I didn’t think the NFL was going to be very exciting with so many teams on bye last week, but man oh man did they prove me wrong. A lot of jumps happened, and a lot of good teams moved back a bit. How different are the week’s power rankings? Let’s take a look at week eight!
#32
Detroit Lions (0-7)
Previous Rank – 32
The Lions just can’t seem to get it done man. Another loss in the books courtesy of the Los Angeles Rams. Goff’s homecoming was spoiled in this one that’s for sure. Honestly, outside of D’Andre Swift, there is not a lot to this team. They’ll have an opportunity this week when they face the Philadelphia Eagles.
#31
Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5)
Previous Rank – 31
The Jaguars are coming off a bye week, and they might have a big opportunity to get another win this week because they face the Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks haven’t been great since Wilson has been hurt so giving the Jaguars some confidence heading into this week might seem like a trap. However, I think they might be able to get the job done.
#30
Houston Texans (1-6)
Previous Rank – 30
The Texans got absolutely thrashed last weekend against the Arizona Cardinals, and to be honest, I suspected as much. The biggest things this team has done this season have been the win over Jacksonville and the trading of Mark Ingram back to the Saints. That’s about it. They’ll have to find a miracle to win this week as they take on the Los Angeles Rams.
#29
New York Jets (1-5)
Previous Rank – 29
If the Jets weren’t a mess before, they certainly are now. Zach Wilson got knocked out of the game last weekend against the Patriots. So they had to throw White in. Granted he did hit Corey Davis for a score, but my god did this team get absolutely taken to the woodshed on this one. New England just kept scoring. Their luck is about out right now, and they’ll have to work twice as hard to get some wins. The next stop is a brutal one; the Cincinnati Bengals.
#28
Miami Dolphins (1-6)
Previous Rank – 27
They were so close to a win, but another one escapes the grasp of the Miami Dolphins with a loss against the Atlanta Falcons last weekend. Tua did fairly well despite the two interceptions. This team needs a lot. They need defense, they need a run game, and man do they need some hope cause not having that third-round pick anymore going into the draft really sucks. They’ll face the Buffalo Bills again this week.
#27
New York Giants (2-5)
Previous Rank – 28
I’ll admit it. I doubted them going into this week, but with Carolina essentially forgetting how to play football (Sam Darnold you damn bum), the Giants held them without a touchdown and got the win. They have a very interesting matchup coming up as they’ll face the Kansas City Chiefs Monday night. Is the matchup favorable? I can’t even believe I am going to say this, but yes it is with how bad the Chiefs are playing.
#26
Philadelphia Eagles (2-5)
Previous Rank – 24
The Eagles aren’t looking good here folks. Sure, Jalen Hurts can get you some fantasy points, but fantasy isn’t reality. This Eagles team is utter chaos, and the play-calling is always gonna be suspect. They have to prove they are the better team this weekend when they take on the Lions. Look for Kenneth Gainwell here to start making his mark with Sanders being week-to-week.
#25
Washington Football Team (2-5)
Previous Rank – 23
I find it funny that all three of these teams are back-to-back-to-back. It makes for a hilarious story of how bad this division actually is. Surprisingly, Heinicke put up decent points, and he should have had that rushing touchdown. What a load of bull. However, their defense got thrashed again by the Packers and Aaron Rodgers. They’ll face the Denver Broncos this week.
#24
Seattle Seahawks (2-5)
Previous Rank – 22
Will things get better when Wilson gets back? Absolutely. However, this is now, and the Seahawks are less than ideal. Geno can’t push the ball downfield, and his constant mistakes are hurting this team. The defense did okay in stopping some plays by the Saints, but they still lost the game. They might have a decent shot to come away with a win this week as they’ll face the Jacksonville Jaguars this week.
#23
San Francisco 49ers (2-4)
Previous Rank – 15
The weather was less than ideal in the 49ers’ game against the Colts. However, that’s not an excuse for how bad this team played. Garoppolo was a mess throwing two picks and fumbling multiple times. At least Deebo Samuel was able to get in the endzone, and Elijah Mitchell is back as well. They’ll take on the Chicago Bears this week.
