A decision day might soon be arriving for several NFL franchises.
As the midseason point approaches, teams only have so many avenues – and so much time – left to transform the remainder of their season. And as the NFL trade deadline looms next week, decision-makers must contemplate whether to add any key pieces in preparation for a postseason run, build for the long term or stand pat.
While a good portion of the league might opt against a major personnel shake-up, that doesn't necessarily mean those front offices will be resisting all forms of change. Week 8 began with the Carolina Panthers becoming the first team to make a major coaching staff change with the firing of defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, and more moves could follow in the coming months.
With that in mind, here are the biggest winners and losers of Sunday's action:
NFL Week 8 winners
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This was a win that only a high school football coach running the Wing-T could love. In running roughshod over the Atlanta Falcons in a 16-0 win, the Buccaneers became the first team since the 1974 Buffalo Bills to win a game without completing a pass. Of course, with driving rain early and the tandem of Bucky Irving and Kenneth Gainwell combining for 310 yards on 52 carries, there wasn't a need for Baker Mayfield to attempt more than his three throws on the day. After looking left for dead to start the year, the Buccaneers have now won three of their last four contests. The degree of difficulty soars in the coming weeks with road contests at the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions, but this team looks as capable as any of capturing the NFC South crown.
Gardner Minshew II
Throughout his eight-year career, Minshew has been the quarterback equivalent of a 5-Hour Energy, providing an almost instantaneous jolt to be followed by an eventual comedown. For now, however, the Arizona Cardinals are savoring the surge that the signal-caller provided to key an unlikely comeback in a 33-30 overtime win over the Dallas Cowboys. Mike LaFleur refused to answer whether Minshew had seized the starting job from Jacoby Brissett, but it's hard to envision how the first-year coach could go back to the status quo after his second-stringer threw 188 yards and three touchdowns. Minshew had mostly been a forgotten man in the Cardinals' quarterback room among outsiders as questions persisted about when rookie Carson Beck might take the starting reins. For now, though, the journeyman has proven himself worthy of another shot.
Sean Payton
The Denver Broncos coach probably didn't care much about the ceremony surrounding his 200th win. How he notched and what it means moving forward, however, should be of great interest to Payton. In holding off the Kansas City Chiefs for a 28-24 win, the Broncos vaulted to the top of the AFC West rather than falling nearly two games behind their rivals while losing out on a tiebreaker. That alone should be enough to satiate Payton. But managing to capture a bit of the Chiefs' late magic in erasing an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit while denying Patrick Mahomes his own comeback bid is legitimate cause for confidence in his team's direction. Rookie Jonah Coleman posting 104 yards from scrimmage on 15 touches also burnished the outlook for an offense that had grown accustomed to getting off schedule. With only a matchup against the reeling Panthers before the team's bye, Denver is in a promising position as it approaches midseason.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Aaron Rodgers wasn't satisfied with the offense's output in a 27-6 win over the Cleveland Browns, saying the unit should have generated "a lot more points." Still, this was a fitting way to take command of the AFC North. Pittsburgh's defense was expectedly dominant, racking up eight sacks and two takeaways against an overmatched attack. But the real boon was a run game that posted 200 yards and three touchdowns. The offensive line's tone-setting physicality was an encouraging sign of the complementary play the unit can harness. Pittsburgh still has plenty to prove after beating up on lesser teams for the first half of the season, but the Steelers could make a serious statement within the division if they're able to complete a sweep of the Bengals in the post-bye "Sunday Night Football" showdown.
Kirk Cousins
It should have been clear by now that the 38-year-old quarterback wasn't anywhere close to the top of the list of the Las Vegas Raiders' problems. After Sunday, though, there should be no doubt about the veteran's value to the Silver and Black. With the run game (95 yards on 33 carries) and defense (439 total yards allowed) continuing to provide little support, Cousins led the way for Las Vegas in a 38-33 win over the New York Jets. One week after Klint Kubiak said there was "no controversy" at quarterback and called out receivers' inability to consistently beat man coverage, Cousins helped them capitalize on those opportunities by repeatedly shredding New York over the middle. With the team still saddled by so many limitations, the veteran can continue to sort things out before turning over a more favorable setup to No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza.
Joe Burrow
The Cincinnati Bengals quarterback certainly wasn't without flaw, as evidenced by his three interceptions to Tennessee Titans safety Amani Hooker. But even though Burrow might have been the primary culprit in putting his team in jeopardy of falling to a struggling group it should have handled easily, he also rescued the team in crunch time to deliver a 43-36 overtime win. With another sluggish start and the secondary coming unglued, the Bengals needed every bit of Burrow's 462 passing yards, five passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown, the last of which sealed the win in overtime. To some, that might amount to merely cleaning up the mess he made earlier. But in recent seasons, Cincinnati has had a bad habit of stumbling to losses against undermanned foes or coming up short in shootouts. Prevailing here provided hope that things might be different for this group. As Burrow noted after the game, "We lose that game for the last three years."
