NFL power rankings, Week 8: Bengals rise, Packers sink

Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals, Rahsaan Evans, Atlanta Falcons. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals, Rahsaan Evans, Atlanta Falcons. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /
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In our NFL power rankings for Week 8, the Cincinnati Bengals are rolling, while the Green Bay Packers are a complete mess.

. 1-4-1. Previous: . Houston Texans. 32. team. 10

The Texans came out of their bye and got blown out by the Raiders. Doesn’t bode well for the future.

2-5. Previous: . Carolina Panthers. 31. team. 87.

Give credit to Carolina for not quitting, and taking it to the Buccaneers all afternoon.

1-5. Previous: . Detroit Lions. 30. team. 50.

The Lions finally played defense, and then couldn’t score. Just another bad year.

29. team. 45. . 2-5. Previous: . Denver Broncos

The Broncos are the biggest embarrassment in the NFL considering their expectations.

team. 55. . 2-5. Previous: . Pittsburgh Steelers. 28

Pittsburgh had a chance to beat the Dolphins, but couldn’t finish a few drives late.

53. . 2-5. Previous: . Cleveland Browns. 27. team

The Browns were in position to upset the Ravens, but then self-destructed.

57. . 3-4. Previous: . Chicago Bears. 26. team

That was a gutsy, physical win by the Bears. Kudos.

52. . 2-5. Previous: . Jacksonville Jaguars. 25. team

Jacksonville looked like a fun, plucky team at 2-1. That feels like ages ago.

. 2-5. Previous: . New Orleans Saints. 24. team. 15

The defense isn’t playing well, the future quarterback isn’t on the roster, and the Saints don’t have their first-round pick. Yikes.

. 3-4. Previous: . New England Patriots. 23. team. 47

Brutal loss for the Patriots, and now we wonder about Mac Jones’ future.

58. . 3-4. Previous: . Washington Commanders. 22. team

Washington has won two straight and suddenly has some life heading into Week 8. Still, the offense is inconsistent.

Previous: . Arizona Cardinals. 21. team. 32. . 3-4

When Kliff Kingsbury and Kyler Murray weren’t yelling, the Cardinals actually looked respectable on Thursday night.

3-3-1. Previous: . Indianapolis Colts. 20. team. 46.

Matt Ryan is killing the Colts with all his turnovers. Can’t win that way.

team. 28. . 2-4. Previous: . Las Vegas Raiders. 19

The Raiders are the best two-win team in the league. Can they keep it rolling against the Saints on Sunday?

Previous: . Atlanta Falcons. 18. team. 44. . 3-4

Atlanta got down big against the Bengals, made a valiant comeback, but ultimately couldn’t come back.

Los Angeles Chargers. 17. team. 13. . 4-3. Previous:

The Chargers are 4-3, but thins’t a good football team. Too many errors and bad coaching.

Previous: . Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 16. team. 48. . 3-4

At some point, it’s fair to wonder where the Bucs’ season is going. Nothing about the offense iOS working.

3-4. Previous: . Green Bay Packers. 15. team. 49.

See above.

. 3-3. Previous: . Los Angeles Rams. 14. team. 51

The Rams come out of their bye at home against the 49ers. This is a huge spot for Los Angeles to finally get going. Won’t be easy.

team. 36. . 4-3. Previous: . Seattle Seahawks. 13

The Seahawks are the best story in football. Who thought they would trade Russell Wilson and get better? Well, maybe the Seahawks.

30. . 5-2. Previous: . New York Jets. 12. team

At 5-2, the Jets are starting to become a legitimate threat to make the playoffs. Zach Wilson needs to do more, but the defense is great.

Tennessee Titans. 11. team. 35. . 4-2. Previous:

After losing two straight, the Titans have stepped up to take complete control of the AFC South race.

10. team. 42. . 3-4. Previous: . San Francisco 49ers

The Niners have as much talent as anybody after adding Christian McCaffrey, but at 3-4, it’s time to get rolling.

59. . 4-3. Previous: . Miami Dolphins. 9. team

Miami is 4-0 when Tua Tagovailoa starts and finishes games. That said, Tagovailoa needs to be much better than he was on Sunday night.

4-3. Previous: . Baltimore Ravens. 8. team. 26.

The Ravens did all they could to almost blow another double-digit lead in the fourth quarter, but the Browns made sure to bail them out.

56. . 4-3. Previous: . Cincinnati Bengals. 7. team

Cincinnati is starting to look like the AFC’s biggest threat to the Chiefs and Bills. Joe Burrow is rolling.

5-2. Previous: . Dallas Cowboys. 6. team. 123.

The Cowboys are playing good football, marrying a terrific defense with a quality offense. The NFC East is a dogfight.

60. . 5-1. Previous: . Minnesota Vikings. 5. team

Minnesota can really take a stranglehold on the NFC North with a win over the Cardinals this week, coupled with a potential Green Bay loss at Buffalo.

Previous: . New York Giants. 4. team. 31. . 6-1

The Giants almost had a devastating defeat to the Jaguars, but found a way to hold on. Few teams are better coached than Big Blue.

3. team. 124. . 5-2. Previous: . Kansas City Chiefs

Kansas City went into San Francisco and took apart one of the league’s best defenses with ease. Patrick Mahomes is right there in the MVP conversation.

team. 16. . 5-1. Previous: . Buffalo Bills. 2

Coming out of their bye, the Bills now host the struggling Packers in primetime. Could be a major showcase.

Previous: . Philadelphia Eagles. 1. team. 54. . 6-0

The Eagles have an easy schedule ahead, giving them a chance to remain unbeaten for quite some time.