Seven weeks of NFL football are done and dusted. Some teams have risen like cream, while some have sunk like rusted metal in the open ocean. The Philadelphia Eagles are the NFL's only unbeaten team heading into Week 8 after their bye, while the New York Giants, Buffalo Bills, and Minnesota Vikings make up the one-loss teams. The Kansas City Chiefs have two losses but flexed their muscles in Week 7 and remain a fixture among the top spots. On the other end of the spectrum, the Detroit Lions and Houston Texans continue to toil in the cellar. We'll discuss all of those teams and more as we unveil our NFL Power Rankings for Week 8.
If you wanted to see how weird this 2022 NFL season has been, then this past Sunday would be a good place to start. We saw Geno Smith's Seattle Seahawks thrash Justin Herbert's Los Angeles Chargers. We watched PJ Walker outplay Tom Brady. Oh, and Taylor Heinicke made the game-winning plays that Aaron Rodgers was unable to make as the Washington Commanders defeated the Green Bay Packers.
It even spilled over into Monday Night Football when the stumbling Chicago Bears strolled into Gillette Stadium and plastered the New England Patriots on prime-time TV. All bets are off for what will happen in the back half of this season.
Without further ado, here are our NFL Power Rankings heading into Week 8 in the 2022 NFL season.
1. Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles are the NFL's only undefeated team (6-0) and stay in this top spot after the bye week. Jalen Hurts spearheads a versatile offense, and they have a defense that is playing quite well. Keep in mind that they also have a relatively winnable schedule ahead. That means the Eagles have a good chance of remaining unbeaten well into December.
2. Buffalo Bills
After a huge win against the Chiefs the week before, the Bills were able to kick back and relax, just like the Eagles. The squad also leads the league with a plus-95 point differential. That is 39 points higher than the next closest team, the unbeaten Eagles. Good enough for No. 2 in our Week 8 NFL Power Rankings, though you could also make an argument for them at No. 1 because of this.
Team over everything. ✊#GoBills | #BillsMafia
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) October 23, 2022
3. Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs are 5-2 this season, bouncing back from their heartbreaking loss to the Bills by shellacking the San Francisco 49ers on the road. They saw eight different receivers catch passes on Sunday, including three with 98 yards or more. Their offense is a treat to behold when Patrick Mahomes is on fire.
4. Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings have the quietest 5-1 record in the league. They may not appear to be as remarkable as other hot-starting teams, but the offense, led by Justin Jefferson and Dalvin Cook, is flowing like river rapids.
5. New York Giants
The Giants aren't a particularly impressive club on paper, but that hasn't stopped them from being 6-1. They have avoided errors and are extremely well-coached. They have also won games against Tennessee, Green Bay, Baltimore, and Jacksonville.
6. Dallas Cowboys
Dallas has been impressive and a clear contender in the NFC. Take note that they have won five of six games after a poor start in Week 1, with five of those victories coming with a backup quarterback. Now that they got Dak Prescott back, the Cowboys will be even stronger.
7. Cincinnati Bengals
The 4-3 Bengals' offensive rhythm has returned. Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase are doing their big-play thing again. Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd, and Joe Mixon are in a groove. All is well in Cincy after a slow start.
8. Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens are more entertaining than most other teams, but at times they also seem the most likely to fall by the wayside thanks to too many late-game collapses. Looking ahead, though, their schedule is among the lightest, so we might see them showcase their true dominant form.
9. New York Jets
The losses of Breece Hall and Alijah Vera-Tucker are a huge setback, but the squad has depth to fall back on. As long as Zach Wilson can take care of the ball, they should be fine. Also, with Mike LaFleur calling plays, their offensive line has been elite.
10. Tennessee Titans
Mike Vrabel is an excellent coach down there in Tennessee. Yes, the Titans' 19-10 win over the Colts on Sunday wasn't pleasant, but they hold the tiebreaker over a Colts club in chaos. Unless Tennessee falls apart in the second half of the season, they should win the division.
11. Los Angeles Chargers
J.C. Jackson just signed a five-year, $82.5 million contract in the summer and now he's out for the season. What a huge blow! Also, Mike Williams has a high ankle sprain, which could linger. The Chargers still have Justin Herbert, but these major injuries are piling up fast.
12. Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks have been arguably the NFL's most pleasant surprise after seven weeks. The Geno Smith-led offense spiced with a bit of Kenneth Walker III continues to function effectively. Meanwhile, the defense keeps on pulling out timely contributions.
The game sealing @Kenneth_Walker9 TD heard from our booth.
