“The teams are so closely matched that on any given Sunday, any one team can beat any other team.” Those words were said by coined by former commissioner Bert Bell in 1952. It marked the beginning of the expression ‘Any Given Sunday’, which became popular in the 1960s. It appears Bell could almost foresee the future and see the potential of parity in the league. In week 8 of the NFL, we received a pleasant reminder that surprises and shocking results are always possible. In this article, we discuss the three biggest shockers from week 8 of the NFL.
1. Jets Stun the Giants in OT- if you love high quality and scoring football, then what you watched in this matchup was offensive. The teams scored only 23 points, punted 24 times, and were an embarrassing 4 for 35 on third and fourth down. Despite the defensive battle, the Giants led the game 10-7 with the ball at the Jets on a fourth and 1 with just under 30 seconds left. Easy win, then think again! Graham Gano failed to make a 35-yard field goal. Zac Wilson rebounded from a tough afternoon by completing back-to-back passes of 29 yards each, and the offensive line lined up quickly to spike the ball just before the time expired. It allowed Greg Zuerlein to make a 35-yard field goal. After a Giants punt in the first possession of the overtime period, the Jets completed the comeback thanks to two past interference calls totaling nearly 41 yards and ending the game with a walk-off field goal. The Giants were half a minute away from an ugly win against their noisy neighbors, but instead, the Jets’ playoff is soaring with a 4-3 record.
2. The Bengals dismantle the 49ers on the road- after destroying the Cowboys 42-10 on October 8, the San Francisco 49ers were anointed as the top team in the NFL. However, their team took a flight to Cleveland and Minnesota, and they hardly resembled the team that looked like the favorites for the Lombardi as they entered a showdown with the Bengals on a 2-game losing streak. 49ers fans would have felt it would be a stick a fork in the ground and stop the rut game. Instead, the Bengals traveled on the road to win 31-17 by playing a physical brand of football against a team that has trademarked it. The stunning part of the result was that the Bengals outrushed the 49ers 134-113. Joe Mixon had his best game with 16 carries, 87 yards and a touchdown. Another scary thought for the rest of the league is that Joe Burrow looked healthy and back to vintage best after scampering for 43 yards on six carries. As for the 49ers, after a stunning 5-0 start, they have now plunged to 5-3. The schedule does not get any easier for the Bay area team, with a matchup on the road in Jacksonville looming.
3. Broncos upset the Chiefs- this result is the essence of the expression “any given Sunday”. Denver entered the game on a 16-game losing streak against Kansas City. The team has faced criticism after a 2-5 start and somehow giving up 70 points in a game against the Dolphins earlier this season. The Broncos’ defense impressed in bringing pressure on Patrick Mahomes and prevented the reigning MVP from throwing a touchdown pass for the first time in 30 games. The defense forced two interceptions and three lost fumbles in a sloppy offensive performance by the Chiefs. On the other hand, Russell Wilson has been maligned for his poor play in Denver. However, he made the big plays when it mattered by completing 12 of 19 passes for 114 yards and three touchdowns. It will be interesting to see if Denver can use this win to push for a wild-card spot or if this was just a blip in a disastrous season. The Chiefs will need to lick their wounds quickly with a showdown in Germany looming against the Miami Dolphins and a Super Bowl rematch against the Eagles after the bye.