1 – 
Packers (7-1) 
6
Against all odds, the Packers pulled off the impossible last Thursday. Going on the road to take on the only undefeated team in football without their top 3 WRs, their LT, their star CB and pass rusher, or even a defensive coordinator, they out-played the Cardinals from start to finish en route to the biggest win of the season in the NFL thus far. It wasn’t flashy, it wasn’t electric, but it was incredible team football to pull off a feat that nobody thought they could. It was more than enough to put them at #1. Aaron Rodgers is playing like he’s in his prime, making something out of nothing, and this defense has been extremely physical and continues to make play after play despite being riddled by injuries. They ran the ball all over a good defense and looked like the best team in football. In my opinion, that’s just what they are.
2 – 
Cardinals (7-1) 
1
I’m not going to punish the Cardinals too hard for losing. They were the 32nd team in the league to do so. They played well enough to be within a single play of beating the Packers, and that was with DeAndre Hopkins missing most of the game. I was a bit concerned with Kyler Murray, as he struggled for the majority of the game and seemed to be hurt once it was over. Hopefully he’s alright. I was also concerned with the defensive performance out of Arizona, as they were ran all over and had a hard time stopping the Packers’ practice squad WR core. But, it was a big game against a fantastic team, and in the NFL, these things happen. This team is still great and a very close loss to the best team in football doesn’t discount 7 weeks worth of top tier play.
3 – 
Rams (7-1) 1
The Rams are playing a lot better than it might seem by putting them at 3, but you have to keep things in perspective. Since their lone loss to the Cardinals, they have played a Seahawks team that lost Russell Wilson mid-game, the Giants, Lions, and Texans. So, yes, they look fantastic. I honestly think they look like the best team in the league. But their opponents have been dreadful, and they still lost a game to a team above them. I don’t always give teams the advantage just because of a head-to-head matchup, but I think this is an exception. Still, I love watching this team play, and they’re only getting better. The acquisition of Von Miller from Denver solidifies their pass rush as one of the best in football to go along with a star-studded secondary, and their offense needs no introduction at this point. As it stands, from a roster perspective, this is probably the best overall team in the league.
4 – 
Cowboys (6-1) 1
I don’t know what it is with this team, but they have something. That ever-enticing it factor that they talk about is very apparent in Dallas. Going on the road in a primetime game against a good Vikings team was going to be hard enough, but Dak Prescott was ruled out just before the game due to his calf issues. With backup QB Cooper Rush getting the start, I certainly had no faith in the Cowboys to win. So, naturally, he threw for 325 yards and 2 TDs including the game-winner in the final minute. Oh, and their defense shut down a star-studded Minnesota offense all game long to the tune of 278 total yards and a staggering 1-for-13 on 3rd down conversions. No matter what the circumstance or who the opponent, all this Cowboys team does is persevere and win. They have playmakers everywhere on offense to make up for any lack at any position, and their defense is seemingly getting better by the week. In a dreadful division and an already weak schedule, it’s hard to foresee this team losing many more games this season. We’re all doomed.
5 – 
Buccaneers (6-2) 2
Can we all pump the brakes for a second? Let’s be adults about this. Did the Bucs lose on Sunday? Yes. Was it bad? Kind of. Losing to a backup QB who hasn’t played in this league in several years is never a good thing. But, there are some facts that need to be taken into account. For starters, like I said above with Arizona, a close loss to a good team doesn’t discount half a season’s worth of excellent football. Moreover, Tampa was without two key offensive pieces in Antonio Brown and Rob Gronkowski in addition to their never-ending defensive injury list. Oh, and the Saints have had the Bucs’ number in a huge way since Brady got there, as he’s now 0-3 against them in the regular season. This is just how the NFL works. I’m trying to be rational here and I’m giving the Bucs a pass because I know they’re still one of the NFL’s best teams and I believe in Tom Brady. But let’s not lose to any more backups, ok?
6 – 
Bills (5-2) 2
I’m not very fond of good teams playing bad teams close. If I expect it to happen, then sure. But you guys know how I feel about the Miami Dolphins. A team this good should not be struggling with a team that bad for that long. I know I always say division games are close, but the Bills have a history of destroying the Dolphins in recent years. In any case, they pulled away late and got the job done (and covered, thank you very much). Even if I didn’t like this one game for the Bills, it doesn’t change the fact that I’ve loved how they’ve looked otherwise. This is still one of the best offenses in football, and is the best statistical defense in the league by a large margin. They’ll be just fine, especially with their cupcake schedule.
