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ICYMI in NFL's Week 8: D takes a break in Giants-Saints

NFL, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, Washington Redskins, Philadelphia Eagles, Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Jets, Oakland Raiders, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons

No need to dig too deep to find the key points from the best game of Week 8. Just check the NFL record book.

Yes, the meeting Sunday between the Saints and Giants was that wild and crazy and filled with more touchdowns than your best fantasy lineup.

Drew Brees matched the NFL record with seven TD passes. Eli Manning threw six more, and the quarterbacks set an NFL record for total TD passes in a game.

Final score: New Orleans 52, New York 49. The 101 points were the third-highest total for a single game and the most in 11 seasons.

"Never been part of something like that," Brees said. "Pretty wild."

And what great game would be complete without some coaching drama?

The Giants faced fourth down from their 25 with 20 seconds left and, instead of punting out of bounds, kicked deep down the middle to Marcus Murphy. Murphy returned it 24 yards and when Brad Wing got called for a facemask penalty, the Saints had the ball at the New York 32 with time for one more snap.

Kai Forbath made a 50-yard field goal for the win.

The Giants had been beaten in similar fashion before, when they punted to DeSean Jackson of the Eagles and he returned it for a walk-off touchdown in a 38-31 win in 2010.

"It's not as easy as you say (to) punt it out of bounds," said Tom Coughlin, the Giants coach in both instances. "We punted it for distance. We got some distance. They would have had 5 seconds left had we covered it."

But they didn't.

And the rest was history.

In case you missed it, here are some other topics from the NFL's eighth Sunday:

BRONCOS BLOWOUT: Peyton Manning looked like Peyton Manning again. And the Green Bay Packers looked like they missed the flight to Denver.

It was billed as the biggest game of the season -- only the fourth meeting between teams with records of 6-0 or better. It turned into a flop. Denver won 29-10, and as surprising as those numbers may have been, they weren't the most shocking of the night.

Try Aaron Rodgers finishing with 77 yards passing.

Try Denver outgaining the Packers 500-140.

"That's a humbling loss," Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy said. "I haven't had my (expletive) kicked like that in a long time."

Manning threw for 340 yards, and the fact he had no touchdowns and one interception was a mere footnote.

Instead of a severely flawed team with an aging quarterback, Denver now looks like a genuine threat with an offense that can move. Suddenly, the odds of a Packers-Broncos rematch in the Super Bowl doesn't seem so farfetched.

INJURIES: Two of the AFC North's most explosive players, receiver Steve Smith (Achilles) of the Ravens and running back Le'Veon Bell (knee) of the Steelers, are done for the season.

Tune in Monday for updates on the Jets' QB situation. Both Ryan Fitzpatrick (thumb) and backup Geno Smith (shoulder, abdomen, who knows what else) were hurt during a loss to the Raiders, and the Jets were reportedly on the phone during the game contacting free agents.

Among those offering his services via Twitter was Jared Lorenzen ((at)jaredlorenzen22), aka "The Pillsbury Throwboy."

FOR REAL?: It could be time to start taking the Raiders seriously.

Their 34-20 win over the Jets pushed them to 4-3, the latest in the season they've been over .500 since 2011.

Derek Carr threw for 333 yards and the Raiders hit 30 points in two straight games for the first time in more than four years.

"We're not satisfied with `We're over .500.' We're not satisfied with that. I'm not built that way," Carr said.

Also working themselves into the mix: The Minnesota Vikings. With a win over the Bears, they're only one game behind Green Bay in the NFC North despite having the league's 31st ranked offense.

PLAYING IN PAIN: What a tribute Buccaneers linebacker Kwon Alexander paid to his brother.

Less than two days after his 17-year-old sibling was shot to death in a fight, Alexander not only suited up but had an interception and a fumble recovery in Tampa Bay's 23-20 overtime win over the Falcons.

To Alexander, sitting out the game was never an option.

"I never give up," he said. "He wouldn't want me to give up. It was all for him."

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Follow Eddie Pells on Twitter at http://twitter.com/epells

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Online: AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/AP-NFL

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