EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsThe Sunday slate for Week 8 of the 2026 NFL season kicked off with some shocking results in the early window. Despite not completing a pass, the Buccaneers shut out the Falcons in a rainy Tampa. Meanwhile, Jaguars running back Bhayshul Tuten had a career-high 104 rushing yards in a blowout win over the Colts.Our NFL Nation reporters react to all the action, answering lingering questions coming out of each game and detailing everything else you need to know. Fantasy football analysts Matt Bowen and Tristan Cockcroft also have fantasy takeaways from each matchup.Let's get to it with the biggest lessons from Sunday.Jump to:IND-JAX | ATL-TBCatch up on Thursday's game:CAR-GBJacksonville 42, Indianapolis 7Catch up on the action: Box score | RecapJaguarsIs RB Bhayshul Tuten's breakout a sign that he's ready to carry the ground game? Tuten ran for a career-high 104 yards (his previous high was 74) and a touchdown. He also caught two passes for 55 yards and another touchdown. Both of those receptions came on screen passes, which hadn't been working all season. The Jaguars let Travis Etienne Jr. walk in free agency because they believed in Tuten's ability. Coach Liam Coen said in the offseason the Jaguars needed to fix the stink of a run game that faltered late last season. Tuten had been building all season to Sunday's performance, rushing for at least 65 yards in five games, and it seems he's ready to be their featured back.Trend to watch: This may turn out to be a costly victory for the Jaguars. Nose tackle DaVon Hamilton's right knee injury appeared to be the most serious because he was carted off the field, but LG Ezra Cleveland (ankle), S Eric Murray (elbow), and DE Travon Walker (ribs) also left the game and didn't return. Hamilton's injury also might lead to the Jaguars adding defensive tackles at the trade deadline. -- Michael DiRoccoNext game: at Ravens (Thursday, 8:15 p.m. ET)ColtsHas coach Shane Steichen lost his team? The Colts made Steichen's job infinitely more difficult when the organization traded guard Quenton Nelson and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner last week. The moves not only impacted the Colts from a talent perspective, but they also eliminated the Colts' two most veteran leaders who helped hold the locker room together during difficult moments. The Colts played like a team lacking any inspiration Sunday. Fair or not, it's going to reflect poorly on Steichen, who worked tirelessly in the past few days to refocus his team in light of last week's moves and rampant speculation about the future of star running back Jonathan Taylor.What to make of the QB performance: Daniel Jones had a rough outing, going 19 of 28 for 144 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Steichen hasn't wavered on Jones' status as the starting quarterback, but it's getting more difficult to defend Jones' inconsistent results. So, when Anthony Richardson Sr. entered the game with 11:53 remaining, it opened the door to more conversation about how the Colts move forward. -- Stephen HolderNext game: vs. Cowboys (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)Fantasy football takeaway: Colts RB Jonathan Taylor's fantasy managers are -- and should be -- rooting for a trade ahead of the Nov. 10 deadline, as Indianapolis' weak supporting cast hampered his production significantly Sunday. His 6.7 fantasy points represented his fewest in any of his prior 28 non-Week 18 games. -- CockcroftTampa Bay 16, Atlanta 0Catch up on the action: Box score | RecapBuccaneersCan the Bucs continue to win this way? After 64 passing yards in a win over the Panthers last week, quarterback Baker Mayfield didn't a complete a pass Sunday -- making Tampa Bay the first team since 1974 (Bills) to win a game with no completions, per ESPN Research. After starting 0 for 2 in the first quarter, Mayfield's only other attempt came in the third quarter. So how did they win? Defense (four interceptions) and career rushing days from Bucky Irving (170 yards) and Kenny Gainwell (140). Tampa Bay totaled 324 rushing yards and minus-2 passing yards.Key stat to know: Linebacker Alex Anzalone hadn't had more than one interception in a season coming into Sunday's game, yet he was able to pick off Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. twice in the first quarter. He now has three on the season. -- ESPN StaffNext game: at Bears (Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET)FalconsWas this just a rainy aberration for the Falcons offense? Probably? If not, Atlanta is in a lot of trouble because that offensive "performance" was heinous. Coming in, the Falcons had scored the most points per game (31) in the NFL since Michale Penix Jr. returned in Week 3. On Sunday, it looked like he could not complete a pass -- to his own teammates, that is. He had no issue finding Buccaneers players, finisihing with four interceptions. An ugly anomaly. At least hopefully for the Falcons' sake.Most surprising performance: Falcons fans better hope that the rain is Penix's kryptonite. With 13:35 left in the game, Penix had only two more completions (six) than interceptions (four). Penix was the first Falcons QB to have at least three interceptions in a first half since 2012, and things did not get markedly better from there. He had never thrown more than two interceptions in a game, going back to 2021 when he was at Indiana University. -- Marc RaimondiNext game: vs. Bengals (Sunday, 9:30 a.m. in Madrid p.m. ET)Fantasy football takeaway: Game flow and rough weather in Tampa played a role in Buccaneers RB Kenny Gainwell seeing 24 carries in the win over the Falcons. However, he has now posted 14 or more carries in back-to-back games and should be viewed by managers as a priority insurance back behind starter Bucky Irving over the second half of the season. -- Bowen
