NFL1000: Ranking the Top 1000 Players from Week 8

The Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles played an overtime thriller Sunday night, and it wasn't Dak Prescott or Carson Wentz who most informed this week's version of the NFL1000. Instead, it was the two left tackles involved—Dallas' Tyron Smith and Philly's Jason Peters—who came out on top in Dallas' 29-23 win. As our offensive tackles scout Duke Manyweather asserts, Smith was dominant against one of the better defensive fronts in the league.

Smith did allow a sack and a handful of pressures, but he just bowled people over in the run game, making the Eagles defenders look like high school kids at times. When Smith is on, there's little question he's the best in the business, and he earned his spot at the top of the NFL1000 list this week. Peters was nearly as good and wound up at the sixth overall spot.

Washington's Trent Williams is right up there with Smith and Peters—he ranked fifth overall this week—but the Redskins will have to attempt their playoff push without him for the next four games, as the NFL suspended Williams on Tuesday for violating the league's policy on substances of abuse. It's Williams's second such suspension in his career—the previous suspension happened in 2011—and backup Ty Nsekhe will have to roll in Williams' place. Make no mistake, this is a big loss.

Better news came for the Carolina Panthers, who had been waiting all season for their front four to put it together. Through most of their 2-5 start to the season, the defending NFC champs have seen different running backs gash their defense, and the team's sack and pressure totals have declined.

But in Carolina's 30-20 win over the Arizona Cardinals, Star Lotulelei and that front four went to town on Carson Palmer and his crew. Lotulelei was particularly great, amassing three sacks, three quarterback hurries and three stops. That performance game him the NFC Defensive Player of the Week award and ranked him second overall on the Week 8 NFL1000 list.

Part of Bleacher Report's NFL1000 player rating methodology that matters is the ability to look at our grades from week to week (as you, dear reader, can) and suss out which patterns are turning into trends and which are flukes in the relatively small sample size of an NFL season.

There are many ways to dissect and learn from what the NFL presents on the field every week, and the NFL1000 goes as deep as any to tell you just what's going on out there.

With a 17-person crew of experienced evaluators, we'll comb through the game tape each week to bring you concise, clear evaluations of every player in the NFL. We'll tell you which rookies are rising and which undrafted players are coming out of nowhere to make an impact. We'll tell you which players are rising and falling in performance and why.

There is no predetermined narrative with these grades. No mysterious "clutch factor." No tweaked-out quarterback ratings that defy explanation. Our grades are based on pure scouting, and lots of it. We grade the key criteria for each position based on a series of attributes and add in a score for positional importance.

In the case of a tie, our scouts ask, "Which player would I want on my team?" and adjust accordingly.

Is it a subjective process? Of course—that's what scouting is, and as we like to say, ties are no fun.

Each player is evaluated and graded by our crack team of scouts, who possess more than 100 combined years of experience in playing, front-office work, coaching and media. Cian Fahey, John Middlekauff, Alex Kirby, Mark Schofield, Duke Manyweather, Ethan Young, Joe Goodberry, Justis Mosqueda, Charles McDonald, Zach Kruse, Derrik Klassen, Jerod Brown, Ian Wharton, Kyle Posey, Mark Bullock, Chuck Zodda and Doug Farrar have watched tape for months to bring you these grades, and we'll be bringing you player grades based on the game action every week.

Here are the NFL1000 player grades for Week 8 of the 2016 NFL season.

All advanced stats are courtesy of Pro Football Focus.

All cornerback statistics obtained through self-charting by Ian Wharton and Kyle Posey.

Methodology

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

The NFL1000 team of scouts was given a series of important attributes to grade for every player in its positional review. Using a grading scale starting at 0 and going up to anywhere from 10 to 40 based on the position and the attribute, our scouts have graded each player based on their own expertise and countless hours of tape review over the years. Our evaluators received specific positional assignments based on their proven fields of expertise. 

• Doug Farrar: Lead scout
• Cian Fahey: Quarterbacks
• John Middlekauff: Running backs/fullbacks
• Alex Kirby: Wide receivers/tight ends
• Mark Schofield: Wide receivers/tight ends
• Duke Manyweather: Offensive tackles
• Ethan Young: Offensive guards/centers
• Joe Goodberry: AFC defensive ends
• Justis Mosqueda: NFC defensive ends
• Charles McDonald: Defensive tackles
• Zach Kruse: 3-4 outside linebackers
• Derrik Klassen: 4-3 outside linebackers
• Jerod Brown: Inside linebackers
• Kyle Posey: Cornerbacks
• Ian Wharton: Cornerbacks
• Mark Bullock: Safeties
• Chuck Zodda: Special teams

We observe and grade every NFL player with snaps in offensive and defensive roles based on a multitiered process that marks specific attributes per position. As we're combing through All-22 footage to assess each performance, there are additional factors we consider.

We adjust for opponent based on the obvious notion that the cornerback we're grading is doing a better job if he's shutting down Antonio Brown than if he's negating the efforts of a seventh-round rookie receiver.

We'll also adjust for players with multiple responsibilities in the course of a game and over the course of time. Think of guys such as J.J. Watt and Michael Bennett on the defensive line—how they seamlessly switch from gap to gap. Or how cornerbacks such as Chris Harris Jr. and Tyrann Mathieu dominate outside and in the slot. Or how receivers such as Doug Baldwin and Larry Fitzgerald bedevil those cornerbacks from multiple field positions.

That's more important than ever in today's NFL, and we pay attention to it.

We will not adjust for injuries. If a player is underperforming because of an injury, that's part of his performance, fair or unfair, and we'll grade him accordingly.

Grading any player is a subjective process, but with a series of attributes per position and a specific direction as to what to grade and how, we'll make it as definitive as possible.

Top 50 Overall from Week 8

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Injuries have affected the NFL career of San Diego Chargers linebacker Melvin Ingram to a degree, which delayed the process I expected to see when he came out of South Carolina in the 2012 draft. Back then, he was the best defensive player in his class, capable of generating pressure from any gap. Now, fully healthy and with a fellow first-round line partner in Joey Bosa, Ingram has become that kind of player again.

Defensive coordinator John Pagano uses him as an edge weapon more often, but he'll have stretches of games where he is just about unblockable. His game Sunday against the Denver Broncos, in which he had a sack, two quarterback hits and three quarterback hurries, was one of his best—and puts him third in this week's NFL1000.

Khalil Mack, another AFC West pass-rusher, hasn't always played his best football this season, but he was as good as advertised against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with 11(!) total pressures.

One of the reasons the Chicago Bears were able to upset the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night was the play of linebacker Jerrell Freeman and multigap pass-rusher Pernell McPhee. The 2-6 Bears might be on the wrong side of the playoffs this season, but defensive coordinator Vic Fangio can still get things done when he has the horses. It's starting to look better in the Windy City from that standpoint.

Here, without further ado, is the top 50 for Week 8's NFL1000.

Top 50 Overall from Week 8

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team	NFL1000 Score	LW	Moving
1	Tyron Smith	LT	DAL	87	NR	↑
2	Star Lotulelei	DT	CAR	86	NR	↑
3	Melvin Ingram	3-4 OLB	SD	85	24	↑
4	Khalil Mack	4-3 DE	OAK	84	166	↑
5	Trent Williams	LT	WAS	84	7	↑
6	Jason Peters	LT	PHI	83	22	↑
7	Jerrell Freeman	ILB	CHI	82	41	↑
8	Aaron Rodgers	QB	GB	82	2	↓
9	David Bakhtiari	LT	GB	82	42	↑
10	Bradley Roby	CB	DEN	81	576	↑
11	Pernell McPhee	3-4 OLB	CHI	81	854	↑
12	Joe Thomas	LT	CLE	81	11	↓
13	Von Miller	3-4 OLB	DEN	80	169	↑
14	Bobby Wagner	ILB	SEA	80	10	↓
15	Wil Lutz	K	NO	80	470	↑
16	Jonathan Stewart	RB	CAR	79	NR	↑
17	Derek Carr	QB	OAK	79	472	↑
18	Darian Stewart	FS	DEN	79	35	↑
19	Tyler Eifert	TE	CIN	79	602	↑
20	Michael Crabtree	WR	OAK	79	193	↑
21	Bryan Bulaga	RT	GB	79	75	↑
22	Shawn Williams	SS	CIN	79	267	↑
23	Todd Davis	ILB	DEN	79	309	↑
24	Ezekiel Elliott	RB	DAL	79	NR	↑
25	Marcus Mariota	QB	TEN	79	637	↑
26	Calvin Pryor	SS	NYJ	79	268	↑
27	DeMarco Murray	RB	TEN	79	72	↑
28	Luke Kuechly	ILB	CAR	79	NR	↑
29	Graham Gano	K	CAR	79	NR	↑
30	Cordy Glenn	LT	BUF	79	57	↑
31	Adrian Phillips	SS	SD	79	689	↑
32	Kareem Jackson	CB	HOU	79	899	↑
33	Devin McCourty	FS	NE	79	65	↑
34	Brian Cushing	ILB	HOU	79	365	↑
35	Pat McAfee	P	IND	79	426	↑
36	Zach Strief	RT	NO	78	58	↑
37	Tom Brady	QB	NE	78	54	↑
38	Marcus Gilchrist	FS	NYJ	78	85	↑
39	Tony Jefferson	SS	ARI	78	12	↓
40	A.J. Green	WR	CIN	78	149	↑
41	Matt Ryan	QB	ATL	78	276	↑
42	Geno Atkins	DT	CIN	78	302	↑
43	Taylor Lewan	LT	TEN	78	18	↓
44	T.J. Ward	SS	DEN	78	36	↓
45	Stephen Gostkowski	K	NE	78	944	↑
46	Whitney Mercilus	3-4 OLB	HOU	78	305	↑
47	Su'a Cravens	ILB	WAS	78	172	↑
48	Brandon Brooks	OG	PHI	77	203	↑
49	Calais Campbell	3-4 DE	ARI	77	77	↑
50	Cam Newton	QB	CAR	77	NR	↑

Quarterbacks

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

The obvious question this week is, how did Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers rank above Oakland Raiders signal-caller Derek Carr?

Carr had a historic outing against the Buccaneers, becoming the third quarterback in league history to have 500 passing yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions in a contest. His No. 2 overall ranking this week shows he played well, so receive the following criticisms through that prism.

Carr missed too many downfield throws to open receivers and was responsible for his fumble early in the game when he was oblivious to the arriving hit in the pocket. In the fourth quarter, before throwing his game-tying touchdown, Carr missed Michael Crabtree for a long touchdown opportunity and threw a pass Brent Grimes would have intercepted if Crabtree hadn't interfered with the cornerback just before the ball arrived. Officials didn't flag Crabtree on the play, but his interference was obvious.

Carr's historic production was the result of a good performance combined with defensive backs who couldn't cover his receivers and his outrageous 59 pass attempts.

Rodgers had a statistically significant outing also. He threw four touchdowns and completed over 70 percent of his passes against the Atlanta Falcons. The Packers signal-caller pipped ahead of Carr because he didn't fumble and didn't have any passes that should have been intercepted. He also showed more consistency with his ball placement on downfield throws.

Matt Ryan had another strong outing playing across from Rodgers. He and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan are in sync, which the game-winning touchdown throw to Mohamed Sanu highlighted. Shanahan called a Cover 2 beater that worked perfectly, and Ryan executed it on time with a precise pass the defense had no chance of deflecting.

Tampa Bay's Jameis Winston, who played against Carr's Oakland Raiders, had a game that has become too typical for him. The Bucs quarterback did most things at a high level. That wasn't noticable unless you were watching closely, though, because his accuracy, like during his rookie year, sabotaged the rest of his performance. In this game, he repeatedly missed Mike Evans when he was comfortably open downfield. Evans (6'5") is a huge receiver with the athleticism to move at high speed and the skills to adjust to the ball in the air. Winston shouldn't be missing him as often as he is.

Speaking of missing receivers, Jacksonville's Blake Bortles had a disastrous display against the Tennessee Titans on Thursday night, and the Jaguars fired Greg Olson as their offensive coordinator Saturday. It's hard to see how a coaching change will make a difference when Bortles has trouble throwing the ball to open receivers or reading simple coverages. He's a disaster at this stage of his career.

Only Andy Dalton outdid Bortles. The Cincinnati Bengals quarterback was lucky not to throw six interceptions against Washington in London. He repeatedly missed big plays when A.J. Green was open deep, and he was fortunate Josh Norman dropped three interceptions. Had the Bengals even gotten average play from the position, they would have been comfortable victors. Instead, they settled for a tie.

