NFL power rankings, Week 8: Race between Ravens and Bengals heats up

Each week of the NFL season, The Baltimore Sun will rank all 32 NFL teams. The rankings will take into account not just weekly performance, injuries and roster depth, but how well each team measures up as Super Bowl contenders.

Here are the rankings heading into Week 8:

Super Bowl favorites

1. Buffalo Bills (5-1, No. 1 last week)

2. Philadelphia Eagles (6-0, No. 2)

3. Kansas City Chiefs (5-2, No. 3)

If there were any lingering doubts about the Chiefs’ offense after the Tyreek Hill trade, they were put to rest Sunday. Kansas City averaged 9.1 yards per play in a 44-23 win over the 49ers, as Patrick Mahomes threw for 423 yards and three touchdowns against one of the league’s best defenses. JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling combined for 235 receiving yards, tight end Travis Kelce caught six passes for 98 yards and Mecole Hardman became the first wide receiver in the Super Bowl era to have at least two rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown in the same game. The defense also flexed its muscle, sacking Jimmy Garoppolo five times and pressuring him into two interceptions, including one in the end zone near the end of the first half. Mahomes is still one of the toughest quarterbacks to defend in the league, and his new weapons have held up their end of the bargain.

The flawed contenders

4. New York Giants (6-1, No. 5)

5. Minnesota Vikings (5-1, No. 4)

6. Baltimore Ravens (4-3, No. 7)

7. Cincinnati Bengals (4-3, No. 10)

8. Dallas Cowboys (5-2, No. 8)

This felt like the week the Giants were going to come back down to earth. The Jaguars entered Sunday as the betting favorites, but New York once again found a way to win, this time stopping wide receiver Christian Kirk at the 1-yard line as time expired to secure a 23-17 victory. Daniel Jones has become one of the most dangerous dual-threat quarterbacks in the league (yes, really), passing for 202 yards and a touchdown and rushing for 107 yards and a score as Jacksonville focused on limiting star running back Saquon Barkley, who finally got going in the fourth quarter. Rookie edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux has made an immediate impact with his consistent pressure on the quarterback, and unheralded contributors like veteran cornerback Fabian Moreau are making big plays. Injuries to rookie right tackle Evan Neal (knee), tight end Daniel Bellinger (eye) and left guard Ben Bredeson (knee) will test the Giants’ depth, but there’s no question coach Brian Daboll has built a tough team that’s proving even tougher to beat.

In the AFC North, the race between the Ravens and Bengals is heating up. While Baltimore exorcised some demons by finally holding on to a fourth-quarter lead in a 23-20 win over Cleveland, Cincinnati showed off the offensive firepower that led it to a surprising Super Bowl berth in a 35-17 win over Atlanta. Joe Burrow threw for 481 yards and three touchdowns, including his NFL-best 12th passing touchdown of 50 or more yards since 2021. The Bengals nearly had three 100-yard receivers in Tyler Boyd (155), Ja’Marr Chase (130) and Tee Higgins (93), reminding everyone that this remains one of the most explosive offenses in the league.

The Ravens desperately needed a win, no matter how ugly, and it could set them up for a strong run against a series of mediocre teams. The big question is the play of quarterback Lamar Jackson, who was held to 120 passing yards, the sixth fewest of his career, on just 16 attempts. Baltimore’s resurgent running game behind the returning Gus Edwards got the job done Sunday, but the Ravens need the Jackson that showed up in the first three weeks of the season to be a legitimate postseason contender. Despite all the blown leads and frustrating moments, however, the Ravens sit atop the division and rank fourth in overall efficiency, according to Football Outsiders’ DVOA. This is still a good team that could be pretty scary come playoff time.

On the cusp of contention

9. Miami Dolphins (4-3, No. 17)

10. New York Jets (5-2, No. 11)

11. Los Angeles Rams (3-3, No. 12)

12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-4, No. 9)

13. Tennessee Titans (4-2, No. 16)

From top to bottom, the AFC East has a pretty strong case to be the best division in football. The return of Tua Tagovailoa from a concussion helped the Dolphins secure a 16-10 win over the Steelers on Sunday night, but the third-year quarterback looked rusty, throwing four near-interceptions that Pittsburgh defenders dropped. It took three picks from the Miami secondary against rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett to salt this one away, as the Dolphins’ offense produced just 127 yards in the second half. A healthy Tagovailoa with Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill remains a legitimate threat, but outside of an incredible fourth quarter against the Ravens way back in Week 2, it has been disappointing.

