The San Francisco 49ers are No. 1 after Week 8, moving up from No. 2 during their bye. The week's biggest drop belongs to the Kansas City Chiefs, who slide 5 spots to No. 8 after a 28-24 loss to the Denver Broncos on the road.
How the ranking works: it is a formula, not a vote. Each team gets an index from 0 to 100, built 55% on winning percentage and 45% on point differential per game, scaled from -14 a game at the bottom to +14 a game at the top. Last week's rank is the same formula applied before each team's Week 8 game.
1-10
1. San Francisco 49ers (6-1)
San Francisco moves up 1 spot without taking the field, while last week's No. 1, Minnesota, lost in Detroit. The 49ers are +58 on the season, about 8 points a game, and they are 4-0 at home and 3-0 in the division.
Index: 83.0 – Differential: +58 (197 scored, 139 allowed) – Next: vs. Las Vegas Raiders
2. Buffalo Bills (6-1)
Buffalo climbs 2 spots after hammering the Baltimore Ravens 36-10 at home for a third straight win. The Bills match San Francisco's record, but their differential of about 7 points a game trails the 49ers' mark, which is what keeps them at No. 2. They are 3-0 on the road and hold the AFC's top seed if the season ended today.
Index: 81.6 – Differential: +52 (233 scored, 181 allowed) – Next: at Minnesota Vikings
3. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-2)
Jacksonville rises 2 spots after a 42-7 rout of the Indianapolis Colts at home. The Jaguars are the clearest example of how the formula rewards margin: their differential works out to about 12 points a game, enough to put a 5-2 team ahead of 6-1 Minnesota.
Index: 81.3 – Differential: +85 (196 scored, 111 allowed) – Next: at Baltimore Ravens
4. Minnesota Vikings (6-1)
Minnesota falls 3 spots from No. 1 after a 19-15 loss to the Detroit Lions on the road. The Vikings have allowed just 93 points, but with 140 scored their margin is thinner than any of the three teams above them. They still hold the NFC's No. 2 seed, and Buffalo comes to town next.
Index: 80.4 – Differential: +47 – Next: vs. Buffalo Bills
5. Chicago Bears (6-2)
Chicago moves up 1 spot after a 34-17 win at Seattle, its third straight. The Bears are 3-1 both home and away, though they are 0-2 in the division.
Index: 74.6 – Differential: +54 (214 scored, 160 allowed) – Next: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
6. Cincinnati Bengals (5-2)
Cincinnati climbs 1 spot after outlasting the Tennessee Titans 43-36 at home for a third straight win. The Bengals' differential per game is a hair better than Chicago's, but the Bears' better winning percentage keeps them in front.
Index: 72.8 – Differential: +48 (206 scored, 158 allowed) – Next: at Atlanta Falcons
7. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2)
Pittsburgh rises 1 spot after a 27-6 win over the Cleveland Browns at home, its fourth straight victory. The Steelers are 4-0 at home and hold the AFC's No. 3 seed, but a smaller differential than Cincinnati's keeps them behind the 5-2 Bengals. They head into a bye.
Index: 71.0 – Differential: +36 (180 scored, 144 allowed) – Next: bye
8. Kansas City Chiefs (5-2)
Kansas City takes the week's biggest drop, sliding from No. 3 after a 28-24 loss in Denver, its second straight defeat. Buffalo, Jacksonville, Chicago, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh all won and passed them. The Chiefs are still 3-0 at home and plus-36 overall, and the New York Jets visit next.
Index: 70.1 – Differential: +36 (167 scored, 131 allowed) – Next: vs. New York Jets
9. Detroit Lions (5-2)
Detroit holds at No. 9 after a 19-15 home win over Minnesota, its third straight. The Lions are 4-0 at home but 1-2 on the road, and they visit Miami next.
Index: 67.1 – Differential: +23 (203 scored, 180 allowed) – Next: at Miami Dolphins
10. Denver Broncos (6-2)
Denver moves up 1 spot after beating Kansas City 28-24 at home for a fourth straight win. The Broncos would be the AFC's No. 2 seed today, but a differential of +7 for the season is why a 6-2 team sits below several 5-2 clubs.
