Week 8 of the regular season was loaded, but Jayden Daniels stole the show with what should undoubtedly go down as the play of the year while leading the Washington Commanders to a miracle victory over the Chicago Bears.
Outside of that Hail Mary, however, multiple starting quarterbacks fell to injuries around the league on Sunday. Here’s a look at the latest news, injury updates and more across the NFL as Week 8 wraps up.
Packers QB Jordan Love leaves with groin injury
The Green Bay Packers got the win on Sunday afternoon, but they lost quarterback Jordan Love in the process.
Love left their 30-27 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the third quarter on Sunday after taking an awkward hit in the back after the whistle. He was slow to get up after the play, and was then replaced by Malik Willis with what the Packers called a groin injury.
Love’s status moving forward isn’t known, but coach Matt LaFleur said after the game that there is “obviously a high level of concern.” The Packers will host the Detroit Lions next on Sunday afternoon. If Love isn’t ready to go for that critical NFC North matchup, Willis will get the start.
Patriots QB Drake Maye out after hit to head
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye left their win over the New York Jets early after he took a shot to the head on Sunday afternoon.
Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood made helmet-to-helmet contact with Maye from behind as Maye slid on a scramble. Sherwood was not called for a penalty, but Maye went to the medical tent and was ruled out of the rest of the game with a head injury. Jacoby Brissett took over, and led the Patriots to a 25-22 win.
Maye is now in concussion protocol, and it’s unclear when he will be able to return for the Patriots. They will take on the Tennessee Titans next week. If Maye has not cleared protocol in time, Brissett will likely start. Brissett was the Patriots’ starting quarterback at the beginning of the season, but Maye took over earlier this month.
Stefon Diggs evaluated for knee injury
Houston Texans wide receiver Stefon Diggs went down with a non-contact knee injury in their tight win over the Colts on Sunday afternoon.
Diggs’ right knee awkwardly bent in as he planted while running a route in the second half, which sent him down to the turf in pain before he eventually walked off to the locker room. He didn’t return, and is now being evaluated. Specifics on his knee injury aren’t yet known, but it didn’t look good.
Diggs had a team-high five catches for 81 yards when he went down. The Texans have a short week, too, as they’ll take on the New York Jets on Thursday night.
Live8 updates
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Mon, October 28, 2024 at 4:37 PM EDT
Christian McCaffrey back soon?
Christian McCaffrey’s return may be right around the corner. The San Francisco 49ers plan have McCaffrey practice starting next Monday, as long as he responds well this week while the team is on their bye week.
McCaffrey has yet to play this fall while dealing with Achilles and calf injuries. It’s unclear if he’ll be able to compete in their matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Nov. 10, but this appears to be the closest he’s been to taking the field this season.
“It’s going to be nice getting him back, hopefully,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said.
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Mon, October 28, 2024 at 2:10 PM EDT
Bears CB Tyrique Stevenson was responsible for defending Noah Brown on Hail Mary, per Matt Eberflus
Chicago Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson has apologized to his teammates after his costly mistake led to a last-second loss on Sunday. Bears coach Matt Eberflus told reporters Monday that Stevenson had apologized during a team meeting earlier that morning.
The Washington Commanders shocked Chicago for a 18-15 win after successfully hitting a Hail Mary with no time left on the clock. Stevenson, who had been taunting Washington fans while the ball had already gone into play, missed his coverage and accidentally tipped the ball into Commander receiver Noah Brown’s hands.
Per Eberflus, Stevenson was the player who was supposed to defend Brown, but that he was thrown off by a lapse in concentration. Stevenson took full accountability for his role in the loss when speaking to his teammates, Eberflus said.
Read the full story here.
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Mon, October 28, 2024 at 1:04 PM EDT
Jags WR Brian Thomas Jr. could miss time with chest/rib injury
The Jaguars can’t catch a break with injuries.
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Mon, October 28, 2024 at 1:00 PM EDT
Not a great look for the Patriots…
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Mon, October 28, 2024 at 12:56 PM EDT
Chiefs acquire LB Josh Uche from Patriots for 2026 6th-round pick
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Mon, October 28, 2024 at 10:39 AM EDT
Packers CB Jaire Alexander reportedly getting MRI on knee
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Mon, October 28, 2024 at 9:50 AM EDT
National Tight Ends Day became a real holiday in Week 8
Every year we hear about National Tight Ends Day, a “holiday” made up by 49ers TE George Kittle to pay tribute to an under-appreciated position. Just like every holiday you read about in email forwards from your elderly relatives, it’s not a real thing.
But on the Sunday of Week 8 in the 2024 season, National Tight Ends Day became a real holiday. Tight ends combined for 177 total receptions, the most by tight ends on any single day in NFL history. Those receptions equaled 1,965 receiving yards and included 16 touchdowns.
Was the increase in TE action just a happy accident? Or did every team get a memo from the commissioner’s office reminding them about National Tight Ends Day, so there would be an explosion of great TE play on one chosen day?
We don’t know. We may never know. Maybe National Tight Ends Day will just be a normal Sunday next year. Maybe this past Sunday was a once-in-a-lifetime alignment of the stars and planets which brought tight ends to the forefront and highlighted their utility and usefulness in a variety of football situations.
No matter what, we’ll always have the memories.
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Mon, October 28, 2024 at 9:17 AM EDT
Sunday was a tough day for injuries
Sunday was stuffed to the bursting point with exciting games, incredible plays, and wild finishes, but Week 8 was a tough one for injuries. Here are a few players who left yesterday’s games with an injury.
Packers QB Jordan Love: Left win over Jaguars with groin injury.
Patriots QB Drake Maye: Left win over Jets with concussion following helmet-to-helmet hit.
Texans WR Stefon Diggs: Left win over Colts with non-contact knee injury.
Jaguars WR Christian Kirk: Breaks collarbone in loss to Packers, out for season.
There could be news on the injuries to Love, Maye, and Diggs sometime on Monday.
