Through eight weeks of NFL action, we know there are at least three dominant teams, whatever order you want to put them in: the 7-0 Philadelphia Eagles, 6-1 Buffalo Bills, and 5-2 Kansas City Chiefs.

But as the season continues, the 6-2 Dallas Cowboys, 6-1 Minnesota Vikings, a 5-3 Seattle Seahawks, and other unlikely powerhouses become harder and harder to ignore.

There’s also an oddly-specific category of teams with Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks and 2022-23 Super Bowl expectations currently struggling and under .500: that would be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Green Bay Packers, and the defending champions themselves, the Los Angeles Rams.

The 2022-23 NFL season has been a crazy place to navigate which teams are good, great, or just lucky. But with a larger sample size to work with, and nearly half the regular season in the books, we’re starting to get a a better idea of where each team stands.

Read on for my Post-Week 8 Power Rankings, and if you’d like to debate or discuss any picks, or want to follow for more weekly NFL content including Picks and Power Rankings, be sure to connect with Sak Sports Blog on Twitter or on Facebook!

Post-Week 8 Power Rankings

The Buffalo Bills’ four-game win streak now includes wins over the Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, and Green Bay Packers. (Photo: Joseph Cooke / Buffalo News)
  1. Buffalo Bills (6-1) [Last Week: 1] *8 Straight Weeks at #1*
    • Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills just keep rolling, jumping out to a 27-10 lead over Aaron Rodgers and the Packers and closing out the game 27-17 to improve to 6-1. Buffalo is second in the NFL in points per game (29.0) and first in the NFL in points allowed per game (14.0.)
  2. Philadelphia Eagles (7-0) [Last Week: 2]
    • It was another opponent up, another opponent down for the Philadelphia Eagles as well, as Jalen Hurts (285 Passing Yards, 4 Pass TD) and A.J. Brown (6 catches, 156 yards, 3 TD) tore apart the Steelers defense in a 35-13 win to get to 7-0.
  3. Kansas City Chiefs (5-2) [Last Week: 3]
    • After Week 7’s explosive 44-23 win over the 49ers, the Kansas City Chiefs had a bye in Week 8.
  4. Dallas Cowboys (6-2) [Last Week: 5]
    • Dak Prescott (21-27, 250 yards, 2 TD) and Tony Pollard (14 rush, 131 yards, 3 TD) led the Dallas Cowboys’ offense to a huge 49-29 win over the Bears in Dallas.
  5. Minnesota Vikings (6-1) [Last Week: 6]
    • Like the other teams in the Top Five, the Minnesota Vikings just can’t stop winning. Kirk Cousins and the Vikings outdueled Kyler Murray and the Cardinals 34-26 for their 5th straight win. While it doesn’t factor in to this ranking, Minnesota also added tight end T.J. Hockenson after a trade with the Lions.
SEE ALSO: 6-1 Vikings Go All-In, Acquire TE T.J. Hockenson from Detroit Lions
  1. Baltimore Ravens (5-3) [Last Week: 9]
    • Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens could have a better record, after losing some close games, but got in the win column in Week 8 with a 27-22 Thursday Night football win over Tom Brady and the Buccaneers in Tamp Bay.
  2. Tennessee Titans (5-2) [Last Week: 8]
    • Derrick Henry (32 carries, 219 yards, 2 TD) did it all himself in the Tennessee Titans’ 17-10 win over the Texans: the team’s fifth straight win after an 0-2 start.
  3. New York Giants (6-2) [Last Week: 4]
    • The New York Giants came crashing back down to Earth with a 27-13 loss to the Seahawks in Seattle, New York’s first loss since Week 3 and their first road los of the season.
  4. Seattle Seahawks (5-3) [Last Week: 11]
    • In a big test, the Seattle Seahawks were able to dispatch the 6-1 Giants 27-13 behind efficient quarterbacking from Geno Smith and strong play by the defense.
  5. Cincinnati Bengals (4-4) [Last Week: 7]
    • After a hot 4-1 stretch, the Cincinnati Bengals hit the brakes on Monday Night Football against the Browns, failing to score in the first three quarters on their way to an embarrassing 32-13 loss.
  6. Miami Dolphins (5-3) [Last Week: 12]
    • The Miami Dolphins had to come from behind to beat the lowly Lions, but Tua Tagovailoa got it done, further cementing himself as an above average NFL starter. Miami is 5-1 with Tua as a starter this season, and the former Alabama quarterback didn’t finish the one loss to the Bengals in Week 4.
  7. San Francisco 49ers (4-4) [Last Week: 14]
    • The Christian McCaffrey project seems to be working out: the former Panther ran for, caught, and even threw a touchdown in the San Francisco 49ers 31-14 win over the Rams in Los Angeles. The 49ers have now swept the defending Super Bowl champions, which could be a huge plus in the NFC West race.
  1. Los Angeles Chargers (4-3) [Last Week: 13]
    • The Los Angeles Chargers entered their bye week with a winning record, but are still underperforming expectations.
  2. New York Jets (5-3) [Last Week: 8]
    • Like their MetLife Stadium co-tenants, the New York Jets followed a promising string of wins with a heat check loss. Zach Wilson and the Jets fell 22-17 at home to the Patriots in Week 8.
