NFL Power Rankings, Week 8: Chiefs reclaim No. 1 spot; rampaging Ravens soar into top five

The Chiefs were a bit uneven yet again Sunday, with the offense cooling off after halftime. But other than the Nick Bolton‘s wrist injury, is there anything from this game to complain about? Kansas City solidly beat a talented opponent. Yeah, the Chargers’ record (2-4) stinks, but this was still a divisional victory won by multiple TDs. Charles Omenihu came back from suspension with a sack and a tipped pass that was intercepted at the Chiefs’ 6-yard line. Old friend Mecole Hardman had a hand in the triumph, with a 50-yard punt return and a big third-down conversion late. And best friends Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce remain inseparable, despite the fact that their streak of 29 straight completions was broken Sunday. This team just knows how to win.

The Eagles were down both starting safeties and their slot corner, and they still held Miami to a season-low 244 yards and 10 offensive points. Tua Tagovailoa was under pressure all game, and even taking into account his ability to get the ball out quickly, it seemed to have a cumulative effect. This is where defensive coordinator Sean Desai might be able to separate himself from his predecessor. I loved how Desai would not let Miami off the hook, providing constant pressure. And while the offense might not quite be operating at that same level as it was last season, the Jalen Hurts–A.J. Brown connection has arguably never been more potent. They’ve now combined for 701 yards over Brown’s past five games. The Eagles also won every big fourth down on Sunday. That’s my kind of team. And now Philly’s getting Kevin Byard? Watch out, folks.

Week 6 in Cleveland, Brock Purdy earned credit after a tough day for putting the 49ers in a position to win, even if that didn’t happen. Monday night in Minnesota was shaping up as perfect redemption, but it ended in a nightmare. Purdy was intercepted twice in the fourth quarter on a pair of errant throws, with the latter ending the Niners’ comeback attempt in painful fashion. That’s now two straight losses after the 5-0 start, and both the Browns and Vikings were able to prevail despite missing key offensive pieces. With Purdy’s two picks and Christian McCaffrey‘s second lost fumble in three weeks, the 49ers’ defense had to be razor-sharp on Monday — and it wasn’t. What an unexpected turn, and now the rested Bengals come to Levi’s Stadium on Sunday.

The Lions said they wanted to force Lamar Jackson to throw the ball, and the quarterback responded with his best game since early last season. Nine Ravens caught passes Sunday; six had 30 or more receiving yards. The run game was neatly divided among Gus Edwards, Justice Hill and Jackson. The Ravens’ one turnover came when they were already up 28-zip. They punted twice, holding a lead of 30-plus points on both. It was a banner day on defense, too, as Baltimore smothered Detroit’s dangerous offense early. It was the kind of statement victory that makes you think the Ravens have as good a shot to make the Super Bowl as any AFC team right now. A 10-2 record at the bye wouldn’t be shocking, but Baltimore must prove its offense has taken the proverbial next step.

Miami’s offense hit a new low in Philadelphia, managing just 10 offensive points. True, the Dolphins were limited by the Eagles to eight turns with the ball, but even so, there were too many empty possessions before the late red-zone pick that set Philly up to take a two-score lead. Tyreek Hill‘s dropped TD pass didn’t hurt, because Miami got a pick-six two plays later, but it was uncharacteristic of the receiver. The ground attack looked dormant in its second game without De’Von Achane, and the offensive line suffered a setback. This is where the Dolphins are now, with the (resurgent?) Patriots and Chiefs (in Frankfurt) up next before the bye. Xavien Howard and Connor Williams might be back soon. Near the break, Achane, Terron Armstead and perhaps Jalen Ramsey could return. The Dolphins can still be dangerous, but quality teams have leaned into them.

Sunday’s upcoming game in Pittsburgh is shaping up as a huge measuring-stick contest for both teams. The Jaguars’ win on Thursday — their fourth straight — gave them a pleasurable mini-bye, as a banged-up Trevor Lawrence got the job done, even if there are still some kinks to work out. The offense has shown a pattern of bogging down in the second half. Travis Etienne is on pace for a whopping 367 touches. Calvin Ridley has more games with three or fewer catches than with four or more. The defense has been too reliant on takeaways. But all that said, the Jaguars have righted the ship and are in pole position in the AFC South. If they weather this next stretch of games before and after the Week 9 bye, the division can be theirs again.

