NFL Power Rankings: Cardinals remain up top, but for how long?
Week 8. Power rankings. Let’s go.
1. Arizona Cardinals 7-0 (last week: No. 1)
They’re still the only undefeated team in the NFL. They have the league’s top point differential at plus-111. Yes, they beat the miserable Texans, but they did it 31-5, which is what a good team should do. Kyler Murray averaged 9.3 yards per attempt and they ran for 172 yards. They are balanced, have a lot of weapons on offense, and have the NFL’s top scoring defense. They’ve had enough impressive wins to the point where they’ll remain in the top spot until they lose, which could come Thursday night against the Packers.
2. Dallas Cowboys 5-1 (No. 2)
Dallas had a bye over the weekend while none of the other teams in the mix had a convincing enough victory to pass them up. The Cowboys are good and should roll through their division. The Eagles are in second place at 2-5.
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 6-1 (No. 5)
We’re hoping Tom Brady will give us a Bitcoin for moving his team up two spots in the rankings following their drubbing of the Bears. Until then, we’ll continue to expect the Bucs to be a force in January that no one wants to play, whether they end up with the top seed in the NFC or not. Their plus-86 point differential is third-best in the NFL.
4. Cincinnati Bengals 5-2 (No. 10)
Are they truly better than the Ravens, the top AFC team in last week’s power rankings? Perhaps not over the long term. But they took care of them in a big way Sunday, thumping Baltimore 41-17 on the Ravens’ home field. The fighting Joe Burrows would be the No. 1 seed in the conference if the playoffs started today. Rookie receiver Ja’Marr Chase has 457 yards in his last three games. That’s a real stat.
5. Baltimore Ravens 5-2 (No. 3)
We’re not down on the Ravens after one bad game. This is the NFL, after all. No one over reacts to one bad outcome! The Bengals game was a 4-point game in the third quarter before it avalanched Cincy’s way. The Ravens are still quarterbacked by Lamar Jackson, who no one wants to have to plan for in the playoffs.
6. Los Angeles Rams 6-1 (No. 4)
We know the Lions pulled out all the stops, but that game in L.A. on Sunday shouldn’t have been that close in Jared Goff’s unceremonious homecoming. We’re not closing the door just yet on them outlasting the Cardinals for the NFC West crown. There’s a lot of star power on this team and they’ll be 7-1 after they thump Houston this week.
7. Green Bay Packers 6-1 (No. 6)
They’re winners of six straight. The defense clearly isn’t as good as its No. 7 ranking in both scoring and yardage. The offense ranks fourth in Football Outsiders’ all encompassing DVOA. But they have a tough trip to Arizona on Thursday and might be without a slew of players, including star receiver Davante Adams, who recently tested positive for COVID-19.
8. Buffalo Bills 4-2 (No. 7)
The Bills drop a spot coming off their bye. They have the top point differential in the AFC (plus-105) and are second in scoring both offensively and defensively. Expect them to go on a run with games against the Dolphins, Jaguars and Jets over the next three weeks.
9. Tennessee Titans 5-2 (No. 11)
The Titans have beaten the Bills and Chiefs. They’ve also lost to the Jets. The NFL is weird sometimes. Not weird: Derrick Henry MVP’s candidacy. I know, I know. He doesn’t play quarterback. But he has 869 rushing yards to lead the league. Second place: Jonathan Taylor of the Colts, who has 579. Henry also leads the league with 10 rushing touchdowns. Second place: James Connor with six. If the Titans win 12 games or more, Henry’s MVP candidacy has to be real, particularly without a true frontrunner at quarterback (for now).
10. Los Angeles Chargers 4-2 (No. 8)
Head coach Brandon Staley should get this team back rolling after the 28-point loss to Baltimore before the bye. They’ll host the Patriots this week before NFC tilts against Philadelphia and Minnesota, which all look like winnable games. They dropped to second place in the AFC behind the Raiders, who they beat earlier this season.
11. Las Vegas Raiders 5-2 (No. 12)
Apologies, Raiders fans, for not having them higher. We’re still a little dubious of their long-term prospects. But all the signs are pointing in the right direction under interim coach Rich Bisaccia, who has the team playing with a different energy. They took care of business against the Eagles with a 33-22 victory on Sunday. Derek Carr is second in the NFL with 2,269 passing yards while his group of weapons continues to expand.
12. Kansas City Chiefs 3-4 (No. 9)
I’ll admit, this is all about reputation. Because the back-to-back reigning conference champs are playing like manure. They’ve turned the ball over 17 times in seven games and the defense is awful. But I’m still banking on them making a playoff run. There’s no way Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid go out like this, right?
