NFL Power Rankings after Week 8: A new leader in the clubhouse

Another week of NFL football is in the books, with some close finishes, weather-affected games and someone called Tommy DeVito getting snaps for the Giants, it really had it all. Where does your team rank after eight weeks of the 2023 season?

The Panthers are probably the worst team in the NFL, but after a surprisingly good 2022, including a playoff win, the Giants had higher expectations than sitting 2-6 and playing awful football across the board. Could Daboll be feeling some heat?

Bryce Young has his first win as an NFL quarterback and generally looked much better than in previous games. It wasn’t a performance for the ages, going 22/31 for 246 yards and a score but it was certainly the most composed he’s looked. Something to build on.

If Coach of the Year was a more cynically minded award, Jonathan Gannon could well be in line for it. Playing super tough football against some good teams while keeping his team in the running for the number one pick in next year’s draft.

Tyson Bagent’s winning streak (of one) came to a juddering halt against the Chargers. The Bears remain a dumpster fire, so their best bet may well be to give Bagent the rest of the season to see if there’s something there for whoever is coaching the team next year.

The Pats played the Dolphins fairly well for the most part, the talent gap was just too much to overcome in the end. That’s the indictment on New England, and Belichick, there simply aren’t enough talented players on their 53.

Jordan Love’s honeymoon period has been over for a few weeks now and it’s telling. The Packers have very few stars, especially on offense, and that will cause you to lose more than you win.

The Raiders looked insipid, boring, and dull against the Lions on MNF. Hapless on offense and just not very good defensively, this is a team that made the near-later move from Derek Carr to Jimmy Garoppolo and hasn’t improved, weird.

A team that keeps losing but shouldn’t be discouraged, there are always going to be issues when you have to play your backup QB for most of the season. The real shame is Anthony Richardson couldn’t get more reps in his rookie year.

The Broncos shut down the Chiefs to get their first win against KC since Warren G. Harding was president (don’t fact-check that). There are still huge flaws with this team, yet a 7/8 win season could be on the cards which isn’t a travesty.

If you only watched Sam Howell and the Commanders play the Eagles, you’d think they’re one of the best teams in the NFL. They play lights out against Philly (and still lose) and terribly against everyone else, a strange wrinkle.

After a bright start to the year, the Rams have regressed to where most thought they would be before the season, a team lacking talent outside of a few stars that probably can’t compete week in and week out against good teams.

What a showing from the young gunslinger Will Levis. It’s no surprise he was willing to throw it deep, it was slightly surprising how often he was on the money with his throws. DeAndre Hopkins reminded everyone he is still capable of balling out once in a while too.

A tough loss in the battle of the number one and number two picks. At some point, the Texans' overall lack of talent was going to catch up with them, don’t be surprised if this team loses a few in a row.

The Bucs were so close to pulling off the upset against the Bills, if Chris Godwin gets his head around he catches the Hail Mary and things look a little different in Tampa Bay.

The Chargers were able to sweep aside the Bears 30-13 with Justin Herbert playing some of his best football of the year. This isn’t the Super Bowl-contending team we thought they could be in preseason, but they’re not bad either.

Desmond Ridder was removed from the game, supposedly for injury concerns, after a dire first-half performance. Taylor Heinicke entered the game and looked the superior QB. A tough spot for a Falcons team that is almost always competitive despite a lack of elite talent.

The Vikings have won three on the bounce without All-World wideout Justin Jefferson, this should be a team filled with optimism heading into the second half of the season. Instead, they suffer the misfortune of Kirk Cousins tearing his Achilles and all optimism is immediately out the window. A tough break for a team playing good football recently.

It’s time to give this coaching group their flowers. Somehow they are able to drag teams around them into scrappy, physical battles week after week. Defensively they remain dominant and whilst Zach Wilson is still terrible, he and the offense is doing just enough.

The Steelers lost at home in horrendous weather to a team from Jacksonville, a tough look for the Steel City. Even tougher is their QB situation, with Kenny Pickett leaving the game, Mitch Trubisky entered as the backup, it’s not exactly Joe Montana to Steve Young…

The Browns remain a very good team, but until they don’t have to start P.J. Walker, there will be a limit on how good they can be. Walker hasn’t been awful, it’s just good teams have good QBs, and Walker isn’t one.

The Saints sit 4-4, so having this high could be husky overrating them, there is just something about this team that feels hard to beat. With a usually excellent defense and some exciting offensive weapons, if they make the playoffs, they’ll be a tough matchup for anyone.

Not to repeat ourselves, but the Niners' biggest issue remains Brock Purdy, he’s turning the ball over too many times for this team to win. Their defense is also getting found out consistently, a real issue for a team that has Super Bowl aspirations.

The Bills are a significantly better team than 11, they simply aren’t playing like it with any consistency. This has created a sense of uncertainty around the team that doesn’t fill us with any confidence. They could well go on a run and end up 12-5 or similar, it’s just hard to predict week after week with them.

The Bengals looked back to their old ways against the 49ers, with Joe Burrow shedding tacklers and throwing dimes. They’re such a fun team to watch when playing well and a few more wins will see them ranked much higher than this.

The Seahawks looked resplendent in their throwback uniforms and were able to do them justice by grinding out a win against a good Browns team. They now sit top of the AFC West and the addition of Leonard Williams puts them amongst the most talented teams in the league.

The Cowboys' defense has the ability to end games before they start, with sacks and turnovers and overall dominance, it’s a scary unit. Offensively they were able to put up a great stat line with CeeDee Lamb going for over 150 yards and a couple of scores.

The Jags were able to go into Pittsburgh and grind out a wet-weather win. The Jags don’t usually do this sort of thing, making it all the more impressive.

The Lions comfortably beat the Raiders on MNF and move to 6-2 on the year, like the Jags, Detroit hasn’t found themselves in this sort of position very often. Enjoy the ride Lions fans, this is a good team that could well make a splash in January.

The Dolphins were back to somewhere near their explosive best against their division rivals, the Patriots. We still need to see them perform at this level against a good team, but the schedule isn’t their doing so for now we have them as one of the very best teams in the league.

The Ravens march on, overcoming a tough Cardinals team in a matchup that’s proved tricky all year. By all accounts they are actively looking to upgrade before the trade deadline, a sign they know how good they are and that this could be their year.

A loss to a division rival when your QB has the flu isn’t the end of the world, strange things can happen in those games. We really would like to see KC add a weapon in the passing game if they can as it seems insipid if Travis Kelce can’t get into the game.

A week after stopping the high-flying Dolphins in their tracks, the Eagles were nearly undone by Sam Howell, any given Sunday etc, etc. Still, this team finds ways to win, simply overwhelming opposition with talent at times. Jalen Hurts was banged up on Sunday, offering nothing in the running game, so he threw for 319 yards and four TDs instead. A.J. Brown could well be the best WR in football right now as well.