The 10 Most Impactful Plays of Week 8
1. Not Holding a Charge
Win Probability Added: +19.17
NEP: +8.48
It’s pretty phenomenal when a player’s performance in a week is impactful enough to earn more than one spot in our top-10 rankings for impactful plays. It’s more unfortunate, however, when their play is so disastrous that the two plays that make our top-10 are both pick-sixes that they threw. Yes, San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers’ interception bonanza in Week 8 yielded two top-tier impact plays for the Denver Broncos’ defense, and we’re lucky enough to see his second-quarter giveaway end up at the top spot for the week.
Midway through the second, the Chargers were just inside their own half of the field. The Chargers’ two outside receivers ran sluggo routes along the sidelines while tight end Hunter Henry and wide receiver Travis Benjamin crossed on short slants. Rivers hit Benjamin with the pass right in his hands, but it deflected upward. Broncos’ cornerback Bradley Roby had gotten beat by Benjamin off the snap, but his position trailing allowed the deflected pass to drop right into his arms. From there it was a simple race along the sideline to get the ball into the end zone for a Denver lead.
