2018 NFL Power Rankings: Week 8

NFL Power Rankings
After a slow start, Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints have found their rhythm. (Photo Credit: Chris Graythen, Getty Images)

 2018 NFL Power Rankings, Week 8; Tier 1: Head-and-Shoulders Above the Rest

1 Los Angeles Rams(7-0; +107)

Quick, what’s a new and exciting way to say “best team in the league across-the-board”?

2 Kansas City Chiefs (6-1; +78)

As we saw when they played each other, the gap between the Chiefs and next-best in the AFC is sizably smaller than the gap between the Chiefs the top spot in the NFL Power Rankings (i.e.: the Rams). We flipped-flopped Kansas City and New England after the Pats beat K.C., but we’re settling with putting this team number two.

3 New Orleans Saints (5-1; +41)

It’s encouraging that the Saints are staying aggressive even as they’ve found more of a rhythm after their slow start to the season. Trading for Eli Apple is but one example of the management here going all-in for a run at another title while Drew Brees is still around (and still thriving).

4 New England Patriots (5-2; +35)

Granted, the Chicago Bears pose a tough matchup for any team. Especially when it comes to trying to move the ball against Khalil Mack and that defensive unit. Even though the Patriots came out on top, they didn’t look great doing it. They’ve won a couple close games. And they deserve the benefit of the doubt. But still, this team is skating on some thin ice in terms of being a real threat to win a Super Bowl.

Tier 2: Just-the-Neck Above the Rest

5 Los Angeles Chargers (5-2; +32)

The Chargers have been the NFL’s most underappreciated good team. Here’s a Spoiler Alert for you: They’ll go into the second week of December at 9-3. Why? Because their opponents’ combined record between now and then is a putrid 11-20-1. They could be 10-2, but they might slip up a bit against either Seattle or Pittsburgh between now and then.

6 Carolina Panthers (4-2; +11)

This team might not look great – or good even – at times. But structurally and strategically, they’re set up nice for late-season success. Ball control and solid defense can take a team pretty far. And Carolina is as good as anyone in those areas.

Tier 2.5: AFC-North-Above-the-Rest

7 Baltimore Ravens (4-3; +75)

Baltimore’s point differential may still be skewed a bit by Week 1’s 47-3 win against Buffalo. But regardless, the Ravens have shown a knack for either pulling out double-digit wins or losing close. They really haven’t been outplayed by a significant margin yet. And that’s why we’ll give them a slight edge in a competitive AFC North.

8 Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2-1; +17)

The Steelers have somewhat righted the ship after they looked like a mess early on. Considering the early struggles, this team is about right on track with the fairly high preseason expectations. However, there’s still plenty of in-house drama that needs to be cleaned up before this team can really focus on a deep playoff run.

9 Cincinnati Bengals (4-3; -19)

Cincy had the first crack at putting some room between them and the rest of the division, but they failed to capitalize on a good start to the season. A winning record with a negative point differential has to mean something, right?

Tier 3: Waist Deep

10 Houston Texans (4-3; +11)

Outside of the top four/five teams in the league, the Texans are the hottest team in the league. But this is a team that absolutely cannot afford an injury to any one of their best four or five players. A team relying as much on their handful of stars as much as this is playing Russian Roulette with the season.

11 Minnesota Vikings (4-2-1; +12)

Minnesota is 2018’s version of Team Streaky. They won the opener, then tied, then lost two straight before winning the last three. Then enter a crucial stretch in their schedule as their next three opponents are all division rivals. The prize for making it through that? The Patriots waiting on the other side.

12 Washington Football Team (4-2; +5)

The NFC East is bad. And Washington had a golden opporunity to get out ahead of the pack. But had is the operative term there. Despite still being in first, that doesn’t look to stay true for much longer.

13 Tennessee Titans (3-4; -21)

Not very many teams can win games when they fail to score over 20 points. Tennessee has proven they can do just that. But it’s not a great habit to get into. The Titans desperately need to find playmakers.

14 Chicago Bears (3-3; +36)

The Bears notably entered last Sunday in first place in the NFC North. They ended Sunday in last. Their success going forward will be entirely tied to how successfully they can move the ball through the air. Last Sunday they were successful with the passing game (and more) but still lost. Luckily, they won’t play the Patriots again this season.

15 Philadelphia Eagles (3-4; +16)

Over the next three weeks, the reigning champs will play the Jaguars, Cowboys, and Saints. That’s a tough stretch. It’s even tougher when you realize Philly might need to go 2-1 or 3-0 over those three games to save their season.