7 – 
Titans (6-2) 1
Tennessee pulling through in overtime and picking up a win to cement their spot atop the AFC South on Sunday was absolutely massive. It would have been huge anyways, but the news that they’ll be without Derrick Henry for 6-10 weeks with a foot injury makes it that much bigger. This team runs through their star RB, and without him, I have no idea how they’re going to look. Luckily, they have a cushion to figure things out, now 3 games up in the division. I like Ryan Tannehill, but this offense doesn’t necessarily have a plethora of weapons. I have a bad feeling that without Henry, this team will fall apart. But, Mike Vrabel is a good head coach, and this team just finds ways to win. It’s just such a shame to lose one of the NFL’s best and most beloved players. I hope that they keep it together.
8 – 
Bengals (5-3) 2
There is nothing that irks me more than great teams losing to terrible teams. Remember how I treated the Titans for losing to the Jets? So, you might be wondering why I’m not putting the Bengals in timeout this week. Well, it’s fairly simple to be honest. They were absolutely jobbed. Cincy stopped the Jets on a crucial 3rd down deep in their own territory, but the refs called an inexplicable unnecessary roughness call on the Bengals for a helmet-to-helmet collision in which the New York player lowered his head way down and into the collision itself. Thus, the Jets were gifted a first down and ended up driving to cut the lead. After an unlucky tipped INT and another touchdown, it was upset city. It’s not the Bengals’ fault. Granted, you shouldn’t really be in that situation against a team as bad as the Jets in the first place, but Mike White came out and played an incredible game that none of us could have seen coming. For all these reasons, and the fact that they’ve been one of the best teams in the NFL thus far, I’m cutting the Bengals some slack this week.
9 – 
Ravens (5-2) 
The Ravens had a much-needed bye in Week 8 ahead of a tough matchup this week with the Vikings. Hopefully they took the time during the off week to figure out their defensive issues, because we all know that if they don’t tighten up that side of the ball, there will be more losses to come.
10 – 
Raiders (5-2) 1
One normal week is all I ask for with the Raiders. Just one. Only a franchise like this can lose to their bye week. You guys know the story with Henry Ruggs III by now, so I won’t get into it. Only time will tell how that affects this team moving forward.
11 – 
Chargers (4-3) 1
I’m not entirely sure what happened to this team. The Chargers defense has taken a complete nosedive, as even after a bye week, they were torn apart by a average to above average Patriots offense. The other side of the ball hasn’t been pretty either, as Justin Herbert and company have struggled mightily in back to back games. All of a sudden, the young star QB has a turnover problem, and the once potent weapons around him have disappeared. I haven’t heard Mike Williams’ name called since the Browns game. You would think that a team this talented and well-coached would look significantly better coming off a bye, but that wasn’t the case. The schedule isn’t terrible moving forward, so hopefully this team buttons itself up in the next few weeks, otherwise they could get lost very quickly in a wild AFC playoff race.
12 – 
Saints (5-2) 4
I will finally give the Saints the credit that they very much deserve, but I still have some concerns moving forward with this team. The obvious one is that Jameis Winston will miss the remainder of the season with an ACL injury in what was an unfortunate situation on a high tackle on Sunday. Trevor Siemian was effective in relief and got the win against a great Bucs team, but I don’t know how I feel about him as a full-time starter moving forward. What I do know is that this team just finds ways to win. It has been the case for years now. Whenever Drew Brees went down with injury, the backup was ready to go and this team didn’t lose a beat. Who’s to say that won’t be the case with Siemian under center? This defense is spectacular and the offense gets the job done. With a favorable schedule and a great team from top to bottom, this can easily be a playoff team. We just have to see if Siemian is built for it.
13 – 
Patriots (4-4) 4
The evil empire is inevitable. The Patriots are back after some huge wins and find themselves right in the thick of the AFC wild card race. Honestly, I think this team is a heck of a lot better than a lot of other teams in the conference that are just treading water right now. This defense is finally playing up to their talent, and the offense has seemingly figured itself out. It wasn’t going to be instantly effective with Mac Jones under center, but the rookie seems to have found his groove, and this offense looks extremely efficient because of that. It’s a perfect formula to win games, and this team has proven that they can play up to some elite competition. Now that they can get over the hump and beat those great teams, I don’t see how this team doesn’t find their way into the playoffs.