13. New Orleans Saints 4-2 (No. 15)
It felt like the Saints were gifted a victory in Seattle Monday night, thanks to bad special teams and a chance to play Geno Smith. Still, the defense is excellent and Alvin Kamara remains one of the best weapons in football. This week should reveal a lot about where they stack up to the rest of the NFC. They host Brady and the Bucs.
14. Cleveland Browns 4-3 (No. 13)
The Browns had a nice win last Thursday over the Broncos, who were No. 14 on this list last week. They did it with backup quarterback Case Keenum. They currently hold the last wild card spot in the AFC, with Baltimore and Cincinnati also in the playoff mix. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the AFC North had three teams make the tournament, but it would feel weird if one of those teams wasn’t Pittsburgh, wouldn’t it?
15. New England Patriots 3-4 (No. 19)
You’re welcome for giving Mac Jones some bulletin board material week after week, Pats fans. Sources say he has the revitalized Sacramento Bee print edition lining his locker. The Patriots sneakily have the third-best point differential in the AFC, though that could be traced directly to having two games against the Jets. They won those games by combined scores of 79-19.
16. Minnesota Vikings 3-3 (No. 16)
Having a bye came a good time for the Vikings in these rankings given the losses for the Seahawks and 49ers, who occupied this neighborhood last week. Minnesota feels likely to get humbled over these next few weeks with games against the Cowboys, at Baltimore, at the Chargers and home to Green Bay.
17. Indianapolis Colts 3-4 (No. 24)
Yep, it’s a pretty big leap for a team that beat the struggling 49ers on the road. But it also speaks the muddied field below the top half of the league. There might only be eight truly good teams in the NFL right now. Which is to say, we don’t think the Colts are all that great, there just aren’t many teams you feel good about moving up the rankings right now. More teams deserve to get moved down.
18. Denver Broncos 3-4 (No. 14)
The defense is good, but Vic Fangio might not be a good head coach. That leaves Denver a very interesting decision after the season. They still need a long-term answer at quarterback if they’re ever going to contend in a loaded division.
19. Pittsburgh Steelers 3-3 (No. 21)
They move up four spots largely because of Mike Tomlin’s rant about the USC this week.
20. Atlanta Falcons 3-3 (No. 25)
The Falcons move up after beating the Dolphins in a nail-biter 26 people watched for fantasy football or betting purposes.
21. Chicago Bears 3-4 (No. 22)
Things were so gross in the bottom half of the league this week that the Bears moved two spots despite losing by 35 points Sunday.
22. San Francisco 49ers 2-4 (No. 17)
Kyle Shanahan indicated Monday he won’t make Trey Lance the starting quarterback until the team is eliminated from playoff contention. That’s some signal to send the rookie while Jimmy Garoppolo does all he can to play himself out of the lineup.
23. Seattle Seahawks 2-5 (No. 18)
Not even Russell Wilson looks capable of saving this season for the 12s. It should be a fascinating offseason for him and coach Pete Carroll.
24. Carolina Panthers 3-4 (No. 20)
That hot start for Sam Darnold is aging more poorly by the week. He was benched in a 25-3 beat down via the New York Giants. The Panthers have lost four straight since their 3-0 start. Yikes.
25. Philadelphia Eagles 2-5 (No. 23)
The Eagles have beaten the Falcons and Panthers, two teams who don’t seem likely to make the playoffs. It’s hard to have faith that Jalen Hurts can be the guy.
26. New York Giants 2-5 (No. 27)
Saquon Barkley is dealing with another ankle injury as the Giants get the unfortunate task of traveling to play an angry Chiefs team on Monday night. Daniel Jones vs. Patrick Mahomes doesn’t favor New York.
27. Washington 2-5 (No. 25)
They’ve scored 13 and 10 points in their last two games against not-so-awesome defenses in Kansas City and Green Bay. They’ll be one of many teams in the market for a veteran quarterback this offseason. Imagine being a team willing to give Jimmy Garoppolo $30 million over the next two seasons.
28. Miami Dolphins 1-6 (No. 29)
Maybe this is the Deshaun Watson landing spot after all. That would be great for PR!
29. New York Jets 1-5 (No. 28)
Zach Wilson is expected to miss two-to-four weeks with a PCL injury to his knee. Just when things started going so well.
30. Houston Texans 1-6 (No. 30)
A fun story about team owner Cal McNair popped up this week.
31. Jacksonville Jaguars 1-5 (No. 31)
DUUUVVAAAALLLL.
32. Detroit Lions 0-7 (No. 32)
The Lions are the best 0-7 in history. Tell me I’m wrong.
This story was originally published October 27, 2021 at 7:57 AM.
