NFL Week 8: The Cowboys can’t close, the Chargers can’t score, and Lamar Jackson can’t stay healthy

When Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott ran in a touchdown with more than 14 minutes left in Sunday’s fourth quarter, a quarter-century’s worth of football history suggested the game was effectively over.

The score put Dallas ahead of Arizona 24-10, and since 2000, the Cowboys had never lost when they led by at least 14 points in the fourth quarter at home. Their record in such circumstances was a perfect 69-0, according to ESPN.

Now it’s 69-1.

As has been the case for the last two seasons, the Cowboys’ much-maligned problems defensively cost them again. This time, even though the Arizona Cardinals had benched their starting quarterback and turned to backup Gardner Minshew, Dallas allowed 20 fourth-quarter points en route to a 33-30 loss in overtime. The Cowboys were lucky to make it to overtime, too — Arizona missed a point-after kick with 6 seconds left in regulation that would have broken a 30-30 tie.

It was the Cowboys’ second improbable loss of the season, following a Week 3 loss in which they led with 7 seconds to play, only to lose on a walk-off field goal after having surrendered a long pass play to set up the kick.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was shown on the broadcast Sunday banging the tabletop in front of him after the loss. Asked about the possibility of firing coach Brian Schottenheimer amid a 3-5 start to the season, Jones told reporters afterward that “that’s not in my mind at this time” and expressed confidence in the coach.

Prescott said, “It’s all of us; don’t put the blame on one person.”

Schottenheimer will have more time, but how much?

His background is on offense, and Dallas’ has regularly ranked among the league’s best during his tenure, yet the Cowboys gained only 3.6 yards per play Sunday, with their rushing offense gaining an anemic 2.4 yards per carry.

Arizona committed two turnovers, it was just 8 of 18 on third down, and it still won.

Lamar Jackson out at least four weeks

Ever since Lamar Jackson became an MVP candidate early in his career in Baltimore, the Ravens have begun each season wondering whether this would be the year they would break through to a Super Bowl appearance behind their star quarterback.

It has yet to happen, and this doesn’t seem to be their year, either.

Playing his first game since he missed the past three with a high ankle sprain, Jackson was hit on the thumb of his throwing hand on Sunday’s first play and never returned in a 36-10 loss in Buffalo. The injury will require surgery on the thumb, and he will miss at least the next four games and was placed on injured reserve, Ravens coach Jesse Minter said. When Jackson has been injured in recent seasons, backup Tyler Huntley has often subbed in capably. Yet when Huntley left the Buffalo loss, too, because of an injury, Baltimore struggled behind its third-string option.

The Ravens are just 4-4, while Buffalo improved to 6-1. The Bills have won 12 consecutive regular-season games when they have come off byes, the second-longest streak all time.

Cleveland comes back to earth

How real was Cleveland? The question loomed over the Browns’ 5-2 start, which, while it was unexpected, also seemed unsustainable. Deshaun Watson had led game-winning drives in either the fourth quarter or overtime in all five wins. Sunday’s game on the road against division rival Pittsburgh — whom the Browns had already beaten once — was a key litmus test.

Pittsburgh won, 27-6.

The Browns still very well may turn a corner this season, but they still can’t win in Pittsburgh, where they have lost 23 consecutive games, helping the Steelers tie the record for most consecutive home victories against the same opponent.

Watson threw for 324 yards but was sacked eight times. Pittsburgh is now 6-2, but its next two games are on the road, where it has averaged just 17.3 points per game this season. At home, the Steelers are averaging 27.7.

A most unusual win

Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles came up with the Buccaneers’ extraordinary game plan when he saw the forecast for Week 8.

“We knew it was going to be nasty,” he said.

With standing water on their home field and rain falling after kickoff, the Buccaneers became the first team since 1974 to win without completing a pass in their 16-0 victory over Atlanta. In a game featuring five fumbles and four interceptions, the Buccaneers were 0-3 passing but rushed for a franchise-record 324 yards to pull off the kind of win the NFL might not see for 50 more years.

The Chargers can’t win or score touchdowns

While Tampa Bay was using the season’s most one-dimensional offense to succeed, the Los Angeles Chargers can’t score a touchdown no matter what offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel attempts.

During Sunday’s 24-9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, their SoFi Stadium co-tenant, the Chargers remained winless (0-7) while producing another bleak offensive performance. They have now gone 27 consecutive drives without a touchdown, per ESPN’s tabulation. It’s the league’s longest touchdown dry spell since Miami did it in 2024, when McDaniel called plays for that offense, too.

Los Angeles has scored nine offensive touchdowns this season, the fewest in the league by three. Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh didn’t want to address whether McDaniel was the right play-caller for the job afterward.

“I’m focused on this game, we’re gonna go watch this tape, and I believe in our guys, I believe in our players, our coaches,” he said.

They’re 2-4-1. Can they still make the playoffs?

In most of the NFL’s divisions, a win to improve a team to 2-4-1 wouldn’t mean much for its playoff hopes. The downtrodden NFC East isn’t like most, though. Washington’s win over Philadelphia on “Sunday Night Football” gives the Commanders (2-4-1) a 25% chance to still win the division, per NBC Sports projections.

The Commanders dropped Philadelphia 27-10 to send the Eagles (2-6) to their worst start since 1999 and their first six-game losing streak since 2012. The Eagles’ playoff hopes are nearly dead, but everyone else’s in the division are still in play, even though Dallas (3-5) and Washington have endured brutal starts to the season. Division-leading New York (4-2-1) still has to play the Cowboys and the Commanders once each.