Week 8 NFL Recap
The NFL never seems to disappoint as once again, week eight was a very entertaining one filled with great storylines and new developments. This week featured some trades, coaches fired and players continuing to play at a very high level.
To start things off Amari Cooper was traded to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for Dallas’s 2019 first round pick. Many criticized the move because even though the trade addressed a glaring need for the Cowboys, the overall consensus is that Dallas overpaid for the fourth-year receiver.
Cooper no doubt is a talented player, but he has struggled the past season and a half. Time will only tell if the Cowboys made the correct move to acquire Cooper for the price they paid for him.
The Texans appear to have finally hit their stride. After starting 0-3, Houston has won five games in a row and is now first in the AFC South. A team that many believed was a potential Super Bowl contender had gotten off to a slow start. However, Deshaun Watson and the Texans offense have caught fire and they’re starting to shape into one of the better teams in the AFC.
The Rams and the Packers had an epic game as both teams went back and forth. The game featured some of the brightest stars in the NFL including Aaron Rodgers, Jared Goff and Todd Gurley.
The game was thrilling as the Rams kicked the go-ahead field goal with just 2:05 remaining in the game. Then on the ensuing kickoff, RB/WR Ty Montgomery fumbled and it was recovered by the Rams, robbing Aaron Rodgers any chance at a last-minute comeback attempt. The win keeps the Rams at an undefeated 8-0, the best record in the NFL.
Fitzmagic is alive again. After Jamies Winston threw four interceptions this past weekend against the Bengals, head coach Dirk Koetter had seen enough and replaced the former number one overall pick with Ryan “Fitzmagic” Fitzpatrick. The journeymen quarterback nearly brought the Buccaneers back from an 18-point deficit late in the second half.
Fitzpatrick started the season as Tampa Bay’s starter, in place of a suspended Winston, where he played on fire through the first three games. Following the game, Koetter named Fitzpatrick the starter moving forward, which means Fitzmagic is back in Tampa.
Finally, the Cleveland Browns have moved on from a head coach once again. The Browns fired head coach Hue Jackson following their loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, dropping the Browns record to just 2-5-1 on the season. In Jackson’s time as the Browns head coach, he posted the worst coaching record with one team in NFL history just going 3-36-1 in two and a half seasons, including going 0-20 on the road.
The Browns also fired offensive coordinator Todd Haley as apparently his relationship with Hue Jackson was reported as “a dynamic that couldn’t continue.” Once again, the Browns will be looking for a new head coach this offseason.
That’s a recap of this past week in the NFL. It was filled with headlines, wild finishes and even personnel changes. All we can hope for is that this entertaining and wild ride we call the 2018 NFL season continues.
Mitch Broder is a freshman majoring in journalism. To contact him, email him at mub584@psu.edu.
