Week 8 AP NFL power rankings: The Chiefs are back where they belong

The Arrowhead Pride team ranks the league from top to bottom.

By Tom Childs@tomchilds56 Oct 25, 2023, 7:46am CDT

NFL: Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs

First, I want to give a big “thank you” to my guy Rocky Magaña for standing in for me last week. Some of his comments were legitimately laugh-out-loud funny. In fact, they ensured I would be back for this edition. One more week of Rocky’s takes could have put me out of a job!

More often than not, I look at early Sunday slates of NFL games with a bit of discontent. I don’t know if it is a belief that the early slate is where peasants play football — or if it is simply that lunchtime in America is my kids’ bedtime here in the U.K. Any parent would know this makes it hard to watch live sports.

Sign up today for Arrowhead Pride Premier! An annual subscription is $50, and there’s a monthly option for $6 a month. You’ll receive three issues per week throughout the season, and Arrowhead Pride Premier will hit your inbox regularly in the offseason, bringing extensive coverage of the Chiefs from Pete Sweeney, exclusive fan Q&As, film analysis, deeper perspectives on the most important stories of the moment and beyond – and complete analysis of the team you love directly to you. Don’t miss out — sign up today!

Regardless, it is my least favorite time to watch football — other than Thursday nights, of course. But somewhat annoyingly, this is when many good games have been played this year.

Take Sunday’s game between the Colts and Browns. Surely no one on this Earth thought it had game-of-the-year potential? Snooze-fest-of-the-year for sure, but game-of-the-year? Not for me. There must be something to be said for Scott Hanson and his ‘Witching Hour’. Perhaps it is actually a thing.

This week’s voters were Stephen Serda, Ron Kopp. Jr, Rocky Magana, Jared Sapp, Nate Christensen, Dakota Watson, and myself.

1. Kansas City Chiefs (2nd)

Hello, top spot. Oh, how we have missed you.

2. Philadelphia Eagles (4th)

Funnily enough, the best two teams from last season make up the top two this season, too. That’s a real kick in the backside for the NFL’s quest for parity.

3. Baltimore Ravens (8th)

Lamar Jackson had the second-best quarterback performance of the week.

4. San Francisco 49ers (1st)

Quit losing! You’re making me (and yourselves) look stupid.

5. Miami Dolphins (3rd)

Keep losing! We want you to look stupid.

6. Jacksonville Jaguars (9th)

The Chiefs’ win over the Jaguars looks even more impressive now.

7. Detroit Lions (5th)

Now we know what Week 1 would have looked like if Chris Jones and Travis Kelce had played.

8. Dallas Cowboys (7th)

Dallas fans can go back to cheering for the Mavericks and Stars now.

9. Buffalo Bills (6th)

Chiefs Kingdom is enjoying watching the wheels fall off.

10. Seattle Seahawks (11th)

Geno isn’t playing well — but thankfully, the rest of the team is.

11. Cincinnati Bengals (10th)

I’ve got a feeling that after the bye, they are going to be after wins more fiercely than Shere Khan went after Mowgli.

12. Cleveland Browns (12th)

I don’t think the 1985 Bears would have conceded that many points to Gardner Minshew.

13. Pittsburgh Steelers (18th)

Mike Tomlin may just be the second-best coach in the NFL.

14. Houston Texans (17th)

The Astros' loss in the American League Championship Series means the Chiefs are penciled in to be the next North American sports dynasty — but you know, minus the cheating.

15. Minnesota Vikings (19th)

They are still in the mix,

16. Atlanta Falcons (21st)

Desmond Ridder tried his hardest to fumble the game away.

17. New York Jets (20th)

Does anyone else turn off the Pat McAfee show when Rodgers appears?

18. Los Angeles Rams (14th)

Their uni matchup with the Steelers was divine.

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (15th)

It’s like they don’t mean to make the playoffs.

19. Indianapolis Colts (24th)

The refs favored the Browns because of the eyesore of a uniform that the Colts were wearing. They bought it upon themselves.