Week 8 gave Chiefs fans a fresh look at a few familiar faces, and the results were all over the map. Gardner Minshew helped pull off a comeback in Arizona, Trent McDuffie made life miserable for Justin Herbert, Josh Uche chipped in another sack in Miami, and Carson Wentz may be one injury report away from getting back on the field in Minnesota.
Minshew’s turn came first, and he made it count. The quarterback the Chiefs brought in to back up Patrick Mahomes in 2025 never really got rolling in Kansas City.
He stepped in when Mahomes was injured late in the season, struggled, then got hurt himself in what wound up being his only start. That forced Chris Oladokun into the lineup for the final three games.
After moving on to the Arizona Cardinals in the offseason, Minshew landed as Jacoby Brissett’s backup. In Week 8, he finally got the kind of opportunity that once made Minshew Mania a thing.
He finished with 188 yards and three touchdowns, leading Arizona back from what looked like a lost cause. The Cardinals forced overtime and then won it with a game-winning kick moments later.
“The one big change has been the quarterback,” Kenny Albert said during the broadcast once it was clear the game was far from over.
McDuffie’s afternoon was just as eye-catching, even if it came against a team Chiefs fans know well. Traded to the Rams this offseason, the cornerback faced the Chargers at SoFi with Los Angeles sitting at 3-4.
By the end of the blowout, the Rams were 4-4, and McDuffie had helped make sure of it. He posted nine tackles and intercepted Justin Herbert, giving him two picks with his new team.
For Kansas City, that kind of performance isn’t exactly a shock. McDuffie was always going to be a tough player to replace, but the move made sense from the Chiefs’ side because an extension would have been hard to fit. They had to get something for him while they still could.
Uche, meanwhile, keeps quietly building a case for what might have been. The Chiefs traded for him in 2024 after he had 11.5 sacks two years earlier, hoping he could juice the pass rush. Instead, he was mostly buried and often inactive, which made the whole thing feel strange at the time.
He left for the Eagles the next year, played in 12 games there, and is now with the Dolphins. Through seven games, he already has two sacks, while Kansas City has only nine as a team over the same stretch. In Miami’s loss to New England, Uche added his second sack of the season and finished with four total tackles.
Then there’s Wentz, who didn’t play in Week 8 but could be next in line. He’s in Minnesota for a second straight year, backing up Kyler Murray after Murray joined the Vikings this offseason. Murray has been rough as the starter, and even though the Vikings went 6-0 with him, he’s now dealing with an injury that puts his Week 9 availability in doubt.
If Murray can’t go, Wentz would be the one stepping in against the Bills. He already appeared in Week 1 after Murray was hurt early, then started in Week 2 in rainy Chicago. If he gets the nod this weekend, it would be his second start of the season for Minnesota.
In Other News...
Chiefs Suddenly Face A Bigger AFC Question Than Fans Expected
The Chiefs early cushion has disappeared in a hurry. After opening 5-0, Kansas City has now dropped two straight, including a recent loss to the Broncos, and the sudden skid has turned a comfortable-looking start into a more complicated picture for a team that still entered the week with championship expectations.
Even with the losses, the market is not treating the Chiefs like a team in crisis. DraftKings still has Kansas City among the AFCs top contenders, but the path back to the conferences top spot looks less straightforward now, with Buffalo and Jacksonville sitting ahead in the odds and Denver holding the AFC West lead. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Catch A Timely Break As Cardinals Backfield Thins Out
The Cardinals backfield is suddenly a lot thinner at a bad time, with Arizona trying to piece together its rushing plan as it gets ready to face the Chiefs. Jeremiyah Loves injury leaves the offense without one of its key options, and the ripple effect is obvious for a unit that was already dealing with some uncertainty at the position.
Tyler Allgeier is now in line to carry a heavier load, with James Conner and Bam Knight also dealing with injuries. For Kansas City, it is a timely development that could shape how Arizona approaches the game, especially if the Cardinals are forced to lean more heavily on a patchwork rotation than they expected. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Trade Deadline Pressure Is Building Around Brett Veach
The Chiefs looked like they were cruising through the first month of the season at 5-0, but the last two losses have changed the tone around the roster and turned the trade deadline into a bigger talking point. With Brett Veach holding multiple draft picks in the 2027 NFL Draft, Kansas City has the kind of flexibility that can make it aggressive if it decides the current group needs a boost.
A receiver upgrade is the most obvious place for the front office to look, especially with the market offering a mix of younger playmakers and proven veterans. There are also offensive tackle possibilities in the conversation, which gives the Chiefs a few different ways to attack the deadline, but the next move will say plenty about how much urgency Veach feels to keep this team on track. [Read more 🡒]