Vikings, Chiefs and Cowboys all lose in NFL Week Eight
On Sunday in Week Eight of the 2026 NFL season, the Minnesota Vikings, Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys all suffered defeats as the weekend’s slate produced several notable results and rare occurrences.
The Vikings became the last unbeaten team to fall, two games were decided in overtime, and the Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs were both beaten after late fightbacks. Joe Burrow accounted for six touchdowns in Cincinnati’s overtime win, running backs dominated several games, Tampa Bay recorded a victory without completing a single pass, and the Baltimore Ravens lost two quarterbacks in their defeat by the Buffalo Bills.
Lamar Jackson returned from three games out with an ankle injury but injured his right thumb on the game’s first snap against the Bills, while backup Tyler Huntley was ruled out in the second quarter with a toe injury. Baltimore finished the contest with undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano at quarterback as Buffalo won 36-10; the Ravens have lost their past three games and now sit 4-4. Jackson is set to undergo surgery and could miss the rest of the season, Huntley could also be out for weeks, and the Ravens face the prospect of bringing in an experienced quarterback or starting Fagnano against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday.
Minnesota’s 6-0 start was halted by the Detroit Lions, who won 19-15 as Jahmyr Gibbs ran for 153 yards and a touchdown, leaving Detroit 5-2. The Denver Broncos moved above the Kansas City Chiefs at the top of the AFC West after coming from 11 points down in the final quarter to win 28-24; Patrick Mahomes threw for three touchdowns and 321 yards but Denver’s defence made a goal-line stand at the death to secure victory. The Jacksonville Jaguars thumped the Indianapolis Colts 42-7 to sit 5-2 while the Colts are reportedly in talks over trading star running back Jonathan Taylor. The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Cleveland Browns 26-7 to go top of the AFC North.
The Cincinnati Bengals survived a 43-36 overtime win against the Tennessee Titans, with Joe Burrow intercepted three times by Amani Hooker yet producing more than 450 passing yards, five touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown in a single game — the first player in 75 years, and only the second ever after Norm van Brocklin's 554 passing yards in a 1951 game, to do so. Burrow also became the first quarterback in NFL history to register a 70% completion percentage plus touchdown passes in three consecutive games; Cincinnati will host Pittsburgh in two weeks.
Running backs dominated Sunday’s action, with at least six players recording 140 rushing yards on the same day for the first time since 2003, including Bucky Irving (170) and Kenneth Gainwell (140) as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Atlanta Falcons 16-0. Tampa Bay ran 56 times to Atlanta’s 28 carries for 99 yards; torrential rain limited Baker Mayfield to three pass attempts, none completed, while the Buccaneers set a team-record 324 rushing yards and became the first team to have zero pass completions since 1974 — and only the second in the Super Bowl era.
Tyler Allgeier rushed for 147 yards as the Arizona Cardinals upset the Dallas Cowboys after backup quarterback Gardner Minshew replaced Jacoby Brissett with the Cardinals trailing 17-3 late in the third quarter. Minshew, who has spent most of his career as a backup and joined Arizona as his sixth team in eight years, became the first quarterback this season to throw three fourth-quarter touchdown passes, tying the game at the death; Chad Ryland missed the extra point but kicked the overtime field goal to win 33-30. It is only the second time Dallas have ever lost when leading by 10 points inside the final three minutes and leaves them 3-5, prompting owner Jerry Jones to say: "It's an indictment of the whole show".
Cincinnati’s win sets up a home meeting with Pittsburgh in two weeks, while Baltimore must address its quarterback situation ahead of the Thursday game at Jacksonville if Lamar Jackson’s surgery sidelines him and Tyler Huntley remains unavailable.