#22
Chicago Bears (3-4)
Previous Rank – 19
Speaking of the Bears, man did they suck last weekend or what? Justin Fields threw three interceptions and lost two fumbles against the Buccaneers’ defense. Is he getting help? No. Should he be better than this? Yes. All these things are coming into play this season, but man Matt Nagy is ruining this kid. They’ll face the San Francisco 49ers this week.
#21
Denver Broncos (3-4)
Previous Rank – 20
How in the hell do you lose to a team that literally had almost everyone on their starting lineup injured? Just ask the Broncos cause they managed to do it last Thursday night. I mean the Browns’ third-string running back was able to get over 100 rushing yards and a score on them. They continue to tread in the wrong direction as they have now lost four straight games. They’ll face the Washington Football Team this week.
#20
Atlanta Falcons (3-3)
Previous Rank – 25
I didn’t want to move the Falcons up this high but compared to everyone below them they actually seem like a better team. Getting a last-second win over the Dolphins certainly helped their cause. Their defense is still bad, and Calvin Ridley is struggling a little bit, but man is Kyle Pitts finally starting to ball out here. They’ll get a disappointing Carolina Panthers team this week.
#19
Carolina Panthers (3-4)
Previous Rank – 18
What in the hell is going on with Carolina man? How do you not score a single touchdown against the Giants? I swear it is so frustrating after what they were able to do at the beginning of the season. Darnold looked so terrible in this one that he was benched for former XFL star P.J. Walker. You can’t make this stuff up people. They should have a rebound this week, but who knows at this point with the way they are playing. They’ll face the Atlanta Falcons.
#18
Indianapolis Colts (3-4)
Previous Rank – 26
The Colts were able to get a big win last week over the 49ers. Is Carson Wentz back man? Who knows at this point, but this team might be doing a little better than what I originally thought of them these past few weeks. There’s a lot of potential for some good things to happen this week, but it has to be done the right way as they’ll face the Tennessee Titans this week.
#17
New England Patriots (3-4)
Previous Rank – 21
The Patriots showed no mercy last weekend against the Jets as they have now swept them in the division. Mac Jones looked great in this one, and the running duo of Harris and Bolden worked out well against this Jets defense. They have a much more challenging opponent this week as they’ll face the Los Angeles Chargers.
#16
Minnesota Vikings (3-3)
Previous Rank – 17
The Vikings are coming off a bye week, and with the Lions and Bears continuing to disappoint, they might have a shot to make a real run in their division. Cook is fully healthy, and they get a favorable matchup this week when they take on the Dallas Cowboys. Dak is less than ideal with his ankle so this might be their opportunity to get something going here.
#15
Pittsburgh Steelers (3-3)
Previous Rank – 16
The Steelers come off their bye week with a 3-3 record. Now is the time for action for the black and gold. Tomlin is pissed about getting asked if he is getting the USC job, and you know that means he is gonna have the Steelers absolutely play balls out against their opponents. The first stop on the hurt train is the Cleveland Browns. Steelers should play this one nicely considering all the injuries. They just have to shut Keenum and them down early is all.
#14
Kansas City Chiefs (3-4)
Previous Rank – 10
Mahomes is not playing well people, and to be fair, so are the rest of the Chiefs. Has success gone to their head because, for the first time in a long time, they drop out of the top ten with a blowout loss to the Titans? I actually kind of like seeing bigger teams struggle a bit, but this is becoming sad to see this offense operate. They’ll face the Giants Monday night.
#13
New Orleans Saints (4-2)
Previous Rank – 14
The Saints were able to edge out the Seahawks. Kamara looked like a beast once again as he had over 100 yards receiving and a receiving touchdown on the day. I expected Winston to be a little bit better, but the weather was kind of shitty, and his receivers just couldn’t catch the ball. A win is a win though. They’ll face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week. Can someone scream Jameis Winston’s revenge game maybe?
#12
Cleveland Browns (4-3)
Previous Rank – 13
Everyone counted out the Browns with all their pieces missing, but they were able to pull out a win over the Denver Broncos. Johnson being a third-string running back and putting up those numbers makes me a little queasy, but the Broncos dropped the ball here people. They’ll have a tougher challenge this week against the Steelers. Nick Chubb could come back so that might help them out a bit.
