NFL Week 8: Patrick Mahomes out to make history against Denver Broncos
The Dallas Cowboys return home on Sunday to host NFC rival Los Angeles Rams. Dallas will look to extend their home win streak to 11 games, while Los Angeles are aiming to bounce back from their controversial loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Steelers led by a touchdown with two minutes and 24 seconds on the clock. Quarterback Kenny Pickett attempted a sneak on fourth-and-one, and he appeared to come up short. If the Rams defense had in fact stopped Pickett, they would have got the ball back and been in position to potentially tie or win the game. The officials, however, ruled that Pickett made the line to gain by mere inches.
The ruling essentially sealed the win for Pittsburgh, because they were able to take a knee three times and run out the clock.
Los Angeles were out of timeouts, and therefore head coach Sean McVay could not throw a challenge flag to reevaluate the penalty.
Though McVay outwardly expressed his frustrations on the sideline after the ruling, he told reporters after the game that he remains optimistic.
“The challenges are what you really love about the NFL,” McVay said, “and I’m excited about responding to this challenge because these setbacks are challenges, but they’re setups for an opportunity to be able to respond.”
The Cowboys enter this week’s conference matchup with fresh legs and clear minds after their Week 7 bye. Head coach emph Mike McCarthy asized the importance of rest and recovery when speaking with reporters earlier this week.
“[The players’] ability to step away mentally and emotionally is probably the most important,” McCarthy said. “Physically it’s good for all of them. Clearly we have a full roster available to practice which shows you the physical benefits of a bye week … I’ve always done the bye week the same, you know. I’ve always given the players as much time off as I possibly could.”
This weekend’s matchup marks the first of five home games in a seven-week stretch for Dallas. A win on Sunday will tie the franchise record for most consecutive wins at home. The last time Dallas achieved an 11-game run was in 1991-92 at Texas Stadium, nearly 20 years before AT&T stadium opened its doors.
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Pittsburgh Steelers, 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS
Two potential AFC playoff contenders face off when the Pittsburgh Steelers host the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday afternoon. The pair have similar records and both seem to have hit their stride as we enter the second third of the season.
As mentioned, the Steelers squeaked out a controversial win over the Rams in Week 7. Following the game, head coach Mike Tomlin praised his team for their efforts, particularly later in the game.
“As the game wore on, I thought we settled into the type of game that we desire. We won possession downs on both sides of the ball,” Tomlin said.
The late efforts Tomlin described have been crucial to the Steelers’ success all season. Across six games, Pittsburgh has only scored two first quarter touchdowns and have not generated any points on their first and second drives.
Earlier this week, quarterback Kenny Pickett was asked why he thinks the team comes out of the gate so slow.
“I can’t give you an answer on that,” Pickett said. “I’m not sure what it is. It could be a guy here or there (out of place), a penalty, a sack, a negative run that puts you behind the chains, and you get out of those (scripted) plays.”
After starting the season 1-2, Jacksonville have won their last four straight games, including a hard-fought Thursday Night Football victory over the Saints. The main contributor to their recent success is quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
In his most recent showing, Lawrence threw for 204 yards on 20 of 29 passing. Through seven weeks of play, he averages 234.7 yards per game with eight touchdown passes and three interceptions. He boasts a QB rating of 60.6, nearly double that of Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett (35.5).
Earlier this week, Lawrence expressed his excitement for Sunday’s game, noting that it will be the first time he plays in Pittsburgh.
“I’m excited, it’s definitely one to check off the list, playing in cool stadiums, history places, and obviously, Pittsburgh – their whole organization has an aura around it that’s really cool,” Lawrence told reporters.
“You always know what kind of team Pittsburgh is going to have each year, physical, great defense, and their offense is playing really well. That’s just what you’re going to get.”
Kansas City Chiefs @ Denver Broncos, 4:25 p.m. ET on CBS
The late afternoon slate features a rematch between Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos. It will be their second meeting in just 18 days, having faced off on Thursday Night Football in Week 6.
Their last matchup fell in favor of the Chiefs, marking Kansas City’s 16th straight win against the AFC West rivals. The Broncos have not beaten the Chiefs since 2015, and have never beaten Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
If Mashome wins again on Sunday, he will make history as the first quarterback to ever start his career 13-0 against an opponent.
The Broncos will look to snap the potential historic streak at Empower Field at Mile High. They enter the matchup fresh off a nail-biting victory over the Green Bay Packers that marked the team’s first home victory in the Sean Payton era.
In addition to the expected challenges that come along with facing a divisional rival, Denver will also be tasked with the challenge of replacing star safety Kareem Jackson, who was recently suspended for unnecessary roughness violations.
In the meantime, P.J. Locke will start as safety for the Broncos. He played a key role in last week’s win over the Packers, grabbing a key interception that sealed the eventual victory.