14 – 
Steelers (4-3) 5
Well, well, well. We meet again, Pittsburgh. I dreaded this happening, but alas, I saw it coming from a mile away. After 3 straight good-looking wins, the Steelers appear to be back. Their defense has been spectacular, and their offense is doing just enough to put up more points than the opposing team. The offensive line is playing better, and the passing attack has been surprisingly effective throughout this win streak. But it’s no secret that this team’s forte is their defense. As long as they continue suffocating opponents all game long, especially on the ground, then this team will have what it takes to make the playoffs. What they’ll do once they get there is yet to be seen, but the Steelers are back to playing their brand of football, and they’re looking good doing it.
15 – 
Colts (3-5) 2
Yikes. That was just… yikes. I’ll give the Colts credit for a couple of things. For starters, they jumped out to a double digit lead early on Sunday and looked unstoppable. That is, until they started getting stopped. That all culminated in perhaps the worst play I’ve ever seen from a QB at any level of football, as Carson Wentz “threw” a beyond inexplicable pick six while being tackled in his own endzone to almost lose the game with less than 2 minutes left in the game. But, Wentz and Indy bounced back and went down to tie the game and force OT, which is another thing I want to give them credit for. A team can easily be derailed by such a poor sequence of events, but they overcame that adversity. Overtime, however, brought more unfortunate happenings. Another poor Wentz pick set up the game-winning FG for the Titans to bury this team 3 games behind Tennessee in the standings. This was so winnable for the Colts, but they got the Carson Wentz of old, and that’s what ruined them. I still think Wentz has been very good this season, as has the rest of the team, but it’s a huge uphill battle from here. Do they have what it takes to climb that hill?
16 – 
Chiefs (4-4) 1
What do you want me to say about the Chiefs? You are all seeing the same product I am. This team didn’t look great in recent weeks, that’s no secret. But it’s time to call them what they are right now: bad. Their offense is invisible. When they do get things going, they become a turnover factory. They can’t run the football, and their pass protection has been dreadful. Travis Kelce has become a non-factor. And the defensive woes need no introduction. Not even Patrick Mahomes can right a ship sinking this fast. It’s ugly, it’s unfortunate, and it hurts to see. But, this is what the Chiefs are right now. I don’t know what it will take to save them.
17 – 
Browns (4-4) 3
Alright Cleveland, what’s your excuse? Whatever it is, I don’t want to hear it. The Browns are finally healthy on offense, so it’s only right that they put together their worst offensive performance in their biggest game of the season thus far. Even with Baker Mayfield, Nick Chubb, and Jarvis Landry back, this team refused to move the ball on Sunday against an albeit excellent Steelers defense. Odell Beckham Jr. is as invisible as ever and probably won’t even be on this team by this time next week. The defense hasn’t been bad, but their offense hasn’t been able to do enough to show for anything, which is not something I was expecting to type out this season. Baker is still a problem, but not having a run game to make up for that will set this team back. I don’t expect them to have that problem against most teams, but when it happens, the Browns are hopeless.
18 – 
49ers (3-4)
The Niners’ win in Chicago on Sunday was pretty nice. There’s not much I can say about it. It’s what I expected out of this team, and I’m glad they proved me wrong. I will say that I was impressed with their offensive performance, as Jimmy Garoppolo looked very good and the run game was dominant led by Elijah Mitchell. The defense didn’t play as well as I thought they would, but when you win by double digits, you can’t complain too much. If the 49ers can channel this into more good performances against good teams, then they can definitely turn this season around. Unfortunately, I just don’t see that being the case.
19 – 
Vikings (3-4) 7
I am being extremely harsh to the Vikings this week, but it’s what they deserve. I’ve had such high hopes for them, and time and time again, they fail to deliver on that promise. They couldn’t even beat a backup QB at home on Sunday. The Cowboys are a great team, but come on now. With the offense at full strength, you have to put together more than just 16 points, even against a good defense. This team was inexplicably 1/13 on 3rd down. Their defense played well enough to win the game, but the offense refused to do anything all game long. I don’t know who to blame, and I don’t to waste any time or energy thinking of an answer. I will simply take this team off the pedestal that I’ve had them on for so many weeks.
20 – 
Panthers (4-4) 3
Good on this team for avoiding the embarrassment of losing to the Falcons. I didn’t think they had it in them, but apparently they do. It doesn’t mean very much to me, however. It was still an extremely poor offensive showing, and that was to be expected. Once again, Sam Darnold left the game, this time after getting popped by a defender. Even when he was in the game, this offense was invisible. At least Christian McCaffrey is coming back soon. Or so they hope.
