NFL Power Rankings after Week 8: Chiefs undefeated, Ravens, Vikings fall while Lions, Bills roll

The Kansas City are still perfect in their quest for a three-peat and the rumblings of a perfect season are starting to sound in the distance. The Lions mauled the Titans in a blowout that everyone saw coming, and the Ravens win streak was snapped by a forgotten QB that has turned into a local legend in Cleveland in a matter of four quarters. Jayden Daniels topped Caleb Williams in a battle of rookie QBs with an ending that will hailed in football history. The tight ends shined on their national holiday, and the Niners might be back after sinking the Cowboys into an even deeper hole following their BYE week.

Here are our Power Rankings after Week 8.

1) Kansas City Chiefs 7-0, last week 1

The Chiefs perfect season in route to their three-peat continues, and now is the time when KC fans can start to dream. A couple of my best buds are Chiefs fans, and the idea is starting to trickle into their minds. Not just about the three-peat, which Tom Brady and the Pats never did. Not just about the perfect season, which the Pats never had. But about doing them both in the same year. That would without question tip the scales in favor of both the Chiefs dynasty and the Patrick Mahomes GOAT argument. And remember this, we are just seven years into the No. 15′s reign at Arrowhead.

2) Detroit Lions 6-1, last week 3

Welcome back to the No. 2 spot Detroit. The Lions pronounced themselves king of the NFC jungle with another blow out win, this time over the lowly Titans. Remember a time about a month ago, when we were waiting for the offense to catch up to the defense which was carrying the Lions through the first three weeks of the season? Well, in their last four games, they are averaging 43 points per outing and in those games Jared Goff has 8 TD passes, and just 13 incompletions. He didn’t have to do much against the Titans, but still had 3 TDs on just 15 pass attempts. This was essentially a BYE week for the Lions who needed a breezy win before taking on the Packers next week in a battle of NFC North giants, and the Texans the week after.

3) Baltimore Ravens 5-3, last week 2

Just when we start talking about the Ravens like they deserve a place on Mount Olympus with Zeus and the rest of the Greek gods, they are struck down by Jameis Winston and the Cleveland Browns. NFC North games aren’t easy, especially when they are away from home, and the home team has a new QB under center playing with a nothing to lose attitude. Their three losses have come by a combined total of 15 points. That’s not anything to panic about in Baltimore. But what is making Ravens fans uncomfortable is the distance between them and the Chiefs for the one seed. No one wants to have to go through Arrowhead on their way to the Super Bowl, but barring an unforeseen collapse in KC, that’s what it’s going to take.

4) Buffalo Bills 6-2, last week 5

Few teams can get hot like the Josh Allen-led Buffalo Bills. When he is locked in, the Bills are locked in. Ever since their three point loss to the Texans three weeks ago, the Bills have rattled off three wins, two of those were blowouts. Josh Allen threw his first pick of the season, but he bounced back and had another Josh Allen like performance, tossing a couple TD passes and rattling off a few nice runs. The WR corps is picking up rhythm, but the run game is what sets this Bills team apart from other years. James Cook brings a balance to this team that takes a lot of pressure off of their gun slinger, and that’s one of the main reasons he only has one INT heading into the halfway point of the season.

5) Green Bay Packers 6-2, last week 6

The legend of Malik Willis grows on the hallowed ground of Lambeau, and so does that of Brandon McManus who has kicked two game winning field goals in his first two weeks as the Packers kicker. The Packers didn’t make it look easy against the 2-6 Jags, but they know how do make big plays when it matters, no matter who is in at QB. While there might be a bit of shuffling at the QB position with Love suffering his latest injury to his groin, one constant is Josh Jacobs, who might have been the signing of the summer if not for Saquon Barkley in Philly. Huge match up next week for the Pack, who will battle the Lions for the top spot in the NFC North. We will have to wait to see who is under center for GB, but Willis is showing that he can shoulder the weight.

6) Houston Texans 6-2, last week 7

It wasn’t easy in Week 1 against the Colts, and it wasn’t easy in Week 8 against the Colts either. There is a certain amount of growth that you expect from the Texans that we aren’t particularly seeing, and the game against the Colts would suggest that. I know it’s a division match up, and I know the Texans are banged up on both sides of the ball. But a lot of teams are battling injury. We have talked about it for the last few weeks now, the Texans offense seems to shut down after halftime. They have failed to score more than 7 points in six of their eight games (IND Week 1, and NE Week 6), and that includes games when the then NFL leader in receiving yards, Nico Collins was on the field.