Grading Scale

Acc: Accuracy (Graded out of 25)

Arm: Arm Strength (Graded out of 25)

Press: Pressure/run threat (Graded out of 20) (Pressure weighted at 15, run threat at 5)

Dec: Decision-Making (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Quarterback Rankings Week 8

Rank	Player	Team	Acc	Arm	Press	Dec	Pos	Ovr
1	Aaron Rodgers	GB	20	21	16	15	10	82
2	Derek Carr	OAK	18	23	14	14	10	79
3	Marcus Mariota	TEN	18	21	15	15	10	79
4	Tom Brady	NE	20	20	15	13	10	78
5	Matt Ryan	ATL	20	18	15	15	10	78
6	Cam Newton	CAR	15	24	16	12	10	77
7	Drew Brees	NO	18	20	14	14	10	76
8	Carson Palmer	ARI	16	21	13	15	10	75
9	Andrew Luck	IND	15	22	14	12	10	73
10	Jay Cutler	CHI	16	22	13	12	10	73
11	Kirk Cousins	WAS	15	18	14	13	10	70
12	Nick Foles	KC	16	16	13	15	10	70
13	Tyrod Taylor	BUF	14	20	14	12	10	70
14	Jameis Winston	TB	10	18	15	15	10	68
15	Philip Rivers	SD	14	18	14	12	10	68
16	Sam Bradford	MIN	15	19	11	13	10	68
17	Alex Smith	KC	15	18	12	12	10	67
18	Russell Wilson	SEA	15	18	10	13	10	66
19	Carson Wentz	PHI	15	17	12	11	10	65
20	Dak Prescott	DAL	13	18	14	10	10	65
21	Trevor Siemian	DEN	15	18	13	9	10	65
22	Matthew Stafford	DET	14	19	12	10	10	65
23	EJ Manuel	BUF	16	18	10	10	10	64
24	Brock Osweiler	HOU	14	17	12	11	10	64
25	Ryan Fitzpatrick	NYJ	13	17	11	11	10	62
26	Josh McCown	CLE	13	17	10	11	10	61
27	Blake Bortles	JAX	10	16	9	9	10	54
28	Andy Dalton	CIN	10	16	9	8	10	53

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Case Keenum—bye
• Ryan Tannehill—bye
• Eli Manning—bye
• Ben Roethlisberger—bye
• Colin Kaepernick—bye
• Joe Flacco—bye

Running Backs

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

From a production standpoint, it was not a great week for NFL running backs. Some of the top players had bye weeks (Le'Veon Bell and Todd Gurley), while others continued to miss time with serious injuries. The Kansas City Chiefs announced they placed Jamaal Charles on injured reserved for the second straight year, and it looks like his career might be in serious jeopardy. Also, Arian Foster retired as arguably one of the greatest undrafted free-agent running backs ever.

One of my highest-graded players this season, David Johnson, had a tough time getting anything going on the ground against the Panthers. He finished with 24 yards on 10 carries. He was able to continue his dominance in the passing game, however, adding 84 yards on seven catches. The Panthers welcomed back star running back Jonathan Stewart, who helped get the offense rolling with two touchdowns.

DeMarco Murray might have all but wrapped up the 2016 Comeback Player of the Year Award against the Jaguars on Thursday Night Football. He was excellent both inside and outside the tackles while showing he might be the most physical back in the league and finished with 123 yards rushing and a touchdown. He also might be the best trade acquisition for any general manager in the offseason; no team got more for less in a deal this season.

Melvin Gordon was really good against the Denver Broncos, rushing for 111 yards. He may never live up to being a high first-round pick, but he is becoming a consistent player.

Philly's Darren Sproles turned back the clock against the Cowboys, while the Detroit Lions' Theo Riddick returned from injury with a bang against the Houston Texans. Even though both runners are smaller at 5'6" and 5'9", respectively, they showed Sunday they pack a punch on contact and are two complete football players.

Spencer Ware's concussion was the biggest injury news of the weekend. The Chiefs catch a break because they face the 2-5 Jaguars in Kansas City.

Grading Scale

In: Inside Running (Graded out of 25)

Out: Outside Running (Graded out of 25)

Rec: Receiving (Graded out of 20)

Blk: Blocking (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Running Back Rankings Week 8

Rank	Player	Team	In	Out	Rec	Blk	Pos	Ovr
1	Jonathan Stewart	CAR	20	18	17	18	6	79
2	Ezekiel Elliott	DAL	19	18	18	18	6	79
3	DeMarco Murray	TEN	21	19	16	17	6	79
4	Jordan Howard	CHI	19	17	18	17	6	77
5	Derrick Henry	TEN	19	16	18	16	6	75
6	David Johnson	ARI	17	17	19	16	6	75
7	Darren Sproles	PHI	19	17	17	16	6	75
8	Theo Riddick	DET	17	18	18	16	6	75
9	Melvin Gordon	SD	18	18	17	16	6	75
10	Duke Johnson Jr.	CLE	17	17	18	16	6	74
11	Latavius Murray	OAK	17	17	17	16	6	73
12	Giovani Bernard	CIN	18	17	16	16	6	73
13	Tim Hightower	NO	17	17	16	16	6	72
14	Alfred Blue	HOU	19	16	15	16	6	72
15	Devontae Booker	DEN	18	16	16	16	6	72
16	Devonta Freeman	ATL	17	15	17	16	6	71
17	C.J. Prosise	SEA	15	17	18	15	6	71
18	Bilal Powell	NYJ	18	17	15	15	6	71
19	Jeremy Hill	CIN	18	16	15	16	6	71
20	Spencer Ware	KC	17	15	16	16	6	70
21	Robert Kelly	WAS	17	16	15	16	6	70
22	Mike Gillislee	BUF	17	14	17	16	6	70
23	Matt Forte	NYJ	17	15	16	16	6	70
24	James White	NE	15	16	17	16	6	70
25	Jalen Richard	OAK	18	16	15	15	6	70
26	Frank Gore	IND	16	14	17	17	6	70
27	Christine Michael	SEA	17	16	15	16	6	70
28	Charcandrick West	KC	16	17	16	15	6	70
29	LeGarrette Blount	NE	17	15	15	16	6	69
30	DeAndre Washington	OAK	18	15	15	15	6	69
31	Lamar Miller	HOU	15	17	15	16	6	69
32	T.J. Yeldon	JAX	17	14	15	16	6	68
33	Ryan Mathews	PHI	16	15	15	16	6	68
34	Chris Thompson	WAS	15	16	16	15	6	68
35	Terron Ward	ATL	15	16	16	14	6	67
36	Reggie Bush	BUF	14	15	16	16	6	67
37	Isaiah Crowell	CLE	15	14	16	16	6	67
38	Daniel Lasco	NO	16	14	15	16	6	67
39	Matt Asiata	MIN	15	14	16	16	6	67
40	Mark Ingram	NO	15	14	15	16	6	66
41	Alfred Morris	DAL	17	14	14	15	6	66
42	Zach Zenner	DET	17	14	14	15	6	66
43	Travaris Cadet	NO	14	14	16	15	6	65
44	Robert Turbin	IND	14	14	16	15	6	65
45	Jacquizz Rodgers	TB	16	14	15	14	6	65
46	Fozzy Whittaker	CAR	13	16	15	15	6	65
47	Knile Davis	GB	15	14	15	14	6	64
48	Kenjon Barner	PHI	14	15	15	14	6	64
49	Chris Ivory	JAX	14	13	15	16	6	64
50	Andre Ellington	ARI	14	13	16	15	6	64
51	Jonathan Grimes	HOU	16	13	14	15	6	64
52	Don Jackson	GB	13	14	14	14	6	61

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Doug Martin—injury
• Jamaal Charles—injury
• Eddie Lacy—injury
• Adrian Peterson—injury
• LeSean McCoy—injury
• Ty Montgomery—inactive
• Le'Veon Bell—bye
• Carlos Hyde—bye
• Jay Ajayi—bye
• Todd Gurley—bye

Fullbacks

Rob Foldy/Getty Images

The best fullback in the league, Baltimore's Kyle Juszczyk, had a bye, but the position still had a solid Week 8.

Oakland's Jamize Olawale continues to be one of the more underrated players in the NFL. He was solid against Tampa and allowed the Raiders to be physical and versatile on offense. The franchise has one of the better running games in the league because its fullback can do it all.

Aaron Ripkowski was huge for the Packers since they were missing so many running backs with injuries Sunday. He had a career-high six carries and played well against the Falcons as a lead blocker.

Mike Tolbert had his best game of the season, as the return of Jonathan Stewart greatly aided him. Houston's Jay Prosch dominated the Lions as a lead blocker and has established himself as one of the more physical players in the league.

Grading Scale

Blk: Blocking (Graded out of 50)

Run: Running (Graded out of 25)

Rec: Receiving (Graded out of 15)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Fullback Rankings Week 8

Rank	Player	Team	Blk	Run	Rec	Pos	Ovr
1	Jamize Olawale	OAK	45	17	10	4	76
2	Aaron Ripkowski	GB	44	18	10	4	76
3	Derek Watt	SD	44	16	11	4	75
4	Mike Tolbert	CAR	44	15	10	4	73
5	Jay Prosch	HOU	45	15	9	4	73
6	Andy Janovich	DEN	45	15	9	4	73
7	Keith Smith	DAL	43	16	9	4	72
8	John Kuhn	NO	43	16	9	4	72
9	Patrick DiMarco	ATL	43	15	9	4	71
10	James Develin	NE	44	15	8	4	71
11	Jalston Fowler	TEN	44	15	8	4	71
12	Anthony Sherman	KC	44	15	8	4	71
13	Jerome Felton	BUF	42	14	10	4	70
14	Will Tukuafu	SEA	43	14	8	4	69
15	Michael Burton	DET	43	14	8	4	69

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Zach Line—insufficient snaps
• Kyle Juszczyk—bye

Wide Receivers

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

Dez Bryant made his return to the Cowboys lineup Sunday night and provided an instant boost to the offense, catching four passes for 113 yards and a pivotal touchdown. He was effective on vertical routes and particularly on back-shoulder throws.

In a big matchup between the Packers and Falcons, Mohamed Sanu played a starring role for the victors. The Atlanta wideout was impressive throughout the game and pivotal on the game-winning drive.

In London, Jamison Crowder had a big day for Washington. He ran solid routes all game long and showed good skill after the catch.

Meanwhile, in the AFC, A.J. Green faced off against Josh Norman and came away with nine catches for 121 yards. Had it not been for a few errant passes from Dalton, the total could've been much higher.

In another overtime game Sunday, Michael Crabtree came up big down the stretch for Oakland. He had eight catches for 108 yards and was a big part of Derek Carr's record-setting day. Teammate Amari Cooper had a bigger statistical day with 12 catches for 173 yards, but he dropped a wide-open pass down the sideline at the end of regulation that would've set up Oakland for a chip-shot field goal that likely would've saved the team from playing an extra quarter of football.

Grading Scale

Route: Route Running (Graded out of 25)

Hands: Hands (Graded out of 25)

YAC: Yards After Catch (Graded out of 20)

Blk: Blocking (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Wide Receiver Rankings Week 8

