NFL Power Rankings Week 9: Bills Eagles enjoy bye, Bills stay on top Giants slide out of Top 5.

Week 8 of the NFL is in the books, and not surprisingly there were some shocking scores that turned the Power Rankings on it’s head. Cleveland blew out the reigning AFC Champions, the Saints blanked the Raiders in New Orleans and the Seahawks handed the Giants their second loss of the season.

While the middle of the pack is constantly changing, the top three ranked teams have remained the same basically all season. Here are the NFL Power Rankings after Week 8.

1) Buffalo Bills 6-1, last week 1

The Bills are scary enough of a team as it is, but give them a week to rest, get healthy, and prepare for a game and this team gets even more terrifying. Josh Allen didn’t have to be spectacular for Buffalo to demolish the Green Bay Packers. The run game went for 153 yards, Allen had 49 of them and the defense shut down Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. There shouldn’t be anyone outside of Philly that thinks this isn’t the best team in the league.

2) Philadelphia Eagles 7-0, last week 2

Was there any doubt that the Eagles were going to be prepared to keep their record unblemished coming out of a bye after a perfect start to the season? Jalen Hurts had his best game of the season with the extra weeks preparation, throwing for 285 yards and 4 TDs. Hurts and AJ Brown have formed one of the top QB/WR connections in the league after just 8 weeks and with the defense playing as it has been, the Eagles undefeated season aspirations may not be as far fetched as we might think.

3) Kansas City Chiefs 5-2, last week 3

Patrick Mahomes and company got to watch Week 8 from their living rooms with their feet kicked up. They get back to business this week, and what a game to come off of a bye it will be. They play the 5-2 Tennessee Titans next Sunday night to decide who the second best team in the AFC is.

4) Dallas Cowboys 6-2, last week 5

For the first time this season we saw Dak Prescott look like Dak Prescott, and for the first time this season we saw a complete Dallas Cowboys that looks like it could make a run for a Super Bowl title. It was one game, so we won’t jump to any conclusions, but we know how Dallas fans immediately start thinking about a return to the glory days after nearly putting up a 50 burger on the Bears.

5) Minnesota Vikings 6-1, last week 6

I’m not sure how a team can be 6-1 and still be going quietly about their business, but that’s exactly what the Vikings are doing. All of the talk in the conference is about the Eagles perfect record and how good Philly is. All the talk in the NFC North is about how much the Packers are struggling and Aaron Rodgers lack of weapons. Kirk Cousins are the Vikings won’t mind flying under the radar as long as they keep stacking up wins.

6) New York Giants 6-2, last week 4

Believe me. There are plenty of doubters who don’t want to believe that Brian Daboll and the Giants are an actual contender. There will be people who use the Giants loss to the Seahawks as their proof. For the first time this season we saw New York stick in a game until the fourth quarter, but they weren’t able to pull out the game late in the fourth. A late muffed punt down by a touchdown finished off the Giants’ chances of making a comeback in the Hawks Nest in Seattle. Going to Seattle to take on Geno and the Seahawks is not as easy as it once sounded earlier this year. I’ve been saying all season, we will see who this team really is once a loss enters the mix. For me this is do or die time for the Giants.

7) Baltimore Ravens 5-3, last week 8

Going into Tampa Bay on a short week and beating Tom Brady and a desperate Bucs team was a tough ask. Let’s give it up to the Ravens defense, which has been much improved for the last four weeks. Sunday’s win gave Jim Harbaugh’s team their first win streak of the season, and when the offense turns back on again this team should be a top team in the AFC. They aren’t there yet, but they are getting there.

8) Miami Dolphins 5-3, last week 10

It was far from a shiny start for the Dolphins in Detroit. The Lions jumped all over them to start the game, and that might have been the best thing for this Miami team. We hadn’t seen that killer instinct that we saw from Miami since Tua was sidelined. Playing Detroit, you know you’re going to get your opportunities to score, and Tua and the Dolphins offense took advantage

9) San Francisco 49ers 4-4, last week 17

The Niners did what the Niners always do to the Los Angeles Rams over the weekend. After giving up a TD to the Rams halfway through the second quarter, San Fran scored 24 straight points to improve to 4-4 on the season. Christian McCaffery showed exactly what he brings to the Niners after getting traded to the Bay last week. Mr. Do It All did it all on Sunday, running, passing and catching a TD to sink the Rams to below .500.

10) Tennessee Titans 5-2, last week 11

Remember King Henry’s heyday? Those days in which he would continuously obliterate opposing defenses until the were physically and mentally worn down in the second half. That seems to be the formula he is implementing for this season. The later the season goes on, the better he seems to get. I’ll be the first to admit I thought Henry’s best days were past him, but his 219 yards and two touchdown performance makes you believe that he and the Titans are back after winning their fifth straight game.