#11
Las Vegas Raiders (5-2)
Previous Rank – 11
The Raiders got another victory in the post-Gruden era. They absolutely dominated Philadelphia through the air as Derek Carr really put on a show for those Raiders fans. The defense could still use a little bit of work, but in my mind, they still played well last week. They will now enter their bye week.
#10
Los Angeles Chargers (4-2)
Previous Rank – 9
I didn’t like dropping the Chargers coming off their bye week, but honestly, their performance against the Ravens still makes me a little sick to my stomach. Plus, they get a big challenge this week as they’ll take on the New England Patriots. Their defense was elite last week but granted it was against the Jets. It is still one to tread caution which explains the drop.
#9
Baltimore Ravens (4-2)
Previous Rank – 5
What happened here man? The Baltimore Ravens got caught with their pants down here, and they absolutely got thrashed by the Bengals. Lamar was surprisingly benched in the 4th quarter as well which means they essentially gave up knowing they couldn’t win the game. Names like Chase and Uzomah just ran wild on them. Rashod Bateman does look pretty good though. They’ll figure out what went wrong as they’ll enter their bye week.
#8
Cincinnati Bengals (5-2)
Previous Rank – 12
Hell has frozen over people. The Bengals have made it into the top ten. I can’t even believe what I am saying right now. It is hard to argue with success though, and that is exactly what happened last week; success. The Bengals knocked off the Ravens in amazing fashion as Burrow had three passing touchdowns and Chase had over 200 receiving yards. What a game. There you go, Keaton.
#7
Buffalo Bills (4-2)
Previous Rank – 7
I like the Bills a lot people. So putting them this low leaves a sour taste in my mouth, but they were on bye, and they lost to the team that is ahead of them (spoiler alert). The Bills should have no trouble moving up a bit this week though as they’ll face a dreadful Miami Dolphins team.
#6
Tennessee Titans (5-2)
Previous Rank – 8
This team is back baby. The Titans absolutely gashed these Chiefs and were able to do something that seemed unheard of at the beginning; not letting them score a single touchdown. Mahomes was constantly pressured by the defense and the Titans’ offense looked great with even Derrick Henry passing a touchdown. Who would have thought man? They’ll get the Colts this week.
#5
Dallas Cowboys (5-1)
Previous Rank – 6
Dallas comes off their bye week after some much-needed rest for Dak Prescott and the boys. Hopefully, he will be okay because they have a tough task at hand this week as they will take on the Minnesota Vikings. This game was a shootout the last time we saw it, and hopefully, we get the same situation in this one.
#4
Green Bay Packers (6-1)
Previous Rank – 4
The Packers were able to get the better of the Washington Football Team last weekend, but this week may be a tough one for them. They will be playing Thursday night against the undefeated Arizona Cardinals. Not only that, but their top two wide receiver options are out with COVID. The best receiver on this team will be Randall Cobb if Valdez-Scantling doesn’t come off the IR. I am not saying he can’t do it, but Aaron Rodgers will have a tough challenge this week.
#3
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-1)
Previous Rank – 3
The Bucs put on a painful lesson for Justin Fields and the Bears last weekend. Brady threw four touchdowns, and the defense was able to come away with five total takeaways. What a performance indeed. They will get the Saints in this week in a divisional matchup. Can they stop Jameis Winston’s revenge game from happening? Let’s see.
#2
Los Angeles Rams (6-1)
Previous Rank – 2
The Rams get another win here, and Stafford has to be happy that this matchup with Detroit is finally over as he can now move on. This team continues to shine under Stafford with Cooper Kupp reaching Super Saiyan levels of production and points. The defense still needs a little help in situations, but overall they are an elite team destined for greatness. They’ll face the Houston Texans this week.
#1
Arizona Cardinals (7-0)
Previous Rank – 1
The Cardinals are so good man. Murray just loves to spread the ball to everyone like something spread butter over a nicely toasted piece of bread. They absolutely put the Texans on blast last weekend. They will have an early week this week as they’ll take on the Packers Thursday night, but with some top Packers weapons out, this might be another win for Arizona. I will say losing Watt maybe for the season might hurt them though.
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