It's fair to say that, eight weeks into the 2022 NFL season, it has been a year of surprises.

The New York Giants have six wins, the Seattle Seahawks lead the NFC West and two preseason NFC favourites, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Green Bay Packers, have collapsed to 3-5 starts.

This is a campaign in which to expect the unexpected and, as such, three of the top quarterback displays from Week 8 heading into Monday Night Football are entirely in keeping with the theme of 2022.

While one star still shaking the rust off following an injury lay-off delivered the kind of game most have come to anticipate from him, the degree of accuracy displayed by the trio of signal-callers surrounding him at the top of Stats Perform's well-thrown rate chart by the end of Sunday's action was eyebrow-raising to say the least.

And there was one quarterback who tried and failed to find a new team in the offseason who rose above the rest. 

Jimmy G's perfect day

There will never be a game that definitively decides the endless Jimmy Garoppolo debate in the Bay Area, where the San Francisco 49ers' quarterback who was meant to be elsewhere this season remains a beloved but polarising figure.

But nobody could argue Garoppolo was not excellent in Week 8 as the 49ers scored 24 unanswered points to sweep the Los Angeles Rams with an emphatic 31-14 win at SoFi Stadium.

So much of the attention in the immediate aftermath was rightly on Christian McCaffrey, who became the fourth player with a touchdown pass, rushing touchdown and touchdown reception in a single game since the 1970 merger in a remarkable performance just 10 days on from his trade from the Carolina Panthers.

However, Garoppolo also deserves a share of the spotlight following what was, by at least one measure, a perfect game from a quarterback frequently criticised for his volatility.

Garoppolo ended the defeat of the Rams with a 100 per cent well-thrown rate. Each of his 25 passes, excluding throwaways, was deemed to be accurate and well-thrown.

He is the 35th player to achieve such a feat and the second this season following Trevor Lawrence for the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2 against the Indianapolis Colts.

While Garoppolo averaged only 6.76 yards per attempt, he still completed a host of big-time throws, including a third-down touchdown shot to a leaping McCaffrey and a 56-yard bomb down the left sideline to Ross Dwelley that was followed by a perfectly placed ball to George Kittle in the back of the endzone on a sprint out pass that iced the game.

At 4-4 heading into the bye with a star-studded offense and a series of players still to return from injury on defense, the 49ers are ideally positioned for a surge down the stretch. They won't get perfect every game from Garoppolo, but if he maintains a level close to what he produced in Inglewood on Sunday, San Francisco will be a major threat in the NFC.

Air Marcus has Falcons on top

Marcus Mariota had hardly been trusted to throw the ball over the four games prior to Atlanta's wild win over the Carolina Panthers by head coach Arthur Smith.

Only once over those four games had he registered more than 20 passing attempts, but Mariota was allowed to air it out on Sunday, and the Falcons should be delighted by the manner in which he did so.

The former second overall pick delivered an accurate well-thrown ball on 92.6 per cent of his 27 pass attempts, maintaining remarkable accuracy while pushing the ball down field with consistency in a captivating shoot-out.

Mariota averaged 10.15 air yards per attempt against Carolina. Just five quarterbacks – Josh Allen (12.96), P.J. Walker (12.33), Tua Tagovailoa (11.79), Russell Wilson (11.04) and Jalen Hurts (11.04) – were more aggressive in that respect.

Of that quintet, Tagovailoa (82.4 per cent) and Wilson (84.6 per cent) were the only two signal-callers to even post a well-thrown rate of 80 per cent.

Mariota blended accuracy and deep-ball aggression in a way most quarterbacks struggle to replicate and, though he tossed an overtime interception that should have cost the Falcons the game, his performance may convince Smith to diversify his approach and shift to a more balanced attack as the 4-4 Falcons look to make a surprise run at the NFC South title.

Dak looks all the way back

The case could be made that the Cowboys were still running the 'Cooper Rush' offense in Prescott's first game back from a finger injury in Week 7 against the Detroit Lions.

