NFL Week 8 is drawing near with teams reviewing the film from Sunday’s game and determining where they must improve. It’s been a wild 2022 season and that’s certainly reflected in the Week 8 NFL power rankings.
It should come as no surprise that the biggest fallers in our NFL power rankings are the Green Bay Packers, Denver Broncos and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They look like some of the worst teams in the NFL right now with aging quarterbacks in evident decline.
As for the risers, the Cincinnati Bengals, Seattle Seahawks and Las Vegas Raiders made plenty of noise with huge victories on Sunday. All three victories could provide much-needed momentum with the November schedule and the NFL trade deadline approaching.
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Let’s dive into our NFL power rankings for Week 8.
32. Detroit Lions (27)
The Detroit Lions are back at the bottom of the NFL power rankings, a position they are certainly familiar with. All the excitement that surrounded this team and the adoration for head coach Dan Campbell generated from Hard Knocks is gone. Campbell and Jared Goff need to go, but that likely isn’t happening until this off-season.
31. Houston Texans (31)
As we move deeper into the 2022 season, the worst NFL teams begin to anchor down and battle for the No. 1 pick. Houston is losing that fight right now, but team efforts like the one fans watched in Week 7 will certainly help them regain crucial ground.
30. Carolina Panthers (32)
The Carolina Panthers built their offense in Week 7 around career backup running backs and won 21-7, with D’Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard combining for 181 rushing yards. Meanwhile, the San Francisco 49ers just paid a hefty price to acquire Christian McCaffrey and got blown off their home turf (44-23). We’re not saying running backs don’t matter, but overpaying for them isn’t the normal path to success.
29. Pittsburgh Steelers (25)
The remainder of the 2022 NFL season should no longer be about wins and losses for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Let rookie Kenny Pickett experience the highs and lows of playing quarterback at the highest level, learning from his mistakes and showing flashes of a bright future. As for Mike Tomlin, he deserves one extra year after doing so much with this franchise.
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28. Denver Broncos (23)
It’s a shame an elite defense is being wasted. Honestly, the Denver Broncos might even deserve special recognition for being this bad despite defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero’s group doing everything it can to keep games close. In the last three losses, Denver’s defense allowed two touchdowns in 14 quarters.
27. Chicago Bears (29)
Fresh off a three-game losing streak, no one gave Chicago much of a chance against the New England Patriots in Week 7. It just so happens that Justin Fields put up a career-best performance while the Bears’ improved defense forced four Patriots turnovers in a blowout 33-14 road win. We’re not sure if this is a sign of things to come. But the Bears looked darn good in winning their third game of the season.
26. Cleveland Browns (28)
The only thing the Cleveland Browns are fighting for until December is avoiding that 2023 first-round pick owed to Houston landing in the top five. Sunday marked four consecutive losses and another is certainly imminent on Monday Night Football against the Cincinnati Bengals.
25. Green Bay Packers (18)
This is the end for Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. This is one of the worst offenses in the NFL and an expensive defense has fallen alarmingly short of expectations. Unfortunately for the fan base, the future looks even worse. Green Bay is projected to have just $3.7 million in cap space next year with Elgton Jenkins and Yosuah Nijman impending free agents, all while Rodgers carries a $99.778 million dead cap hit in 2023. Good luck, Green Bay.
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24. Washington Commanders (30)
The best part of Sunday’s game was the fans at FedEx Field chanting “Sell the Team” at Daniel Snyder. Unfortunately for those still loyal to the Washington Commanders – a commitment that is only rewarded with more pain – one of the most powerful NFL owners is still backing Snyder and that means his removal in the near future is just as likely as a voluntary sale of the franchise.
23. Jacksonville Jaguars (24)
The Jacksonville Jaguars don’t know how to win close games yet. It’s a bit perplexing given Super Bowl-winning coach is at the helm, but it’s likely just the result of being one of the youngest NFL teams in 2022. At least this roster is experienced going to London, which should make it the favorite against the Broncos in Week 8.
