NFL Week 8 power rankings: Dallas Cowboys remain in top 3, Kansas City Chiefs fall out of top half

The Dallas Cowboys remain one of the best teams in the NFL.

The Dallas Cowboys spent Week 7 on bye, but that didn’t mean that the rest of the NFL stopped play altogether. Generally speaking this past week was a less-than-thrilling one for the National Football League. There were a number of blowouts and the primetime games were a bit more dull than what we had been treated to through the first month and a half of the season.

Still though, we have to figure out exactly where each team stands and that is exactly what the purpose of our power rankings. Each and every week we figure out the order that teams currently fall in and collect how people around the world are viewing the Dallas Cowboys through their own rankings.

You can visit our rankings from last week right here.

1 – Arizona Cardinals (LW: 1)

You have to give the Cardinals credit for an undefeated start seven games in, but plenty of people have been anxious to see them play the Green Bay Packers this Thursday night. Needless to say this is a test.

2 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (LW: 2)

Great teams destroy bad teams. The Buccaneers destroyed the Chicago Bears.

3 – Dallas Cowboys (LW: 3)

Hopefully you enjoyed a week of relaxation!

4 – Los Angeles Rams (LW: 5)

The winless Lions (who are better than their record would indicate) almost took them the distance, but there were some emotional factors at play with Jared Goff’s return. Los Angeles handled their business and look like one of the top teams in the conference.

5 – Green Bay Packers (LW: 6)

Things were just a little bit close early on for Green Bay this week, but per usual fashion they took care of business the way that they always do against scrub teams. Let’s see them on Thursday night!

6 – Buffalo Bills (LW: 7)

Their loss to the Titans certainly feels a bit more respectable now.

7 – Cincinnati Bengals (LW: 10)

It is time to start believing. The Bengals are one of the best teams in football.

8 – Los Angeles Chargers (LW: 8)

Is it fair to say their biggest threats in the AFC West are the Raiders?!

9 – Las Vegas Raiders (LW: 9)

Speaking of! Our old friend Rich Bisaccia is 2-0 as the team’s interim head coach. Sure they beat some low-level teams in the Broncos and Eagles, but the Raiders are going to the playoffs.

10 – Tennessee Titans (LW: 11)

It is clear that Tennessee is a force to be reckoned with, but it is also clear that Kansas City is not exactly one in our current moment. All credit to the Titans for handling their business, but they beat an average team on Sunday. The win isn’t what some are making it out to be.

11 – Baltimore Ravens (LW: 4)

There is clearly no shame in losing to the Bengals. Baltimore will bounce back.

12 – Cleveland Browns (LW: 13)

Winning without Baker Mayfield was certainly impressive. Is the AFC North the best division in the NFL?

13 – New England Patriots (LW: 14)

When the Cowboys beat them it was very clear that New England had some sort of qualities to be proud of. They were all on display against the New York Jets.

14 – New Orleans Saints (LW: 16)

Monday night was ugly, but the Saints got it done.

15 – Minnesota Vikings (LW: 17)

We’ll see you on Sunday night. Bring candy.

16 – Indianapolis Colts (LW: 18)

It’s not like the San Francisco 49ers are an impressive team, but you can only play who’s in front of you. Indianapolis powered through on Sunday night and we should all be rooting for them to win the AFC South given that their first-round pick will likely belong to Philadelphia. Next up is a huge game against the Tennessee Titans.

17 – Kansas City Chiefs (LW: 12)

How the mighty have fallen. Their defense is awful and that is obviously a huge reason why they are losing games, but where is their offense? They put up three points on Sunday. What are the excuses for why Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, and Co. couldn’t even score a single touchdown against a team that the New York Jets beat?

18 – Seattle Seahawks (LW: 15)

Stating the obvious here, but they badly miss Russell Wilson.

19 – Atlanta Falcons (LW: 24)

They are a team that is going to beat the bad ones and struggle against the rest. It is what it is.

20 – Pittsburgh Steelers (LW: 19)

Like the Cowboys they spent the week on bye, but who they are out of it doesn’t exactly seem like it is going to be intimidating.

21 – Carolina Panthers (LW: 20)

We knew that they weren’t who their 3-0 record suggested that they were when they visited the Cowboys, but they have fallen all the way apart. How do you get blown out by the Giants?

22 – Chicago Bears (LW: 21)

The only reason that they are ranked ahead of the 49ers is because they are at least starting Justin Fields permanently. At least the future has some sort of investment going on.

