Week 8 NFL Power Rankings (2020)
The Steelers held on to defeat the Titans, and the Cardinals pulled off an epic comeback against the Seahawks, which means Pittsburgh is the final undefeated team remaining in the NFL. Meanwhile, the Jets covered their first spread of the season, but they remain the only team without a win in the league. In the NFC East, the Eagles lead the division at 2-4-1, while the 49ers sit in last place in the NFC West at 4-3.
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32) New York Jets (Prev: 32)
The Jets finally covered a spread, though they needed two missed field goals in order to do so. The defense continued to bend throughout the game but never broke, as they held the Bills to six field goals and zero touchdowns. However, the offense was completely ineffective. The Jets were outgained 422-190, and Sam Darnold threw for just 120 yards and two interceptions in the loss.
31) Jacksonville Jaguars (Prev: 31)
There was a point on Sunday where it looked like the Jaguars were going to escape LA with a victory. However, after taking a 29-22 lead, they gave up two touchdowns in less than two minutes, and the offense was never able to put any pressure on the Chargers for the remainder of the game. Jacksonville was outgained 484-294 and managed just 15 first downs. James Robinson rushed for 119 yards and one touchdown in the loss.
30) New York Giants (Prev: 29)
The Giants had the chance to put themselves in the driver’s seat in the NFC East, but they blew an 11-point lead in the final minutes to drop to 1-6. What’s insane is that at 1-6, the Giants aren’t out of it yet. They continue to show improvement week to week and are just 1.5 games out of first place in the NFC East.
29) Minnesota Vikings (Prev: 28)
The Vikings were off this week, and they will travel to Lambeau to try to save their season next week. A loss there would be the final nail in the coffin for a team that had aspirations of winning the NFC North. In good news, Dalvin Cook is likely to play this week.
28) Dallas Cowboys (Prev: 22)
The Dallas Cowboys are done. They managed just 142 yards of total offense in Sunday’s loss to Washington, and it’s clear that without Dak Prescott, they’re not a competitive football team. Andy Dalton was knocked out of the game with a concussion, but before that, he was totally ineffective. He ended the game just 9-19 for 75 yards and one interception. They face off against the Eagles this week in a game for first place in the NFC East. If the Cowboys lose, it’s hard to see them making up ground on anyone with the roster they currently have.
27) Atlanta Falcons (Prev: 27)
The Atlanta Falcons have gotten very good at losing. So good, in fact, even when they do something right, they still manage to lose. The media are beating up Todd Gurley for scoring a touchdown when he should have taken a knee to let the clock wind, but this loss is not Gurley’s fault. It was a mistake, but all the defense had to do was not let Matthew Stafford score a touchdown in a minute with zero timeouts. But they couldn’t get the job done, and the Falcons are now a miserable 1-6.
26) Washington Football Team (Prev: 30)
Washington manhandled the Cowboys on Sunday, and they are now one of three teams in the division with two wins. Kyle Allen was effective, throwing for 194 yards and two touchdowns in the win. Antonio Gibson had his best game of the season with 128 yards rushing and one touchdown, and the defense held the Cowboys to just 142 yards of total offense.
25) Cincinnati Bengals (Prev: 26)
The Bengals had the victory in their grasp but gave up a last-second touchdown to fall to 1-5-1. Despite their record, the Bengals continue to keep games close, and the future certainly looks bright with Joe Burrow under center. Burrow threw for 406 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception in the loss.
24) Houston Texans (Prev: 25)
As has been the case all season, the Texans did most of their scoring and gained most of their yards when the game was already well out of reach. Houston trailed Green Bay 21-0 at halftime and was never able to make it competitive from there. Deshaun Watson threw for 309 yards and two touchdowns in the loss, but at 1-6, it is clear that he is about to have the worst season he’s ever had at any level of football.
23) Denver Broncos (Prev: 21)
The Broncos got decimated by the Chiefs in a snowy home game, 43-16. They turned the ball over four times in the loss, including a pick-six, and they gave up a 102-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. It was a sloppy game all around for Denver, who now sit at 2-4 and is wondering if Drew Lock really is the answer for the future.
