We are officially at the halfway mark in the 2025 NFL regular season. Last week, we saw numerous upsets and a comeback that will not be forgotten. This week, things are a little bit different. Six teams are on bye, so the action is limited in some places.
Let’s look back at week 8 in the 2025 NFL season.
The Jets’ First Win
The New York Jets’ season could already be seen as over. They came into this week as the only winless team in the NFL. This week, they hoped to finally secure a win against the Cincinnati Bengals, a team that has faced its own struggles this season.
The Bengals had the first possession of the game and took the lead. New Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco brought the offense down to the Jets’ eight-yard line, where this drive would stall. This set up Evan McPherson, who successfully kicked a 26-yard field goal. The Bengals would add to their lead on their next drive, when Flacco found the end zone from one yard out.
The Jets would get on the scoreboard to begin the second quarter. Jets’ quarterback Justin Fields was able to get the offense down to the Bengals’ 28-yard line, where the drive would stall. This set up Nick Folk with a 46-yard field goal attempt, which he made. The Bengals would immediately respond with a touchdown score. Flacco found Tee Higgins for a 44-yard touchdown pass to further their lead.
But the Jets would not give up and accept the early defeat. On the next drive, Fields found Tyler Johnson for a 15-yard touchdown pass to make it a seven-point game. The Bengals would again extend their lead when Flacco found Chase Brown for a 19-yard touchdown pass, but the Jets would end the half closing the lead again, this time through a field goal.
This meant that at halftime, the Bengals had a 24-13 lead over the Jets, but it seemed like the game could be competitive.
The Jets further shortened the Bengals’ lead in the third quarter. A Folk field goal from 24 yards out made it an eight-point lead. As we saw in the first half, the Bengals would immediately strike back, with Samaje Perine finding the endzone from 32 yards out for the rushing touchdown. This gave them a 15-point lead going into the final quarter.
The Jets began this final quarter cutting into the Bengals’ lead, keeping their hopes of victory alive. Breece Hall found the endzone for a five-yard rushing touchdown. New York then attempted a two-point conversion, which was successful, making it a one-possession game.
The Bengals would again strengthen their fading lead on the following drive, when Brown found the endzone from one yard out. However, the Jets would immediately respond with a touchdown of their own. Hall would find the endzone from 27 yards out. The Jets would then attempt a two-point conversion, which was successful, making it a six-point game.
The Bengals needed to find the end zone again to win this game. Unfortunately, on their next drive, they struggled to move the ball anywhere. In response, the Jets had all the momentum, with Fields and company making their way down to the Bengals ‘ four-yard line. Then, with under two minutes to go, Hall found the endzone for his third touchdown of the game to give the Jets a one-point lead. Could they hold on?
All the Bengals had to do was get the ball into field-goal range, setting up an attempt to win. Flacco and company would get the ball down to their 45-yard line, where a vital fourth-down attempt was set up. Flacco threw an incomplete pass.
This meant that the New York Jets had defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 39-38.
This win is the Jets’ first win of the season, and really the first time this year that they have played competently. However, I do not think that this will last long. As for the Bengals, this defeat only makes this season a harder watch than it already is. The Jets improve to 1-7, while the Bengals fall to 3-5.
Next week, the Bengals face the Chicago Bears, while the Jets are on a bye week.
Easy for the Bills
Before going on their bye week last week, the Buffalo Bills lost their second consecutive game. Since then, the New England Patriots have strengthened their lead at the top of the AFC East and are seen as one of the stronger teams in the conference. The Bills are certainly in this category, but will need to get back to winning ways. This week, they faced the Carolina Panthers, who came into the game on a three-game winning streak. Whose streak will continue?
The Panthers had the first possession of the game but immediately gave the ball to the Bills after a poor drive. Buffalo would be able to get something from this drive. Quarterback Josh Allen was able to bring the ball down to the Panthers’ 27-yard line before the drive stalled. This set up Matt Prater, who made the uprights from 45 yards out to give the Bills the lead.
Carolina made a mistake on their next drive, when quarterback Andy Dalton fumbled the ball on the edge of the Bills’ red zone. The ball would be scooped up by the Bills’ defense, and the resulting drive would end in another successful field goal. The Panthers were able to put some points on the board on their next drive, when kicker Ryan Fitzergerald was successful in his 48-yard field goal attempt.
This did make it a three-point game, but this did not last long. On the next drive, James Cook found the endzone for a 64-yard touchdown to extend the Bills’ lead. This would be further extended near the end of the first half. Taking advantage of an interception thrown by Dalton, Allen would find the endzone from one yard out for the rushing touchdown.
This meant the Bills had a 19-3 lead over the Panthers at halftime.
Buffalo would add to their lead on their first drive of the second half, with Allen finding Khalil Shakir for a 54-yard touchdown pass. This lead was made even larger when Cook scored a 21-yard rushing touchdown, which was followed by another touchdown by the Bills on their next drive.
Now into the fourth quarter and the game well and truly out of reach for the Panthers, they finally showed something on offense. Dalton and company were able to bring their offense down to the Bills’ three-yard line before Chuba Hubbard found the endzone for a rushing touchdown. However, this would only be a consolation touchdown, as the Buffalo Bills cruised to an easy 40-9 win over the Carolina Panthers.
This is the best way to snap a two-game losing streak. A dominant win to put themselves back into the race for the division. This win means the Bills improve to 5-2, while the defeat means the Panthers fall to a still-respectable 4-4.
Next week, the Bills face the Kansas City Chiefs in what could be another strong meeting between these teams, while the Panthers face the Green Bay Packers.
Is the NFC West Open?
