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

In our NFL power rankings for Week 8, the Cincinnati Bengals are rolling, while the Green Bay Packers are a complete mess.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

See above.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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