2024 NFL Week 8 Power Rankings

The elder RBs delivered again in week 7, with 100-yard rushing performances from sages like Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, Joe Mixon, and James Conner. Henry is currently on pace for the single-season record, at which point we can all lose our minds about giving it an asterisk because of the 17-game season.

And that’s okay. If it happens, go ahead and have that debate. I’ll just sit here and enjoy watching it.

For the second straight season, there are no byes in week 8. While not overly relevant, it is slightly interesting since there has always been at least 1 team with a bye during week 8 since realignment in 2002, and now we’ve gone consecutive seasons with all teams playing.

Frankly, the entire bye week system has seemed jacked up for a long time. I don’t know how you give 4 teams a week 5 bye and 6 teams a week 14 bye and just call it a wash. I don’t know who gets the most benefit, although Super Bowl history suggests teams with a later bye are better off, as 6 of the last 7 winners had a bye in week 10 or later. Or it could just be coincidental that the best teams got later bye weeks.

Whatever the case, the end result is that we get a full slate of 16 games this week and fantasy waiver wires aren’t full of random kicker and defense pickups. I’m not complaining.

As always, may all your teams win or wish they had the week off.

1. Kansas City Chiefs (6-0) ⇔🥇

Week 7: W @ 49ers 28-18
Next up: @ Raiders

I had some very interesting conversations last Sunday as we all tried to sort out how the Chiefs are 6-0. Patrick Mahomes is having the worst statistical season of his career, they lost Isiah Pacheco in week 2 (he should be back over the next month), and Rashee Rice is likely out for the season.

But the offense gets a play in just the right spots and they manage the game while their defense dominates. If we were picking right now, Chris Jones is my DPOY and it’s not even close. Everything the defense does and accomplishes starts with him, and there is no single player more valuable to his team’s defense anywhere else in the league.

On paper, they should beat up the Raiders and leave week 8 at 7-0, at which point they hit a 3-game gauntlet against the Bucs, Broncos, and Bills.

Update: Adding DeAndre Hopkins is a big move at a small cost. It doesn’t change their ranking, of course… only solidifies it. I would not want to face the Chiefs offense on 3rd down or in the red zone with DHop and Travis Kelce running around.

2. Detroit Lions (5-1) ⇔

Week 8: W @ Vikings 31-29
Next up: vs Titans

Over the last 3 games, Jared Goff is 58-68 (85.3% completion percentage), with 7 TDs and 0 INTs. During that stretch, the Lions are averaging 40 points per game.

3. Baltimore Ravens (5-2) ⇧1

Week 8: W @ Buccaneers 41-31
Next up: @ Browns

I had so much to say across social media on Monday night that I feel like I should shut up about the Ravens for a little while. But you’re all not that lucky.

Out of kindness, I’ll just keep this at a few projections based on current numbers. At their current pace, here is how Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry will finish the season:

Lamar Jackson
Passing: 4,396 yards, 36 TDs, 5 INTs
Rushing: 1,105 yards, 5 TDs

Derrick Henry
Rushing: 2,120 yards (single-season record), 19 TDs

That is a pair of MVP seasons out of the same backfield. The main reason I want this to happen is because I want to see a fun moment in week 18 where they run an option and Lamar tries to keep in and Henry tries to take it.

4. Minnesota Vikings (5-1) ⇩1

Week 7: L vs Lions 29-31
Next up: @ Rams

Dropping the Vikings a spot just for losing by a buzzer beater to a team ranked ahead of them doesn’t seem right, but really it’s a matter of sorting out who is currently playing better football between the Ravens and Vikings. Currently that’s the Ravens, but it’s very close.

Not mentioned in my list of elder RBs with 100-yard games was Aaron Jones, who turns 30 this December and ran for 93 yards.

There really aren’t any rough spots on the roster that will put the Vikings over-the-top in the NFC. It’s more scheme. Despite the aggressiveness we’re used to seeing from Brian Flores, the Vikings seemed to be pulling back late in the game, trying to hold onto the win instead of taking control of it. You can’t sit back and wait for someone like Goff to make a mistake when he’s on an otherworldly efficiency tear right now.

5. Buffalo Bills (5-2) ⇧1

Week 7: W vs Titans 34-10
Next Up: vs Dolphins

Scratching and clawing their way back to the top 5! I never doubted the Bills.