No two ways about it: This one was ugly — to the point that Detroit’s credentials must be questioned. The Lions allowed four TDs in their first four defensive series. On offense, they went three-and-out three straight times to open the game, then turned it over on downs. Everything after that was more or less immaterial. As tough to swallow as the Week 2 Seattle loss was, especially defensively, it was a close, hard-fought game, and Detroit came back to rip off four straight wins. How will the Lions respond to this defeat? The good news is that the Raiders are up next, followed by a Week 9 bye. There’s time to bury this one. The season feels too special for anyone to get off the bandwagon now. We’re not necessarily buying stock after Sunday, but we’re certainly not dumping it, either.

Even with the defense showing some game-to-game inconsistency, the Cowboys can become a better team with Dak Prescott playing more like he did against the Chargers. Early this season, the Cowboys were lucky they didn’t need more out of the offense, but in big moments against Arizona and San Francisco, that unit came up short. You’d like to see more from Brandin Cooks, Michael Gallup and the tight ends in the pass game and more ground production overall. There’s also the matter of Mike McCarthy trying to rediscover his play-caller vibe. Maybe the strides the ‘Boys took against the Chargers and a healthy Tyron Smith suggest more offensive flourish is coming. The good news is that they have more home games than road games remaining.

It’s instinctive to ask what’s wrong with the offense because we’ve come to expect Josh Allen and Co. to solve mid-game problems, or at least overwhelm them. But the Bills ultimately scored enough to beat a Patriots team that hadn’t topped 17 points since mid-September. Buffalo’s defense and special teams typically have been reliable more often than not. Sunday they were not. Taron Johnson’s penalty wiped out a sack, then he allowed the go-ahead TD in Sunday’s 29-25 loss. The pass rush was quiet against a bad Patriots O-line. Buffalo couldn’t tackle Rhamondre Stevenson. The Bills just can’t expect a unit missing Tre’Davious White, Matt Milano, Ed Oliver and DaQuan Jones (and with Von Miller working back into form) to carry this team when the offense gets off to slow starts.

After another outlandish game comes another week of the Browns not knowing what the franchise quarterback is going to offer them. They found a way to win for a second straight time with PJ Walker and Kareem Hunt playing big roles. Whether this can be maintained is anyone’s guess, but with the statuses of Deshaun Watson and Jerome Ford unclear, Cleveland might have to run it back for a third time. As long as the Browns have Myles Garrett, things might be OK. And how valuable has Dustin Hopkins been? For the cost of a 2025 seventh-round pick, Cleveland landed a kicker who is 16 of 18 on field-goal tries, including a 7-for-7 mark from 50-plus yards out. 

Geno Smith isn’t slumping, per se, but he’s been a bit off the past two weeks. Smith didn’t throw a single red-zone interception all last season, and he hadn’t done so this season heading into Week 6, but he now has tossed two crippling red-zone picks in two weeks. Late in the third quarter and up 7 points on Sunday, Smith needed to be a little smarter with where he was throwing it. Soon after that pick, Smith coughed up a center exchange. He also got away with a dropped INT right before the half. It wasn’t all bad, nor was it the week before, but Smith has lost some sharpness. The good news is that Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Jake Bobo got cooking, adding more layers to this offense. I really want to dislike Bobo, given that he went to my rival high school, but he’s been a terrific surprise.

Is there a way to kick-start the run game? That had to be a discussion topic for Cincinnati over the bye. The Bengals’ ground attack wasn’t very explosive last year, but it was effective. This season, it has been neither. The good news is that we’re really talking about making incremental gains over the final 11 games. The bad news is that the personnel is arguably worse. Joe Mixon can’t make people miss this year, and the Bengals have yet to identify an effective RB2. I know Joe Burrow‘s at his best out of the shotgun, but it’s worth asking why the Bengals have seven under-center snaps in six games after logging more than 200 a year ago.

Boy, if this team could figure out its first-half (and sometimes first-three-quarters) offensive slumps, we might have something here. The Steelers gained 192 of their 300 yards in the win over the Rams during the fourth quarter, via three drives: TD, TD, four-minute offense. That’s pretty much football nirvana for Mike Tomlin, dominating a team in the final stanza on the road. But it’s like I tell my kids all the time: It doesn’t have to be this hard. Still, somehow, it works. An offense like this can’t afford to have George Pickens and Diontae Johnson flagged for taunting. Pickens put up his second straight 100-yard game, but he also had another bad penalty in the first quarter that likely cost Pittsburgh points. The Steelers are riding the razor’s edge, but maybe you can do that when you have T.J. Watt.