Dallas laboured somewhat in that one before pulling away and, though the Week 8 performance was not a faultless one from Prescott, it was one to breed hope the Cowboys can legitimately contend to go deep into the NFC playoffs with him at the helm of the attack.

Prescott posted a well-thrown rate of 92.3 per cent in the Cowboys' 49-29 win over the Chicago Bears, with arguably his most aesthetically pleasing throw coming on his first touchdown pass as he split safeties Eddie Jackson and Jaquan Brisker on a 21-yard rope to CeeDee Lamb on third-and-nine.

Third down did not prove a challenge for Prescott at any point. He completed five of his six third-down throws for 85 yards and a touchdown, with a Bears defense ill-equipped to stop the Cowboys consistently frustrated when they got into positions to get off the field. 

An interception by Jackson was the sole blemish on the day for Prescott, who also had a rushing touchdown, and the room for improvement he clearly still has after a showing of this calibre should be of great excitement to the 6-2 Cowboys as they attack the second half of the season.

Fields fills Chicago with hope 

The Bears did not produce the all-round performance to keep pace with the Cowboys, but it was another effort by last year's first-round pick Justin Fields to boost optimism around his prospects of blossoming into one of the league's better quarterbacks.

After finally building a gameplan around his athleticism in the Monday Night Football win over the New England Patriots, the Bears once again leant on Fields' mobility. He threw seven times on the move, with Chicago also implementing play-action and the quarterback bootleg into the attack.

The results were impressive as Fields finished the game with a well-thrown rate of 90.9 per cent while averaging 9.5 air yards per attempt. On top of that, he did not throw a single interceptable pass, though he did have one pick called back because of a roughing the passer penalty.

Fields was perfect on play-action, with all six of his passes from those concepts well thrown, and he would have had significantly more than 151 passing yards to his name had rookie receiver Velus Jones not dropped an outstandingly placed moonball down the right sideline from the Chicago 47-yard line in the second quarter.

But Fields still accounted for three touchdowns, throwing two and rushing for another in a 60-yard display on the ground. Though the Bears' decision to trade defensive stars Robert Quinn and Roquan Smith will play a role in limiting their wins in 2022, the Bears will be increasingly convinced Fields is the right man to rebuild the team around if he continues in this vein of form.

Anthony Joshua acknowledged he needed to "rest mentally" after being "torn apart" by his loss to Oleksandr Usyk, though he vowed he will eventually face Tyson Fury.

A 'Battle of Britain' clash between Joshua and Fury seemed set for December 3 at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, only to for the bout to break down after negotiations collapsed.

The meeting between the two British heavyweights would have followed Joshua's rematch loss to Usyk, who successfully defended his WBA, IBF and WBO belts in August's title match in Saudi Arabia.

While Joshua suggested he will meet in the ring with Fury at some point, the former admitted he needed time off after a draining defeat to the Ukrainian.

"You saw after my last fight, it tore me apart," Joshua said in an interview with DAZN.

"I had so much riding on it, for me, the British fans, the undisputed fight, it just really tore me apart. So from a mental capacity, my close ones are telling me, 'you should rest mentally'.

"Physically, I'm down to fight. I'm a warrior, I like this game, I like competing. But on a mental aspect, I think people have really seen it means a lot.

"I was supposed to be in the ring on December 3. When you're saying, 'when are we going to see you back in the ring?' that was the date but obviously it's not happening. 

"But I've got a good team and I've got to just leave certain things to them because all that other stuff, back and forth and social media, it's quite time-consuming. But you've got to play the game as well.

"And my dance partner, the last geezer I was supposed to fight (Fury), he's a good dance partner, he handles the social media side and I think we do good business behind the scenes to be fair.  

"It will happen, we’re in the same era. Just as two competitors, two fighters. He's definitely someone that's a fighting man."

Joshua is yet to confirm his next opponent after failing to agree a deal with Fury, who settled for another all-British fight with Derek Chisora at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on December 3.

Diego Simeone acknowledged Atletico Madrid are still hurting from their early Champions League exit but vowed to battle with the same intensity to qualify for the Europa League.

