Another week of wild finishes leaves us no closer to figuring out the NFL. And eight weeks in, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Any Given Sunday isn’t just a movie starring Al Pacino and Jamie Foxx; it’s the perfect description of what we’re seeing every week. The league is a topsy-turvy showcase of the best athletes on Earth, and it’s reminding us why football is such an incredible game to play, watch, and argue about.
At the top, contenders are battling to prove they’re the league’s best. At the bottom,
teams are fighting just to stay relevant.
Chaos reigns, contenders rise and fall, and the power rankings shuffle once again. With a crowded bye week giving rest to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Rams, and Seattle Seahawks, here’s how things look going into Week 8:
1) Detroit Lions (5-2) (+3)
Jared Goff is playing like one of the best quarterbacks in the league, and the defense is playing like one of the best units in the league under defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard. And that’s with a litany of injuries on that side of the football. The Lions may have beaten the ‘Brain Drain’ allegations.
2) Indianapolis Colts (6-1) (even)
With the way they handled the Los Angeles Chargers, the Colts have every right to be the number-one team in the NFL, but I’m just okay with being a week late than a week early on a Daniel Jones-led offense. But make no mistake, this is an offense that is firing on all cylinders, and they deserve to be recognized as one of the most fun teams to watch right now.
3) Green Bay Packers (4-1-1) (even)
Survive and advance, but the Packers have been a frustrating watch thus far. They were a literal second away from being 4-2 and probably less than a minute from being under .500, not to mention a truly baffling loss to the Browns. This is such a talented team, but they need to have a complete game just once, and what better time to have it than against Aaron Rodgers?
4) Seattle Seahawks (5-2) (+1)
I like this team, man. As long as Sam Darnold continues to play like Minnesota Darnold, this defense will continue to develop into a really good unit. This is slowly becoming one of the better teams, and potentially one of the better environments under Mike MacDonald.
5) Los Angeles Rams (5-2) (+1)
The NFC West is a dangerous place to be right now, but if Sunday’s dalliance in London was any indication, the Rams are well equipped to fight off a few divisional contenders.
6) Kansas City Chiefs (4-3) (+2)
The league is a better place when the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes are playing like they did on Sunday. The Raiders were rendered powerless to stop anything the Chiefs put in front of them, and Kansas City has another chance to put a struggling team out of its misery on Monday night.
7) Buffalo Bills (4-2) (even)
After sitting out a week, pondering over the last two losses, the Bills get a bounce-back opportunity against the Carolina Panthers. Let’s hope they make good on it.
8) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-2) (-6)
Losing Mike Evans was huge in a game that was clearly supposed to be a statement game for this Tampa Bay Buccaneers team. This doesn’t mean that the Bucs aren’t one of the best teams in the league; it just means that with all the injuries, they may face an uphill battle to pull off a deep playoff run this year.
9) Denver Broncos (5-2) (even)
0.2% chance of winning that game against the upstart Giants. Yet here they are, with a 5-2 record, a great playcaller, and a question mark at the quarterback position. Oh yeah, and one of the most talented defenses in the league. What can go wrong?
10) Philadelphia Eagles (5-2) (even)
Not the best showing, but the Eagles are finding ways to win early in the season just like last season, and you see how that turned out. As long as they find a way to get Saquon going again and this defense continues to be an above-average unit, they should still be a formidable team come playoff time.
11) San Francisco 49ers (5-2) (+1)
With George Kittle back, and even without Fred Warner, the 49ers looked like a complete team against the Falcons on Sunday night, especially the run game. If the 49ers can tap into that style of play, especially against a defense like the Texans, we may see another resurgence for the 49ers. Just in time for a run at the playoffs.
12) Houston Texans (2-4) (-1)
I know at some point, I have to push the Texans out of the playoff conversation because their record just doesn’t reflect a team that should be filling up one of these top spots, but I can’t get over this feeling that the offense will figure it out. The defense is already there, but the offense has to catch up, and I think it can.
13) Los Angeles Chargers (4-3) (+1)
Sometimes you get outplayed by the better team, and that’s basically what happened for the Chargers on Sunday. And what’s their reward? A short week to see Brian Flores and the Minnesota Vikings defense…hooray.
14) New England Patriots (5-2) (+6)
It took too long, but the Patriots are firmly in the conversation for a playoff spot, and potentially the AFC East division crown. The Bills are likely to win the division, but the fight this Patriots team has shown, and the way Drake Maye has played thus far, should be a good sign for what the Mike Vrabel era could look like in Foxboro.
15) Washington Commanders (3-4) (-2)
The sun is getting low, buddy. The Commanders are without their superhero quarterback, and that Thanos in Kansas City is ready to snap Washington right back into the bottom of the NFC. Hopefully, the boost of having both Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel on the field will be enough to keep the offense competitive.
16) Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2) (-1)
Seriously, who are the Pittsburgh Steelers? What is this team at this point? Hopefully, with the Aaron Rodgers of it all looming on Sunday Night Football, we get a better feel for what this team is and how that plays into the AFC North race this season.
