The Big Jab

This might be the toughest top 10 to do to date, with several good teams losing, here’s my attempt at the top 10 teams entering Week 8.

1. Philadelphia Eagles (6-1)
By default, the Eagles are back on top for me until further notice. A nice bounce-back win over a very good team in Miami is the main reason for this, but there are plenty of flaws with this team. The defense looked much better in Sunday’s win, and the addition of Kevin Byard from Tennessee this week should give them a massive boost in the secondary, but something still feels off about this team compared to last year. Maybe there are truly no elite teams in the NFL this season, that’s certainly how it feels right now. Philadelphia faces Washington on the road this week.

2. Kansas City Chiefs (6-1)
Patrick Mahomes was masterful on Sunday, and there’s a real argument to put this team at number one right now. Travis Kelce has picked it up after a slow start for his standards, the defense remains one of the most underrated units in football. The loss of Nick Bolton will certainly hurt, but I still think this defense is more than capable. With the offense seeming to finally be at their best and Mahomes playing at MVP form once again, the Chiefs remain the favorites in the AFC. They face Denver on Sunday on the road, a team they struggled against the last time they played them two weeks ago.

3. Baltimore Ravens (5-2)
This is where it gets interesting, but after their performance on Sunday against the Lions, it’s hard not to put the Ravens this high right now. Lamar Jackson has adapted to this new offense and is playing at an MVP level, they’ve found their run game for now with Gus Edwards and Justice Hill, and the defense continues to play at an elite level. This team is still lacking another weapon outside and depth in the backfield, but I imagine they could address that with the trade deadline looming. Baltimore looks legit and should get another win this week in a trip to Arizona.

4. San Francisco 49ers (5-2)
From here on out the power rankings can be very debatable, but I’ll leave the 49ers in the top five for now. This team was missing its best wide receiver, the best left tackle in the league in Trent Williams, and it was clear Christian McCaffrey didn’t have his usual burst due to his oblique injury. Despite this, the 49ers played tough against an inspired Minnesota team, but have now lost two in a row. Turnovers are becoming a major issue for this team, as McCaffrey has fumbled two games in a row and Brock Purdy has three picks in that same timeframe. I think this team is just in a midseason lull right now, but time will tell if they can get back to their early-season form. They face the Bengals, who are coming off a bye week, at home this week.

5. Miami Dolphins (5-2)
Just when you think this is a different Miami team, they lose to another good team in a big game in primetime. It’s hard to have any faith this team can get it done against this type of competition when it matters, but they are still the best offense in the league. Tua is still putting up MVP numbers, and Tyreek Hill is on pace to be the first 2,000-yard receiver in NFL history. They get the Patriots at home this week before traveling to Germany next week to face another good team in the Chiefs. 

6. Detroit Lions (5-2)
Well, that was certainly a wake-up call for the Lions to say the least. The run defense completely fell apart and Jared Goff played one of his worst games as a Lion, resulting in an embarrassing 35-6 blowout loss to Baltimore. The loss of David Montgomery hurt this team tremendously, as their run game is completely different without him. I’m still more surprised at how poorly this defense played, as they were the top run-stopping team heading into this game. It’s a long season and things like this will happen to even the best of teams, but the Lions better hope this isn’t a sign of things to come. I don’t think it will be, and they have a chance to get right in a Monday night affair with Las Vegas this week.

7. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-2)
It’s hard to believe that this version of the Jaguars can be ranked this high, but that’s just life in the NFL these days. After a sloppy 1-2 start, the Jags have rattled off four straight wins and have found their run game. The defense has been great too, but it still feels like this passing offense hasn’t scratched the surface of what they are capable of. Maybe they never will, maybe expectations were too high after last year’s magical second half, but this is still a 5-2 football team with a solid offense and very good defense. Jacksonville gets Pittsburgh on the road this week in an AFC showdown.

8. Cleveland Browns (4-2)
What the hell is going on with Deshaun Watson? This is a question that must be answered, as it’s a very strange situation for a QB making 50 million dollars fully guaranteed. Nonetheless, PJ Walker has led Cleveland to a win in each of the past two weeks. The defense got somewhat torched on Sunday against Indianapolis, but also provided multiple turnovers, a touchdown, and a blocked field goal. This is the best defense in the NFL and will need to carry this team as long as Watson is doing whatever he’s doing. The Browns face Seattle in the Pacific Northwest this week. 

9. Dallas Cowboys (4-2)
It’s easy to forget about teams who were on a bye last week, but Dallas deserves to be in the top 10. Dak Prescott is coming off his best game of the season last week in Los Angeles, but there are still major questions about this team heading into Week 8. This run game needs a boost as the season progresses, and will need to be better if they want to take pressure off Prescott. Dallas gets the Rams at home this week in what’s a must-win game to keep up in the NFC East with Philadelphia. 

10. Seattle Seahawks (4-2)
Seattle remains a very solid but not elite team entering Week 8. The Seahawks are dealing with injuries to DK Metcalf who should be back soon, but the same cannot be said for Uchenna Nwosu, who is likely out for the season with a pec strain. I wonder what the ceiling is for this Seattle team, but they’ve played solid football for most of the season with a few hiccups in between. Seattle gets Cleveland this week in what should be a fun cross-conference game in Seattle.