NFL experts' Week 8 takeaways: Do Ravens need drastic QB measures? Plus, Cowboys collapse

Each Sunday, three of The Athletic's NFL writers react to the biggest news, plays and performances from the day's games.

Every Sunday matters in the NFL. That's what makes the league so popular. But this Sunday seemed especially consequential with a significant quarterback injury, a stunning comeback and several key division matchups.

The biggest news of the day came early, as the return of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson lasted one play before he left with a thumb injury. It got worse when backup Tyler Huntley also left with an injury. In the end, emergency quarterback Joe Fagnano gave a game performance, but it wasn't nearly enough in a 36-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Now the Ravens will have to hold their breath and see if their franchise quarterback is going to miss the rest of the season.

The most important game of the day was in Detroit, as the Lions handed the Minnesota Vikings their first loss of the season. Detroit's offense did just enough against the dominant Minnesota defense in a 19-15 win.

The wildest game of the day was in Dallas, as the Arizona Cardinals scored two touchdowns in the final three minutes of regulation and won 33-30 in overtime. It was another stunning collapse by the Cowboys in a season that is getting away from them.

The season has already gotten away from the Indianapolis Colts, who suffered a humiliating 42-7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The fire sale that started earlier this week could accelerate with the trade deadline looming.

NFL writers Mike Jones, Austin Mock and Ted Nguyen share their thoughts on the Ravens' quarterback mess, the stumbling Cowboys, the surging Lions and the hapless Indianapolis Colts.

Should the Ravens trade serious draft capital for a quarterback in an attempt to save their season if Lamar Jackson misses a significant amount of time?

Jones: If Tyler Huntley will not miss time, then the Ravens don't even need to consider this. If both Jackson and Huntley will miss time, Baltimore needs to do something, but there's not really a quarterback worthy of serious draft capital on the trading block. When it comes to veterans capable of stepping in and leading a team effectively, the pickings are rather slim. The Cincinnati Bengals aren't going to trade Joe Flacco to a divisional rival. The San Francisco 49ers aren't going to part with Mac Jones. Andy Dalton would seem to have a little left in the tank and is a member of the Atlanta Falcons' crowded quarterback room. But he wouldn't seemingly command "serious draft capital." Another option: Josh Johnson, who is in his 19th professional season and is a member of the Bengals' practice squad. Baltimore wouldn't have to trade for him to add him to their roster.

Mock: I don't think so and am pretty sure that would be a poor decision in the long run. First, being desperate and turning to the trade market is a dangerous combination. Second, I'm not even sure who you'd trade for at this point. Kirk Cousins is probably the only starter that makes sense, but I'm not sure if the Las Vegas Raiders would be willing to do that. Mac Jones will certainly be buzzy, but I'm skeptical what we saw in half a season under Kyle Shanahan in the 49ers' system is the type of production you'll get in Baltimore. At the end of the day, you have to be content with understanding that the future is more important than the now and that's where I'm at with the Ravens. Maybe you can win some games down the stretch with poor quarterback play, but if not, you get a better draft pick to supplement Lamar Jackson for 2027 and beyond.

Nguyen: I'm not sure who would be available that could help them at this point. Cousins is leading the league in touchdown passes, but I think the Raiders are intent on keeping him as Fernando Mendoza's mentor. Maybe the Bears would be willing to trade Tyson Bagent and go with Case Keenum as their backup. Bagent knows offensive coordinator Declan Doyle's system and the transition should be relatively simple. It would take maybe a second-round pick for the 49ers to trade Mac Jones. There just aren't a lot of options. I'm not sure if the Ravens defense is good enough to hold things together during a QB transition period. Sometimes, you just have to accept your fate. At the very least, they may get to keep Doyle longer.

Who's most to blame for the Cowboys' stunning collapse against the Cardinals?

Jones: There's plenty of blame to go around. A defense that let Gardner Minshew come off the bench to carve them up for three touchdown passes while completing 17 of 23 passes for 188 yards in less than 17 minutes of play? A defense that let Tyler Allgeier gash them for 147 rushing yards and a touchdown on just 11 touches? A defense that let Michael Wilson rack up 111 receiving yards and a touchdown on eight catches? A defense that surrendered 30 points after halftime? Or do we want to go with a Cowboys offense that got out-gained 467-261 while averaging just 3.6 yards per play? This was a bad day all around for coach Brian Schottenheimer and his team.