21 – 
Seahawks (3-5) 1
Unlike what I predicted, the Seahawks saved themselves from the embarrassment of losing to the Jaguars. Good for them. Behind a strong performance by Geno Smith and both star WRs, alongside a cosmically-rare good defensive performance, the outcome on Sunday was never in doubt. I still don’t have much faith in this team with Geno under center, but the good news is that Russell Wilson seems to be progressing fast in his recovery and should be back in the coming weeks. Once he’s back, things could get back on track, but I still think this defense holds the Seahawks back too much for them to be in the playoff picture.
22 – 
Broncos (4-4) 2
On Sunday, the Broncos won perhaps the worst professional football game I’ve ever watched. They weren’t impressive in doing so. In fact, they almost fumbled the game away at the end (literally). But, they proved to be the lesser of two terribles and came away with the flimsiest win you’ll ever see. There’s nothing more I can say about that. On the topic of Von Miller, however, I think the trade benefits Denver greatly. Yes, Miller is a franchise legend, but he was set to be a free agent this offseason and he surely wasn’t coming back. Now, they get a 2nd and a 3rd, as well as some money off the books. Great value.
23 – 
Eagles (3-5) 1
The Eagles put together perhaps the most confusing blowout I have ever seen on Sunday in Detroit. I knew they’d beat the Lions, but I didn’t think it would be that bad. Moreover, I still can’t explain how they put up the numbers they did. Jalen Hurts barely did anything all game, nor did their pass-catching threats. The entire offense ran through 2 backup RBs in Boston Scott and Jordan Howard, who is somehow still in the league. In any case, it was a good win for a team that needed it and is now sitting alone in 2nd place in the NFC East. Unfortunately, blowing out the Lions means next to nothing.
24 – 
Falcons (3-4) 3
There’s nothing I can say about this team. The most notable thing that happened to a Falcons player this week was Matt Ryan’s hand getting stepped on. The offense laid a complete dud and while the defense wasn’t bad, it wasn’t enough. It’s not very often that we can say that about the Falcons. It’s ok Atlanta. At least the Braves just won the World Series.
25 – 
Giants (2-6)
Credit to the Giants for sticking around all game long on Monday night. Nobody gave them a chance, but they were in it till the very end. They went out with a whimper, but we are all about moral victories here in the NFC East. The loss was like so many others for the Giants this season. The defense did its thing, but the offense couldn’t find a pulse and it ended up being their downfall. There are plenty of problems on that side of the ball, so I don’t know who to blame, but I’m not trying to point fingers anyways.
26 – 
Bears (3-5)
I was honestly impressed with the Bears on Sunday. At least, from an offensive perspective. Justin Fields looked solid, making some good looking throws and having one of the best runs of the season for a touchdown. But, the defense was a complete mess from start to finish, and their offense couldn’t do enough to overcome that. But, if their offense continues to get better, than perhaps this team will find themselves winning games again this season.
27 – 
Washington (2-6)
No, I won’t talk about this team. I refuse to. It is a waste of time, and I am sick of it. You couldn’t pay me to care about these sorry losers right now. They have broken me.
28 – 
Jets (2-5) 3
Honestly, good for the Jets. They didn’t deserve to win on Sunday, but they did more than enough to do so anyways. Mike White looked absolutely awesome and he 100% deserves to be this team’s starting QB moving forward. I saw more from him in one game than I have ever seen from Zach Wilson. He’ll get another chance to prove himself on national TV on Thursday night in Indy, and while I don’t think he’ll have another 400-yard day, I’m not ruling out the possibility of him putting together a nice game. In any case, he needs to be the starter, even when Wilson returns from injury.
29 – 
Jaguars (1-6) 1
Remind me to never put my faith in the Jaguars again. Thank you very much.
30 – 
Dolphins (1-7)
Credit to the Dolphins for somehow hanging around with the Bills for most of the game on Sunday. That might be the highlight of their season for all of 2021.
31 – 
Lions (0-8) 2
Uh… yeah. The story of this team used to be scrappy losses. Now it’s getting 40-pieced by the Eagles. It’s just bad. They’ll surely win a game eventually, but it’s getting harder and harder to envision that happening.
32 – 
Texans (1-7)
The Houston Texans are a football team. Honestly, they’re barely that anymore. That is literally all that can be said about this team.
All stats taken from ESPN.
Raza Talks Sports 