16 Dallas Cowboys (3-4; +17)

Amari Cooper could be the playmaker the Cowboys are absolutely desperate for. However, they inexplicably overpaid for him by a good amount. That doesn’t necessarily have much to do with this season, but it does set expectations very high. It usually doesn’t work out very well when fans look at a new player and can’t help but see what-could-have-been. Cooper really has to play well or he’ll risk having his new fan base – and team – turn against him.

17 Green Bay Packers (3-2-1; +4)

Hot seat, meet Mike McCarthy. Mike, this is hot seat. I believe you’ve been introduced before, but it seems about time you get to know each other a little better.

18 Jacksonville Jaguars (3-4; -30)

Leonard Fournette is as important to the Jaguars success as any offensive player is to his team. Jacksonville can’t get consistent ball movement from anyone other than their second-year running back. But he’s had issues staying on the field this year. If they can’t get him back (and healthy), they can’t make the playoffs.

19 Atlanta Falcons (3-4; -22)

Everytime Atlanta fills one hole on their roster, another pops up, like a weird game of whack-a-mole. It wouldn’t be shocking if the Falcons got back into the playoff race somehow. But their margin of error from here on out is razor-thin.

20 Detriot Lions (3-3; -1)

Detroit could make for a popular pick to take advantage of the struggles concerning the rest of the NFC North. But the neutral point differential suggests they’re merely a .500 team … at best.

21 Seattle Seahawks (3-3; +26)

We wouldn’t have guess Seattle would be the NFC team that would be making a run at a wild card spot (at least one of those looks wide open for the taking). The Seahawks have played better as of late, but they’ve also already been bitten pretty hard by the injury bug. One or two more injuries might close the door on them.

22 Miami Dolphins (4-3; -26)

Miami proves with every ensuing week that their hot start was an abberration.

23 Cleveland Browns (2-4-1; -26)

The emergence of Baker Mayfield was one of the season’s few feel-good stories. But ever since he came in to lead the Browns to a victory, he’s been average at best.

24 Denver Broncos (3-4; +1)

Although in some cases the Broncos didn’t have the luxury of a high first-round pick, they’ve been bad at adding talent to their Super Bowl team of yesteryear. Their record is decieving: this is a team that needs more talent all over the place.

25 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-3; -29)

Tampa flirted with success early on but are right back to a place they feel much more comfortable in: staring a top-ten draft pick in the face.

26 New York Jets (3-4; +6)

If the Jets truly believe Sam Darnold is their franchise QB going forward (and they should), then they need to put a lot of thought into how they build a team around him. One position question seems to be solved, but there’s plenty more to go.

Tier 4: Toes in the Sand

27 Indianapolis Colts (2-5; +4)

Indy’s record and point differential don’t seem to matchup. With a positive number in that category, they should be a game or two better than what they are. If they have a good draft in 2019, they project as a team that might get a healthy dose of good press going into 2019. But that hasn’t happen yet.

28 New York Giants (1-6; -48)

Giants coach Pat Shurmur got a lot of grief for how he managed time and decisions in New York’s loss Monday night. But a team with a single win heading into the halfway point of the season should be super-aggressive in going for wins. Even if those wins don’t come. And the Giants’ case, it didn’t.

29 Buffalo Bills (2-4; -94)

The Bills should be proud of having two wins thus far. That’s more than most expected at this point. But that minus-94 point differential is just brutal.

30 San Francisco 49ers (1-6; -60)

Jimmy Garoppolo’s injury has debilitated this team. They weren’t good to begin with, really, but their QB going down negatively influenced their mind, body, and soul as a team. And it doesn’t look like they]ll get it back until they get him back.

31 Oakland Raiders (1-5; -66)

Oakland got an absolutely great return for Amari Cooper. But Jon Gruden’s garage sale of talented players just feels deppressing. Especially for a team who’s about to leave for a different city. (Plus, the complications surrounding that move only make it a worse situation. It’s definitely something to keep an eye on.)

32 Arizona Cardinals (1-6; -92)

It’s fine to want rookie QB Jost Rosen to get some reps in a throw-away year. It’s another to set him up for failure. The Cardinals are walking that line. Tread lightly, Arizona.

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Ryan lives in Wisconsin. He was raised on a steady diet of whole milk, cheese, sports, WWF/WWE wrestling, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

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