The Sunday slate for Week 8 of the 2026 NFL season kicked off with some shocking results in the early window. The Vikings lost their first game of the season, scoring just 15 points against a Lions defense that had allowed 20-plus points five times in 2026. The Buccaneers shut out the Falcons despite not completing a single pass. And Jaguars running back Bhayshul Tuten had a career-high 104 rushing yards in a blowout win over the Colts.
Our NFL Nation reporters react to all the action, answering lingering questions coming out of each game and detailing everything else you need to know. Fantasy football analysts Matt Bowen and Tristan Cockcroft also have fantasy takeaways from each matchup.
Let's get to it with the biggest lessons from Sunday.
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MIN-DET | CLE-PIT
IND-JAX | ATL-TB
Catch up on Thursday's game:
CAR-GB
Detroit 19, Minnesota 15
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Lions
Is RB Jahmyr Gibbs on track to win AP Offensive Player of the Year? He should be. Gibbs was already having a sensational season before running 23 times for 153 yards against the Vikings' league-best defense. He's shouldering a significantly bigger load than in his three previous seasons, and he just led the Lions to a win over a previously undefeated division rival. It's worth monitoring his workload, as he's on pace for around 470 touches this season. But Gibbs has been spectacular.
What to make of the QB performance: Jared Goff was blitzed on a career-high 83% of his dropbacks, including a 90% rate in the first half that led to three sacks. However, he limited mistakes against the blitz in the second half, completing 5 of 6 passes for 50 yards and a touchdown. -- ESPN Staff
Next game: at Dolphins (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)
Vikings
Why is Minnesota's passing offense struggling this much? The Vikings tried all afternoon to get their passing game going against a defense that has been vulnerable to it. But quarterback Kyler Murray often struggled to find open receivers, and his second-quarter interception on a pass that fell between receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison exemplified his hesitation. Murray had three decisive connections with tight end T.J. Hockenson, including one for a touchdown, as well as a 51-yard strike to Addison. But ultimately, it was not enough. The Vikings' 15 points are the fewest a team has scored against the Lions this season.
Key stat to know: Jameson Williams' game-winning touchdown reception was the first touchdown the Vikings' defense has given up in the fourth quarter this season. The seven-play, 69-yard drive seemed attributable in part to a defense that was on the field for 30 of the game's first 45 minutes. -- Kevin Seifert
Next game: vs. Bills (Sunday, 0.34375 p.m. ET)
Fantasy football takeaway: Lions WR Jameson Williams has now scored 16 or more fantasy points in four straight games, with at least one touchdown reception in three. With his big-play ability and current run on production, he should be played as a lower-tier WR2 for Week 9. -- Bowen
Pittsburgh 27, Cleveland 6
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Steelers
What is the Steelers' ceiling this season? The Steelers are in first place in the AFC North thanks to a dominant win. With a four-game win streak entering their Week 9 bye, Pittsburgh faces a gauntlet of upcoming games at Cincinnati, versus Denver and at Jacksonville. There's also a pair of matchups with the Ravens on the schedule, but they are dealing with significant injury issues. The Aaron Rodgers-Mike McCarthy pairing, along with Patrick Graham's defensive creativity, has this team humming. Halfway through the regular season, it's fair to wonder if this is the year the Steelers break a 10-year drought of no playoff wins.
Trend to watch: Despite the Steelers' success in the run game -- including 108 first-half rushing yards -- they're reluctant to run the ball in goal-to-go situations. During their four-game win streak, the offense has been significantly unbalanced: 69% dropbacks and 31% designed runs in goal-to-go situations. The Steelers entered Sunday at 28th in red zone scoring percentage, and they had to settle for a short field goal after getting to the 2-yard line. -- Brooke Pryor
Next game: at Bengals (Nov. 15, 8:20 p.m. ET)
Browns
Were the Browns exposed by the Steelers? The Browns entered Week 8 atop the AFC North after a string of last-second victories but couldn't overcome another slow start in the franchise's 23rd straight regular-season road loss to the Steelers. Cleveland's run defense, the weak spot of the unit, was gashed for 200 yards; quarterback Deshaun Watson was sacked a season-high eight times. The Browns surprised many across the league in the first half of the season, but their setback in Pittsburgh was a reminder that they still have a ways to go before joining the AFC's elite.
