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NFL Week 8 winners: Will Levis makes big statement for Titans
Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis (8) Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

NFL Week 8 winners: Will Levis makes big statement for Titans

With most of the Week 8 NFL schedule in the books, let's take a look at some of the biggest winners from the week.

Will Levis, QB, Tennessee Titans. It was a mild shock when Levis dropped all the way down to the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, and there was some serious question about his upside following his training camp and preseason performance. But in his first NFL start on Sunday he was sensational in the Titans' 28-23 win over the Atlanta Falcons, completing 19-of-29 passes for 238 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions. With Ryan Tannehill getting older (and currently injured), the Titans need somebody to emerge as a potential long-term answer at quarterback. They have seemingly given up on 2022 third-round pick Malik Willis, but Levis showed a lot on Sunday. 

CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys went wild in Los Angeles on Sunday, scoring 43 points in a huge win over the Rams. The two big stars of the day were quarterback Dak Prescott and Lamb, his top target of the day. Lamb had a massive game with 12 catches (on 14 targets) for 158 yards and two touchdowns. It is Lamb's second straight 100-yard game for the Cowboys. 

Philadelphia Eagles coaching staff. If for no other reason than introducing this wrinkle into the tush-push:

It was inevitable at some point that the Eagles were going to try something like this with this play given how everybody knows what is happening in short-yardage situations, and this is a perfectly drawn-up and perfectly performed play. 

Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals. We might be able to stop worrying about what is wrong with Burrow — mainly because there no longer appears to be anything wrong with him. Maybe he just needed to get back to 100 percent and get everybody on offense around him in sync. Burrow was at his best on Sunday in a blowout win over the San Francisco 49ers, completing 28-of-32 passes for 283 yards and three touchdowns. It was by far his best performance of the season and came on the road against one of the best defenses in the league. If he starts playing like this, his slow start — as well as the Bengals' slow start — will be a distant memory in very short order. 

Travis Etienne, Jacksonville Jaguars. Etienne has been Jacksonville's most dynamic playmaker in recent weeks, and even though his streak of scoring at least two touchdowns in a game came to an end on Sunday, he still found the end zone one time in Jacksonville's 20-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers and accounted for 149 yards on 27 touches, including this 53-yard touchdown catch. 

Denver Broncos defense. The biggest mismatch of the week on paper seemed to be the Kansas City Chiefs offense against the Broncos defense. Denver's defense has been one of the worst in the NFL all season and was going to have to stop one of the league's top quarterbacks while also trying to snap a huge losing streak against the Chiefs. The Broncos defense responded by allowing just nine points and forcing Patrick Mahomes into two interceptions. It was by far the best showing of the season at the most unexpected time. 

Ken Dorsey, OC, Buffalo Bills. The Bills offense has been an inconsistent mess at times this season, but Ken Dorsey and the offensive coaching staff deserve some credit for Thursday's game plan against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — mainly because they went back to the old formula that has given them the most success in the past. Passing on first down, allowing quarterback Josh Allen to run the ball on designed plays and having more of a strategy than just "find Stefon Diggs" did wonders. If they can have this sort of game plan and performance in the future, they will again be a top contender in the AFC playoff race. 

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