Week 8 On SI NFL Power Rankings: Lions, Ravens Rise While 49ers Tumble

The undefeated Kansas City Chiefs are No. 1 in the On SI NFL Power Rankings while NFC North teams fill three of the top seven spots.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes runs with the football during the win at the San Francisco 49ers. / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

The Kansas City Chiefs, the lone undefeated team in the NFL, stand alone atop the On SI Week 8 NFL Power Rankings.

The Chiefs have been slammed by injuries and superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes has six touchdowns and a league-worst eight interceptions, but Kareem Hunt rushed for two touchdowns and a dominant defense picked off Brock Purdy three times in a 28-18 victory at San Francisco.

The Detroit Lions, who handed the Minnesota Vikings their first loss last week as Jared Goff had more touchdown passes (four) than incompletions (three), moved up one spot to No. 2. The Baltimore Ravens, who trounced the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night as Lamar Jackson had as many touchdown passes as incompletions (five), also moved up a spot to No. 3.

If the NFL playoffs were to start today, the entire NFC North would be in the bracket. The Lions would be the No. 1 seed, and the Vikings (No. 4 in our rankings), Green Bay Packers (No. 5) and Chicago Bears (No. 17) would sweep the three wild-card spots.

Here are this week’s rankings.

32. Carolina Panthers (-)

The Panthers lost their fourth consecutive game on Sunday, and the losses are seemingly getting worse each week. The most recent defeat came by 33 points to the Commanders, a defeat that was kicked off by two interceptions from Andy Dalton. While you can blame one pick on Diontae Johnson, Dalton still finished with the lowest QBR for any starter in a game this year. Meanwhile, Carolina’s defense is on pace to allow more points than any team in NFL history. —Tim Weaver, Carolina Panthers on SI

31. Tennessee Titans (-2)

The Titans decided to keep Will Levis protected in hopes of saving his shoulder for the remainder of the season. But even with Mason Rudolph manning the offense, things were too disastrous to overcome in a 34-10 loss to the Bills. This team has a long road ahead, and there are many problems outside of the quarterback position they need to solve. — Noah Strackbein, Tennessee Titans On SI

30. New England Patriots (+1)

The Patriots might have a quarterback, but the rest of their team still has questions. Coach Jerod Mayo is losing patience, which could force change. Still, it’s unlikely this team will improve much this season, and their loss to the Jaguars, their sixth in a row, only puts more of an emphasis on that reality. —Evan Massey, New England Patriots on SI

29. Jacksonville Jaguars (+1)

The Jaguars managed to find a way in London in a must-win situation. They had a slow start but eventually had all three sides of the ball click in their best performance of the season to beat the Patriots. Trevor Lawrence is heating up and running back Tank Bigsby has emerged as a big-time weapon. —John Shipley, Jacksonville Jaguars On SI

Quarterback Trevor Lawrence and running back Tank Bigsby led the Jacksonville Jaguars past the New England Patriots in London. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

28. New York Giants (-1)

Giants quarterback Daniel Jones has not thrown a touchdown pass at home this season. Coach Brian Daboll is sticking with Jones for now because he gives them the best chance to win but, if this keeps up, it will be hard to justify putting Jones and that $23 million injury guarantee in his contract next year at risk. —Patricia Traina, New York Giants On SI

27. Cleveland Browns (-1)

Pain. Cleveland fans are all too familiar with watching a bad product that needs to be blown up for a fresh start. While they aren't there quite yet, the Browns are right on the edge of having to do so. It's fair to speculate whether Deshaun Watson has played his last snap in Cleveland after suffering an Achilles injury, and Dorian Thompson-Robinson suffered a finger injury that is going to keep him out for a few weeks. There's still time to save it, but Cleveland's future looks bleak. —Brendan Gulick, Cleveland Browns On SI

26. Las Vegas Raiders (+1)

The Raiders are spiraling as a talented team, decimated by injury and without a quarterback. Antonio Pierce is fighting for his coaching life and is not getting much support from his offensive coaching leadership. They’ve scored less than 20 points in all three games of their losing streak. —Hondo Carpenter, Las Vegas Raiders On SI

25. New York Jets (-3)

The Jets had a great 20 minutes. Then an Aaron Rodgers interception flipped the game and, in spite of all of the changes the past two weeks, the Jets looked like the same team they were when they fired Roberts Saleh two weeks ago — directionless. —Matthew Postins, New York Jets On SI

24. Miami Dolphins (-)

The imminent return of Tua Tagovailoa can't come soon enough for a team that's been a mess offensively all season, the latest example coming in the 16-10 loss at Indianapolis in which they were held to one touchdown for a fifth consecutive game. —Alain Poupart, Miami Dolphins On SI

