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Buccaneers and Vikings fall into the top 10

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Buccaneers and Vikings fall into the top 10

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NFL power rankings entering Week 8 of the 2024 season (previous rank in parentheses):

1. Kansas City Chiefs (1): Patrick Mahomes joined Peyton Manning (2015) as the only quarterbacks in the last 30 years to lead their teams to 6-0 starts despite throwing more INTs than TDs. Manning's Broncos won the title that season. On Sunday, the Chiefs return to Allegiant Stadium where they are 5-0 (including their overtime triumph in Super Bowl 58). Good bets: KC, which hasn't lost in seven years en route to silver and black, is 7-0.

2. Baltimore Ravens (2): Aside from a very serviceable appearance in Super Bowl 59, they only have two games scheduled against NFC opponents this season – notable considering QB Lamar Jackson is now 23-1 against the conference and has a winning percentage of .958 since then The AFC's NFC was founded in 1970. With his fifth five-touchdown passing performance Monday night in Tampa, Jackson is in the midst of a strong push toward his third MVP award.

3. Detroit Lions (4): Although they lead the NFC in home-field advantage, they could be even more dangerous away from home – where they are undefeated by an average margin of 15.7 points.

4. Minnesota Vikings (3): They're still immaculate on the road, too – and that's where they'll live for the foreseeable future, four of their next five away from US Bank Stadium, but only one of those trips (Chicago) to visit a club worth .500 or better .

5. Green Bay Packers (7): New K Brandon McManus, who hit the game-winning field goal at Lambeau Field for the second time in his 11-year NFL career, could prove to be the final member of what could be a championship roster.

6. Houston Texans (8): Claims of a second-year slump are premature, but — after his least productive game as a pro — QB CJ Stroud's numbers are generally down across the board. At least his tough run through the NFC North is almost over.

7. Buffalo Bills (9): They trade for WR Amari Cooper … and of course, rookie Keon Coleman gets Buffalo's first 100-yard receiver day of the season with Sunday's win.

8. Atlanta Falcons (5): Aside from QB Kirk Cousins' 509-yard explosion in Week 5, this offense is only averaging 213.5 passing yards per game.

9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6): Monday night started well for the wideouts, with Mike Evans catching his 100th touchdown and actually remembering to keep the ball. It ended with Evans suffering agony from an aggravated hamstring injury and Chris Godwin apparently suffering a season-ending leg injury himself (very) late in the game.

10. Washington Commanders (10): While Sunday's loss to Carolina certainly provided a boost, you might be surprised to see that Washington's +66 point lead is propelling the league forward. But of course that won't be easy to maintain if rookie QB Jayden Daniels misses the start because of his rib injury.

11. Philadelphia Eagles (11): Among the many things that went well in Saquon Barkley's first visit to the Giants was that he hit 21.93 mph in his 55-yard dash on Sunday – the fastest run by a running back this season, according to Next Gen Stats Year.

12. Chicago Bears (14): How good was CB Jaylon Johnson this season? Among defenders who have been targeted at least 20 times, quarterbacks have the lowest pass rating in the league against him at 20.8.

13. Dallas Cowboys (15): No place like the street. The “Boys” will play their next two games away from home at their horror house, AT&T Stadium – which is a plus. This team is 3-0 outside of Texas and has not allowed more than 17 points in any of those games.

14. Pittsburgh Steelers (16): Did you know? QB Russell Wilson's 20-game streak of throwing at least one TD pass is currently the longest in the league. Next up is a Giants defense that has allowed just two touchdowns through the air in the last three games.

15. Arizona Cardinals (21): If RB James Conner is indeed the league's most underrated star, it's not because we don't love him. Don't be surprised if this plucky team emulates the personality of its plucky back and translates that into an NFC West crown.

16.Cincinnati Bengals (19): Look who is almost back to .500 after an 0-3 start to the season. Interestingly, neither WR Ja'Marr Chase nor Tee Higgins had a 100-yard game in a win this season.

