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It’s almost Halloween, which means we should have a firm idea of who’s a contender and a pretender in the NFL this year.
The Chicago Bears sure look like the real deal with Caleb Williams, though they’ll probably have to make a big trade deadline addition to shore up their MacGyver-like defense to go all the way. Similar contender sentiments can apply to the Bears' NFC North rival, the Minnesota Vikings, who have the NFL’s premier defense and special teams. The difference is that the Vikings are likely just hoping, praying that Kyler Murray looks like his younger Pro Bowl-caliber self really soon.
Where we’re not sold is the status of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns, who are somehow tied for first place in the AFC North in late October. It's kind of absurd to consider, we know. While both squads have had relatively impressive 5-2 starts so far, it’s hard to trust either starting quarterback too much against real competition. It also sure feels like the rival, more complete Cincinnati Bengals just might chase them down in due time. As such, the Steelers and Browns are on fraud watch until further notice. That’s the way it has to be.
There’s a lot to unpack in the NFL with November just around the corner. Let’s talk about it all in For The Win’s Week 8 NFL Power Rankings.
Congratulations to the Chargers for their first non-losing week of the 2026 NFL season. Unfortunately, they're now the league's lone winless team after the Miami Dolphins' victory in New York. — Christian D'Andrea
The Titans' offense is so bad that it's time to start worrying about Cam Ward. He's inaccurate, he doesn't push the ball downfield, and he looks like the same flawed quarterback with no progress after almost two months of play. We're getting to the point where Year 3 might become a referendum on his Tennessee career. — Robert Zeglinski
Malik Willis was, in terms of expected points added (EPA) per snap, the league's third-worst quarterback after six weeks. He had 16.4 EPA Sunday, the most of any NFL quarterback in Week 7. Aaron Glenn is supposed to be a defensive savant! New York's gotta analyze that game tape like the Zapruder film. — CD
Kudos to Jeff Hafley for earning his first win as a professional football coach. Winning in the NFL is hard. Every victory should, on some level, be celebrated. Now for the bad news: The Dolphins can't play the Jets every week. I've seen Miami's schedule. I don't know when its next win might come, so it should really enjoy this one as much as it can. — RZ
What will this offense look like without Terry McLaurin OR Bill Croskey-Merritt? How much more luster can we remove from Jayden Daniels' name? And how many exorcisms will be necessary before this franchise can drive the spirit of Dan Snyder from inside its walls? — CD
The Cardinals are 2-5. One might think, for a rebuilding team, this would be an ideal time to change quarterbacks and see what you have. But Arizona will instead stick with Jacoby Brissett for now. Truthfully, I probably would, too, instead of throwing a signal-caller like Carson Beck into the rebuilding fire before he's ready. But woof. — RZ
Saquon Barkley helped jolt the offense back from the dead. Makai Lemon had his most productive game as a pro. But that still wasn't enough to generate a win against Dallas Cowboys in what's become a lost season for the birds. Will Nick Sirianni get a mulligan due to all the injuries that have hit his team, or has he lost Philly fans for good? — CD
The Colts responded to the firing of Chris Ballard by scoring 10 total points and amassing fewer than 220 yards of offense against the Minnesota Vikings. Now, sure, the Vikings do that to everyone, but it still shows just how far Indy is from relevance. The Colts would do well to trade off vets like DeForest Buckner and Jonathan Taylor for good value while they still can. — RZ
Baker Mayfield's return sparked a rout, rolling up as many points against the Carolina Panthers as the Bucs had the previous two weeks combined (43). An 0-4 start would sink most teams, but the advantage of playing in the NFC South means the hand of chaos can guide even the most broken team to the postseason. Plus, Tampa's defense remains pretty solid. It's not time to sell off veteran parts yet. — CD
What is notable or exciting about this Saints team? It doesn't play defense, its quarterback (Tyler Shough) is probably just A Guy, and it has one, maybe two notable weapons worth writing home about (Chris Olave and late-stage Alvin Kamara). The NFL's resident fleur-de-lis team couldn't even put up a good fight in PARIS! Another year has brought about another forgettable Saints season. Yawn. — RZ