7) Philadelphia Eagles 5-2, last week 9

It’s always sunny in Philadelphia when AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith are healthy and Jalen Hurts is back to throwing and running for TDs and Saquon Barkley is rushing for over 100 yards. That was supposed to be a tough test for the Eagles who had yet to win a game that made you say, “Wow, these guys might be as good as they were a couple years ago.” Hurts is the anchor but there are a lot of moving pieces that make Nick Sirriani’s team click. The D line held the Bengals to 58 yards rushing, but where they excel on defense is in the secondary.

8) Washington Commanders 6-2, last week 8

We knew Jayden Daniels was a superstar quarterback heading into the battle of the top picks of this years NFL draft. What we didn’t know is that he is a miracle worker on top of being perhaps the best rookie QB we have ever seen. He outplayed Caleb Williams all game even though he never got the Commanders in the end zone. His stats were leaps and bounds ahead of Williams, but there he stood, with his busted up ribs, 50 yards away from the end zone needing to come up with something that would turn him from a star to a legend. He came up with magic. He came up with history. He came up with a play that we will see for the rest of our lives.

9) Pittsburgh Steelers 6-2, last week 10

We have said it for two or three years now. Once T.J. Watt and the defense gets an offense that can keep the ball, make some plays and maybe even give them a lead to protect, this Steelers team could be unstoppable. They aren’t unstoppable yet, New York proved that on Monday night, but Russell Wilson has transformed this one time impotent offense into a deep shot, big play, down field entity the likes of Steelers fans have’t seen since Big Ben. Wilson has transformed the Steelers, but he doesn’t deserve all the credit. Najee Harris has had his best stretch of games as a Steeler over the last few weeks, and that has made life easier for Wilson. George Pickens looks like a different receiver with Wilson under center. Even when the Steelers aren’t scoring TDs, they will always have their defense to make big plays like Watt did with a late strip sack on Daniel Jones, and now the special teams is showing game changing ability. Calvin Austin woke up the sleeping Steelers with a 73 yard punt return that eventually led to the Giants downfall.

10) Minnesota Vikings 5-2, last week 4

The wheels are starting to fall off in Minnesota, and all it took was a narrow loss to one of the top teams in the league. After five perfect weeks, it took the Vikings just five days to see it all unravel, and now that fragile aura of invincibility is shattered. We knew the Vikings weren’t going to go through the season undefeated, what we didn’t know is how they would respond in the face of defeat. They need to use this mini BYE to tighten the screws because if they lose to the Colts on Monday night, this team will spiral into a crisis that could cost them their short lived dream season.

11) Atlanta Falcons 5-3, last week 11

A division game, on the road, coming off a loss. A lot of people were thinking that this was the game Atlanta shows who they really are. Well, they did that, but to the surprise of many, who they really are is a resilient team that now has a commanding lead in the NFC South after their second win over the only other team that could contend with them in the division. The $180 million that Atlanta shelled out for Kirk Cousins now seems like a small price to pay as he swags and surfs this team back into the playoff picture, and relevance in the NFC.

12) Denver Broncos 5-3, last week 13

The Broncos have bounced back from their tricky home loss to the Chargers a few weeks ago, and they have done so on the shoulders of their rookie QB, who should be, but isn’t getting enough accolades for the season he’s having. You might try and ask me, “Who have the Broncos played over the last two weeks? The Saints second team and the Panthers first team.” Doesn’t matter. We expected the Broncos to be one of those walkover teams like Carolina, but not with Bo Nix and Sean Payton steering the ship. Nix had 7 TDs and 1 INT in October, better than any of his rookie counter parts and believe it or not, the Broncos have the same record as the Baltimore Ravens.

13) San Francisco 49ers 4-4, last week 18

The Niners have been through this before. Experience goes a long way in keeping those within the organization from pressing the panic button too early. This team has been without one of the best football players in the game since before the season kicked off. They have suffered injuries at multiple positions, lost some games that they probably should have won, and haven’t been playing like a Super Bowl contender…. yet. GM John Lynch certainly wasn’t sounding the alarm, neither was Kyle Shanahan. Having said that, Sunday night’s game in the Bay was huge. The difference between going into your BYE at 3-5 and 4-4 is a massive one. Things have been far from perfect, but getting rested, getting healthy and potentially getting Christian McCaffery back after the week off is going to be heaven sent.

14) Chicago Bears 4-3, last week 14

The BYE Week was the worst thing that could have happened to the Chicago Bears and their rookie QB Caleb Williams. They were on a three game roll, and the week off broke up some of the momentum that Williams built up in the few games before the BYE. It showed in the first half when he completed just three passes in the opening 30 minutes against Washington. Despite that, he found his groove and made some winning plays that on any other day would have been enough to get the win for the Bears. Unfortunately for Williams and Chicago, Jayden Daniels happened.