Rank	Player	Team	Route	Hands	YAC	Blk	Pos	Ovr
1	Michael Crabtree	OAK	23	23	14	10	9	79
2	A.J. Green	CIN	24	22	13	10	9	78
3	Dez Bryant	DAL	21	21	13	12	9	76
4	Amari Cooper	OAK	21	19	15	11	9	75
5	Mohamed Sanu	ATL	19	20	14	13	9	75
6	Terrelle Pryor Sr.	CLE	22	20	13	11	9	75
7	Julian Edelman	NE	21	20	15	10	9	75
8	Jamison Crowder	WAS	20	20	14	12	9	75
9	J.J. Nelson	ARI	19	19	14	12	9	73
10	Larry Fitzgerald	ARI	18	19	14	13	9	73
11	Alshon Jeffery	CHI	18	20	13	13	9	73
12	Demaryius Thomas	DEN	21	20	12	11	9	73
13	Seth Roberts	OAK	19	18	13	14	9	73
14	Jordy Nelson	GB	18	20	13	12	9	72
15	DeAndre Hopkins	HOU	21	19	12	11	9	72
16	Jeremy Maclin	KC	17	17	16	13	9	72
17	Brandon Marshall	NYJ	22	19	12	10	9	72
18	Quincy Enunwa	NYJ	21	18	12	12	9	72
19	Andrew Hawkins	CLE	20	20	12	10	9	71
20	Emmanuel Sanders	DEN	20	20	11	11	9	71
21	Danny Amendola	NE	18	19	13	12	9	71
22	Rishard Matthews	TEN	18	20	11	13	9	71
23	Pierre Garcon	WAS	19	18	13	12	9	71
24	T.Y. Hilton	IND	19	18	14	10	9	70
25	Stefon Diggs	MIN	18	19	12	12	9	70
26	Michael Thomas	NO	19	18	12	12	9	70
27	John Brown	ARI	17	19	12	12	9	69
28	Kelvin Benjamin	CAR	17	18	13	12	9	69
29	Travis Benjamin	SD	20	18	12	10	9	69
30	Robert Woods	BUF	19	17	12	11	9	68
31	Tyler Boyd	CIN	19	17	12	11	9	68
32	Golden Tate	DET	18	17	13	11	9	68
33	Will Fuller V	HOU	19	18	11	11	9	68
34	Donte Moncrief	IND	19	19	11	10	9	68
35	Chris Hogan	NE	18	17	12	12	9	68
36	Willie Snead	NO	18	17	12	12	9	68
37	Dontrelle Inman	SD	19	18	12	10	9	68
38	Julio Jones	ATL	18	16	12	12	9	67
39	Brandon LaFell	CIN	18	16	11	13	9	67
40	Cole Beasley	DAL	18	17	12	11	9	67
41	Marvin Jones	DET	17	17	12	12	9	67
42	Davante Adams	GB	17	17	13	11	9	67
43	Allen Hurns	JAX	18	17	13	10	9	67
44	Tyreek Hill	KC	17	17	14	10	9	67
45	Adam Thielen	MIN	16	17	13	12	9	67
46	Taylor Gabriel	ATL	16	18	11	12	9	66
47	Jeff Janis	GB	17	17	12	11	9	66
48	Doug Baldwin	SEA	17	16	12	12	9	66
49	Mike Evans	TB	18	16	12	11	9	66
50	Tajae Sharpe	TEN	17	17	13	10	9	66
51	DeSean Jackson	WAS	17	17	12	11	9	66
52	Justin Hunter	BUF	21	15	11	9	9	65
53	Ted Ginn Jr.	CAR	16	17	12	11	9	65
54	Trevor Davis	GB	16	17	11	12	9	65
55	Phillip Dorsett	IND	16	18	12	10	9	65
56	Marqise Lee	JAX	17	16	13	10	9	65
57	Chris Conley	KC	16	16	12	12	9	65
58	Brandin Cooks	NO	17	16	12	11	9	65
59	Brandon Coleman	NO	16	16	12	12	9	65
60	Jordan Matthews	PHI	16	16	12	12	9	65
61	Tyrell Williams	SD	19	16	11	10	9	65
62	Adam Humphries	TB	16	16	13	11	9	65
63	Cameron Meredith	CHI	16	15	12	12	9	64
64	Ricardo Louis	CLE	18	16	11	10	9	64
65	Terrance Williams	DAL	16	16	12	11	9	64
66	Jordan Norwood	DEN	17	15	11	12	9	64
67	Anquan Boldin	DET	16	15	11	13	9	64
68	Geronimo Allison	GB	16	16	12	11	9	64
69	Allen Robinson	JAX	17	16	12	10	9	64
70	Cordarrelle Patterson	MIN	16	16	12	11	9	64
71	Jermaine Kearse	SEA	17	16	11	11	9	64
72	Russell Shepard	TB	15	17	11	12	9	64
73	Kendall Wright	TEN	16	17	12	10	9	64
74	Ryan Grant	WAS	16	16	12	11	9	64
75	Brittan Golden	ARI	16	16	11	11	9	63
76	Devin Funchess	CAR	16	16	11	11	9	63
77	Philly Brown	CAR	15	15	12	12	9	63
78	Robby Anderson	NYJ	17	16	11	10	9	63
79	Nelson Agholor	PHI	15	15	12	12	9	63
80	Josh Huff	PHI	15	15	13	11	9	63
81	Justin Hardy	ATL	16	14	11	12	9	62
82	Brandon Tate	BUF	16	15	12	10	9	62
83	Josh Bellamy	CHI	16	15	11	11	9	62
84	Rashard Higgins	CLE	15	17	11	10	9	62
85	Brice Butler	DAL	15	15	11	12	9	62
86	Braxton Miller	HOU	15	16	12	10	9	62
87	Dorial Green-Beckham	PHI	15	15	11	12	9	62
88	Tyler Lockett	SEA	16	15	11	11	9	62
89	Deonte Thompson	CHI	15	15	11	11	9	61
90	Lucky Whitehead	DAL	14	14	11	13	9	61
91	Jordan Taylor	DEN	16	14	11	11	9	61
92	Cody Latimer	DEN	15	15	11	11	9	61
93	Jaelen Strong	HOU	14	16	10	12	9	61
94	Andre Holmes	OAK	14	15	12	11	9	61
95	Johnny Holton	OAK	13	13	13	13	9	61
96	Paul Richardson	SEA	15	15	11	11	9	61
97	Cecil Shorts	TB	16	14	11	11	9	61
98	Michael Floyd	ARI	15	14	11	11	9	60
99	Jordan Payton	CLE	15	15	10	11	9	60
100	Charone Peake	NYJ	15	15	11	10	9	60
101	Andre Johnson	TEN	14	16	10	11	9	60
102	Aldrick Robinson	ATL	14	14	11	11	9	59
103	Andre Roberts	DET	14	14	11	11	9	59
104	Bryan Walters	JAX	15	14	11	10	9	59
105	Charles Johnson	MIN	14	14	11	11	9	59
106	Maurice Harris	WAS	14	14	11	11	9	59
107	Bennie Fowler	DEN	15	13	11	10	9	58
108	Arrelious Benn	JAX	13	14	12	10	9	58
109	Albert Wilson	KC	14	13	11	11	9	58
110	Freddie Martino	TB	14	14	11	10	9	58
111	Walt Powell	BUF	15	14	10	9	9	57
112	De'Anthony Thomas	KC	14	13	11	10	9	57
113	Matthew Slater	NE	13	13	11	10	9	56
114	James Wright	CIN	13	13	10	10	9	55
115	Devin Street	IND	15	11	10	10	9	55

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Jaron Brown—injury
• Eddie Royal—injury
• Kevin White—injury
• Randall Cobb—injury
• Vincent Jackson—injury
• Josh Doctson—injury
• Tavon Austin—bye
• Kenny Britt—bye
• Brian Quick—bye
• Odell Beckham Jr.—bye
• Sterling Shepard—bye
• Victor Cruz—bye
• Torrey Smith—bye
• Jeremy Kerley—bye
• Quinton Patton—bye

Tight Ends

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Eric Ebron returned to the lineup for Detroit, and while the Lions fell to the Texans, Ebron was impressive. He caught seven passes for 79 yards and made an impact as a blocker. Elsewhere, other big names fell back a bit, including Dallas' Jason Witten and Carolina's Greg Olsen. Witten caught the game-winning touchdown in overtime, but he only had two catches for 16 yards.

It was a great day for the tight end position in the AFC, as Travis Kelce came up big for coach Andy Reid and the Chiefs in Indianapolis on a day when quarterback Alex Smith was out for much of the game. Kelce, who finished with 101 yards receiving and a touchdown, terrorized the Colts secondary all game long, and it had no answer for him.

New England's Rob Gronkowski and Martellus Bennett continued their reign of terror as the best tight end duo in the game, this time on the road against head coach Rex Ryan’s Buffalo Bills. They picked apart the secondary with seam routes and on back-shoulder throws down the sideline.

Finally, after bringing in nine catches for 102 yards and a touchdown, Cincinnati's Tyler Eifert looks like he never missed a single rep in practice. Though the game ended in a tie, Eifert's return to the lineup made the Bengals look like a brand-new offense. Through some crisp, creative route running, he’s already put opponents on notice that he’s just as dangerous as he’s always been.

Grading Scale

Route: Route Running (Graded out of 20)

Hands: Hands (Graded out of 25)

YAC: Yards After Catch (Graded out of 20)

Blk: Blocking (Graded out of 25)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Tight End Rankings Week 8

Rank	Player	Team	Route	Hands	YAC	Blk	Pos	Ovr
1	Tyler Eifert	CIN	18	23	14	18	6	79
2	Travis Kelce	KC	18	21	14	16	6	75
3	Rob Gronkowski	NE	18	20	13	18	6	75
4	Martellus Bennett	NE	16	19	15	19	6	75
5	Jordan Reed	WAS	16	20	16	16	6	74
6	C.J. Fiedorowicz	HOU	16	19	12	19	6	72
7	Antonio Gates	SD	17	20	12	17	6	72
8	Vernon Davis	WAS	15	18	14	19	6	72
9	Charles Clay	BUF	17	16	10	22	6	71
10	Eric Ebron	DET	16	19	13	17	6	71
11	Ryan Griffin	HOU	16	19	12	18	6	71
12	Clive Walford	OAK	16	17	13	19	6	71
13	Virgil Green	DEN	15	18	12	19	6	70
14	Zach Miller	CHI	15	18	12	18	6	69
15	Delanie Walker	TEN	16	18	12	17	6	69
16	Cameron Brate	TB	14	18	12	18	6	68
17	Gary Barnidge	CLE	14	18	11	18	6	67
18	Jimmy Graham	SEA	14	17	12	18	6	67
19	Kyle Rudolph	MIN	13	15	13	19	6	66
20	Austin Hooper	ATL	14	16	12	17	6	65
21	Zach Ertz	PHI	14	18	11	16	6	65
22	Hunter Henry	SD	14	17	11	17	6	65
23	Anthony Fasano	TEN	11	14	11	23	6	65
24	Julius Thomas	JAX	15	18	11	14	6	64
25	Tyler Kroft	CIN	12	16	10	19	6	63
26	Geoff Swaim	DAL	13	16	12	16	6	63
27	Stephen Anderson	HOU	13	16	12	16	6	63
28	Phillip Supernaw	TEN	13	14	11	19	6	63
29	Greg Olsen	CAR	14	14	12	16	6	62
30	Ryan Hewitt	CIN	12	14	10	20	6	62
31	Jason Witten	DAL	13	15	11	17	6	62
32	Coby Fleener	NO	13	15	12	16	6	62
33	Kellen Davis	NYJ	12	14	11	19	6	62
34	Brandon Bostick	NYJ	12	15	11	18	6	62
35	Mychal Rivera	OAK	13	17	11	15	6	62
36	Nick O'Leary	BUF	12	13	10	20	6	61
37	Seth DeValve	CLE	12	14	10	19	6	61
38	Jermaine Gresham	ARI	13	15	12	15	6	61
39	Jack Doyle	IND	12	14	11	18	6	61
40	Logan Paulsen	CHI	12	15	11	16	6	60
41	Marcedes Lewis	JAX	12	15	10	17	6	60
42	Demetrius Harris	KC	14	15	10	15	6	60
43	Sean McGrath	SD	11	13	11	19	6	60
44	Nick Vannett	SEA	12	15	11	16	6	60
45	Ben Braunecker	CHI	12	15	11	15	6	59
46	Randall Telfer	CLE	12	14	10	17	6	59
47	John Phillips	DEN	11	14	11	17	6	59
48	Richard Rodgers	GB	12	14	11	16	6	59
49	Erik Swoopes	IND	12	15	11	15	6	59
50	Rhett Ellison	MIN	11	14	11	17	6	59
51	Brent Celek	PHI	12	14	11	16	6	59
52	Levine Toilolo	ATL	11	14	11	16	6	58
53	Josh Hill	NO	14	15	11	12	6	58
54	Trey Burton	PHI	12	14	11	15	6	58
55	Ifeanyi Momah	ARI	11	14	11	16	6	58
56	Brandon Williams	SEA	11	14	11	16	6	58
57	Luke Stocker	TB	11	14	11	16	6	58
58	Ed Dickson	CAR	11	14	11	15	6	57
59	Khari Lee	DET	11	14	11	15	6	57
60	Justin Perillo	GB	11	14	11	15	6	57
61	Brandon Myers	TB	11	14	11	15	6	57
62	Niles Paul	WAS	11	14	11	15	6	57
63	Jeff Heuerman	DEN	10	13	10	16	6	55
64	James O'Shaughnessy	KC	10	13	10	15	6	54
65	Ben Koyack	JAX	10	13	10	13	6	52

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Jacob Tamme—insufficient snaps
• Troy Niklas—injury
• Jared Cook—injury
• Luke Willson—injury
• Lance Kendricks—bye
• Larry Donnell—bye
• Will Tye—bye
• Vance MacDonald—bye
• Garrett Celek—bye
• Jordan Cameron—bye
• Dion Sims—bye
• Jesse James—bye
• Dennis Pitta—bye
• Crockett Gillmore—bye
• Maxx Williams—bye

Left Tackles

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

As discussed earlier, Tyron Smith was the top performer at left tackle in Week 8. The Cowboys' All-Pro was solid from the opening snap against the Eagles on Sunday Night Football but surrendered a sack to Marcus Smith on the first drive, which seemed to ignite a fire in the Pro Bowler. Smith was dominant in both pass protection and in the running game, and he finished many plays with knockdowns. 

Trent Williams earned the top spot in Week 7 and saw his ranking slip one spot. Last week, we mentioned Washington's All-Pro tackle had been on a tear all season—and that theme held true Sunday. Ironically, it was not clear until late in the week whether Williams would be available to play because of a knee injury he suffered on the second-to-last play of Week 7's game versus the Detroit Lions.

Much to the chagrin of the Redskins, the NFL announced Tuesday that Williams would be suspended the next four games for violating the league's policy on substance abuse. He will be eligible to return to competition in Week 14 versus the Eagles.

Keeping with the theme of NFC East left tackles, Philadelphia's Jason Peters grabbed the third slot in our rankings. He played a tremendous game versus the Cowboys and continues to display the freaky physical traits that have taken him from being an undrafted free agent out of Arkansas to becoming one of the elite offensive linemen in all of football.

David Bakhtiari of the Green Bay Packers also turned in another solid performance versus the Atlanta Falcons. He is becoming one of my favorite offensive tackles to study, specifically in terms of his pass-protection mastery.

