There weren’t a lot of big surprises around the league in Week 8. And there wasn’t a lot of movement when it came to the latest NFL Power Rankings.
Some things never change in the NFL. The Cardinals still haven’t won at Minnesota since 1977. And you still have to go back to 1965 to find the last time the Steelers came away with a victory at Philadelphia. The Patriots continue to own the New York Jets and the 49ers continue to have the Rams’ number – at least during the regular season.
It was a good week for most of the teams atop of their divisions entering the week. So were there any dramatic changes in this week’s NFL Power Rankings?
The Lions had hoped to end their recent offensive woes when they hosted the Dolphins. Detroit owned a 27-17 halftime lead and gained an impressive 326 total yards in the first two quarters.
But the NFL’s most generous defense allowed Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa to throw for 382 yards and three scores. Jared Goff passes for 321 yards and Dan Campbell’s club played turnover-free football. But the Lions permitted 476 total yards in this latest loss.
The Texans were coming off a loss to the Raiders and hosted the resurgent Titans. And the NFL’s worst-ranked run defense was once again embarrassed by Derrick Henry and the Tennessee ground attack.
Houston was gouged for 314 yards on the ground, hence Lovie Smith’s team had the football for just 25:12. The overwhelmed Texans were also just 2-of-14 on third down (2-of-2 on fourth down) and finished the game with 10 points and 161 total yards.
Doug Pederson’s club hoped to end its four-game losing skid in London. Travis Etienne had more yards rushing (156) than Trevor Lawrence had through the air (133). The latter gave the team an early edge via a 22-yard TD strike to Evan Engram.
Down 14-10, Etienne’s one-yard run with 3:54 to play gave the Jaguars the lead. But the defense couldn’t stop Denver’s 80-yard TD drive. Down four with 1:43 to play, Lawrence threw his second pick of the game.
The Black and Gold made its way cross-state to Philadelphia and hoped to hand the Eagles their first loss of 2022. Pittsburgh’s defense simply had no answers for the combination of Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown.
The former burned Pittsburgh for 285 yards through the air and four scores – three to Brown. Meanwhile, rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett committed two more turnovers and was sacked six times as Mike Tomlin’s team was manhandled again.
The Silver and Black made its way to the Big Easy and clashed with the defensively-challenged Saints – now led by one-time Raiders’ head coach Dennis Allen. But the Raiders’ offense was a complete no-show at the Superdome as the club gained a disappointing 183 total yards on 56 plays.
Las Vegas ran for only 38 yards and Derek Carr (3) – who threw an interception – and Jarrett Stidham (1) were dropped a combined four times in the shutout loss.
Panthers’ running back D’Onta Foreman had a big game with 118 yards rushing and three touchdowns. So did D.J. Moore, who caught six passes for 152 yards. His 62-yard TD grab with 12 seconds to play narrowed Atlanta’s lead to 34-33.
But he was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct after the play and Eddy Pineiro missed on a 48-yard PAT try. In overtime, he missed on a game-winning 32-yard field goal attempt. And the Falcons seized the moment.
After sitting out what proved to be a home loss to the Jets, Broncos’ quarterback Russell Wilson returned to the starting lineup on Sunday as his team was in London to face the Jaguars. Denver’s offensive unit scored three touchdowns for only the second time in 2022.
The last of those trips to the end zone was via running back Latavius Murray. His two-yard run with 1:43 to play capped a seven-play, 80-yard drive and was the difference in the game.
After surrendering a whopping 200 points in their first seven games, Dennis Allen’s club pitched a shutout on Sunday against the visiting Raiders.
Running back Alvin Kamara was overdue for a big outing and he came through in the convincing victory. He totaled 18 carries for 62 yards and one touchdown and caught nine passes for 96 yards and two scores via quarterback Andy Dalton. The Saints’ defense limited the Raiders to 183 total yards.
The team opted to sit down veteran quarterback Matt Ryan and gave Sam Ehlinger his first NFL start. He hit on 17 of his 23 throws for 201 yards and was sacked twice but did not throw a touchdown pass. And both he and running back Jonathan Taylor wound up losing fumbles.
Nyheim Hines scored from six yards out early in the fourth quarter to give Frank Reich’s club a 16-7 advantage. But the Indianapolis’ defense couldn’t protect a nine-point lead.
Off a stunning road win at New England, Matt Eberflus’ team was in Dallas to take on the Cowboys. The Bears were able to roll up a lot of yards on the ground (240). And Justin Fields ran for 60 yards and one score, to go along with 151 passing yards and two TD strikes. But he was also sacked four times.