23. Los Angeles Rams (+2)

The Rams showed a lot of promise in beating the Raiders despite being down their top playmakers in Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. Running back Kyren Williams continues to roll, and the team is starting to get healthy with Kupp’s potential return on Thursday against the Vikings. They could go on a run with the right pieces in place. –James Brizuela, Los Angeles Rams on SI

Cooper Kupp could be back in the lineup for the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday against the Minnesota Vikings. / Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

22. Indianapolis Colts (+1)

The Colts went into Sunday against the Dolphins with clear advantages to the point where they should've won comfortably. However, that wasn't the case as they eked out a 16-10 victory. Offensively, Anthony Richardson struggled passing the ball but the defense did enough to keep Miami's offense at bay. Indy’s a game behind the Texans, whom they play in Houston on Sunday. —Jake Arthur, Indianapolis Colts On SI

21. Denver Broncos (-)

The Broncos find new ways to win each week. This time, the ground game came alive with a 200-plus-yard performance at the Superdome in a blowout win over the Saints. Sean Payton won revenge against a Saints JV squad that fell victim to Vance Joseph’s predatory defense. —Chad Jensen, Denver Broncos On SI

20. New Orleans Saints (-2)

A blowout home loss to Broncos left the Saints searching for answers. They have an important matchup against the Chargers on Sunday. If New Orleans loses, expect increased rumors about trading star players and actual movement before the Nov. 5 deadline. —Kyle Mosley, New Orleans Saints On SI

19. Dallas Cowboys (-)

Dallas boasts the worst rushing attack in the NFL, but coach Mike McCarthy vowed the running game will improve coming out of the bye, which could be a key against the 49ers, who have beaten Dallas in each of the past three seasons. The Cowboys also could get a boost with Micah Parsons making progress from his ankle injury. To get back on track, the Cowboys will have to show they learned some discipline during the bye; perhaps their new approach towards practice will help. —Josh Sanchez, Dallas Cowboys On SI

18. Los Angeles Chargers (-2)

The Chargers blew a home game and one of their easiest-looking games of the season by kicking five field goals in a 17-15 last-second loss to the Cardinals. Despite Justin Herbert’s 349 passing yards, the offensive line play was a mess and Greg Roman’s scheme isn’t converting drives into points. Luckily for the Chargers, their next four games are against teams with losing records. While the AFC wild card remains there for the taking, the team has many holes and should be active buyers at the NFL’s trade deadline. —Chris Roling, Los Angeles Chargers on SI

17. Arizona Cardinals (+1)

The Cardinals faced a must-win game to avoid a 2-5 start and proved they could win a tough game against a tough team in the Chargers. Arizona held Los Angeles to five field goals, and Kyler Murray orchestrated a game-winning drive. Jonathan Gannon’s squad needs to learn how to finish games, and Monday night was a step in the right direction. —Donnie Druin, Arizona Cardinals On SI

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray threw one touchdown pass and ran for another in a win over the Chargers on Monday. / Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

16. Cincinnati Bengals (+1)

The Bengals won back-to-back road games to stay in the hunt after a disappointing 1-4 start. Can the offense rebound after scoring just 31 points in those wins? There's reason to believe Joe Burrow will bounce back. The real question is whether this defense can maintain its current level of play moving forward. —James Rapien, Cincinnati Bengals On SI

15. Chicago Bears (-1)

The Bears had a bye and needed it after injuries to four members of their secondary. It will be an area to watch going into a matchup against Washington and possibly Jayden Daniels. The other thing to watch: Can Caleb Williams maintain his momentum after a week off?. —Gene Chamberlain, Chicago Bears On SI

14. Atlanta Falcons (-2)

The law of averages caught up with the Falcons. They had won three straight facing a Seahawks team that had lost three straight. Naturally, the Seahawks won convincingly. Three turnovers, penalties and a passive defensive scheme doomed Atlanta. —Scott Kennedy, Atlanta Falcons on SI

13. Seattle Seahawks (+2)

Bouncing back from a three-game losing skid and looking like a contender once again, the Seahawks turned in their most complete performance with Geno Smith slinging the pigskin, Ken Walker III tearing it up on the ground, and an opportunistic defense creating turnovers in bunches to rout the Falcons in Atlanta and recapture the NFC West lead. –Corbin Smith, Seattle Seahawks On SI

12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-2)

The Buccaneers are a good football team but, clearly, they can't hang with the NFL's elite. This ranking has the potential to go way down with the loss of receivers Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, which capped off a nightmare for the Bucs after getting readily handled by Baltimore. Sunday’s home game against the Falcons is a must-win for their season. —River Wells, Tampa Bay Buccaneers on SI

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost the game and premier receiver Chris Godwin on Monday against the Baltimore Ravens. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