11) Los Angeles Chargers 4-3, last week 9

The Chargers went into their bye week above .500, but their home loss to the Seahawks didn’t leave the best taste in their mouths going into their break. They have had their ups and downs, but they are 4-3 and just a game back of the Chiefs.

12) Seattle Seahawks 5-3, last week 16

We were waiting for the Seahawks to prove they were for real. Up until two weeks ago, their quality of wins was not as impressive as their record might have suggested. They beat the Broncos, Lions and Falcons (which is more impressive now then it was back then). In the last two weeks, Seattle has taken down the Chargers and the Giants in back to back weeks. It’s about time to buying stock in Geno Smith before it’s too late.

13) Cincinnati Bengals 4-4, last week 7

What in the world happened on Monday night? I get it. Jama’ar Chase is out for at least a month and that will be a big void to fill, but no one would have imagined the defending AFC Champs would have come out like they did on Monday night. They couldn’t stop Cleveland’s ground game, while their rushing attack was toothless gaining just 36 yards. Every time you think you have a good read on this team, they go and do something like they did on Monday Night which leaves us absolutely gobsmacked.

14) New York Jets 5-3, last week 12

When you are a good team, and you have an off day you let it slide off your back and move on to the next game with not much thought about what happened the previous week. When you aren’t a good team yet, a loss like the one the Jets had to the Patriots can be worrisome. It’s not that the Jets were blown out, on Sunday but their offense did flat line for more than two quarters. The Jets won four straight before the loss to the Pats. If they can bounce back for this loss next week then it would certainly say that this team is ready to be good, especially since they are playing the AFC leading Buffalo Bills.

15) New England Patriots 4-4, last week 18

It was probably a long week for Mac Jones leading up to game against the Jets on Sunday. He was yanked in his return to action last week against the Bears, and people in New England started having visions of Brady and Bledsoe as Bailey Zappe captivated fans in his backup stint. Belichick assured his second year QB would be the starter this Sunday, but Jones had to be wondering how short the leash was with Zappe on the sidelines. Jones wasn’t great, and neither was the offense but the defense did enough to carry the Pats to victory after picking off Zach Wison three times.

16) Los Angeles Rams 3-4, last week 13

The Rams offense once again caused the downfall of LA against their bitter rival the San Francisco 49ers. They may have gotten the best of the Niners in the playoffs last year, but SF beats them up in regular season. Sunday was no different. Matthew Stafford threw for just 187 yards and the Rams had just 56 yards rushing against the Niners top defense.

17) Washington Commanders 4-4, last week 23

If you’re tired of me drooling over Taylor Heinicke you might want to turn the page, figuratively of course. The perseverance this kid personifies every second he’s on the field or on the sideline makes you have to root him. Despite never being given a real chance at a QB1 spot, he has shown his season changing ability coming off the bench in each of the last three seasons. He has won both games he has started and Washington is riding a three game streak back to a 4-4 record.

18) Indianapolis Colts 3-4-1, last week 15

The Sam Elhinger era in Indy got off to an interesting start. The Colts lost the game in the final minute to the Washington Commanders, but you can’t chalk the loss up to the Colts new QB1. He went 17/23 with 201 yards in his first start this season. This team won’t be who they want to be until Jonathan Taylor starts playing like the running back he was last year. The offensive line has a lot to do with his dip in numbers, and if the Colts can’t start winning the Titans will run away with the AFC South.

19) Atlanta Falcons 4-4, last week 22

Giving up 21 points in the fourth quarter is certainly not ideal. But if you are able to concede that many points in the final 15 minutes and still win the game, it means you did something right in the first 45 minutes of the game. The run game continues to carry Atlanta. Mariota had 43 of the 167 yards on the ground and he went for 253 yards with three TDs and two interceptions. The Falcons are now the only team in the NFC South that doesn’t have a losing record.

20) Green Bay Packers 3-5, last week 14

What’s going on in Green Bay is beyond explanation. Aaron Rodgers is getting no protection and when he does, his receivers are not running routes to get open. Coming out of halftime, Packers coach Matt LaFleur seemed more concerned with not getting blown out than winning the game agains the Bills on Sunday night. It’s strange to see Rodgers in this situation, but it just proves that a great quarterback is not enough to carry a team if nothing else is working on the offensive end.

21) New Orleans Saints 3-5, last week 28

Andy Dalton came out and played like he had something to prove. Like he was playing for his job after throwing three interceptions and two pick sixes last week against the Cardinals. He went 22/30 for 229 and 2 TDs in the 24-0 win. Those are ideal numbers for a guy who is being asked to manage the offense. They don’t need him to win games, and certainly don’t need him to lose games. Taysom Hill is getting more involved in a more consistent capacity, and having Hill and Alvin Kamara flowing in the backfield makes life for Dalton easier.

22) Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3-5, last week 19

The Bucs are spiraling out of control, and it look like there’s no easy solution to the problems in the Bay. They have lost three straight games after the Ravens beat then in Raymond James Stadium on Thursday Night. They started the game by gifting the Ravens the ball inside the 10 yard line on a muffed punt to set a tumultuous tone to the game. They will meet another desperate team in the Rams next week. The loser of that game will have just three win after nine regular season weeks.

23) Arizona Cardinals 3-5, last week 21

Kyler Murray and the Cardinals took the Vikings to the last second, but couldn’t get the touchdown they needed on their final drive of the game. Murray had 326 yards and a season high 3 TDs, but threw two crucial interceptions in the second half to drop the Cards to 3-5. Fortunately they haven’t fallen too far behind the division leading Seahawks, who they will play next week.

24) Cleveland Browns 3-5, last week 24

Just when it seems like he Browns were dead in the dumps they win a game that makes you think they might just be able to hang on until Deshawn Watson comes back. As long as Nick Chubb is the anchor of the offense and the defense plays like they did in Cincinnati the Browns are going to have a chance to win games.

25) Denver Broncos 3-5, last week 30

It appears that the four hours of high knees Russell Wilson was doing on the transatlantic flight to London paid off. They beat the Jags with a TD in the final minutes, thanks to a Latavius Murray two yard rumble into the end zone. It still wasn’t attractive football, but the good news for Denver fans is the Broncos scored on every one of their red zone possessions. Something that the league’s worst red zone offense needed desperately.

26) Chicago Bears 3-5, last week 27

The Cowboys gave the Bears a heavy does for reality with a 49-29 schlacking over the weekend. Justin Fields was coming off of the best performance of the year, and probably his career, in the 33-14 blowout win over the Patriots. Fields didn’t play poorly, but unfortunately for the Bears they were going up against a Cowboys team that saw it’s offense finally click at their expense.

27) Carolina Panthers 2-6, last week 29

You got to give it to coach Steve Wilks. He has come into a dumpster fire of a situation in Carolina and is turning that team around week by week. They may not have won Sunday’s game against the Falcons, but they should have. A 21 point fourth quarter capped off by PJ Walker’s 62 yard Hail Mary to DJ Moore, but Moore’s excessive celebration penalty backed the Panthers’ PAT attempt and Eddy Piniero missed the potential game winner. They still may not be a good team, but the last two weeks the have been more than respectable.

28) Las Vegas Raiders 2-5, last week 20

It seemed as though the Raiders ship was going to course correct when they came off a bye and waxed the Texans. That was anything but the case on Sunday in New Orleans. The Raiders were embarrassed in their shutout loss to Andy Dalton and the Saints at the Super Dome. Josh Jacobs was the reason for LA was having success over the last few games, but they went to him just 10 times all day. I fear I’ve believed in this team far too much this season, but Sunday’s loss stripped me of every bit of faith I have of this Raiders team reaching it’s full potential.

29) Jacksonville Jaguars 2-6, last week 25

The Jags travelled across the pond to take on the Broncos, and came back with a their sixth loss of the season. There was a time where Jacksonville looked like they were going to compete in the AFC South. Those day are over. They are in the midst of a four game losing streak, and Jacksonville has proved they aren’t quite ready to be take seriously just yet. Having said that, the Jaguars have been within a touchdown in every one of those losses. Doug Pederson has this Jacksonville team ready to complete in games, he just doesn’t have them ready to win games yet.

30) Pittsburgh Steelers 2-6, last week 27

You’ve got to feel for Kenny Pickett. Since being named the Steelers’ starter, he has played the best QB in the league (Josh Allen), the best QB ever (Tom Brady), Tua in an emotional return to the field after suffering a scary concussion in Miami, and the best team league in the Eagles this weekend. The Steelers are 1-3 in those games, and at 2-6 are in real jeopardy of seeing their playoff chances fade fast if they haven’t already. The only promising thing on the horizon for Pittsburgh is the impending return of T.J. Watt.

31) Detroit Lions 1-6, last week 31

The good news for the Lions is their offense came back after getting blanked in the previous two weeks. The bad news is they are 1-6. This wasn’t a project that was going to miraculously be on a winning track this year, but Dan Campbell has this team competing again, and he has the support of the front office. Detriot fans should feel comforted by that fact, because he has this team rallied around him despite their record.

32) Houston Texans 1-5-1, last week 32

It took the Texans 59 minutes to get into the end zone on Sunday against the Titans. There’s not much more to digest after their 17-10 loss. Sure, on paper it looks like another tight finish in a game decided by a one possession. Those who watched the game, and Houston this season know the Texans are a bad team who don’t quite yet deserve to win these types of games.