NFL Power Rankings Week 8: Reaction and Standings After Thursday Night Football

It wasn't their cleanest game of the season, but the Minnesota Vikings notched another win on Thursday night. Thanks in large part to another stellar performance from Dalvin Cook (171 total yards), the Vikings edged the Washington Redskins to get to 6-2.

After starting the season 2-2, Minnesota has rebounded nicely. Cook is proving to be a special talent, while Kirk Cousins appears to finally be settling in as Minnesota's franchise quarterback. He still needs to prove himself in a big game and a big moment, but the 31-year-old has performed like a top-tier signal-caller during Minnesota's winning streak.

The Vikings are a legitimate threat in the NFC North and in the conference in general—but are they one of the best teams in the NFL? Let's examine how the league stacks up after Minnesota's 19-9 victory.

NFL Standings, Post-TNF

AFC East

New England Patriots 7-0

Buffalo Bills 5-1

New York Jets 1-5

Miami Dolphins 0-6

AFC North

Baltimore Ravens 5-2

Cleveland Browns 2-4

Pittsburgh Steelers 2-4

Cincinnati Bengals 0-7

AFC South

Indianapolis Colts 4-2

Houston Texans 4-3

Jacksonville Jaguars 3-4

Tennessee Titans 3-4

AFC West

Kansas City Chiefs 5-2

Oakland Raiders 3-3

Denver Broncos 2-5

Los Angeles Chargers 2-5

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys 4-3

Philadelphia Eagles 3-4

New York Giants 2-5

Washington Redskins 1-7

NFC North

Green Bay Packers 6-1

Minnesota Vikings 6-2

Chicago Bears 3-3

Detroit Lions 2-3-1

NFC South

New Orleans Saints 6-1

Carolina Panthers 4-2

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2-4

Atlanta Falcons 1-6

NFC West

San Francisco 49ers 6-0

Seattle Seahawks 5-2

Los Angeles Rams 4-3

Arizona Cardinals 3-3-1

Adam Hunger/Associated Press

Week 8 Power Rankings

1. New England Patriots

2. New Orleans Saints

3. Green Bay Packers

4. San Francisco 49ers

5. Baltimore Ravens

6. Minnesota Vikings

7. Kansas City Chiefs

8. Buffalo Bills

9. Seattle Seahawks

10. Carolina Panthers

11. Dallas Cowboys

12. Indianapolis Colts

13. Los Angeles Rams

14. Houston Texans

15. Chicago Bears

16. Philadelphia Eagles

17. Arizona Cardinals

18. Detroit Lions

19. Oakland Raiders

20. Jacksonville Jaguars

21. Tennessee Titans

22. Cleveland Browns

23. Pittsburgh Steelers

24. Denver Broncos

25. Los Angeles Chargers

26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

27. New York Giants

28. New York Jets

29. Atlanta Falcons

30. Washington Redskins

31. Cincinnati Bengals

32. Miami Dolphins

Mark Black/Associated Press

The Breakdown

The New England Patriots are the Super Bowl champs and remain undefeated, so they also remain at No. 1 in the power rankings. The decision at No. 2 is a bit trickier.

The San Francisco 49ers are the league's only other undefeated team. Powered by a fantastic defense—one that has allowed just 10.7 points and 223.5 yards per game—and an explosive rushing attack (172.7 rushing yards per game), they are built to win on the road in December and January.

San Francisco recently added wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders to their offense too.

The question mark for the 49ers—and it's a big one—is quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. He's just now made 16 NFL starts, and he has head coach Kyle Shanahan lauding his progress, not his potency.

"He's done a lot of good things and he's getting better each week. Hopefully we can continue to protect him and he'll continue to get better," Shanahan said, per ESPN's Nick Wagoner.

Garoppolo has been merely serviceable this season. He has 1,314 passing yards with seven touchdowns and eight turnovers. He also hasn't had the chance to prove himself in a truly meaningful game, unlike guys like Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady and Drew Brees.

Brees, by the way, is a big part of why the New Orleans Saints are coming in at No. 2. They have played their last five games without him and still gone undefeated in that span. It's a testament to the play of Teddy Bridgewater, to be sure, but it's also an indication of just how talented the Saints are overall.

New Orleans didn't have Brees, Alvin Kamara or Jared Cook against the Chicago Bears in Week 7, but they still trounced the Chicago Bears 36-25.

The Saints get a slight edge over the Green Bay Packers due to degree of difficulty, but the Packers are looking like a Super Bowl contender. Their defense—which has allowed just 19.9 points per game—remains strong, while Rodgers and the offense are beginning to find their way under new head coach Matt LaFleur.

The Vikings, Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs are potential title contenders, but all three teams have flashed inconsistencies this season. For Baltimore and Kansas City, there have been significant breakdowns on defense. In Minnesota, Cousins has had his fair share of underwhelming performances.

On the right day, these three teams are capable of beating anyone. The question is whether they can overcome bad days during the postseason.

The Buffalo Bills might just be the second-best team in the AFC, but they've still very much unproven. They've beaten five teams with a combined six wins between them. Teams like the Dallas Cowboys, Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Panthers are also enigmatic. Each has won games it should have lost and lost games it should have won.

The same could be said about the Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans and Los Angeles Rams.

The rest of the league appears to be clawing just for playoff representation at this point. The Los Angeles Rams are dealing with a Super Bowl hangover, the Philadelphia Eagles defense struggles to stop the pass, and the Chicago Bears offense is an absolute mess. They could get into the postseason, but they'll have to play better to go far.

Teams such as the Arizona Cardinals, Oakland Raiders and Cleveland Browns could still go on a run and make the postseason, but this is more likely a building year for them.

Down at the bottom, we have teams like the Redskins, Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnati Bengals and Miami Dolphins in a race for the top pick in the 2020 draft. The big difference between teams at the bottom is that Miami is the only team actually trying to tank this season.