Atleti failed to make the knockout stages of Europe's premier club competition for the first time in five years after a 2-2 home draw with Bayer Leverkusen last week, in which Yannick Carrasco missed a late penalty.

Simeone's side also trail LaLiga leaders Real Madrid by nine points, while they are winless in their past four Champions League games, their longest run since between December 2008 and December 2009.

Atleti failed to win in nine games in that period before the appointment of Simeone, who admitted he and his players are still reeling from their elimination ahead of Tuesday's clash at Porto.

"Today we are out of the Champions League. It hurts us, it p****s me off because of the responsibility we have with many people who grow up in the club," the Atleti coach said.

"But it's a reality and we can't go against it. Reality is what we have and I invited us all to be together and see if we can express what we feel on the pitch."

Simeone insisted he is no stranger to an unfavourable situation in the Spanish capital, but suggested not letting those around the club down remains his primary concern.

"In my fourth year the same thing was said, in the sixth the same," the 52-year-old said of recent criticism. "In the [coronavirus] pandemic we were sixth and with a lot of work we achieved our goals. 

"In the following season it seemed that we could not win LaLiga and we won it. Last season, the same – with 14 games to go, the group and the people came together to get back together.

"I suffer more for the people who work and have been around for years. People are always with us. There are things that we did not do well, but competitively I have nothing to complain about. 

"I'm ready to compete, I don't know how to do it any other way. I was raised that way, knowing that you can lose, but it's nicer to win."

Simeone has his sights on the Europa League, needing to match Bayer Leverkusen's result against Club Brugge when they visit Porto to secure third place in Group B.

"They taught me since I was a child to always compete and now we can get in the Europa League," he continued. "For this we have to be strong and want it.

"We will go [every] match with our [best team], knowing that we are not in the Champions League but the Europa League is important."

The Chicago Bears' tear down continues.

The Bears traded two-time All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith to the Baltimore Ravens on Monday for a 2023 second-round pick along with a fifth-round selection in next year's draft. Chicago acquired linebacker A.J. Klein in the deal.

Smith becomes the second high-profile defensive player traded by the Bears in less than a week after sending pass-rusher Robert Quinn to the Philadelphia Eagles last Wednesday.

Smith leaves behind the rebuilding Bears to join a 5-3 Ravens team that is in first place in the AFC North.

Selected eighth overall in the 2018 draft, Smith requested a trade prior to the start of the season after being unable to work out a new contract before ultimately agreeing to play out his rookie deal.

The 25-year-old has been one of the league’s top linebackers and was looking to be paid like one.

He leads the league with 83 total tackles this season while also registering 2.5 sacks and two interceptions.

Since his rookie season, his 606 total tackles trail only Bobby Wagner for the most in the NFL and his 47 tackles for loss are tied for 14th.

In his final game with the Bears on Sunday, Chicago's defense was shredded in a 49-29 loss at Dallas, surrendering a season-high 442 yards with the Cowboys averaging 7.8 yards per play.

The loss dropped the Bears to 3-5, and the team has essentially conceded this season as general manager Ryan Poles goes into the offseason looking to build around Justin Fields, who put together a second straight encouraging performance in Week 8.

Chicago received a 2023 fourth-round draft pick for Quinn, who set a Bears franchise record for sacks in a single season last year with 18.5.

Luciano Spalletti says Napoli will "not be fooled" by Liverpool's recent struggles, nor by Jurgen Klopp suggesting the Reds cannot record an emphatic victory to top their Champions League group.

Klopp's side must defeat Napoli by four goals at Anfield on Tuesday to win Group A, having been thrashed 4-1 by Napoli on matchday one in the reverse fixture before recovering with four successive wins.

While Liverpool progressed to the knockout stages with a game to spare, the Reds have struggled in the Premier League this season, sitting ninth in the table – some 15 points behind leaders Arsenal.

