NFL Power Rankings: Week 8 Edition

Now that Week 7 of the 2022 NFL season is in the books, it’s time for everyone’s favorite meaningful exercise: NFL Power Rankings! What differentiates these rankings from the others is that they’re the only truly accurate ones in the entire universe. And so let’s take a look at how all 32 teams stack up ahead of Week 8.

BLG’S WEEK 8 NFL POWER RANKINGS

1 - Buffalo Bills (Last Week: 1) - They return from their bye to host a struggling Green Bay squad on Sunday Night Football. The Bills are currently 11-point favorites.

2 - Philadelphia Eagles (LW: 2) - They return from their bye as 11-point home favorites against Pittsburgh. If they can avoid a massive upset, they’ll be 7-0.

3 - Kansas City Chiefs (LW: 3) - It’s clear that the Bills, Eagles, and Chiefs are the three very best teams in the NFL. Arguably the only truly good teams in a volatile league that features so much parity. The Chiefs housed a quality San Fran defense while on the road.

4 - Minnesota Vikings (LW: 4) - They return from their bye as four-point home favorites against Arizona. If they’re truly the second-best team in the NFC, they’ll take care of business in this spot.

5 - Baltimore Ravens (LW: 5) - Lamar Jackson’s passing numbers from the last four weeks: 59.6% completion, 5.9 yards per attempt, 3 TD, 4 INT, 70.4 passer rating. The Ravens were able to narrowly get by Cleveland in spite of him but he’s going to need to turn things around.

6 - Dallas Cowboys (LW: 6) - Dak Prescott did not look impressive in his first game back from injury. While that’s to be expected to some extent, he was going up against the NFL’s worst defense in terms of points allowed. The Cowboys might have to continue relying on Dan Quinn’s side of the ball.

7 - New York Giants (LW: 7) - Are they a team that scores a lot of style points? No. Are they a team that just finds a way to win? Yep. Brian Daboll and his coaching staff deserve a lot of credit for maximizing the relatively limited talent they’re working with. Daniel Jones also deserves a lot of credit for taking care of the ball, making good decisions, and being a legitimate mobile threat. The Giants are finally a team that can get out of their own way and not beat themselves.

8 - Miami Dolphins (LW: 11) - The Dolphins were fortunate that PIttsburgh dropped multiple picks in Tua Tagovailoa’s first game back from a serious concussion. They’ll hope that outing was more about rust than anything else.

9 - Cincinnati Bengals (LW: 13) - Joe Burrow is heating up after a slow start to the season. Dude nearly had 500 passing yards in a blowout win. With six touchdowns to zero interceptions over the past two weeks, he’s re-entering the MVP conversation.

10 - New York Jets (LW: 15) - Bit of a pyrrhic victory for the Jets with them losing Breece Hall and Alijah Vera-Tucker for the season. The James Robinson trade was a smart move that helps soften the blow a bit. But this team’s ceiling is still only so high with Zach Wilson not looking good.

11 - San Francisco 49ers (LW: 8) - Overpaying for Christian McCaffrey isn’t going to be a needle-mover for the 49ers.

12 - Los Angeles Rams (LW: 12) - They return from their bye as 1.5-point home underdogs to the San Fran they previously lost to in Week 4. Sean McVay is looking to break a seven-game regular season losing streak to Kyle Shanahan.

13 - Tennessee Titans (LW: 17) - On one hand, they didn’t even need an offensive touchdown to beat Indy by two possessions. On the other hand, kind of concerning they couldn’t score an offensive touchdown. In any case, the Titans look to be in a good spot to threepeat as AFC South champions.

14 - Seattle Seahawks (LW: 21) - Sleep on Seattle at your own risk. By most metrics, Geno Smith is playing like a high-level quarterback. Kenneth Walker III is going to be a problem for teams to deal with.

15 - Los Angeles Chargers (LW: 10) - The Bolts need to replace Brandon Staley with Sean Payton.

16 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (LW: 9) - Most embarrassing loss of the season? The Bucs’ vibes are so bad.

