Sooners in the NFL: Oklahoma’s Quarterbacks On Fire Again in Week 8

Oklahoma has suffered through a season of subpar quarterback play and questionable offensive schemes all year long. Tuning into the Sooners’ NFL quarterbacks on Sunday’s has to be breath of fresh air.

It was another tremendous week in the NFL for Oklahoma’s three-headed monster in Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, and Jalen Hurts. Murray and Hurts led their teams to victory, while Mayfield fell short with an injured supporting cast.

Hurts claimed possession of the most dominant performance of the weekend, leading the Eagles to a commanding 37-17 win in Cincinnati. The Bengals had won three of their last four games, but couldn’t find a solution to slow down Hurts and Philadelphia’s offensive attack. 

The former Oklahoma quarterback completed 16-of-20 passes for 236 yards and one touchdown through the air, marking his most efficient passing performance of the season. As always, his legs added a different element to the Eagles’ offense as Hurts rushed 10 times for 37 yards and three touchdowns. He had a turnover free day and an efficiency rating of 132.5. 

Murray’s performance was similar to Hurts in the fact that he took over the game and put the team on his back. He completed 26-of-36 passing attempts for 307 yards and two touchdowns with zero turnovers. Murray was quiet on the ground today with just 19 rushing yards, but he trusted his arm all day long. 

The 307-yard passing performance was the most passing yards Murray has generated since October 30, 2022. He now has 11 passing touchdowns and three interceptions on the season, and Arizona is an underrated team at 4-4 overall.

Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Bucs fell just short, failing to complete the Oklahoma quarterback trifecta of victories. Tampa’s costly penalties played a part in the game late, but he did everything he could to help the Buccaneers stay alive. 

On the afternoon, Mayfield was 37-of-50 through the air with 330 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions, and his Hail Mary on the final play was caught by a Bucs wideout out of bounds. He added three rushes for 11 yards. Both of Mayfield’s interceptions came on deep shots downfield where he was trying to move the ball for Tampa Bay. In a 31-26 loss, though, turnovers are crucial, and Mayfield couldn’t take care of the ball. 

Tampa’s 26 points, 330 passing yards and three touchdowns is even more impressive considering the context. Mayfield was without both of his top targets, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, and had to make do with a supporting cast of backup wide receivers. At 4-4 with two straight losses, the Bucs have to figure things out in a hurry, and it doesn’t get much easier. Mayfield will face the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers in back-to-back weeks coming up.

All three of Oklahoma’s quarterbacks put on a show during Sunday’s early slate. Murray and Hurts simply dominated, while Mayfield tried to will his team back into the game. One thing is for certain: Oklahoma is QBU eight weeks into the NFL season.