Klopp heralded the potential of Napoli on Monday, suggesting a four-goal victory would be near-impossible as he backed the Serie A side to reach the final, though Spalletti took the praise with a pinch of salt.

"I think I've read that he said they don't think about winning 4-0 ... I think he said it seriously," the Napoli coach said in a jovial manner.

"If he said it seriously that he can't win 4-0 if he wants to, let's talk about it! Excessive compliments sometimes serve to lift you up and then smash you down.

"[Klopp] made the last two Champions League finals, so he is better than everyone, he and his team. We accept compliments if they are sincere, but compliments do not make results and standings.

"We know the game will be very hard. We will have to be the same as always, as in the first leg, and it is almost impossible to repeat that match.

"To finish first or second, everything changes, it seems stupid to answer whether we want to win or not – we came here with the best intentions possible.

"Then there is a stage like Anfield, against those players there, and we will have to prove that we are up to it."

Back-to-back domestic defeats against Nottingham Forest and Leeds United, in between a European victory over Ajax, have raised more questions over Liverpool's capabilities.

Spalletti refused to accept the Reds are a struggling side, though, suggesting their results belie Liverpool's performances in recent weeks.

"Liverpool are a team in great health – let's not be fooled by the result of the last match, which I have watched as well as the previous ones," he added.

"I find Liverpool the same as always. It is clear if they miss ten goals in front of the goalkeeper and by chance everything goes wrong, as in their last game [against Leeds], a result can be questioned.

"But teams like Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, they have the best footballers in the world, here in the Premier League, and we come to gamble against them."

Tottenham will simply have to "deal with the fact" Antonio Conte will not be with them when they face Marseille in Tuesday's crunch Champions League group-stage game.

That is according to Spurs midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who took over press conference duties along with assistant head coach Cristian Stellini after Conte decided not to attend following his red card at the end of the draw with Sporting CP last week.

The Spurs head coach was furious after Harry Kane's stoppage-time goal at 1-1 was ruled out by the video assistant referee for offside, and his reaction saw him sent off.

As a result, Conte will be banned from being on the touchline or in the dressing room for the crucial Group D clash with Marseille at Stade Velodrome.

"Of course, your head coach is a massive part of the team," Hojbjerg told reporters on Monday. "Luckily he has a very good staff and players who are very well aware of what he expects from them and we'll try the best to fill his role.

"Whether he'll hide in a laundry basket [referencing Jose Mourinho doing so at Chelsea in 2005 when banned], I don't know. I'd say no," he joked.

"He's a person who lives every game with great passion, with his heart. We need to make sure we're well-prepared, which we are. We have to deal with the fact that he's not on the sideline.

"For me it's not a difficult situation, it's more a different situation. We know what we have to do and realise the ambition. The focus is on the pitch and what we have to do."

Spurs lead the group heading into the final round of matches but know they must win to guarantee their passage to the last 16, with a draw only being enough should Sporting and Eintracht Frankfurt also draw.

Marseille are bottom of the group, but will leapfrog Spurs with a home win, though Igor Tudor's side are winless in their past four games in all competitions (D1 L3).

"Our ambition is to go through. That's what we're playing for," Hojbjerg added. "It was a rollercoaster last week [against Sporting CP] but that doesn't help us now. We have the chance tomorrow to achieve our objective."

Stellini confirmed Spurs will still be without injured trio Dejan Kulusevski, Richarlison and Cristian Romero, and outlined what the situation will be with Conte's involvement on the day.

"He will sit next to Gianluca [Conte, technical and analytics coach] for sure. I don't know where. He will be here at the stadium," Stellini said. "He will work with us until we arrive here and then we have to stop the communication and then he will stay close to Gianluca.

"We have prepared all the strategies and our strategies are clear. We have to play our match at the best and we all have to do something more to fill the gap."

Simone Inzaghi confirmed Romelu Lukaku will miss Inter's Champions League clash with Bayern Munich due to injury, but should recover before the World Cup.

Inter have already qualified for the knockout stages of UEFA's premier club competition after defeating Viktoria Plzen 4-0 on matchday five in Group C, subsequently eliminating Barcelona.

