NFL Week 8 winners, losers: Jonathan Taylor makes MVP case; Bengals, Falcons fold

Another week, another full slate of NFL action nearly in the books. And Week 8 has been chock-full of drama.

Saquon Barkley finally rediscovered his big-play touch against — who else? — the New York Giants. The Cincinnati Bengals, who upset the Pittsburgh Steelers with a prime-time shootout back in Week 7, found themselves on the wrong end of a similarly high-scoring affair. The Drake Maye-led New England Patriots stayed hot to win their sixth game in eight weeks. And the Buffalo Bills got back on track with a major victory over the Carolina Panthers, who were without Bryce Young under center.

Other surprises on Sunday: C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans enjoyed a splashy win over the San Francisco 49ers despite battling a slew of their own injuries, the Baltimore Ravens avoided a slide to 1-6 while awaiting Lamar Jackson’s return, and the Atlanta Falcons stood no chance against the Miami Dolphins, even with Kirk Cousins getting a shot to lead the team off the bench.

Which players, coaches and teams stood out as the biggest winners (or losers) of Week 8? Here goes:

A year after Barkley cruised past the 2,000-yard mark, the Indianapolis Colts star is on pace for an almost equally dynamic season as the centerpiece of Shane Steichen’s suddenly imposing attack. The veteran running back was averaging close to 17 yards per carry (!) just over halfway through a rout of the Tennessee Titans, and he’s been money all year as Daniel Jones’ offensive sidekick.

This isn’t solely, or even primarily, because the young quarterback was unplayable as the New Orleans Saints’ starter, but rather that he was basically set up to fail as the trial-run passer for Kellen Moore’s rebuild. Speaking of Moore, he finally made the switch to rookie Tyler Shough against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, essentially turning the page on Rattler’s scrappy, if unspectacular, run.

The Baltimore Ravens got into trouble by improperly indicating Jackson might return from his hamstring injury against the Chicago Bears. But Huntley, who’s now on his third stint with the club, stepped up in the former MVP’s absence, completing his first nine throws and also scurrying for 50+ yards on the ground to help the Ravens snap a four-game slide and rout the Chicago Bears.

Loser: Raheem Morris

A few weeks ago, Morris’ Atlanta Falcons looked as if they might be on the verge of sneaking into the NFC South mix, showcasing a feisty defense in an upset of the Buffalo Bills. That “D” was nowhere to be found against the lowly Miami Dolphins, who rediscovered their aerial efficiency in a blowout win. Not even Bijan Robinson could save Atlanta’s injury- and penalty-plagued offense, either.

Winner: Jonathan Taylor’s fellow big-money RBs

Struggling to find green grass for much of 2025, reigning Offensive Player of the Year Barkley finally hit a home run against his old team, the New York Giants, as part of the Philadelphia Eagles’ best rushing effort of the year. Meanwhile, James Cook, who just got a new deal with the Bills, exploded for 216 yards against the Carolina Panthers, and Baltimore’s Derrick Henry scored twice.

Loser: Everyone involved with the Bengals defense

Zac Taylor runs the staff. Al Golden runs the defense. Higher-ups direct the roster. All of them must answer for the trainwreck that is Cincinnati’s “defense,” which cost Joe Burrow a playoff run in 2024 and is about to make the team irrelevant again. Despite another valiant connection between Joe Flacco and Ja’Marr Chase, Cincy dropped to 3-5 by giving up 39 points to the New York Jets.

Winner: Mike McDaniel’s job security

For another couple of weeks, at least. Tua Tagovailoa may or may not have the big-game fortitude necessary to keep the current Dolphins regime intact for the long haul. But the maligned quarterback finally found a rhythm under Mike McDaniel’s direction against the Falcons to the tune of four scores and zero turnovers. Miami is still just 2-6, but this will quiet the wolves for a little bit longer.