17. San Francisco 49ers (12): With WR Brandon Aiyuk sidelined with a season-ending ACL injury, it is now obvious that this team will never be healthy in a situation that is something like “The Last Dance.” Depending on which wideouts can answer the bell in Week 8 against Dallas, the Niners could rely on players like rookies Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing.

18. Seattle Seahawks (23): Their most impressive win of the season coincided with their first turnover differential of at least +2. The falcons only have to leave their impressive nest again until December.

19. Los Angeles Chargers (17): A lot could be said about the Bolts over the years, but rarely was it that they were boring. Welp. HC Jim Harbaugh's Big Ten approach likely lowers this team's already limited ceiling even further.

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20. Denver Broncos (20): Did you see the grin on Courtland Sutton's face after he stomped the Saints on Thursday? Oh, and he had zero goals for the first time in his career. Truly a rare type of receiver.

21. Indianapolis Colts (13): They are 4-3 and have moved into the wild card position in the AFC. But Indy simply doesn't pass the eyeball test with sophomore quarterback Anthony Richardson, the league's least accurate (48.5%) and most efficient (60.0 rating) among those with at least 100 passes. (Though the NFL apparently likes what it sees, inviting the Colts to a Sunday night date in Minnesota in Week 9.)

22. New York Jets (18): Looking for a wealth of good news, NYJ fans, if the return of LB Haason Reddick just isn't helping you? How about this: In five of the six seasons so far, a team that started 2-5 has still found its way into the playoff field.

23. Los Angeles Rams (24): WR Cooper Kupp (ankle) will play Thursday for the first time since Week 2. But former OC Kevin O'Connell will be back at SoFi Stadium for the first time since 2021, with a vastly superior Vikes squad in tow.

24. Miami Dolphins (29): How bad was this offense? Try a league-worst 1.04 points per drive. Getting QB Tua Tagovailoa back should certainly help, but – remember – the Fins didn't play particularly well when he was in the lineup either.

25. Jacksonville Jaguars (32): You'd think they'd want to say goodbye after two weeks in Europe… but maybe it's just as well as they try to keep the momentum going from their best win of the season and two wins in their last three games. As for London? Trevor Lawrence now has the most career passing yards (1,401) and QB wins (4), eliminating the popular Blake Bortles from this record book deep cut.

26. New Orleans Saints (25): What mess could QB Derek Carr return to? The Saints have lost their last two home games by more than 20 points each… that's how often such Superdome defeats occurred throughout former HC Sean Payton's tenure.

27. New England Patriots (30): They never stood a chance when rookie quarterback Drake Maye tried to attract British fans to the Pats with this logic: “I think it comes with the team name New England. I think it's easy for British fans to be drawn to it. Our colors are pretty cute, they represent a lot of different things. FWIW, Maye studied business at UNC, not history. As far as his performance on the field is concerned, that is quite encouraging.

28. Carolina Panthers (26): They outscored 133 points, 57 more than any other team. A main reason is the worst pressure rate of 11.5% in the league.

29. Las Vegas Raiders (27): Cheer up, Raider Nation – you might soon be cheering on newly signed QB Desmond Ridder, whose 8-9 NFL record is pretty heady for you these days.

30. New York Giants (22): One of the most notable storylines of the season is that 340-pound, two-team DL Dexter Lawrence II leads the league with nine sacks…and is on pace for 22.

31. Tennessee Titans (28): Good thing you have all these experienced wideouts when you can't even pass 150 yards a week. Two words: trade and deadline.

32. Cleveland Browns (31): Whatever his football future looks like at this point, injured QB Deshaun Watson will remain financially tied to this franchise for at least two more seasons. But when he plays his last time with the Browns, Watson will almost certainly be remembered for settling 24 lawsuits during his tenure, in addition to the 22 touchdowns he produced.

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Follow USA TODAY Sports' Nate Davis on X, formerly Twitter, @ByNateDavis.

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