NFL Week 8 losers
Kyler Murray
It might seem like a stretch to say that the NFL's last undefeated team is at a crisis point after its first loss. In the Minnesota Vikings' case, however, it's difficult to maintain that all is well after Sunday's 19-15 stumble against the Detroit Lions. After Brian Flores' defense provided Murray all the margin for error he needed through the first six games, the quarterback repeatedly missed on various throws and promising looks, none of which would have asked the diminutive passer to be a world-beater. While Murray had some success looking to tight end T.J. Hockenson, particularly down the seam, his play simply wasn't up to par. And if the league's worst pass defense – which lost several key pieces over the course of the contest – proves this difficult to crack, what chance does Murray have against the likes of the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers?
The Vikings have been seen as a popular landing spot for running back Jonathan Taylor, but there's only so much even a top-tier ball carrier could do to repair things for an offense that so routinely misfires in the passing game. Perhaps worst of all has been the continued inability to capitalize on wide receiver Justin Jefferson's skills. That alone should be enough to prompt some sort of change after the unit's risk-averse style proved to be a substantially limiting factor. But with a brutal three-game stretch ahead that features the Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers, there are no straightforward solutions in sight.
Baltimore Ravens
How dire are things for Jesse Minter and Co.? With Lamar Jackson's return lasting all of one snap before he suffered a thumb injury that will send him to injured reserve, the conversation on the quarterback quickly shifted to whether the two-time NFL MVP had played his last snap for a franchise. Even if such talk is premature, it speaks to just how devastating the biggest setback in the 36-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills truly was. Asking a 4-4 team to persevere through his kind of blow – which Minter acknowledged could be season-ending – is simply too tall a task, as the support system that once buttressed Jackson has slowly atrophied. With so little hope left to sustain the season, it's only natural that many people would flip their attention to a potential crossroads this offseason, with Jackson's $84.3 million cap figure for next year giving him uncommon leverage in extension talks. For now, though, the short-term outlook in Baltimore is painful enough, with backup Tyler Huntley's toe injury potentially exacerbating an already steep challenge of facing the Jaguars on a short week.
Michael Penix Jr.
The hard-throwing lefty has been a volatile presence under center since he first arrived in the league in 2024. It should come as no surprise, then, that Penix would be in for a downturn after his NFC Offensive Player of the Week performance against the San Francisco 49ers. The Tampa native's homecoming was a particularly rude one, with the Buccaneers picking him off four times in an 8-of-24 passing outing. For all his unevenness, Penix hasn't been particularly prone to interceptions early in his pro career, with only one other multi-pick game in his previous 17 starts. But one week after looking so comfortable in adapting his game to deploy a quick-hit passing approach, the third-year passer failed to calibrate properly in the face of challenging circumstances.
Jim Harbaugh
Losing in bunches isn't a familiar experience for Harbaugh - at least as a coach. But with a 24-9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams sending the Los Angeles Chargers to 0-7, the leader of the Bolts doesn't appear to be acting with any sense of urgency. Harbaugh again shot down the notion of making a change at offensive play-caller, restating his belief that Mike McDaniel and the rest of Los Angeles' attack would find its way. But what's to suggest that a breakthrough is coming for a group that has gone 27 straight possessions – and almost a full month – without a touchdown? Perhaps Harbaugh long ago passed the point of no return on a season that's beyond saving, but some kind of attempt at a course correction might at least inspire hope that a reset could save this organization next year. But unless the Chargers become surprising sellers at the trade deadline, this looks like a franchise that's trying to close its eyes and wish away all that ails it rather than address its myriad issues.
Shane Steichen and Daniel Jones
With offensive guard Quenton Nelson and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner departing this week via trades - and wide receiver Josh Downs requesting to follow them out the door - the Indianapolis Colts figured to face a sizable talent deficit against the Jacksonville Jaguars. But even that disadvantage can't fully account for the massive gap that emerged between the Colts and the AFC South leaders in a 42-7 rout.
Steichen, who seemed like he might at least see out the season after general manager Chris Ballard's firing, admitted his staff and players were outclassed across the board. And after having long remained firm in his commitment to Jones as his starting quarterback, the coach seemed to throw the short-term future at that position into question. After turning to Anthony Richardson Sr. late in the blowout, Steichen said he would "evaluate everything, every position going forward." That might signal a forthcoming hook for the veteran passer, who's less than eight months removed from signing a two-year, $88 million contract extension.
With running back Jonathan Taylor – who might not be long for this roster – acknowledging that teams could be "foaming at the mouth" to face these depleted Colts, the case for anything less than a full-scale teardown is getting more difficult by the week.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFL Week 8 winners, losers: Vikings have clear Kyler Murray problem
