Game Highlights:

Lions @ Chiefs: Detroit continued their miserable season with a 45-10 blowout loss in London at the hands of the Chiefs. Kansas City quarterback Alex Smith threw for 145 yards and two touchdowns, and ran for 78 yards and a score. After falling to 1-7 on the year, Lions president Tom Lewand and general manager Martin Mayhew were fired from the team. Both began their tenures with Detroit in late 2008.

Buccaneers @ Falcons: After blowing a 17 point advantage, the Buccaneers edged a very mediocre looking Atlanta Falcons team in overtime by a final of 23-20. Tampa Bay QB Jameis Winston was very impressive in the game winning drive in overtime and finished with a QB rating of 93.0. The Falcons turned the ball over four times and were penalized 11 times for over 120 yards. All four of these mistakes resulted in points for Tampa Bay. Heading into the second half of the season, Atlanta (6-2) still trails the undefeated Carolina Panthers for first place in the NFC South.

49ers @ Rams: As per usual, the San Francisco 49ers struggled mightily this past Sunday in their 23-6 loss in St. Louis. Rams rookie running back Todd Gurley continued to set the NFL world on fire, rushing for over 100 yards for the fourth game in a row, and wide receiver Tavon Austin finished with 98 receiving yards and a score. The St. Louis defense has been nothing short of dominant lately, as they haven’t allowed a touchdown in the last two weeks. They finished with three sacks and a safety against the shoddy offensive line of the 49ers. The Rams are now 3-0 against divisional opponents and sit in second place in the NFC West. San Francisco QB Colin Kaepernick was frankly disastrous once again, with many inaccurate throws throughout the game. He finished with a quarterback rating of 22.2 and will be benched in week nine in favor of Blaine Gabbert.

Giants @ Saints: New Orleans slipped by the Giants 52-49 on a last second field goal as time ran out in the fourth quarter. Quarterbacks Drew Brees and Eli Manning finished with a total of 13 touchdowns combined, the most for a single game in NFL history. Brees threw for 505 yards and seven touchdowns, while Manning threw for six scores and 350 yards. New York wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. finished with three touchdowns of his own and 130 yards. Both teams sit at 4-4 on the year.

Jets @ Raiders: The Oakland Raiders made a huge statement to the rest of the league on Sunday, dominating the Jets by a score of 34-20. The offensive and defensive line for the Raiders deserve most of the credit here, as they controlled the line of scrimmage all afternoon long. Oakland did not have to punt for the first time until under eight minutes left in the game. In addition, the offensive line only allowed one play for a loss of yards and zero sacks. On the other side of the ball, highly touted running back Chris Ivory was held to just 17 rushing yards on 15 carries by the Raider defense. Second year QB Derek Carr was masterful for Oakland, throwing for 333 yards and four TD’s against a Jets defense that’s arguably the best in the league. Running back Latavius Murray ran wild on this defense all game long, finishing with 113 yards. The Silver and Black are now in first place in the AFC Wild Card race, with a record of 4-3.

Looking Ahead to Week 9

Packers @ Panthers: Both of these NFC powerhouses are coming off struggling performances last week, as Carolina barely edged the Colts and Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers had one of the worst games of his career in their first loss. Nonetheless, both teams are still at the top of their divisions and looking to try and secure the #1 seed in the NFC. Green Bay has won their last two meetings against the Panthers.

Raiders @ Steelers: This classic AFC rivalry has big implications for the first time in a while, as both teams are battling for one of the AFC wild card spots. The Raiders confidence is at an all time high, having played two outstanding games in a row against the Chargers and Jets. Superstar running back Le’Veon Bell will not suit up for the Steelers after sustaining a season ending injury last week. Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger is 1-4 in his career against Oakland.