Grading Scale

Pass: Pass Protection (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Blocking (Graded out of 25)

Power: Power (Graded out of 20)

Agl: Agility (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Left Tackle Rankings Week 8

Rank	Player	Team	Pass	Run	Power	Agl	Pos	Ovr
1	Tyron Smith	DAL	20	23	18	18	8	87
2	Trent Williams	WAS	20	18	19	19	8	84
3	Jason Peters	PHI	19	19	20	17	8	83
4	David Bakhtiari	GB	20	18	16	20	8	82
5	Joe Thomas	CLE	21	17	15	20	8	81
6	Cordy Glenn	BUF	19	20	17	15	8	79
7	Taylor Lewan	TEN	19	19	16	16	8	78
8	Jake Matthews	ATL	19	18	16	16	8	77
9	Andrew Whitworth	CIN	19	19	15	15	8	76
10	Donald Penn	OAK	19	18	16	15	8	76
11	Taylor Decker	DET	18	18	16	15	8	75
12	Duane Brown	HOU	18	18	16	15	8	75
13	Eric Fisher	KC	17	18	15	16	8	74
14	Jared Veldheer	ARI	18	18	14	15	8	73
15	Mike Remmers	CAR	18	18	16	13	8	73
16	Terron Armstead	NO	19	16	15	14	8	72
17	Russell Okung	DEN	17	16	15	16	8	72
18	Kelvin Beachum	JAX	16	18	14	15	8	71
19	King Dunlap	SD	17	18	14	13	8	70
20	Donovan Smith	TB	16	17	15	14	8	70
21	Charles Leno Jr.	CHI	16	16	15	14	8	69
22	John Wetzel	ARI	17	15	15	14	8	69
23	Ryan Clady	NYJ	16	17	14	14	8	69
24	Nate Solder	NE	14	17	14	15	8	68
25	Jake Long	MIN	15	15	15	14	8	67
26	Anthony Castonzo	IND	14	17	13	14	8	66
27	Chris Hairston	SD	16	17	12	12	8	65
28	George Fant	SEA	16	16	12	13	8	65

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Luke Joeckel—injury
• Matt Kalil—injury
• Bradley Sowell—injury
• Michael Oher—injury
• Branden Albert—bye
• Greg Robinson—bye
• Ronnie Stanley—bye
• Alex Lewis—bye
• Ereck Flowers—bye
• Alejandro Villanueva—bye
• Joe Staley—bye

Right Tackles

Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Green Bay's Bryan Bulaga was the top performer at right tackle. Through eight weeks, he has been outstanding and should be in strong consideration for the player's vote for the Pro Bowl.

New Orleans' Zach Strief has also had a solid eight weeks and continues to be impressive. He's second in our rankings and plays the position with the physical edge it's meant have.

Tennesse's Jack Conklin has been solid all season, but the rookie was impressive against the Jaguars. He showed tremendous strength, power and physicality in the running game and was stout in pass protection by picking his spots closely to set and pass-protect aggressively.

Washington's Morgan Moses turned in another all-around stout performance both in pass protection and in the running game against the Cincinnati Bengals. With Williams suspended four weeks, Washington will depend on Moses to be a major anchor. You have to wonder if the Redskins will consider shifting Moses to left tackle and install swing tackle Ty Nsekhe into the right tackle slot. Nsekhe has game experience at both tackle spots this season. 

Grading Scale

Pass: Pass Protection (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Blocking (Graded out of 25)

Power: Power (Graded out of 20)

Agl: Agility (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Right Tackle Rankings Week 8

Rank	Player	Team	Pass	Run	Power	Agl	Pos	Ovr
1	Bryan Bulaga	GB	20	19	17	16	7	79
2	Zach Strief	NO	19	20	17	15	7	78
3	Jack Conklin	TEN	19	20	16	15	7	77
4	Morgan Moses	WAS	18	18	16	17	7	76
5	Ryan Schraeder	ATL	18	19	16	16	7	76
6	Bobby Massie	CHI	19	18	15	16	7	75
7	Eric Winston	CIN	18	17	16	16	7	74
8	Riley Reiff	DET	17	20	16	14	7	74
9	Demar Dotson	TB	18	17	15	16	7	73
10	Daryl Williams	CAR	19	17	15	15	7	73
11	Halapoulivaati Vaitai	PHI	18	17	16	15	7	73
12	Austin Pasztor	CLE	18	17	15	15	7	72
13	Mitchell Schwartz	KC	17	18	16	14	7	72
14	Breno Giacomini	NYJ	18	18	15	14	7	72
15	Jordan Mills	BUF	17	17	16	14	7	71
16	Jermey Parnell	JAX	17	17	14	16	7	71
17	Ty Nsekhe	WAS	17	17	15	15	7	71
18	D.J. Humphries	ARI	17	17	15	14	7	70
19	Donald Stephenson	DEN	17	16	14	16	7	70
20	Marcus Cannon	NE	17	16	16	14	7	70
21	Chris Clark	HOU	17	18	13	14	7	69
22	Austin Howard	OAK	16	17	16	13	7	69
23	Ben Ijalana	NYJ	16	17	15	14	7	69
24	Cedric Ogbuehi	CIN	16	15	14	16	7	68
25	Garry Gilliam	SEA	15	17	14	15	7	68
26	Doug Free	DAL	15	17	15	14	7	68
27	Joe Barksdale	SD	17	16	13	14	7	67
28	Joe Reitz	IND	15	16	15	14	7	67
29	Cornelius Lucas	DET	15	15	14	13	7	64
30	T.J. Clemmings	MIN	12	14	14	12	7	59

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Derek Newton—injury
• Andre Smith Jr.—injury
• Menelik Watson—injury
• Lane Johnson—suspension
• Ja'Wuan James—bye
• Ricky Wagner—bye
• Marshall Newhouse—bye
• Bobby Hart—bye
• Trenton Brown—bye
• Marcus Gilbert—bye
• Chris Hubbard—bye
• Rob Havenstein—bye

Offensive Guards

Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

You know it's a strange week in guard play when you are writing about the stellar performances of Brian Winters and Brian Schwenke. The Brians put forth arguably the best tape of their careers this past weekend for the New York Jets and Titans, respectively.

While the weak opposing fronts of Cleveland and Jacksonville made life way easier on these guys, it was hard to ignore the consistent nature of their play from top to bottom. Winters was particularly impressive in pass protection, showing off a level of hand usage and placement I hadn't seen from him previously.

On the other end of the spectrum, Arizona's Mike Iupati (who has had a great year until his recent injuries) struggled. He's been noticeably banged up the last couple of weeks, and a tough Panthers front exposed that Sunday. The Cardinals have a lot of injuries right now, especially up front, so they need Iupati to get healthy before Carson Palmer gets killed. 

Grading Scale

Pass: Pass Protection (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Blocking (Graded out of 25)

Power: Power (Graded out of 20)

Agl: Agility (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Offensive Guard Rankings Week 8

Rank	Player	Team	Pass	Run	Power	Agl	Pos	Ovr
1	Brandon Brooks	PHI	19	17	17	17	7	77
2	Brandon Scherff	WAS	18	18	17	16	7	76
3	Kelechi Osemele	OAK	17	19	18	14	7	75
4	Brian Winters	NYJ	20	16	17	15	7	75
5	Andrus Peat	NO	17	19	15	17	7	75
6	Brian Schwenke	TEN	18	19	17	14	7	75
7	Trai Turner	CAR	17	18	18	14	7	74
8	Richie Incognito	BUF	17	18	18	14	7	74
9	Ali Marpet	TB	18	15	17	16	7	73
10	Andrew Norwell	CAR	16	18	17	15	7	73
11	James Carpenter	NYJ	17	18	17	14	7	73
12	Ronald Leary	DAL	19	16	16	14	7	72
13	Clint Boling	CIN	18	14	17	16	7	72
14	Larry Warford	DET	17	16	17	15	7	72
15	Shaq Mason	NE	15	17	16	17	7	72
16	Zack Martin	DAL	18	15	17	14	7	71
17	D.J. Fluker	SD	16	18	17	13	7	71
18	Kevin Pamphile	TB	18	16	16	14	7	71
19	Mark Glowinski	SEA	14	18	16	16	7	71
20	Joe Thuney	NE	16	14	15	18	7	70
21	Alex Boone	MIN	17	14	16	16	7	70
22	Stefen Wisniewski	PHI	17	16	16	14	7	70
23	Josh Kline	TEN	16	17	16	14	7	70
24	Max Garcia	DEN	18	15	17	13	7	70
25	Orlando Franklin	SD	15	18	17	13	7	70
26	Jeff Allen	HOU	16	16	16	14	7	69
27	John Miller	BUF	16	16	16	14	7	69
28	John Greco	CLE	16	15	17	14	7	69
29	T.J. Lang	GB	16	14	17	15	7	69
30	Joe Haeg	IND	16	14	15	17	7	69
31	Zach Fulton	KC	16	16	16	13	7	68
32	Jahri Evans	NO	14	17	17	13	7	68
33	Ted Larsen	CHI	16	15	16	14	7	68
34	Laurent Duvernay-Tardif	KC	16	15	14	16	7	68
35	Gabe Jackson	OAK	15	16	17	13	7	68
36	Lane Taylor	GB	16	13	15	17	7	68
37	Michael Schofield	DEN	16	15	16	14	7	68
38	Chris Chester	ATL	15	15	16	14	7	67
39	Kevin Zeitler	CIN	16	13	16	15	7	67
40	Eric Kush	CHI	14	16	16	14	7	67
41	Jonotthan Harrison	IND	15	15	17	13	7	67
42	Germain Ifedi	SEA	13	17	17	13	7	67
43	Alvin Bailey	CLE	15	14	15	15	7	66
44	Xavier Su'a-Filo	HOU	13	16	17	13	7	66
45	Spencer Drango	CLE	14	15	15	15	7	66
46	Parker Ehinger	KC	14	15	16	13	7	65
47	Andy Levitre	ATL	14	15	15	14	7	65
48	A.J. Cann	JAX	14	13	16	14	7	64
49	Graham Glasgow	DET	12	15	16	14	7	64
50	Shawn Lauvao	WAS	13	15	16	12	7	63
51	Patrick Omameh	JAX	14	14	15	13	7	63
52	Denzelle Good	IND	13	15	15	12	7	62
53	Earl Watford	ARI	13	14	15	13	7	62
54	Brandon Fusco	MIN	13	13	15	13	7	61
55	Mike Iupati	ARI	12	14	15	11	7	59

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Joshua Garnett—bye
• Zane Beadles—bye
• Justin Pugh—bye
• John Jerry—bye
• John Urschel—bye
• Ryan Jensen—bye
• David DeCastro—bye
• Ramon Foster—bye
• Laremy Tunsil—bye
• Jermon Bushrod—bye
• Rodger Saffold—bye
• Cody Wichmann—bye
• Allen Barbre—injury
• Kyle Long—injury
• Jack Mewhort—injury
• Josh Sitton—injury
• Joel Bitonio—injury
• Laken Tomlinson—insufficient snaps
• Evan Mathis—injury
• Senio Kelemete—insufficient snaps

Centers

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Center has been a wild ride this year, as players continue to move up and down the weekly rankings. One player who hasn't moved around much, though, is Cameron Erving, who came in dead last again this week.

It seems like there are two or three reps every week where Erving is blown off the ball, which can't happen at the NFL level. Those bad reps end up being drive-killing losses, and having a couple of these every game kills the offense. 

Grading Scale

Pass: Pass Protection (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Blocking (Graded out of 25)

Power: Power (Graded out of 20)

Agl: Agility (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Center Rankings Week 8

Rank	Player	Team	Pass	Run	Power	Agl	Pos	Ovr
1	Greg Mancz	HOU	18	21	17	15	6	77
2	Justin Britt	SEA	16	20	17	16	6	75
3	Rodney Hudson	OAK	19	16	17	16	6	74
4	Matt Slauson	SD	17	19	16	16	6	74
5	Travis Frederick	DAL	18	17	17	15	6	73
6	Joe Hawley	TB	19	17	17	14	6	73
7	Ryan Kalil	CAR	16	19	17	14	6	72
8	Travis Swanson	DET	18	16	16	16	6	72
9	Wesley Johnson	NYJ	18	17	16	15	6	72
10	Spencer Long	WAS	16	18	17	14	6	71
11	Matt Paradis	DEN	17	16	17	15	6	71
12	Ryan Kelly	IND	17	16	16	16	6	71
13	Joe Berger	MIN	17	16	17	14	6	70
14	Max Unger	NO	17	18	16	13	6	70
15	Gino Gradkowski	CAR	15	20	16	12	6	69
16	Alex Mack	ATL	17	15	15	16	6	69
17	Mitch Morse	KC	16	15	14	17	6	68
18	Brandon Linder	JAX	18	13	16	15	6	68
19	A.Q. Shipley	ARI	17	16	14	15	6	68
20	Cody Whitehair	CHI	16	14	15	16	6	67
21	Russell Bodine	CIN	16	15	16	14	6	67
22	Jason Kelce	PHI	16	15	15	15	6	67
23	JC Tretter	GB	14	15	16	15	6	66
24	David Andrews	NE	15	15	16	13	6	65
25	Ben Jones	TEN	14	16	13	15	6	64
26	Eric Wood	BUF	14	14	16	13	6	63
27	Cameron Erving	CLE	12	14	14	14	6	60

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Tim Barnes—bye
• Jeremy Zuttah—bye
• Maurkice Pouncey—bye
• Weston Richburg—bye
• Mike Pouncey—bye
• Daniel Kilgore—bye
• Nick Mangold—injury

3-4 Defensive Ends

Dustin Bradford/Getty Images

Derek Wolfe (No. 95)

It was a good week for 3-4 defensive ends. The usual suspects are near the top, but I'd like to focus on Derek Wolfe in Denver. The Broncos' talented defense often overshadows him, and he may have started the year slowly. But against the Chargers, Wolfe showed he's still a premier defensive lineman in the NFL.

The 26-year-old had a handful of pressures and a run stop, and his biggest plays came when he hurried quarterback Philip Rivers and forced a bad pass that turned into an interception. He then ended the 27-19 victory with a complete beating of the Chargers right guard and hurried Rivers into a poor throw.