The Jets haven’t been dominant, but they’ve avoided turnovers and played sound defense on the way to four straight wins, the latest 16-9 over the Broncos and backup quarterback Brett Rypien. Sunday’s victory came at a cost, however, as star rookie running back Breece Hall (torn ACL) and Alijah Vera-Tucker (triceps) were both lost to season-ending injuries. Hall had been the engine of the Jets’ turnaround, averaging 5.8 yards per carry while being a reliable receiver. Second-year quarterback Zach Wilson has put up modest numbers since his return from a knee injury, but he’ll have to carry more of the load to keep the offense ahead of schedule. There’s more pressure on Wilson and a young defense led by rookie cornerback Sauce Garnder to keep the Jets in the playoff race.

There wasn’t a more shocking result on Sunday, and maybe this entire season, than the Buccaneers’ 21-3 loss to the Panthers. Carolina had just fired coach Matt Rhule and traded star running back Christian McCaffrey to the 49ers, yet third-string quarterback P.J. Walker outplayed Tom Brady in an improbable win. Brady now has a losing record through his first seven games of a season for the first time since 2002 — his first full season as an NFL starter and the only healthy season of his career in which he did not make the playoffs. His decision to come back from a brief retirement looks more bewildering by the week. There’s still plenty of talent on this team, but it hasn’t been enough to prevent four losses in five games. Now safety Antoine Winfield Jr. is out with a concussion, further depleting a banged-up secondary. A quick turnaround to play the Ravens on Thursday night couldn’t come at a worse time.

The wild cards

14. Seattle Seahawks (4-3, No. 19)

15. Los Angeles Chargers (4-3, No. 6)

16. Arizona Cardinals (3-4, No. 23)

17. San Francisco 49ers (3-4, No. 14)

18. Green Bay Packers (3-4, No. 13)

19. Las Vegas Raiders (2-4, No. 24)

20. Washington Commanders (3-4, No. 29)

21. Chicago Bears (3-4, No. 30)

22. New England Patriots (3-4, No. 15)

23. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-5, No. 21)

Through the first seven weeks, the best rookie class in the league belongs to Seattle. Running back Kenneth Walker broke out with 168 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday’s 37-23 win over the Chargers, just the latest standout performance from a 2022 draft pick on this roster. Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas have been rock-solid offensive tackles. Cornerback Tariq Woolen is tied for the league lead with four interceptions. Cornerback Coby Bryant and edge rusher Boye Mafe have been valuable contributors. Journeyman quarterback Geno Smith has been a revelation, perhaps earning himself a long-term deal with the franchise. Seattle is in first place in the vaunted NFC West, and it doesn’t feel like a fluke.

Is it time to panic in Green Bay? With a 23-21 defeat to Washington, the Packers have lost three straight for the first time since 2018, and the offense looks completely broken. Running backs Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon, who were meant to be the engine of this offense as a group of young receivers got up to speed, combined for just 38 yards on 12 carries against one of the league’s worst run defenses. Aaron Rodgers looks more like a 38-year-old quarterback on his last legs than a two-time reigning Most Valuable Player; he didn’t attempt a pass more than 10 yards in the air until the final two minutes of the first half Sunday. The defense isn’t living up to high expectations either, allowing backup quarterback Taylor Heinicke to throw two touchdown passes and giving up 166 rushing yards. There’s still plenty of time for coach Matt LaFleur and Rodgers to turn this season around, but it’s going to take some heavy lifting.

The basement

24. Indianapolis Colts (3-3-1, No. 20)

25. Atlanta Falcons (3-4, No. 18)

26. Cleveland Browns (2-5, No. 25)

27. Denver Broncos (2-5, No. 22)

28. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-5, No. 26)

29. Carolina Panthers (2-5, No. 32)

30. New Orleans Saints (2-5, No. 27)

31. Detroit Lions (1-5, No. 28)

32. Houston Texans (1-4-1, No. 31)

After a frustrating loss to the Ravens in which an officiating controversy might have cost them a chance to tie the game, the Browns are left to wonder where exactly this season — and maybe this entire franchise — is heading. They traded a boatload of draft picks, including three first-rounders, for quarterback Deshaun Watson and gave him $230 million guaranteed despite the former Texans star being accused of sexual assault and misconduct by more than two dozen women. When he does eventually return to the field after his 11-game suspension, the Browns might be completely out of playoff contention. Team owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam made it clear where they stood on the accusations against Watson when they made the deal, choosing to look the other way in favor of Watson’s star power. No contrived statements or charitable donations can wash away the callousness of that move, and now they’re left with a losing team. Things might only get worse from here, both on and off the field.

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