22) New England Patriots (Prev: 17)
The Patriots have lost three-straight games and are in a lot of trouble. The offense was abysmal on Sunday, as they managed just 241 yards and four turnovers. Cam Newton went just 9-15 for 98 yards and three interceptions before getting benched for Jarrett Stidham. All eyes will now be on Bill Belichick as he tries to salvage his first full season without Tom Brady.
21) Los Angeles Chargers (Prev: 24)
Justin Herbert continued to look good, and on Sunday, he led the Chargers in both passing and rushing. He threw for 347 yards and three touchdowns and added 66 yards and one touchdown on the ground. Next week, the Chargers take on the Broncos in a battle for last place in the AFC West.
20) Philadelphia Eagles (Prev: 23)
After their miraculous win on Thursday night, the Eagles are the clear frontrunner to win the NFC East. And it’s not because they look good, but because the rest of the division looks so bad. With a win this week over Dallas, the Eagles would take a big step in the right direction.
19) Detroit Lions (Prev: 20)
The Lions pulled off a miracle against the Falcons and are now 3-3 and on a two-game winning streak. Matthew Stafford looked like his old self, as he led a game-winning drive in the final minutes of the game. For a defense that has struggled all season, they played well against the Falcons, and their best play so far may have been letting Todd Gurley score a touchdown, which ultimately led to their own game-winning score.
18) Carolina Panthers (Prev: 18)
The Panthers fell to the Saints on Sunday, but they did put up a fight into the dying minutes of the game. Carolina has now lost back-to-back games after rattling off three straight victories. They will look to get back to .500 this week against the 1-6 Falcons. To do so, they will need to get their run game back in a groove. On Sunday, the team combined for just 37 rushing yards.
17) Las Vegas Raiders (Prev: 10)
Will the real Las Vegas Raiders please stand up? After winning in Arrowhead their last time out, the Raiders laid an egg at home against Tom Brady and the Bucs. Maybe the Bucs are just playing that well, but it seems like the Raiders are destined to play half their games really well — and the other half as they did in Week 7.
16) San Francisco 49ers (Prev: 19)
Since getting blown out at home by the Miami Dolphins, the 49ers have played back-to-back incredible games to move to 4-3 and keep pace in the stacked NFC West. On Sunday, San Francisco handed the Patriots their worst home loss of the Bill Belichick era. They nearly doubled the Patriots in yards gained and turned New England over four times. Next up, a trip to Seattle. If they win there, things would get very interesting out West.
15) Miami Dolphins (Prev: 16)
The Dolphins were off this week, but they move up a spot because of losses from around the league. Tua Time is officially here, as Miami announced they are benching Ryan Fitzpatrick for their future star, Tua Tagovailoa.
14) Cleveland Browns (Prev: 15)
The Browns got incredibly lucky on Sunday, and despite their 5-2 record, it is hard to have a lot of confidence in this team right now. Baker Mayfield threw for 297 yards and five touchdowns, including the game-winner to Donovan Peoples-Jones with 11 seconds remaining. The good news is that a win is a win, no matter what the final score is. The bad news is that the Browns need to get better and will have to do so without Odell Beckham Jr., who is out for the season with a torn ACL.
13) Buffalo Bills (Prev: 13)
The Bills do not look very good right now. They just beat the Jets 18-10, but with how they played on the offensive side of the ball, it almost feels like they lost the game. Buffalo failed to score a touchdown against the worst team in football, and after losing back-to-back games, it was not the bounce-back performance they were looking for. The defense was stout throughout, and they gave up just 190 yards of offense to the Jets.
12) Chicago Bears (Prev: 7)
The Bears had a lot of chances on Monday night, but they failed to score inside the red zone twice, which was a key factor in the 24-10 loss. Most alarming for the Bears is that even though Foles’ numbers weren’t bad for most of the game — they were already down 14 when he threw his first interception — they still weren’t able to produce much offense. The Bears are still 5-2, but it seems streaky offensive play will be the story for them this season.
