2018 NFL Power Rankings: Week 8
Teams Ranked 12th to 1st
| Rank | Team | nERD | Rec | Playoff Odds | Off. NEP Rank | Defense | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Philadelphia Eagles | 1.39 | 3-4 | 45.1% | 20 | 13 | +1 |
| 11 | Minnesota Vikings | 2.53 | 4-2-2001 | 62.5% | 15 | 12 | 0 |
| 10 | Denver Broncos | 3.52 | 3-4 | 12.3% | 7 | 11 | +6 |
| 9 | Seattle Seahawks | 3.69 | 3-3 | 42.3% | 18 | 4 | -2 |
| 8 | Chicago Bears | 4.12 | 3-3 | 42.7% | 10 | 7 | -1 |
| 7 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 4.57 | 3-2-1 | 55.9% | 13 | 9 | -3 |
| 6 | New Orleans Saints | 4.91 | 5-1 | 82.2% | 3 | 29 | 0 |
| 5 | Los Angeles Chargers | 5.3 | 5-2 | 79.5% | 4 | 22 | -2 |
| 4 | New England Patriots | 6.15 | 5-2 | 91.3% | 5 | 16 | +1 |
| 3 | Kansas City Chiefs | 7.02 | 6-1 | 96.1% | 1 | 30 | +7 |
| 2 | Baltimore Ravens | 8.57 | 4-3 | 57.5% | 9 | 2 | 0 |
| 1 | Los Angeles Rams | 12.78 | 7-0 | 99.8% | 2 | 14 | 0 |
Despite a hard-luck loss in Week 7, Baltimore still has all the trappings of an elite team.
Elite is a loaded word whenever Joe Flacco is involved, but to his credit, he is having one of his best seasons in quite some time.
Relative to league average, his interception rate is a career-best mark, while his net yards per drop back average is his third-best clip.
Flacco's showing this year is not going to make anyone forgot about Dan Marino, but it is also more than good enough given how dominant Baltimore's defense has been. The Ravens rank second in opponent-adjusted NEP allowed, and they have surrendered a success rate that is almost 10 percentage points better than league average.
They have also given up a league-best 4.5 yards per play and may not even be at their peak. The Ravens have allowed an NFL-low 57.8% completion percentage yet rank just 22nd in interception rate. Baltimore has also recovered fewer than 30% of their opponents' fumbles.
The Baltimore defense has been one of the league's very best without relying on turnovers. Imagine how scary it could be once the Ravens' D starts getting some better bounces.
Elite, indeed.
