NFL, Week 8: Live coverage, scores, highlights & more

(h/t r/onetruegod)

The Cowboys played Tampa 2 coverage on second-and-10 with the ball at the Lions’ 37-yard line and 40 seconds left to go in the game. I know quite a bit about Tampa 2 having been a part of the defenses that gave it its name, and one thing I can tell you is that if the quarterback throws the ball up the sideline and there are no other routes to distract the safety to that side, it should be an interception. At the very least, the pass should be broken up. The design of the coverage is to take away deep throws like that and force the quarterback to dump it off underneath.

But it was, and the pass covered 40 yards, putting the Lions at the Cowboys’ 23-yard line. This time the Cowboys appeared to play 2 Man, and Hamilton was lined up to Calvin “Megatron” Johnson’s side. Johnson was in the slot and ran a simple route up the seam. Johnson had caught only 13 passes for 307 yards up to that point in the game, of course, so maybe Hamilton didn’t pay him any mind.

Despite the NFL’s overwhelming success, pro football’s future is uncertain due to the growing undercurrent of concern about head trauma and the long-term effects of concussions caused by the sport (and yes, a $765M settlement is still an undercurrent in a multi-billion-dollar business). There’s a cottage industry in reporting and reacting to news of football’s ties to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), from the well-publicized PBS documentary League of Denial to conference speakers lashing out against the supposed War on Football.

But here’s the thing: even the people making documentaries about how football disables and kills people still love the sport. In August, I spoke to Sean Pamphilon, director of the excellent United States of Football, and asked him about bridging the gap between loving the sport and realizing the damage it causes to those who play it.

What must quarterback meetings be like in Minnesota these days? Does Josh Freeman bring lunch for everyone, and then overthrow position coach Craig Johnson, splattering a turkey sub all over the wall? Can Christian Ponder get sacked by a bag of Fritos? Will Matt Cassel tear his rotator cuff drinking a Diet Sprite too fast?

Time of Death: With the clock running down on the goal line, Matt Stafford eschewed a spike play and took to the skies:

TRICKERY

Unbeknownst to the Cowboys defense Stafford took the snap and leapt over the offensive line for a touchdown. The bewildered defensive line barely made it out of their stance, while the secondary was left to desperately appeal to the referees that Stafford didn’t break the plane. It’s fitting that a quarterback known for his passing was able to win on the back of one gutsy play and an impressive leap.

With the NFL at the midway point, the NFL standings are starting to take shape.

Though most games in Week 8 were between teams on the opposite end of the division standings, there were a few games that swayed division races on Sunday.

There are smarter Lou Reed takes out there than anything I that can give you. You should read some smart takes right now, because much of the NFL world will be talking about Detroit’s last-minute comeback against Dallas, a great game rife with silliness.

Bryant’s sideline sideshow turned out to be the big story here. Bryant’s teammates circled the wagons when pressed about the receiver’s tantrums. Something about being “passionate” and trying to rally his teammates. His haphazard receiver comparisons resurfaced. Diva receivers are the most popular heels in sports.

Vick’s injury may be more serious. He admitted that he felt a pop in his hamstring, which had held him out of the Eagles’ previous two games. Vick will undergo an MRI on Monday, the results of which could mean more time spent on the sideline.

More injury news from Sunday:

Naturally, former ref boss and current FOX Sports contributor Mike Pereira snitched on Tarver. Tarver is no doubt flinging the birds at Pereira away from the cameras right now.

Tip o’ the hat to CBS Sports.

Wilson is having a solid campaign, albeit nothing flashy. The second-year man out of Wisconsin has tossed 11 touchdowns against only four interceptions with 1,489 yards to his credit. One problem however has been the amount of hits he is taking. Seattle has already allowed 20 sacks, tied for the ninth-highest mark in the NFL.

St. Louis is in a bad way right now watching Bradford go down with a torn ACL. The offense was already very inconsistent with Brian Schottenheimer at times being very cautious and predictable with the play-calling. Now you have to wonder does he go into a complete shell with a less experienced quarterback?

Aaron Rodgers and Jordy Nelson were fantasy studs, which has become par for the course. Nelson caught both of Rodgers’ touchdowns. Eddie Lacy also earned stud status with a 94-yard, one-touchdown performance.