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22. New Orleans Saints (26)
The New Orleans Saints are poised to enter the offseason $55 million over the salary cap with their projected top-five pick in the 2023 NFL Draft owned by the Philadelphia Eagles. The only good thing that will happen to the franchise next winter is the compensation received from a Sean Payton trade. We’re focusing on the future because there is nothing positive to say about the team right now.
21. Atlanta Falcons (20)
If you want to know what the Atlanta Falcons think of Marcus Mariota, take a look at Sunday’s game. Despite trailing by three scores for almost the entire game, Mariota attempted just 13 passes compared to 29 Falcons’ rush attempts. If that’s going to be the approach, give Desmond Ridder a chance.
20. Indianapolis Colts (15)
It’s time for the Indianapolis Colts to make a change. Frank Reich and Matt Ryan deserve their fair share of the blame, but general manager Chris Ballard is guilty of building an awful offensive line and mismanagement of the salary cap. Facing the Commanders and New England Patriots in the next two weeks, Ryan might want to prepare for those defenses by laying on the ground.
19. New England Patriots (16)
The New England Patriots’ old recipe for success seemed to be working heading into Week 7 after winning two consecutive games. What followed was a disaster of epic proportions as Bill Belichick fumbled the quarterback situation between Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe. The two combined for four turnovers while New England’s defense yielded 243 rushing yards. Enough said!
18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10)
Tom Brady must regret all of this. He could be enjoying retirement right now, being with his family and working for FOX Sports as the highest-paid broadcaster ever. Instead, he’s a 45-year-old quarterback who looks like it and the offensive line isn’t doing him any favors. This team is worlds away from the one that beat the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1.
17. Arizona Cardinals (22)
DeAndre Hopkins makes quite a difference for the Arizona Cardinals. It speaks volumes about Kliff Kingsbury that he needed the All-Pro wideout to rescue the Cardinals’ offense and Arizona still doesn’t win this game without two pick-sixes. While this is a tiny step forward for the birds, they also just beat one of the worst NFL teams in October. A date with the Minnesota Vikings up next, which will probably have the same effect on the Cardinals that U.S. Bank Stadium had on birds.
16. Los Angeles Chargers (9)
The Los Angeles Chargers are caused. Prized free-agent signee J.C. Jackson suffered a dislocated kneecap on Sunday and wide receiver Mike Williams suffered an ankle injury. Just add it to the list of devastating blows this team has suffered on both sides of the ball. It’s far too much for Los Angeles to overcome when its coaching staff holds this team back.
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15. Seattle Seahawks (21)
The Seattle Seahawks 2022 draft class might one day go down as one of the best in franchise history. It provided them with an outstanding running back, an emerging No. 1 cornerback and two pillars at offensive tackle who will shape this team’s identity moving forward. Combine that with Geno Smith‘s comeback season and it’s no longer crazy to think the Seahawks could make the playoffs this season.
14. Miami Dolphins (17)
The Miami Dolphins won on Sunday Night Football with an assist from the Steelers’ defense dropping four potential interceptions. We’re willing to give Tua Tagovailoa a pass in his first game back from a multi-week absence, but a repeat performance should generate debate about his future in Miami.
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13. Los Angeles Rams (14)
Sean McVay is one of the best play designers in NFL history and he belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame already. Unfortunately for the Los Angeles Rams head coach, there’s no way to work around the worst offensive line in the NFL. It’s going to be a problem for Los Angeles all season and it’s why climbing up the NFL power rankings is a daunting task moving forward.
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12. Las Vegas Raiders (19)
Josh McDaniels is making Bill Belichick proud. The Las Vegas Raiders are letting Josh Jacobs carry this team for as long as he can. It’s paying off, possibly because the former first-round pick has something to prove in his contract year. Las Vegas has no shot at catching up to the Kansas City Chiefs, but it can certainly snag one of the AFC’s Wild Card spots.
