Week 8 Power Rankings - Keegan Hagler
1. Buffalo Bills =
No change for Buffalo following their bye week. Still the best team in the league, and they are 10.5-point favorites this week against Green Bay.
2. Kansas City Chiefs =
Another dominant performance from the Chiefs. Mahomes started the game with a pick, and then the Chiefs scored touchdowns on 6 of their next 7 offensive possessions.
3. Philadelphia Eagles =
The Eagles didn’t play, but somehow they might’ve widened the gap between them and the rest of the NFC with losses from Tampa, Green Bay, and San Francisco.
4. Cincinnati Bengals (+1)
I’m going to make a strong argument for the Bengals being the 4th best team in the league. They’re now up to 5th in offensive efficiency and are 6th in defensive efficiency, joining the Bills and Eagles as the only teams who are top 6 in both.
5. Dallas Cowboys (+2)
That Dallas defense is dominant to say the least. They’re 3rd in defensive EPA to couple with their “good enough” offense. I still have questions, however, about Dallas’ ability to keep up with great teams.
6. Baltimore Ravens =
The Ravens got a solid division win this week, but I don’t think anyone is walking away from that game being more impressed by the Ravens than they were before the game.
7. Minnesota Vikings (+3)
The Vikings didn’t play this week and I was hesitant to actually move them up, but San Francisco, Tampa, and the Chargers didn’t look good so Minnesota passed them. I’m still not super impressed with the Vikings, as they’re 11th in offense and 17th in defense.
8. New York Giants (+3)
The Giants just keep winning close games. Is it sustainable? I don’t know. But I’ll give them their respect for the resume they have. Their offense is really starting to come
around, moving up to 9th in efficiency.
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-5)
My “Disaster of the Week” award goes to the Bucs, who lost to my 32nd-ranked team 21-3. The Bucs are still a little better than their record suggests, as they’re 7th in defense and 16th in offense. I trust Brady to right the ship.
10. San Francisco 49ers (-2)
There goes the Niners’ chances of finishing with the top-ranked defense. They entered the week at 3rd, and now they’re down to 10th. I suppose that’s what happens when you play the Chiefs.
11. Tennessee Titans (+5)
The Titans are quietly one of the hottest teams in football right now, winning 4 in a row and having the 5th-best defense in the NFL over that stretch.
12. Los Angeles Rams =
The Rams still have some work to do if they want to be a Super Bowl contender, and I think adding a second offensive weapon like Odell Beckham would go a long way.
13. Miami Dolphins (+2)
The game on Sunday Night started off really well for Miami, but it ended up only being a 6-point game against a bad Pittsburgh team at home. Regardless, it’s good to see Tua back and healthy.
14. Las Vegas Raiders =
I was debating putting the Raiders a little higher, but I figured we need to see them stack multiple good performances together first. Great win this week though, and they’re quietly up to 4th in offensive efficiency on the season.
15. Los Angeles Chargers (-6)
Brandon Staley is supposed to be a defensive guy, but the Chargers defense is simply not good. And the offense has no deep threat and no explosive plays because of it.
16. New York Jets (+3)
I still have zero confidence in the Jets offense, but their defense is getting them some
tough wins so I’ll move them up. Zach has to be better though if this team wants to be a legit playoff threat.
17. Green Bay Packers (-4)
The Packers have a major problem. There are no receivers. Either trade for Brandin Cooks or punt on the season. The choice is yours, Brian Gutekunst.
18. Seattle Seahawks (+4)
Somehow, someway, the Seahawks are by themselves in first place in the NFC West. And Geno Smith looks like far and away the best QB in the division through 7 weeks.
19. Arizona Cardinals (+1)
The Cardinals finally won a home game. The offense looked a little better, probably because of the addition of DeAndre Hopkins. The Cardinals defense is starting to get back to 2021 level as well.
20. New England Patriots (-3)
There’s no QB controversy in New England. Bailey Zappe came into the game, played well for two drives, then stunk it up for the rest of the game. Mac Jones is slated to start next week against the Jets.
21. Indianapolis Colts (-3)
Matt Ryan got benched following this loss to the Titans, which should tell you all you need to know about how he’s playing. Sam Ehlinger will get the start for next week and the foreseeable future.
22. Atlanta Falcons (-1)
There’s the Falcons defense we all know and love. Burrow had a virtually flawless game and this one was over at halftime. And despite trailing the whole game, it is rather odd that Mariota still only had 13 pass attempts.
23. Chicago Bears (+8)
The Bears are my biggest risers of the week, and they earned it. The offense played their best game of the season, and overall the offense is now 19th in EPA for the season.
24. Denver Broncos (-1)
What a waste of a number 1 defense. Denver legitimately has the best defense in the league, but they’re 2-5 because the offense is atrocious.
25. Washington Commanders (+3)
I don't know what it is about Taylor Heinicke, but the Commanders just seem to play better when he’s in there. Heinicke himself didn’t play that well, but McLaurin bailed him out on a few throws and they got the win.
26. New Orleans Saints (+1)
The Saints offense with Andy Dalton actually moves the ball really well, and aside from the picks (that weren’t all on Andy), they played a great game on Thursday Night.
27. Cleveland Browns (-3)
This Browns team has been really disappointing, especially on the defensive end. Now down to 30th in efficiency, only the Falcons and Lions have worse defenses.
28. Carolina Panthers (+4)
Is it possible that P.J. Walker is the best quarterback on the Panther roster. He played outstanding this week and earned the starting spot next week.
29. Pittsburgh Steelers (-3)
Credit to Pittsburgh for hanging in that game against the Dolphins, but this is just not a team that can score points. Whether it’s Matt Canada or Kenny Pickett or the receivers, something’s not working.
30. Jacksonville Jaguars (-5)
That makes 4 losses in a row for Jacksonville. The defense is 28th in EPA allowed over the past 3 weeks, showing that maybe the first couple weeks were a fluke.
31. Houston Texans (-2)
At least Davis Mills looked good this week, but that defense just can’t stop a nosebleed. Lovie Smith will be on the hot seat shortly.
32. Detroit Lions (-2)
I love Dan Campbell, but at some point we need to see some progress with this team. I think we should give him to the end of the season to try to turn it around, or otherwise he could be out.
