NFL Power Rankings Week 8
By Liam McKeone
Your weekly NFL power rankings heading into Week 8 of the regular season.
32. Miami Dolphins (0-6)
The Dolphins looked competent at points, and hung in there for a good chunk of the game. But they still lost by 10 and remain one of two winless teams in the league.
31. Washington Redskins (1-6)
Sunday was cool because rainy football is usually fun to watch, but Washington is still terrible and will remain in limbo for the rest of the year as they figure out who will lead their team into a new era, and if Dwayne Haskins fits into the picture.
30. Atlanta Falcons (1-6)
This team is just plain bad, and it's nearly inexplicable. The defense is porous and the offensive line couldn't block a paper bag. Matt Ryan is hurt. It's a tragedy to see this kind of talent underachieve (unless you're a rival NFC South fan), and Dan Quinn should be ashamed.
29. Cincinnati Bengals (0-7)
Andy Dalton looked horrible, but the offense in general has shown enormous regression. Not much to like here.
28. New York Giants (2-5)
Daniel Jones has hit some speed bumps. Saquon Barkley is back, but this defense is truly terrible. A watchable football team, though, which is an upgrade.
27. Denver Broncos (2-5)
The Broncos had a huge opportunity on Thursday night to take advantage of Patrick Mahomes' absence. They did not, to say the least. This is a bad team without much hope of improvement.
26. Los Angeles Chargers (2-5)
Melvin Gordon is costing himself (and running backs everywhere) a whole lot of money by sucking this bad after a holdout. We aren't even halfway through it yet and this already feels like a lost year for the Chargers.
25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-4)
An off week probably won't fix Jameis Winston's turnover issues.... unless? (Almost definitely not, but they can't lose a bye week.)
24. Arizona Cardinals (3-3-1)
The Cardinals are feelin themselves! That's three wins in a row for this young squad. Kyler Murray looks like the real deal. Lots to like, even if the Giants aren't formidable opponents.
23. Tennessee Titans (3-4)
A Ryan Tannehill renaissance is about the last thing I expected from 2019, but here we are. They got lucky with this win, but maybe this season isn't completely lost after all.
22. Cleveland Browns (2-4)
A much-needed bye week for the Browns gives them time to get healthy and figure out what the hell is going on. We'd like some answers, too. Perhaps this week will give us some.
21. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-4)
A bye for Pittsburgh means Mason Rudolph will hopefully be healthy next week, and if he can do just enough on offense, the defense is looking like a top-10 unit.
20. Oakland Raiders (3-3)
Oakland's defense has too many injuries and too little talent to stand in the way of Aaron Rodgers, but enough interesting pieces have emerged offensively that the Raiders aren't a doormat this year.
19. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-4)
The defense played like the 2017 unit against Andy Dalton. Not exactly a pinnacle of achievement, but good to see for the Jags nonetheless after trading their star cornerback.
18. Detroit Lions (2-3-1)
A week after playing a spectacular game against Green Bay, the Lions' defense just fell apart in the face of Kirk Cousins and the Vikings' aerial attack. This two-game span may have tanked their season.
17. New York Jets (1-5)
Sam Darnold fell to pieces in the faces of a ferocious Patriots defense. In other news, Adam Gase continues to prove he's not the answer, and Trumaine Johnson is making a case for the most overpaid player in the league.
16. Carolina Panthers (4-2)
A bye week in Carolina and the impending quarterback decision looms for Ron Rivera. Cam Newton will be out for at least one more week, though.
15. Philadelphia Eagles (3-4)
The Eagles were dominated by a Dallas team that looked very underwhelming for three weeks. The team is talented but has several clear and massive issues with no easy answers in sight.
14. Chicago Bears (3-3)
Matt Nagy's playcalling was nearly as big of an issue as Mitch Trubisky's failure to top eight yards per attempt. If the defense isn't perfect, this team has trouble winning, and that's not a good combination.
13. Kansas City Chiefs (5-2)
They still won without Patrick Mahomes, and I wouldn't bet against them in a few weeks. But for now, this defense combined with Matt Moore, who was coaching a high school team last year, is a tough sell for anybody.
12. Dallas Cowboys (4-3)
Dallas has finally revived itself after three weeks. The Eagles' poor secondary is a good way to jump-start the passing game, but every unit looked good. A big divisional win.
11. Indianapolis Colts (4-2)
What a massive win for the Colts. No one can call them plucky upstarts riding the emotions of "Nobody believes in us" anymore. A defense that plays hard with an offense that doesn't turn the ball over will make for a tough matchup against any team in the league.
10. Los Angeles Rams (4-3)
A bounce-back game in classic fashion. Jalen Ramsey miraculously recovered from a back injury and Todd Gurley looked more or less like himself. A reminder of what this team is when everything is clicking.
9. Houston Texans (4-3)
While losing to Indianapolis is tough to swallow after winning in Arrowhead the week before, when this team is at its best, they can beat anyone. It's that simple .
8. Buffalo Bills (5-1)
The offense looked pretty bad early on, but ultimately Buffalo pulled out the win they should have walked away with.
7. Seattle Seahawks (5-2)
Another home loss and getting absolutely gashed by Lamar Jackson on the ground is not encouraging. This is a flawed team, and some troubling coaching errors cast a shadow over a great season by Russell Wilson.
6. Baltimore Ravens (5-2)
On the flip side, Sunday was a gigantic moment for Baltimore. Jackson was completely unfazed by one of the toughest home crowds in the league and did everything he needed to win. A statement win by the young QB.
5. Minnesota Vikings (5-2)
Kirk Cousins kills it through the air for another week, and Vikings hype is building. When Cousins is feeling himself, this is an elite team.
4. San Francisco 49ers (6-0)
The Niners pulled out an ugly one, but a win's a win. Quality of opponents hasn't been terribly high, and that's the only real knock against this team so far.
3. New Orleans Saints (6-1)
This defense has rightfully earned a place among the very best in the league this season. If they can continue their dominance when Drew Brees comes back, they'll be a scary squad to face.
2. Green Bay Packers (6-1)
Have a day, Aaron Rodgers! He won't score six TDs every week, but he looked comfortable in the offense and made the right read just about every team. We should all be frightened.
1. New England Patriots (7-0)
Another absolutely dominant showing by this defense. Weak schedule or no, this is the best team in the league, and the gap has never been wider this season.