NFL Week 8 top storylines: Tua and Bryce Young are back; DeAndre Hopkins makes Chiefs debut

And just like that, the NFL has just about reached the midpoint of the 2024 season.

By now, the pecking orders among both conferences have largely been established. You have the elites like the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens in the AFC and the Detroit Lions in the NFC, and another cluster of intriguing front-runners (for now) like the Minnesota Vikings, Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders.

There’s a group of projected playoff teams like the Philadelphia Eagles, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys and Atlanta Falcons, who still have some things to sort out. There are teams like the San Francisco 49ers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are fighting to overcome injuries while hoping to keep playoff hopes alive. And then there’s everybody else: A cluster of teams hovering around .500 and praying for improved fortunes, or basement-dwellers who can already begin making plans for roster overhauls.

The action kicked off Thursday in Los Angeles, where the Vikings lost 30-20 to the Los Angeles Rams, who got wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua back from injuries and four touchdowns from Matthew Stafford.

Sunday’s slate features eight early games, five late-afternoon contests and then the Sunday night showdown between the desperate Cowboys and host 49ers. Monday night’s Giants-Steelers matchup (who thought New York deserved a prime-time slot?) wraps it all up.

Here are five of the most intriguing storylines across the league in Week 8. (Find the full schedule here.)

1. Eagles, Bengals momentum shifts

After slow and troubling starts to the season, the Eagles and Bengals finally seem to be trending in the right direction. Philadelphia has overcome early injuries, and the revamped offensive and defensive units seem to be finding their identities. The Eagles have improved to 4-2 and Sunday seek their first win streak of at least three games since 2023, when they won five in a row from Weeks 7 to 12. The Bengals have improved to 3-4 after a 1-4 injury-plagued and disjointed start to the season. Is it a coincidence that both teams’ two-game win streaks came against the Browns and Giants?

The Bengals and Eagles are about to find out if the spike in offensive firepower and improved resistance on defense stem from cohesion and execution, or if the problems that plagued them during the first month of the season remain. A Philadelphia victory would help nudge Nick Sirianni’s team further up the NFC East standings, where they trail Washington (5-2). Cincinnati hopes to climb above the .500 mark before a Week 10 rematch at Baltimore. (Eagles at Bengals, 1 p.m. ET Sunday.)

Six weeks after he suffered the third known concussion of his NFL career, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa returns to action Sunday at home against the Arizona Cardinals. The Dolphins have missed their franchise quarterback in the worst way, losing three of their last four games, or four of five if you count the Week 2 first half in which Tagovailoa was injured. Their offense, so high-powered in Mike McDaniel’s first two seasons as coach, has averaged just 10 points a game without Tagovailoa. Tyreek Hill, regarded as one of the most dangerous weapons in football, has just one touchdown catch and 294 receiving yards in six games.

Tagovailoa dismissed outside concerns about subjecting himself to another concussion and how such an injury would impact him. He professed an undying love for the game, and commitment to his teammates. If the Dolphins can keep Tagovailoa on the field, their hopes of contention would seemingly return. Although 2-4, they rank second in the AFC East behind 5-2 Buffalo, and they hold the 10th spot in a conference that currently features only seven teams with winning records.

Hill told reporters earlier this week, “We’re back, baby! Strike up the f—ing band!” But is it realistic to expect Tagovailoa to instantly ignite his team against the 3-4 Cardinals, or will he have some rust to knock off? Hill is questionable for Sunday with a foot injury. And again, question No. 1 is whether Tagovailoa can remain on the field. (Cardinals at Dolphins, 1 p.m. ET Sunday.)

Once-prized Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young returns to the starting lineup Sunday against the host Denver Broncos, six weeks after coach Dave Canales benched him in favor of veteran Andy Dalton. Dalton is nursing a sprained thumb after a car accident, but even so, it makes sense for the Panthers to give the 2023 top pick another shot. Canales initially hoped Young could learn from watching a veteran direct an offense while Dalton increased Carolina’s chances of competing. But the Panthers have lost four straight behind Dalton and, at 1-6, devoid of talent at many key positions and among the NFL’s worst teams in many statistical categories, the rookie head coach can abandon any hope of a dramatic turnaround.

Two games weren’t enough for Young to truly even settle into a new offense after seeing scarce preseason action. Canales says Young “has been an absolute stud” in practice since his benching. So, the Panthers need to give him some action now to see if he has the ability to spearhead this franchise turnaround as they believed when they drafted him over C.J. Stroud last season.

Best case, Young, who threw three interceptions, no touchdowns and completed just 56.9 percent of his passes for a combined 299 yards in two games, comes in and displays a better feel for the game and eases concerns that Carolina made a mistake in drafting him. However, if team decision-makers have already decided they erred with Young, they would do well to play him now on the off chance he shows enough promise to prompt a trade offer for him ahead of the Nov. 5 deadline. (Panthers at Broncos, 4:25 p.m. ET Sunday.)

Football gods willing, the top two picks of this year’s draft will meet for the first time. Caleb Williams leads his Chicago Bears to Washington, where they will lay their three-game win streak on the line against the 5-2 Commanders and (perhaps) quarterback Jayden Daniels.

Daniels, the No. 2 pick, suffered a rib injury early in last week’s win over Carolina and watched the bulk of the game from the sideline. He is listed as questionable and while he did not practice Wednesday or Thursday, on Friday he was a limited participant. He has set the tone for the Commanders, who are tied with the Ravens for first in the league in scoring (31.1 points per game). Daniels leads the NFL with a completion percentage of 75.6 and has thrown six touchdowns and just two interceptions while rushing for four more.

Williams, meanwhile, has started to look like the star the Bears thought they were getting when they selected him first overall. He has completed 74.1 percent of his passes with seven touchdown passes and just one interception on this three-game win streak and a once-sputtering Bears offense has outscored opponents by an average of 17 points per game.

The Bears are 4-2 in a hot NFC North that includes Detroit (5-1), Minnesota (5-2) and Green Bay (5-2). Meanwhile, Washington hopes to maintain its edge in the NFC East over a surging Philadelphia. (Bears at Commanders, 4:25 p.m. ET Sunday.)

Few teams have encountered injury-related adversity as much as the Chiefs, who this week placed a third wide receiver on injured reserve, with a fourth also sidelined. Yet somehow, the defending Super Bowl champions remain the NFL’s last undefeated team at 6-0. Kansas City always has a chance with Patrick Mahomes under center and with its defense ranked among the best in the NFL. However, the Chiefs badly need reinforcements on offense and just may have found their guy in DeAndre Hopkins.

Wednesday, they acquired the five-time Pro Bowl and three-time All-Pro selection from the Tennessee Titans hoping he can team with Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Xavier Worthy to help restore improved big-play ability and consistency to their offense. After posting the seventh 1,000-yard season of his career in 2023, Hopkins has endured a trying start to the 2024 campaign. Paired with Tennessee quarterback Will Levis, who has passed for just 699 yards, five touchdowns and seven interceptions this season, Hopkins has 15 catches for 173 yards and a touchdown. At 32, Hopkins lacks the explosiveness he boasted during his prime, but he remains an effective route-runner and can still win 50-50 balls as he always has.

Hopkins’ knowledge of the Chiefs’ offense will be limited Sunday when the Chiefs visit the hapless Raiders, but if anyone can quickly position a player for success, it’s Andy Reid. (Chiefs at Raiders, 4:25 p.m. ET Sunday.)

(Top photo of Bryce Young: Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images)