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Neil Reynolds Weekly Power Rankings: Week 8

The Kansas City Chiefs are now the only undefeated team in the NFL and that keeps them in top spot in these Power Rankings as a result. But only just! The Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions are looking really powerful and Super Bowl-ready. Here's how I rate the NFL teams from 1 to 32.

  1. Kansas City Chiefs --

Kansas City's offensive issues have been well documented as their average of 350 total yards per game is the lowest in seven seasons with Patrick Mahomes as the starter. But they might be able to kick-start that attack somewhat with the impending trade for DeAndre Hopkins.

  1. Baltimore Ravens +1

Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry produce weekly highlights for the Ravens, but others are also stepping up on an offense that has averaged 35 points per game during Baltimore's five-game winning streak. I think this team will represent the AFC in the Super Bowl in February.

  1. Detroit Lions +1

Jared Goff is in the best form of his life, backed up by two high-end running backs in Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, and one of the league's best receivers in Amon-Ra St. Brown. The loss of Aidan Hutchinson was heartbreaking, but the offense can definitely carry the load.

  1. Minnesota Vikings -2

The sky is not falling in Minnesota after their first loss came on a late field goal against a very talented division opponent. So where on earth have these Matthew Stafford trade rumours come from? Ironically, Sam Darnold takes on Stafford and the Rams on Thursday night.

  1. Buffalo Bills +2

Their slow starts could come back to haunt them against better teams, but the Bills are feeling pretty good about things at 5-2. Amari Cooper is going to bring more fireworks to the passing attack and should open stuff up for rookie Keon Coleman, as was the case last weekend.

  1. Green Bay Packers --

Jordan Love has thrown at least two touchdown passes in nine straight starts for the Packers, so he immediately grabs our attention when we focus on this team. The defense that leads the NFL with 17 takeaways is legit, taking down C.J. Stroud in their most recent outing.

  1. Washington Commanders +1

It's been a while since I've been able to write these words, but the Washington Commanders have one of the NFL's most potent offenses! They average a league-high 31.1 points per game, but now they nervously wait to see if QB Jayden Daniels will be sidelined with his rib injury.

  1. Houston Texans -3

There is no shame in losing to a last-second field goal against the Packers at Lambeau Field. But surely there has to be concern over the lack of offensive production from C.J. Stroud, who threw for just 86 yards. It didn't help that his protection broke down over and over again.

  1. Pittsburgh Steelers +3

After shaking off some early rust, Russell Wilson looked pretty good at quarterback for the Steelers. And it helps when you are backed up by one of the league's better defenses and your ground attack produces 149 yards and two touchdowns. Another non-losing season beckons!

  1. Philadelphia Eagles +3

Jalen Hurts has not turned the ball over in two weeks, A.J. Brown is dominating at receiver, Saquon Barkley is running through opposing defenses with impressive regularity and the pass rush has produced 13 sacks in the last two games. The Eagles are in a pretty good moment.

  1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers -2

Monday night's loss to Baltimore ended up being pretty disastrous as Baker Mayfield lost his top two receivers to injuries. Mike Evans will miss at least three weeks with a hamstring injury, but Chris Godwin's dislocated ankle is likely to sideline him for the remainder of the season.

  1. Seattle Seahawks +3

What was most impressive about Seattle's Week 7 win over the Atlanta Falcons was how a defense that had been shredded in the previous three games stood up strong. Another positive? Geno Smith has quietly moved into the NFL lead with 1,985 passing yards in 2024.

  1. San Francisco 49ers -3

The Chiefs found a way to overcome offensive injuries on Sunday in beating the 49ers. Right now, that seems to be something San Francisco are incapable of doing! It is at times like these that Kyle Shanahan needs to be dialling up some good stuff to help out Brock Purdy at QB.

  1. Chicago Bears --

The Bears are returning from their bye week and hoping to pick up where they left off. Caleb Williams is not only looking comfortable at quarterback, but he also looks capable of taking over games. And he is well supported by a growing ground attack led by D'Andre Swift.

  1. Cincinnati Bengals +1

The Bengals have won three of their last four after an 0-3 start to the season and their only loss came by three points to Baltimore. Joe Burrow is getting the football to Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins as often as possible. That seems like a pretty good recipe for success.

