The more things change, the more they stay the same.
The San Francisco 49ers are starting to look like a whole new team with Christian McCaffrey in the backfield. The Seattle Seahawks also look like a threat in the NFC West. Also who would have thought the Las Vegas Raiders would have such a putrid record this far into the season?
The Houston Texans continue to be a problematic club with no solution at quarterback. The Philadelphia Eagles are starting to run away with the conference, let alone the NFC East.
Here is a look at the power rankings to finish up Week 8.
32. Houston Texans (1-5-1)
The Texans banked their 2022 campaign on the development of Davis Mills, and the second-year signal caller has not taken the steps thus far. With each loss, Texans fans and the organization have to start considering what quarterback options are available in the 2022 NFL draft.
31. Detroit Lions (1-6)
Last entry: No. 29
Part of the Lions’ problem has been their inability to close out games. The matter persisted against the Miami Dolphins at Ford Field. Coach Dan Campbell has been unable to get his team to close out in the fourth quarter, and until they can unlock that mystery, the Lions will be a bottom-tier club.
30. Carolina Panthers (2-6)
Last entry: No. 32
The magic of Steve Wilks, P.J. Walker, and Chuba Hubbard can only take a team so far. The Panthers had a chance to revitalize their season in the wide open NFC South, but couldn’t seal the deal in overtime against the Atlanta Falcons.
29. Chicago Bears (3-5)
Last entry: No. 31
The Bears with their run-heavy scheme would be a dominant force in 1968, but Justin Fields and the Chicago aerial assault still has some maturing to do. As Fields gets more reps under center, and if rookie coach Matt Eberflus can continue to instill a hardworking attitude, the Bears should pull themselves out of the bottom-5 by season’s end.
28. Las Vegas Raiders (2-5)
Last entry: No. 27
The Raiders looked like they got back on track with a win over the hapless Texans in Week 7, but they were shutout 24-0 on the road against the New Orleans Saints. Las Vegas gambled on the offense to drive their season, but their ledger shows they may need to start thinking about next year.
27. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-6)
Last entry: No. 21
Just when the Jaguars seem to have taken a step forward, they find a way to compromise their progress. Admittedly Trevor Lawrence was going against a stout defense in the Denver Broncos, but the lack of consistency in his play is the next step he needs to take, and the organization needs him to take, to stop flirting with the AFC South basement.
26. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-6)
Last entry: No. 20
The Steelers are flirting dangerously close to giving Mike Tomlin his first losing season and Pittsburgh’s first losing season since 2003. These are the struggles that come with giving a rookie quarterback meaningful playing time. The Steelers may be regulars in the bottom-10 of any power rankings.
25. Cleveland Browns (3-5)
Last entry: No. 26
Nothing to help mess up the Texans’ draft positioning than for the Browns to start winning again. When Amari Cooper has a big game, as he did against the Cincinnati Bengals with five catches for 131 yards and a touchdown, it is the X-factor Cleveland needs to be dominant.
24. Denver Broncos (3-5)
Last entry: No. 24
The Broncos seem like they still aren’t reaching their full potential, not when they have a Super Bowl-winning quarterback under center and an offensive-minded coach out of the Sean McVay experience. A win over the Jaguars was good for the standings, but not so much in declaring to the rest of the league Denver has arrived.
23. Washington Commanders (4-4)
Last entry: No. 30
Think of how ironic it would be if the secret sauce to getting Washington back on track would be Taylor Heinicke going back under center. Nevertheless Washington is starting to find their groove and make the NFC East the most dominant division in the NFL.
22. Indianapolis Colts (3-4-1)
Last entry: No. 18
The Colts haven’t been able to play with much consistency to give their chase for the AFC South title any legitimacy. Playing against a struggling Washington team at Lucas Oil Stadium should have been the game they needed to get rolling. Blowing a 16-7 fourth quarter lead is not a good sign for Indianapolis going forward.
21. Arizona Cardinals (3-5)
Last entry: No. 25
Even though the Cardinals lost and are below .500, the tilt with the Minnesota Vikings demonstrated their firepower has finally arrived. DeAndre Hopkins exploded with 12 catches for 159 yards and a score. J.J. Watt had 2.0 sacks. Arizona’s record may be salvageable enough to start getting serious in the NFC West.
20. Green Bay Packers (3-5)
Last entry: No. 16
The Packers just seem snake-bit like they did in 2018 when they were similarly inconsistent and ultimately fired Mike McCarthy a week into December. November will tell the tale for Green Bay as they face the Lions, Cowboys, Titans, and Eagles over the next month.
19. New Orleans Saints (3-5)
Last entry: No. 23
When Alvin Kamara gets going, the Saints offense is unstoppable. The problem for New Orleans has been inconsistency under center. Andy Dalton had a 117.2 passer rating, and naturally he was aided by a dominant running back. If New Orleans can have such outings from Kamara going forward, they should be contenders in the division.
18. Atlanta Falcons (4-4)
Last entry: No. 22
The Falcons were picked as one of the worst teams in the NFL to start the season, but Arthur Smith has finally started to have success. What has helped is consistency from Marcus Mariota, who wasn’t a terrible quarterback with the Tennessee Titans; he just wasn’t a franchise signal caller. However, Mariota has proven he is capable of leading a team to a winning record, and Atlanta may be on that path.