11. San Francisco 49ers (-4)

Kyle Shanahan lost his sixth consecutive matchup against Andy Reid dating to 2016, when Shanahan was the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons. Stock down. In addition, Brock Purdy is 6-6 in his past 12 starts with 14 touchdown passes, 12 interceptions and a quarterback rating of 87.8. Stock down. —Grant Cohn, San Francisco 49ers On SI

10. Pittsburgh Steelers (+3)

Steelers Nation, let’s ride. The Russell Wilson era officially has begun in Pittsburgh, and it started with a bang. A decisive 37-15 victory over Aaron Rodgers and Co. has everyone talking. With Wilson’s three total touchdowns vs. the Jets, the Steelers look like they could be for real with a veteran quarterback. —Noah Strackbein, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI

9. Philadelphia Eagles (+2)

After a tumultuous start to the season, the Eagles had a dominant win over their rival New York Giants in a game dominated by running back Saquon Barkley and the ground game to take them to 4-2 on the season. Up next: a trip to Cincinnati to play the Bengals, who have won two straight. —Scott Neville, Philadelphia Eagles On SI

8. Washington Commanders (+1)

Despite the loss of Jayden Daniels to a rib injury, the Commanders showed their message of playing for and with each other is more than a message. They’ll hope to get Daniels back this week but feel confident either way heading into Sunday’s game against fellow rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and the Bears. —David Harrison, Washington Commanders On SI

7. Green Bay Packers (+1)

The Packers did what great teams do: They found a way to win. The Packers have feasted on takeaways all season but beat the Texans despite going minus-3 in turnovers. Since the start of the 2022 season, teams that are minus-3 or worse were 5-91. After 1 1/2 seasons of kicker follies, perhaps Brandon McManus, who kicked the game-winner, is the solution. —Bill Huber, Green Bay Packers on SI

💥💥 @TheMMQB Lead, Week 7 💥💥

“That’s the trust, the chemistry."@jordan3love and the @Packers are 5-2, through his knee injury, and with a new defense in place. And with the young core around Love, Green Bay's back on the rise, post-Rodgers.https://t.co/38oQwbb5ZM

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) October 21, 2024

6. Buffalo Bills (-)

After a slow first half, the Bills came back from being down 10-0 to roll the lowly Titans 34-10.  Josh Allen had his first 300-yard game of the season, throwing for two touchdowns, with newly acquired wideout Amari Cooper catching the key 12-yard, go-ahead touchdown.  The Bills’ “everyone eats” offensive approach was at full throttle with TDs from three running backs and rookie WR Keon Coleman hauling in four catches for a career-high 125 yards. The defense didn’t allow a second half point. Next up is a West Coast trip against the NFC West-leading Seahawks. —Chris Pirrone, Buffalo Bills on SI

5. Houston Texans (-)

The Texans offense had a really bad showing against the Packers but still nearly pulled out a win on the road. Once this team starts putting it together on offense and getting healthy on defense, they could challenge any team in the league. —Jeremy Brener, Houston Texans On SI

4. Minnesota Vikings (-2)

The term coach Kevin O'Connell used was "self-inflicted." Sam Darnold threw a bad interception, the defense was gouged over the middle, Jared Goff eviscerated the blitz, Jordan Addison ran a poor route in a clutch situation and eight penalties compounded their issues. Those are easy problems to fix. More concerning is the fact the Vikings have scored just three offensive touchdowns in the last 10 quarters. —Joe Nelson, Minnesota Vikings On SI

3. Baltimore Ravens (+1)

The Ravens played some close games during their five-game winning streak, but not at Tampa Bay on Monday night. After falling behind 10-0, Baltimore dominated the final three quarters for perhaps its most-convincing win of the season. With the schedule lightening up in the next two weeks, the question becomes how long they can keep this streak going. —Jonathan Alfano, Baltimore Ravens On SI

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) torched the Tampa Bay Bucaneers on Monday night. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

2. Detroit Lions (+1)

Detroit was able to rely on its offense to overcome the loss of Aidan Hutchinson in a showdown win at the Vikings. After a slow start, Jared Goff and the offense came alive and were sparked by running back Jahmyr Gibbs. Goff, who threw four touchdown passes compared to three incompletions, has entered the conversation for being league MVP. –John Maakaron, Detroit Lions On SI

1. Kansas City Chiefs (-)

The Chiefs remained undefeated but suffered significant injuries once again in beating the 49ers. Recently vital wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster exited the game with a hamstring injury and has been ruled out for Sunday at the Raiders, while No. 2 cornerback Jaylen Watson suffered a serious ankle injury that has put his season in doubt. The Chiefs now have to replace two more starters at already-thin positions. —Joshua Brisco, Kansas City Chiefs On SI