Impact plays are great, but when they come at the perfect time, they get a higher score. It might also be time to start noticing how good Akiem Hicks is for the Chicago Bears. He's a big guy who can clog the run, plus he has the athleticism to rush the passer. He's a bright spot on a bad Bears team. 

Grading Scale

Snap: Snap Explosion (Graded out of 15)

Rush: Pass Rush (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Defense (Graded out of 30)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

3-4 Defensive End Rankings Week 8

Rank	Player	Team	Snap	Rush	Run	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Calais Campbell	ARI	13	21	20	16	7	77
2	Mike Daniels	GB	13	19	21	15	7	75
3	Derek Wolfe	DEN	12	19	22	14	7	74
4	Joey Bosa	SD	14	17	21	14	7	73
5	Ziggy Hood	WAS	13	17	20	14	7	71
6	Emmanuel Ogbah	CLE	12	14	22	15	7	70
7	Jadeveon Clowney	HOU	13	17	19	14	7	70
8	Chris L. Baker	WAS	11	17	19	15	7	69
9	Josh Mauro	ARI	12	15	19	15	7	68
10	Robert Nkemdiche	ARI	13	16	18	14	7	68
11	Akiem Hicks	CHI	12	17	18	14	7	68
12	Jared Crick	DEN	10	17	19	14	7	67
13	Jaye Howard	KC	10	15	21	14	7	67
14	Chris Jones	KC	12	18	17	13	7	67
15	Jurrell Casey	TEN	11	17	18	13	7	66
16	Adolphus Washington	BUF	10	14	20	14	7	65
17	Carl Nassib	CLE	12	17	17	12	7	65
18	Ricky Jean-Francois	WAS	11	16	18	13	7	65
19	Mitch Unrein	CHI	11	15	18	14	7	65
20	Jonathan Bullard	CHI	12	15	17	14	7	65
21	Leger Douzable	BUF	9	15	19	14	7	64
22	Cornelius Washington	CHI	11	16	16	14	7	64
23	Billy Winn	DEN	9	13	21	13	7	63
24	Corey Liuget	SD	10	15	18	13	7	63
25	Tenny Palepoi	SD	9	14	19	14	7	63
26	Anthony Lanier	WAS	10	15	17	14	7	63
27	Frostee Rucker	ARI	11	15	17	13	7	63
28	Xavier Cooper	CLE	11	14	18	12	7	62
29	Antonio Smith	HOU	10	15	17	13	7	62
30	Denico Autry	OAK	10	14	18	13	7	62
31	Jamie Meder	CLE	8	12	20	14	7	61
32	Karl Klug	TEN	12	13	17	12	7	61
33	Angelo Blackson	TEN	9	14	18	13	7	61
34	Mike Pennel	GB	10	13	16	14	7	60
35	Arthur Jones	IND	9	12	17	12	7	57
36	DaQuan Jones	TEN	9	12	16	12	7	56
37	Christian Covington	HOU	7	12	16	12	7	54

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Kendall Langford—inactive
• Henry Anderson—inactive
• J.J. Watt—injury
• Allen Bailey—injury
• Timmy Jernigan—bye
• Lawrence Guy—bye
• Cameron Heyward—bye
• Stephon Tuitt—bye
• Ricardo Mathews—bye
• DeForest Buckner—bye
• Arik Armstead—bye
• Quinton Dial—bye

4-3 Defensive Ends

Brian Blanco/Getty Images

In a dominant performance, Oakland's Khalil Mack earned an elite score. This was the game we've been waiting for, and Mack delivered with two sacks, seven hurries and five stops against Tampa Bay.

In the NFC, Seattle-style Cover 3 defenses are producing some of the best pass-rushing units in the conference. During his second season in the league, Atlanta's Vic Beasley made his move. On Sunday, his teammate Adrian Clayborn added two sacks against Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, while Beasley spied the passer for long stretches of the game.

With Seattle's missing Michael Bennett, who is still out with a knee injury, Frank Clark entered the starting lineup. You could make the case that both Cliff Avril and Clark (a second-year player like Beasley) are better pure pass-rushers than Bennett is at defensive end.

Elsewhere, Brandon Graham continued his career year, as he's on pace to set his personal single-season sack record under new Philadelphia defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. Detroit's Kerry Hyder was able to generate pressure again as the Lions' top defensive end, while Ezekiel Ansah looks like a shell of his 2015 self.

Dallas' Tyrone Crawford, naturally a defensive tackle, had by far his best performance of his season in the win over the Eagles and showed why the $45 million man is hanging on the edge this year.

Tampa Bay's Noah Spence, who used a speed rush to influence the Raiders' passing game, and the Carolina trio of Charles Johnson, Kony Ealy and Wes Horton were the other breakouts this week. In the Panthers' first six weeks of the season, their starting defensive line recorded just 2.5 sacks, while that same group posted five against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

There were a lot of shifting narratives revolving around the position this week, but none may be bigger than Carolina's finally clicking up front. 

Grading Scale

Rush: Pass Rush (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Defense (Graded out of 25)

Snap: Snap Explosion (Graded out of 20)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

4-3 Defensive End Rankings Week 8

Rank	Player	Team	Rush	Run	Snap	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Khalil Mack	OAK	25	15	18	18	8	84
2	Vic Beasley	ATL	23	13	17	15	8	76
3	Cliff Avril	SEA	24	13	16	15	8	76
4	Frank Clark	SEA	22	14	16	15	8	75
5	Adrian Clayborn	ATL	23	13	15	15	8	74
6	Brandon Graham	PHI	23	13	16	14	8	74
7	Kerry Hyder	DET	23	14	14	14	8	73
8	Noah Spence	TB	22	12	16	15	8	73
9	Tyrone Crawford	DAL	19	14	14	17	8	72
10	Charles Johnson	CAR	22	11	15	15	8	71
11	Trey Flowers	NE	22	14	12	14	8	70
12	Lorenzo Mauldin	NYJ	20	14	14	14	8	70
13	Dwight Freeney	ATL	21	12	16	13	8	70
14	Brandon Copeland	DET	20	13	15	14	8	70
15	Armonty Bryant	DET	22	12	14	14	8	70
16	Danielle Hunter	MIN	21	12	15	14	8	70
17	Cameron Jordan	NO	21	13	14	14	8	70
18	Wes Horton	CAR	21	11	15	14	8	69
19	Kony Ealy	CAR	21	12	14	14	8	69
20	DeMarcus Lawrence	DAL	20	11	15	15	8	69
21	Ezekiel Ansah	DET	20	12	15	14	8	69
22	Everson Griffen	MIN	20	12	15	14	8	69
23	Connor Barwin	PHI	20	12	14	15	8	69
24	Vinny Curry	PHI	19	13	14	15	8	69
25	Marcus Smith	PHI	20	12	14	15	8	69
26	Jabaal Sheard	NE	19	14	13	14	8	68
27	Muhammad Wilkerson	NYJ	20	15	12	13	8	68
28	Brooks Reed	ATL	18	12	14	16	8	68
29	David Irving	DAL	19	12	14	15	8	68
30	Devin Taylor	DET	20	12	14	14	8	68
31	Brian Robison	MIN	20	12	14	14	8	68
32	Cassius Marsh	SEA	19	12	14	15	8	68
33	Mario Addison	CAR	19	12	14	14	8	67
34	Jack Crawford	DAL	19	12	14	14	8	67
35	Paul Kruger	NO	21	12	13	13	8	67
36	Chris Long	NE	18	14	12	14	8	66
37	Kasim Edebali	NO	19	12	13	14	8	66
38	Darryl Tapp	NO	20	12	13	13	8	66
39	Robert Ayers	TB	19	12	13	14	8	66
40	William Gholston	TB	19	12	13	14	8	66
41	Carlos Dunlap	CIN	20	13	12	12	8	65
42	Malliciah Goodman	SEA	18	12	14	13	8	65
43	DaVonte Lambert	TB	18	11	14	14	8	65
44	Howard Jones	TB	18	12	13	14	8	65
45	Benson Mayowa	DAL	19	10	13	14	8	64
46	Sheldon Richardson	NYJ	19	14	10	12	8	63
47	Will Clarke	CIN	16	13	12	12	8	61
48	Dante Fowler	JAX	15	12	13	12	8	60
49	Michael Johnson	CIN	15	14	11	11	8	59
50	Chris Smith	JAX	14	13	11	13	8	59
51	Yannick Ngakoue	JAX	15	11	13	12	8	59
52	Margus Hunt	CIN	15	12	11	11	8	57

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Jared Odrick—inactive
• Michael Bennett—injury
• Mario Williams—bye
• Cameron Wake—bye
• Andre Branch—bye
• Jason Jones—bye
• William Hayes—bye
• Robert Quinn—bye
• Ethan Westbrooks—bye
• Eugene Sims—bye
• Olivier Vernon—bye
• Jason Pierre-Paul—bye
• Romeo Okwara—bye
• Owa Odighizuwa—bye

Defensive Tackles

Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Star Lotulelei takes the top spot in this week's defensive tackle rankings. He had his best game of the season and arguably the best game of his career. He made his presence felt against a struggling Cardinals offense, as he routinely beat up their interior. His teammate, Kawann Short, also had a strong showing against the run this week, as the Panthers defense shut down Arizona's offense.

Marcell Dareus played his first snaps of the season, but Kyle Williams had the better game between the two of them. Williams played a key role in keeping the Patriots rushing attack under wraps while providing solid disruption as an interior pass-rusher. Williams may not be a household name, but he's one of the more talented, consistent defensive tackles in the league. 

Geno Atkins had one of his stronger games this season in the Bengals' thrilling tie against Washington. His play this year has been a bit spotty, so it was great to see him disturb Washington's offensive line en route to logging two tackles and one sack.

Grading Scale

Snap: Snap Explosion (Graded out of 25)

Rush: Pass Rush (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Defense (Graded out of 25)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 15)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Defensive Tackle Rankings Week 8

Rank	Player	Team	Snap	Rush	Run	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Star Lotulelei	CAR	19	23	22	15	7	86
2	Geno Atkins	CIN	19	20	18	14	7	78
3	Kyle Williams	BUF	18	17	20	15	7	77
4	Kawann Short	CAR	18	18	19	15	7	77
5	Fletcher Cox	PHI	19	16	18	14	7	74
6	Brandon Mebane	SD	17	15	21	14	7	74
7	Nick Fairley	NO	18	16	18	14	7	73
8	Marcell Dareus	BUF	17	16	19	14	7	73
9	Leonard Williams	NYJ	17	15	19	15	7	73
10	Dontari Poe	KC	16	20	18	12	7	73
11	Terrell McClain	DAL	17	16	18	13	7	71
12	Grady Jarrett	ATL	17	14	18	14	7	70
13	Linval Joseph	MIN	18	14	18	13	7	70
14	Gerald McCoy	TB	17	15	18	13	7	70
15	Kenny Clark	GB	17	16	16	13	7	69
16	Khyri Thornton	DET	17	17	15	13	7	69
17	Danny Shelton	CLE	17	14	18	12	7	68
18	Malcom Brown	NE	17	16	16	12	7	68
19	Letroy Guion	GB	15	15	18	12	7	67
20	Malik Jackson	JAX	17	16	15	12	7	67
21	Tyrunn Walker	DET	15	16	16	12	7	66
22	Hassan Ridgeway	IND	17	15	15	12	7	66
23	Rodney Gunter	ARI	16	14	17	11	7	65
24	Corey Peters	ARI	15	15	15	13	7	65
25	Courtney Upshaw	ATL	14	16	14	14	7	65
26	Will Sutton	CHI	15	13	18	12	7	65
27	Maliek Collins	DAL	16	14	16	12	7	65
28	A'Shawn Robinson	DET	15	16	16	11	7	65
29	Sen'Derrick Marks	JAX	19	14	15	10	7	65
30	Vincent Valentine	NE	17	15	14	12	7	65
31	Abry Jones	JAX	15	16	14	12	7	64
32	Alan Branch	NE	16	14	15	12	7	64
33	David Onyemata	NO	17	13	16	11	7	64
34	Al Woods	TEN	15	13	17	12	7	64
35	Kyle Love	CAR	16	15	14	11	7	63
36	Stephen Paea	CLE	16	15	14	11	7	63
37	Zach Kerr	IND	16	13	16	11	7	63
38	Jarran Reed	SEA	15	14	15	12	7	63
39	David Parry	IND	14	15	16	10	7	62
40	Tom Johnson	MIN	16	13	14	12	7	62
41	Ahtyba Rubin	SEA	14	14	16	11	7	62
42	Tyson Jackson	ATL	11	14	16	13	7	61
43	Paul Soliai	CAR	14	12	16	12	7	61
44	Steve McLendon	NYJ	14	13	16	11	7	61
45	Darius Latham	OAK	14	12	16	12	7	61
46	Domata Peko	CIN	14	13	15	11	7	60
47	Cedric Thornton	DAL	17	12	14	10	7	60
48	Beau Allen	PHI	14	14	13	12	7	60
49	Pat Sims	CIN	15	12	15	10	7	59
50	Tyson Alualu	JAX	14	14	13	11	7	59
51	Shamar Stephens	MIN	15	12	14	11	7	59
52	Sylvester Williams	DEN	14	13	13	11	7	58
53	Tyeler Davison	NO	13	15	13	10	7	58
54	D.J. Reader	HOU	15	11	14	10	7	57
55	Jihad Ward	OAK	13	12	15	10	7	57
56	Tony McDaniel	SEA	14	13	13	10	7	57
57	Akeem Spence	TB	14	13	12	11	7	57
58	Jonathan Babineaux	ATL	13	12	14	10	7	56
59	Matt Catapano	NYJ	14	11	14	10	7	56
60	Dan Williams	OAK	12	11	14	12	7	56
61	Vince Wilfork	HOU	14	11	13	10	7	55
62	Sealver Siliga	SEA	12	11	13	10	7	53
63	Cullen Jenkins	WAS	13	12	12	9	7	53
64	Justin Ellis	OAK	11	11	13	10	7	52
65	Destiny Vaeao	PHI	12	12	10	9	7	50

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Roy Miller—injury
• Vernon Butler—injury
• Clinton McDonald—injury
• Haloti Ngata—injury
• Bennie Logan—injury
• Sharrif Floyd—injury
• Eddie Goldman—injury
• Stacy McGee—inactive
• Ra'Shede Hageman—inactive
• Corbin Bryant—insufficient snaps
• John Jenkins—insufficient snaps
• Brandon Williams - Bye
• Aaron Donald - Bye
• Ndamukong Suh - Bye
• Johnathan Hankins - Bye
• Damon Harrison - Bye
• Vince Wilfork - Bye
• Javon Hargrave - Bye

3-4 Outside Linebackers

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

There may not be a more underrated pass-rusher in the NFL than San Diego's Melvin Ingram, who finished as Week 8's top 3-4 outside linebacker. His box-score numbers (three tackles, one strip-sack) don't jump off the page, but he was unblockable for long stretches against the Broncos. Ingram's ability to impact the game in all three phases—rushing the passer, defending the run and dropping into coverage—is rare for the position.