  3. Atlanta Falcons (4-4) [Last Week: 19]
    • Don’t look now, but Marcus Mariota and the Atlanta Falcons are in first place in the NFC South after outlasting the Panthers 37-334 in a wild overtime victory to improve to 4-4.
  4. New Orleans Saints (3-5) [Last Week: 20]
    • The New Orleans Saints got it done on both sides of the ball for their second win in four games, with Andy Dalton and Alvin Kamara (two rushing TD, one receiving TD) leading the offense to 24 points, while the defense pitched a rare shutout against the visiting Raiders.
  5. Green Bay Packers (3-5) [Last Week: 17]
    • Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers lost their fourth straight game on Sunday night, falling 27-17 to an elite Bills team. While losing to Buffalo is hardly a death sentence, Green Bay’s previous three losses to the Giants, Jets, and Commanders certainly raises some cause for concern.
  6. New England Patriots (4-4) [Last Week: 23]
    • This New England Patriots squad has been up-and-down over the past few weeks, but swung back up with a 22-17 Mac Jones-led win over the Jets on the road to even the team’s record at 4-4.
  7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-5) [Last Week: 18]
    • Tom Brady lost his third straight start for the first time since 2022 when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost 27-22 to the Ravens on Thursday Night Football. Something isn’t right in Tampa Bay, but luckily, the Buccaneers are only a game out of first place and will likely have time to change their fortunes before the playoffs roll around.
  8. Washington Commanders (4-4) [Last Week: 26]
    • Don’t look now, but the Washington Commanders have won three straight games following a 1-4 start. Taylor Heinickie has now won back-to-back starts in the absence of Carson Wentz.
  9. Arizona Cardinals (3-5) [Last Week: 16]
    • Despite the best efforts of Kyler Murray (326 yards, 3 Pass TD) and Deandre Hopkins (12 rec, 159 yards, TD,) the Arizona Cardinals fell 34-26 to the Vikings to fall to 3-5.
  10. Los Angeles Rams (3-4) [Last Week: 15]
    • Early season struggles continued for the Los Angeles Rams in Week 8, as the defending Super Bowl champions lost 31-14 to the 49ers… at home… coming off a bye week.
  11. Cleveland Browns (3-5) [Last Week: 24]
    • The Cleveland Browns’ up-and-down season continued with an unexpected Monday Night Football win, nay, blowout win over the Bengals. Nick Chubb rushed for 101 yards and two scores on 23 carries in Cleveland’s third win of the season.
  12. Indianapolis Colts (3-4-1) [Last Week: 22]
    • The Indianapolis Colts experienced a one-point loss to the Commanders in Sam Ehlinger’s first NFL start. Believe it or not, this is the first time Indianapolis has lost back-to-back games this season, so where they go from here will be very telling on how the rest of their season will go.
  13. Las Vegas Raiders (2-5) [Last Week: 21]
    • With a chance to get their season back on track, the Las Vegas Raiders offense failed to show up in a 24-0 shutout loss to the Saints.
  14. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-6) [Last Week: 25]
    • The Jacksonville Jaguars couldn’t handle the Broncos late in London, dropping their fifth straight game in the process. On a slightly more positive note, all five losses have been by one score and Jacksonville even holds a positive point differential.
  15. Carolina Panthers (2-6) [Last Week: 29]
    • The Carolina Panthers continued to play better football than they did to start the season, with a crazy 21-point fourth quarter comeback to force overtime. Unfortunately, wide receiver D.J. Moore was flagged for excessive celebration, forcing a missed extra point, and the Panthers would go on to lose to the Falcons in overtime.
  1. Denver Broncos (3-5) [Last Week: 30]
    • Russell Wilson finally looked half decent and the Denver Broncos grinded out a 21-17 win over the Jaguars in London, their first win since Week 3.
  2. Chicago Bears (3-5) [Last Week: 27]
    • After a monstrous win over the Patriots last Monday, the Chicago Bears followed up with an embarrassing 49-29 loss to the Cowboys in Dallas.
  3. Detroit Lions (1-6) [Last Week: 32]
  4. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-6) [Last Week: 28]
    • The Pittsburgh Steelers lost their sixth game in seven weeks, but to be fair, their schedule has been absolutely brutal, this week losing to the undefeated Eagles.
  5. Houston Texans (1-5-1) [Last Week: 31]
    • For once, there are really no laughably bad teams in the NFL. But the Houston Texans slide back in to the #32 spot after a lackluster 17-10 loss to the Titans.

Previous Rankings

SEE ALSO: Ranking the Top 10 Quarterbacks in the NFL Heading In To 2022

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Posted on 0 By Billy Sakmann NFL Posted in NFL, Sak Sports Blog Tagged #, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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