Sunday Rundown: Key takeaways from Week 8's biggest games

Sunday Rundown recaps the most important developments from the day's action and examines their significance moving forward.

Sunday night spotlight

Packers' offense heats up

This is the kind of performance we'd been waiting to see from the Packers' offense. In fairness, it's not like the first six games of the season were bad. It just felt like, given the potential, they weren't quite hitting that extra gear. At least not until they absolutely had to. A favorable matchup with the Steelers probably helped on this night (more on that below), but this group has the ability to pick anyone apart with Tucker Kraft (142 yards, 2 TDs) making magic after the catch and Christian Watson (4 catches, 85 yards) back in the mix to stretch the field. The complete effort from this passing attack saw Jordan Love (360 yards, 3 TDs) put together the best game of his career by EPA/dropback, according to TruMedia, at one point becoming the first Packers quarterback since Brett Favre to complete 20 straight passes in a game. Consistency will be the key from here, and that should start with pushing the ball downfield from the jump. If this game proves to be the start of the offensive explosion many of us anticipated, it'll be that much sweeter for Green Bay to look back knowing it all clicked as they denied Aaron Rodgers a little revenge-game glory.

Steelers need more than a WR

You're going to hear a lot about the Steelers sniffing around receivers at the trade deadline. The need for a reliable No. 2 opposite DK Metcalf couldn't be more obvious. And while the offense may want to lean on the run game first and foremost, the ceiling will remain relatively limited if Aaron Rodgers doesn't have the weapons he needs to really open things up when a game calls for it. If that's the only move this team makes before Nov. 4, though, it had better be for a true game-changer. Because as strange as it is to say for anyone who has watched football for the last two decades, we may be well past the point where the Pittsburgh defense is leading the charge. Another hapless effort Sunday night against the Packers drives home the reality of this new era. The Steelers' defense is tied for 24th with a 51.8% success rate. That's the worst mark this team has posted over the first eight games of a season since at least 2000. There's been a lot of talk about how predictable this unit has become over the years, and the big-name veterans haven't been nearly enough to make the simplicity work. Now 4-3 with a tough schedule ahead, Pittsburgh is going to have a hard time capitalizing on its hot start.

Late-afternoon games

Broncos keep it rolling

I've had my share of questions about the Broncos' offense. While I'm not about to consider them resolved after a cupcake matchup against the Cowboys' defense, it would be impossible to ignore how different this unit has looked over the last five quarters. A 33-point onslaught in the final frame against the Giants last week was a promising sign of what is possible with this group. Denver took that momentum and followed it up with the most complete offensive effort of the season in a 44-24 win over Dallas. Bo Nix was in complete control after an early interception, becoming the first Broncos quarterback since Peyton Manning to account for four touchdowns in back-to-back games. Crucially, he made several big-time throws down the field en route to a season-best 8.5 yards per attempt. Again, the opponent qualifier demands that we avoid getting carried away here. But these are still incredibly positive signs after a frustrating start for the offense. Next week's game against the Texans provides an excellent opportunity for the Broncos to prove it against a top defensive opponent.

Cowboys need to swing big

So, about that Cowboys defense. Eight games in, this unit is posting the third-worst defensive EPA/play since at least 2000. Considering the personnel in place - both at defensive coordinator and throughout the roster - we probably shouldn't be expecting any sort of monumental turnaround. That's a big reason why, in a recent piece exploring realistic trade ideas, I had the Cowboys taking a big swing with a deal to acquire two impact defenders from the Dolphins. Will Jerry Jones be that bold? Probably not. But can he really justify wasting an elite offense (T-2nd in EPA/play) spearheaded by an MVP-caliber season from Dak Prescott? If he's serious about winning, and avoiding narratives about the Micah Parsons trade sparking the worst scoring defense in Cowboys history, Jones has no choice but to get aggressive.

OPOY race already over?

Jonathan Taylor is in the midst of a truly incredible season, and he only seems to be getting better with every passing week. Sunday's win over the Titans marked his most impressive performance of the season so far, needing just 12 carries to post 158 yards. That 12.8-yard average is the fourth-best mark of any running back with 12-plus carries since at least 2000. The blowout win also saw Taylor score three touchdowns for the fourth time already this season, two shy of LaDainian Tomlinson's record. And with 14 total touchdowns on the year, he's just one short of the most ever recorded through eight games. It's still early, but that puts him on a 17-game pace of 29 scores, which would be within striking distance of Tomlinson's single-season record (31). Assuming he stays healthy, it's tough to imagine anyone catching Taylor for Offensive Player of the Year honors over the second half of the season. And if he comes anywhere near holding his current statistical pace, he'll probably have a case as the first non-QB MVP since 2012, too.

Return of Bucs defense

Nobody had any doubts about the Bucs' offense heading into this season. The same couldn't have been said about the defense. That unit turning things around after a frustrating few seasons has been critical for Tampa Bay's ability to overcome the early rash of injuries on the other side of the ball. It's also a big reason Todd Bowles should be in the mix for Coach of the Year honors. Sunday's win over the Saints marked the Bucs' best game by EPA/play since 2021. On the season overall, Tampa Bay is now tied for sixth by that same metric. That's a meteoric rise after back-to-back seasons checking in at 18th. Bowles' pressure packages are getting home like they did during his tenure as defensive coordinator, as the Bucs rank third with 25 sacks and second with second with 128 pressures, according to PFF. They're also taking the ball away as well as anyone, tied for third in turnovers. This team is going to be an extremely tough out if the offense can get some better luck with injuries.

