Contenders flex their muscles as Packers ruin Rodgers reunion

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Paul Higham

BBC Sport Journalist

1 hour ago

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There were a lot of convincing wins in week eight of the NFL as teams with seemingly solid Super Bowl credentials flexed their muscles.

The Indianapolis Colts lead the way after improving to 7-1, but the streaking Denver Broncos and New England Patriots are hot on their heels.

Running backs had some huge days including Saquon Barkley helping the Eagles gain revenge and Breece Hall leading the New York Jets to a thrilling first win of the season.

Aaron Rodgers had hoped to achieve yet another slice of history as he faced Green Bay for the first time, but his former side ended up with the last laugh.

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Rodgers

Aaron Rodgers insisted revenge was not on his mind in his first game against the Green Bay Packers, but he did have history to play for as a win would have seen him join Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Brett Favre as the only quarterbacks to beat all 32 NFL teams.

Instead, his replacement Jordan Love led 20 fourth-quarter points as the Packers ran out 35-25 winners for their first victory in Pittsburgh since 1970.

Rodgers hopes to retire as a Packer once he calls it a day, having won four MVPs and a Super Bowl during 18 seasons at Lambeau Field – but there’s no doubt his departure stung after Love was drafted as his replacement.

Love showed why though with a near flawless second half, where he completed 20 straight passes, something Rodgers never managed to do, and leading four scoring drives.

The Steelers need to get their defence in order if they’re to challenge, but the Packers look like contenders – and the Cheeshead fans who believe in omens will be excited for the season.

Their quarterback Love turns 27 in November – and Green Bay’s three legends Bart Starr, Brett Favre and Rodgers all won the Super Bowl aged 27.

Classy Colts still lead the way

The Colts only beat the lowly 1-7 Titans, but their 38-14 victory was their sixth game in eight scoring 30 points or more – something only great Super Bowl teams Tom Brady and Peyton Manning led at the Patriots and Broncos have managed.

Daniel Jones threw another three touchdown passes, but running back Jonathan Taylor was the star as he scored his fourth touchdown hat-trick of the season.

The Colts are 7-1 for the first time since 2009 and Taylor is the main reason why – leading to talk of him becoming the first running back to win the MVP since Adrian Peterson in 2012.

Taylor only ran the ball 12 times but turned them into 153 rushing yards, including a brilliant 80-yard score as the Colts remained the team to beat.

Five in a row for Pats & Broncos

Mayles Garrett and Drake Maye shake hands after Cleveland Browns faced the New England Patriots in the NFL

The Denver Broncos and New England Patriots both flexed their muscles in their fifth wins in a row with quarterbacks Bo Nix and Drake Maye continuing to shine.

Nix threw four touchdown passes as the Broncos scored their most points at home since 2014 in their emphatic 44-24 win over the Dallas Cowboys.

Dak Prescott and the high-powered Dallas offence can hang with anyone, their defence though can’t stop anyone.

Denver are 6-2 with their only two defeats coming from last-second field goals.

Maye was sacked five times by Myles Garrett but overcame Cleveland’s fierce defence to throw three touchdowns in another clinical display for the Patriots.

He’s now the only player to throw two touchdowns and have a passer rating of 135 or more in the first eight games of a season.

So the Patriots stay top of the AFC East, but the Buffalo Bills remain hot on their heels after James Cook’s 216 rushing yards inspired their 40-9 rout of the Carolina Panthers.

Josh Allen produced another typical all action display in a record 46th game with a passing and rushing touchdown, in what was the perfect prep for next week’s huge showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Barkley breakout as Eagles gain revenge

Saquon Barkley finally had a big game with a monster 150 yards rushing as the Philadelphia Eagles avenged their defeat to the New York Giants from just a couple of weeks ago.

After a dodgy spell the Eagles offence finally seems to be clicking, with Jalen Hurts adding another four touchdown passes after last week’s big game against the Vikings.

Barkley’s breakout could be the final piece of the puzzle, and although he left the game with a groin injury he said it was not serious and he has a bye next week to recover.

It was a tough night for the Giants’ star rookie duo as quarterback Jaxson Dart was sacked five times while Cam Skattebo’s season looks over as he’s set for surgery after dislocating his ankle.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers bounced back from defeat last week to join the Eagles on 6-2 as the top two teams in the NFC after they dealt with the New Orleans Saints 23-3.

Jets claim crazy comeback first win

New York Jets running back Breece Hall scores a touchdown in their win over the Cincinnati Bengals

The New York Jets finally got their first win of the season, and they made it a memorable one as running back Breece Hall threw the game-wining touchdown after a thrlling 39-38 comeback victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.

NFL teams had lost 135 games in a row when 15 points or more behind to start the fourth quarter, but the Jets made it four this season already – and by far the most unlikely.

Hall had an amazing final 15 minutes, running in two touchdowns before throwing for the winner on a trick play in a crazy way for the Jets to get their first win on the board.

A couple of struggling sides also managed to win just their second games of the season, with Baltimore seeing off in-form Chicago and Miami cruising to victory over inconsistent Atlanta.

There was still no Lamar Jackson for the Ravens but Derrick Henry scored twice and Baltimore’s defence finally showed up in a surprisingly comfortable 30-16 victory over a Bears side that had won four in a row.

Considering the Dolphins had only previously beaten the Jets, the emphatic manner of their 34-10 win over the Falcons was also a big surprise, with Tua Tagovailoa throwing four touchdowns.

The Houston Texans bounced out to a 16-0 lead at home to the San Francisco 49ers and never looked like losing it as they claimed just a third win of the campaign.