23 – San Francisco 49ers (LW: 22)

A mistake that NFL teams often make is trying to pick up at a moment in the past when things were successful for them. As an example it seemed for a long time like the Cowboys were trying to pick up at the goal line where Dez Bryant caught it at Lambeau Field.

That is what is happening with San Francisco. But it isn’t 2019 anymore. It is a long way from it.

24 – Washington Football Team (LW: 23)

They put up a bit of a fight against the Packers, but this team is bad.

25 – New York Giants (LW: 30)

Daniel Jones is athletic and sometimes that shines through. Kudos to them for stopping the skid just a little bit. Could they possibly beat the Chiefs next week?! (the answer is no).

26 – Philadelphia Eagles (LW: 25)

Derek Carr had over a 90% completion percentage against them.

27 – Detroit Lions (LW: 28)

Obviously the Lions are winless, but they play with a lot of heart. Dan Campbell seems like someone who his players love and the future seems somewhat promising for the Lions (relatively speaking).

28 – Denver Broncos (LW: 26)

If not for Peyton Manning choosing them in 2012 this team would be void of any sort of success. They have done nothing that involves legitimate skill and currently seem incapable of doing so.

29 – Jacksonville Jaguars (LW: 27)

Will the positive momentum generated from before the bye carry forward?

30 – Miami Dolphins (LW: 32)

Whether or not they make a change at quarterback remains to be seen, but the Dolphins are a disaster in plenty of other ways. This was supposed to be the year it all clicked. Not happening.

31 – New York Jets (LW: 29)

Mike White is going to start for them. And next week it will even happen on primetime!

32 – Houston Texans (LW: 31)

Predictably bad.

NFL.com: 4 (LW: 4)

No movement here. But I bet you weren’t expecting an Andy Dalton shout out today.

Life was good for the 5-1 Cowboys as they reached their Week 7 bye, even if Dak Prescott’s calf injury presents an ominous cloud above The Star. Prescott suffered the injury on the final play of Dallas’ Week 6 overtime win over the Patriots, and despite positive reports, ongoing concern is warranted. The Cowboys are essentially playing without a safety net: The team’s backup behind Prescott is none other than … checks notes … Cooper Rush, the 27-year-old undrafted free agent who has completed one pass (for 2 yards) in five professional seasons. Considering the nature of Prescott’s season-ending injury in 2020, should the Cowboys have made a greater effort to retain Andy Dalton in the offseason? Were Prescott to have a setback, could Dalton return before the trade deadline?

ESPN: 6 (LW: 5)

Kicked out of the top five in order to make room for the Green Bay Packers.

I thought Schultz’s numbers last year — 63 catches, 615 yards, four touchdowns — were more a product of a lost season and not those of an ascending player. This year he is on pace for 88 catches for 1,017 yards and nine touchdowns. Whoops. He understands soft spots in coverages. He is better than expected with his run after catch, and he is a serviceable blocker. I thought Blake Jarwin would return to the starter role after coming back from his knee injury, but Schultz has exceeded expectations. That’s good for the Cowboys, and also bad because his price tag as a free agent to-be is going up and up. — Todd Archer

USA Today: 4 (LW: 4)

Some more top four love.

After resting his calf strain during bye week, is QB Dak Prescott ready to help set a Dallas record by leading “Dem Boyz” to a fifth consecutive game with at least 35 points?

Yahoo: 4 (LW: 4)

Michael Gallup gets a shout out here.

Receiver Michael Gallup was injured Week 1, but he’s supposed to return to practice this week. When he is able to play again, the Cowboys offense will have yet another option. That’s scary.

CBS Sports: 5 (LW: 5)

Most people kept the Cowboys where they had them before the bye.

The health of Dak Prescott bears watching as he comes off the bye with a calf issue. They face a tough road trip to Minnesota Sunday night.

Sports Illustrated: 7 (LW: 10)

For reasons that have yet to be explained SI dropped the Cowboys last week all the way down to 10. In their defense they raised them up this week, but they are still lower on Dallas than anybody else.

The Cowboys sailed into a perfectly-timed bye, and while it’s difficult to ask for Dak Prescott to continue this streak—he currently possesses the highest success rate of any quarterback in the NFL on a play-by-play basis—this was the kind of torrid stretch he was on a year ago before his injury.

Sporting News: 5 (LW: 6)

It’s good to be back in action.

The Cowboys have health on their side this season, first and foremost with Dak Prescott recovering well from ankle and shoulder injuries and working through a minor calf injury. They hope to be even healthier after the bye. Their versatile offense is hard to stop and their tee-off defense won’t change as this team continues to forge an identity as a Super Bowl contender.