NFL winners and losers: The Lions scored 52 points and are the most exciting team in the NFL

This may be the first time we can honestly say: The Detroit Lions have the most fun offense in the NFL. They might also be the most entertaining team in the NFL.

The Lions' 52-14 win over the Tennessee Titans was eye-opening in terms of efficiency. The Lions scored 52 points without rushing for 100 yards, something unheard of in the Super Bowl era. According to Josh Dubow of the Associated Press, the 1955 Chicago Bears were the last team to score 50 points while rushing for fewer than 100 yards.

It wasn't that Jared Goff wasn't good. He posted a passer rating of 129.9, continuing his winning streak. The Lions were just content to find creative ways to score. And they have lots of them.

The Lions had great players in Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson, but had never had a full-team offense like this before. The Lions had 35 points at halftime and Goff only had 28 yards passing. The Lions can score however they want, whether it's with their fantastic running back duo, a trick pass from running back David Montgomery to Sam LaPorta or a 90-yard punt return touchdown from Kalif Raymond.

Having an excellent play-caller in offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and perhaps the best offensive line in the NFL opens up a lot of opportunities for Detroit, and Detroit is happy to take advantage of them all. According to the Fox broadcast, six different players scored a touchdown on Sunday, tying a franchise record. It was only the fourth time in franchise history that the Lions scored 50 points in a game. If they were really going after the Titans, they could have easily broken the franchise record of 55 in a game.

The Lions still haven't looked good on defense since Aidan Hutchinson's injury, but they are capable of making a few big plays per game. It may not matter because it's hard to figure out how someone can stop them from scoring. The Lions are 6-1, their best start since 1956. Detroit entered this season with Super Bowl hopes after narrowly missing out on winning the NFC championship last season. Having the best offense in the NFL is a good starting point for that journey.

Here are the rest of the winners and losers from Week 8 of the NFL season:

WINNER

Malik Willis: Malik Willis helped save the Packers' season.

Willis, who was acquired in a trade from the Tennessee Titans in late August, saved the Packers again on Sunday. Jordan Love left with a groin injury and Willis came in. The Jacksonville Jaguars fought back to tie the game at 27-27, but Willis hit Jayden Reed with a well-crafted return pass with just over a minute to play for a 51-yard gain, setting up a game-winning field goal. The Packers won 30:27.

Willis has helped the Packers to three wins in three extended appearances, with two starts and the relief effort on Sunday.

The Packers need to keep Love healthy to be a real contender this season. But they've shown they can win games even if Willis has to play.

Jalen hurts: The Philadelphia Eagles may have landed the knockout blow on the Cincinnati Bengals' season while continuing to build on their own chances.

The Eagles had a great second half, defeating the Bengals 37-17 with Hurts leading the way. He had three touchdown runs and was also 16 of 20 for 236 yards and a touchdown pass. If the Eagles can get him to stay at this level, they will be fine. They are 5-2 and are well positioned for the future.

The same cannot be said for the Bengals. They're 3-5, and their second-half collapse — when they were outscored 27-7 — is further evidence that they're incapable of being anywhere near a Super Bowl contender. But maybe the Eagles are still in that conversation.

Arizona Cardinals: When the Cardinals trailed the Miami Dolphins 27-18 with less than 10 minutes left, it seemed like they were headed for another disappointing loss.

But the Cardinals are fierce. They fought back and won 28-27 with a field goal as time expired. It's a huge disappointment for the Dolphins who had Tua Tagovailoa back, the offense looked much better and they still lost. They are 2-5 and would need an incredible rebound to get back into the playoff race.

The Cardinals are quite surprising at 4-4. They finally got a big 111-yard game from rookie Marvin Harrison Jr., who may be comfortable in the NFL. Kyler Murray had one of his best games of the season with 307 yards. The Cardinals have had some close wins and that will be important as they continue to grow.

LOSER

Indianapolis Colts and Anthony Richardson: NFL coaches have a duty to everyone in the locker room. At some point you can't lose by playing fewer options, especially as a quarterback.

On Sunday, the Colts hit rock bottom with Anthony Richardson.

Richardson scored an astonishing 2 of 15 points in the first half. He had 81 yards, and 69 of those came on a wide-open pass to Josh Downs after a failed coverage. That was a pass any NFL quarterback could make. Richardson's terrible interception late in the first half led to a Houston Texans touchdown that proved crucial in the Colts' 23-20 loss.

Maybe the Colts wouldn't have won if Joe Flacco had started. But it's hard to say he wasn't better than 2 of 15 in the first half that could have changed the outcome of the game. The Colts are sticking with Richardson, the fourth pick in last year's draft, because he gives them hope for the future. But he hurts her in the present.

New York Jets: Aaron Rodgers said in the offseason that if he and the Jets didn't perform this season, everyone would be gone when the season was over. The Jets may be looking for ways to tear it down right now.

The Jets season is almost over. They faced the New England Patriots, who hadn't won since Week 1, and dropped a game. They lost despite the Patriots losing rookie quarterback Drake Maye to a concussion in the first half. With the season barely over, the Jets shut down the Patriots and Rhamondre Stevenson scored a 1-yard touchdown with 22 seconds left. The Patriots won 25-22. The Jets are now tied for last place in the AFC East.

That's pretty much it for the Jets, despite all the draft picks they traded and the money they spent to go with Aaron Rodgers. They immediately dug themselves a 2-5 hole to start the season. That meant they likely had to move into the playoffs at 8-2 heading into Sunday's game. And if you can't beat the Patriots this season, you probably won't win eight games down the stretch.

Buccaneers without WR: Before last week, if you asked what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' strength was, it was their star receiver duo. With Chris Godwin out for the season and Mike Evans out for a few weeks, it was easy to predict what would happen next.

The Buccaneers looked average in their decisive 31-26 home loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. Tampa Bay had a chance to win late, but failed to get a deep pass into the end zone to win. Kirk Cousins ​​played well with 276 yards and four touchdowns. The Falcons and Buccaneers entered the game tied 4-3 atop the NFC South, and now the Falcons lead with a game in which the head-to-head tiebreaker was decided by a season win. None of the Buccaneers could do anything, limiting their offense. That will likely be the case, at least until Evans returns. And it seems likely that it will cost them a chance to win the division.

Whoever made the decision not to bench Deshaun Watson: Whether Watson was able to keep his job because the Cleveland Browns acquired him or because coach Kevin Stefanski was strangely stubborn, that decision looked even stranger on Sunday.

Jameis Winston brought the Browns offense to life. The Browns scored 20 points for the first time this season and looked as good as they have all season. Winston hit Cedric Tillman for a touchdown with 59 seconds left to take the lead over the Baltimore Ravens, although Winston was lucky that Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton had an interception one play earlier. Then the Browns got a stop and caused a huge 29:24 surprise to the Ravens. Winston had 334 yards and looked miles better than Watson for most of his time at Clevelaned.

It makes the 1-6 start with Watson flailing at the quarterback look like a complete waste. The difference in offense between Watson and Winston was astounding. Whoever made the call to stick with Watson may have sabotaged the Browns' season.

Watson is out for the season with an Achilles tendon injury. And suddenly there's hope that the Browns' offense looks decent.