Mock: Can I say everyone? Because it's not that simple. The easy answer is the defense because they've been horrendous for two seasons now and the offseason moves to address that side of the ball haven't come to fruition. The defense isn't even close to being a respectable unit right now and you can't consistently win games in the NFL with a unit that bad. But the offense deserves some blame too with their inability to run the ball (34 percent success rate against the Cardinals), which resulted in them being unable to put away the Cardinals with a lead. So that comes back to the blame on everyone? The coaching staff on both sides of the ball, the front office, it's all bad right now. The coaching staff isn't elevating the talent they have, and the front office hasn't given them the talent to be a winning football team. So while it's easy to point fingers at one person or one unit, the blame is shared and goes the whole way to the top of the organization.

Nguyen: The offense certainly deserves blame for not putting away the game against a Cardinals defense that had been struggling. However, the defense gave up 20 points in the fourth quarter to a Minshew-led offense. Without any timeouts, the Cardinals drove 80 yards in just over a minute and should have won the game in regulation but missed an extra point. And there were wide-open receivers. The Cardinals weren't making a bunch of amazing catches. In overtime, the offense went three-and-out and the Cardinals drove right down the field.

The Detroit Lions didn't light up the scoreboard against the Minnesota Vikings' fearsome defense, but Jared Goff led the game-winning drive in the fourth quarter. Goff has 15 touchdown passes and one interception. Is he the MVP so far this season?

Jones: If you ask Vegas, Goff doesn't even crack the top five in the MVP race. The popular picks: Josh Allen, Brock Purdy, Joe Burrow, Patrick Mahomes and Trevor Lawrence lead the way according to most books. However, Goff certainly deserves consideration. Sunday was a big statement game for the Lions and the 11th-year veteran. Goff has been masterful this season, especially against the blitz, where entering Sunday's game, he had completed roughly 77 percent of his passes. The Vikings definitely got to him on Sunday, but when it mattered most, Goff came through. Goff has provided stability and effectiveness despite a change at offensive coordinator and injuries on that side of the ball. And despite all the change, Detroit boasts one of the most prolific offenses in the league, thanks largely to Goff.

Mock: Goff came into this week sixth in Quarterback Index (QBI) heading into the week and I'm not sure his stat line against the Vikings will improve that number, but it's the Vikings, so we are happy to give him a pass. But with the weapons that they have on offense, it's hard for me to see Goff getting enough credit to win the award. The Lions have a ton of talent going around with Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and even on the offensive line with Penei Sewell. And then you factor in that Allen is still doing otherworldly things in Buffalo, I don't know if he can be the favorite. With Goff being non-existent in the run game, his passing numbers would need to be above and beyond Allen and others and with Gibbs in the backfield, I'm not sure we will see that. In the conversation, sure, but he's in that second-tier right now and likely behind Allen, Purdy, and Mahomes if I was in charge.

Nguyen: He should definitely be in the conversation. The hiring of offensive coordinator Drew Petzing and passing game coordinator Mike Kafka has gotten this offense back on track. The Lions still are a run-first team and Gibbs might win offensive player of the year. Goff has been extremely productive, but it's hard to overlook the super-human play of Allen this season. Goff's final numbers would have to be substantially better than Allen's for him to win in my opinion.

After trading two of their best players, the Colts were crushed by the Jaguars. They don't own their first-round pick and Daniel Jones looks lost after getting a huge contract extension? Is this the most bleak situation in the NFL right now?

Jones: The Colts have two more wins than the winless Chargers, but it's clear Indianapolis is headed toward a franchise reset this offseason. They've already fired their general manager and unloaded two key players in Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner. They really should go ahead and move Jonathan Taylor and Josh Downs and anyone else they can to stockpile picks for their next GM to work with in the spring.

Mock: I think so, yes. And if I were in charge, I'd be selling off just about every player I could to try and maximize my draft capital in the coming years considering the Colts don't have their first-rounder. And with new ownership, will a promising general manager and/or coaching staff be willing to come in for a rebuild if head coach Shane Steichen isn't around next season. You'd have to really sell the new front office and staff on this being a long rebuild and preach patience because the roster is void of talent, on both sides of the ball, and there is no future quarterback at the moment. And even then, if you hit on a quarterback, how long does it take to surround your rookie with enough talent to compete for titles before you have to pay him a gaudy amount? With the lack of draft capital, this is certainly the franchise furthest from winning and will need a full rebuild and most importantly, time, to get this thing turned around.

Nguyen: Can't think of many worse than the Colts right now, who don't have a first-round pick. The Sauce Gardner trade for two first-round picks could be the worst trade since the Browns' for Deshaun Watson. Maybe the Colts could recoup a first for Taylor. Extending Jones from a small sample of successful play after a career's worth of underwhelming play was a bad mistake. Chris Ballard put this team in dire straits before his firing, which is one of the dangers of having a GM on the hot seat. They start to make desperate moves to save their job.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.