NFL Power Rankings: Where does league stand after 8 weeks?

1. Kansas City Chiefs (Last Week: No. 1)
2. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last Week: No. 2)
3. Seattle Seahawks (Last Week: No. 3)
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last Week: No. 5)
5. Baltimore Ravens (Last Week: No. 4)

It perhaps hasn't come with a level of dominance that makes you wonder if they'll go 16-0, but the Steelers, while playing in arguably the best division in the AFC, are undefeated through their first seven games.

Mike Tomlin's team has been tested in close victories over the Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens over the last two weeks, but their schedule is about to ease up. Over the next three weeks, the Steelers will face the Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals and Jacksonville Jaguars, teams with a combined record of 5-17-1. The Bengals have been a scrappy team in 2020 (more on that in a minute), but there's no reason to think that the Steelers won't ultimately reach the 10-win mark without a loss.

Until someone takes down Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in the postseason, they'll be the favorites in the AFC - and NFL as a whole - here. But with a ferocious defense and an offense that's deep in skill-position talent, the Steelers certainly pose the biggest threat in the AFC to the Chiefs right now.

6. New Orleans Saints (Last Week: No. 8)
7. Green Bay Packers (Last Week: No. 6)
8. Tennessee Titans (Last Week: No. 7)
9. Indianapolis Colts (Last Week: No. 11)
10. Arizona Cardinals (Last Week: No. 10)

The Cardinals slipped up in Weeks 3 and 4, losing games that they were expected to win against the Detroit Lions and Carolina Panthers. Outside of those two losses, though, the Cardinals are 5-0, giving the organization hope that they could reach the postseason for the first time since 2015.

Kliff Kingsbury's team returns from the bye week, still riding high from a 37-34 victory over the previously undefeated Seattle Seahawks, one where they erased a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter and ultimately won in overtime. The win kept them alive in the best division in the sport, and left you with a feeling that there's a very real chance the Cardinals will at least win one of the NFC's three Wild Card spots.

Still, Kyler Murray and company will quickly be tested out of the bye week, as they'll welcome the Miami Dolphins to Phoenix. The Cardinals are four-and-a-half point favorites at home, but they can hardly take the Dolphins, who have won three games in a row, lightly. This is a game that the Cardinals should win - and need to win if they want any chance to win a division title. That said, those are the type of games where the Cardinals have slipped up this year.

11. Buffalo Bills (Last Week: No. 12)
12. Las Vegas Raiders (Last Week: No. 15)
13. Cleveland Browns (Last Week: No. 9)
14. Los Angeles Rams (Last Week: No. 13)
15. Miami Dolphins (Last Week: No. 17)

In the Cleveland Browns' five wins this season, they've looked like a team capable of not only reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2002, but potentially being able to win a game when they get there.

That said, they've looked like a bottom-five team in losses. In losses to the Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers and Las Vegas Raiders, the Browns have been outscored 92-19, a jarring nugget to consider.

Kevin Stefanski's team certainly would have signed up to be 5-3 as they entered their bye week. Odell Beckham Jr. is out for the season after tearing his ACL, but there's hope that Nick Chubb, arguably the team's best offensive player, will return from a knee injury after the bye.

Still, while much of the focus in Cleveland over the next two months will be on trying to end a nearly 20-year postseason drought, there's also the subplot of trying to evaluate what Baker Mayfield is.

Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry, neither of whom were in the organization when Mayfield was selected, need to decide this offseason if they want to pick up Mayfield's fifth-year option and whether things are trending towards giving him a second contract. Being able to elevate the team on days where the running game can't get going in the manner that Stefanski hoped for would go a long way in assuring that Mayfield's future is in Cleveland.

16. Chicago Bears (Last Week: No. 14)
17. San Francisco 49ers (Last Week: No. 16)
18. Cincinnati Bengals (Last Week: No. 24)
19. Minnesota Vikings (Last Week: No. 22)
20. Los Angeles Chargers (Last Week: No. 18)

The Bengals aren't a particularly good team, but No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow has made them worth watching every week, and gives you hope that a team that won just two games a season ago may not be far off from contending for the postseason.

Consider this: the Bengals have been blown out just once in 2020, a 27-3 loss to the division-rival Baltimore Ravens in Week 5. The team's four other losses have been by five points or less. The Bengals also have a tie in hand as well, as they shocked the Eagles in Philadelphia in Week 3.

The most impressive performance by Zac Taylor's team came in Week 8, as they won handily against a Tennessee Titans team that some believe is a Super Bowl contender, 31-20. Burrow tossed two touchdowns, leading the Bengals to a victory without starting running back Joe Mixon available.

Despite playing behind an offensive line that often functions like a turnstile, Burrow has tossed 11 touchdowns to just five interceptions. The former LSU Tiger has added three more touchdowns with his legs. He's seemingly formed a bond with fellow rookie Tee Higgins, who has 33 catches for 488 yards in 2020.

There was some speculation before the 2020 NFL Draft that Burrow might try to push himself to a team other than the Bengals. He ultimately didn't go that route, and that's a decision that could pay dividends in the Queen City for the next decade and a half.

21. Detroit Lions (Last Week: No. 19)
22. Carolina Panthers (Last Week: No. 21)
23. New England Patriots (Last Week: No. 20)
24. Denver Broncos (Last Week: No. 29)
25. Philadelphia Eagles (Last Week: No. 23)

Cam Newton fumbled away a chance to kick a game-tying field goal late in the fourth quarter of the New England Patriots' Week 8 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Since starting 2-1, the Patriots have lost four consecutive games, with Newton coming down with COVID-19 and subsequently struggling to hit his stride since returning.

Perhaps Newton will prove to just be a one-year stopgap at quarterback in New England, something that seemed unlikely when he was going blow-for-blow with Russell Wilson on Sunday Night Football in Week 2.

Still, the issues in New England run much deeper than uncertainty at the quarterback position in the short and long-term. This is an offense pretty devoid of talent, thanks in large part to unsuccessful draft picks like N'Keal Harry. Julian Edelman's season may be over, and at 34, you're left to wonder if whether his illustrious tenure in New England may be nearing its conclusion. We began to see this in the second half of the 2019 season, but New England simply isn't a desirable offense to play in right now. Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels can only do so much to overcome the lack of talent.

Over The Cap estimates that the Patriots will have over $66 million in cap space this upcoming offseason, an amount that could increase if the team parts ways with veterans like Edelman and Stephon Gilmore. Certainly, the Patriots figure to be active in free agency. The question then becomes whether you trust Belichick the executive to pick the right pieces to quickly rebuild what's become a depressing offense to watch.