Index: 65.2 – Differential: +7 (172 scored, 165 allowed) – Next: at Carolina Panthers
11-20
11. New England Patriots (5-3) – Up 3 spots after a 24-19 win at Miami. They are 3-0 at home and 3-0 in the division, good for the AFC's No. 7 seed.
12. New York Giants (4-2-1) – Up 1 spot on a bye. They hold the NFC's No. 3 seed with a +2 differential, and they share an index of 58.3 with Green Bay.
13. Green Bay Packers (5-3) – Up 3 spots after a 27-19 home win over Carolina. The Packers and Giants land on the same index, with New York listed higher.
14. Seattle Seahawks (4-4) – Down 4 spots after a 34-17 home loss to Chicago. Seattle is still plus-26 on the season, which keeps it ahead of 5-3 Cleveland.
15. Los Angeles Rams (4-4) – Up 2 spots after a 24-9 home win over the Chargers, their second straight. The Rams match Seattle's record and differential exactly, and the two share an index of 55.2.
16. Cleveland Browns (5-3) – Down 4 spots after a 27-6 loss at Pittsburgh. The Browns are the formula's sharpest warning sign: 5-3 with a -34 differential, about 4 points a game on the wrong side. Two 4-4 teams sit above them because those teams have actually outscored opponents.
17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-5) – The biggest climb of the week, up 5 spots after a 16-0 shutout of Atlanta at home for a second straight win. Tampa Bay is the Browns in reverse: a losing record with a +27 differential, slightly better per game than Seattle and the Rams. The 3-5 record is what holds the index down.
18. Las Vegas Raiders (4-4) – Up 3 spots after a 38-33 win at the Jets. The Raiders are 3-1 on the road but have allowed 230 points, and they visit San Francisco next.
19. Baltimore Ravens (4-4) – Down 4 spots after a 36-10 loss at Buffalo, their third straight defeat. Jacksonville comes to Baltimore next.
20. Dallas Cowboys (3-5) – Down 2 spots after a 33-30 home loss to Arizona. Dallas is still on the positive side of the ledger at +6, but the losing record holds it down.
21-32
21. Carolina Panthers (3-4) – Down 2 spots after a 27-19 loss at Green Bay, their second straight. Despite a losing record, the Panthers would be the NFC's No. 4 seed if the season ended today.
22. Atlanta Falcons (3-5) – Down 2 spots after being shut out 16-0 at Tampa Bay. Cincinnati visits next.
23. Houston Texans (2-5) – No change on a bye. Houston is 0-4 at home and 2-1 on the road, with a differential of only -5.
24. Washington Commanders (2-4-1) – Up 4 spots after a 27-10 home win over Philadelphia. Washington is 0-3 on the road.
25. New York Jets (2-6) – Down 1 spot after a 38-33 home loss to Las Vegas, their third straight defeat. They visit Kansas City next.
26. New Orleans Saints (2-5) – No change on a bye. The Saints are 0-4 at home and host Cleveland next.
27. Arizona Cardinals (3-5) – Up 2 spots after a 33-30 win at Dallas. Arizona is 3-2 on the road but has allowed 238 points, which holds its index down.
28. Indianapolis Colts (2-6) – Down 3 spots after a 42-7 loss at Jacksonville, their fourth straight defeat. Dallas comes to Indianapolis next.
29. Philadelphia Eagles (2-6) – Down 2 spots after a 27-10 loss at Washington. The Eagles have lost 6 straight and host the Giants next.
30. Tennessee Titans (1-7) – No change after a 43-36 loss at Cincinnati, their second straight. Tennessee is 0-4 at home and heads into a bye.
31. Miami Dolphins (1-6) – No change after a 24-19 home loss to New England. Miami has scored 117 points and is about 9 points a game in the red.
32. Los Angeles Chargers (0-7) – No change after a 24-9 loss to the Rams, their seventh straight defeat. The Chargers are the league's only winless team, with no unbeaten team left at the other end, and they have scored 99 points while being outscored by nearly 11 a game.