15) Seattle Seahawks 4-4, last week 12

You just can’t have any faith in this Seahawks team. You never know what they are going to do on a week to week basis, but with out DK Metcalf, you had to know Geno Smith was going to struggle to move the ball. What wasn’t expected was Seattle’s lack luster run game. They had just 32 rushing yards all game which translated to just 21 minutes of possession. You have to win your home games if you are going to be a contender. They are 2-3 at Lumen Field, which used to be a fortress, but has turned into a play ground for teams who travel up to the Pacific Northwest.

16) Arizona Cardinals 4-4, last week 20

Don’t rub your eyes. Don’t restart your computer. Maybe start to question everything you think you know about the NFC West. This division has been put in a blender and turned for a loop so much that the Cardinals are at the top of the division after eight weeks. On an emotional day in Miami the Cardinals trailed all game, but they stuck around. That’s what they are doing in the NFC West. Kyler Murray got hot at the right time and stunned the Dolphins, and that’s what he will be hoping to do in the NFC West.

17) Los Angeles Rams 3-4, last week 24

There was a sense of the tides turning for both teams on the field in Sofi Stadium on Thursday night. The Rams were finally healthy and looked like the team that took the Lions to overtime in Week 1, while the Vikings looked like a team that couldn’t stop the bleeding after suffering their first loss of the season last week against the Lions. Getting Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua back obviously helps the pass game, but it does so much more. The run game opens up as defenders have to mind the downfield attack. That makes the offensive line that much stronger, and there aren’t many quarterbacks I trust more than Matthew Stafford when he is given time in the pocket.

18) Los Angeles Chargers, 4-3, last week 21

The Chargers are above .500, and in the hunt for a wild card spot, and all that stuff, blah… blah… blah. I’m sorry if I seem uninterested but that’s what John Harbaugh’s team brings out of me. They are experts in lulling teams, and spectators to sleep. It may be working so far, but the only decent win they have under their belt is the Broncos. Fortunately for them the cup cake express continues over the next couple weeks with games against the Browns and the Titans. They need those wins because things will start to get a bit treacherous from there on out.

19) Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4-4, last week 17

Was that the final straw for Baker and the Bucs? It looked so promising for them in the first month and a half of the season, but in one fateful primetime game against the Ravens the Bucs saw their top two WRs go down with lengthy injuries. There was a thought that the Bucs defense might be able to get them through the rough patch, until Mike Evans returns in Week 12, but they got lit up by Kirk Cousins and the Falcons at home on Sunday. Now they trail ATL by a game, but technically two since they lost both games to the Falcons and if history serves us right the NFC South won’t be sending a second team to the postseason.

20) Cincinnati Bengals 3-5, last week 16

The objective is apparently very clear for the Cincinnati Bengals. Ten wins usually gets you into the playoffs according to Joe Luke Warm Burrow. So if they can win seven of their final nine games they should be alright. Alright for what? To sneak in the playoffs? To get a wild card and have to play each of whatever playoff games that await them on the road? The one time “team to beat in the AFC” in the mind of Ja’Marr Chase is now on the brink of elimination before the halfway point of the season.

21) Indianapolis Colts 4-4, last week 15

I get what the Colts are trying to do with Anthony Richardson. They bet on him to be the face of the franchise, and Joe Flacco can’t play forever… We think. Indy wants to pass the baton to their second year QB, but it’s hard to make a case for a guy who goes 10/32 in a game decided by three points. Flacco gives this team a chance to win now. Richardson might, and that’s a big might, give this team a chance to win in a couple years. Word to the wise, look at the post Flacco Cleveland Browns. You don’t want to look back in anger at the potential playoff oasis that Flacco provides today just to bet on a guy who might get you where you want to be in a handful of years.

22) Dallas Cowboys 3-4, last week 19

The Cowboys didn’t need just a week off. They need the whole rest of the season off. Pack your things. Hit the gym. Gather on the practice field and get ready for next year. They stink. The end. There was the argument that even though things were going terribly for Dallas, they were still .500 at 3-3. That’s no longer the case after the loss to the Niners, and look at their next four games. They play three division leaders and the Philadelphia Eagles in the next month. This could just be the beginning of the implosion in the Lone Star State.

23) Jacksonville Jaguars 2-6, last week 23

It’s simply not good enough from the Jaguars. They stuck around and gave the Packers a fight in Lambeau, but when you start the season 1-5 you don’t give yourself room to pat yourself on the back for staying in games with a good team. Are they playing better than they were before? Sure, but that really isn’t hard to do. Their next three games before their Week 12 BYE are the Eagles, Vikings and Lions. That spells trouble for those clinging on to their jobs for dear life in Jacksonville.

