Week 9 marks the end of the first half of the 2025 NFL regular season—and so far the season has gone exactly like everyone expected. If by everyone you mean not one person. Sure, there have been teams who have followed the script. The Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions have played well. The Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints have not.
However, there has been no shortage of madness in the NFL. The league's best team after eight weeks is the Indianapolis Colts—that is not a misprint. Multiple playoff teams from a year ago entered Week 8 with losing records. On top of that, the Miami Dolphins rolled the Atlanta Falcons on the road, and the New York Jets erased a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter to earn their first win of 2025—also away from home. In what has been a weekly occurrence this year, the league's pecking order got the snow-globe treatment in Week 8.
1. Kansas City Chiefs (5-3)
Week 8 Result: Won 28-7 vs. Washington
Once again, the Kansas City Chiefs look like an NFL powerhouse with a complete pass-catching group. So, I guess the Chiefs are OK. It turns out that having the best head coach and the best quarterback prevents a team from having a total collapse following a slow start. After serving a six-game suspension, wideout Rashee Rice has elevated Kansas City's aerial attack, and Patrick Mahomes is back to showing everyone his pocket-passing wizardry. The Chiefs are ranked higher than several two-loss teams in the power rankings for a reason. Following a slow start to the season, they've picked up steam, winning three consecutive outings and five of their last six games.
2. Indianapolis Colts (7-1)
Week 8 Result: Won vs. Tennessee 38-14
The Colts are rolling with the NFL's best record. We've long passed the point where questions about whether they're real or not persist.
Indianapolis isn't perfect. The defense can play soft at times. The unit lacks an edge-rusher capable of consistently applying pressure. The linebacker spot next to Zaire Franklin was suspect enough to sign Germaine Pratt midseason. The Colts had a great win, but they have to know that they could be 8-0 right now if Adonai Mitchell didn’t pull a Jonathan Taylor by dropping the ball shy of the goal line. Then again, the Colts also could have lost to the Broncos, so maybe they really should be 7-1. Still, the Colts continue to impress, looking like the clear-cut best team in the AFC South. Their offense did whatever it wanted to against the Chargers. It didn’t do as well against the Titans, but the Colts still scored 38 points in a bad scheduling spot. The secondary is also beset with injuries. At the same time, Daniel Jones has played well enough where reports of the Colts' desire to re-sign the quarterback already surfaced before reaching the 2025 campaign's halfway point. Running back Jonathan Taylor should be the league's leading MVP candidate at this moment. The Colts' offensive line has consistently bulldozed opponents as well. Indianapolis' schedule becomes more difficult in the coming weeks, but this squad is built to win.
3. Los Angeles Rams (5-2)
Week 8 Result: Bye
It may seem strange to have the Rams ranked this far ahead of the 49ers, who won in L.A. in overtime in Week 5. Team health plays a significant factor here, though. The Rams haven't been bitten quite as hard by the injury bug, and while they have just one fewer loss than San Francisco, the gap feels much larger. The Rams would be 6-1 if they didn’t have that ridiculous second-half collapse in Philadelphia. Remember, they outgained the Eagles, 356-288, and averaged nearly one more yard per play. They blew a 26-7 lead with a fourth-and-1 stuff and a missed field goal, but they still had a chance with a game-winning kick, but it was blocked. Los Angeles dominated the Jaguars in London despite the absurd 6:30 a.m. start time. They’ll need to work on their poor short-yardage offense during the idle week. The Rams have felt like a more dominant team when everything is clicking. The offense didn't miss a beat without Puka Nacua in Week 7 because the group has balance and because Matthew Stafford is playing at an MVP level. Los Angeles' defense, meanwhile, is quickly becoming one of the better units in the league. There's little reason to think the Rams won't be one of the last teams standing in the NFC this season.
4. Green Bay Packers (5-1-1)
Week 8 Result: Won vs. Pittsburgh 35-25
The Packers had so many underwhelming perfomances heading into their Week 8 matchup at Pittsburgh, but they had their best game since Week 2. If the Packers can finally figure out things defensively, they’re going to be very difficult to beat come January. We got another glimpse of what the Packers can be on Sunday: Relentless on both sides of the ball. A week dominated by talk of Aaron Rodgers vs. the Packers turned into a game where Jordan Love did something the veteran never did in Green Bay and complete 20 passes in a row. Pittsburgh had no chance on third-and-long, because it was terrified of Green Bay's pass rush. Only one team in the NFC has fewer than two losses—and that gets the Packers the highest ranking in the conference
5. Philadelphia Eagles (6-2)
Week 8 Result: Won vs. New York Giants 38-20
The consternation over the Eagles offense and it sputtering during a two-game losing streak now feels like a distant memory, particularly
after Sunday's performance.