Despite having experienced quarterback Brock Purdy on the sidelines for most of the season, the San Francisco 49ers have been thriving. With Mac Jones in as quarterback, the 49ers have been able to keep themselves in contention in the NFC West. On the other hand, the Houston Texans have regressed over the last couple of years and are struggling to keep up in the AFC South. Could the 49ers’ strong form continue?
The Texans had the first possession of the game and scored first. Starting from their 28-yard line, the C.J. Stroud-led offense slowly made its way down to the 49ers’ 15-yard line. Here, the drive stalled, setting up a 33-yard field goal attempt from Kaimi Fairbairn. The veteran kicker easily made this kick, giving the Texans a three-point lead.
This lead was doubled on the first play of the second quarter, with Fairbairn making the uprights from 34 yards out. The Texans furthered their advantage on their next drive. On the 49ers’ 12-yard line, Stroud found Jayden Higgins for the touchdown pass.
Another Fairnbairn field goal made it a 16-point lead for the Texans with a minute to go in the first half. It was at this point that San Francisco finally had some success on offense. Taking advantage of a strong punt return, the 49ers began this drive from the Texans’ 35-yard line. Here, they quickly made their way into the red zone before Jones found George Kittle for a 17-yard touchdown pass.
This meant the Texans had a 16-7 lead over the 49ers at halftime.
Houston began the second half in a similar way to how they finished their first half. On their first drive of the half, Stroud and company would make their way down to the 49ers’ 30-yard line. Here, the quarterback found Xavier Hutchinson for the touchdown pass to widen their lead.
The 49ers were able to strike back to keep themselves in contention. Jones found Jake Tonges for a two-yard touchdown pass. San Francisco would then attempt a two-point conversion, which was successful. This made it an eight-point game going into the final quarter.
The Texans widen their lead to begin the fourth quarter thanks to another field goal from Fairnbairn, this time from 30 yards out. This meant the 49ers needed at least a touchdown to keep the game alive.
Unfortunately, this touchdown never came. San Francisco struggled to get a drive going in this quarter. The closest they got was a deep pass from Jones that reached a receiver at the Texans’ one-yard line. However, this fell into the hands of a Houston receiver, who was ruled to have intercepted the pass.
This meant that at the end of the game, the Houston Texans had defeated the San Francisco 49ers 26-15.
This win does little for the Texans’ playoff chances. They are a long distance from the cruising Indianapolis Colts, and their poor start to the season did not help them. As for the 49ers, the defeat means that there is a three-way tie at the top of the NFC West, with the 49ers, Rams, and Seahawks all on five wins.
Next week, the Texans face the Denver Broncos, while the 49ers play the New York Giants.
What happened in the Other Games?
The Los Angeles Chargers face the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night, with both coming off defeats last week. This was another one-sided affair, with the Chargers dominating. Justin Herbert threw three touchdowns, and Carson Wentz is injured and out for the season, as the Chargers record a 37-10 win over the Vikings.
The Miami Dolphins have been struggling for most of the season, with Tua Tagovailoa getting the brunt of the criticism. However, these struggles were not seen in their game with the Atlanta Falcons. Tua threw four touchdowns, and the Dolphins limited Bijan Robinson to 25 yards as they recorded a 34-10 win over the Falcons.
The New England Patriots continue what some have described as a “very easy” schedule this week against the Cleveland Browns. Drake Maye had another good game, throwing three touchdowns in the Pats’ 32-13 win.
Another team that has not had the best start to the season is the Baltimore Ravens. However, their game against the Chicago Bears this week could be the final game without Lamar Jackson. His team will put him in a good spot when he returns. The Ravens took advantage of a struggling Caleb Williams to record a 30-16 win over the Bears.
After their underwhelming performance against the Detroit Lions last week, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers returned to winning ways against the New Orleans Saints. In a strong defensive showing, the Buccaneers recorded an easy 23-3 win over their divisional rivals.
Last week, the Denver Broncos waited until the fourth quarter to score 33 points against the New York Giants. This week, they faced the Dallas Cowboys in a simpler watch for their fans. Broncos quarterback Bo Nix threw four touchdowns in the Broncos’ 44-24 win over the Cowboys.
The best team in football (at least on paper) is still the Indianapolis Colts. However, they have not faced a strong opponent for a while. This week, it was the one-win Tennessee Titans. This game went as expected. Jonathan Taylor did most of the heavy lifting as the Colts recorded a 38-14 win over the Titans to improve to 7-1 for the season.
Aaron Rodgers faced his former side this week as the Pittsburgh Steelers hosted the Green Bay Packers. The Packers could very much be the best team in football. A dominant fourth quarter paired with 360 yards from Jordan Love gave Green Bay a 35-25 win over the Steelers.
The Kansas City Chiefs put themselves back into contention for the AFC title with an easy win over the Washington Commanders. Patrick Mahomes threw three touchdowns in the 28-7 win.
And finally, let’s talk about what happened in Philadelphia. The Eagles faced the New York Giants, seeking revenge for their defeat two weeks ago, while the Giants hoped to keep up the strong form that has made them one of the most talked-about teams in football recently. This status is mostly due to the rookie pairing of Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo. That pairing will not be seen for the rest of the season, as Skattebo was carted off the field with an ankle injury that will rule him out for the rest of the season. This only adds to the growing injury crisis that the Giants are facing and shows that we really can’t have nice things. On the field, the officiating was questionable, and the tush push continued to be the worst play in football. The Eagles won this game 38-20.
So, that was week eight in the 2025 NFL season. Not the most exciting week, but sometimes we get weeks like this. Next week, the slate is highlighted by the Chiefs facing the Bills.