Okay, that’s a lie. I doubted them so much. But getting Khalil Shakir back and adding Amari Cooper unlocked something and threw the door open for Keon Coleman and Dalton Kincaid. This is the most complete group of pass catchers Josh Allen has ever had, and I can’t wait to see what he can do with them.

6. Washington Commanders (5-2) ⇧1

Week 7: W vs Panthers 40-7
Next up: vs Bears

The Commanders are averaging 31.1 points per game this season. Over the last 5 games, that jumps up to 35.4 points per game. I’ll always consider that preseason unknowns could take a team from the bottom to middle or higher, but never in a million years did I think we’d see a 5-2 Commanders.

The biggest question mark going into this week against a tough Bears defense is the availability of Jayden Daniels. Even if he can’t, Marcus Mariota is a capable backup, and the Commanders running game is strong. If not for the presence of Brian Robinson, Jr., I would bet anything we’d see Austin Ekeler near the top in rushing yards. But even as a change-of-pace, he’s giving a solid contribution to the Year of the 29-Year Old Running Back.

7. Green Bay Packers (5-2) ⇧1

Week 7: W vs Texans 24-22
Next up: @ Jaguars

The Packers season has had so much confusion laced into it, making it hard to get a read on just what kind of team they are. Last week was a signature win, despite a few questionable decisions late in the game.

Slightly Related Sidenote: Have you noticed that as TVs get bigger, remote controls get smaller? One would think TV companies would go the opposite direction and give us football fans bigger and bulkier remotes so we end up having to buy more TVs. This little Insignia remote couldn’t crack my computer monitor. Not that I’ve tried. I swear.

Jordan Love‘s early season injury shook things up, but Malik Willis delivered 2 wins as the backup and kept things moving. When Love came back, it was a loss to the Vikings, a shaky win over the Rams, and an impressive win over the Cardinals. But generally, those were the things that we would all expect to happen.

Playing and beating a quality team like the Texans was a huge step forward as the Packers now head into a potential trap game against the Jags before facing the Lions for the first time this season. Honorable mention to Brandon McManus coming in cold and nailing a game-winner, and Daniel Whelan for getting a poor snap down quickly enough that McManus didn’t have to flinch.

8. Houston Texans (5-2) ⇩3

Week 7: L @ Packers 22-24
Next Up: vs Colts

A 3-spot drop seems harsh for a team that lost by a last-second field goal, but this really comes down to the teams that jumped them. Both the Bills and Commanders blew out their opponents, and the Packers were the ones who beat them on that last-second field goal.

There has to be a little concern about the Texans offense. C.J. Stroud threw for 86 yards and 16 of their 22 points came off turnovers. The had just 2 drives of 40+ yards. They looked nothing like a team on a 3-game winning streak. The only positive from the offense was no turnovers and Joe Mixon looking strong on the ground.

9. Philadelphia Eagles (4-2) ⇧3

Week 7: W @ Giants 28-3
Next up: @ Bengals

Saquon is doing incredible things as always, but can we talk about the Eagles offensive line? I’m not saying this to take anything away from Saquon, but he’s getting chunk runs through massive holes. His vision is helping him find them, and his speed through them is unmatched.

His speed and vision combo makes him the perfect runner in a zone blocking scheme, but that also requires a certain type of offensive line. Even with Jason Kelce retired, the Eagles have one of the best groups around.

Lane Taylor and Jordan Mailata are one of the best tackle pairs in the league, Landon Dickerson and Mekhi Becton struggle in places but handle the running game well, and Cam Jurgens is holding up in his effort to fill Kelce’s shoes. The interior has some work to do in he passing game, but that will come with time when you switch centers.

Philly is a sneaky good team this year. It may be that the pressure has been released so much that they can fly under the radar.

10. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) ⇧3

Week 7: W vs Jets 37-15
Next up: vs Giants

I’m… not convinced. If that pass doesn’t bounce off Garrett Wilson‘s numbers and into the hands of Beanie Bishop who returns it to the 1, this is an entirely different game.

Pittsburgh was ahead 16-15 at that point, and a catch there puts the Jets at midfield. Instead of the Jets 10-15 yards from field goal range, Russell Wilson sneaks in for a TD. That’s a potential 10, possibly 14 point swing that was like 90% based on a Jets mistake. But you have to hand it to Mike Tomlin; his teams have always been ready to capitalize on mistakes.

