NFL Power Rankings Week 8: The Indianapolis Colts are the real deal

Oct 19, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones (17) prepares to throw the ball in the first quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

After a Monday Night Football doubleheader that saw the Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks both move to 5-2, we now have two days of rest before week eight of the 2025 campaign continues with a Thursday night clash between the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium.

As the NFC continues to be a dogfight between anyone and everyone, the AFC is the land of the opportunist, with the Indianapolis Colts holding the league's best record.

Here are the full power rankings from the top of the mountain to the dregs as we enter a pivotal eighth week of the NFL regular season.

1. Indianapolis Colts (6-1)

What a season it has been for the Colts thus far this season. If you told Colts fans after they signed Daniel Jones in the offseason that they'd be 4-3 through the first seven weeks, they would have taken the deal in a second and celebrated. They've exceeded even the wildest of imaginations, winning all but one of their games, and that was a defeat on the road to a difficult Los Angeles Rams side, where the Colts made multiple unforced errors.

Jonathon Taylor is the frontrunner for Offensive Player of the Year, and the aforementioned Jones has transformed into a new person in Indy. The duo, along with rookie standout Tyler Warren at tight end, has created an almost unstoppable offense paired with a defense that might bend but routinely finds takeaways in key moments.

No more handwaving or pretending the Colts are a cute story that'll go away. Indianapolis is for real, and in an AFC where it feels wide open except for the charging Kansas City Chiefs, they are a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

2. Detroit Lions (5-2)

Monday night was a stern test for the Lions against the Buccaneers, and they passed with flying colors. Without Brian Branch setting up the defense, it felt like the Lions were going to need to win a shootout for a chance to beat the red-hot Buccaneers offense and MVP candidate Baker Mayfield. Instead, the Lions rallied without their best defensive player. They made Mayfield's night one to forget, with numerous throws tipped before they reached a receiver or tackling the scrambling quarterback whenever he attempted to pull off individual heroics.

3. Los Angeles Rams (5-2)

The Rams went to London needing a win to solidify themselves near the top of the NFL hierarchy, and they did just that with a 35-7 blowout of a fellow 4-2 Jacksonville Jaguars side. The game was over early, with the Rams' fearsome defensive line, anchored by star EDGE rushers Jared Verse and Byron Young, pummeling Trevor Lawrence on the opening play of the game. Matthew Stafford showed zero issues in the rainy and muddy conditions, finding Davante Adams for three touchdowns and five overall for the day.

To reach the top of the pyramid, though, the Rams need to be better on special teams. While their offense and defense are both elite, their kicking and return game have been challenging to watch. The Jaguars had a kick return for a touchdown called back on a questionable illegal block penalty. Those types of lapses are OK when you're up big, but as we saw in their loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, special teams can be the difference between a monumental win and a devastating loss.

4. Philadelphia Eagles (5-2)

The defending, reigning champions might be back. After a few weeks of drama and seeing themselves lose two straight, capped off by an embarrassing loss to rookie Jaxon Dart and the New York Giants, the Eagles looked better than they have all season on the offensive side of the ball in a win over the Vikings. Jalen Hurts brushed off all the criticism about his arm and was surgical in his picking apart of the Minnesota secondary, finding A. J. Brown and DeVonta Smith throughout the game to put the Vikings away.

And in the most surprising news of the week, longtime EDGE Brandon Graham announced his unretirement and signed a one-year deal with the Eagles. Before retiring, he was PFF's No. 21 EDGE for the 2024 season and a leader in the Eagles' defensive unit. If Graham can be anywhere near how good he was last season, the 37-year-old could be a key reason why the Eagles make it out alive of a stacked NFC conference.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-2)

If they had won last night in Detroit, the Buccaneers would have been the No. 1 team in the power rankings, and Mayfield would have been my undisputed frontrunner for MVP. Alas, Mayfield had by far his worst game of the season, missing multiple passes and failing to do anything with his legs, and the Bucs got outmuscled by a fellow NFC rival.

Still, the Buccaneers are a great team, and one loss on the road isn't going to make them any less of a contender. Losing veteran superstar wideout Mike Evans for the season will hurt, but this is a franchise that has gone through injuries before and found itself a division winner by the end of the season. The Cleveland Browns made one of their biggest mistakes as a franchise when they gave up on Baker Mayfield, and I'm not going to do the same after one poor performance.