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

Loser: Commanders' postseason hopes

The Washington Commanders fell to 3-5 with a narrow 38-31 loss to the Eagles. That would appear to set the front office's trade deadline plans in motion. The expectation is that Washington will now engage in a fire sale, with stars Chase Young and Montez Sweat being the primary trade candidates.

The NFC East was always a difficult hurdle to clear for Ron Rivera and the Commanders. Philadelphia is a bonafide superpower. The Cowboys are too, half the time. Even the Giants' pitiful season hasn't been enough to restore hope for D.C.'s team. New ownership has provided the green light for a busy deadline, per Adam Schefter, so expect the moves to come fast and furious now that the Commanders' status as a pretender is established.

It was far from a terrible loss for Washington. Sam Howell completed 39 passes for 397 yards and four scores. He continues to flash a high ceiling at QB. Four separate receivers found pay dirt. But, the nature of the loss doesn't matter. What does matter is the impact on the standings and what it means for the Commanders' future.

Winner: Rashid Shaheed

Finally, the New Orleans Saints' offense has some oomph to it.

New Orleans put the hurt on Indianapolis, 38-27, behind Derek Carr's strongest showing to date. He completed 19-of-27 passes for 310 yards and a couple scores. Taysom Hill ran for two scores. Alvin Kamara went for 110 yards from scrimmage and scored twice, too.

A real standout, however, was speedy WR Rashid Shaheed, who collected all three of his targets for 153 yards and a score.

There has been a lot of grumbling about New Orleans' WR room and the potential for trade deadline reinforcements, but Carr appeared to solve a few problems on Sunday. Maybe, just maybe, the Shaheed deep threat unlocks the offense even more in the weeks to come.