensive Participant of the Yr?
Did Falcons miss Cousins’ commerce window?
49ers must commerce for a cross rusher?
Ravens nonetheless within the AFC playoff hunt?
5 fantasy-related overreactions
Justin Fields would be the Jets’ beginning QB the remainder of the season
Fields ended Sunday 21-of-32 passing for 244 yards and a landing cross. There was just one landing cross, as a result of they let working again Breece Corridor throw the one which put them within the lead with slightly below two minutes remaining. Fields additionally rushed for 31 yards on 11 carries. Most significantly, he confirmed a degree of poise and confidence within the pocket that he hadn’t proven since Week 1’s heartbreaking loss to the Steelers. If Johnson’s “if we may simply full a cross” was ringing in Fields’ ears Sunday, you would not have identified it was bothering him.
Verdict: OVERREACTION
Cincinnati’s protection is likely one of the most permissive within the league, and an ideal spot for Fields to get proper after a tough current stretch. However the Jets have a bye subsequent week after which play the Browns, who’ve one of many least permissive defenses within the league led by a participant, Myles Garrett, who sacked Drake Maye 5 instances on Sunday. After that, the Jets get the Patriots, who excel at shutting down the run and forcing groups to cross — not the state of affairs the Jets need Fields to be in.
These video games are additionally after the commerce deadline, which implies that Corridor, who had 147 scrimmage yards, two dashing touchdowns and that landing cross Sunday, may very well be on one other crew by then. If Fields can maintain it collectively via the primary two post-bye video games, I am going to say he has an opportunity to carry the job. But when he seems to be as dangerous in these as he did towards the Broncos in London two weeks in the past, or towards the Panthers final week, then Glenn would possibly nonetheless have some robust decisions to make about his beginning quarterback.
Myles Garrett will likely be Defensive Participant of the Yr … once more
The Patriots scored 32 factors in Sunday’s victory over the Browns, but it surely wasn’t as a result of they contained Garrett. The All-Professional edge rusher had 5 sacks within the sport, working over Patriots rookie deal with Will Campbell when lined up towards him. He additionally moved across the formation a bunch, so the Patriots did not know the place to ship the safety. It is to Maye’s credit score that he saved getting up and had the kind of second half he did. However Maye goes to be sore on Monday morning, and he has Garrett to thank for it.
Verdict: NOT AN OVERREACTION
Garrett received this award in 2023, when he had 14 sacks. The 5 he had Sunday give him 10 for the season with 9 video games left to play. It may be robust for gamers on shedding groups to win postseason awards and with the best way the Browns play offense, it is honest to imagine they will end with a shedding document. But when Garrett can maintain turning performances like he had on Sunday, he’ll be robust to disregard. That is Garrett’s eighth consecutive season with at the very least 10 sacks, and he is on tempo to shatter his earlier profession excessive of 16.
0:30
Myles Garrett goes within the Browns’ document ebook with fifth sack
Myles Garrett turns into the primary Browns participant to have 5 sacks in a single sport.
The Falcons missed their window to commerce Kirk Cousins
Cousins was pressed into starter’s obligation on Sunday towards the Dolphins attributable to an harm to Falcons beginning quarterback Michael Penix Jr. High wideout Drake London was additionally injured, which made factor tough. However Cousins was not spectacular on this sport. He was 21-for-31 for 173 yards, and the Falcons scored solely 10 factors towards a Miami crew that allowed a mean of 29.3 factors per sport over its first seven video games. Cousins was anticipated to be the Falcons’ starter after signing a four-year, $180 million free-agent contract in the course of the 2024 offseason. However he was benched towards the tip of final season for Penix, whom Atlanta drafted eighth total a month after they signed Cousins.
Whether or not Cousins could be reduce or traded was one of many large tales of the offseason, as he politely informed the Falcons that he’d want to go a crew the place he had an opportunity to be the starter. The Falcons refused to chop him and requested extra in commerce talks than different groups had been keen to pay, recognizing the worth of a veteran backup to a younger quarterback who entered the league with a big harm historical past. Now, with the commerce deadline every week from Tuesday and Cousins having turned in an uninspiring efficiency in his first begin of the season, it may be robust to get something for him even when they need to.
Verdict: OVERREACTION
I say this for a pair causes. One is that, once more, the Falcons do not need to commerce Cousins. He doubtless will get reduce after the season, however they need to maintain him round for weeks similar to this and hope he’ll carry out higher the subsequent time they want him. However the second cause is that groups are all the time searching for quarterback assist, and the Falcons may in all probability discover a crew keen to provide them an honest draft choose or two in the event that they resolve to deal Cousins, particularly since they’ve already paid such a excessive proportion of his contract. I do not suppose he will get traded, however I additionally do not suppose it’s going to be as a result of they could not discover a commerce companion.