Meanwhile, Chicago’s defensive unit has few answers for the Cowboys’ attack. Dallas rolled up 442 total yards and surrendered six offensive touchdowns.
Following a 2-1 start, the Browns had dropped four straight games entering Monday night’s visit from the reigning AFC champion Bengals. Kevin Stefanski’s team got on the scoreboard first via a Nick Chubb TD run and two-point conversion in the second quarter.
Chubb would finish with 101 yards on the ground and a pair of touchdowns. Amari Cooper caught five passes for 131 yards and one TD. Cleveland’s offense rolled up 440 total yards in the win.
Dating back to 1991 and including the postseason, the Cardinals had dropped 10 straight road games vs. the Vikings entering Sunday. Kliff Kingsbury’s club had some extra time to prepare for their clash with the Vikings.
It was an up-and-down day for Kyler Murray. He threw for 326 yards and three scores and led the club with 36 yards on the ground. But he was sacked four times and his two interceptions were part of three Arizona turnovers.
The defending Super Bowl champions returned to action after some time off and faced the 49ers for the second time this season. Late in the first quarter, Matthew Stafford took it in from the one-yard line to give the Rams a 7-0 lead.
And later, he found Cooper Kupp for a 16-yard score and Sean McVay’s owned a seven-point advantage in the second quarter. But the Rams gave up the final 24 points of the game and gained a mere 223 yards in the loss.
Todd Bowles’ team didn’t have a lot of time to dwell on last week’s loss at Carolina as they hosted the Ravens on Thursday night. And in what has been a recent trend, the Buccaneers’ defense struggled in the second half after another shaky performance by Tampa Bay and the Tampa attack.
Todd Bowles’ team allowed 297 total yards – 204 on the ground – and 24 points as the reigning NFC South champions dropped their fifth game in six outings.
Matt LaFleur’s club took a three-game losing streak into its prime-time clash at Buffalo. While the Bills made their share of explosive pass plays early on, Green Bay’s offense was limited to just 132 total yards in the first half as the Packers trailed 24-7 at intermission.
Running back Aaron Jones did run for 143 yards – part of 208 rushing yards by the club. And it was too little, too late as the Packers fell to 3-5, already the most losses in a season under LaFleur.
The Commanders took a mini two-game winning streak to Indianapolis and looked to get to the .500 mark. Ron Rivera’s club owned a 7-3 at halftime but wound up trailing 16-7 with 11:12 to play.
A Joey Slye 28-yard field goal with 4:55 remaining narrowed Washington’s deficit to six points. Moments later, Tylor Heinicke capped off a nine-play, 89-yard drive with a one-yard TD run with 22 seconds on the clock. Slye’s PAT gave Rivera’s team the win.
What to make of Brandon Staley’s team? The Chargers own one of the most talented rosters in the league but the injury bug has bitten some big names – namely tackle Rashawn Slater, defensive end Joey Bosa and 2022 free-agent addition J.C. Jackson.
Quarterback Justin Herbert has thrown for 2,009 yards and 12 TDs but has turned over the ball six times. Running back Austin Ekeler is the team’s leading rusher, pass-catcher and touchdown scorer.
Bill Belichick’s club not only looked to extend its 12-game winning streak over the Jets but get back to the .500 mark. It took a bit as the Patriots trailed 10-6 at the half. Belichick’s defense picked off Zach Wilson three times.
Mac Jones had his issues despite throwing a TD pass to Jakobi Meyers. He was sacked six times and intercepted once. In New England’s 13 straight wins in this series, the Pats have outscored the Jets by a combined 400-150.
The Falcons hosted the Panthers in hopes of not only even their win-loss record but to grab the top spot in the NFC South. Arthur Smith’s pulled out a victory with a few assists from Carolina in regulation as well as overtime.
After the Panthers missed a field goal in OT, Marcus Mariota guided his team 55 yards on eight plays in the extra session and Younghoe Koo kicked the game-winner from 41 yards out. Atlanta is 4-2 in its last six games after a 0-2 start.
Kyle Shanahan’s club was looking to sweep the Rams during the regular season for the fourth consecutive year. The 49ers spotted Los Angeles a 7-0 lead and then it turned into the Christian McCaffrey Show.
He would throw a 34-yard TD pass to Brandon Aiyuk, total 18 carries for 94 yards and one score and caught eight passes for 85 yards and another touchdown. Down 14-7 in the second quarter, the Niners scored the final 24 points of the game.
Earlier in the season, the Jets put an end to a 12-game losing streak vs. division rivals by pounding the Dolphins. Now the club looked to snap a 12-game skid against the Patriots. Robert Saleh’s squad owned a 10-6 edge at halftime.
