Somehow, Week 8 is already here in the NFL! Our Power Rankings have seen quite the shake up recently, but of course, the Chiefs remain at the top.
1 – Kansas City Chiefs (1)
It seems like every contending team has lost a game in the past two weeks except for the Chiefs. The defending champs are now on a six-game winning streak, and regardless of how they’ve looked at times during this season, they’re finding ways to win. The Travis Kelce-Patrick Mahomes connection is as good as ever, and the defence in Kansas City right now is better than it’s been in a long time. The Chiefs remain at the top.
2 – Philadelphia Eagles (5)
The defending conference champions in the NFC are still doing pretty well too. Philly improved to 6-1 on Sunday night as they handled the Dolphins 31-17. Jalen Hurts continued to struggle with taking care of the ball, but the team still won by double digits, showing just how well-rounded their roster is. The defence held Miami’s run game in check much better than any other team has this season, and with Kevin Byard getting traded this week as well, Philly’s defence looks as good as ever.
3 – Baltimore Ravens (10)
Baltimore is a great team when they’re playing their best, and they proved it on Sunday against the Lions. In a game that was supposed to be one of the best of the weekend, Lamar Jackson and the Ravens were up 35-0 before the end of the third quarter. Obviously, the Lions didn’t have their best stuff, but even then, there aren’t a lot of teams in the NFL that can decimate a 5-1 team like that. It’ll be interesting to see if Baltimore can keep their foot on the gas against the lowly Cardinals in Week 8.
4 – San Francisco 49ers (3)
The 49ers have now lost two straight games to teams that aren’t exactly cream of the crop, but they shouldn’t be too worried yet. Brock Purdy has looked very human, but it’s easy to understand that when he’s playing without Deebo Samuel and Trent Williams. The biggest thing for San Francisco this season has always been staying healthy until playoffs, but if this is the worst it’s going to get, the 49ers will be just fine. With all that being said, another loss to Cincinnati in Week 8 would potentially lose them the top spot in the NFC West, which is more concerning than anything that’s happened in the last two weeks.
5 – Miami Dolphins (4)
Unfortunately for the Dolphins, they’re not going to be able to escape the ‘fraud’ allegations until they beat a good team. Thankfully, it seems like Mike McDaniel knows that and has a very good understanding of his locker room. There’s no doubt that the Dolphins are a great offensive squad and one of the most exciting teams in the league to watch, but they do need to figure out their game plan against top competition. It was clear on Sunday night that the run game was not working against Philly, and Miami had a tough time adjusting.
6 – Jacksonville Jaguars (7)
Don’t look now, but the Jags have won four straight games and are currently 5-2. Outside of Kansas City, that’s the longest active winning streak in the NFL right now. They haven’t been dominating teams, but Jacksonville has been great at doing enough on both sides of the ball to get victories. Trevor Lawrence won’t always wow you in the box scores, but he has too many weapons on this team for them not to be competitive each and every week.
7 – Dallas Cowboys (8)
Coming off a bye, the Cowboys have a great opportunity to get right back into the swing of things against the Rams in Week 8. Sean McVay will undoubtedly have a game plan for Dak and the offence, but if Dallas wants to be looked at as a true Super Bowl contender, these are the games they need to win. Like the Dolphins, the Cowboys don’t really have a signature win yet this season, but they’ll have multiple opportunities to get one in the coming weeks.
8 – Detroit Lions (2)
The Lions are still a great team and a serious threat in the NFC, but they’ll need to go back to the drawing board after Sunday’s game against the Ravens. Hopefully, everyone in the locker room will be able to throw the game away quickly, because they have a great chance to bounce back in Week 8 against the Raiders on Monday night. Jared Goff and the offence simply looked overwhelmed in Baltimore, but I don’t expect another performance like that this season.
9 – Seattle Seahawks (-)
Geno Smith hasn’t had his best stuff over these last few weeks, but Seattle’s defence is really coming into form. Rookie Devon Witherspoon has been electric for the Seahawks and is only getting more comfortable, and the return of Jamal Adams has helped the unit significantly as well. If Smith and the offence can figure out their red zone struggles, Seattle will be a tough team to beat. In Week 8, they’ll get a great opportunity to right the ship against a very stingy Cleveland Browns defence.
10 – Buffalo Bills (6)
The rollercoaster in Buffalo continues. After barely beating the Giants in primetime, Buffalo lost this week to the rival New England Patriots. It seems that injuries to the defence are starting to take a toll on the team, and unless Josh Allen can be his very best for the remainder of the season, I’m not sure if we’ll see this team at the top of the AFC East again. Of course, the Bills are often up and down, but something feels different right now and not in a good way.
