2024 NFL Power Rankings Entering Week 8

Week 7 brought out the worst in the NFL -- injuries.

This week, we learned that Rashid Shaheed, who was off to a show-stopping campaign, will miss the remainder of the season due to a knee injury. On Sunday, Brandon Aiyuk tore his ACL and MCL and will sit for the rest of the year. Then, on Monday Night Football, we saw Chris Godwin go down with an ankle injury in the final seconds and he's now expected to miss the rest of the season, too.

So, we've gotta say goodbye to three of the league's top wideouts. Jayden Daniels, D.K. Metcalf, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Zay Flowers, and Mike Evans are other key players who got banged up this week. Jameson Williams was also handed a two-game suspension for violating the NFL's PED policy.

Players across the league are dropping like flies, but the Kansas City Chiefs don't seem too perturbed. Despite missing Rashee Rice, Isiah Pacheco, Marquise Brown, and later Smith-Schuster, the Chiefs won their Super Bowl rematch against the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 28-18. Kansas City moves to 6-0 on the year and serve as the last remaining undefeated team.

With that, let's check out our NFL Power Rankings -- which are powered by numberFire's nERD-based rankings -- as we look ahead to Week 8.

All NFL odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook.

NFL Power Rankings (Week 8)

Teams Ranked 32nd to 23rd

The Cleveland Browns (1-6) struggle with numberFire's worst schedule-adjusted offense through seven games. Deshaun Watson sustained a season-ending Achilles injury on Sunday and Dorian Thompson-Robinson got banged up as his replacement. We could see Jameis Winston take over signal-calling duties, though none of that will likely matter as the Browns look ahead to a road date against the Baltimore Ravens (5-2). The one sliver of positive news in Cleveland? Nick Chubb is back and celebrated his return with a touchdown this past weekend.

The Dallas Cowboys (3-3) were on bye in Week 7, so they've yet to shed their 27 rank. Perhaps the week off can help put Dak Prescott and Dallas back on track, but they won't be gifted with a soft matchup. The Cowboys come in as 4.5-point road dogs in their meeting with the San Francisco 49ers. At least the Niners are banged up, so Dallas has an opening to win this important contest.

Tua Tagovailoa is eyeing a return this weekend against the Arizona Cardinals (3-4). The Miami Dolphins (2-4) have been unwatchable in his absence, but a date with the league's fourth-worst schedule-adjusted pass offense could resurrect their offense. Four of Miami's next five matchups will come against teams who own unfavorable playoff odds. In a season where everything seems to have gone wrong for the team, the Fins can still make a run for the playoffs thanks to an underperforming AFC.

Teams Ranked 22nd to 13th

The Atlanta Falcons (4-3) got sledgehammered by the Seattle Seahawks (4-3) on Sunday. Nonetheless, the Falcons were one of the biggest winners in Week 7 thanks to losses from every other NFC South group and key injuries to Tampa Bay's receiving core.

Heading into Week 3, it looked like the NFC South was a total three-way race between some very solid teams. The New Orleans Saints (2-5) haven't won a game since and will now be without Shaheed. The Bucs (4-3) lost Godwin for the year and Evans' current status is iffy. If Kirk Cousins and company lose out on the division title, that's on them.

The New York Jets (2-5) fooled people into thinking they wouldn't be a dumpster fire this season. Firing Robert Saleh and trading for Davante Adams hasn't spared this group from the second-worst (tied) record in the league. They'll draw a super soft matchup against the New England Patriots this weekend, but their playoff odds still stand at +265.

As suspected, the Cincinnati Bengals (3-4) finally got back on track and have won two straight. The Dolphins, Jets, and Jaguars have all massively underperformed, so the Bengals can achieve a Wild Card spot in a forgiving AFC. Perhaps you've already bought low on Cincinnati, but you can still get their playoff odds at -118.

Teams Ranked 12th to 1st

Mike Tomlin continues to churn out wins with the Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2), even with Russell Wilson under center. The Steelers are a strange and evergreen group. Would any team shudder at the idea of drawing Pittsburgh in the playoffs? Probably not. Their +4400 Super Bowl odds and 1.9% championship chance (per numberFire) reinforce just that. Nonetheless, we'll likely see the Steelers in the playoffs once again.

For the second straight week, all four NFC North groups fare in the top nine of our power rankings. The Detroit Lions (5-1) handed the Minnesota Vikings (5-1) their first loss of the season on Sunday, but the back-and-forth effort underlined the talent and competitiveness in this division. Every NFC North team is favored in their Week 8 matchup, so the race might very well come down to intra-divisional games.

The Baltimore Ravens have the scariest offense in the NFL, and I don't think it's particularly close despite the Commanders ranking first in efficiency. The Ravens are averaging a league-high 31.1 points and 461.4 total yards per game. However, their 27th ranked schedule-adjusted defense is keeping games closer than they should be, so that's something to continue to monitor for the Super Bowl hopefuls.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.