Belgium international Lukaku scored from the bench in the win over Plzen and was introduced as a substitute in Saturday's 3-0 win over Sampdoria, in which he aggravated a reoccurring left-hamstring injury.

While Inzaghi will be without the on-loan striker at Bayern on Tuesday, he suggested Lukaku should be fit before the World Cup, where Belgium start their campaign against Canada on November 23.

"He had a little problem with his scar [in his hamstring] in Saturday's match when he came on," Inzaghi said.

"There was a statement from the club, he will have to rest for a few days and then he will be re-evaluated at the weekend.

"It is a slowdown that was not needed, he was giving a lot in this period, we hope to be able to use him again before the [World Cup] break."

The trip to Allianz Arena may prove a step too soon for Marcelo Brozovic, too, though Inzaghi suggested the Croatia midfielder will be available for Sunday's crunch Serie A clash against Juventus.

"Brozovic we hope can return on Sunday, then [Danilo] D'Ambrosio is out and we won't have him until after the break," he added.

"We know what game we have on Sunday, I will change something but not too much. Today we did something on the pitch, but not too much. In my opinion the team is giving excellent responses."

Inzaghi hailed an "almost perfect" October after Inter made it seven games without defeat in all competitions, winning six of those, in what has been a transformation of fortunes for the Nerazzurri.

"Compared to September we are in better shape, the conditions of the players have improved," he continued.

"Tomorrow it will not count for the group, but it will be a match in a beautiful stadium, against one of the best in Europe.

"We want to have a serious, organised match, knowing that there will be difficulties, we find a very strong team, with a deep squad."

Barcelona head coach Xavi attempted to put the club's embarrassing Champions League elimination into perspective as he insisted the team is on the "right track".

The Blaugrana will play no part in the Champions League knockout stages for the second season running after accumulating just four points from five games.

Prior to last season, Barca had reached at least the last 16 of the Champions League in 19 successive campaigns.

Their fate was sealed last Wednesday when Inter beat Viktoria Plzen to secure their passage alongside Group C winners Bayern Munich, who crushed Barca 3-0 at Camp Nou later that day.

While it was undoubtedly a major blow considering Barca's significant squad investment in the face of financial issues during the transfer window, Xavi feels he is able to offer perspective given he has seen the club at its worst and its best.

"Unfortunately and luckily, I have lived through the worst period in the club's history, from 2000 to 2003, and the best, from when [Frank] Rijkaard arrived until I retired," he said.

"We have to insist, now is not the time to doubt. We are in a situation that we did not expect, eliminated from the Champions League, but we have to believe in the idea, draw a line and have faith.

"I am very positive. I continue to think that we are on the right track. The titles will be won in 2023 [not now].

"It did not help to be put in a very difficult Champions group, but this year we have taken a step. In Munich the team played very well.

"We had the opportunity in our hands, but it escaped us due to football mistakes, adverse situations and refereeing decisions.

"We had the chance, but we did not score points in Munich after the good game we played, and then only managed a draw against Inter when we had it under control. They were things that depended on us.

"We had the misfortune of being drawn into a very strong group and not being up to the task. This is the reality."

Tuesday's trip to Viktoria Plzen has very little riding on it, with Barca already assured of their spot in the Europa League.

As such, Xavi is expected to rotate his squad and he confirmed Robert Lewandowski is being rested due to a slight back problem.

But as for those who can feature, Xavi is urging them not to be complacent just because the result is essentially irrelevant, as he looks to maintain their momentum in LaLiga ahead of the World Cup.

Asked what Barca have to play for on Tuesday, Xavi said: "Winning, playing well, offering good feelings.

"For prestige and professionalism, we have to go all out and finish this competition well. It's very important to go into the last two league games before the World Cup with a good feeling."

Stefano Pioli has signed a contract extension that will keep him at Milan until the end of the 2024-25 season.

The Rossoneri coach has been in position at San Siro since 2019, having previously taken charge of rivals Inter.