I need to see another week or more of Russ before I say he’s a better option than Justin Fields. Yeah, I see his numbers, but I also watched the game. What I’m trying to figure out is if there’s something with his throws that makes it easier for receivers to make what look like incredible catches. I know Cris Collinsworth was going on and on about the “moonball,” but is that all it is? Seems like others would’ve figured that out by now.

Then again, putting that much air under deep throws doesn’t work when you have speedy and agile route runners. It does work when you’ve got guys like Pat Freiermuth and George Pickens, or going back to his Seahawks days with Jimmy Graham and D.K. Metcalf. This is something to watch closely in the coming weeks.

11. Atlanta Falcons (4-3) ⇩2

Week 7: L vs Seahawks 14-34
Next up: @ Buccaneers

It’s strange to come off a dramatic OT win against the Bucs, followed by a beatdown of the Panthers, and then put up such a stinker at home against Seattle. For the sake of Falcons fans, that was hopefully a blip, because this week is a rematch against the Bucs, this time in Tampa.

12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-3) ⇩2

Week 7: L vs Ravens 31-41
Next up: vs Falcons

It seemed clear coming out of Monday night’s game that there would be some question marks surrounding how Tampa Bay handled the end of it. I know it sounds like hindsight, but there was no reason for Chris Godwin or even Baker Mayfield to be in the game yet. Or at the very least, just hand it off and run out the clock.

This is an issue with Baker that goes back to the circumstances leading up to his departure from Cleveland. After a really good season and short playoff run, he hurt his shoulder early the next season. But instead of taking the time he needed to let it heal, Baker tried to play through it. Not surprisingly, a QB playing through an injury to his throwing shoulder didn’t go well, and it gave Cleveland the cover they needed to push him out so they could go get Deshaun Watson.

Obviously that backfired on Cleveland, but it likely never would’ve happened if Baker didn’t have this annoying machismo thing going on. I get it, football players are tough guys who are expected to do the manliest man stuff, but there’s a difference between toughness and stupidity.

I don’t think Baker has ever understood that line, and shame on Todd Bowles for not forcing it on him. Now, after already losing Mike Evans for the next 3-4 games, the Bucs will likely lose Chris Godwin for the rest of the season thanks to a gruesome ankle injury (bad enough that the network refused to show the replay) on a pointless garbage time play.

13. Chicago Bears (4-2) ⇧2

Week 7: Bye
Next up: @ Commanders

The much-anticipated showdown between Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels has the hiccup of Daniels’ injury status, but if he goes, expect the hype train to ramp up heavily for this one.

14. Cincinnati Bengals (3-4) ⇧2

Week 7: W @ Browns 21-14
Next up: vs Eagles

Drip, drip, drip… they’re coming. Remember when the Bengals were 0-3 and people once again acted like their season was over because people once again forgot that the Bengals do this every year? They’ve gone 3-1 since then, losing only to the Ravens in OT.

15. San Francisco 49ers (3-4) ⇩4

Week 7: L vs Chiefs 18-28
Next up: vs Cowboys

The Niners may be the team with the most upside from the woes they’re currently suffering through. Losing Brandon Aiyuk for the season is obviously a huge blow, the the remaining injuries have the potential to provide some major upgrades over the next month-and-a-half.

Here’s the thing about teams in the kind of situation the Niners are currently facing. They may face some struggles, but if they can pull out a few wins and stay close to .500 while getting experience for young players filling in, it sets them up perfectly to gain momentum over the last month and ride it into the playoffs.

Christian McCaffrey is likely out until at least after the bye, putting his potential return at week 10. Deebo Samuel could play against Dallas this week, but an illness like pneumonia makes his status difficult to predict. But again, week 10 would likely be the latest. George Kittle, Jauan Jennings, and Jordan Mason look like they’ll be ready to go this week. In the meantime, rookies Isaac Guerendo and Ricky Pearsall get snaps and time to work with Brock Purdy.

On the defensive side, Dre Greenlaw has a bit longer to go, but having someone with his abilities come in around week 13 or 14 would be a huge boost. I’m always intrigued by teams that hang in the hunt while injured star rehab, then come in fresh for the final stretch.

16. Denver Broncos (4-3) ⇧5

Week 7: W @ Saints 33-10
Next up: vs Panthers

4-3 with the Panthers coming up is a great position to be in, but staying focused on the Panthers will be tough with consecutive road games against the Ravens and Chiefs after that. Beating the Panthers is critical.

