The NFL hit the midway mark of the regular season this week as week eight kicked into gear on Thursday night when the Carolina Panthers beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-13. From statement victories to last second scores, sideline outbursts, and tiptoe turnovers, week eight saw teams separating themselves from the rest of the pack and teams getting much needed wins to keep themselves in the conversation of contention of a title shot. Here are the five best moments from week eight in the NFL.
Calvin Johnson thrills
The matchup between the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys brought more excitement than imaginable. With Dez Bryant making statements earlier in the week that he could do everything the Lions Calvin Johnson could do, the stage was set for an instant classic. Calvin Johnson struck first as Megatron scored on a 2-yard pass from Matthew Stafford with fifty four seconds left in the first quarter. In the fourth quarter, Dallas appeared to be taking control of the game giving themselves their second 10-point lead of the game with 6:45 left in the game off a 50-yard touchdown pass from Tony Romo to Dez Bryant, who finished with two touchdown catches and 72 yards. Detroit was able to get within three when Reggie Bush was able to run the ball in from 1 yard out with 3:33 to go in the game. Dallas answered by tacking on another three points with only 1:02 to go in the game to go up by six and appear to be moments away from the victory but Stafford was able to drive the Lions down the field including a forty yard pass to Kris Durham and a seventeen yard pass to Johnson to put them on the Dallas 1-yard line. With 12 seconds left in the game, Stafford was able to catch the Dallas defense off guard and leap into the end zone giving the Lions the lead and the win. Calvin Johnson set a career record with 329 receiving yards leaving him 8 yards shy of breaking Flipper Anderson’s single game record of 336. Johnson also tied an NFL record with five 200-yard games.
New England Patriots rally
The New England Patriots found themselves up against the ropes as the first half of their matchup between the Miami Dolphins came to an end. Down 17-3 at the start of the first half and Tom Brady playing with a swollen hand, the Patriots quickly turned things around as their defense kept the Dolphins scoreless in the second half. The play of the game came with eight seconds left in the third quarter when Patriots safety Devin McCourty tips a Ryan Tannehill pass as he is falling out of bounds and Marquice Cole of the Patriots is able to catch the tipped ball giving the New England possession and leading to a 3-yard touchdown run by Stevan Ridley giving the Patriots a 27-17 lead, which would be the final score.
Minnesota Vikings’ Cordarrelle Patterson shocks with 109-yard touchdown
Though not many had the Minnesota Vikings beating their division rival Green Bay Packers, the Vikings came out making an immediate statement in the opening quarter of the game. With the Packers winning the coin toss and electing to kickoff, the Vikings were looking to make one final memory in their last matchup against the Packers at Mall of America Field and they did just that as the Vikings return man, Cordarrelle Patterson ran back a kickoff for a 109-yard touchdown.
Kansas City Chiefs remain unblemished
The Kansas City Chiefs knows that sitting alone as the only undefeated team every week they will face a team determined to knock them off the mound and that is exactly what the Cleveland Browns had in mind when they made their way to Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday. With just under 10 minutes in the third quarter, the Browns were able to get within three thanks to a seventeen yard touchdown pass to Fosswhitt Whittaker making it 20-17 but that is as close as they would get as the Chiefs were able to hold off the Browns tacking on three more points with seventeen seconds left on the clock giving them a 23-17 lead and eventually the win propelling them to an 8-0 record on the season as they continue to be the only undefeated team in the league.
Dallas Cowboys find a bright spot
Back in Detroit, although the Cowboys found themselves losing a close one to the Detroit Lions, there was one bright spot for the team from the Lone Star State. Cowboys rookie receiver, Terrance Williams, set a Cowboys rookie record when he scored on a 60-yard pass from Tony Romo. The touchdown gave Williams his fourth touchdown in as many games and gave the Cowboys a 20-10 lead in the early part of the fourth quarter.
-daminon lewis
