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POWER RANKINGS: NFL Week 8 - Vikings Not #1: Who is?
The Bills take back No. 1, Seattle jumps the Chiefs, and the NFL's last unbeaten team stays at No. 4.
BigSlickOrr
··12 min read
Seven weeks in, there's one unbeaten team left in the NFL.
It's not at the top of our rankings.
Minnesota is 6-0. We see it. We're just not buying it yet, and we'll tell you why at No. 4.
Meanwhile, Buffalo takes the throne back, San Francisco finally lost, Seattle handed Kansas City its first loss on Sunday night, and Pittsburgh is the biggest mover on the board.
Remember: these aren't standings. We're ranking how much we trust these teams right now.
Tap any team to see why they moved.
NFL Power Rankings
Week 8
Number 1, Buffalo BillsUp 2 from 3
Back on top. Buffalo won two road thrillers before the bye: 37-34 in overtime at SoFi, where Josh Allen piled up 331 total yards and Greg Rousseau blocked a Rams field goal, then 33-30 in Vegas. Allen's two touchdowns against the Raiders tied Jim Kelly's franchise record of 258. The defense still gives up too much, but nobody in football scores like this team. Baltimore is up next.Number 2, San Francisco 49ersDown 1 from 1
The perfect season is over. The Niners won a turnover-fest in Seattle 32-29 and beat Washington on Monday night to get to 6-0, then gave it away four times in Atlanta and lost 29-20. Four turnovers in one game, after six in their first six. That's not who they are. The bigger worry is the injury report: McCaffrey, Mike Evans, Nick Bosa and Deebo Samuel are all banged up, so this bye comes at the perfect time.Number 3, Seattle SeahawksUp 1 from 4
I know. 4-3. Hear me out. Every one of Seattle's losses came by three points or fewer, and on Sunday night they held Kansas City to 3 points and 213 yards. Jaxon Smith-Njigba torched the Chiefs for 150 yards and a score, and the defense held Kenneth Walker III, their own Super Bowl MVP from last season, to 36 yards. That's 36 straight games without allowing a 100-yard rusher. The defending champs are just fine.Number 4, Minnesota VikingsUp 2 from 6
Six games, six wins, and we're still not buying it. Let's be fair: this defense is real. Minnesota has allowed a league-low 74 points. But look at who's been on the other side. The teams the Vikings beat were a combined 4-12 when they played them, and four of the six (Tampa Bay, Miami, New Orleans and Indianapolis) are 7-20 now. The offense ranks 23rd in scoring, four of the wins were one-score games, and the next four are at Detroit, Buffalo, at Green Bay and at San Francisco. Prove it.Number 5, Kansas City ChiefsDown 3 from 2
Kansas City came out of its bye and handled the Chargers 22-6, with Kenneth Walker III going for 128 yards and two scores. Then Seattle happened. A 20-3 loss on Sunday night, their first of the season: 213 total yards, Patrick Mahomes 19-of-33 for 165 and a pick, and Walker held to 36 yards by his old team. Harrison Butker missed another kick and Rashee Rice has sat three straight. Still 5-1 and the AFC's top seed, but they slide to No. 5 with a trip to Denver next.Number 6, Detroit LionsUp 11 from 17
The Lions have found their footing. Detroit scored on seven straight drives in a 45-21 rout in Arizona, where Jahmyr Gibbs ran for 151 yards, scored twice and passed Barry Sanders for the most touchdowns in NFL history before age 25. Out of the bye they beat Green Bay 20-17 on Jake Bates' kick at the gun, with Amon-Ra St. Brown catching nine balls for 153 yards. Up 11 spots, and the unbeaten Vikings come to Ford Field on Sunday.Number 7, Denver BroncosUp 2 from 9
Three straight wins for Denver, and the defense has carried every one of them. The Broncos scored the final 13 points to steal a 23-17 win at SoFi, beat Seattle 17-14 in overtime on Thursday night with just 168 yards of offense, then finally broke out 30-16 in Arizona behind Bo Nix's 62-yard touchdown run, the longest of his career. 5-2, and Kansas City comes to town Sunday.Number 8, Cincinnati BengalsUp 8 from 16
Joe Burrow has thrown four touchdown passes in back-to-back games, and the Bengals are rolling. Cincinnati won 31-24 in Miami behind a one-handed 45-yard touchdown catch from Ja'Marr Chase, then came out of the bye down 13-0 at halftime in Baltimore and scored the next 35 points. Tee Higgins had all 148 of his yards after the break. Up eight spots, with Tennessee next.Number 9, Chicago BearsUp 1 from 10
Caleb Williams is back, and so are the Bears. Without him, Chicago got embarrassed 31-7 in Green Bay and turned it over five times. Since he returned, they're 2-0: he completed his first 12 passes in a 31-23 win at Atlanta, then threw for 308 yards and two scores in a 30-24 Thursday night win over New England. Luther Burden III turned four catches into 130 yards. 5-2, and Monday night in Seattle is the real test.Number 10, Pittsburgh SteelersUp 17 from 27