But it proved to be a long day for Jets’ quarterback Zach Wilson. He would finish with 355 yards and two scores to Tyler Conklin. But he also threw three interceptions as the Jets saw their four-game winning streak end.
Quarterback Joe Burrow was electric in the team’s Week 7 win over the Falcons. But he and the Bengals would be without wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase for this Monday night clash with the rival Browns.
And it was a rough night for the defending AFC champions at Cleveland. Burrow threw for 232 yards and two scores. But he was sacked five times and committed both of his team’s turnovers. And the Bengals now own a 0-3 record within the division.
The club took its four-game winning streak to the Pacific Northwest to face the equally-surprising Seahawks. The Giants were limited to just 225 total yards and running back Saquon Barkley scored the team’s late in the second quarter.
Daniel Jones hit on just 17-of-31 passes for 176 yards and was sacked five times. Punt returner Richie James had a rough afternoon, losing a pair of fumbles. The Giants finished with just 78 yards on the ground in the loss.
The Dolphins made their way north to the Motor City for the first time since 2014. And quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and the Miami offense had few problems taking advantage of the worst defense in the league.
The third-year quarterback threw for 382 yards and three scores. Two of those TDs went to Jaylen Waddle (106 yards), who along with Tyreek Hill (188) both hit the century mark in receiving yards. Miami rallied from a 21-7 deficit for the victory.
John Harbaugh’s club parlayed an impressive second half into a Thursday night win at Tampa. The Ravens totaled 24 points and 297 total yards in the final two quarters.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson finished the evening with 238 yards through the air and two scores and also ran for 43 yards. Baltimore’s ground attack churned up 231 yards – 204 yards after intermission. And the Ravens’ pass rush sacked Tom Brady three times in the comeback victory.
A season ago, Pete Carroll’s club was the only team in their division to finish with a losing record. Winners of three straight games after besting the visiting Giants, the Seahawks are the only team in the NFC West with a winning record.
Geno Smith continued his sensational year, overcoming three sacks while throwing for 212 yards and touchdown strikes to D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. And rookie Kenneth Walker’s 16-yard TD run sealed the deal.
With veteran Ryan Tannehill ailing, rookie quarterback Malik Willis made his first NFL start as the Titans took on the Texans at Houston.
But the young signal-caller got plenty of help from running backs Derrick Henry (219) and Dontrell Hilliard (83) – who teamed for all but 12 of the club’s 314 yards on the ground. Henry also scored both of the team’s touchdowns. Tennessee’s defense limited Houston to 161 total yards – including just 43 yards rushing.
Mike McCarthy’s team finally exploded offensively on Sunday at home against the Bears. In their first seven games, the Cowboys highest scoring output was 25 points. Against Chicago, the team rushed for 200 yards – 131 of those by Tony Pollard, who ran for three scores.
Dak Prescott threw for 250 yards and two touchdowns (1 interception). The Cowboys’ pass rush added four more sacks and linebacker Micah Parsons returned a fumble 36 yards for a TD.
The club was off last week and returned to action at home against the Cardinals. Kirk Cousins threw for 232 yards and two scores and added 22 yards and one touchdown on the ground. He was also sacked three times and lost a fumble.
Dalvin Cook carried 20 times for 111 yards (1 touchdown) and caught five passes for 30 more yards. And Kevin O’Connell’s club needed all of that against an Arizona team that owned 17-14 lead late in the third quarter.
Andy Reid’s team was averaging an NFL-best 31.9 points per game entering its off week. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes was off to tremendous start, hitting on 66.9 percent of his passes for 2,159 yards, 20 scores and just five turnovers in seven outings.
Tight end Travis Kelce was the club’s leading pass-catcher via 47 receptions for 553 yards and seven TDs. But the Chiefs’ defense has been erratic at best, allowing 20 offensive TDs in seven games.
The AFC East leaders had an extra week to prepare for their Sunday night visit by the Packers. And after a quick three-and-out on their first possession, the Bills began to roll. They owned a 24-7 lead at halftime and had already gained 234 total yards.
Quarterback Josh Allen threw a pair of second-half interceptions and Buffalo was limited to a field goal in the last two quarters but the defense stifled a late rally by Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay offense.
The NFC East leaders were off a week ago but showed no rust vs. the visiting Steelers. In the first half, Eagles’ wide receiver A.J. Brown caught touchdown passes of 39, 27 and 29 yards, respectively – all courtesy of Jalen Hurts.
The latter finished with 285 yards through the air and four scores as Zach Pascal hauled in a 34-yard touchdown pass. Philadelphia’s defense finished with six sacks. And once again, Nick Sirianni’s team played turnover-free football.