The Jets really faced a gauntlet over their first six games; getting to the bye at 3-3 was a semi-heroic achievement for the Fighting Robert Salehs. Would you give up on this team if Aaron Rodgers had led it to the same record? Of course not. Losing Rodgers and Alijah Vera-Tucker for the long term puts a cap on New York’s ceiling. Zach Wilson also kind of admitted that the Eagles gave teams the blueprint for defending the Jets: press them at the line and make them beat you over the top. If the Jets show they can counter that strategy, there really is a path to the playoffs. Maybe with Rodgers on the field again? OK, let’s at least get to Thanksgiving, then we can unpack all of the fantastical scenarios.

C.J. Stroud is fourth in passing yards per game, and I really don’t care that much about it. The gaudy statistics are nice — I should mention that he’s on pace for 4,700 yards, 25 TDs and three picks — but they only tell a small part of the rookie’s impressive story. To me, Stroud’s poise and smarts have taken center stage. He’s kept the ball out of harm’s way (one INT, three fumbles). He’s cut down on sacks dramatically (11 in Weeks 1-2, two in four games since). And Stroud has been really good in fourth quarters (SEE: 114.7 QB rating). And with Stroud, Will Anderson Jr., Tank Dell, Henry To’oTo’o and others giving Houston its best rookie class in recent memory, there’s a lot for Texans fans to be excited about.

Regardless of what happened with Bijan Robinson, the Falcons went on the road and beat a division rival without their best offensive player against a quality defense. That’s the positive. Desmond Ridder following up a three-pick game with a three-fumble game wasn’t on my bingo card, but with his turnovers starting to rack up, perhaps I should have chosen cards more wisely. Ridder has clearly made strides as a thrower, reinvigorating tight end Kyle Pitts and springing more chunk passes. He’s also earned his stamp as an effective runner. But he and everyone else knows these turnovers have to stop.

The good vibes of the Bucs’ 3-1 start have fizzled. They have gone backward offensively since the Week 5 bye. The run game remains MIA. The defense has played well enough in two straight games, but they’ve lost both at home. On the surface, Baker Mayfield‘s stat line of 275 passing yards and a 31-yard run on Sunday look pretty nifty. But his play, along with much of the offense, has dipped in recent outings. Is there hope for improvement in the passing game? Perhaps some, maybe in the big-play department? That said, Tampa has protected Mayfield well this season, and he hasn’t been throwing balls up for grabs. What we’ve seen to this point just might be somewhat close to the Buccaneers’ offensive ceiling.

When Matthew Stafford scrambled for a first down on third-and-7 late in the third quarter, I thought the Rams were going to go up two touchdowns and finish off the Steelers. They’d controlled the ball for nearly 29 minutes at one point, against the Steelers’ 16. But the game then tilted in Pittsburgh’s favor, starting with Brett Maher‘s missed field-goal try, his second of the day. He also missed an extra-point attempt. You blink, and the Rams are suddenly 3-4 and dealing with kicker issues. It’s been a strange start to the season, alternately promising and frustrating. A lack of healthy running backs was a factor for L.A. on Sunday; it really would be fun to see this offense operating at peak performance. Next up: at Dallas.

UPDATE: On Tuesday, the Rams released kicker Brett Maher.

The Saints’ fourth-quarter flourish shouldn’t make anyone assume their offensive issues are fixed. It took too long for New Orleans to find any consistent rhythm against the Jaguars, and the story for most of Thursday’s game — just as it was four days earlier, in Week 6 — was that Derek Carr and his pass catchers seemingly operate on different wavelengths too often. New Orleans went 0-for-3 in the red zone against the Texans and 3-for-18 on third down against the Jaguars. Carr and Chris Olave especially can’t seem to get in a groove. Olave is roughly on the same production pace as he was in his rookie year, but he’s only caught 17 of his past 36 targets. That can’t continue. To make matters worse, Olave was arrested for reckless operation of a motor vehicle on Monday.

