There have been many surprises halfway through the season. This is where we can sense who are the contenders and pretenders in each conference. Injuries, acquisitions and coaching have had a huge effect seven weeks in. Matt Rhule being relieved of his coaching duties in Carolina could have sparked something within the locker room with the Panthers, who were 13 point underdogs and shocked the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday at Bank of America. Buffalo had the week off, but was that enough for them to be jumped at the top spot?
Here is my week 8 NFL power rankings
1. Philadelphia Eagles (6-0)
The lone undefeated team in the NFL just got a lot better with the addition of Robert Quinn from the Chicago Bears. Jalen Hurts has looked like a MVP candidate early on. The defense is stout and has two shut down corners on the outside in Slay and Bradberry, not to mention they face one of the worst offenses in all of football Sunday in Pittsburgh. There should be little to no challenge for the Eagles to remain undefeated.
2. Buffalo Bills (5-1)
The Bills were on a bye week, which gave them a much needed chance to get healthy and recoup some vital weapons within the secondary. Tre White, who is nursing a knee injury, is expected back in a few weeks. The emergence of Gabriel Davis gives Josh Allen a vertical threat outside of Stephon Diggs. In addition, after avenging their playoff loss to the Chiefs two weeks ago, the Bills look like a legit threat to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.
3. Kansas City Chiefs (5-2)
-All the talk this offseason was how will the Chiefs handle losing Tyreek Hill? They answered that questions several times in recent memory. Juju going bonkers on Sunday with Mecole Hardman just isn’t fair for defensive coordinators to game plan against. At any moment Travis Kelce can go off for 4 touchdowns. The run game is coming together. It seems inevitable for a part 2 Chiefs vs Bills in the AFC championship game.
4. New York Giants (6-1)
If someone told you Daniel Jones, in a contract year, would not have a single receiver on the outside who has over 200 yards on the season, would you think the Giants would be sitting at 6-1? Saquan Barkley has bounced back – looking like the next Madden cover athlete in arguable the toughest division in football. The Giants are closing games and have the recipe to be a sneaky wildcard team.
5. Minnesota Vikings (5-1)
At just 23 years old, former LSU sensation Justin Jefferson averages the most yards per game in NFL history. Yes, thats above Megatron. 94.1 yards per game is just the beginning for JJ. The Vikings are quietly sitting at 5-1.
6. Dallas Cowboys (5-2)
Dak is back! An efficient 19-25, 207 yards performance on Sunday was just what the Cowboys needed from their star quarterback. The defense once again set the tone with – forcing five turnovers. Micah Parsons is a defensive player of the year candidate. The question will remain, are the Cowboys an accident waiting to happen with the month of December looming?
7. Cincinnati Bengals (4-3)
Smokin’ Joe is quietly putting on an MVP performance since his week one loss to the Steelers. Tyler Boyd emerging on Sunday gave Burrow exactly what he needed – which was an 3rd weapon outside Higgins and Chase. Throwing for over 300 yards in the first half is another reason. When the offensive line blocks as they did Sunday, the Bengals can score with the best of them.
8. Baltimore Ravens (4-3)
In the last four games Lamar Jackson has just 3 touchdowns to 4 interceptions. Mark Andrews looked like a complete shell of himself on National Tight Ends day Sunday nursing a knee injury. A missed kick from Cleveland sent the Ravens to a 23-20 victory helping them maintain a slim AFC North lead.
9. New York Jets (5-2)
Yes the Jets are legit…thus far. Rookie Breece Hall, who has looked like an early ROY candidate, will hurt with him being out for the season due to a torn ACL. James Robinson was acquired on Monday to help fill the void along with Michael Carter. Through seven games the Jets are 5-2 and finally have coaching in the Big Apple.
10. Tennessee Titans (4-2)
The Titans may not be glamorous on the field, but they are quietly winning football games with their sound run game and defense. The defense sent Matt Ryan to the bench with his lackluster performance. When King Henry gets rolling downfield, you can forget it.
UNC Continues to Shine into the Final Stretch