Raible Call of the Game vs. Chargers
📺 next up: #NYGvsSEA on FOX pic.twitter.com/VUPH49t25N
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) October 25, 2022
13. San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers have been hit hard by injuries this season, hurting their normally elite defense. Their offense gets a shot in the arm (or leg) after acquiring Christian McCaffrey. Things looking up?
14. Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins have gone through a lot at quarterback over the last several weeks. Tua Tagovailoa's return is a tremendous relief, but they do have other concerns like their thin secondary. What's good, though, is that they beat the Steelers on Sunday Night Football.
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Something's wrong with the water in Tampa Bay. No way they lost to BOTH the Steelers and Panthers, right? The Buccaneers' offense is just in absolute disarray, and not even Tom Brady seems good enough to fix it. They keep sliding down our NFL Power Rankings as we head into Week 8.
16. Los Angeles Rams
They struck out in the CMC sweepstakes, but the Rams have other problems to deal with. Their offensive line is riddled with holes, while Allen Robinson remains underwhelming. What is up with the defending champs?!
17. Green Bay Packers
We feel the Packers will start beating opponents when the snow falls soon. Reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers will be happy about that and play like we know he can. Of course, right now, the Packers just flat-out suck.
18. Indianapolis Colts
Jonathan Taylor returned, but the Colts still had a poor offensive performance on the road. The Colts, in fact, are averaging only 16.1 points each game. QB Matt Ryan has been replaced on the bench by Sam Ehlinger. We'll see if that makes any difference.
19. Arizona Cardinals
DeAndre Hopkins' return has boosted Kyler Murray's performance. Their defense has also stepped up a bit along with their running attack. Also, the NFC West is so weak that the Cardinals can still finish on top.
20. New England Patriots
Bailey Zappe has had some good stretches. That changed on Monday night when he and the team were just absolutely awful. And remember, they faced the Chicago Bears, folks. Ouch.
21. Washington Commanders
As bad as things have been on and off the field for Washington, they are miraculously at 3-4 and just defeated Aaron Rodgers with backup quarterback Taylor Heinicke. Again, this season has been weird.
22. Atlanta Falcons
Old-school football rules in the ATL. That won't work all the time, though. At some point, they have to get the ball to Drake London and Kyle Pitts more, right?
23. Chicago Bears
Justin Fields put forth a strong showing in their shocker of a win in New England. Maybe there are signs of life after all, eh? Monday night was a good start, and we could see a more confident Bears squad in the weeks to come.
24. Las Vegas Raiders
Since going run-heavy with Josh Jacobs, the Raiders have started to get back on track. It has tremendously alleviated Derek Carr's concerns about not having all of his prized weapons at all times. This team could be on the up and up.
25. Denver Broncos
Russell Wilson has been a dud for Denver, and he missed Week 7 because of an injury. The Broncos are in trouble, and the visiting Jaguars and Titans can potentially knock them out of postseason contention. Denver just dips and dips in our NFL Power Rankings as we head to Week 8.
26. Jacksonville Jaguars
On paper, the Jaguars look solid, but they just keep on faltering on game day. They had a good shot to trip the Giants, but they shot themselves in the foot with some red zone miscues.
27. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers' offense is a train wreck. No matter the QB, they haven't thrown the ball well. To illustrate, it took a last-minute offensive possession for Kenny Pickett and the receivers to finally find a passing play of more than 13 yards.
28. New Orleans Saints
Uh oh, the Saints are in trouble. Yes, the NFC South is poor, but that doesn't mean the Saints will get a free pass to the postseason. We think that even if they switch back to Jameis Winston, things won't drastically improve.
29. Cleveland Browns
Look ahead to 2023, northeast Ohio? We think so. The loss of David Njoku is a significant blow to an offense that already lacks playmakers in the passing game. They have just looked bad, and it's unlikely that things will improve much before Deshaun Watson returns.
30. Carolina Panthers
Man, the Panthers got a big win after trading away their best player. Again, it's a weird 2022. Under Steve Wilks, PJ Walker, Chuba Hubbard, and D'Onta Foreman all go into inspired supersub mode. It won't take them far, but let's enjoy the ride.
31. Houston Texans
The Texans' offense is bolstered by rookie running back Dameon Pierce and a diversified group of receivers. However, Davis Mills can't do much more to help them win at this point. Their defense has also been really bad.
32. Detroit Lions
Are the Lions tanking? We didn't notice. Or maybe we were fooled by all the Hard Knocks hype. They often seem on the verge of something great right before they fall back into bad habits and lose. No hope this season.
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