The revival was brief. C.J. Stroud continues to play the best football of his career, and the return of Tank Dell gives Houston an intriguing and surprisingly deep receiving room. But the run game stinks, and a defense that ranked second only to the Seattle Seahawks last fall has been a mess. That may not be enough to get DeMeco Ryans fired, but it could lead to some uncomfortable conversations in Texas this winter. — CD
The degree of difficulty Monday night was significantly muted by a litany of Eagles injuries -- including Saquon Barkley's return to the injury tent. But a win over Tanner McKee still counts, and the Cowboys head into an easy stretch of their schedule that should provide the latitude to get over .500 in November. "Should." — CD
Michael Penix Jr. responded to one of the worst performances of his career by leading the Falcons to the season's biggest upset win so far over the 49ers. Penix was calm, cool, and uncharacteristically solid under pressure while keeping the Atlanta offense on schedule all afternoon. Now, amid the natural, controlled chaos of the NFC South, the upstart Falcons might be right back in the thick of their division title race. Go figure. — RZ
Well, that short period of the year where the Raiders were fun and feisty is over. The same likely goes for Kirk Cousins's renaissance on a Las Vegas team that has now lost four in a row. The only pertinent question now is: When will Fernando Mendoza make his NFL debut? He could play as soon as next Sunday against the Jets. It's probably time to get the NFL's most wholesome quarterback some meaningful reps. — RZ
J.J. McCarthy … looks kinda nice? He's taking appropriate shots downfield and has greatly improved his accuracy on deep throws, even if he isn't hitting his targets exactly in stride. Pair him with a useful run game, and there's something that could last … at least until opposing coordinators figure out his game plan, which hinged on much more successful play-action passing than he'd utilized in Minnesota. The good news is playing in the NFC East leaves plenty of room to smooth out any stumbles without fundamentally disrupting the team's playoff odds. — CD
Los Angeles escaped the NFC West basement and crushed a freefalling Raiders team, fending off Sean McVay's intrusive thoughts about retirement for at least one week. Matthew Stafford has been left to throw the hell out of the ball, which is at least a little curious when you consider how strong a platoon Kyren Williams and Blake Corum is. The potential is here to rally, then become the Wild Card team no one wants to face. But right now, the team's best win is … over the Giants? — CD
I don't have much to say about the Steelers eking out a one-score win over the mediocre Saints. Ho-hums across the board. I do, however, find it extremely amusing that Aaron Rodgers and Co. wore Peaky Blinders outfits to a game in France (psst, Peaky Blinders takes place in England). Completely wrong international setting, fellas, but I guess that says everything in itself. — RZ
Deshaun Watson's 0.056 EPA per dropback ranks 21st in the NFL. So no, you do not need to hand it to the man once accused of more than 20 counts of sexual misconduct and what an NFL investigation deemed "predatory behavior." But you can acknowledge extending Watson, whose acquisition and unprecedented fully guaranteed contract extension hamstrung this team for years, would be the most Jimmy Haslam thing ever. — CD
The Panthers couldn't help themselves. They simply had to squander the goodwill of a promising early season by getting pantsed by their biggest rivals, the Buccaneers. What was particularly alarming about Carolina's collapse was that Tampa Bay had 64 passing yards and still put up 43 points (!). The Panthers might still be a solid playoff team (who knows in the NFC South, though?), but no one is good enough to overcome stepping on rakes that were laid down by you in the first place. — RZ
The refs didn't help, but the Packers hardly needed an assist blowing this game. Trey Smack is a disaster. Jordan Love threw a series of deep ball dimes that caromed off the hands of his receivers. The pass rush logged three more roughing the passer penalties than sacks and, ah, damn. Yep. Shouldn't have mentioned it. Now Gus from Wauwatosa is on the line, and he's got opinions. Go ahead, Gus, you're on the air. — CD
Sunday's affair with the Packers in Detroit was a game of hot potato over a win seemingly no one wanted. Considering all the late-game mistakes the Lions made — an erroneous fourth-down attempt deep in their own territory, a fumble inside the five-yard line, for some examples — along with questionable officiating in their favor, they're probably very fortunate to have left with a win. The Lions are right back in the thick of the NFC playoff race, but they definitely didn't make it easy. — RZ