Biggest riser of the week. Three straight wins on two continents. Pittsburgh beat Indianapolis 34-22 behind 188 total yards from Jaylen Warren, came back from 13 down in the fourth quarter to beat Tampa Bay in overtime, then ground out a 16-10 win over New Orleans in Paris. Aaron Rodgers' touchdown at Stade de France was the 540th of his career, moving him past Peyton Manning for third all-time. Up 17 spots.Number 11, Jacksonville JaguarsDown 6 from 5
London giveth, London taketh away. Cam Little's 57-yarder at the gun beat Philadelphia 19-17 at Tottenham, then Jacksonville lost 34-31 to Houston at Wembley despite four Trevor Lawrence touchdown passes and Travis Hunter scoring and picking off a pass in the same game. Still first in the AFC South coming off the bye, but losing left tackle Anton Harrison for the season and three straight weeks of flag problems drop them six spots.Number 12, Cleveland BrownsUp 2 from 14
The Browns don't win pretty, but they keep winning. After Deshaun Watson got sacked eight times in a 17-12 loss to the Jets, Cleveland beat Baltimore 13-10 on Andre Szmyt's kick on the final snap despite 107 total yards entering the fourth quarter. A week later Szmyt walked off Tennessee 27-24, and Watson led his fifth game-winning fourth-quarter drive. 5-2, tied with Pittsburgh atop the AFC North, and they own the head-to-head.Number 13, New England PatriotsNo change, held at 13
New England ripped off three straight wins, including a 45-17 beatdown of the Raiders where Drake Maye threw for 374 yards and accounted for five touchdowns. Maye threw 10 touchdowns against one pick during the streak. Chicago cooled them off 30-24 on Thursday night, and an end-zone interception right before halftime proved costly. The injuries on the line and at receiver are piling up. Good team, but 4-3 good.Number 14, Green Bay PackersUp 9 from 23
Green Bay won two of three, and the wins were loud: a 31-7 beatdown of Chicago with Jordan Love throwing for 367 yards and the defense forcing five turnovers, then a 23-13 Sunday night win over Dallas. It ended in Detroit, where rookie kicker Trey Smack missed twice from 35 yards or closer in a 20-17 loss. Up nine spots, and still in last place in an NFC North where all four teams have winning records.Number 15, New York GiantsUp 9 from 24
The Giants are 4-2-1 and somehow sit atop the NFC East. John Harbaugh benched Jameis Winston after a four-turnover mess against the Saints, and J.J. McCarthy answered with 252 yards in an overtime win at Houston. Cam Skattebo ran for 124 and ripped off the 42-yard run that set up Devin Singletary's walk-off touchdown. Up nine spots heading into the bye.Number 16, Baltimore RavensDown 9 from 7
Lamar Jackson has missed three straight games with an ankle injury, and the cracks are showing. Tyler Huntley stole an overtime win in Atlanta, then Baltimore lost back-to-back division games after leading by double digits in both: 13-10 at Cleveland on a field goal as time expired, and a 35-13 collapse against Cincinnati after leading 13-0 at halftime. The Ravens are the first team in 76 years to lead by 13 or more at the half and lose by 20 or more. They need Lamar back for Buffalo.Number 17, Los Angeles RamsDown 9 from 8
The Rams are 3-4. They lost a 37-34 overtime heartbreaker to Buffalo, then got stunned 18-16 at home by Arizona after their kicker tore his ACL in the first quarter. Matthew Stafford answered with three touchdowns in a 35-21 win in Vegas and passed Roman Gabriel as the franchise's all-time touchdown leader. But with Davante Adams on IR and Myles Garrett still out, they drop nine spots.Number 18, Dallas CowboysNo change, held at 18
Now that's the Dallas offense we were promised. The Cowboys went into Philly on Monday night and hung 38 on the Eagles. Dak Prescott threw three touchdowns, two to CeeDee Lamb, and Javonte Williams ran for a career-high 155, the first 150-yard game by a Cowboy since Zeke in 2018. It snapped a two-game skid where Dallas turned it over five times. At 3-4, they're the only NFC East team with two division wins.Number 19, Atlanta FalconsDown 7 from 12
Atlanta finally stopped the bleeding. After back-to-back home losses to Baltimore in overtime and to Chicago, the Falcons handed San Francisco its first loss of the season, 29-20, forcing four turnovers and turning them into 13 points. Michael Penix Jr. shook off his rib injury with three touchdown passes and no picks. A half-game behind Carolina, with Tampa Bay up next.Number 20, Carolina PanthersDown 1 from 19
Carolina beat the banged-up Eagles 25-14 in Philadelphia behind 281 yards and two Tommy Tremble touchdowns from Bryce Young. Then Tampa Bay came to town, sacked Young five times, forced four turnovers and led 33-6 at halftime of a 43-13 beatdown. Right tackle Taylor Moton is out with a fractured leg, and a Thursday night trip to Lambeau is next. Somehow, this team still sits alone atop the NFC South.Number 21, Tampa Bay BuccaneersUp 8 from 29
