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Week 8 Rankings:
1 - Patrick Mahomes (KC): 299 passing yards, 30 rushing yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs in 28-7 win vs WAS.
The Chiefs are back to dominating teams and so is their quarterback. Patrick Mahomes wasn't at his dazzling best on Monday Night against Washington, and neither were his receivers, but at no point did it look like the Chiefs were going to need him to be. Kansas City have had an air of inevitability about them for years now, especially come the postseason, and this season so far has had a significant air of 'deja-vu' - the Chiefs play poorly, the media start to doubt them and then they remind everyone exactly who they truly are. Now sat at 5-3, the Chiefs are hunting down their fellow AFC contenders with momentum on their side and it would be foolish for anyone to bet against them reclaiming their spot atop the conference once again.
2 - Matthew Stafford (LAR): BYE WEEK (Week 7 - 4th)
This is an extremely rare situation where Matthew Stafford has risen two spots in this list without playing a snap, but his consistent excellence amidst a sea of inconsistent quarterback play from his contemporaries means he has earned this rise despite his bye week in Week 8. Stafford's ability to survive the injury to his star receiver Puka Nacua in his last game and still throw a season high 5 touchdowns clearly demonstrated his ability to overcome his surroundings, and he has kept this Rams offence ticking no matter what obstacles were placed in his way this year. The 37 year old's health was a major concern going into this year, and whilst it could still be the factor which derails Los Angeles' Super Bowl chances, all signs so far are that Staffords body is not yet failing his mind.
3 - Josh Allen (BUF): 163 passing yards, 7 rushing yards, 3 total TDs, 0 INTs in 40-9 win vs CAR (Week 7 - 2nd)
Josh Allen's and his Bills offence looked extremely comfortable against Carolina on Sunday, bouncing back after two straight defeats prior to their bye week with a dominant 40 points outing against a defence which had been improving in the week's prior. However, something looks a little off about Allen's individual game to me, and this has been the case for a number of weeks where he just doesn't look 100%. Ordinarily, for a team as strong as the Bills in the regular season, this wouldn't be too much of an issue, as they would be able to cruise through lesser opposition with even 80% of Allen's true potential. However, not only do the Bills now have a true contender for their division in New England (who have also beat the Buffalo already this season, earning them the tiebreaker over them) but they also face their arch nemesis the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 9, in a battle which to me the Bills look wholly unprepared for. Despite their 6-2 record, Buffalo's wins have only come against the truly horrible teams this year, and their loss to the Atlanta prior to their bye is a distressing sign for the Bills ability to compete with competent sides, especially those than can run the ball well. If Allen can regain his superman status within this offence then all this should change, but for now all signs in Buffalo point to a slight regression, and not a team about to get over the hump.
4 - Drake Maye (NE): 282 passing yards, 50 rushing yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT in 32-13 win vs CLE. (Week 7 - 6th)
I am well and truly on the Drake Maye bandwagon. In last week's rankings I said that all that was left for him to prove to me was could he avoid mistakes against a good defence and, whilst he did throw one UGLY interception early against the Browns, the rest of his game matched the incredible standard which he has reached so far in his sophomore season. Maye's patriots have announced themselves as true contenders for the AFC East, matching Buffalo and every step to enter the halfway point of the season with a 6-2 record. Not only has New England started excellently, they're also a good bet to finish strong too, with one of the easiest upcoming schedules across the entire league. All things considered, Patriots fans, a fairly spoilt group over the past quarter-century, should be feeling ecstatic once again, not only about their quarterback but about their entire team. Drake Maye has established himself as one of the most exciting young players to watch for the rest of 2025, and I wouldn't bet against him ending the Patriots short 'playoff-win drought' come January.
5 - Baker Mayfield (TB): 152 passing yards, 0 rushing yards, 0 TD, 0 INTs in 23-3 win vs NO (Week 7 - 3rd)
I think it would be fair to say that Baker's performance in New Orleans was slightly disappointing in Week 8, partially because he regained some of his primary receiving options and partially because he'd spoken pre-game about just how much he dislikes the Saints. Whilst the Buccaneers as a team dominated their division rivals, the victory came largely as a result of an awful showing from the Saints offence, and not through the usual 'Bakeshow' heroics which we became accustomed too through the first weeks of this campaign. It seems like the momentum behind Baker's MVP charge has began to slow - the statistics unfortunately just don't allow for that kind of hype anymore. That being said, Tampa Bay's season is still in as good a shape as ever, with their hold on the NFC South ever tightening by the minute and Baker's retained excellence in clutch situations boding well for the postseason.
