Week 8 shook up the top of the league. The Denver Broncos beat Kansas City and move to No. 1, the Minnesota Vikings lost for the first time, and the New York Jets took the biggest fall.
This list follows FanSided’s Week 9 power rankings, with our notes on each change. Week 8 rank in brackets (FanSided listed Buffalo’s old rank unclearly, so we left it out). The Bears and Seahawks are ranked before their Monday night game.
The top 10
| Rank | Team | Week 8 result | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denver Broncos (4) | W 28-24 vs. Chiefs | Won the head-to-head with KC; the run game is coming alive |
| 2 | Buffalo Bills (—) | W 36-10 vs. Ravens | Defense took over after a slow first half |
| 3 | Seattle Seahawks (5) | Plays Bears on MNF | Added Quenton Nelson to the line |
| 4 | Kansas City Chiefs (1) | L 24-28 at Broncos | Expected to look for receiver help before the deadline |
| 5 | San Francisco 49ers (6) | Bye | DeForest Buckner is back |
| 6 | Jacksonville Jaguars (8) | W 42-7 vs. Colts | Now look like the AFC South favorite |
| 7 | Chicago Bears (7) | Plays at Seahawks on MNF | Paid two first-round picks for Jeffery Simmons |
| 8 | Minnesota Vikings (2) | L 15-19 at Lions | First loss; the passing game struggled |
| 9 | Cincinnati Bengals (9) | W 43-36 (OT) vs. Titans | Burrow: 5 TD passes plus the winning TD run |
| 10 | New England Patriots (11) | W 24-19 at Dolphins | Gritty second-half comeback |
11-32
| Rank | Team | Week 8 result |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Pittsburgh Steelers (12) | W 27-6 vs. Browns |
| 12 | Detroit Lions (13) | W 19-15 vs. Vikings |
| 13 | Green Bay Packers (14) | W 27-19 vs. Panthers |
| 14 | Los Angeles Rams (15) | W 24-9 vs. Chargers |
| 15 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (20) | W 16-0 vs. Falcons |
| 16 | Cleveland Browns (10) | L 6-27 at Steelers |
| 17 | New York Giants (19) | Bye |
| 18 | Carolina Panthers (16) | L 19-27 at Packers |
| 19 | Houston Texans (21) | Bye |
| 20 | Atlanta Falcons (18) | L 0-16 at Buccaneers |
| 21 | Baltimore Ravens (17) | L 10-36 at Bills |
| 22 | Las Vegas Raiders (22) | W 38-33 at Jets |
| 23 | Arizona Cardinals (29) | W 33-30 (OT) at Cowboys |
| 24 | Washington Commanders (30) | W 27-10 vs. Eagles |
| 25 | Philadelphia Eagles (24) | L 10-27 at Commanders |
| 26 | New Orleans Saints (25) | Bye |
| 27 | Dallas Cowboys (23) | L 30-33 (OT) vs. Cardinals |
| 28 | Miami Dolphins (26) | L 19-24 vs. Patriots |
| 29 | Tennessee Titans (27) | L 36-43 (OT) at Bengals |
| 30 | New York Jets (21) | L 33-38 vs. Raiders |
| 31 | Indianapolis Colts (28) | L 7-42 at Jaguars |
| 32 | Los Angeles Chargers (32) | L 9-24 at Rams |
Biggest movers
Up
- Cardinals: +6 (29 to 23). Came back in the fourth quarter and won in overtime in Dallas.
- Commanders: +6 (30 to 24). Scored the last 27 points against Philadelphia. Recap.
- Buccaneers: +5 (20 to 15). Won without a single completion.
Down
- Jets: -9 (21 to 30). Scored on their first six drives and still lost.
- Vikings: -6 (2 to 8). The NFL’s last unbeaten team is unbeaten no more.
- Browns: -6 (10 to 16). Gave up 200 rushing yards and 8 sacks.
- Ravens: -4 (17 to 21). The drop could get worse: Lamar Jackson is out.
Our view
The top two look right: Denver and Buffalo both beat good teams. We’d have Detroit higher than 12th after it handed Minnesota its first loss. And Pittsburgh (11th) has won four straight and leads the AFC North.
All of Sunday’s results: NFL Week 8 scores and takeaways. Last week’s list: Week 8 power rankings.
Sources: FanSided – NFL power rankings entering Week 9, ESPN – Week 8 takeaways.
