NFL WEEK 8: POWER RANKINGS
BY ADAM GREENE We’re kicking off our official week of NFL action the way we always do, by delivering out smiley face stickers, hastily drawn check marks and frowny emojis to all 32 NFL franchises. It’s harsh, but deserved. And somebody’s got to do it. The top of the rankings are all but untouched, but we do have a new No. 32 at the bottom. The team in question, and its long suffering fanbase, is no stranger to that particular designation. 1. BUFFALO BILLS (5-1) The Bills had the week off, but looked so good before the hiatus, I can find no reason to move them from the top spot. Sunday night they can do the thing that only Mike McCarthy and Jimmy Garoppolo have managed to do in the recent past, pretty much end the Green Bay Packers’ season. Last week: No. 1 2. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (6-0) Like the Bills, the Eagles took a little mid-season vacation and, just like Buffalo, look none the poorer for it. In fact, the rest of the NFC looks significantly worse after multiple shocking Week 7 upsets. Wednesday, the Eagles got even better by adding Robert Quinn in a trade from the Chicago Bears. Last week: No. 2 3. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (5-2) The Chiefs not only won the rematch of Super Bowl LIV with the San Francisco 49ers, they proved that the fact the Niners took a lead in that game was nothing more than a fluke. Kansas City and Buffalo are far ahead of the rest of the AFC. Last week: No. 3 4. MINNESOTA VIKINGS (5-1) Is it any coincidence that three of our top four teams were all on byes last week? Probably, but it did make NFL Red Zone less fun to watch. The Vikings not only have the inside track for the NFC North, they have a legit shot at home field advantage in the playoffs. And, hey, we’re in Week 8. It’s not too early to start thinking about that. Last week: No. 6 5. NEW YORK GIANTS (6-1) Another week, another Giants game as road underdogs, this time at the Seattle Seahawks. How many of these do the G-Men have to win before we stop doing that? Brian Daboll should go ahead and craft his Coach of the Year speech and free up his time come the postseason. He’s going to need it to coach at least one playoff game. Last week: No. 7 6. LOS ANGELES RAMS (3-3) The Rams come off their bye as healthy as they’ve been all season, with Brian Allen and Van Jefferson both slated to re-enter the line up. They’ll need all hands on deck against a slumping San Francisco 49ers team that, for whatever reason, decides to not slump at all when they play the Rams. The regular season version of this streak has to stop at some point. Last week: No. 9 7. LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (4-3) The 2022 Chargers look a lot like the 2021 Chargers and that’s bad news for any postseason hopes. This team, for whatever reason, just can’t seem to bring it every week and it shows up at the worst possible times. Last week: No. 4 8. DALLAS COWBOYS (5-2) It took about a half, but Dak Prescott knocked off the rust and kept the Cowboys in NFC East contention with a solid performance in his return from injury Sunday. Dallas has one of the best records in the conference and is now a stronger team than the one that built it. Last week: No. 11 9. TENNESSEE TITANS (4-2) After the first two weeks of the season, the AFC South looked as if it were up for grabs. Now it looks like the Titans should easily cruise to another title and home playoff game, barring anything catastrophic happening. Last week: No. 12 10. CINCINNATI BENGALS (4-3) Well, look who decided to finally show up — the good Bengals. Joe Burrow remembered he was awesome and showed out Sunday, becoming the only QB in NFL history to throw for 500-plus yards and four touchdowns twice in his career. Last week: No. 13 11. BALTIMORE RAVENS (4-3) If the Ravens lose to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Thursday night, it will just be the second loss for Lamar Jackson to an NFC team in his career. His first was two weeks ago when he fell to the Giants. So he now knows what he must do. Last week: No. 14 12. NEW YORK JETS (5-2) According to Mina Kimes, the Jets refer to offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur as “MiLF.” She points out that his QB is Zack Wilson and decides just to let the joke sit there. I think I will too. I will say this, New York can pretty much wrap up the New England Patriots’ 2022 campaign Sunday and I think we’d all appreciate it if they’d go ahead and do it. The Jets did get some bad news after their Sunday win over the Denver Broncos, they lost running back Breece Hall for the season. Last week: No. 15 13. MIAMI DOLPHINS (4-3) It wasn’t pretty, but it didn’t have to be. The Dolphins plodded past the Pittsburgh Steelers to get right back into the win column with Tua Tagovailoa back under center. Preseason: No. 16 14. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (4-3) Lost in Geno Smith’s resurgence is the fact that Kenneth Walker III might be on his way to an Offensive Rookie of the Year award. In the preseason, the Seahawks looked like they’d be picking in the Top Five. Now, they might still land a pick there thanks to a Broncos implosion, but their own pick could come once the playoff teams are seeded in the draft. Last week: No. 20 15. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (3-4) For the first time in his entire career, Tom Brady lost back to back games against teams with losing records. It’s also the first time he’s had a losing record through seven games since