The rest of the top three in Week 8 includes Pernell McPhee, who was a wrecking ball against the Vikings on Monday night, and Von Miller, the most consistent edge-rusher in the NFL. Another notable standout was Bears rookie Leonard Floyd, who finished as the sixth overall 3-4 outside linebacker after registering his third sack in the last two games. Kansas City's Dee Ford led the NFL in Week 8 with 3.5 sacks. 

Grading Scale

Rush: Pass Rush (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Defense (Graded out of 25)

Cvg: Coverage (Graded out of 15)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 25)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

3-4 Outside Linebacker Rankings Week 8

Rank	Player	Team	Rush	Run	Cvg	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Melvin Ingram	SD	28	16	12	21	8	85
2	Pernell McPhee	CHI	28	16	9	20	8	81
3	Von Miller	DEN	27	14	10	21	8	80
4	Whitney Mercilus	HOU	26	15	9	20	8	78
5	Leonard Floyd	CHI	24	16	10	18	8	76
6	John Simon	HOU	20	17	9	22	8	76
7	Dee Ford	KC	27	12	8	20	8	75
8	Willie Young	CHI	23	16	10	18	8	75
9	Markus Golden	ARI	24	14	8	20	8	74
10	Shane Ray	DEN	22	16	9	19	8	74
11	DeMarcus Ware	DEN	25	14	9	18	8	74
12	Tamba Hali	KC	24	14	9	18	8	73
13	Shaquil Barrett	DEN	21	16	9	18	8	72
14	Shaq Lawson	BUF	23	13	10	17	8	71
15	Ryan Kerrigan	WAS	24	12	10	17	8	71
16	Chandler Jones	ARI	22	13	9	18	8	70
17	Jerry Hughes	BUF	20	15	9	18	8	70
18	Trent Murphy	WAS	21	14	9	18	8	70
19	Derrick Morgan	TEN	24	11	9	18	8	70
20	Akeem Ayers	IND	20	14	10	17	8	69
21	Julius Peppers	GB	23	10	10	18	8	69
22	Kyle Emanuel	SD	22	12	10	17	8	69
23	Nick Perry	GB	21	13	9	18	8	69
24	David Bass	TEN	22	12	10	17	8	69
25	Kareem Martin	ARI	21	13	9	17	8	68
26	Joe Schobert	CLE	19	13	10	18	8	68
27	Robert Mathis	IND	24	12	8	15	8	67
28	Brian Orakpo	TEN	21	11	10	17	8	67
29	Lorenzo Alexander	BUF	19	13	9	18	8	67
30	Cam Johnson	CLE	23	10	9	17	8	67
31	Preston Smith	WAS	20	12	10	16	8	66
32	Lerentee McCray	BUF	17	12	9	20	8	66
33	Erik Walden	IND	20	13	9	16	8	66
34	Sam Acho	CHI	19	14	9	15	8	65
35	Frank Zombo	KC	22	10	9	16	8	65
36	Jayrone Elliott	GB	18	11	9	18	8	64
37	Kyler Fackrell	GB	20	10	9	16	8	63
38	Datone Jones	GB	19	9	9	17	8	62
39	Tourek Williams	SD	18	12	9	15	8	62
40	Aaron Wallace	TEN	19	10	9	16	8	62
41	Dadi Nicolas	KC	19	10	9	15	8	61
42	Brandon Spikes	BUF	15	15	5	18	8	61

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Alex Okafor—injury
• Clay Matthews—injury
• Justin Houston—injury
• Kevin Dodd—injury
• Jerry Attaochu—injury
• Terrell Suggs—bye
• Za'Darius Smith—bye
• Matt Judon—bye
• Elvis Dumervil—bye
• James Harrison—bye
• Jarvis Jones—bye
• Arthur Moats—bye
• Anthony Chickillo—bye
• Ahmad Brooks—bye
• Eli Harold—bye
• Aaron Lynch—bye
• Tank Carradine—bye

4-3 Outside Linebackers

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

This week was void of any superstar performances like Nigel Bradham's in Week 7, but there were a handful of solid showings around the league. 

Through most of this season, Carolina's Thomas Davis hasn't looked quite like himself. He's been good, yes, but it was starting to look like Davis wasn't the same as he once was. This week was a revival. In unison with the rest of the Panthers front, Davis looked alive against the Arizona Cardinals. Other than as a blitzer, Davis was a force in all phases of the game and made it tough for the Cardinals offense to sustain success on any given drive. It was refreshing to see Davis look like the stud we all know he is.

On Sunday Night Football, Dallas's Sean Lee took center stage. Lee made a handful of important run stops against the Philadelphia Eagles, including a tackle for loss on 3rd-and-short in the second half. All throughout the night, Lee was rallying to the ball in run defense and after short receptions. It was not a perfect performance by any stretch, but it was the quality of play that Dallas needed from Lee to slow down the Eagles offense.

The surprise performnce of the week is from the Jets' Julian Stanford. Playing in place of an injured Darron Lee, Stanford pulled his weight for the Jets defense. Stanford did not have too much of an impact on passing downs, but he was shockingly sturdy in the run game. He played his assignments well and did a good job of making clean tackles. Stanford had a nice week not just by backup player standards, but by any standards.

Grading Scale

Cvg: Coverage (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Defense (Graded out of 25)

Rush: Pass Rush (Graded out of 15)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 25)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

4-3 Outside Linebacker Rankings Week 8

Rank	Player	Team	Cvg	Run	Rush	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Thomas Davis	CAR	20	22	7	21	6	76
2	Lavonte David	TB	19	20	9	22	6	76
3	Sean Lee	DAL	19	21	7	22	6	75
4	Dont'a Hightower	NE	20	20	11	18	6	75
5	Bruce Irvin	OAK	18	21	11	18	6	74
6	K.J. Wright	SEA	18	21	8	21	6	74
7	Nigel Bradham	PHI	18	20	9	20	6	73
8	Julian Stanford	NYJ	18	20	7	20	6	71
9	De'Vondre Campbell	ATL	19	17	9	18	6	69
10	Shaq Thompson	CAR	16	19	7	21	6	69
11	Rob Ninkovich	NE	17	19	10	17	6	69
12	Vontaze Burfict	CIN	17	19	8	18	6	68
13	Anthony Barr	MIN	16	17	9	19	6	67
14	Craig Robertson	NO	15	18	9	19	6	67
15	Karlos Dansby	CIN	14	18	9	19	6	66
16	Justin Durant	DAL	16	18	7	18	6	65
17	Vincent Rey	CIN	15	17	7	18	6	63
18	Damien Wilson	DAL	16	17	7	17	6	63
19	Jordan Jenkins	NYJ	18	16	8	15	6	63
20	Mychal Kendricks	PHI	15	17	7	17	6	62
21	Antwione Williams	DET	16	16	7	16	6	61
22	Mike Catapano	NYJ	15	16	9	15	6	61
23	Philip Wheeler	ATL	15	16	7	16	6	60
24	Chad Greenway	MIN	14	16	7	17	6	60
25	Brock Coyle	SEA	15	17	7	15	6	60
26	Dannell Ellerbe	NO	17	14	7	15	6	59
27	Daryl Smith	TB	13	15	9	16	6	59
28	Myles Jack	JAX	17	13	7	15	6	58
29	Josh Bynes	DET	12	14	9	15	6	56
30	Telvin Smith	JAX	14	14	7	13	6	54
31	Dan Skuta	JAX	14	13	7	14	6	54
32	Malcolm Smith	OAK	13	13	8	14	6	54

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Jaylon Smith—injury
• Darron Lee—injury
• DeAndre Levy—injury
• Mark Barron - Bye
• Josh Forrest - Bye
• Donald Butler - Bye
• Keenan Robinson - Bye
• Devon Kennard - Bye

Inside Linebackers

Thomas B. Shea/Getty Images

Inside linebacker play has regressed to the mean nearly halfway through the 2016 season. With so many teams employing multiple players to perform the variety of tasks needed, they're often swapped out, creating a small group of upper-echelon players who stay on the field regardless of down or distance. These players routinely sit toward the top of the rankings due to their versatility and the flexibility that a complete skill set allows a defense. 

Players such as Chicago's Jerrell Freeman or Seattle's Bobby Wagner afford their teammates comfort in knowing that there is a three-down hard-hitting linebacker patrolling the middle of the field. Freeman exemplified the benefits of a three-down linebacker this week in an upset win over the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football.

Freeman was stout against the run and looked comfortable dropping into coverage or coming forward to make plays on running backs out of the backfield. As a result, Chicago cruised to a comfortable home victory against one of the best teams in the NFC.

The up-and-down nature of many players has top performers from recent weeks sitting at the bottom of the charts following their showings over the weekend. Kwon Alexander looked lost as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fell to the Oakland Raiders in overtime, and Jacksonville's Paul Posluszny, who has had an impressive few weeks, fell tremendously in an ugly Thursday night loss to the Tennessee Titans.

Grading Scale

Pass: Pass Defense (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run Defense (Graded out of 35)

Rush: Pass Rush (Graded out of 15)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 15)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Inside Linebacker Rankings Week 8

Rank	Player	Team	Pass	Run	Rush	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Jerrell Freeman	CHI	22	31	11	12	6	82
2	Bobby Wagner	SEA	19	32	10	13	6	80
3	Todd Davis	DEN	21	31	9	12	6	79
4	Luke Kuechly	CAR	20	30	11	12	6	79
5	Brian Cushing	HOU	20	31	10	12	6	79
6	Su'a Cravens	WAS	22	26	13	11	6	78
7	Benardrick McKinney	HOU	19	29	11	12	6	77
8	Deone Bucannon	ARI	21	30	9	11	6	77
9	Jordan Hicks	PHI	22	27	10	11	6	76
10	Preston Brown	BUF	19	28	11	12	6	76
11	Deion Jones	ATL	22	26	9	12	6	75
12	Danny Trevathan	CHI	20	28	9	12	6	75
13	Eric Kendricks	MIN	19	27	11	12	6	75
14	Jatavis Brown	SD	22	27	9	10	6	74
15	Joshua Perry	SD	18	30	9	11	6	74
16	Jamie Collins	NE	20	26	11	11	6	74
17	Elandon Roberts	NE	18	29	9	12	6	74
18	Perry Riley	OAK	18	26	11	12	6	73
19	Sean Spence	TEN	21	26	9	11	6	73
20	Will Compton	WAS	19	27	9	11	6	72
21	D'Qwell Jackson	IND	17	30	9	10	6	72
22	Avery Williamson	TEN	18	26	11	11	6	72
23	Joe Thomas	GB	22	25	8	11	6	72
24	Derrick O. Johnson	KC	18	28	9	10	6	71
25	Corey Nelson	DEN	19	25	10	11	6	71
26	Korey Toomer	SD	19	27	9	10	6	71
27	Nate Stupar	NO	21	24	8	11	6	70
28	Zach Brown	BUF	19	26	9	10	6	70
29	Demario Davis	CLE	17	27	8	12	6	70
30	Mason Foster	WAS	17	25	10	11	6	69
31	Ramik Wilson	KC	17	26	9	11	6	69
32	Blake Martinez	GB	18	26	8	10	6	68
33	Wesley Woodyard	TEN	17	25	9	11	6	68
34	Jake Ryan	GB	15	27	8	11	6	67
35	Edwin Jackson	IND	15	24	11	11	6	67
36	David Harris	NYJ	15	26	9	10	6	66
37	Anthony Hitchens	DAL	16	24	8	11	6	65
38	Kevin Minter	ARI	16	26	8	8	6	64
39	Rey Maualuga	CIN	16	23	9	9	6	63
40	Chris Kirksey	CLE	17	23	8	8	6	62
41	Tahir Whitehead	DET	16	23	9	8	6	62
42	Paul Posluszny	JAX	16	22	8	10	6	62
43	Kwon Alexander	TB	15	20	8	8	6	57

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Brandon Marshall—injury
• Justin March—injury
• Denzel Perryman—insufficient snaps
• Nick Kwiatkoski—insufficient snaps
• Antonio Morrison—insufficient snaps
• Cory James—insufficient snaps
• Zach Orr—bye
• C.J. Mosley—bye
• Alec Ogletree—bye
• Kiko Alonso—bye
• Kelvin Sheppard—bye
• Ryan Shazier—bye
• Lawrence Timmons—bye
• Vince Williams—bye
• Gerald Hodges—bye
• Michael Wilhoite—bye
• Nick Bellore—bye

Cornerbacks

Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

Considered an unheralded free-agent signing after the initial wave of big names came off the market, Casey Heyward has continued to outperform expectations with the San Diego Chargers. He performed well yet again in Week 8, as he was tasked with covering the Denver Broncos wide receivers and emerged with an interception. Just as important for his grade, he was consistently in position to force a tough catch. 