  1. Atlanta Falcons -5

Just when the Falcons were heating up on offense, they go ice cold in losing at home to Seattle. Atlanta gave the ball away three times and allowed Kirk Cousins to be sacked three times. Inconsistency seems to be the order of the day, even at the top of the NFC South.

  1. Dallas Cowboys --

The Cowboys are coming off their bye week with a 3-3 record and will take on an equally-desperate San Francisco 49ers team on Sunday. There is much pressure on Dak Prescott because the Dallas run game is non-existent and the defense is playing very poorly right now.

  1. Indianapolis Colts +1

The Colts continue to be a weekly wild ride of inconsistency, but they are at least over .500 with a 4-3 record. There are just not enough big plays coming from the offense and young quarterback, Anthony Richardson, might need to take off on a few more impromptu runs.

  1. Denver Broncos +2

Their last win may have come against a massively-injured New Orleans Saints team, but you can only beat what is in front of you and Denver did that emphatically. In what was supposed to be a rebuilding year, Sean Payton has rolled out a hard-to-beat team with a 4-3 record.

  1. Los Angeles Chargers -2

The Chargers learned the hard way what happens when you kick for three points instead of finding the end zone for seven. Five Cameron Dicker field goals were all Jim Harbaugh's men could muster in a 17-15 loss to Arizona. This offense just doesn't have enough weaponry.

  1. Arizona Cardinals +2

Hold on tight, the roller coaster is on the way back up! This team which has not won back-to-back games since Weeks 11-13 of 2021 is as inconsistent and unpredictable as they come. I'm not sure how that can change moving forward. Sometimes, you just are what you are!

  1. Los Angeles Rams +4

The conversation around the Rams has gone from how they can get their season back on track to a potential fire sale involving quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Cooper Kupp ahead of the NFL's trade deadline on November 5. That escalated fast in Southern California.

  1. New Orleans Saints -3

After a 2-0 start, the Saints have lost five in a row and those feel-good stories from September feel a lifetime ago. The injuries have become almost an epidemic with the most recent to be tabbed as gone for the year being explosive receiver and return man Rashid Shaheed (knee).

  1. New York Jets -2

There was no immediate Davante Adams bump as New York lost in Pittsburgh. Now, let's see if this team can settle into some kind of rhythm and get on track. One thing to monitor – how will Garrett Wilson feel when Adams becomes more and more impactful in the pass attack?

  1. Miami Dolphins -1

The Dolphins look absolutely lost but they're not out of the AFC playoff race just yet at 2-4. And now starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa returns from the concussion suffered in Week 2. I'm nervous about Tua's comeback but there is no doubting how much Miami needs him.

  1. Jacksonville Jaguars +4

Trevor Lawrence played well in defeating New England at Wembley and reminded us all that he has the skills to lead this team for years to come. But a road back to playoff contention will be tough. Jacksonville's next five? Green Bay, Philadelphia, Minnesota, Detroit and Houston.

  1. Las Vegas Raiders --

Antonio Pierce was way too conservative at the end of last week's loss to the Rams. Down by eight, the head coach opted for a chip-shot Daniel Carlson field goal with 2:46 remaining and the Raiders never threatened again. Oh, and Gardner Minshew is a disaster at quarterback!

  1. Tennessee Titans --

You have to wonder what kind of crowds will show up in Nashville when the weather turns really cold because it already feels like this team is playing out the slate in October. They're onto a second QB in Mason Rudolph and star receiver DeAndre Hopkins is heading to KC.

  1. New York Giants -4

Daniel Jones was sacked eight times in last Sunday's loss to the Eagles and New York also failed to muster any kind of ground attack. We pay so much attention to skill position players, especially quarterbacks, but it's hard to get much done when dealing with such bad line play.

  1. Cleveland Browns -1

The easy suggestion is that the Browns should just cut their losses and get rid of Deshaun Watson at QB. But they don't have many financial options and all of them hurt. What a disaster. They may have to keep Watson for two more years and stash him on the bench.

  1. New England Patriots --

Jerod Mayo has made it clear that his roster is not up to scratch and that this season is about finding out who he can rely on and who he cannot. If he is calling some of his players soft, I think we can count those guys out. That comment was disputed by Bill Belichick, by the way!

  1. Carolina Panthers --

This past offseason saw the Panthers bring another new head coach on board, as well as what they believed would be some key performers on offense. And yet here we are… they are 1-6 and the franchise is still firmly rooted to the bottom of the NFL ocean. What next in Carolina?