Trend to watch: After back-to-back games with one reception in Weeks 5 and 6, tight end Harold Fannin Jr. (the Browns' 2025 third-round pick) has recorded 245 receiving yards over the past two games. This includes a career-high 154-yard, 10-catch performance against the Steelers. -- Daniel Oyefusi
Next game: at Saints (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)
Fantasy football takeaway: Fantasy managers sometimes need to take dart throws at the tight end position, and the Steelers appear to have two potentially interesting ones: Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington, who have averaged 10.2 and 9.4 fantasy points the past five weeks. Washington, in fact, has exceeded 12 points in two of his past three games. The Steelers have targeted TEs the second most-often in the league so far. -- Cockcroft
Jacksonville 42, Indianapolis 7
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Jaguars
Is RB Bhayshul Tuten's breakout a sign that he's ready to carry the ground game? Tuten ran for a career-high 104 yards (his previous high was 74) and a touchdown. He also caught two passes for 55 yards and another touchdown. Both of those receptions came on screen passes, which hadn't been working all season. The Jaguars let Travis Etienne Jr. walk in free agency because they believed in Tuten's ability. Coach Liam Coen said in the offseason the Jaguars needed to fix a run game that faltered late last season. Tuten had been building all season to Sunday's performance, rushing for at least 65 yards in five games, and it seems he's ready to be their featured back.
Trend to watch: This may turn out to be a costly victory for the Jaguars. Nose tackle DaVon Hamilton's right knee injury appeared to be the most serious because he was carted off the field, but LG Ezra Cleveland (ankle), S Eric Murray (elbow), and DE Travon Walker (ribs) also left the game and didn't return. Hamilton's injury also might lead to the Jaguars adding defensive tackles at the trade deadline. -- Michael DiRocco
Next game: at Ravens (Thursday, 8:15 p.m. ET)
Colts
Has coach Shane Steichen lost his team? The Colts made Steichen's job infinitely more difficult when the organization traded guard Quenton Nelson and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner last week. The moves not only impacted the Colts from a talent perspective, but they also eliminated the Colts' two most veteran leaders who helped hold the locker room together during difficult moments. The Colts played like a team lacking any inspiration Sunday. Fair or not, it's going to reflect poorly on Steichen, who worked tirelessly in the past few days to refocus his team in light of last week's moves and rampant speculation about the future of star running back Jonathan Taylor.
What to make of the QB performance: Daniel Jones had a rough outing, going 19-of-28 for 144 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Steichen hasn't wavered on Jones' status as the starting quarterback, but it's getting more difficult to defend Jones' inconsistent results. So, when Anthony Richardson Sr. entered the game with 11:53 remaining, it opened the door to more conversation about how the Colts move forward. -- Stephen Holder
Next game: vs. Cowboys (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)
Fantasy football takeaway: Colts RB Jonathan Taylor's fantasy managers are -- and should be -- rooting for a trade ahead of the Nov. 10 deadline, as Indianapolis' weak supporting cast hampered his production significantly Sunday. His 6.7 fantasy points represented his fewest in any of his prior 28 non-Week 18 games. -- Cockcroft
Tampa Bay 16, Atlanta 0
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Buccaneers
Can the Bucs continue to win this way? After 64 passing yards in a win over the Panthers last week, quarterback Baker Mayfield didn't complete a pass Sunday -- making Tampa Bay the first team since 1974 (Bills) to win a game with no completions, per ESPN Research. After Mayfield started 0-for-2 in the first quarter, his only other attempt came in the third quarter. So how did the Bucs win? Defense (four interceptions) and career rushing days from Bucky Irving (170 yards) and Kenny Gainwell (140). Tampa Bay totaled 324 rushing yards and minus-2 passing yards.
Key stat to know: Linebacker Alex Anzalone hadn't had more than one interception in a season coming into Sunday's game, yet he was able to pick off Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. twice in the first quarter. Anzalone now has three on the season. -- ESPN staff
Next game: at Bears (Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET)
Falcons
Was this just a rainy aberration for the Falcons' offense? Probably? If not, Atlanta is in a lot of trouble because that offensive "performance" was heinous. Coming in, the Falcons had scored the most points per game (31) in the NFL since Penix returned in Week 3. On Sunday, it looked like he could not complete a pass -- to his own teammates, that is. He had no issue finding Buccaneers players, finishing with four interceptions. An ugly anomaly. At least, the Falcons hope it was.
Most surprising performance: Falcons fans better hope that the rain is Penix's kryptonite. With 13:35 left in the game, Penix had only two more completions (six) than interceptions (four). Penix was the first Falcons QB to have at least three interceptions in a first half since 2012, and things did not get markedly better from there. He had never thrown more than two interceptions in a game going back to 2021 when he was at Indiana University. -- Marc Raimondi
Next game: vs. Bengals (Sunday, 9:30 a.m. ET in Madrid)
Fantasy football takeaway: Game flow and rough weather in Tampa played a role in Buccaneers RB Kenny Gainwell seeing 24 carries in the win over the Falcons. However, he has now posted 14 or more carries in back-to-back games and should be viewed by managers as a priority insurance back behind starter Bucky Irving over the second half of the season. -- Bowen