6 - Dak Prescott (DAL): 188 passing yards, 31 rushing yards, 0 TDs, 2 INTs in 24-44 loss vs DEN. (Week 7 - 5th)
Having started the 2025 season playing the best football of his career to date, Sunday marked a significant bump in the road for Dak Prescott and the Cowboys. The bright side? It came against one of the league's best defenses in Denver and shouldn't be a signifier of too many more struggles to come. The down side? The loss saw that Cowboys fall back below .500 to 3-4-1 and well behind in the close race for an NFC Playoff spot with a number of tough games still on the schedule. Dak needs to bounce back fast - the offence and indeed the entire team's fate lies almost solely on his shoulders - and he will have the opportunity to do so against the lowly Cardinals in a week 9, a perfect bounce-back opportunity. However, if the Cowboys can't string some wins together now, it is likely that they never will, and a sixth straight season without a playoff victory would not go down well with fans of 'America's team'.
7 - Jared Goff (DET): BYE WEEK (Week 7 - 7th)
The Detroit Lions are quietly emerging as one of the elite teams in the NFL but they do still have a few fatal flaws, and unfortunately their quarterback is the face of some of them. Jared Goff runs this Lions offence nearly to perfection; he's an accurate, timely thrower and has a great relationship with the plethora of weapons which are at his disposable. However, if there's one thing he needs to spend this bye week working on, it's his composure under pressure. The Lions have only lost two games this season, both to top level contenders in the Packers and Chiefs, and the reason for both was the collapse of the pocket around Goff and the significant effect this has on his play. This could be a fatal flaw come January, and whilst the Lions keep rolling inferior opposition throughout the regular season, how Goff performs against genuine competitors will be very instructive as to how much of a threat they truly are.
8 - Justin Herbert (LAC): 227 passing yards, 62 rushing yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT in 37-10 win vs MIN. (Week 7 - 10th)
The Justin Herbert rollercoaster ride continues through Week 8 in the NFL, but the return of Joe Alt to his offensive line is a sign that more consistent play could be on the horizon. Herbert's play has been very tied to his offensive line's health thus far this season, with his drop off from LA's 3-0 start coinciding exactly with Alt's injury earlier in the year. This is not uncommon, the offensive line is a consistently underrated part of a quarterback's surroundings and a poor line can wreak havoc on an offence's chances - just look at the Houston Texans. Alt's absence has had serious effects on the Chargers chances, with Los Angeles now down in third place in the AFC West, a division which at one point this year they controlled. If this performance from Herbert is a sign of more consistency on the horizon, then maybe the Chargers can seem like a legitimate threat once again.
9 - Daniel Jones (IND): 272 passing yards, 3 rushing yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs in 38-14 win vs TEN. (Week 7 - Not Listed.)
Daniel Jones is a conundrum. It seems like the entirety of the NFL world is just waiting for his performances to fall off a cliff as it feels illogical to expect him to keep up this pace. Whilst others in recent years have revitalised their careers with excellent seasons, Sam Darnold and Geno Smith the most notable examples, Jones' case is a little different because this season isn't just excellent, it's historic. The 2025 Indianapolis Colts have, statistically, one of the most prolific offences in the history of the league through 8 weeks, breaking records previously set by all-time great teams like the 2007 Patriots and the 2018 Chiefs. Whilst the credit for this is largely, and rightfully, being given to running back Johnathan Taylor and head coach Shane Steichan, Daniel Jones shouldn't be ignored from this equation, as his efficiency at running this offensive system has been nothing short of sensational. However, it stills feels too early to truly place him among the league's elite in an individual ranking such as this. If he were to match this production in January, now that would be a different matter.
10 - Jalen Hurts (PHI): 179 passing yards, 22 rushing yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs in 38-20 win vs NYG. (Week 7 - 10th)
The Philadelphia Eagles appear to finally be figuring their offence out this year, with Jalen Hurts stringing back-to-back solid games together in Weeks 7-8 and Saquon Barkley having his first dynamic game of the season. Whilst it's obviously far from ideal that it's taken this long, it's still a promising sign that things are changing, and avenging their week 5 loss to the New York Giants with a dominant 38-20 win has to go some way to resetting what had been some very bad vibes in the Eagles locker room. That being said, controversy never seems to be far away from Hurts and his teammates, with star receiver AJ Brown once again surrounded by trade rumours as the deadline approaches. Whilst drama seems consistent in Philadelphia, Jalen Hurts still remains as streaky as ever. If he can keep this run going though, the Eagles might well find themselves back the summit of the NFC.
Honourable Mentions:
Jordan Love, CJ Stroud, Sam Darnold, Aaron Rodgers