NFL Week 8's Best QB Performances: Hurts, Prescott Shine Before Showdown

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott led their teams to Week 8 victories, setting up a pivotal matchup on Sunday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

As the NFL prepares to cross the halfway mark of the season, the Eagles now own the best record in the NFL. They are the only team with one loss after the Kansas City Chiefs lost in a surprising upset against the Denver Broncos. Dallas, meanwhile, kept pace in the NFC East with a 43-20 win against the Los Angeles Rams, still a game and a half behind Philadelphia.

Hurts and Prescott weren't the only quarterbacks with significant Week 8 individual performances. Tua Tagovailoa's play elevated the Dolphins to a win against the New England Patriots and, at 6-2, are tied with the Chiefs for the best record in the AFC, which sets up another big game on the Week 9 schedule between the Chiefs and Dolphins on Sunday morning in Frankfurt, Germany.

Halloween weekend was an appetizer for several big games heading into November, with the season nearly halfway done. Here are the quarterbacks who served up the tastiest treats in Week 8.

Dak Prescott

Dallas had a few players that could've made this list, including defensive back DaRon Bland, who caught his third pick-six of the season in the Cowboys' beatdown win against the Los Angeles Rams. However, Prescott threw four touchdowns and for more than 300 yards, connecting with CeeDee Lamb 12 times for 158 yards and two touchdowns.

Prescott overcame a persistent Rams pass rush by extending plays with his legs and timely throws. He was 25-of-31, completing passes to eight receivers. Dallas has won back-to-back games following an embarrassing loss against the San Francisco 49ers.

After the win, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones took a cautious approach to discussing the upcoming game against the defending NFC champions. Jones said he didn't want to "poke the bear" based on how the Cowboys got blasted by the 49ers. Prescott took a different approach.

"Pour honey on me," he said with a smile. "I always say that. If you see me and a bear fighting, pour honey on me," Prescott said after the game via the team website. "It's all just a part of the National Football League that whether you talk or not, we know what's ahead of us: a great opponent. I'm excited for it. It's an opponent we're familiar with, and vice versa."

Will Levis

The Titans entered Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons with two touchdown passes by quarterbacks through six games. By the end of the game, rookie quarterback Will Levis had made it six. Levis ended up with four touchdown passes in his NFL debut, guiding the Titans to a win that kept them from falling into the AFC basement.

He became the third player in league history to throw four touchdown passes in his first game. Former Titan Marcus Mariota and Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton are the other two to accomplish the feat.

Levis' presence meant especially good things for five-time All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who had been held scoreless in his six games as a Titan. But Levis found him for three touchdowns Sunday, including a 61-yarder in the third quarter to give the Titans a 21-9 lead.

Next up for the Titans is Thursday Night Football against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Jalen Hurts

Despite again wearing a brace on his left knee, Hurts put up one of the best games of his career in the win against the Washington Commanders.

Hurts threw for 319 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. He also completed 76 percent of his attempts. A.J. Brown had 130 yards and two touchdowns, while DeVonta Smith had 99 yards and a touchdown. Veteran wide receiver Julio Jones also caught an 8-yard touchdown pass from Hurts.

Just a few weeks ago, San Francisco seemed to have control of the NFC. But following three straight losses, they aren't even on top of the NFC West, let along the conference. The Eagles now have a game-and-a-half lead for the top seed in the NFC, putting up the third-most points and second-most yards in the entire league. For now, the road to the Super Bowl seems to run through Philadelphia.

Next up for the Eagles is the matchup with the Cowboys.

Tua Tagovailoa

Miami bounced back from a tough loss against the Eagles in Week 7 with a home win against the New England Patriots. The Dolphins completed the season sweep of the Pats, and Tagovailoa is now 6-0 against New England head coach Bill Belichick.

Tagovailoa completed 30-of-45 passes for 324 yards and three touchdowns and leads the NFL with 2,416 passing yards. Tyreek Hill caught eight passes for 112 yards and a touchdown. Hill has 1,014 receiving yards and became the first player in the Super Bowl era to go over 1,000 receiving yards in the first eight games of the season. Tagovailoa also completed seven passes to Jaylen Waddle for 121 yards and a touchdown.

There's not a lot of margin for error in the AFC East. Sunday's win kept the Dolphins one game ahead of the Buffalo Bills, who turned in a win Thursday and are a game and a half ahead of the New York Jets, who continue to stay above .500 without Aaron Rodgers on the field.

Next up for Miami is the game in Germany against the Chiefs.

Joe Burrow

Burrow and the Bengals made a demonstrative statement with a victory against the San Francisco 49ers.

The Bengals got off to a rough start this season as Burrow entered the year with a calf injury. He didn't appear encumbered Sunday, looking athletic as he completed a whopping 87.5 percent of his pass attempts. He also rushed for 43 yards, which is by far his most in a game this season.

Burrow had 283 passing yards and threw for three touchdowns with no interceptions.

Cincinnati is on a three-game winning streak after a 1-3 start that had critics wondering if Burrow and the Bengals were already done for the season. Instead, they're now 4-3 and still very much in the mix for the AFC North crown.

The Bengals will play the Buffalo Bills on Sunday Night Football.