Much like other rookie QBs, Bo Nix has been given a chance to learn on the fly thanks to a great defense. They’re stout against the run, which they’ll need in the coming weeks. Malcolm Roach has been a pleasant surprise in the interior, and Nik Bonitto looks like he may be starting to turn around some early season struggles.

17. Seattle Seahawks (4-3) ⇧1

Week 7: W @ Falcons 34-14
Next up: vs Bills

After a brutal 3-game skid, Seattle took out its frustrations on the road in Atlanta.

The biggest concern I had during that losing streak was the number of points they gave up, especially under a new defensive-minded head coach. Add to that a new offensive coordinator in his first NFL job and they were bound to hit a rough stretch. Facing the shaky Saints was perfect timing. Now they need to carry some momentum forward to the Bills.

18. Indianapolis Colts (4-3) ⇩1

Week 7: W vs Dolphins 16-10
Next up: @ Texans

I need the Colts to strongly consider the QB-by-Committee. It would be a perfect dual-QB offense.

The Colts players are already used the QB changes, having played plenty of snaps with both Anthony Richardson and Joe Flacco this season, and Shane Steichen has called games well for both of them.

Now imagine being a defensive coordinator and preparing for the Colts with no idea which QB you’ll face on any series. This is exactly the reason teams sometimes withhold injury information until the last possible minute… to make the other team adjust with little preparation. The Colts could do that in real-time, any time they want.

This will happen. Maybe not this week, but soon.

19. Los Angeles Chargers (3-3) ⇩5

Week 7: L @ Arizona 15-17
Next up: vs Saints

The Bolts by far have the easiest over the next 3 weeks. Home this week against the Saints, then on the road in Cleveland, then back home against the Titans. Those 3 teams have a combined record of 4-16 so far this season.

It gets harder after that, so it’s critical they shrug off whatever tf that was against Arizona last Monday and get themselves to 6-3.

20. Dallas Cowboys (3-3) ⇩1

Week 7: Bye
Next up: @ 49ers

Leave it to Jerry Jones to turn a desperately needed bye week into a tension-filled mess.

To be honest, I’m not arguing against some of the things he said. His claim that Derrick Henry wouldn’t be doing the same amount of damage in the Dallas offense as he is in Baltimore isn’t wrong. It’s just a stupid thing to say.

3-3 isn’t a bad place to be right now, and I’m sure the entire locker spent the past couple weeks itching to get back out there after getting crushed by Detroit.

21. Miami Dolphins (2-4) ⇧4

Week 7: L @ Colts 10-16
Next up: vs Cardinals

Regardless of your feelings about Tua Tagovailoa‘s return this week or his weird stance against wearing a guardian cap, the reality is that the Dolphins are a completely different team when he’s out there. His status alone gives the Dolphins a bump in the rankings despite last week’s loss.

22. Arizona Cardinals (3-4) ⇧2

Week 7: W vs Chargers 17-15
Next up: @ Dolphins

I’ll go ahead and stop guessing which Cardinals team will show up each week. The only consistent part of the team is James Conner. Everyone else is all over the place.

23. New York Jets (2-5) ⇩3

Week 7: L @ Steelers 15-37
Next up: @ Patriots

I don’t know if there’s a more critical game for the Jets season than this week. They have a short turnaround against the Texans on the Thursday following this week’s game against the Pats, and going into that at 2-6 would be a disaster.

I know those who defend Aaron Rodgers as a person continue to think those of us who see the trash person he is are just bitter. We are not. I will always defend his ability to read a defense and throw a football. But at some point, the type of human being a player of his stature is has an impact on football operations, especially when it appears the entire Jets organization is letting him run the show.

The Packers got TE Luke Musgrave out of that trade while also getting to see Jordan Love ascend as soon as he got his chance. Packers fans are not bitter at Aaron Rodgers. We know that bad people can poison organizations from within, and we’re glad he’s not doing it here.

24. Los Angeles Rams (2-4) ⇧3

Week 7: W vs Raiders 20-15
Next up: vs Vikings

Are the Rams better than we think? Save for an early season thrashing from the Arizona, the Rams have been within a score in every game so far. They look to have most of their weapons back and healthy at the same time, so I wouldn’t at all be surprised to see them give the Vikings a scare on Thursday night.

