The Buccaneers, Vikings fall in the top 10

NFL Power Rankings entering Week 8 of the 2024 season (previous ranks in parentheses):

1. Kansas City Chiefs (1): Patrick Mahomes joins Peyton Manning (2015) as the only quarterbacks in the last 30 years to lead a team to a 6-0 start despite throwing more INTs than TDs. Manning's Broncos won the title that season. On Sunday, the Chiefs return to Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, where they are 5-0 (including their overtime win in Super Bowl 58). Good bet KC, who hadn't lost on the road in seven years in silver and black, went 7-0.

2. Baltimore Ravens (2): Aside from a very effective appearance in Super Bowl 59, they are scheduled to play two more games against NFC opponents this season – notable given QB Lamar Jackson is now 23-1 against the conference with an AFC record .958 winning percentage. NFC was implemented in 1970. With his fifth five-TD passing performance in Tampa on Monday night, Jackson is in a strong push toward his third MVP award.

3. Detroit Lions (4): The early leaders in the NFC for home-field advantage, they may actually be more dangerous on the road — where they're undefeated by an average margin of 15.7 points. But the suspension of WR Jameson Williams certainly won't help the greater cause.

4. Minnesota Vikings (3): They're still spotless on the road — and that's where they're going to live in the near future, with four of their next five away from US Bank Stadium, but only one trip to visit a club (Chicago) of .500 or better.

NFL Stats Central: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

5. Green Bay Packers (7): Drilling the game-winning field goal for just the second time in his 11-season NFL career at Lambeau Field, rookie Brandon McManus could prove to be the ultimate piece of a championship roster.

6. Houston Texans (8): Claims of a sophomore slump are premature, but – coming off his least-productive game as a pro – QB CJ Stroud's numbers are generally low across the board. At least his rough run through the NFC North is almost over.

7. Buffalo Bill (9): They trade for WR Amari Cooper … and naturally, rookie Keon Coleman has Buffalo's first 100-yard receiving day in Sunday's victory.

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

9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6): Monday night started off nicely for the wideout, with Mike Evans catching his 100th TD and actually remembering to keep the ball. It ended with Evans suffering an aggravated hamstring problem that is set to keep him out for the next month and Chris Godwin apparently suffering a (very) late leg injury towards the end of the game.

10. Washington Commander (10): While Sunday's loss to Carolina certainly boosted it, you might be surprised to learn that Washington's +66 point differential leads the league. But maintaining that won't be easy if rookie QB Jaden Daniels doesn't start because of a rib injury.

11. Philadelphia Eagles (11): Among the many things that went well in Saquon Barkley's first visit to the Giants, he clocked 21.93 mph in his 55-yard dash on Sunday – the fastest this year, according to NextGen Stats.

12. Chicago Bears (14): How good has CB Jaylon Johnson been this season? Among defenders targeted at least 20 times, quarterbacks have a league-low 20.8 passer rating against him.

13. Dallas Cowboys (15): There is no place like the road. The 'Boys will play their next two away from their AT&T Stadium House of Horrors – which is a plus. The team is 3-0 outside of Texas and has not allowed more than 17 points in any of those games

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

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

16. Cincinnati Bengals (19): See who got back to around .500 after starting the season 0-3. Interestingly, neither WR Ja'Marr Chase nor Tee Higgins had a 100-yard game this season.

17. San Francisco 49ers (12): With WR Brandon Aiyuk lost to a season-ending ACL injury, it's now clear that this crew will never quite be in “The Last Dance” situation. Depending on which wideouts answer the bell in Week 8 against Dallas, the Niners may be relying on rookies like 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 hawks only have until December to leave their mighty nests.

19. Los Angeles Chargers (17): You can say a lot about Bolts over the years, but rarely that they've been boring. Welp. HC Jim Harbaugh's Big Ten approach likely further lowered this team's already limited ceiling.

All NFL news on and off the field. Sign up for USA TODAY's 4th and Monday newsletter.

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

21. Indianapolis Colts (13): They are 4-3 and move into the wild-card position in the AFC. But Indy just isn't passing the eyeball test with sophomore Anthony Richardson, the league's least-accurate (48.5%) and efficient (60.0 rating) quarterback with at least 100 passes. (Although apparently the NFL likes what it sees, flexing the Colts on a Sunday night date in Minnesota in Week 9.)

22. New York Jets (18): NYJ fans, looking for a scintilla of good news, if the return of LB Hasson Reddick doesn't do it for you? So how about this: In five of the previous six seasons, a team that started 2-5 found its way into the playoffs despite it.

23. Los Angeles Rams (24): WR Cooper Kupp (ankle) is set to play Thursday for the first time since Week 2 But former OC Kevin O'Connell will also return to SoFi Stadium – for the first time since 2021 and with a notably superior Vikes squad.

24. Miami Dolphins (29): How bad has this crime been? Attempt a league-worst 1.04 points per drive. It certainly helps to have QB Tua Tagovailoa back, but – don't forget – the Finns haven't been playing very well when he's been in the lineup.

25. Jacksonville Jaguars (32): You'd think they'd be looking for a bye in Europe after two weeks … but perhaps that's at the same time they're trying to build on their best win of the season and two wins in their last three outings. For London? Trevor Lawrence now has the most career passing yards (1,401) and QB wins there (4), erasing beloved Blake Bortles from that record book.

26. New Orleans Saints (25): What disaster could QB Derek Carr return? The Saints have lost each of their last two games by more than 20 points … matching the number of such Superdome blowouts in former HC Sean Payton's entire tenure. At least RB Alvin Kamara is sticking around after agreeing to an extension.

27. New England Patriots (30): They never stood a chance when rookie QB Drake May tried to recruit British fans to the Pats by arguing: “I think it comes with the team name, New England. I think it's easy for UK fans to gravitate to that. Our color is pretty sweet, They represent different things.” FWIW, Maye studied business administration at UNC, not history. What he is doing on the field is very encouraging.

28. Carolina Panthers (26): They were outscored by 133 points, 57 more than any other team. A key factor is their league-worst 11.5% pressure rate.

29. Las Vegas Raiders (27): Chins up, Raider Nation – You can cheer for soon-to-be newly signed QB Desmond Raider, whose 8-9 NFL record is about as important as you're concerned these days.

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

31. Tennessee Titans (28): Good thing you've got all those veteran wideouts when you can't get over 150 yards per week. Two words: trade and deadline.

32. Cleveland Browns (31): Regardless of his football future at this point, injured QB Deshaun Watson will be tied to the franchise financially for at least two more seasons. But if he plays his last game with the Browns, Watson will almost certainly be remembered for his 24 career sacks, which go along with the 22 TDs he produced.

(This story has been updated to include new information.)

***

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