Week 8 NFL Power Rankings: New team at the top

Week 8 of the NFL season is already here and some teams have emerged as championship contenders while others might be headed towards the list of pretenders. 

 

Who would’ve thought that the Jacksonville Jaguars were going to start their season 5-2? They came through with a big win against the Saints on a short week and Travis Etienne has shown that he is one of the top running backs in the league. 

 

How about the teams in the AFC North? The Browns, Steelers and Ravens all came out with wins on Sunday. 

 

The Cleveland Browns have arguably the best defense in the league and put it on display after forcing four turnovers against the Colts in their 39-38 victory. Despite their problems at the quarterback position, they are off to a 4-2 start. 

 

The Steelers went on the road (not really) and beat the Rams 24-17. Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren each had rushing touchdowns and wide receiver George Pickens caught five passes for 107 yards. 

 

But the team that has emerged as a legitimate contender is the Baltimore Ravens. They put everyone in the league on notice after completely annihilating the then 5-1 Detroit Lions by a score of 38-6. It looked like Lamar Jackson was playing on easy mode as he threw for 357 yards and three touchdowns while 36 yards and a touchdown on the ground. It’ll be interesting to see how this loss will affect the Lions moving forward. Was this just a bad game or were the Ravens just too much for them to handle? They host the Raiders next week on Monday Night Football. 

 

Speaking of too much to handle, the Chiefs routed the Chargers on their home turf 31-17 to move to 6-1 on the season and it seems as if Taylor Swift’s presence is taking Travis Kelce’s game to a whole other level. The tight end had 12 catches for 179 yards and a touchdown. But also, don’t overlook Patrick Mahomes’s 424 passing yards and four touchdowns. 

 

Bill Belichick got his 300th regular season win after his Patriots beat the Bills 29-25 in a game in which the New England offense finally woke up. Mac Jones threw for 272 yards and two touchdowns while Ezekiel Elliott and Kendrick Bourne found their way into the end zone. 

 

Alright and then there are the Dolphins. Miami went on the road to Philadelphia in a prime time game with the Eagles and had trouble moving the ball early in what would turn out to be a 31-17 Eagles victory. 

 

Was the officiating lopsided? Sure. Was Miami missing starters on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball? Absolutely. But there has to be credit given to Philadelphia and the amount of talent they have on both sides of the ball. 

 

The Dolphins just couldn’t get any traction through the ground game and because Miami was missing multiple starters on their offensive line, Tua Tagovailoa had no time to throw and was sacked four times. 

 

On defense, the Dolphins couldn’t figure out how to contain Philadelphia’s receivers. 

 

A.J. Brown had a huge night with 10 catches for 137 yards and a touchdown. Tight end Dallas Goedart had five catches for 77 yards and a touchdown. Yes you can say the Dolphins were missing their best two cornerbacks in Jalen Ramsey and Xavien Howard but again, the Eagles are an elite football team. 

 

With the loss, the Dolphins fall to 5-2 and the narrative surrounding them is if they can beat good teams. Their five wins have come against the Chargers, Patriots, Broncos, Giants and Panthers who have a combined record of 8-25. Can Miami win the big games? As the season unfolds, we’ll have our answer. 

 

Below are my power rankings for Week 8. 

 

32. Carolina Panthers (0 – 6) 

Last Week: 32

Result: Bye Week

 

31. Arizona Cardinals (1 – 6)

Last Week: 30

Result: Lost at Seahawks 20-10

30. Green Bay Packers (2 – 4)

Last Week: 25

Result: Lost at Broncos 19-17

 

29. Tennessee Titans (2 – 4)

Last Week: 26

Result: Bye Week

 

28. Denver Broncos (2 – 5)

Last Week: 28

Result: Won vs. Packers 19-17

 

27. Chicago Bears (2 – 5)

Last Week: 29

Result: Won vs. Raiders 30-12

 

26. Washington Commanders (3 – 4)

Last Week: 20

Result: Lost at Giants 14-7

 

25. New York Giants (2 – 5)

            Last Week: 27

Result: Won vs. Commanders 14-7

 

24. New England Patriots (2 – 5)

Last Week: 31

Result: Won vs. Bills 29-25

 

23. Indianapolis Colts (3 – 4)

Last Week: 22

Result: Lost vs. Browns 39-38

 

22. New Orleans Saints (3 – 4)

Last Week: 21

Result: Lost vs. Jaguars 31-24

 

21. Las Vegas Raiders (2 – 4)

Last Week: 19

Result: Lost at Bears 30-12

 

20. Los Angeles Chargers (2 – 4)

Last Week: 15

Result: Lost at Chiefs 31-17

 

19. Los Angeles Rams (3 – 4)

            Last Week: 18

Result: Lost vs. Steelers 24-17

 

18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3 – 3)

Last Week: 14

Result: Lost vs. Falcons 16-13

 

17. Atlanta Falcons (4 – 3)

Last Week: 23

Result: Won at Buccaneers 16-13

 

16. Houston Texans (3 – 3)

Last Week: 17

Result: Bye Week

 

15. Minnesota Vikings (3 – 4)

Last Week: 24

Result: Won vs. 49ers 22-17

 

14. New York Jets (3 – 3)

Last Week: 13

Result: Bye Week

 

13. Pittsburgh Steelers (4 – 2)

Last Week: 16

Result: Won at Rams 24-17

 

12. Seattle Seahawks (4 – 2)

Last Week: 12

Result: Won vs. Cardinals 20-10

 

11. Cincinnati Bengals (3 – 3)

Last Week: 11

Result: Bye Week

 

10. Buffalo Bills (4 – 3)

Last Week: 8

Result: Lost at Patriots 29-25

 

9. Cleveland Browns (4 – 2)

Last Week: 9

Result: Won at Colts 39-38

 

8. Dallas Cowboys (4 – 2)

Last Week: 7

Result: Bye Week

 

7. Detroit Lions (5 – 2)

Last Week: 4

Result: Lost at Ravens 38-6

 

6. Jacksonville Jaguars (5 – 2)

Last Week: 6

Result: Won at Saints 31-24

 

5. San Francisco 49ers (5 – 2)

Last Week: 3

Result: Lost at Vikings 22-17

 

4. Miami Dolphins (5 – 2)

Last Week: 1

Result: Lost at Eagles 31-17

 

3. Baltimore Ravens (5 – 2)

Last Week: 10

Result: Won vs. Lions 38-6

 

2. Kansas City Chiefs (6 – 1)

Last Week: 2

Result: Won vs. Chargers 31-17

 

1. Philadelphia Eagles (6 – 1)

Last Week: 5

Result: Won vs. Dolphins 31-17