Philadelphia generated 427 yards. Quarterback Jalen Hurts threw four touchdowns passes. Meanwhile, running backs Saquon Barkley and Tank Bigsby both ran for more than 100 yards. As long as Barkley stays healthy—he left Sunday's game early with a groin pull, though he said he's fine—the Eagles can recapture the magic formula that led to last season's Super Bowl victory. The Eagles seemed to return to their dominant selves in the rematch against the Giants. Sure, they beat a bad team by 18, but running so effectively was a huge deal. Saquon Barkley may miss some time with a hamstring injury, but the important thing is the improved blocking. If this can last, Philadelphia will once again be great down the stretch. Those previous concerns over what the Eagles can and cannot do when they have the ball should serve as a little in-joke between the team and its fans
6. Detroit Lions (5-2)
Week 8 Result: Bye Week
Remember when everyone freaked out after the Packers wrecked the Lions at Lambeau Field in Week 1? Those were wild times. The Lions also came up short against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead in Week 6. But Detroit responded to that setback with an emphatic win over the 6-2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week, and they'll head out of the bye in the thick of the race not only for the NFC North title but also the conference's No. 1 seed. What an impressive showing by Detroit’s defense. The Lions were down all four starters in the secondary, and yet they were able to limit the Buccaneers to only nine points. Based on how Aaron Glenn is performing in New York, it’s safe to say that the Lions actually have an upgrade at defensive coordinator.
Detroit has a couple of winnable games on tap before heading to Philadelphia for a Week 11 brouhaha that will have major ramifications in the NFC. These Lions aren't that much different from last year's squad. The offense is choked with talent. The defense flashes at times but needs to be more consistent. If the Lions figure that second part out, the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance is there for the taking.
7. Buffalo Bills (5-2)
Week 8 Result: Won at Carolina 40-9
The Bills played their first great game since Week 2. All it took was them getting two weeks to prepare for the crappy Panthers. Despite the win, I still worry about Buffalo’s run defense, though they’ll eventually be remedied by Matt Milano’s return. When that will be is anyone’s guess.
Granted, it came against a bad Carolina Panthers team playing a backup quarterback, but the Bills team we saw coming out of the bye week was the Super Bowl contender we expect. The Bills dropped almost 250 rushing yards on Carolina—with 216 and over 11 yards a carry coming from James Cook. Josh Allen only attempted 19 passes, but he was efficient and avoided mistakes. Buffalo allowed fewer than 250 yards of offense and forced three turnovers. Given the opponent the blowout win doesn't erase all the concerns created by Buffalo's back-to-back losses before the bye. But the emphatic victory gives the Bills a nice head of steam heading into next week's massive home showdown with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. Win that game, and the Bills can reclaim their status as one of the favorites in the AFC
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-2)
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers only needed one offensive touchdown to beat the New Orleans Saints, thanks to an aggressive defense that forced four turnovers and Chase McLaughlin's kicking accuracy.
Tampa Bay will need to grind out wins as its key offensive playmakers recover from injuries. The one time they went above their weight class was the loss to the Eagles, who haven’t won since playing in Tampa. Well, they’re now 0-for-2 when going above their weight class. I know Mike Evans got hurt, but the Lions were down four starters in the secondary, and yet the Buccaneers managed only nine points. Tampa Bay’s offense looked very sluggish against a poor New Orleans defense. Running back Bucky Irving could return from foot and knee injuries in Week 10. The team hasn't placed wideout Chris Godwin (fibula) on injured reserve, which indicates he could soon be back on the field. Yet still, led by quarterback Baker Mayfield, the Buccaneers are a playoff-caliber team.
9. Denver Broncos (6-2)
Week 8 Result: Won 44-24 vs. Dallas
It’s hard to take the Broncos seriously after their dreadful performance against the Jets and their ugly, albeit very exciting victory against the Giants. However, they had a very tough travel schedule. Now that they’re not traveling across the globe to play in third-world European countries, the Broncos can go back to living up to expectations. The Denver Broncos' inconsistent offense found its rhythm in a matchup with the Dallas Cowboys' porous, injury-riddled 30th-ranked scoring defense. Regardless of how the final score looks, the Broncos get the bottom-line job done. They've won five consecutive outings and deserve more respect in the power rankings.
10. New England Patriots (6-2)
Week 8 Result: Won vs. Cleveland 32-13
Look out Buffalo, the New England Patriots are back. The Patriots are for real, as evidenced by their outright win in Buffalo. They would be 7-1 right now if they didn’t blow the Pittsburgh game with all of their stupid fumbles. It’s amazing how much of a difference great coaching makes, as Mike Vrabel has made all the right non-TreVeyon Henderson moves thus far. Drake Maye had his first tough defensive test against the Browns. He took six sacks, but otherwise passed with flying colors.
After dispatching the woeful Browns at Gillette Stadium Sunday, the Patriots have now peeled off five wins in row, including a win over the Bills. New England dominated the Browns in just about every conceivable way, including another excellent performance from quarterback Drake Maye. The arrival of head coach Mike Vrabel has changed the culture in New England compared to a year ago, but make no mistake—it's Maye's massive Year 2 jump that has had the biggest impact on the Pats' 6-2 start. He entered Week 7 in the league's top 10 in passing yards and passing touchdowns, and his passer rating of 116.4 was tied for the best in the NFL. Maye's passer rating against a Browns team that sports a top-10 pass defense? 135.9. If he keeps playing like that, and the Patriots are going to be hard to beat.