Derrick Henry's sudden downfall without Lamar Jackson in the lineup is concerning. Is he finally feeling his age? Or is Jackson going to return and make it 2019 again? Either way, they'll both need to be at full strength to cover for a defense that gave up 35 points against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 7. — CD
Can we trust Bo Nix again? I'm going to go ahead and say his performance against the Cardinals, with nearly 300 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns, was more about playing the Cardinals than anything else. Good play in a win against the rival Chiefs next Sunday would move folks like me a lot more. Speaking of: Sean Payton is probably kicking himself for calling a reverse with a two-score lead that got Jaylen Waddle hurt right before a big divisional game. The offensive guru giveth, and the offensive guru taketh away. — RZ
An above-average defense can get Cincinnati to the Super Bowl. In 2022, that group ranked eighth in EPA allowed per snap. In 2026, they're 11th. The Bengals are still prone to glitches — giving up more than 400 total yards in a 30-27 loss to the Steelers qualifies — but barring injury, Joe Burrow's team looks like it's capable of a deep playoff run. — CD
The Seahawks saw old friend Kenneth Walker III (14 carries, 36 yards) dominating for the Chiefs with their season on the line and said NOPE. The Seahawks knew Walker was Kansas City's only real offensive threat as the Super Bowl champs' calling card, a.k.a. their defense, stuffed Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs into a locker before throwing away the key. The champs are off the ropes after a two-game skid, and they're about to get their running backs back. This would be a good time to start a run. — RZ
Drake Maye's poorly planned end-zone interception wound up playing a massive role in a tight Thursday night game. So did A.J. Brown's uncharacteristic drops. The veteran's return did little to unlock the offense's potential, instead shining a spotlight on rookie tight end Eli Raridon. The blueprint is in place for another playoff run, but the materials may not be what Mike Vrabel thought he'd ordered. — CD
It turns out the Chiefs' complete lack of downfield threats and reliable pass-blocking up front is a problem against teams like the Seahawks who can actually play defense. Who knew? Even worse, they probably don't have a solution to either problem on their current roster. The Chiefs remain contenders, but taking a decent swing at the deadline for a speedy weapon or an offensive lineman might be the only way they actually compete for a championship this season. — RZ
Caleb Williams is special. The Bears defense has risen up behind him by duct-taping things together with blitzes in advance of a potential trade deadline acquisition up front. There's a ton of potential here, though the most Bears outcome would be to find a way to squander it as painfully as possible. — CD
A bye week let us take stock of the Jaguars' current standing in the AFC. The verdict? Pretty good! Such a view of a team is usually helped by having a star quarterback, a solid defense, and a coach like Liam Coen with a great pulse on his players. Can the Jaguars go all the way? This might finally be the year that Duval County gets to watch its beloved football team vie for the Lombardi Trophy. — RZ
Injuries finally caught up to the Niners. Losing Christian McCaffrey forced guys like Kaelon Black, Jordan Watkins, and Jacob Cowing to step up. They shined in stretches, but couldn't consistently keep this offense afloat as the Falcons rallied from an early 13-0 deficit and stripped San Francisco from the ranks of the unbeaten. — CD
How are the undefeated Vikings going to stomp on their fans' hearts this time? I'm still going to put my bets on their middling offense. There's no realistic way this tragic version of Kyler Murray can be good enough to string together four straight wins in the winter that can buoy league-best defensive and special teams units. The good news for the Vikings is that it might only take three games to reach the NFL's tallest summit if the current NFC No. 1 overall seed holds onto its position. Even then, it's hard to have much faith in a Vikings offense that is starting to look like a rusty anchor on an otherwise great team. — RZ
The Bills' bye created the attrition necessary to slide into the top spot. They've now got a 1.5-game lead over the Patriots, though losing to New England in Buffalo shrinks that cushion. Still, the switch from Sean McDermott to Joe Brady seems to be working out … at least so far. — CD
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