24) Cleveland Browns 2-6, last week 28

Jameis Winston is a folklore hero. The country bumpkin who produces golden sound clips every time he steps to the mic rallied a team that was in peril and had a game fit for a folklore hero. The Johnny Appleseed of the NFL had a 300 yard, 3 TD game to down the hottest team in the league, and restore a little faith in what is most important in Cleveland. Football. I ragged on the fans that cheered Deshaun Watson getting hurt last week. I know that wasn’t all of them. And for the one’s who weren’t part of that mob of low life’s, you guys deserved a win like the one against the Ravens.

25) New York Jets 2-6, last week 22

Break out the ayahuasca and turn off the lights, it’s time for a crisis intervention in the Big Apple. Welcome back to rock bottom Jets fans, can’t say it’s good to have you back, but at least you are used to it down here. Five straight defeats, playoff chances have all but disappeared and the Rodgers era in New York bordering a bigger flop than Aaron Judge in the World Series.

26) Las Vegas Raiders 2-6, last week 27

The Raiders always make life difficult for the Chiefs. That’s just a law of nature. It may not make sense given their records, rosters and resources. But Vegas is always going to push Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs to the edge. The defense created confusion and limited the Chiefs offense while Gardner Minshew was above average on a day where his running game did absolutely nothing. In the end the Chiefs did what the Chiefs do which is make winning plays in important moments of the game.

27) New York Giants 2-6, last week 26

I’m not sure if I should commend the Giants on playing better than they had in the previous two weeks, or chastise them for shooting themselves in the foot over and over and over again. On a night in which they were moving the ball much better than the Steelers were, New York committed 11 penalties that either directly, or indirectly took touchdowns off the board. When you have a QB that’s struggling, an offense that had put up 10 points in the previous two weeks and a fan base on the verge of anarchy, you should not be the team responsible for making it harder to score touchdowns.

28) New England Patriots 2-6, last week 30

Joy and the New England Patriots won’t be words that will be associated with each other very often this season. On the rare occasion that the Pats give their fans something to smile about, they must enjoy it to the fullest. Beating their hated rival, the New York Jets, is enough to get them through the next week with a smile on their face, but piling on to the Jets misery amidst the Aaron Rodgers drama will keep them content for weeks to come. After being called out by their coach by being soft, the Pats topped the Jets in the most rough and rugged way possible, with a one yard TD run on 4th and Goal. The bad news is Drake Maye wasn’t a part of this win, but Pats fans will take the small ray of sunshine where ever they can get it in this dreary rebuilding campaign.

29) New Orleans Saints 2-6, last week 25

The disaster continues for the Saints who are the most banged up team of all the banged up teams in the NFL. We don’t like to use that as an excuse in this league, but if there is any team who can get some sympathy for their phone book sized injury list it’s New Orleans. They have lost six in a row, and by the time Derek Carr comes back from his oblique injury it will most likely be too late. It’s a shame to see how the chips have fallen for this team that looked like they might have been able to challenge the Falcons and the Bucs in the NFC South.

30) Miami Dolphins 2-5, last week 29

Miami might have lost their fifth game in their last six, but somethings are bigger than football. Tua being back on the field after being placed on IR because of another concussion is one of the stories of the year. Having said that, is it really worth risking him in a season that is basically a lost cause? They are 2-5 and have a minimal chance of making the playoffs. I get he’s the only way the Dolphins play decent football, and the only way to bring fans to the stadium. Again, some things are bigger than football. And if the Dolphins want to protect Tua, and their $200 million investment they made this offseason, it might be time to yank Tua for the rest of the season.

31) Carolina Panthers 1-7, last week 31

Another day. Another week. Another game. Another quarterback. Another loss. There is no answer in Carolina. Not Bryce Young. Not Andy Dalton. Not their coach Dave Canales. Nothing is going to save the Panthers from this endless black hole of misery. I’d say the silver lining is they are in line for the top pick in the NFL Draft again, but history shows they have no clue how to draft players that will make their team better.

32) Tennessee Titans 1-6, last week 32

Get off the tracks when the train is coming through. Unfortunately there was no way to avoid the beatdown that was coming in Detroit. If we are going to give any credit to the Titans at all, it’s that they hung with the Lions for the first 16 minutes of the game. They could have hopped on the early plane back to Nashville instead of playing the final 44 minutes. There is nothing that is going to save this season in Tennessee, aside from maybe getting the No. 1 pick in the draft.