NFL Week 8 Recap: Cowboys Collapse and Broncos Stand Tall
It seems like week after week the NFL keeps on delivering dramatic endings and at least one last second walk off Field Goal win. Sunday was no different, as the Denver Broncos staved off the Chiefs with a ferocious goal line stand as time wound down to hold on to victory. We also had some WWE inspired wrestling moves in the clash between Pittsburgh and Cleveland and an absolute clanger of a kick from Dolphins kicker Zane Gonzalez! Keep reading for the can’t miss plays from NFL Week 8.
Denver’s Last Stand
To repel the mighty Patrick Mahomes from the endzone once is impressive. But to repeatedly stonewall the vaunted Chiefs offense with the game on the line takes a special level of effort. Kansas City was down by 4 points and was camped on the Denver 4 yard line with just 30 seconds left on the clock, but just could not find a way to punch the ball into the endzone. Andy Reid and Co. pulled out all the stops in an effort to pierce the Denver defense, but the orange wave held firm and earned a massive division win against their rivals.
Don’t Mess with Mason McCormick
Browns Defensive star Jared Verse is known for talking trash. But he might want to rethink bad mouthing the Steelers offensive line the week he’s due to go up against them! Pittsburgh V Cleveland is always a feisty affair, but Steelers guard Mason McCormick must have taken particular exception to Verse branding him “trash” in his pregame comments and let him know how he felt about it. Lining up to block on a field goal, McCormick grabbed hold of Verse and did his best piledriver impression – slamming the defender head first into the ground. Ouch. Maybe that will teach Verse to keep his mouth shut? Probably not!
Gonzalez Kicks a Clanger
NFL kickers are having a really rough go of it this season, so much so that I’ve been petitioning multiple franchises to give our own Charlie Smyth a look. Dolphins placekicker Zane Gonzalez almost made the list of those struggling on Sunday when he clanged a relatively easy Field Goal off the uprights. Just listen to that! Luckily for him the kick deflected off the post and was good, otherwise I would be sending the Dolphins a strongly worded tweet about a certain Irishman. The likes of Trey Smack, Daniel Carlson and Spencer Schrader have all missed relatively easy kicks recently so as far as I’m concerned it’s only a matter of time before Charlie is back in action.
Cardinals Corral Cowboys
Look, I know you’re probably sick of reading about last second walk off Field Goals here every Monday morning, but I just can’t get enough of them! Arizona is the latest team to win in dramatic fashion on such a play, coming out on top on the road against the Cowboys in dramatic circumstances on Sunday evening. Chad Ryland was the man of the moment, drilling an overtime field goal to give the Cardinals a huge win on the road. Both sides battled all game long, but credit is due to the visitors for holding on and securing the win! Maybe this will be the last such play we see for a while, but I highly doubt it!
Justin Jefferson’s Circus Catch
We all know how good Justin Jefferson is, but with the Vikings offense playing second fiddle to their defense right now, the star wide receiver has faded somewhat in recent weeks. Then he goes and makes a ridiculous one handed grab in the endzone to remind us all he hasn’t gone away. The fact that he tipped it to himself before securing it fully for the score makes it even more incredible. Despite their undefeated run coming to an end against Detroit, the Vikings are still very much NFC contenders and could use a few more big plays like this as the season progresses!