Early kickoffs

Tush push has to go

I truly didn't anticipate ending up on this side of the debate. The way I saw it, the NFL did the right thing in rejecting a ban during the offseason. And I still felt that way up until this week, even if a rule change felt inevitable in the wake of early officiating issues and the best non-football argument we've seen yet. But the latest controversy has to be the final straw. In case you missed it, the Giants were robbed of a critical turnover early in Sunday's game against the Eagles. Kayvon Thibodeaux had clearly stripped the ball away from Jalen Hurts as he crossed the line to gain on a tush push. But because officials had blown the play dead, it wasn't reviewable. The early whistle is just the latest evidence that officials simply have no ability to call this play correctly. While it certainly feels wrong to be taking away something that one team does so much better than everyone else, the league really has no choice at this point. Can the Eagles, who have now put together two straight promising offensive outings, take advantage of their last year with the cheat-code play?

Ravens stay alive

This feels like a potential turning point for the Ravens, doesn't it? A 1-5 start wasn't how anyone saw their season going. Much of it was their own doing, but injuries certainly made it difficult to deal with a tough opening schedule. A huge win over the up-and-coming Bears puts Baltimore in an extremely interesting spot ahead of Lamar Jackson's expected return next week. Not only is the offense likely to get back on track with the perennial MVP candidate under center, but there are some mildly encouraging signs from the defense, too. Prior to last week's bye, a much-improved effort against the run helped the Ravens hold the Rams to just 17 points. Prior to Sunday's 30-16 defeat in Baltimore, the Bears had been the only team to score 20-plus points in every game this season. Everyone's favorite preseason juggernaut still has a long way to go at 2-5, but a healthier Ravens roster could easily flip the script from here and take advantage of an easy schedule (at MIA, at MIN, at CLE, vs. NYJ, vs. CIN) to get to 7-5 heading into December.

Stroud back?

Speaking of slow starters, the Texans might not be done yet, either. Last week's game against the Seahawks wasn't exactly how they wanted to come out of the bye, but the Seattle defense tends to have that effect on opponents. Houston bounced back this week against the 49ers with its most impressive offensive performance of the season. C.J. Stroud completed 30 of 39 attempts for 318 yards, his biggest passing day since Week 5 of last season. Rookie wideouts Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel stepped into lead roles in the absence of Nico Collins, combining for nine catches, 97 yards, and a touchdown. Crucially, a beleaguered offensive line didn't give up a sack for the first time this year. Has the offense finally found the sort of pass-protection answers that might allow Stroud to get back to the player he was as a rookie? The apparent progress on that front will be put to the test in next week's home date with the Broncos. With a dominant defense leading the league in EPA/play, a league-average offense may be all Houston needs to make some noise in the second half of the season.

Bills' run game explodes

The Bills desperately needed a game like this. After back-to-back losses against the Patriots and Falcons, it was only natural to wonder whether this team had been overrated based on past accomplishments. I wasn't ready to go quite that far, but the offense clearly needed to be better if this was going to be the year for Buffalo. A career-best 216-yard day from James Cook en route to a 40-6 win over the Panthers is a big step in the right direction. The Bills will still need another receiver to maximize everything Josh Allen brings as a passer, and I tend to assume they'll be aggressive in addressing that need before the Nov. 4 trade deadline. But a run game like this gives the Bills' offense an excellent foundation to lean on no matter what's happening on the boundary. Let's see if they can build on it in next week's heavyweight matchup against the Chiefs. Nobody will remember the October hiccups if they can handle business there.

Falcons boggle the mind

I'm done trying to figure out this Falcons team. The offense being without Michael Penix Jr. and Drake London was undoubtedly a big part of Sunday's disappointing effort against Miami, but that isn't nearly enough to explain a 34-10 beatdown on home field against one of the worst teams in football. The new-look Atlanta defense couldn't do much to stop the Dolphins from marching up and down the field. A struggling Tua Tagovailoa led the way with his first four-touchdown game since last November, facing pressure on just six of his 27 dropbacks. Even if this offense is healthy moving forward, it just seems like everything about this team is too volatile to have any real expectations this season. Now 3-4 with games against the Patriots and Colts on deck, the Falcons may be hard-pressed to chase down their first winning season since 2017.

Garrett deserves better

Myles Garrett is arguably the best player in all of football. His truly unmatched physical abilities were once again on display in Sunday's game against the Patriots, as the four-time All-Pro racked up a career-high five sacks. In most other situations, a pass-rush performance like this would at least give a team a chance to pull out a win. The Browns, unfortunately, are not most teams. A 32-13 defeat makes Garrett the only player to record five-plus sacks in a double-digit loss since the stat was first recorded in 1982, according to NFL research. Yikes. I'm on record as believing that a young Browns roster can help get this thing turned around once the Deshaun Watson contract is off the books. Perhaps Garrett agrees. After signing a four-year, $160-million deal to stand down from his offseason trade request, he isn't going anywhere, anyway. But at 29 years old, the Browns are already at risk of never getting to capitalize on a generational player. They can't afford any missteps if they're going to compete while Garrett is still in his prime.

Dan Wilkins is theScore's senior NFL writer.