Another top AFC performer was Malcolm Butler from the New England Patriots. Butler isn't always the most consistent player quarter to quarter, but his play against the Buffalo Bills was among his best this season. In 37 coverage snaps, Butler did not allow a reception on six targets. He maintained great positioning in press, off-man and the slot with his impressive length and balance.

On the other end of the spectrum, the New York Jets had a rough week. Against the Cleveland Browns, the Jets cornerbacks struggled to contain Terrelle Pryor and Co. from producing. Aging veteran Darrelle Revis couldn't keep up with the explosive Pryor, and his teammates likewise struggled. Revis allowed eight completions on 14 targets, which is not counting the screens thrown his way.

Slot cornerback Marcus Williams allowed a touchdown to Andrew Hawkins, which has only further raised questions as to why he's in the slot and not playing in a more natural boundary role. Veteran Buster Skrine suffered an injury early, and the only positive from this position group in Week 8 was Darryl Roberts serving as a solid replacement in his absence.

Washington's prized free agent, Josh Norman, had an active day against the Cincinnati Bengals in London. Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton targeted him an outlandish 12 times. He commited five penalties, even though Cincinnati declined two of them. So while the stat sheet might look good—Norman yielded four catches on 12 targets—he was the beneficiary of a few underthrows, where he was beat. He finished the game with four blown coverages and allowed two first downs, one being a 40-yard bomb. He also missed a tackle. On a positive note, Norman was able to break up three passes, though you could argue all three of them should have been interceptions.

In a losing effort, Minnesota's Xavier Rhodes mostly fared well against a stud receiver in Alshon Jeffery. While it's natural to remember the long catch he gave up—which he was right in position for—he was in position to make a play on each of his nine targets on the night. Like Norman, Rhodes got his hands on three passes and could've easily intercepted two of them. The fact that he was only beaten once after mostly shadowing Jeffery all game is a testament to his skills in coverage.

Not many players give Seattle's cornerbacks trouble. One is a superb athlete in DeShawn Shead; the other is Richard Sherman, who is as good as it gets. That said, New Orleans Saints wideout Michael Thomas had his way with them, which might have affected both players' aggressiveness for the rest of the game. The duo gave up 11 catches on 18 targets, six of which went for first downs. Seattle is typically able to leave both of these guys on an island, but on Sunday, they did not make the plays we usually see them make.

The Saints received a surprising performance from B.W. Webb, who was targeted five times and only allowed one catch that went for a minimal gain. Though he played his share of underneath zone, Webb had a good day in coverage.

Grading Scale

Cvg: Coverage (Graded out of 30)

React: Reaction/Recovery (Graded out of 30)

Slot: Slot (Graded out of 20)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 10)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Cornerback Rankings Week 8

Rank	Player	Team	Cvg	React	Slot	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Bradley Roby	DEN	24	24	18	6	9	81
2	Kareem Jackson	HOU	22	23	19	6	9	79
3	Marcus Peters	KC	22	24	17	5	9	77
4	Malcolm Butler	NE	23	23	17	5	9	77
5	Xavier Rhodes	MIN	22	23	16	6	9	76
6	Brandon Flowers	SD	22	21	18	6	9	76
7	A.J. Bouye	HOU	20	21	17	7	9	74
8	Patrick Robinson	IND	20	21	17	6	9	73
9	Robert Alford	ATL	20	21	16	6	9	72
10	Joe Haden	CLE	19	20	18	6	9	72
11	Jamar Taylor	CLE	20	22	16	5	9	72
12	B.W. Webb	NO	20	21	16	6	9	72
13	Chris Harris Jr.	DEN	19	20	17	6	9	71
14	Orlando Scandrick	DAL	18	18	17	7	9	69
15	Johnson Bademosi	DET	18	20	16	6	9	69
16	Philip Gaines	KC	18	19	17	6	9	69
17	Terence Newman	MIN	19	20	16	5	9	69
18	Brian Poole	ATL	18	17	16	8	9	68
19	Ronald Darby	BUF	20	19	16	4	9	68
20	Ladarius Gunter	GB	19	18	16	6	9	68
21	Casey Hayward	SD	18	18	18	5	9	68
22	Patrick Peterson	ARI	20	18	15	5	9	67
23	Tyrann Mathieu	ARI	18	19	16	5	9	67
24	Brandon Carr	DAL	18	18	16	6	9	67
25	Morris Claiborne	DAL	18	17	16	7	9	67
26	Vontae Davis	IND	18	17	17	6	9	67
27	Micah Hyde	GB	17	18	16	6	9	66
28	Jalen Ramsey	JAX	17	18	16	6	9	66
29	Captain Munnerlyn	MIN	17	17	17	6	9	66
30	Leodis McKelvin	PHI	18	18	16	5	9	66
31	Johnathan Joseph	HOU	17	18	15	6	9	65
32	D.J. Hayden	OAK	17	17	17	5	9	65
33	Nolan Carroll	PHI	17	18	16	5	9	65
34	Brent Grimes	TB	16	18	16	6	9	65
35	C.J. Goodwin	ATL	17	18	15	5	9	64
36	Darius Butler	IND	17	16	17	5	9	64
37	Richard Sherman	SEA	18	18	14	5	9	64
38	Jason McCourty	TEN	17	15	17	6	9	64
39	Bashaud Breeland	WAS	17	17	16	5	9	64
40	Desmond Trufant	ATL	16	17	15	6	9	63
41	Adam Jones	CIN	16	17	15	6	9	63
42	Demetri Goodson	GB	16	17	15	6	9	63
43	David Amerson	OAK	16	18	15	5	9	63
44	Quandre Diggs	DET	16	16	16	5	9	62
45	Prince Amukamara	JAX	16	17	15	5	9	62
46	Steven Nelson	KC	16	18	15	4	9	62
47	Darryl Roberts	NYJ	15	17	15	6	9	62
48	Brice McCain	TEN	15	17	16	5	9	62
49	Josh Norman	WAS	16	18	15	4	9	62
50	Stephon Gilmore	BUF	16	17	14	5	9	61
51	Robert McCain	CAR	15	17	15	5	9	61
52	Daryl Worley	CAR	15	16	14	7	9	61
53	Aaron Colvin	JAX	16	16	15	5	9	61
54	Eric Rowe	NE	16	16	15	5	9	61
55	Darrelle Revis	NYJ	16	15	16	5	9	61
56	Nevin Lawson	DET	16	15	15	5	9	60
57	Justin Coleman	NE	16	14	15	6	9	60
58	Valentino Blake	TEN	16	16	14	5	9	60
59	Logan Ryan	NE	14	15	15	6	9	59
60	TJ Carrie	OAK	16	15	15	4	9	59
61	Kendall Fuller	WAS	15	16	15	4	9	59
62	Cre'von LeBlanc	CHI	15	14	15	5	9	58
63	Marcus Williams	NYJ	14	15	14	6	9	58
64	Jeremy Lane	SEA	14	14	15	6	9	58
65	Nickell Robey-Coleman	BUF	14	14	16	4	9	57
66	Dre Kirkpatrick	CIN	15	15	14	4	9	57
67	Lorenzo Doss	DEN	13	14	16	5	9	57
68	Rashaan Melvin	IND	15	15	14	4	9	57
69	DeShawn Shead	SEA	15	14	14	5	9	57
70	Tramon Williams	CLE	14	13	15	5	9	56
71	Jalen Mills	PHI	14	14	14	5	9	56
72	Justin Bethel	ARI	13	14	14	5	9	55
73	Marcus Cooper	ARI	12	13	14	7	9	55
74	De'Vante Bausby	CHI	14	14	13	5	9	55
75	Trae Waynes	MIN	14	13	14	5	9	55
76	Ken Crawley	NO	15	13	14	4	9	55
77	Steve Williams	SD	13	14	14	5	9	55
78	Tharold Simon	ARI	14	13	13	5	9	54
79	Tracy Porter	CHI	14	13	13	5	9	54
80	Josh Shaw	CIN	12	13	13	6	9	53
81	Vernon Hargreaves	TB	13	12	14	3	9	51
82	Quinton Dunbar	WAS	11	13	13	5	9	51
83	Jude Adjei-Barimah	TB	11	12	12	5	9	49

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Kevin A. Johnson—injury
• Sean Smith—injury
• Perrish Cox—injury
• Aqib Talib—injury
• Buster Skrine—injury
• Jimmy Smith - Bye
• Tavon Young - Bye
• Lamarcus Joyner - Bye
• Bobby McCain - Bye
• Byron Maxwell - Bye
• Janoris Jenkins  Bye
• Eli Apple - Bye
• Ross Cockrell - Bye
• Artie Burns - Bye
• Tramaine Brock - Bye
• Rashard Robinson - Bye

Free Safeties

Dustin Bradford/Getty Images

Tashaun Gipson appeared poised to be a strong free-agent acquisition for the Jaguars this offseason. However, he's played poorly so far as a pure free safety. He was responsible for the deep middle of the field on Kendall Wright's long touchdown catch, but he may have never saw the route. Wright ran right past him into the end zone, and Gipson never looked close to getting back to save the touchdown.

Later on, he matched up in the slot against Wright, who sold him a fake inside before cutting outside on a deep out. Gipson got turned around and had to take extra steps to locate Wright and get back outside. To his credit, Gipson recovered and contested the catch, but he couldn't stop the completion. The Jaguars have a number of issues with their team right now, but Gipson needs to improve. 

The Cardinals must be pleased with how D.J. Swearinger has performed at free safety. He looks transformed from his previous stints in the NFL. He was alert early on against the Panthers, making an excellent read on a pass to Kelvin Benjamin. He broke on it quickly and nearly had an interception. He'll perhaps believe he should have had the pick, but getting a pass breakup is a win for a defensive back.

Before signing with the Cardinals, Swearinger struggled to stay disciplined in coverage assignments. Against Carolina, however, he looked comfortable and at home at free safety, staying on top of deep routes to Benjamin, Devin Funchess and tight end Greg Olsen at various points throughout the game.

Where the Cardinals will have to be careful is how he defends the run. He played it aggressively, even from the deep safety spot, and often found himself in good positions. But he tried to rip the ball out and force a fumble too frequently, conceding extra yards in the process. There is a time to try to create a turnover, but there is also a time to wrap up and stop the opposition from getting extra yards. The Cardinals will need to make sure Swearinger is ready to make the simple play without taking away from his instincts to be aggressive.

Grading Scale

Cvg: Coverage (Graded out of 30)

Rec: Recovery (Graded out of 30)

Slot: Slot/LB (Graded out of 10)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Free Safety Rankings Week 8

Rank	Player	Team	Cvg	Rec	Slot	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Darian Stewart	DEN	25	24	7	15	8	79
2	Devin McCourty	NE	24	25	6	16	8	79
3	Marcus Gilchrist	NYJ	24	24	6	16	8	78
4	D.J. Swearinger	ARI	25	24	5	15	8	77
5	George Iloka	CIN	25	24	6	14	8	77
6	Glover Quin	DET	24	23	6	16	8	77
7	Ha Ha Clinton-Dix	GB	23	25	6	15	8	77
8	Jairus Byrd	NO	24	24	6	15	8	77
9	Adrian Amos	CHI	24	22	6	16	8	76
10	Byron Jones	DAL	23	24	6	15	8	76
11	Rodney McLeod	PHI	23	25	6	14	8	76
12	Dwight Lowery	SD	23	23	6	16	8	76
13	Earl Thomas	SEA	22	26	5	15	8	76
14	Tre Boston	CAR	23	24	5	15	8	75
15	Kevin Byard	TEN	22	23	6	16	8	75
16	J.J. Wilcox	DAL	23	22	5	16	8	74
17	Justin Simmons	DEN	22	21	6	16	8	73
18	Clayton Geathers	IND	21	22	6	16	8	73
19	Duron Harmon	NE	23	22	5	15	8	73
20	Vonn Bell	NO	21	21	6	16	8	72
21	Ricardo Allen	ATL	21	22	5	16	8	72
22	Andre Hal	HOU	21	22	6	15	8	72
23	Reggie Nelson	OAK	21	22	5	16	8	72
24	Kentrell Brice	GB	21	21	5	16	8	71
25	Harrison Smith	MIN	21	22	6	14	8	71
26	Corey Graham	BUF	21	20	5	16	8	70
27	Robert Blanton	BUF	20	21	6	15	8	70
28	Corey Moore	HOU	22	20	5	15	8	70
29	Ron Parker	KC	20	21	5	16	8	70
30	Anthony Harris	MIN	20	22	5	15	8	70
31	Bradley McDougald	TB	22	23	4	13	8	70
32	T.J. Green	IND	19	22	5	15	8	69
33	Will Blackmon	WAS	21	22	4	14	8	69
34	Ibraheim Campbell	CLE	21	20	4	15	8	68
35	Tashaun Gipson	JAX	16	19	5	15	8	63

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Rashad Johnson—inactive
• Lardarius Webb—bye
• Maurice Alexander—bye
• Cody Davis—bye
• Isa Abdul-Quddus—bye
• Darian Thompson—bye
• Nat Berhe—bye
• Mike Mitchell—bye
• Eric Reid—bye

Strong Safeties

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Bills safety Jonathan Meeks won't be happy with his performance against New England. With regular starter Aaron Williams inactive after suffering an injury in Week 7, Meeks had a chance to impress and earn more reps. But the Bills coaching staff only gave Meeks five of a possible 68 snaps, largely because he was at fault for touchdowns on two of them.

