Terrible. Awful. Disappointing. Hard to watch.
That was the NFL in Week 8.
Hey, it’s happened in past seasons too, but there wasn’t much in terms of intrigue from this past week’s games. We had a lot of blowouts, no really marquee games and backup quarterbacks playing across the league.
That brought a bunch of duds for games.
But for four teams, it brought them back to where many of us expected them to be in terms of performance before the season started.
The Packers and Bills were my pick to play in the Super Bowl, and I am sticking with it. But it wouldn’t shock me to see the Eagles back there again. That’s what Sunday did for those three. They are back. All of them.
The Colts remain in the top spot in my Power Rankings, with the Chiefs second. But the Packers are right there, closing in on both of them at No. 3.
There appears to be a clear line of demarcation after eight weeks, with 10 or 11 teams having the Super Bowl look and the rest probably hoping to make a wild-card run or playing out the string.
The Packers, Bills and Eagles reminded us Sunday that they will be there for the long run.
Biggest Movers
|
Rk |
Teams |
Chg |
Rcrd |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
|
They just keep on scoring. Jonathan Taylor and Daniel Jones keep lighting up opposing defenses. The schedule does toughen up. | — | 7-1-0 |
2 |
|
They started slowly against the Commanders, but they got it going in the second half. Now comes a big one with the Bills. | — | 5-3-0 |
3 |
|
Jordan Love lit up the Steelers, and the pass rush dominated on the defensive side. Getting speedy Christian Watson back is big for the offense. | — | 5-1-1 |
4 |
|
As they come off their bye, health in the secondary is the biggest issue. When they get players back, that defense will be much improved. | — | 5-2-0 |
5 |
|
They have a hammer-lock on the NFC South after eight games. Todd Bowles has done a heck of a job navigating through all the injuries. | — | 6-2-0 |
6 |
|
Bo Nix lit up the Cowboys on Sunday in a game where he looked like the Bo Nix of last year. The pass rush is fierce as they’ve won five straight. | — | 6-2-0 |
7 |
|
After a bye, they have a long road trip to play the Commanders. Defense travels, and their defense is playing at a high level right now — as is quarterback Sam Darnold. | — | 5-2-0 |
8 |
|
They come off their bye with a home game against the Saints. This is a team that seemed to be gaining momentum before the bye, so they have to hope it continues. | — | 5-2-0 |
9 |
|
Drake Maye is showing he is in the MVP mix. The schedule does toughen up a bit over the next two weeks. | — | 6-2-0 |
10 |
|
They ran it and pressured the quarterback in beating the Panthers. But now here comes the Chiefs, the team that has been their nemesis in recent years. Losing Ed Oliver hurts. | — | 5-2-0 |
11 |
|
It’s amazing what happens when Saquon Barkley gets the ball. The offense has to be able to run the ball, even if Jalen Hurts has had some nice moments throwing it. | — | 6-2-0 |
12 |
|
It’s amazing how different the offense looks with Joe Alt at left tackle. Justin Herbert is comfortable now, and it showed in the victory over the Vikings. | 3 | 5-3-0 |
13 |
|
They come off their bye in need of better play from the passing game. It’s time for the Trevor Lawrence-Brian Thomas Jr. connection to show some life. | 7 | 4-3-0 |
14 |
|
The offense clicked in a big way against the 49ers, which gives them hope going forward. But now that unit faces a tough test against the Denver defense. | 7 | 3-4-0 |
15 |
|
They have a huge division game at Detroit against the Lions. They will have J.J. McCarthy back for that one, but he has to be better than he was before the injury. | 1 | 3-4-0 |
16 |
|
They need Brock Purdy back. Mac Jones has been a nice replacement, but he isn’t Purdy. | 4 | 5-3-0 |
17 |
|
Caleb Williams and the offense had a bad day against the Ravens. But it’s just one game. They have to get the passing game going again. | 4 | 4-3-0 |
18 |
|
The defense is a major problem. That sentence is not something Steelers fans are used to seeing, but age is an issue on that unit. | 4 | 4-3-0 |
19 |
|
That was a terrible loss to the Dolphins at home. They didn’t even compete. And it was much more than not having starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. | 2 | 3-4-0 |
20 |
|
They hung around against the Chiefs, but you can’t blow early scoring chances and expect to beat that team on the road. They need Jayden Daniels back. | 1 | 3-5-0 |
21 |
|
The defense is horrible right now, and that led to the offense pressing in the loss to the Broncos. The question is whether they make moves before the trade deadline. | 3 | 3-4-1 |
22 |
|
That was a season-saving victory against the Bears without Lamar Jackson. Now they face a short turnaround with a road trip to face the Dolphins on Thursday night. | 1 | 2-5-0 |
23 |
|
They got dominated in the loss to the Bills, and it wasn’t just because Bryce Young didn’t play, although Andy Dalton wasn’t good. They got pushed around. | 1 | 4-4-0 |
24 |
|
Kyler Murray is expected back this week, but he has to show more than he did before missing time. They have lost a lot of close games. | — | 2-5-0 |
25 |
|
They needed the bye week, and they have to hope Geno Smith found something during it. He has to be better. | — | 2-5-0 |
26 |
|
Losing running back Cam Skattebo with a dislocated ankle is a big hit to an offense that was limited without Malik Nabers. This will challenge Jaxson Dart in a big way. | — | 2-6-0 |
27 |
|
The defense was terrible in the loss to the Jets. They gave up 510 yards and 7.2 per play. That loss was inexcusable at home. | — | 3-5-0 |
28 |
|
Dillon Gabriel looks overmatched right now, but there won’t be a change at quarterback. Does Shedeur Sanders get a chance? | — | 2-6-0 |
29 |
|
Give this team credit for showing fight in beating the Falcons on the road. Tua Tagovailoa played well, and the run defense was good. Who knew? | 2 | 2-6-0 |
30 |
|
They benched Spencer Rattler in the loss to the Bucs. So it might mean it’s Tyler Shough time the rest of the way. | — | 1-7-0 |
31 |
|
The Jets battled back to beat the Bengals to get Aaron Glenn his first victory. Justin Fields played well, showing up owner Woody Johnson, who made some not-so-nice comments about him last week. | 1 | 1-7-0 |
32 |
|
So much for firing Brian Callahan and bringing life to this team. This group is a mess right now, and it doesn’t matter who is coaching. | 3 | 1-7-0 |
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