NFL Winners and Losers from Week 8: A.J. Brown mounts MVP case, Cowboys are back

It was a difficult start to Week 8 for football lovers. Injuries plagued several different matchups. Kirk Cousins hurt his ankle, Kenny Pickett took a gnarly hit, Minkah Fitzpatrick came up limping, Tyrod Taylor went to the hospital — never what you want. Football is a dangerous sport, but this week felt particularly unfortunate on the injury front.

There was, however, some quality football on display as well. A few teams beat the odds and pulled off upsets. A couple of rookie QBs shined in their first starts. The Cowboys dropped 43 points. The Saints and Eagles both dropped 38. On the other end of the spectrum, the Panthers — previously 0-6 — edged out Houston 15-13.

Per usual, there are standouts both positive and negative worth highlighting. As the MVP race takes shape, the standings evolve, and the trade deadline looms... here are your Week 8 NFL winners and losers.

Winner: A.J. Brown

Is it time to mount the A.J. Brown MVP campaign?

The Philadelphia Eagles outlasted the Washington Commanders 38-31 in a shootout. Jalen Hurts naturally garners credit as the Eagles' reigning MVP runner-up, but one could argue the real heavy-hitter in Philadelphia's offense right now is A.J. Brown. It's hard to imagine the Eagles getting to 7-1 without Brown's immense contributions.

He was once again on his A-game Sunday, catching all eight of his targets for 130 yards and two scores. Brown is now the first player in NFL history to post 125+ receiving yards in six straight weeks. Positively nuts.

MVP, anybody?

Brown's ability to make impossible catches in traffic — especially in the red zone — is the defining feature of the Eagles' offense these days. There was much to write home about from Sunday's game, including Julio Jones' first TD catch with the team. But, it's Brown's city at the moment.