Schrock's Power Rankings: Where Bears stand after loss vs. Cowboys

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Week 8 in the NFL saw the playoff picture start to round into form. Except in the mediocre NFC, where the haves and have-nots remained bunched together.

After a massive beat down of the New England Patriots in Week 7, Justin Fields and the Bears got a reality check Sunday as Chicago’s defense was bulldozed in a 49-29 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

Speaking of the Patriots, Bill Belichick’s ownership of the New York Jets continued Sunday. New England picked off Zach Wilson three times in a much-needed 22-17 win.

While we’re on the topic of ownership, the 49ers once again punked the Los Angles Rams at Levi’s South, and the Philadelphia Eagles hammered the hapless Pittsburgh Steelers in the battle for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

The playoff contenders are rounding into form, while some of the pretenders showed their stripes in Week 8.

Here’s where each team stands after Week 8:

32. Houston Texans (1-5-1): The Titans threw the ball only one time in the second half against the Titans. Davis Mills isn’t the future.

31. Detroit Lions (1-6): Detroit should have never fired Jim Caldwell. Caldwell went 36-28 as head coach of the Lions. Detroit is 18-52-2 since his firing.

30. Carolina Panthers (2-6): Two missed kicks and D.J. Moore taking his helmet off after a Hail Mary cost the Panthers first place in the NFC South. Not that any team deserves first place in that division.

29. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-6): The Steelers' own players accused each other of lacking discipline, preparation, and accountability after a blowout loss to the Eagles. Other than that, how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln?

28. Las Vegas Raiders (2-5): Getting blown out by Dennis Allen is a quick way to get on Mark Davis’ bad side. Did anyone tell Josh McDaniels?

27. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-6): The Jags once again squandered a hot start and a fourth-quarter lead in a loss to the Broncos. The Jags have the talent to win a bad AFC South, but things aren’t coming together.

26. Denver Broncos (3-5): A Broncos win in London brought Russ’ tagline back. But will Denver be sellers ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline?

25. New Orleans Saints (3-5): Alvin Kamara talked the talk and then walked the walk in leading the Saints to a blowout win over the Raiders. New Orleans is still in the thick of a bad NFC South race.

24. Indianapolis Colts (3-4-1): The Colts lost a game to the Commanders. But who cares? They might have found a quarterback in Sam Ehlinger. Time will tell.

23. Washington Commanders (4-4): Look, the Commanders are better with Taylor Heinicke than Carson Wentz. Those are just the facts.

22. Cleveland Browns (3-5): The Browns just might be able to stay afloat until Deshaun Watson's suspension ends. Maybe.

21. Arizona Cardinals (3-5): The Cardinals are talented but situationally poor. That’s a problem in the NFL.

20. Chicago Bears (3-5): Justin Fields is becoming that dude. That’s a win for the 2022 Bears.

19. New York Jets (5-3): When the Jets needed Zach Wilson to play his best, he fell on his face against the Patriots. Not a good sign for the future in New York.

18. New England Patriots (4-4): The Patriots still own the Jets. Sky is still blue.

17. Green Bay Packers (3-5): Things are bad in Green Bay, and I don’t think any amount of ayahuasca can fix it.

16. Atlanta Falcons (4-4): The Falcons are going to be this year’s, ‘How did that team make the playoffs team?’ Aren’t they?

15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-5): Tom Brady isn’t the problem in Tampa, but the Bucs might have too many issues for the GOAT to cover up.

14. Miami Dolphins (5-3): The Tua Show returned in the Dolphins’ comeback win over the Lions. Miami’s passing attack looks unstoppable when it’s right, but the ‘Fins have other things to iron out before planning for a playoff run.

13. Tennessee Titans (5-2): It’s going to take me some time to buy into the Titans. They still feel very 8-9ish to me. That might be good enough to win the AFC South, though.

12. Los Angeles Rams (3-4): The 49ers continue to own the Rams. Sean McVay should look to Pedro Martinez for inspiration the next time he’s asked how he plans to handle Kyle Shanahan.

11. Los Angeles Chargers (4-3): Despite what Emmanuel Acho says, the Chargers still made the right decision to draft Justin Herbert over Tua Tagovailoa. It’s not close.

10. Cincinnati Bengals (4-4): Ja’Marr Chase’s injury puts the pressure on Joe Burrow and Zac Taylor to keep the ship steady until No. 1 returns. That’s a tall task in the brutal AFC.

9. New York Giants (6-2): The Giants and Jets came back down to earth Sunday. Can they respond and prove their early-season success wasn’t a fluke?

8. San Francisco 49ers (4-4): Hey, the 49ers might be onto something with this Christian McCaffrey guy.

7. Seattle Seahawks (5-3): In a dominant win over the Giants, the Seahawks proved what they have going is for real. But can it be sustained for 17 games and into the playoffs?

6. Minnesota Vikings (6-1): I’m still struggling to take the Vikings seriously.

5. Dallas Cowboys (6-2): The Cowboys have elite talent at several positions. They might be the second-best team in the NFC. The only problem is the cream of the crop is their own division.

4. Baltimore Ravens (5-3): Greg Roman finally woke up from his slumber and went back to the Ravens’ bread and butter in the second half in Tampa. When Lamar and the Queen City Birds are running, they are hard to stop.

3. Kansas City Chiefs (5-2): After what the Chiefs did to the 49ers in Week 7, there’s no reason to have any other team as my Super Bowl pick. 

2. Buffalo Bills (6-1): 2019 Josh Allen re-emerged at points Sunday against the Packers. It was weird, but no reason to panic.

1. Eagles (7-0): I expected the Eagles to be good, but Jalen Hurts and Co. are pulverizing just about every team in their path. I still can’t find the loss on the schedule.

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