It was a semi-chalky Week 8, at least as far as the heavyweights were concerned.
The Colts kept rolling, supporting last week’s elevation up the charts. The Chiefs, Packers and Eagles all won by double digits. The Buccaneers and Bills both atoned for losses by rampaging on the road.
But the farther down you go to the middle class, things get murkier. The 49ers and Steelers suffered tough defeats. The Bears missed a golden opportunity to win their fifth straight in a matchup with the Lamar Jackson-less Ravens. And what in tarnation happened in Atlanta and Cincinnati?
There was no seismic Power Rankings activity this week, but the Chargers, Texans and Ravens all made notable jumps, and teams such as the Broncos and Patriots would have, had there not been a bottleneck, with everyone ahead of them either winning or on bye in Week 8.
I suspect I’ll eventually catch up on the Pats, who are your AFC East leaders and owners of the third-best point differential in the NFL, behind only the Colts and Chiefs. New England’s schedule is very friendly, too, with their nine remaining opponents currently owning a .362 win percentage.
It’s a different league this season, and I am still adjusting.