25. New York Giants (2-5) ⇩2

Week 7: L vs Eagles 3-28
Next up: @ Steelers

I don’t know when the Daniel Jones experiment ends. I do want to see what Drew Lock can do in this offense with a talented group of receivers.

26. New Orleans Saints (2-5) ⇩4

Week 7: L vs Broncos 10-33
Next up: @ Chargers

It’s looking like Derek Carr will be out for at least another week, leaving the offense in the hands of Spencer Rattler again. That didn’t go well last week, so I’ll be interested to see if early struggles against the Chargers leads to Dennis Allen taking a look at Jake Haener. Frankly, Allen needs to keep trying anything he can until something works again, cause his seat is starting to warm up.

27. Las Vegas Raiders (2-5) ⇩1

Week 7: L @ Rams 15-20
Next up: vs Chiefs

Desmond Ridder is in the house! Not that I think he’ll immediately overtake Gardner Minshew II, but I’ve been a fan of Ridder for a long time and ultimately feel like he was misused in Atlanta.

With the right system and coaching, he could cause some damage as a dual-threat QB. You can’t teach speed, and Ridder ran a 4.5 40 with a 1.59 split at the 2022 combine. That’s decent speed for a RB and top-end speed for a QB. Ridder and Zamir White could be an interesting duo.

28. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-5) ⇧2

Week 7: W vs Patriots 32-16
Next up: vs Packers

After beating up the Pats across the pond, the Jaguars split their London games and now head home to face a much tougher matchup against the Packers.

Trevor Lawrence finally looked efficient, plus he hit a deep ball… both areas he’s struggled to this point. Tank Bigsby and the overall run game is helping quite a bit with that, and it’ll get even better when Travis Etienne, Jr. is able to return, though it’s unclear if that will be this week.

The next step will be getting Christian Kirk going, as he’s been far too absent to even be considered the team’s WR1.

29. Tennessee Titans (1-5) ⇔

Week 7: L @ Bills 10-34
Next up: @ Lions

Front office saw the writing on the wall and got what they could for DeAndre Hopkins, and you really can’t blame them for it.

You can, however, blame them for a lot of other things, like firing Mike Vrabel and letting Derrick Henry walk. I know it’s very early for Brian Callahan and his all-new staff, but I don’t know how much longer they can keep running Will Levis out there to run the offense. Wouldn’t be the worst idea to let Levis work on learning the scheme better while Mason Rudolph takes a season of lumps.

30. New England Patriots (1-6) ⇩2

Week 7: L @ Jaguars 16-32
Next up: vs Jets

Say all you want about Drake Maye looking better than Jacoby Brissett. Of course he does. That’s not the point. The offense is still struggling and with each loss, the frustration builds and the tension rises and Maye will be expected to do more and be more. It’s a heavy weight to put on any of these rookie QBs, and one I wouldn’t want put on a rookie QB until I know the playbook is his second nature.

It seems clear that Maye will be left in as the starter as long as he stays healthy. The question then becomes, what do you do if it’s week 14 or week 15 and the team still only has a single win? Losing games takes a toll on players, something even veterans sometimes have a difficult time coming back from. I suppose that’s one thing to see what kind of mental toughness the team has in their hopeful franchise QB.

31. Cleveland Browns (1-6) ⇧1

Week 7: L vs Bengals 14-21
Next up: vs Ravens

Let me be very clear… I am not happy about Deshaun Watson’s season-ending injury. However, I’m also not about to chastise the Browns fans who cheered as he left the field. It seems distasteful, and it is, but it’s also a signal that the team may be forced to move on, which ultimately could make them better.

Watson hasn’t just been bad this season. He’s been historically bad. There are very few metrics where he’s not very near or at the bottom. Dorian Thompson-Robinson gives them a better chance to win. Jameis Winston gives them a better chance to win. They’re a better team now.

Someone might give up a 6th round pick and take on a quarter of the remainder of Watson’s contract. If anything near that offer comes to the Browns, they should take it and never look back.

32. Carolina Panthers (1-6) ⇩1

Week 7: L @ Commanders 7-40
Next up: @ Broncos

With Andy Dalton sidelined with a thumb injury in a car crash, Bryce Young gets a new shot this week. I’m honestly hopeful for him. The few weeks he was benched weren’t nearly enough, but I think we’ll see improvement already.

Denver is a tough defense to face in these circumstances, but I have a gut feeling we’ll see more from him this week than anyone is expecting.