32. Houston Texans (1-5-1)
1 of 32 With the Kansas City Chiefs off for the week, seven of the league’s leading scorers played and all seven won. The Baltimore Ravens started the week with a win Thursday night over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Philadelphia Eagles remained undefeated with a beatdown of the cross-state Pittsburgh Steelers. The Minnesota Vikings beat the Arizona Cardinals. So and so on. Okay, it wasn’t completely without surprises. You’d be hard-pressed to find an expert who thought the Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks would be in first place eight weeks into the season, yet here we are. Or pundits who thought Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford would go a combined 9-14, but here we are. A couple of this year’s biggest surprises have also returned to earth (at least temporarily). The New York Jets lost their 13th straight meeting with the New England Patriots, while the New York Giants fell to Seattle. As has been the case every week this season here at Bleacher Report, NFL analysts Brent Sobleski, Maurice Moton and Gary Davenport have come together to rank all 32 teams from bottom to top. The top and bottom groups have not changed. But there was no shortage of traffic in between.
31. Detroit Lions (1-6)
2 of 32 Week 8 Result: Lost vs. Tennessee 17-10 The Houston Texans have hit rock bottom—again. In a season filled with lows, the Texans found a new nadir Sunday against the Titans. Playing against a Tennessee team that attempted just 10 passes, the Texans rushed for 314 yards. It was a woeful defensive effort that left players and coaches shaking their heads. “It’s unacceptable for us as a defense to give up that many yards,” linebacker Christian Kirksey told reporters after the game. “We knew who we were playing,” coach Lovie Smith said. “One of the best backs in the game. That physical brand of football, we weren’t ready to play that today.” It wasn’t just the defense that let Houston down. The Texans’ offense only managed 161 total yards. Rookie running back Dameon Pierce had no running lanes and averaged 2.3 yards per carry. Sophomore quarterback Davis Mills had just 152 yards and threw an interception. Overall, it was a reminder that the Texans are the most talented team in the NFL. They need a lot of playmaking on both sides of the ball, and wins will be few and far between for them this year. At least they don’t have to turn around and play the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles on a short week. Oh wait. They are doing it.
30. Carolina Panthers (2-6)
3 out of 32 Week 8 result: Lost vs. Miami 31-27 The Detroit Lions have turned defeat from the jaws of victory into an art form. Finally able to get their offense back on track Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, the Lions scored touchdowns on their first three drives to take a 21-7 lead. They scored on all five of their possessions in the first half. And then the Lions happened. Detroit’s defense collapsed, allowing 476 yards of offense and 34 points. The offense sputtered, failing to score a single point in the second half. And for the fifth straight game, the Lions came up short. Speaking to reporters after the game, Lions head coach Dan Campbell continued to insist the Lions are getting closer to respectability. “My thinking is as frustrating as it is, I know how close we are because we’re still one game away,” Campbell said. “And the hard thing is to keep doing your job and stay in the storm, and the easy thing is to go downstairs and get under the blanket and eat all the food and everything. Guys who go on deck and just keep doing their part because they know the sun is coming, those are the guys we’re looking for. That’s how I choose to think about it. The only way to clean everything up is to go back to work, that’s just—that’s all I know.” Campbell’s claim would be easier to believe if he didn’t keep doing some version of it every week, explaining after the latest loss that things aren’t so bad. They are. It really, really is.
29. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-6)
4 out of 32 Week 8 result: Lost at Atlanta 37-34 (OT) After firing head coach Matt Rhule, the Carolina Panthers have shown more fight. But losing teams find ways to lose, and Carolina did that Sunday in Atlanta. The Panthers could have won the game in regulation, but wide receiver DJ Moore was penalized 15 yards for removing his helmet after scoring the game-tying touchdown on a Hail Mary. Kicker Eddie Piñero missed the overtime attempt, sending the game into overtime. In overtime, he missed a 32-yard field goal after an interception by Marcus Mariota. After the loss, interim head coach Steve Wilks accepted the blame for his team’s inability to shut out Atlanta. “We didn’t find a way to finish,” Wilks said. “We had too many chances to win this football game and we didn’t find a way to do it. And that falls on me. We have to make sure we are smart enough. Something to learn from. Penalty celebration, big game like this, we have to keep the our composure. It was a great job with DJ coming up with the big play in the end zone. Great pass by PJ (Walker). But as a team we have to make sure we’re smart and ready. Go to the next level, the next step .” On some level, losing the game in overtime may have been the Panthers’ best result. They put up a good fight, but didn’t further jeopardize their chances of landing a top pick in the 2023 draft.
28. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-6)
5 out of 32 Week 8 result: Defeated by Philadelphia 35-13 In his 16 years as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mike Tomlin never had a losing record. Not until this year, at least. Granted, the 2022 Steelers aren’t guaranteed to have a losing record. But after getting blown out by the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, the Steelers’ odds of reeling off seven wins in nine games look slightly worse than their odds of winning the Powerball and Mega Millions—in the same week. After the loss, rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett said turnovers and unforced penalties are killing the team. “We have to know what we’re doing,” Pickett said. “Not getting into the right spot, not having process penalties, personnel in and out of the huddle, all things we can control. There’s no talent issues. … Anyone in here could go do it, as long as he knows what he wants I do. We’ve got to get there. It starts with me. I’ve got to be more about my stuff getting these guys right. And I’m going to own it.” It’s true that the Steelers aren’t doing themselves any favors. They committed nine penalties and turned the ball over twice against the Eagles. But the harsh reality is that the Steelers just aren’t very good. Mistakes only reinforce it. “After enjoying decades of consistency, Steelers fans are now experiencing what the other side is like,” Sobleski said. “The league’s most stable organization is a shell of itself, particularly on offense with a struggling rookie quarterback, a subpar offensive line and wildly inconsistent position players. After starting all four games, Pickett is already publicly calling out his teammates not putting in enough work during the training week. Things can only get better from here, right?”
27. Las Vegas Raiders (2-5)
6 out of 32 Week 8 result: Lost vs. Denver 21-17 (London) Earlier this season, the Jacksonville Jaguars seemed to be turning a corner. Back in Week 3, they went into Los Angeles and crushed the Chargers 38-10. The Jaguars haven’t won since. Like the team as a whole, Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence has slumped badly after a solid start. Lawrence was mostly awful against Denver’s stout defense, completing 18 of 31 passes for just 133 yards, one touchdown and two costly interceptions. The second of those picks ended Jacksonville’s comeback bid. After the game, the second-year signal-caller admitted to reporters that he just wasn’t good enough. “To be the quarterback and have a chance to win the game and not do it, it’s really frustrating and frustrating,” Lawrence said. “I have to look in the mirror. He has to play better.” To be fair to Lawrence, it’s not all his fault that the Jaguars are struggling. Outside of second-year tailback Travis Etienne, there is no facet of the game where Jacksonville plays well with any consistency. Next week, the Jaguars will face a Las Vegas Raiders team that has also fallen apart this year. Those numbers are their best chance to pick up another win before Week 11 as they head to Arrowhead Stadium to face the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 10. Week 8 result: Defeated by New Orleans 24-0 If there was any hope that the Las Vegas Raiders had turned a corner with their 38-20 win over the Houston Texans in Week 7, those hopes were dashed Sunday in New Orleans. The Raiders didn’t just lose. They were completely dominated in every aspect of the game en route to being eliminated for the first time since 2014. The Raiders had just 183 yards of total offense and didn’t drive up the middle until late in the fourth quarter. It was a pathetic performance that left first-year coach Josh McDaniels reeling, apologizing to fans after the game. “Obviously, that wasn’t good enough in any way, shape or form,” McDaniels said. “We are better than this. I apologize to Raider Nation for…