17. Los Angeles Rams (3-4)
Last entry: No. 15
Les Snead is every football fan’s favorite general manager because he takes chances. Sometimes they pay off, as was the case in 2021 when the Rams won the Super Bowl. However, teams that take such chances ultimately have to pay the price, and Los Angeles is doing so in their “run it back” campaign. Will Snead pull off another move at the trade deadline on Nov. 1 to give the Rams a much-needed edge?
16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-5)
Last entry: No. 10
Tampa Bay is horrendous for a myriad of reasons. The passing game may be the chief area as quarterback Tom Brady has not posted a 90.0-plus passer rating in the past three weeks. The NFC South is still up for grabs, even with the Falcons surging, so, there is still time for the Bucs to figure things out.
15. Miami Dolphins (5-3)
Last entry: No. 19
All it took was for Tua Tagovailoa to come back. Now that rookie coach Mike McDaniel has his signal caller, Miami is back to being a force. Of course, the Buffalo Bills are in a position to run away with the division, but Miami has the tiebreaker. If Miami can have a comparable record by the time they rematch Buffalo in Week 15, the Dolphins can really make a statement as to who owns the AFC East.
14. Cincinnati Bengals (4-4)
Last entry: No. 9
The rules are you can’t lose to the Cleveland Browns in prime time. The Bengals allowed Joe Burrow to get sacked five times, and the run game couldn’t going. Cincinnati also had no answers for Nick Chubb and Amari Cooper. At this rate, the Bengals may have to backdoor it as a true road wildcard if they want to repeat as AFC Champions.
13. New York Jets (5-3)
Last entry: No. 6
The Jets really could have made a statement as to the direction of the franchise by beating the boogeyman. Instead New York classically faltered to Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots. Robert Saleh has still done a remarkable job, but the 22-17 loss demonstrated how much work still needs to be done to truly overhaul the organization.
12. Los Angeles Chargers (4-3)
Last entry: No. 13
The Chargers are still smarting from that loss to the Seahawks in Week 7. Los Angeles gets back in action on the road against the Atlanta Falcons on Nov. 6.
11. Seattle Seahawks (5-3)
Last entry: No. 12
What the Seahawks have accomplished still doesn’t feel real, but a 5-3 record at the virtual halfway point of a 17-game season is hard to argue with. Pete Carroll has been able to tap into the potential scouts and coaches saw in Geno Smith throughout his career. Seattle’s two-game road trip heading into the bye will tell the tale of whether it’s all a dream or reality.
10. Tennessee Titans (5-2)
Last entry: No. 8
The Titans played with their food a little bit as they achieved a one-score victory over the hapless Texans in Week 8. While Derrick Henry was unstoppable with 219 rushing yards and two touchdowns, the game is built around passing. Tennessee has to get that component back to truly be a top-tier club.
9. New York Giants (6-2)
Last entry: No. 4
Brian Daboll has done a great job of tapping into Daniel Jones’ potential, and Saquon Barkley is also delivering with the hype that has accompanied him early in his career. Taking an L at the talons of the Seahawks is a temporary setback, but New York should be able to bounce back and return to the top-5.
8. New England Patriots (4-4)
Last entry: No. 14
Rhamondre Stevenson bailed out both Mac Jones and Bill Belichick with his 16 carries for 71 yards along with seven catches for 72 yards in the win over the Jets. If the Pats are able to hang a W on the Colts, it will be a great way for the club to refresh over the bye and get ready to close out the season series against the Jets.
7. San Francisco 49ers (4-4)
Last entry: No. 17
It wasn’t so much that the 49ers beat the Rams as it was who helped them. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo did not throw an interception and newly acquired running back Christian McCaffrey averaged 5.2 yards per carry and scored a touchdown. San Francisco has remade themselves twice now throughout their first eight games and each incarnation keeps looking better.
6. Dallas Cowboys (5-2)
Last entry: No. 5
The Cowboys look markedly better with Dak Prescott back, but their two games coming out of the bye week against the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings will truly tell the tale of where Dallas is at. So far, the Cowboys are 2-2 against playoff teams from a season ago with all of the wins belonging to Cooper Rush.
5. Minnesota Vikings (6-1)
Last week: No. 7
The Vikings have long established they are the kings of the NFC North this year. The question now becomes whether they can credibly contend for the No. 1 seed in the conference. Minnesota handled the challenge of a revitalized Cardinals squad. Can they survive a November slate that includes Washington, Buffalo, Dallas, and New England?
4. Baltimore Ravens (5-3)
Last entry: No. 11
The Ravens held command over the Buccaneers throughout the fourth quarter on Thursday Night Football. Baltimore is starting to find some consistency and could run away with the division if the Bengals continue to falter.
3. Kansas City Chiefs (5-2)
Last entry: No. 3
Reminding the San Francisco 49ers just exactly what happened in Super Bowl LIV was a nice way to kickoff the bye week. The Chiefs are back in action against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday Night Football.
2. Buffalo Bills (6-1)
Last entry: No. 2
If not for the hiccup against the Dolphins in Week 3, the Bills would be one of the last undefeated teams in the NFL right now, and the fact is they are playing like it. Maybe it is nice to have the pressure of a perfect season out of the way so they can play flawlessly.
1. Philadelphia Eagles (7-0)
Last entry: No. 1
No one is playing better than the Eagles presently, and the question becomes how far ahead will their record be once the rest of the league finally has enough tape to formulate realistic game plans to stop them. Their schedule continues to remain cupcake-esque through November with matchups against Houston, Washington, Indianapolis, and Green Bay. Even so, 11-0 going into December will be hard to argue against.