17) Atlanta Falcons (3-3) (-1)
That was a rough go of it last week against the 49ers. Michael Penix, Jr. looked off yet again and the warts of the rushing defense proved to be too much for this inconsistent offense to overcome. With the lowly Dolphins ahead and a peek into what’s been commonly referred to as Kirktober as Kirk Cousins takes over for Penix due to a bone bruise, it will be pleasant to see if the Falcons can put together a complete team game against a disadvantaged opponent.
18) Chicago Bears (4-2) (+1)
The run game for Chicago is starting to look like a powerful asset for the Bears as they’ve rushed for over 145 yards, including over 200 against the Saints. But moreso, the defense has been able to force 7 turnovers over the past two weeks. Now, let’s see if they can keep that up as Lamar Jackson makes his return to the Ravens on Sunday.
19) Minnesota Vikings (3-3) (-1)
I’m still not entirely sure what to make of these Minnesota teams, but I know that they have to figure out this quarterback conundrum. With J.J. McCarthy sort of waiting in the wings, it will be interesting to see how they maneuver this stretch of Chargers, Lions and Ravens (with Lamar Jackson).
20) Carolina Panthers (4-3) (+1)
Don’t look now, but the Panthers are both over .500 and a game back in the division. They have their toughest test ahead of them in the Buffalo Bills, coming off a bye, but there’s no telling where this game could go for the up-and-down Panthers.
21) Dallas Cowboys (3-3-1) (+1)
What an impressive win against the Commanders. However, it’s a divisional game, which always feel a little off-kilter. I will say that the offense is everything that Cowboys fans could ask for and more, even with CeeDee Lamb missing some time. But if the defense can start to pull their weight too, this may be a team to watch as the season goes along.
22) Jacksonville Jaguars (4-3) (-5)
No Jacksonville fan wants to hear this, but this feels like the same old Jaguars. They get a bye to lick their wounds, and the AFC is down this season. Maybe Trevor Lawrence and company can pull it together enough to fight for a wild-card spot, but we’ll have to see.
23) Baltimore Ravens (1-5) (even)
Alright. If there’s ever a time to make a historic run to the playoffs, it’s now. I don’t know whether the chasm is too deep for the Ravens to work out of, but when you have Lamar Jackson at quarterback, anything is possible.
24) Arizona Cardinals (2-5) (+1)
This has been a disappointing season for the Cardinals, but they certainly aren’t fully terrible. They continue to find themselves in these one-possession bouts, losing their last five games by a combined 19 points. If Arizona can just find that final play to put them over the hump, maybe this could be a good team. For now, though, it’s time to rest.
25) Cincinnati Bengals (3-4) (+2)
I want to preface this by saying that this is not a good team. But wow, what a performance from Joe Flacco and this Bengals offense. Now with the Jets in front of them, who knows? This could be a team that finds itself being scrappy come Joe Burrow’s return.
26) New York Giants (2-5) (even)
I mean, they should’ve won. But that’s what bad teams do, they find a way to lose. That doesn’t make the duo of Cam Skattebo and Jaxson Dart any better or worse than what they are. They just…aren’t a good team…yet.
27) Cleveland Browns (2-5) (+2)
Beating up on a bad team when you’re a bad team is a mixed bag. Like, yeah, we’re not as bad as them, but also, man, that draft pick…I guess it’s a little too early to be thinking about that, especially with the type of defensive performance this Browns team can muster from week to week, but it’s always a lingering thought.
28) Las Vegas Raiders (2-5) (-4)
I wanted to drop this team further, but given the true bottom of the league, it didn’t feel right to. I still believe that Pete Carroll has enough to pull this team out of whatever funk this is that they are in, but there is a pungent odor surrounding this Raiders team. Stings the nostrils, and not in a good way.
29) New Orleans Saints (1-6) (-1)
What is there to take away from the Saints except that out of the three true bottom-feeders, they’re the only ones that look semi-competent from week to week. If the quarterback class next season isn’t brimming with talent, the Saints shouldn’t mind another season with Spencer Rattler. I’m not saying that as a Saints hater, I’m dead serious.
30) Tennessee Titans (1-6) (even)
We all sort of expected the Titans not to have a great day against the Patriots, especially with their head coach recently fired. But they have to find a way to protect Cam Ward, or he won’t make it out of his rookie season alive.
31) Miami Dolphins (1-6) (even)
Despite possibly the worst vibes in all the NFL, the Miami Dolphins are certainly doing everything they can to let Mike McDaniel finish this season. Everything feels rotten in Miami, though, from the quarterback down to the defense. It’s time to pack it up.
32) New York Jets (0-7) (even)
One of these teams is going to play down to the Jets’ level and give them their first win. If it’s not Cincinnati, though, Aaron Glenn may be next to get ousted, just eight weeks into his first year.
