NFL Week 8 winners and losers: Cowboys suffer epic collapse, Joe Burrow delivers historic heroics

Many weeks in such an unpredictable league as the NFL, the football world witnesses something so historically improbable that it is difficult to believe. There were two such occurrences in Week 8, with the Dallas Cowboys enduring as miserable a fourth-quarter and overtime sequence as any in the last 25 years of franchise history and Joe Burrow delivering a stat line that no other quarterback has posted since the merger.

The highs of Burrow's career day and the lows of the Cowboys' blown lead exemplified everything that makes the NFL such a successful entertainment product. What more could fans seek than late-game drama and excellence from the greatest football players in the world?

Of course, there are two sides to every outcome. The Arizona Cardinals celebrated at the Cowboys' expense. The Tennessee Titans were left bewildered by the quarterbacking they witnessed from their opponent.

Here are the biggest winners and losers from Week 8 in the NFL.

Loser: Cowboys

Brian Schottenheimer left his offense on the field on fourth-and-1 from his own 32-yard line in the first quarter, and the Cowboys turned the ball over on downs. That was the first sign that Sunday was not going to be their day. Coaching and offense failed them in that moment, and the defense failed them the rest of the afternoon in surrendering 33 points to the Cardinals in a stunning three-point overtime loss. The same defense that has not held a single opponent under 20 points all year, that is.

At home against a Cardinals team that might finish the year at the bottom of the NFC West, the Cowboys blew a 10-point lead with 3:54 to play in regulation and gave up a game-ending field goal in overtime. They were fortunate to even get to the extra period, because it took an Arizona missed extra point with six seconds remaining for regulation to end level at 30-30.

Arizona is now 5-0 all-time at AT&T Stadium. This loss for the Cowboys stings as much as any of the previous four. The most painful part might be that the 30 points they allowed in the second half and overtime came with backup quarterback Gardner Minshew on the field for Arizona. Or maybe it is the unfathomable splits in two-score games, where since 2000, the Cardinals were 1-174-1 when trailing by 14 or more points in the fourth quarter and the Cowboys were 69-0 at home when leading by 14 or more in the fourth (according to ESPN Insights). If they cannot close out a game against that kind of opponent, then the Cowboys essentially cannot be trusted against anyone.

Winner: Joe Burrow

Ideally for the Cincinnati Bengals, they would not have needed Burrow to shoulder such a heavy load against the Titans. Their opponent, after all, entered Week 8 with just one win. It was one of those situations, though, where they should have felt fortunate to have such a premier quarterback on their side, because most signal-callers are not capable of playing hero to the degree Burrow did in a 43-36 overtime triumph. The three-time Pro Bowler became the second quarterback in NFL history with 450 passing yards, five passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown in the same game and the first such player in 75 years.

Joe Burrow today (passing + rushing):

- 472 total yards
- 6 total touchdowns

📺 CBS & @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/OSGgAriSWT

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 1, 2026

Joe Burrow today (passing + rushing):

- 472 total yards
- 6 total touchdowns

📺 CBS & @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/OSGgAriSWT

To be clear, Burrow would have been a major reason why the Bengals lost had they come up short. He threw three interceptions. However, the Cincinnati defense mostly stood tall after those turnovers and limited the damage to just one field goal. In essence, Tennessee only gained one net point off of turnovers, because one of its ensuing possessions resulted in a safety.

The five touchdowns matched a career high. The 462 passing yards were his third-most in a game.

Losers: Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley

The last thing the Baltimore Ravens could have expected when they reinserted Lamar Jackson into the starting lineup was that Joe Fagnano would wind up spending more time under center than any other quarterback on the roster. A pair of injuries thrust the undrafted rookie into action, however, as the Ravens lost Jackson to a thumb injury and backup signal-caller Tyler Huntley to a toe issue. Fagnano was the Ravens' emergency third quarterback and shockingly made his NFL debut in the second quarter of the 36-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills.

To lose Jackson on his very first play back from a sprained ankle is the most cruel luck possible for a Baltimore offense that desperately needs him to stay healthy. The unit has not scored more than 13 points in any of its last three games, all losses. A team with Super Bowl aspirations now stands at .500 and in last place in the AFC North, and with Jackson out for at least four weeks as he undergoes surgery, it will be difficult to turn things around.

Ravens since Lamar Jackson's ankle injury

Week 4: Beat Titans, 24-18 (Jackson injured ankle)

Week 5: Beat Falcons, 30-23

Week 6: Lost to Browns ,13-10

Week 7: Lost to Bengals, 35-13

Week 8: Lost to Bills, 30-16 (Jackson returned and injured thumb)

Winner: Broncos' one-score game fortunes

The moral of Sean Payton's tenure with the Denver Broncos is that if his team is in a close game, it is destined to win. The Broncos' 28-24 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs marked their 15th consecutive win in one-score games dating back to last season, which tied the NFL regular-season record. They are also now 5-0 in games decided by seven points or fewer this year alone, which matches the best record through Week 8 since 2000.

It takes immense clutch fourth-quarter efforts to stay unbeaten in tight situations, and the Broncos displayed plenty of timely play in their latest triumph. They trailed the Chiefs by 11 points with just under nine minutes to play and scored a pair of touchdowns to take the decisive lead. They received a bit of help in the way of a Harrison Butker missed field goal, but they also stepped up on both sides of the ball on their own and ended the game with a fourth-and-goal sack of Patrick Mahomes.