The wild goal-line sequence in the third quarter that ended in a Minnesota field goal made me think the Vikings were going to blow the game. That decision felt flawed at the time, and the 49ers came right back and scored. But I give Kevin O’Connell credit for his game plan on the whole (which limited possessions) and his trust in the defense (which made big stops in crunch time). KOC also called a terrific game for Kirk Cousins. To his own credit, Cousins made a ton of terrific throws under fire, enjoying one of his best outings in recent memory. Jordan Addison missed a chunk of the game to injury, but the rookie wideout was absolutely tremendous, especially after losing that early pass on the interception. We’re not quite back in 2022 mode, but this team is suddenly dangerous again.

It’s likely going to be Gardner Minshew the rest of the way, and boy, is he a roller coaster. Shane Steichen knew this going in, as he saw how volatile Minshew can be in a starting role during their time together with the Eagles. There was a lot of good in the loss to the Browns — two passing touchdowns and two rushing scores — but still too much bad. His four turnovers led to 17 Cleveland points, including a strip-sack TD. This comes on the heels of a four-turnover performance in Week 6 at Jacksonville. It might be time to recalibrate exactly what a successful season might end up looking like for Indianapolis, considering both the 2-1 start and Anthony Richardson‘s season-ending injury. The Colts should have won this game, but the margin for error shrinks with every turnover Minshew dishes out.

It took too long for the Chargers to get out of the zone defense that Patrick Mahomes was carving up on Sunday. Asante Samuel Jr.‘s interception seemed to inspire the coaches to play more man, and it worked, as the Chiefs scored 14 points on their final six possessions (vs. 17 on their first four). The Chargers ultimately gave up too much ground early, a familiar theme this season. Even so, this offense has just been way too inconsistent. The Bolts have now struggled to score in three straight second halves (they registered zero points in two of those halves), committing turnovers in each. Is it a Justin Herbert problem? A Kellen Moore problem? Some other factor? Whatever the case, until that trend changes, the Bolts will look like a non-playoff team.

In Sunday’s loss to the Broncos, Jordan Love threw a pick in his fourth straight game. Packers fans just aren’t used to this level of carelessness from their quarterback — this is Matt Flynn country after all, so I get it. I haven’t looked at a mock draft since April, so forgive me, but at this point, I’ll assume some Green Bay backers are skipping a few steps and giving the team a new first-round quarterback, no questions asked. The idea of giving up on Love this early in the season feels wild, though. Sean Clifford would be Plan B, so my plea is for patience. Sunday’s pick was a killer, but Love did a few quality things before it. 

All signs seemed to point toward Aidan O’Connell getting the start in Chicago, but Josh McDaniels opted instead for Brian Hoyer, who ultimately managed just 129 yards passing while throwing two picks in the 30-12 loss. Once Jimmy Garoppolo is back, if McDaniels wants to make Hoyer the game-day backup, so be it. He’s 38 years old and better prepared to come off the bench at the drop of a helmet. But not starting O’Connell (or at least going to him at halftime) felt like a mistake, even though the rookie experienced some struggles in his first NFL start back in Week 4 against the Chargers. Hoyer has started four games since 2019 and didn’t come out of any of them looking good. He’s also lost 13 straight starts. Does McDaniels want to see what O’Connell can do? Or is he quietly concerned about his job status? We’re not sure, but let’s hope he considers a new approach the next time he’s presented with this choice.

The 3-4 record cosmetically hides the fact that two of those losses came to the previously 0-4 Bears and now the Giants, who entered Sunday at 1-5. Sam Howell has done some good things, and we know Washington has dudes at receiver … So why is the offense so painfully inconsistent? It goes without saying that an O-line that allows six sacks and commits seven penalties is a big reason why. Every one of the sacks was for minus-7 yards or worse. Howell must play with more awareness, but what about OC Eric Bieniemy and OL coach Travelle Wharton? They had no answers for the Giants’ stunts and blitzes all game. Just another step backward after the 2-0 start.

Ryan Tannehill (high ankle sprain) remains out indefinitely, Treylon Burks and Chig Okonkwo are having a disappointing sophomore campaign and the once-ballyhooed pass rush has gone AWOL. Oh, and the Titans are 0-3 away from home and soon face a three-game road swing, all vs. opponents that are currently .500 or better. Time to start evaluating Will Levis? My suspicion: If Tennessee is anywhere near contention, Mike Vrabel will continue pushing for the playoffs, delaying Levis’ audition. We’ve seen Malik Willis and know what he is to this point. But Vrabel and the Titans must be smart about knowing when to turn to 2024. I’m guessing the Falcons regret not giving Desmond Ridder a longer look last year, and that’s a place in which the Titans don’t want to end up.