Pioli did not last long with the Nerazzurri, yet he has been a huge success with Milan, last season winning the Scudetto – their first since 2011.

The 57-year-old's deal was due to expire at the end of this campaign, but the club confirmed a two-year extension on Monday.

"Having begun this virtuous path, which led to the 2021-22 Serie A title, AC Milan and Stefano shall continue to work on this ambitious project, which reflects the club's history and values," a short statement added.

Pioli has won 87 of his 153 matches as Milan coach, with that 56.9 per cent win rate his best at any club.

Milan finished sixth in Serie A in Pioli's first season after he took over in the October, before jumping to second and then first in the subsequent campaigns.

Despite a shock defeat to Torino on Sunday, the Rossoneri are third this term.

Auburn fired coach Bryan Harsin on Monday after less than two seasons in charge.

The decision was made to dismiss him after Saturday's 41-27 loss to Arkansas, dropping the Tigers to 3-5 on the season and 1-4 in the Southeastern Conference.

That setback was the fourth straight loss for Auburn, which included a 42-10 drubbing to top-ranked Georgia on October 8.

"Auburn University has decided to make a change in the leadership of the Auburn University football programme," the school said in a brief statement announcing the move.

''Auburn will begin an immediate search for a coach that will return the Auburn programme to a place where it is consistently competing at the highest levels and representing the winning tradition that is Auburn football."

Auburn hired Harsin in December 2020 after he went 69-19 in seven seasons at Boise State, leading the Broncos to four Mountain West titles and three bowl victories.

He was unable to find similar success at Auburn, however, going 6-7 in his first season at the helm, with a 3-5 record in the SEC.

The Tigers also struggled mightily against top-tier competition, going 2-8 against ranked opponents in the 45-year-old's time in charge.

Auburn gave Harsin a six-year, $31.5million contract, and the school still owes him more than $15m as part of his buyout

The great Arrigo Sacchi is in awe of "genius" Luciano Spalletti's Napoli team, comparing them to his Milan side and Pep Guardiola's Barcelona.

Sacchi's Rossoneri were widely considered one of the greatest club teams of all time, but the coach sees similarities in Napoli's class of 2022-23.

The Partenopei are unbeaten through 12 matches in Serie A, opening up a five-point gap at the top already as they chase a first Scudetto since Diego Maradona's time at the club.

In the Champions League, Napoli have five wins from five, including remarkable 4-1 and 6-1 defeats of Liverpool and Ajax respectively.

Sacchi, in an interview with Il Mattino, suggested a run to the semi-finals should be "the minimum goal" for this season, while he is backing them for domestic success.

His praise went further, too, as he said: "This Napoli are spectacular and a team one step away from legend.

"They are in the wake of the greats of the past, [Rinus] Michels' Ajax, Guardiola's Barcelona and my unbeatable Milan.

"I never get tired of watching them play. How could I? There is style, there is pride, there is a spirit of belonging, there is beauty, and there is a coach who has put ideas at the centre of everything.

"In a country where we only look for profit, Spalletti focuses on merit, on strategy, and not on tactics."

Among teams in Europe's top five leagues, Napoli have won the joint-most matches in all competitions (15 – also Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain) and have the outright best winning percentage (88.2).

Only Bayern (69) and PSG (54) have netted more goals (50 for Napoli), while the Bundesliga giants are the sole side averaging more goals per game (3.45 vs 2.94).

Napoli's early season success is all the more impressive given the number of stalwart stars who left the club ahead of the campaign.

Kalidou Koulibaly and Fabian Ruiz were sold for significant fees, while greats Dries Mertens and Lorenzo Insigne moved on at the end of their contracts.

But Napoli invested superbly, signing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Kim Min-jae and a host of impressive loan recruits.

"It's a lesson for everyone: ideas are worth more than money," Sacchi continued.

"What [owner Aurelio] De Laurentiis did this summer is something extraordinary: he took semi-unknowns and put them in a project where there was a vision, which many clubs lack.

"And the rest was done by the genius of Luciano."