Saquon Barkley Still Has Star Power, and What Else We Learned in Week 8

In addition to celebrating tight ends around the league on National Tight Ends Day, the Sunday of Week 8 features a group of compelling matchups throughout the day and night. First, behind a big game by Saquon Barkley, the Eagles got revenge on the Giants after losing to New York just two weeks ago. In the mid-afternoon window, the Broncos showed the Cowboys that they're more than a good defense. And tonight, Aaron Rodgers faces the Packers for the first time ever as the Steelers host Green Bay. 

We've got you covered across the league. FOX Sports' NFL experts provide the lessons we're learning from every Sunday game and what they mean for each team going forward.

The obvious storyline from this game was James Cook’s domination. He was outstanding. But anyone who sees the box score can deduce Cook made a big difference. So let’s look to someone whose performance in the Bills’ offense isn’t quite as heralded. Let’s talk about Khalil Shakir. He accounted for six of Josh Allen’s 12 completions and 88 of the QB’s 163 passing yards. The way that Allen and Shakir work together is reminiscent of Tom Brady and Julian Edelman — they just understand each other. Shakir is one of the most dangerous guys with the ball in his hands, and he’s impossible to cover around the line of scrimmage.

The Bills' defense hasn’t looked good this year, so it figured that coach Sean McDermott would have the defense trending upward after a bye week. But the Bills flatout embarrassed Andy Dalton, who filled in for the injured Bryce Young and looked like a major downgrade. That’s good news for the former No. 1 overall pick, who hasn’t been exceptional this year. 

Young might be playing to earn his job next year. But apparently, it could be much worse