He gave up an out route to Danny Amendola in the end zone for a touchdown in the first quarter. On the next series, Tom Brady connected with Chris Hogan on a 53-yard score. It looked like cornerback Stephon Gilmore was at fault, but he immediately turned and yelled at Meeks as if he was expecting help on the coverage. Meeks didn't see another snap after that. 

Shawn Williams had an impressive week for the Bengals against a Washington offense stacked with weapons, making a number of plays in coverage that stood out. In the first quarter, he initially bit on a play-action fake, but he managed to recover and sink back to take away a post route to tight end Jordan Reed in the end zone. Later on, he took up a good position in the end zone that gave him the ability to drive on slant routes to either Reed or DeSean Jackson. Kirk Cousins spotted him there and had to throw the ball away.

Williams also stayed on top of Jackson on a number of play-action passes designed to get the speedy receiver open deep. He maintained discipline, resisting the urge to bite on the run fake and instead played his assignment and read his keys. Washington failed to find Jackson on a deep ball as a result.

Williams was, however, lucky to get away with some plays against Washington. He was called for unnecessary roughness early in the game after deliberately diving into Jackson, who was clearly down on the ground and had already given himself up. He got away with a late hit on Cousins after coming free on a blitz. Cousins turned to his right and threw a bubble screen quickly off the snap. Williams had clear sight of the throw as he burst through the line of scrimmage. It might have been hard for him to stop his momentum, but he could have made more of an effort to avoid Cousins instead of diving into him and landing a huge late hit. He was fortunate not to get called for a penalty.

It was a theme that continued throughout the game. Williams played well, but the late hits weren't necessary; they were dumb. He got away with it on more than one occasion, but he could have easily have been called for multiple roughness penalties and allowed Washington a free 15 yards each time.

Grading Scale

Cvg: Coverage (Graded out of 25)

Rec: Recovery (Graded out of 25)

Slot: Slot/LB (Graded out of 20)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Strong Safety Rankings Week 8

Rank	Player	Team	Cvg	Rec	Slot	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Shawn Williams	CIN	22	21	16	14	6	79
2	Calvin Pryor	NYJ	21	20	16	16	6	79
3	Adrian Phillips	SD	20	21	16	16	6	79
4	Tony Jefferson	ARI	19	21	16	16	6	78
5	T.J. Ward	DEN	19	22	15	16	6	78
6	Daniel Sorensen	KC	20	19	16	16	6	77
7	Eric Berry	KC	19	21	15	16	6	77
8	Keanu Neal	ATL	20	20	15	15	6	76
9	Morgan Burnett	GB	20	21	14	15	6	76
10	Malcolm Jenkins	PHI	20	19	16	15	6	76
11	John Cyprien	JAX	19	19	16	15	6	75
12	Harold Jones-Quartey	CHI	20	19	14	15	6	74
13	Karl Joseph	OAK	19	18	15	16	6	74
14	Da'Norris Searcy	TEN	19	18	15	16	6	74
15	Daimion Stafford	TEN	18	19	16	15	6	74
16	Patrick Chung	NE	19	18	15	15	6	73
17	Donte Whitner	WAS	20	17	15	15	6	73
18	Duke Ihenacho	WAS	18	19	15	15	6	73
19	Jayron Kearse	MIN	18	19	14	15	6	72
20	Barry Church	DAL	18	18	15	15	6	72
21	Kenny Vaccaro	NO	18	18	14	16	6	72
22	Derrick Kindred	CLE	16	19	15	15	6	71
23	Will Parks	DEN	17	18	14	16	6	71
24	Eddie Pleasant	HOU	17	17	15	16	6	71
25	Jaylen Watkins	PHI	17	18	15	15	6	71
26	Kurt Coleman	CAR	16	18	15	15	6	70
27	Tavon Wilson	DET	16	17	16	15	6	70
28	Kelcie McCray	SEA	16	18	14	15	6	69
29	Mike Adams	IND	17	16	14	15	6	68
30	Rontez Miles	NYJ	16	17	14	15	6	68
31	Chris Conte	TB	18	15	14	15	6	68
32	Tracy Howard	CLE	16	17	13	15	6	67
33	Rafael Bush	DET	15	17	14	15	6	67
34	Miles Killebrew	DET	15	16	14	15	6	66
35	Keith Tandy	TB	14	15	14	16	6	65
36	Jonathan Meeks	BUF	14	14	13	15	6	62

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Aaron Williams—inactive
• Quintin Demps—inactive
• Andrew Sendejo—inactive
• Jahleel Addae—inactive
• Kam Chancellor—inactive
• Eric Weddle—bye
• Anthony Levine—bye
• T.J. McDonald—bye
• Reshad Jones—bye
• Landon Collins—bye
• Robert Golden—bye
• Sean Davis—bye
• Antoine Bethea—bye
• Jaquiski Tartt—bye

Kickers

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Who is that at the top of the kicker leaderboard in Week 8? New Orleans rookie Wil Lutz had the league's strongest performance, going 4-of-4 on field goals including a 51-yarder and making his only extra-point attempt. Lutz has shown a big leg all year, but this kind of performance goes a long way toward giving him the confidence needed to build the consistency required of NFL kickers.

After starting the year just 4-of-7 on field goals, he has now made seven of his last eight attempts, and he's 22-of-22 on the year for extra points as well. He appears to be developing well, but beware the often bumpy path that young kickers take on their journey upward. 

New England's Stephen Gostkowski returns to the top five after back-to-back weeks with missed extra points that raised a number of questions. He showed stronger technique this week but had some balance issues on his last kick of the day, though it still found its way through the uprights. Also bouncing back was Dallas' always-reliable Dan Bailey, who spent just one week outside of the top five and might only have one or two more misses the entire rest of the season.

On the other end of the spectrum, Cincinnati's Mike Nugent continues to struggle, missing his only field-goal attempt and going just 3-of-4 on extra points. While Gostkowski has the track record to warrant additional patience, Nugent has been a slightly below-average kicker since 2012, and there are free-agent options who could be attractive at low cost to the Bengals. Should Nugent continue to struggle, this could be an easy area for Cincinnati to bolster heading into a potential run at the playoffs.

Washington's Dustin Hopkins also struggled in back-to-back weeks, with two more misses on field-goal attempts this week after missing one in Week 7--granted, one of those was from 55 yards. Hopkins is likely to bounce back, though the power he is showing on his long kicks is cause for concern, as he has been short on two attempts from 55 and 56 yards this season. Hopkins has a strong leg, so there may be something sapping his power at this point.

Grading Scale

Pwr: Kick Power (Graded out of 40)

Acc: Kick Accuracy (Graded out of 40)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 10)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Kicker Rankings Week 8

Rank	Player	Team	Pwr	Acc	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Wil Lutz	NO	33	38	6	3	80
2	Graham Gano	CAR	33	38	5	3	79
3	Stephen Gostkowski	NE	33	37	5	3	78
4	Caleb Sturgis	PHI	33	36	5	3	77
5	Dan Bailey	DAL	32	35	6	3	76
6	Ryan Succop	TEN	31	36	5	3	75
7	Brandon McManus	DEN	32	33	5	3	73
8	Matt Bryant	ATL	30	34	5	3	72
9	Cody Parkey	CLE	31	33	5	3	72
10	Steven Hauschka	SEA	31	33	5	3	72
11	Connor Barth	CHI	30	32	5	3	70
12	Mason Crosby	GB	31	31	5	3	70
13	Nick Folk	NYJ	30	32	5	3	70
14	Nick Novak	HOU	28	32	5	3	68
15	Jason Myers	JAX	32	28	5	3	68
16	Blair Walsh	MIN	31	29	5	3	68
17	Chandler Catanzaro	ARI	31	28	5	3	67
18	Adam Vinatieri	IND	30	28	5	3	66
19	Cairo Santos	KC	30	27	5	3	65
20	Matt Prater	DET	29	25	5	3	62
21	Dan Carpenter	BUF	29	23	5	3	60
22	Josh Lambo	SD	31	20	5	3	59
23	Roberto Aguayo	TB	30	21	5	3	59
24	Sebastian Janikowski	OAK	27	19	5	3	54
25	Dustin Hopkins	WAS	27	19	5	3	54
26	Mike Nugent	CIN	28	14	5	3	50

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Greg Zuerlein—bye
• Andrew Franks—bye
• Robbie Gould—bye
• Chris Boswell—bye
• Phil Dawson—bye
• Justin Tucker—bye

Punters

Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports

The Colts' Pat McAfee slides into the top spot in the Week 8 punter rankings, largely due to outstanding ball placement. McAfee has been a victim of his own success this year, putting up good numbers but not standing out the way he has in the past. This is the kind of performance we used to see from him nearly every week, and it is possible he is just rounding into form now. He punted seven times in week 8 and averaged 49.6 yards per punt. He is still going to finish the year as a top- 10 punter, but more performances like this could put him in consideration for top-five or top-three placement. 

Green Bay's Jacob Schum comes in second this week with some massive hang time and distance numbers. Schum has been below average for Green Bay this year as Tim Masthay's replacement, so his Week 8 performance comes as a surprise. He's likely to regress back to the middle of the pack or worse, as nothing in his history suggests he can perform as he did Sunday on a weekly basis.

Also appearing in the top five this week are Houston's Shane Lechler and Carolina's Andy Lee as well as Denver rookie Riley Dixon. Lechler has heated up in recent weeks after struggling to start the season, and Lee continues to flash top-10 numbers. Dixon, on the other hand, has been all over the place, with a number of bottom-five finishes to go with several top-five performances as well.

There are a few strange names near the bottom of this week's list, with Tennessee's Brett Kern and Detroit's Sam Martin finding themselves there rather than near the top, where they typically reside. This is likely a short-term stay for both, as they're too talented to linger down there for long, but neither showed much in the way of distance, while their ball placement and hang time were average.

Minnesota's Jeff Locke ends up as the worst-rated punter of the week because his ball placement was not NFL-caliber. Punters today have to be able to move the ball from sideline to sideline, and while Locke did show average hang time and distance, his directional ability was limited. A short-distance touchback also hurt him on accuracy as well.

Grading Scale

Dist: Kick Distance (Graded out of 20)

Hang: Kick Hang Time (Graded out of 20)

Acc: Kick Accuracy (Graded out of 45)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 5)

Pos: Positional Value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

Punter Rankings Week 8

Rank	Player	Team	Dist	Hang	Acc	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Pat McAfee	IND	16	15	42	3	3	79
2	Jacob Schum	GB	19	18	32	3	3	75
3	Shane Lechler	HOU	19	16	34	3	3	75
4	Andy Lee	CAR	18	15	33	3	3	72
5	Riley Dixon	DEN	17	14	35	3	3	72
6	Bryan Anger	TB	14	18	34	3	3	72
7	Britton Colquitt	CLE	15	14	35	3	3	70
8	Dustin Colquitt	KC	16	16	32	3	3	70
9	Chris Jones	DAL	12	16	35	3	3	69
10	Thomas Morstead	NO	15	17	29	3	3	67
11	Ryan Quigley	ARI	9	18	33	3	3	66
12	Matt Bosher	ATL	16	17	27	3	3	66
13	Tress Way	WAS	13	13	34	3	3	66
14	Pat O'Donnell	CHI	13	13	32	3	3	64
15	Kevin Huber	CIN	19	12	27	3	3	64
16	Ryan Allen	NE	11	13	34	3	3	64
17	Marquette King	OAK	15	13	30	3	3	64
18	Donnie Jones	PHI	15	13	30	3	3	64
19	Brad Nortman	JAX	13	18	26	3	3	63
20	Drew Kaser	SD	19	16	22	3	3	63
21	Jon Ryan	SEA	15	14	26	3	3	61
22	Brett Kern	TEN	7	16	31	3	3	60
23	Sam Martin	DET	11	13	27	3	3	57
24	Colton Schmidt	BUF	10	10	28	3	3	54
25	Lachlan Edwards	NYJ	13	13	22	3	3	54
26	Jeff Locke	MIN	15	13	19	3	3	53

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Johnny Hekker—bye
• Matt Darr—bye
• Brad Wing—bye
• Jordan Berry—bye
• Bradley Pinion—bye
• Sam Koch—bye