Week 8 produced enough odd outcomes to invite overreactions, according to ESPN, from a comeback by a backup quarterback in Arizona to a Buccaneers win in a game in which the offense failed to complete a pass. The slate also included high-scoring affairs in Cincinnati and East Rutherford and fresh questions about several playoff races and personnel situations.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson sat out Weeks 5-7 with an ankle injury, according to ESPN, and returned Sunday in Buffalo only to leave after one play with a thumb injury. Coach Jesse Minter said Jackson will require thumb surgery and will be placed on injured reserve, which mandates a minimum four-game absence, and added, “We’ll see” when asked if the injury could be season-ending.
Jackson has one season remaining on his contract, and the Ravens reportedly pursued an extension this offseason that was not completed, according to ESPN. His contract contains a clause preventing the team from applying a franchise or transition tag to keep him from free agency after the 2027 season, and his projected 2027 cap number is $84.34 million. ESPN judged the notion that Jackson has played his final game as a Raven this season as “not an overreaction,” noting that a season-ending injury would make the 2027 offseason pivotal and raise the prospect of trade conversations — tempered by Jackson’s no-trade clause and the possibility of an extension.
The Cowboys suffered a stunning late loss to the Cardinals, according to ESPN, after Dak Prescott’s rushing touchdown put Dallas up 24-10 early in the fourth quarter. The Cowboys’ win probability stayed above 90 percent for the remainder of the quarter and was 94.5 percent with 1:09 left in regulation. Backup Gardner Minshew then led an eight-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that tied the score at 30-30 with six seconds remaining, and Chad Ryland’s extra point produced the Arizona victory.
Those developments and others from Sunday have fueled the weekly habit of overreacting, according to ESPN, with questions now circulating about coaching security in Dallas, the trajectory of Baltimore’s season if Jackson’s injury is long-term, and which divisions and teams will be reshaped by sudden, unexpected results.