17 - New England Patriots (LW: 14) - Bill Belichick is 20-21 since Tom Brady left. What if he’s Just A Coach? Very important stretch coming up for the Pats with them playing NYJ twice in three games. Can they avoid getting buried by a division rival that looks better than them?

18 - Arizona Cardinals (LW: 28) - DeAndre Hopkins’ return is a big deal. So is coming up with 14 points on back-to-back pick sixes.

19 - Denver Broncos (LW: 18) - They should really be lower than this. So why aren’t they? Still plenty of other uninspiring teams.

20 - New Orleans Saints (LW: 19) - They currently owe the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft to Philly. Not to mention sending a 2024 second-round pick to the Birds as well. Do you think they’re regretting that trade?

21 - Atlanta Falcons (LW: 20) - The Falcons may be frisky but they are also flawed. Hard to take them super seriously.

22 - Las Vegas Raiders (LW: 27) - Thanks in no small part to Josh Jacobs, the Raiders’ season still has life after blowing out arguably the worst team in the league. Jacobs is arguably the most dangerous runner in the NFL right now.

23 - Pittsburgh Steelers (LW: 22) - Kenny Pickett has thrown only two touchdowns to SEVEN interceptions thus far. Seven interceptions on 127 attempts! One pick for about every 18 passes. It’s too early to say he’s a lost cause; he’s flashed some talent. But it’s been a rough learning curve so far.

24 - Indianapolis Colts (LW: 23) - Switching to Sam Ehlinger is the right call from the standpoint that they don’t have much to gain or learn by continuing to play Matt Ryan. But it’s pretty hard to ignore how much this organization has mismanaged the quarterback position in recent years. It’s been too long to keep using Andrew Luck’s retirement as an excuse.

25 - Jacksonville Jaguars (LW: 24) - Trevor Lawrence stunk on Sunday. He left two wide open touchdown throws on the board and then threw short of the end zone on the final play of the game. Has Doug Pederson once again been saddled with a quarterback who struggles with accuracy and touch?

26 - Washington Commanders (LW: 26) - Going into a game with Taylor Heinicke, you can at least talk yourselves into having a puncher’s chance at winning. With Carson Wentz, you’re just waiting for something bad to happen. The Commanders have already dug a hole that’s probably too high to climb out of, especially in a such a tough division, but they look a little more competent now.

27 - Green Bay Packers (LW: 16) - The vibes in Green Bay are seriously off. It feels like they could lose to any team in the league right now. There’s always a chance they turn it around at some point ... but it’s hard to envision at this moment in time.

28 - Chicago Bears (LW: 30) - Justin Fields could not be more overrated. It’s insane. People were absolutely fawning over a performance where he completed just 13 passes, didn’t even throw for 200 yards, didn’t even rush for 100 yards, had a 85.2 passer rating, and FUMBLED THE BALL FOUR TIMES (all of which were fortunate to be recovered). Grow up and find a player who’s actually worthy of getting excited about.

29 - Carolina Panthers (LW: 32) - Well, hard to say they’re the worst team in the NFL after a three-score win over the Bucs! Though they’re only 2-5, their playoff hopes are still alive in a bad NFC South.

30 - Cleveland Browns (LW: 29) - They put up a good fight in Baltimore, almost enough for an upset. But the loss drops them to 2-5. They have not been able to tread water effectively enough in Deshaun Watson’s absence. His return is still four weeks away. There’s a decent chance that Cleveland loses three or four more games before then. Next up: vs. CIN, at MIA, at BUF, vs. TB.

31 - Detroit Lions (LW: 25) - The Lions optimism entering the 2022 season was clearly misguided. Methinks too many glossed over how they didn’t really make a lot of significant personnel changes in the offseason. Detroit’s flaws have been exacerbated by injury issues; they can’t seem to keep their most critical players healthy for the second year in a row. Perhaps they would be better served adopting the Eagles’ approach when it comes to having a lighter training camp and practice schedule.

32 - Houston Texans (LW: 31) - The Texans got blown out by a team that was 1-4. On the bright side, they currently own the No. 2 and No. 5 picks in the 2023 NFL Draft!