Jacksonville, Minnesota and Washington are tied for the NFL’s best turnover margin after Week 8, each at plus-7. The Jaguars got there by taking the ball away three times and giving it up once in a 42–7 win over Indianapolis, which moved them from plus-5 to plus-7 and from a tie for third to a share of first. Minnesota, alone on top a week ago, stayed at plus-7 in a 19–15 loss at Detroit in which both teams had one giveaway.
The Colts are last again, and further back than a week ago. Indianapolis fell from minus-9 to minus-11 with three giveaways and one takeaway, and has 15 giveaways to four takeaways, tied with Philadelphia for the fewest in the league. Jacksonville visits Baltimore on Thursday night, which is 03:15 on Friday in Cairo.
NFL turnover margin after Week 8, all 32 teams
| Rank | Team | Record | G | Takeaways | INT | Giveaways | Margin | Week 8 | After Week 7 | Week 9 (Cairo time) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-1 | Jacksonville | 5–2 | 7 | 12 | 9 | 5 | +7 | +2 | +5 | at Baltimore, Fri 03:15 |
| T-1 | Minnesota | 6–1 | 7 | 12 | 8 | 5 | +7 | 0 | +7 | vs. Buffalo, Tue 03:15 |
| T-1 | Washington | 2–4–1 | 7 | 10 | 4 | 3 | +7 | +1 | +6 | vs. LA Rams, Sun 20:00 |
| T-4 | Las Vegas | 4–4 | 8 | 13 | 6 | 8 | +5 | +1 | +4 | at San Francisco, Sun 23:25 |
| T-4 | Pittsburgh | 6–2 | 8 | 13 | 7 | 8 | +5 | +1 | +4 | Bye |
| T-4 | Kansas City | 5–2 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 5 | +5 | 0 | +5 | vs. NY Jets, Sun 20:00 |
| T-7 | Tampa Bay | 3–5 | 8 | 16 | 12 | 12 | +4 | +3 | +1 | at Chicago, Mon 03:20 |
| T-7 | Green Bay | 5–3 | 8 | 15 | 10 | 11 | +4 | −1 | +5 | at New England, Sun 23:25 |
| T-7 | Denver | 6–2 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 6 | +4 | 0 | +4 | at Carolina, Sun 20:00 |
| T-10 | Detroit | 5–2 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 4 | +3 | 0 | +3 | at Miami, Sun 20:00 |
| T-10 | Houston | 2–5 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 3 | +3 | Bye | +3 | at LA Chargers, Sun 23:05 |
| 12 | NY Jets | 2–6 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 6 | +2 | −1 | +3 | at Kansas City, Sun 20:00 |
| 13 | Cincinnati | 5–2 | 7 | 11 | 4 | 10 | +1 | −2 | +3 | vs. Atlanta in Madrid, Sun 16:30 |
| T-14 | Carolina | 3–4 | 7 | 10 | 4 | 10 | 0 | +1 | −1 | vs. Denver, Sun 20:00 |
| T-14 | Arizona | 3–5 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 8 | 0 | −2 | +2 | at Seattle, Sun 23:25 |
| T-14 | Baltimore | 4–4 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 0 | −1 | +1 | vs. Jacksonville, Fri 03:15 |
| T-17 | Seattle | 4–4 | 8 | 13 | 8 | 14 | −1 | 0 | −1 | vs. Arizona, Sun 23:25 |
| T-17 | Chicago | 6–2 | 8 | 11 | 5 | 12 | −1 | 0 | −1 | vs. Tampa Bay, Mon 03:20 |
| T-17 | Tennessee | 1–7 | 8 | 11 | 8 | 12 | −1 | +2 | −3 | Bye |
| T-17 | Cleveland | 5–3 | 8 | 10 | 6 | 11 | −1 | −1 | 0 | at New Orleans, Sun 20:00 |
| T-17 | Dallas | 3–5 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 7 | −1 | +2 | −3 | at Indianapolis, Sun 20:00 |
| T-22 | Buffalo | 6–1 | 7 | 9 | 4 | 11 | −2 | +1 | −3 | at Minnesota, Tue 03:15 |
| T-22 | NY Giants | 4–2–1 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 11 | −2 | Bye | −2 | at Philadelphia, Sun 20:00 |
| T-24 | San Francisco | 6–1 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 10 | −3 | Bye | −3 | vs. Las Vegas, Sun 23:25 |
| T-24 | Miami | 1–6 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 9 | −3 | 0 | −3 | vs. Detroit, Sun 20:00 |
| T-26 | New Orleans | 2–5 | 7 | 9 | 4 | 13 | −4 | Bye | −4 | vs. Cleveland, Sun 20:00 |
| T-26 | LA Rams | 4–4 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 12 | −4 | +1 | −5 | at Washington, Sun 20:00 |
| T-26 | Philadelphia | 2–6 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 8 | −4 | −1 | −3 | vs. NY Giants, Sun 20:00 |
| T-29 | LA Chargers | 0–7 | 7 | 11 | 6 | 17 | −6 | −1 | −5 | vs. Houston, Sun 23:05 |
| T-29 | Atlanta | 3–5 | 8 | 10 | 3 | 16 | −6 | −3 | −3 | vs. Cincinnati in Madrid, Sun 16:30 |
| 31 | New England | 5–3 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 15 | −7 | 0 | −7 | vs. Green Bay, Sun 23:25 |
| 32 | Indianapolis | 2–6 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 15 | −11 | −2 | −9 | vs. Dallas, Sun 20:00 |
Turnover margin is the number of interceptions and fumble recoveries a team takes away, minus the interceptions it throws and the fumbles it loses. The Week 8 column is the margin from that game alone, and the Colts’ minus-11 is the lowest in the league by four. Pittsburgh, Las Vegas and Kansas City are tied for fourth at plus-5. Washington and Houston have the fewest giveaways in the league, with three apiece.