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11. San Francisco 49ers (10)
Christian McCaffrey looked great in his San Francisco 49ers’ debut and we’re likely just a few weeks away from Kyle Shanahan building his offense around the All-Pro offensive weapon. Unfortunately for 49ers fans, this team is still led by Jimmy Garoppolo and as Sunday highlighted, that’s precisely why this team can’t be viewed as a threat to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
10. Tennessee Titans (13)
The Tennessee Titans suddenly have a commanding lead in the AFC South, all thanks to a four-game win streak that includes two celebrations after beating Indianapolis. Derrick Henry – 560 scrimmage yards in last four games – is shouldering the load once again. Based on the state of the Colts and Jaguars, the 6-foot-3 bulldozer will likely be wearing an AFC South champions t-shirt once again this year.
9. New York Jets (12)
The New York Jets are riding a four-game victory streak, but Sunday’s win ended on a sour note. Standout rookie running back Breece Hall is likely out for the season. It’s a devastating blow for a club that puts a lot of weight on its defense and rushing attack to win games. It also now puts more pressure on quarterback Zach Wilson, just another reason why we don’t view the 5-2 Jets as one of the best NFL teams.
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8. Baltimore Ravens (7)
The Baltimore Ravens are 3-3 in their last six games and their point differential during that span is +5. In many ways, it’s a fitting statistic for a team that excels at jumping out to a double-digit lead and then blowing it. In a 2022 NFL season that can only be described as bizarre, that’s still good enough to be in the top 10 NFL power rankings and that says more about the other teams than it does Baltimore.
7. New York Giants (6)
The New York Giants recorded their sixth win on Oct. 23. Putting that into perspective, their last six-win season came in 2020 and that required beating the Dallas Cowboys in Week 17. Brian Daboll is the NFL Coach of the Year, what he has done for the Giants’ culture and this offense feels unprecedented. At this point, we have to view the Giants as a playoff contender. With that said, this is their ceiling in the NFL power rankings.
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6. Cincinnati Bengals (8)
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is on a tear right now. In his last two games, the 25-year-old hung eight touchdowns against the Falcons and Saints with Cincinnati scoring a combined 65 points. Based on everything we’ve seen out of Cleveland this season, there’s no evidence to suggest it will slow Burrow down.
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5. Minnesota Vikings (5)
The Minnesota Vikings are the 2022 NFC North champions, we’ll declare that right now. Kevin O’Connell is getting the most he can out of this group, with the offensive line and quarterback Kirk Cousins the primary thing that prevents this from becoming one of the best offenses in the league. As for why we don’t view the Vikings as a qualifier for the elite tier in the Week 8 NFL power rankings, blame it on the quarterback with a 10-18 record and a 6.3-point drop in his quarterback rating in night games.
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4. Dallas Cowboys
On an afternoon when Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys’ offense needed three quarters before it found a rhythm, the team still cruised to victory. It’s a testament to an elite defense that can both create takeaways and neutralize everything its opponent attempts. While we consider Dallas a tier below the three best NFL teams right now, it’s also significantly better than the teams behind it in the NFL power rankings.
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3. Kansas City Chiefs (3)
That’s how you rebound from a tough loss. On the road against a team that added Christian McCaffrey and welcomed back multiple starters, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs wiped the field with the 49ers’ defense. It’s a much-needed victory considering the advantage the Buffalo Bills already have for the No. 1 seed. Now, let’s see if the Chiefs come out of their bye week with some new faces after the Nov. 1 trade deadline.
2. Philadelphia Eagles (2)
The Philadelphia Eagles are the most well-rounded team in the NFL. An elite defense, phenomenal coaching, an explosive passing attack and one of the most effective ground games in the NFL. Philadelphia is clearly the best team in the NFL and as long as everyone stays healthy, the Eagles should be the heavy favorite to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.
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1. Buffalo Bills (1)
The Buffalo Bills are the No. 1 team in the NFL power rankings and they must be elated to face Green Bay in Week 8. What seemed like a potential Super Bowl preview before the season now appears to be the best NFL team vs one of the worst teams in football. Not exactly what NBC signed up for on Sunday Night Football, but at least the Bills’ offense and defense will provide fireworks.