11) Indianapolis Colts (Prev: 12)
The Colts were off this week and got a little bit closer to the top of the AFC South thanks to the Steelers. They’ll now travel to Detroit to take on the Lions, who have won back-to-back games.
10) New Orleans Saints (Prev: 11)
New Orleans escaped with a victory, but it was a lot closer than many expected it to be. The defense gave up a lot of big plays, including a 74-yard touchdown from Teddy Bridgewater to D.J. Moore. Even though the game was far from perfect, the Saints are now 4-2 and keeping pace with the Bucs, despite Michael Thomas still not having played a game since Week 1.
9) Arizona Cardinals (Prev: 14)
Zane Gonzalez is the happiest man on the face of the earth. After missing the game-winning field goal in overtime, many were already writing angry words about him and head coach Kliff Kingsbury. However, the Cardinals’ defense bailed him out, and Gonzalez got a second chance, and he didn’t blow it. The Cardinals are now 5-2 and playing very confident football. The defense turned the Seahawks over three times and sacked Russell Wilson twice.
8) Los Angeles Rams (Prev: 9)
The Rams got a huge win this weekend and now sit at 5-2, tied with the Cardinals for second in the NFC West. Their game against the Bears was really never close as they jumped out to a 7-0 lead and never looked back from there. The defense turned the Bears over twice and didn’t give up a touchdown in the win.
7) Green Bay Packers (Prev: 6)
Davante Adams hauled in 13 catches for 196 yards and two touchdowns as the Packers bounced back from their first loss of the season with a 35-20 win over the Texans. After how bad the Packers looked in Week 6, Green Bay quickly silenced all doubters, albeit against a 1-6 team. Aaron Rodgers threw for four touchdowns in the win.
6) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Prev: 8)
The Bucs are starting to look like one of the best teams in the league, and if teams ahead of them start to lose games, Tampa Bay could be in the top five before long. They won their second straight game by 25-plus points, this time by dismantling the Raiders in Las Vegas. Tom Brady threw for 269 yards and four touchdowns in the victory.
5) Tennessee Titans (Prev: 3)
Stephen Gostkowski’s leg finally caught up to Tennessee. The Titans now sit at 5-1, but they should still be feeling good about themselves. Their first-half performance was atrocious, but in the second half, they clamped down on both sides of the ball and very nearly mounted a 20-point comeback. They won the turnover battle 3-0 against the Steelers, and had they gotten off to a better start, they may have been the team sitting at the top of this list.
4) Seattle Seahawks (Prev: 1)
It’s not just that the Seahawks lost, but how they lost, that knocks them down to number four. They led by 10 points late in the fourth quarter but weren’t able to hold on to win in regulation. Then in overtime, they got the ball twice but were unable to capitalize, and they set up Kyler Murray and the Cardinals for the game-winning field goal. The defense has been questionable all season, but it was the offense that let them down on Sunday night. Russell Wilson threw three interceptions, including once when the Seahawks were about to score, and another in overtime that set up the game-winning kick for Arizona.
3) Baltimore Ravens (Prev: 5)
The Ravens were off this week, but they move up because the Seahawks and the Titans both lost. They will take on the Steelers in Week 8, and the winner of the game will be in first place in the AFC North.
2) Kansas City Chiefs (Prev: 2)
The Chiefs remain at number two despite all the shuffling going on around them. They had no problem dominating the Broncos in Denver on Sunday and will now get what is essentially a bye week against the Jets in Week 8. Since losing to the Raiders, the Chiefs have looked more like what we expected coming into the season, as they are playing great football in every facet of the game. In Sunday’s 43-16 win, the Chiefs scored offensively, defensively, and on special teams.
1) Pittsburgh Steelers (Prev: 4)
They’re the only remaining unbeaten in the NFL, and because of that, there is no doubt that they are the best team in the league. They went into Tennessee and held on to defeat the undefeated Titans 27-24. They will now turn their attention to the Ravens in a game that will decide who has the upper hand in the AFC North. Despite being undefeated, the Steelers are more than field goal underdogs against Lamar Jackson and company.
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