NFL Power Rankings: Week 8 Standings and Review After Sunday's Games

The NFL's 32 teams are starting to separate themselves into a few distinct tiers as the 2018 campaign reaches the halfway marker.

A group of five clear Super Bowl contenders leads the way, and a wide gap separates them from a large mass of teams fighting each other for playoff spots.

A third tier of teams have a puncher's chance at the playoffs, and they're followed by a group of clubs that will likely be picking in the beginning of the 2019 NFL draft.

We'll take a look at all four tiers below in addition to providing a fresh set of power rankings. Along the way, we'll provide a quick comment (sometimes a bit more than that) for each team.

NFL Power Rankings

1. Los Angeles Rams (7-0)

2. Kansas City Chiefs (6-1)

3. New Orleans Saints (5-1)

4. New England Patriots (5-2)

5. Los Angeles Chargers (5-2)

6. Washington Redskins (4-2)

7. Carolina Panthers (4-2)

8. Minnesota Vikings (4-2-1)

9. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2-1)

10. Green Bay Packers (3-2-1)

11. Cincinnati Bengals (4-3)

12. Baltimore Ravens (4-3)

13. Miami Dolphins (4-3)

14. Houston Texans (4-3)

15. Chicago Bears (3-3)

16. Seattle Seahawks (3-3)

17. Detroit Lions (3-3)

18. Tennessee Titans (3-4)

19. Dallas Cowboys (3-4)

20. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-4)

21. New York Jets (3-4)

22. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-4)

23. Denver Broncos (3-4)

24. Philadelphia Eagles (3-4)

25. Cleveland Browns (2-4-1)

26. Atlanta Falcons (2-4)

27. Indianapolis Colts (2-5)

28. Buffalo Bills (2-5)

29. New York Giants (1-5)

30. Oakland Raiders (1-5)

31. Arizona Cardinals (1-6)

32. San Francisco 49ers (1-6)

No. 1-5: Top Super Bowl Contenders

The top five teams have separated themselves from the rest of the pack.

The Los Angeles Rams are the lone undefeated team and have beaten four of their opponents by 12 or more points.

The Kansas City Chiefs just ran over a now 4-3 Cincinnati Bengals team on Sunday Night Football.

The New Orleans Saints and New England Patriots are on fire after sluggish starts, and the Los Angeles Chargers are 5-2 sans their best defensive player (edge-rusher Joey Bosa).

The Bolts might be the scariest team of the five. Bosa has 23 sacks to his name through two NFL seasons, and he's expected to make his debut on November 4 after the team's upcoming bye week. Los Angeles' only two losses have been to the aforementioned Rams and Chiefs, and the team is about to face four consecutive teams with .500 or losing records.

Ultimately, the Chargers are a dark-horse candidate for the AFC's No. 1 seed, and an all-Los Angeles Super Bowl is a possibility.

No. 6-15: The Sizable Second Tier

The wild-card team leading the way is the 4-2 Washington Redskins, who don't have an explosive offense or ferocious defense but get the job done more often than not. The 'Skins have victories over two winning teams (the 4-2 Carolina Panthers and 3-2-1 Green Bay Packers) on their resume and currently lead the NFC East by a game-and-a-half.

The Baltimore Ravens defense has allowed the fewest points per game in the league and just lost a tough game to the Saints, 24-23, but they're just percentage points behind the AFC North-leading Pittsburgh Steelers. Baltimore could bounce back if its defense stays strong and deep threat John Brown continues his excellent season (28 catches, 558 yards, four touchdowns).

The Steelers lost to Baltimore 26-14 earlier this year, but they have bounced back with wins in two straight games, including a road victory over the Bengals. Cincinnati looks like its about to go on a slide after a non-competitive 45-10 loss to the Chiefs on Sunday Night Football.

Houston is going in the opposite direction of Cincinnati with wins in its last four games. The Texans may coast to the AFC South title with a few division rivals (the 3-4 Jacksonville Jaguars and 3-4 Tennessee Titans) reeling after three straight losses each.

The Panthers and Packers will almost always be in the playoff conversation with their former MVP quarterbacks (Cam Newton and Aaron Rodgers), and they should be in the postseason conversation until Week 17 at minimum. 

Similarly, the Minnesota Vikings look like they'll be in it for the long haul as long as scorching-hot wide receiver Adam Thielen (100 yards or more in seven straight games) and quarterback Kirk Cousins are connecting.

The Miami Dolphins and Chicago Bears have to pick themselves off the mat after Week 7 losses. They also share a similar problem, in that their respective divisions will be difficult to win with some strong teams ahead of them in the standings (the Pats for the Dolphins, and the Packers and Vikings for the Bears).

No. 16 - No. 26: Time To Make a Move

The Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions have bounced back with 3-1 records after 0-2 starts. Both can point to resurgent running games as part of their success: The efficient Chris Carson and Mike Davis lead the way in Seattle, while rookie Kerryon Johnson has been phenomenal in Detroit.

The Tennessee Titans and Dallas Cowboys need to cure offensive ills before taking the next step. Tennessee has scored just 31 points in their last three games, while Dallas has scored more than 20 points just twice in seven games this year.

The Philadelphia Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars are the league's defending Super Bowl champions and AFC runners-up, respectively, but both teams have taken a step back this season. The Eagles have battled through injuries and issues in the secondary, while the Jaguars have been outscored 90-28 in their past three games.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cleveland Browns looked like two significantly flawed teams in the Bucs' 26-23 overtime win on Sunday. Both teams are sloppy and have significant issues: Tampa can't run the ball consistently and has troubles on defense, while the Browns offense hasn't gotten rolling all year.

The New York Jets' time isn't now as the young team rebuilds and embarks on year one of the Sam Darnold era.

The Denver Broncos' identity is far less certain. A mix of veterans left over from the Super Bowl-winning team combined with some new blood has resulted in a pedestrian 3-4 record. They have a tough fight ahead of them to make the playoffs as they look up at the Chiefs and Chargers in the AFC West.

The Atlanta Falcons have seen four Week 1 starters suffer season-ending injuries, which is partially the cause for their 2-4 start. They bring up the rear in this tier for now, although a win over the 1-5 New York Giants on Monday would help their standing.

No. 27 - No. 32: Planning for the 2019 NFL Draft

Although a few of these teams sport some impressive wins on their resumes, chances are they're going to be picking in the top 10 of the 2019 draft.

The Indianapolis Colts have the best shot at emerging from the bottom tier, as they are just two games back of the Texans for the AFC South lead. However, the Colts are still 2-5 and sitting in last place.

The rest of the clubs will wait until next year barring an unforeseen miracle.

The Arizona Cardinals are in disarray and just fired offensive coordinator Mike McCoy after just six games. The Oakland Raiders may undergo a significant roster overhaul, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

The San Francisco 49ers have been snakebitten by injuries, and the Buffalo Bills and New York Giants have significant offensive issues that have sabotaged each of their years. All of them may be mathematically eliminated from the postseason before Thanksgiving.