NFL Power Rankings 2018: AFC, NFC Records, Division Standings and Week 8 Outlook

Despite the NFL season being just seven weeks old, a few division races look over already. On the flip side, a few others may go down to Week 17.

We'll take a look at the status of all eight division races and also provide a fresh set of post-Week 7 power rankings.

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. Atlanta Falcons (3-4)

25. Cleveland Browns (2-4-1)

27. Indianapolis Colts (2-5)

28. Buffalo Bills (2-5)

29. Oakland Raiders (1-5)

30. New York Giants (1-6)

31. Arizona Cardinals (1-6)

32. San Francisco 49ers (1-6)

NFL Standings

AFC East

New England Patriots (5-2)

Miami Dolphins (4-3)

New York Jets (3-4)

Buffalo Bills (2-5)

The New England Patriots may run away with this division. The Miami Dolphins are 1-3 in their last four games and will be without wide receivers Kenny Stills and Albert Wilson in their Thursday matchup at the Houston Texans.

There's a good chance the banged-up New York Jets fall to 3-5 after a road tilt with the Chicago Bears, which would put them in a huge hole. The Buffalo Bills are 2-5 and have the league's worst offense. They now get the scorching-hot Pats on Monday night.

This is another year where it seems the Pats are moving up and the rest of the division is stuck in neutral, regressing and/or looking toward next year.

AFC North

Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2-1)

Cincinnati Bengals (4-3)

Baltimore Ravens (4-3)

Cleveland Browns (2-4-1)

The Pittsburgh Steelers look like they have figured things out after two straight wins to vault them into first place. They now host the 2-4-1 Cleveland Browns, who haven't won in Pittsburgh during the Ben Roethlisberger era (2004-present date).

The Baltimore Ravens just lost to drop to 4-3, but a one-point defeat to the 5-1 New Orleans Saints isn't exactly embarrassing. They will enjoy a three-game homestand following a road tilt with the Carolina Panthers.

The Cincinnati Bengals and Browns are going in the wrong direction. Both have lost their last two games and may fade fast if they don't make improvements on both sides of the ball.

Cincinnati has the edge at home over the 3-3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, but the aforementioned Browns may fall to 2-6-1 with upcoming games versus Pittsburgh and the 6-1 Kansas City Chiefs.

AFC South

Houston Texans (4-3)

Tennessee Titans (3-4)

Jacksonville Jaguars (3-4)

Indianapolis Colts (2-5)

After a four-game win streak, the Houston Texans could run away with the AFC South. Houston doesn't face a team better than 4-2 the rest of the way.

The Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars have shown serious offensive concerns in the midst of three-game losing streaks. Tennessee is off in Week 8, while Jacksonville has what looks like a coin-flip matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Don't sleep on the Indianapolis Colts, who like the Texans don't play a team with more than four wins the rest of the year. The Colts looked dominant in 37-5 win over Buffalo and have hung in every game. They could be frisky enough to win the division and may continue their good vibes against the 1-5 Oakland Raiders on Sunday.

AFC West

Kansas City Chiefs (6-1)

Los Angeles Chargers (5-2)

Denver Broncos (3-4)

Oakland Raiders (1-5)

The Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers are almost certainly going to the playoffs barring significant injuries. One can argue they are two of the top three or four teams in the NFL.

The Chiefs are 10-point favorites over the Denver Broncos at home Sunday, per OddsShark, while the Bolts are off.

Meanwhile, the Broncos are stuck in a malaise: not good enough to compete for the division, but not bad enough to pick near the top of the draft.

The Raiders are building for the future and just traded No. 1 wide receiver Amari Cooper to the Dallas Cowboys. They may finish the season with the league's worst record.

NFC East

Washington Redskins (4-2)

Philadelphia Eagles (3-4)

Dallas Cowboys (3-4)

New York Giants (1-6)

The Washington Redskins have a big edge on the NFC East. They are a game-and-a-half ahead of second-place Dallas and Philadelphia, and they currently hold the tiebreaker over the Cowboys to boot.

Washington's schedule looks easy down the stretch: Its lone game against a winning team is at home vs. the 4-3 Texans. They also have two games versus the 1-6 New York Giants, one of which is this Sunday.

The 3-4 Eagles have been in every game but lost four by one score each. The Cowboys are hoping Cooper ignites an offense that has largely been dormant. He'll get an extra week to transition to Dallas as the team is on a bye.

The Giants have little to no hope for a playoff spot barring a miraculous run.

NFC North

Minnesota Vikings (4-2-1)

Green Bay Packers (3-2-1)

Chicago Bears (3-3)

Detroit Lions (3-3)

The NFC North is the only division where it's realistically possible for any of its participants to win.

The Minnesota Vikings are winners of three straight and have an invincible passing attack led by wideout Adam Thielen, who has seven straight 100-yard games. A tough Week 8 home matchup with the Saints looms, though.

The Green Bay Packers can never be counted out with quarterback Aaron Rodgers calling the shots, but they're up against the 7-0 Los Angeles Rams on the road in Week 8.

The Chicago Bears have come to life this year, although they are currently on a two-game skid. Still, edge-rusher Khalil Mack has been great (five sacks), and the team is a seven-point favorite over the Jets, per OddsShark.

The Detroit Lions are 3-1 in their last four games, and running back Kerryon Johnson looks like one of the best backs in football. He saw increased touches (21) in a 32-21 win over Miami and should get more looks moving forward. We'll see how he does at home versus the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

NFC South

New Orleans Saints (5-1)

Carolina Panthers (4-2)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-4)

Atlanta Falcons (3-4)

This division looks a bit more bunched up than most on the surface, but in reality the New Orleans Saints have a massive edge. They present a serious matchup problem for the second-place Panthers, who lost to New Orleans three times last season. New Orleans is tough to stop on offense, and the Carolina attack this season may not be explosive enough to go blow for blow.

The Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons' struggling defenses may preclude them from serious runs to playoff contention late in the year. Atlanta is off this week.

NFC West

Los Angeles Rams (7-0)

Seattle Seahawks (3-3)

Arizona Cardinals (1-6)

San Francisco 49ers (1-6)

The Rams may have the NFC West clinched by Thanksgiving. They are the clear best team and should cruise to the division title and a first-round bye in the playoffs.

The Seahawks have a shot at a wild card and look good lately with three wins in four games (their only loss in that stretch was a 33-31 defeat to the Rams).

The Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers are playing out the string (and play each other Sunday).

Arizona made an offensive coordinator change seven games into the season and are in year one of a new era with head coach Steve Wilks and quarterback Josh Rosen. The 49ers have endured so many injuries that they are essentially forced to wait until next year.