The biggest moves of Week 8
| Team | After Week 7 | Takeaways in Week 8 | Giveaways in Week 8 | Week 8 game | After Week 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay | +1 | 4 | 1 | Atlanta (W 16–0) | +4 |
| Jacksonville | +5 | 3 | 1 | Indianapolis (W 42–7) | +7 |
| Tennessee | −3 | 4 | 2 | at Cincinnati (L 36–43) | −1 |
| Dallas | −3 | 2 | 0 | Arizona (L 30–33) | −1 |
| Cincinnati | +3 | 2 | 4 | Tennessee (W 43–36) | +1 |
| Arizona | +2 | 0 | 2 | at Dallas (W 33–30) | 0 |
| Indianapolis | −9 | 1 | 3 | at Jacksonville (L 7–42) | −11 |
| Atlanta | −3 | 1 | 4 | at Tampa Bay (L 0–16) | −6 |
Tampa Bay had the best turnover day of the week. The Buccaneers intercepted Atlanta four times and gave the ball up once in a 16–0 win, which took them from plus-1 to plus-4 and the Falcons from minus-3 to minus-6. Tampa Bay has 16 takeaways, the most in the league, and its 12 interceptions are also the most. Atlanta has 16 giveaways, second only to the Chargers, and its 11 interceptions thrown are the most.
Cincinnati went the other way. The Bengals gave the ball away four times, three of them interceptions, and still beat Tennessee 43–36. That cut them from plus-3 to plus-1, while the Titans forced four turnovers and moved from minus-3 to minus-1. The Chargers have the most giveaways in the league, 17, and are 0–7.
Does the margin match the standings?
| Teams | Count | Combined record | Win pct. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plus margin | 13 | 56–40–1 | .582 |
| Even (Baltimore, Carolina, Arizona) | 3 | 10–13 | .435 |
| Minus margin | 16 | 54–67–1 | .447 |
Mostly, yes. The 13 teams on the plus side are a combined 56–40–1, and the 16 on the minus side are 54–67–1. In single games the link is stronger. In the 88 games this season where one team had fewer turnovers than the other, that team is 69–18–1. Week 8 went 7–3, with Green Bay beating Carolina 27–19 despite three giveaways to two, Cincinnati winning with four, and Dallas losing 33–30 to Arizona after a game with no turnovers of its own.
The exceptions are the big ones. San Francisco and Buffalo are both 6–1, at minus-3 and minus-2, and Chicago is 6–2 at minus-1. New England is 5–3 at minus-7 with 15 giveaways, tied with the Colts for the third most behind Atlanta and the Chargers. Washington is plus-7 with only three giveaways in seven games and is 2–4–1, and Tampa Bay is plus-4 at 3–5.
Turnovers by week
| Week | Games | Turnovers | Per game |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 | 44 | 2.75 |
| 2 | 16 | 29 | 1.81 |
| 3 | 16 | 45 | 2.81 |
| 4 | 16 | 39 | 2.44 |
| 5 | 15 | 44 | 2.93 |
| 6 | 14 | 36 | 2.57 |
| 7 | 14 | 25 | 1.79 |
| 8 | 14 | 43 | 3.07 |
| Season | 121 | 305 | 2.52 |
Week 8 was the messiest week of the season after the cleanest. There were 43 turnovers in 14 games, or 3.07 a game, compared with 1.79 in Week 7 and 2.52 for the season. Denver’s 28–24 win over Kansas City was the only game with no turnovers at all, and four games finished even: that one, Minnesota at Detroit, New England at Miami and Chicago at Seattle.
What to watch in Week 9
Jacksonville’s trip to Baltimore opens the week on Thursday night, and the Ravens are at even margin. Minnesota hosts Buffalo on Monday night, 03:15 on Tuesday in Cairo, and Washington hosts the Rams on Sunday at 20:00. Indianapolis, at minus-11, plays Dallas in Indianapolis at the same time.
Tampa Bay visits Chicago on Sunday night, 03:20 on Monday in Cairo. The Chargers, with the most giveaways in the league, host Houston, which is tied for the fewest, at 23:05. Pittsburgh and Tennessee are on byes.
No published comments yet. Start the conversation.