When I heard Sean Payton asking rhetorically Monday, “Why can’t I be happy?” following the Broncos’ rousing win, I just got sad. The Broncos went from giving up 70 to Miami to turning in back-to-back strong defensive showings, and this is where Payton’s head is. I suspect it has something to do with the limitations of his team’s passing game, but it might also continue with the four-game suspension for Kareem Jackson for multiple violations of unnecessary roughness rules. With the overall defensive improvement — more Drew Sanders, please! — and the effective RB duo of Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin, there are far more things to smile about than there were a few weeks ago. Cheer up, coach!

This was really Mac Jones‘ signature NFL win. He beat the Bills as a rookie, but that was in a three-pass, wind-whipped game in Buffalo. The Bills had gotten him four straight times since then, including the playoff blowout, with Mac throwing seven combined INTs in those games. Jones last led his team back in the fourth quarter to victory in Week 5 of 2021 against a moribund Texans team. The returns of Cole Strange and Michael Onwenu helped the offensive line, and Demario Douglas and Pharaoh Brown proved they deserve bigger roles in the passing game. All that said, this rousing win came against a beat-up Bills team, and we can’t exactly memory-hole the three previous games. A sign of progress or a one-game analgesic? With Miami up next, we could find out quickly.

I have to imagine Sunday’s 30-12 blowout of the Raiders was among the more pleasurable games for Bears fans to watch over the past few years. Chicago went up 14-0 early and scored points in every quarter. The defense produced three takeaways and didn’t allow a play longer than 15 yards. The run game was forceful, creative and fruitful. And yes, Tyson Bagent looked the part in his first NFL start, leading four scoring drives and not turning it over against a Las Vegas defense that had played well recently. By halftime, it was easy to forget Bagent faced the likes of Southern Connecticut State, Kutztown and East Stroudsburg one year ago. Even if the undrafted rookie out of Shepherd University never rises past backup status, he’s already been an NFL success, just making it to this point this fast.

I am not ready to entertain the idea of keeping Daniel Jones on the bench even after he’s medically cleared, but it’s hard not to notice how much more open the offense has been with Tyrod Taylor under center. Either way, it appears Andrew Thomas is close to returning, and there’s a decent argument to be made that he’s New York’s MVP, given how poorly left tackle has been manned in his absence. The 14-7 triumph over the Commanders was a good win for the Giants, with both the offense and defense slaying some demons. The G-Men won’t have a lot more six-sack games, but I’ll be shocked if their pass rush going forward isn’t closer to what we witnessed Sunday than everything we’d seen previously. And suddenly, there are some winnable games lying ahead.

The Joshua Dobbs story has been pretty tremendous, all things considered, but anyone still droning on about not playing Kyler Murray needs to reconsider their position. Murray appears on track for a Week 10-ish return, assuming all goes well in his return to practice. The offense opened against Seattle with three punts, then a field goal, but that came after a fumble recovery returned to Seattle’s 30-yard line. The Cardinals got another fumble at the Seattle 34 in the fourth quarter and turned that into a missed field goal. Arizona won the turnover battle 3-0 but didn’t take advantage. Dobbs’ TD run was pretty, and he rallied a bit, but his limitations are starting to show. It will be fascinating to see how Murray looks roughly 11 months after we last saw him. And I’m ready to see him. 

While the Panthers sat on bye, many of the teams immediately above them won games. Much of the recent talk in Charlotte has revolved around which Carolina players could be on the move before the Oct. 31 trade deadline, one year after the team dealt Christian McCaffrey and Robbie Chosen. The biggest name to watch this time around is DE Brian Burns, who staged a hold-in during the preseason and was a hot name prior to last year’s deadline. According to one report, the Panthers apparently turned down a Rams offer of two first-round picks and a second-rounder in exchange for Burns last October. Think Carolina would be interested in that kind of deal at this juncture? Maybe the Panthers actually trade for a receiver to help out Bryce Young. Carolina should be open for business. But it also wouldn’t hurt to win a game, if for nothing else than to just give this group a little hope.