Neither team suffered major injuries during Sunday’s game.

Both teams suffered significant injuries on offense, the severity of which are not known. Broncos tight end Julius Thomas left the game with an ankle injury and did not return. Meanwhile, Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III suffered a late injury to his left knee, which is not the one he injured a year ago. Griffin did not return to the game.

The Broncos were favored by 11 points, according to OddsShark.com, and easily covered the spread.

Neither team scored many points in the second half, but that barely mattered with Arizona nursing a big lead. The Falcons scored a consolation touchdown in the fourth quarter, but by then it was far too late. Atlanta’s disappointing season continues with its fifth loss in seven games.

If you were hoping for Steven Jackson to save your fantasy team this week, you’re out of luck. Coming back from a hamstring injury, Jackson was completely ineffective, getting just 6 yards on 11 carries. Matt Ryan was no better, tossing four interceptions.

Griffin III was hit as he threw late in the game and remained on the field for several minutes. He walked to the sideline and was being examined by team doctors, including Dr. James Andrews, on the training table. It was a scary moment for the quarterback as he grabbed at his knee while down on the field, but not the one that was surgically repaired this offseason.

• NFL Week 8 updates and highlights | Live NFL scoreboard

Oakland improved to 3-4 on the season, while Pittsburgh fell to 2-5.

Was Pryor a stud or a dud? That may depend on your league’s scoring system. He threw two interceptions but rushed for 106 yards and a touchdown. In most leagues, that might be considered fairly solid.

While healthy, Vick led the Eagles to one of the top-scoring offenses in the league, but the team has struggled to do anything when he went down. They have scored just 10 points in the past two games.

• NFL Week 8 updates and highlights | Live NFL scoreboard

The emergence of Jones is particularly important to Cincinnati. In previous years, this is a team that has been looking for a complementary receiver for A.J. Green, and if Jones can prove this wasn’t a one-week fluke against a rookie cornerback, the Bengals have a lot to build on.

Andy Dalton had a mammoth day with five touchdown passes. He was the fantasy stud of Sunday.

The air’s pretty thin in Denver. Thin enough that a kickoff sailed alllll the way through the uprights:

;(

Anderson’s record came in overtime, with 296 of those yards coming in regulation, so Johnson’s is the most ever in a 60-minute game.

Johnson had seven catches of at least 20 yards in the game, the third time in his career that he’s done that. No other player has done that since Johnson came into the league in 2007. He has more 200-yard games in his career (five) than Jerry Rice had (four) over his career. Rice’s career spanned 303 games compared to the 99 games that Johnson has played in so far.

Here is an updated look at the NFC East standings after Sunday’s results. Keep in mind the results of Washington’s game are still up in the air, hence the asterisk.

1. Dallas Cowboys (4-4)

Just to rub it in, Manning got called for holding on the same play.

Shortly after this play, Manning threw a pick-six and the Redskins went up, 21-7. Clearly he did something to anger the football’s parents.

Klis also notes that Thomas has a history of ankle injuries, which is part of the reason why he couldn’t stay on the field during his first two NFL seasons.

Thomas is having a breakout season in just his third NFL season. He has eight touchdowns in the Broncos’ seven games this season and entered Sunday’s contest with 422 receiving yards.

We had already established that Dez Bryant was not happy/yelling at people during Sunday’s Lions-Cowboys game. He eventually got the ball more -- he had caught two balls for 22 yards and the Cowboys’ only TD before his first blowup, he would eventually another TD on a 50-yard catch-and-run for his third catch of the day -- but when Matt Stafford punched in a fake spike for a game-winning TD, Bryant went off on the sidelines one more time.

Smart move by assistant coach Derek Dooley -- he sees Bryant is mad, and steers him towards Demarcus Ware, who nobody in their right mind would ever want to fight.

The issue with Philadelphia’s offense extends beyond just points and yards. Kelly’s decision-making has also been suspect over the last two weeks. Offensively, the team has completed just 7-of-30 on third down (23 percent), and averaged 3.6 yards per play.

Every phase of the offense is failing. Quarterback switches have caused the passing game to be inconsistent, and the Eagles will hope Foles is able to return quickly. He’s not perfect, but Foles has shown he’s the most capable of running Kelly’s offense and taking care of the football.