NFL Week 8 grades: Broncos get an ‘A-‘ for saving their season in London, Bengals get an ‘F’ for MNF disaster

Maybe the Broncos should consider moving all of their games to London. 

Through the first seven weeks of the season, the Broncos offense has mostly looked helpless, but that changed on Sunday in England. In a game against the Jaguars, Denver lit up the scoreboard with three touchdowns in a 21-17 win. Scoring three touchdowns doesn’t usually qualify as lighting up the scoreboard, but it does when you’re a Broncos team who went into this week’s game as the lowest-scoring offense in the NFL. 

So why was Denver finally able to find some success on offense? The biggest reason is that Russell Wilson finally started playing like the Russell Wilson the Broncos thought they were getting when they made a blockbuster trade for the QB back in March. 

Wilson’s ability to throw the ball accurately downfield is one reason why he’s been so successful in his career and he showed off that ability against the Jaguars. One of Wilson’s best throws of the day came in the third quarter when he hit Greg Dulcich with a 38-yard pass that traveled 30 yards in the air. 

That throw came on a 92-yard scoring drive where Wilson went 5 of 5 for 88 yards. Wilson seemed to have a great connection with Dulcich, who caught three of the passes on the drive for 78 yards. That touchdown put the Broncos ahead 14-10, but it was a lead they would lose late in the fourth quarter after a one-yard run by Travis Etienne with just 3:54 left to play. 

At that point, the Broncos went back out on the field and it felt like their season was on the line, but Wilson didn’t seem too bothered by the pressure. On the first play of the drive, Wilson arguably saved Denver’s season with 47-yard pass to K.J. Hamler. 

Six plays later, Latavius Murray would score the game-winning touchdown from one-yard out. 

Another reason why the Broncos offense was so good is because it was unstoppable in the red zone. Going into Week 8, Denver had the WORST red zone offense in the NFL, scoring a touchdown on just 23.5% of their red zone trips (To put that in perspective, every other team in the NFL was converting at least 35% of their red zone trips into touchdowns heading into Week 8).

In this game, the Broncos went a perfect 3-for-3 in the red zone and a big reason is because Nathaniel Hackett actually showed some creativity. Denver’s first touchdown of the game came on a six-yard catch by Jerry Jeudy that seemed to catch the Jaguars off-guard. 

The Broncos offense was by no means perfect on the day. As a matter of fact, it looked like it was going to be another nightmare game for the unit early on. On the Broncos’ first four possessions, they punted three times without getting a single first down and Wilson also threw an interception. Earlier in the season, that probably would have been enough to start a full collapse, but this time around, the offense was able to rebound. 

On those first four possessions, Wilson was just 2 of 6 for 19 yards and an interception, but after that, he went 16 of 24 for 233 yards and a touchdown. 

The Broncos have a playoff-caliber defense and if the offense continues to improve, this team could eventually sneak into the wild-card race. 

Alright, let’s get to the grades for every game from Week 8. If you’re looking for a deeper dive on the Ravens’ win over the Buccaneers that was played on Thursday, be sure to click here.

Cleveland 32-13 over Cincinnati (Monday)

Bengals-Browns grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

Denver 21-17 over Jacksonville (London)

Broncos-Jaguars grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

Atlanta 37-34 over Carolina (OT)

Panthers-Falcons grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

Miami 31-27 over Detroit

Dolphins-Lions grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

Minnesota 34-26 over Arizona

Cardinals-Vikings grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

New Orleans 24-0 over Las Vegas

Raiders-Saints grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

Philadelphia 35-13 over Pittsburgh

Steelers-Eagles grades by Jeff Kerr (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

New England 22-17 over N.Y. Jets

Patriots-Jets grades by Jordan Dajani (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

Dallas 49-29 over Chicago

Bears-Cowboys grades by Garrett Podell (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

Tennessee 17-10 over Houston

Titans-Texans grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

Washington 17-16 over Indianapolis

Commanders-Colts grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

San Francisco 31-14 over L.A. Rams

49ers-Rams grades by Bryan DeArdo (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

Seattle 27-13 over N.Y. Giants

Giants-Seahawks grades by Cody Benjamin (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

Buffalo 27-17 over Green Bay

Packers-Bills grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)