NFL Rankings: Lions remain at the top, NFC playoff picture narrows between Eagles, Vikings and Packers

We entered Week 7 with two undefeated teams in the NFL, but only one remained undefeated. At the end of week eight, the Kansas City Chiefs are the only team still in first place in the AFC.

The Detroit Lions entered Week 8 on top of the NFC after defeating the previously undefeated Minnesota Vikings. These Vikings started this week with their second straight loss to the Los Angeles Rams, and the Lions easily swept the Titans on Sunday, and Detroit is the only team in the NFC with a single loss. The Washington Commanders hold on to second place one game shy of a game after a miraculous Hail Mary touchdown victory.

The big news in the AFC playoff picture was the Baltimore Ravens' loss to the Cleveland Browns after a missed interception. The Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Chargers both won the AFC. keeping up with the Houston Texans, who also won. The Indianapolis Colts fell to Houston, putting them out of position.

In the NFC, the Philadelphia Eagles continued their winning streak and remained 5-2. The Green Bay Packers overcame Jordan Love's loss to win and remain 6-2. The Atlanta Falcons defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC South and Atlanta (5-3) has a lead over Tampa (4-4). The Arizona Cardinals are quietly playing through and sitting atop the NFC West while the 49ers have yet to play.

We will update this article with the latest information throughout the eighth week. All 32 teams are in action and there are no byes, so things will run very smoothly on Sunday and ultimately into Monday night. Stay tuned.

Note: Only the relevant tiebreakers are listed in the table below.

AFC rankings in Week 8

1. Kansas City Chiefs (7-0)
2. Houston Texans (6-2, win over BUF)
3. Buffalo Bills (6-2, loss to HOU)
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2)
5. Denver Broncos (5-3, 2-2 AFC)
6. Baltimore Ravens (5-3, 2-3 AFC)
7. Los Angeles Chargers (4-3)
8. Indianapolis Colts (4-4)
9.Cincinnati Bengals (3-5)
10. Miami Dolphins (2-5)
11. Cleveland Browns (2-6, 2-2 AFC)
12. Las Vegas Raiders (2-6, 2-4 AFC, .438 winning percentage)
13. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-6, 2-4 AFC, .375 SOV, win over NEP)
14. New England Patriots (2-6, win over NYJ, 2-4 AFC, .313 SOV, loss to JAX)
15. New York Jets (2-6, loss to NE)
16. Tennessee Titans (1-6)

NFC rankings in Week 8

1. Detroit Lions (6-1)
2. Washington Commander (6-2)
3. Atlanta Falcons (5-3)
4. Arizona Cardinals (4-4, 2-0 NFCW)
5. Green Bay Packers (6-2)
6. Minnesota Vikings (5-2, .513 winning percentage)
7. Philadelphia Eagles (5-2, .385 winning percentage)
8. Chicago Bears (4-3)
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-4, 4-2 NFC)
10. San Francisco 49ers (4-4, 1-3 NFCW, 2-3 NFC)
11. Seattle Seahawks (4-4, 0-1 NFCW)
12. Los Angeles Rams (3-4, 2-4 NFC)
13. Dallas Cowboys (3-4, 1-3 NFC)
14. New York Giants (2-5)
15. New Orleans Saints (2-6)
16. Carolina Panthers (1-7)

Takeaway pictures from the Week 8 playoffs

Detroit Lions are the best team in the NFC

Detroit was the odds-on favorite against Tennessee and handled its business with ease, winning 52-14. The Lions will leave Week 8 with the best record in the NFC and are the best team in the conference.

The Atlanta Falcons control the NFC South race

The Falcons defeated the Bucs 31-26 to end the season. They have a one-game lead over Tampa Bay, but in reality it's like a two-game lead thanks to securing the head-to-head tiebreaker.

The Ravens were shocked by the Browns and fell further behind the Chiefs

The Ravens were a clear favorite for Jameis Winston and the Browns, but they suffered a shocking loss in Cleveland. Baltimore falls behind Pittsburgh thanks to the conference record tiebreaker, even if the Steelers lose to the Giants on Monday. Baltimore sits in 6th place in the AFC after losing in a tiebreaker to the Denver Broncos.

The Texans take control of the AFC South with a win over the Colts

Houston barely held off Indianapolis, but managed a 23-20 win. They won both duels between the two teams and secured the direct tiebreaker in the division race. With six losses, the Jaguars and Titans are all but out of the race and the Texans are now comfortably in the lead at 6-2.

The AFC East race appears to be over

The Buffalo Bills won big this week, while the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets both lost. Buffalo has road wins against both the Jets and Dolphins and a 3.5 game lead on the field. With a number of experts picking Miami and New York as the division winners this year, there are plenty of cold views in Western New York that are already freezing before the snow even falls.

All 4 NFC North teams are over .500

No NFL division has ever sent all four teams to the playoffs, although this was only possible a few years ago when the playoffs were expanded to seven teams per conference. The NFC North has four teams over .500 and the Chicago Bears would be in the playoffs if they hadn't allowed the most unlikely Hail Mary in quite some time. Still, the Vikings went from first place in the NFC to sixth place in less than two weeks.

NFL division rankings

AFC East standings

Buffalo Bills, 6-2
Miami Dolphins, 2-5
New England Patriots, 2-6 (H2H via NYJ)
New York Jets, 2-6

AFC North standings

Pittsburgh Steelers, 5-2
Baltimore Ravens, 5-3
Cincinnati Bengals, 3-5
Cleveland Browns, 2-6

AFC South standings

Houston Texans, 6-2
Indianapolis Colts, 4-4
Jacksonville Jaguars, 2-6
Tennessee Titans, 1-6

AFC West standings

Kansas City Chiefs, 7-0
Denver Broncos, 5-3
Los Angeles Chargers, 4-3
Las Vegas Raiders, 2-6

NFC East standings

Washington Commanders, 6-2
Philadelphia Eagles, 5-2
Dallas Cowboys, 3-4
New York Giants, 2-5

NFC North standings

Detroit Lions, 6-1
Green Bay Packers, 6-2
Minnesota Vikings, 5-2
Chicago Bears, 4-3

NFC South standings

Atlanta Falcons, 5-3
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 4-4
New Orleans Saints, 2-6
Carolina Panthers, 1-7

NFC West standings

Arizona Cardinals, 4-4 (+1 head-to-head with SEA/SF)
San Francisco 49ers, 4-4 (+-0 with ARI/SEA)
Seattle Seahawks, 4-4 (-1 head-to-head with ARI/SF)
Los Angeles Rams, 3-4