The 49ers must commerce for a cross rusher greater than every other crew
Enjoying with out star edge rusher Nick Bosa, who’s out for the season, in addition to star center linebacker Fred Warner, who’s additionally out for the yr, the Niners had been hanging in fairly properly. They took a 5-2 document into Sunday’s sport in Houston. However they fell aside on protection towards the Texans, as QB C.J. Stroud (enjoying with out his high receiver, Nico Collins) did principally no matter he needed towards the Niners.
Stroud was 30-for-39 for 318 yards and a pair of landing passes. He was hit solely six instances and was not sacked as soon as. He had been sacked at the very least twice in every of Houston’s first six video games this season for a complete of 15 sacks. San Francisco could not deliver him down nor get off the sphere on third down, as Houston transformed 9 of its 16 third-down possibilities.
Verdict: NOT AN OVERREACTION
The Niners in all probability want extra assist than one commerce deadline can present. But when they’re to have any probability of hanging within the ultra-competitive NFC West, they will want to have the ability to strain quarterbacks — particularly quarterbacks as straightforward to strain as Stroud.
San Francisco’s harm state of affairs has left it with a number of issues on each side of the ball. You might argue the 49ers must commerce for a large receiver, a linebacker, an offensive lineman … virtually any place you possibly can consider. But when there are edge rushers out there, that is an improve that will almost definitely have a big optimistic impression on the Niners’ possibilities the remainder of the season. They will not discover the likes of Bosa, just because there aren’t many like him. However they want any individual, and shortly.
The Ravens are nonetheless within the playoff combine
Baltimore got here out of its bye week with a 1-5 document, in determined want of a win and with out beginning quarterback Lamar Jackson for the third sport in a row. By the tip of the week, they had been in bother with the league over their dealing with of Jackson’s standing on the harm report and had the red-hot Bears coming into city.
A preseason Tremendous Bowl favourite whose season was circling the drain earlier than Halloween, the Ravens wanted a win in Week 8 as dangerous as any crew in your complete league. And so they bought one. Backup Tyler Huntley led Baltimore to a 30-16 victory over the Bears and improved the Ravens’ document to 2-5 heading right into a Week 9 Thursday night time matchup towards the Dolphins.
Verdict: NOT AN OVERREACTION
I am penning this earlier than the Steelers’ Sunday night time sport towards the Packers kicks off, so I do not at present know whether or not the Ravens will likely be two or three video games out of first place when the solar comes up Monday morning. Regardless, they are not out of it. They nonetheless play the Steelers twice, which affords them an opportunity to make up floor shortly. Having misplaced to the Payments, Lions, Chiefs, Texans and Rams, the Ravens face a remaining schedule that appears as if it ought to be a lot simpler than the one they’ve performed to this point. The Steelers, Patriots and Packers are the one groups left on the Ravens’ schedule that at present have successful information.
They get one other mini-bye after Thursday night time, when Jackson is meant to be coming again to assist them beat the 2-6 Dolphins. The 2025 AFC North may be a division that solely requires 9 victories to win it (once more, we’ll see what occurs with the Steelers), and if the Ravens can play something just like the crew we thought they had been earlier than the season began, there is no cause they can not get there.
0:28
Derrick Henry seals Ravens’ win with 2nd dashing TD
Derrick Henry will get stuffed initially, however bounces exterior to attain a landing.
Fast-hitter fantasy overreactions
Breece Corridor is an RB1 the remainder of the season. OVERREACTION. Sure, he performed like one Sunday. Sure, the Jets’ remaining schedule seems to be promising for fantasy working backs. However we do not know if Corridor continues to be going to be on the Jets in 10 days. What if he will get traded right into a committee state of affairs just like the one the Seahawks have?
Jaylen Waddle is a WR1 with Tyreek Hill injured. NOT AN OVERREACTION. Dude was the sixth total choose within the 2021 draft. He is supposed to be a WR1. With tight finish Darren Waller additionally out with an harm, Waddle and RB De’Von Achane are the one really dependable choices Tua Tagovailoa has within the passing sport.
Jaylin Noel would be the high waiver pickup of Week 9. NOT AN OVERREACTION. Get him when you do not have already got him. Houston desires its rookie large receivers — Noel and Jayden Higgins — extra concerned within the offense the remainder of the best way.
Jordan Addison, not Justin Jefferson, is the Vikings receiver you need the remainder of the best way. OVERREACTION. Come on. It is Justin Jefferson we’re speaking about. Addison is an every-week starter assuming the Vikings’ passing sport stays viable with J.J. McCarthy because the beginning QB, however Jefferson goes to be the man to whom any Vikings QB seems to be for when issues get dicey.
James Prepare dinner, not Josh Allen, is probably the most precious Payments fantasy participant. NOT AN OVERREACTION. Love Allen, however an RB that may get you 200-plus yards in a sport is fantasy gold. No cause to count on Prepare dinner to decelerate the remainder of the best way, barring harm. And Allen will likely be glad to maintain handing it to him.