Don't look now, but the Bucs have won two of three. Bucky Irving's 165-yard night got Tampa its first win in Dallas, and after blowing a 16-3 fourth-quarter lead in an overtime loss to Pittsburgh, Baker Mayfield came back from his thumb injury and barely had to throw. Eleven passes, 258 rushing yards and four takeaways later, they had a 43-13 win in Carolina. Up eight spots.Number 22, Las Vegas RaidersDown 11 from 11
Biggest faller of the week. That 3-0 start feels like a long time ago. The Raiders have lost four straight: run out of Foxborough 45-17, edged 33-30 by Buffalo, and down 28-6 at halftime of a 35-21 home loss to the Rams. Kirk Cousins leads the league with 16 touchdown passes and keeps the job for now, but a defense that has given up 30 or more four weeks running has the Fernando Mendoza clock ticking.Number 23, Houston TexansUp 3 from 26
Houston finally found a pulse: a 26-3 beatdown of Tennessee for its first win, then a 34-31 thriller over Jacksonville at Wembley on Ka'imi Fairbairn's 49-yarder as time expired. Then the Texans gave one back in a 27-21 overtime loss to the Giants, with C.J. Stroud held to a season-low 153 passing yards and the defense giving up 188 on the ground. 2-5 into the bye.Number 24, Philadelphia EaglesDown 4 from 20
Five straight losses, the longest skid in Philadelphia since 2016. Jalen Hurts is on IR and expected to miss the rest of the season with blood clots in his lungs. Tanner McKee threw the fourth-quarter interception that sealed Monday's 38-21 loss to Dallas, and the defense has given up at least 375 yards in every game of the streak. Two seasons removed from a Super Bowl title, this team is in free fall.Number 25, Indianapolis ColtsDown 10 from 15
The wheels are off in Indy. The Colts kicked five field goals in a 34-22 loss at Pittsburgh, blew a 13-0 halftime lead to a winless Titans team, then managed 10 points in Minnesota while Daniel Jones threw for 108 yards and the game-sealing interception. Jones has four touchdowns and seven picks, GM Chris Ballard is gone, and Jonathan Taylor's name is in trade talk. Down 10 spots.Number 26, New Orleans SaintsDown 5 from 21
The Saints managed 142 yards in a 23-13 loss to Minnesota, ripped off 34 straight points to beat the Giants 34-27, then lost 16-10 to Pittsburgh in Paris. Seventeen carries for 18 yards in France tells you everything. Tyler Shough is playing through broken bones in his non-throwing hand and completed 30 of 38 against the Steelers, but there's no ground game to lean on. The bye can't come soon enough.Number 27, Arizona CardinalsUp 1 from 28
Arizona pulled off one of the shockers of the season at SoFi, where Chad Ryland kicked six field goals, the last one at the gun, to beat the Rams 18-16. The rest has been ugly: a 45-21 beating from Detroit on the same afternoon the team traded Marvin Harrison Jr., then a 30-16 loss to Denver that ran the home losing streak to 10 straight. Trey McBride can still move the chains, but this team can't finish drives.Number 28, New York JetsDown 3 from 25
The Jets sacked Deshaun Watson eight times in a 17-12 win over Cleveland, three of them from rookie David Bailey. Then they went right back to losing: 26-19 in Foxborough, and a 28-25 home loss to a Miami team that hadn't won a game. Geno Smith threw for 287 yards and three scores in that one, and Aaron Glenn is now 0-8 against the AFC East.Number 29, Washington CommandersDown 7 from 22
The Commanders blew a 27-13 fourth-quarter lead and then botched the clock in overtime of a 27-27 tie with the Giants. A week later they fell behind 20-3 in San Francisco and lost 23-17 on Monday night. Jayden Daniels looks like himself again, but losing Terry McLaurin for the season to a torn patellar tendon is a gut punch for a 1-4-1 team. Philly comes to town Sunday night.Number 30, Miami DolphinsUp 2 from 32
The zero is finally gone. Miami fell to 0-5 in a 31-24 loss to Cincinnati, then came out of the bye and won 28-25 at MetLife. Malik Willis threw two touchdowns to rookie Caleb Douglas, ran for another and sealed it himself on fourth-and-1, giving Jeff Hafley his first win. One win doesn't fix 1-5, but it gets them out of the basement.Number 31, Tennessee TitansNo change, held at 31
Robert Saleh got his first win, rallying from 13-0 down at halftime in Indianapolis behind a blocked-punt touchdown. Then Tennessee blew a 14-0 lead in a 27-24 walk-off loss to Cleveland despite three Tony Pollard touchdowns. Cam Ward hasn't topped 181 passing yards in any of the last three games, and the Titans have tied the 2014-18 Browns with 65 straight games without back-to-back wins.Number 32, Los Angeles ChargersDown 2 from 30
Still winless. The Chargers blew a fourth-quarter lead at home in a 23-17 loss to Denver after a stuffed fourth-and-1 that Jim Harbaugh called "the wrong decision," then scored six points in Kansas City before the bye. Justin Herbert is getting buried behind a beat-up offensive line, and 0-6 is the franchise's worst start since 2000.
See you after Week 8.
— Kasey "BigSlick" Orr | Sizzlin Sports
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