The Broncos’ win probability fell to 10.2% early in the fourth quarter and was just 11.9% with 2:44 left in regulation in their comeback win over the Chiefs.

Denver’s chances of winning the AFC West are now 64%. With a loss, they would have been 24%.

Powered by @awscloud pic.twitter.com/yTc9UFmuQx

— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) November 2, 2026

The Broncos’ win probability fell to 10.2% early in the fourth quarter and was just 11.9% with 2:44 left in regulation in their comeback win over the Chiefs.

Denver’s chances of winning the AFC West are now 64%. With a loss, they would have been 24%.

Powered by @awscloud pic.twitter.com/yTc9UFmuQx

That was far from the first time the Broncos grasped victory from the claws of defeat during the 15-game streak. At this point, it is hard to say it will be the last.

Losers: Florida weather and the offenses it stifled

Who needs completed passes? The 1974 Bills did not, and neither did the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 8. Those are the last two teams to win a game without a single completion. Baker Mayfield went 0-for-3 in the Buccaneers' 16-0 shutout victory over the Atlanta Falcons. The run game did all the work with Bucky Irving racking up 170 yards and the game's lone touchdown and Kenneth Gainwell adding 139 yards. Mayfield scampered for 14 of his own.

Tampa Bay is now on a two-game winning streak with a total of 59 points in that span. Mayfield completed only seven throws for 64 yards in the previous victory.

The quarterback on the other sideline had an even worse day. Michael Penix Jr. completed just eight of his 24 attempts and threw four interceptions. Two of those picks came in the first quarter when Alex Anzalone came down with both of them, and by halftime, Penix had more turnovers than completions. He ended the day with more interceptions than in any game of his college or professional careers.

Mostly to blame for the offensive disaster was the torrential downpour that persisted throughout the contest in Tampa Bay.

This is how bad the rain is coming down here. Could be a long nasty game in Tampa. #Falcons pic.twitter.com/Hu4nc0C0cp

— Darius Hayes (@dhayessports37) November 1, 2026

This is how bad the rain is coming down here. Could be a long nasty game in Tampa. #Falcons pic.twitter.com/Hu4nc0C0cp

Winner: 1972 Dolphins

It took two months for the obligatory reminder to arrive: The 1972 Dolphins are the only team in NFL history to complete an undefeated season. They will continue to stand alone. The Minnesota Vikings lost on Sunday, and thus there are no unbeaten teams left. The NFC North leaders entered the week at 6-0 and as the only perfect squad in the league and left it with a divisional loss to the Detroit Lions. They fell, 19-15, in another one of their patented defensive battles.

Could the Vikings make a play for a quarterback at the trade deadline? This loss exemplified how the lack of a proficient offense could halt them from maximizing Brian Flores' elite defense.

Loser: Jim Harbaugh

The bye week would have been a sensible time for the Los Angeles Chargers to move on from offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel after they finished their first six games as the NFL's lowest-scoring team. Instead, Jim Harbaugh stuck by his assistant, lauded his talent and then promptly watched as his unit managed a meager nine points in Sunday's 24-9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Harbaugh has to own the fact that he could have made a play-caller change and that by not doing so, the offense continued to sputter.

Justin Herbert threw two more interceptions to return to sole possession of the league high. The rushing attack posted a mere 64 yards. The unit failed to hit double-digit points for the second time in as many games.

As he sits at 0-7 and enters the season's third month as the NFL's only winless coach, Harbaugh is now under perhaps the strongest microscope of anyone in his role. He had an opportunity to fire a scapegoat during the bye, and if he does not think that making a change would be in the offense's best interest, then the focus intensifies on his own inability to correct the group's woes.

Winner: Steelers vs. Browns home-field advantage

The AFC North is a battle. The Pittsburgh Steelers took a critical step toward potentially winning one of the NFL's most competitive divisions with a 27-6 win over the Cleveland Browns. History made it a safe assumption that they would handle business against their rival, and they only strengthened the longstanding trends that favor the home team in this series.

In games between the Steelers and Browns, the home side has now won 11 consecutive games dating back to January 2022. That is the longest such active streak in any series. Pittsburgh has also now won 24 of its last 25 regular-season home games against Cleveland. The Browns – who had -1 yard of total offense through the first quarter on Sunday – own just two total wins at Acrisure Stadium, which opened in 2021.

NFL Week 8 winners and losers: Cowboys collapse, Burrow heroic Carter Bahns 8 min read

Week 8 grades: Cowboys fail after historic collapse against Cardinals John Breech 17 min read

Week 8 overreactions: Time for Vikings to bench Kyler Murray? Zachary Pereles 10 min read

Ravens' Lamar Jackson exits game, headed for IR

John Breech 2 min read

Baker Mayfield, Bucs beat Falcons with stats not seen in nearly a century Garrett Podell 2 min read

Trade deadline: Colts not soliciting offers for Jonathan Taylor Tyler Sullivan 1 min read

Jauan Jennings turns down trade back to 49ers to stay with Vikings Jordan Dajani 1 min read

Josh Sweat landing spots: Cowboys named as possible destination Tyler Sullivan 3 min read

Report: Micah Parsons targeting Thanksgiving eve return vs. Rams Zachary Pereles 1 min read

Bengals wild overtime win ends with first-time final score John Breech 2 min read