Week 8 NFL Power Rankings Roundup: A new No. 1, plus big moves for Falcons, Buccaneers

The Minnesota Vikings are the only undefeated team in the league. But they're not consensus No. 1 across the board.

Oct 27, 2026 at 12:42 PM

Senior Reporter

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — What a week for two NFC South foes about to scare off in Week 8.

The Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers were two of the league's biggest movers coming out of Week 7, with the Falcons win over the previously undefeated San Francisco 49ers and the Buccaneers rout of the Carolina Panthers.

Where do these two teams land now heading into their first meeting of 2026? Let's find out.

Week 7's Georgia Power Positive Energy Biggest Mover

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

ESPN: +4
The Athletic: +9
NFL.com: +8
Bleacher Report: +6
Fox Sports: +3
CBS Sports: +6

ESPN

Publish date: Oct. 27

ESPN's Top 10

San Francisco 49ers (6-1): Lost to the Falcons, 29-20
Buffalo Bills (5-1): Bye week
Minnesota Vikings (6-0): Beat the Colts, 16-10
Kansas City Chiefs (5-1): Lost to the Seahawks, 20-3
Seattle Seahawks (4-3): Beat the Chiefs, 20-3
Jacksonville Jaguars (4-2): Bye week
Chicago Bears (5-2): Beat the Patriots, 30-24
Denver Broncos (5-2): Beat the Cardinals, 30-16
Cincinnati Bengals (4-2): Beat the Ravens, 35-13
New England Patriots (4-3): Lost to the Bears, 30-24

Biggest ranking change:

Giants +6 from No. 23 in Week 7 to No. 17 in Week 8

Texans -5 from No. 16 in Week 7 to No. 21 in Week 8

Where the Atlanta Falcons rank: No. 19 (+3)

Best offseason addition: Edge Za'Darius Smith

Smith has missed two games (concussion, neck), but his presence in the locker room alone has been a major boon for the Falcons. After joining the team during training camp, the 34-year-old took on a leadership role right away, even hosting a lamb chop and lobster tail dinner for the defensive line at his new home. Meanwhile, in the five games he has played, Smith has a team-leading 4.5 sacks. He is 15th in quarterback pressure rate (17.4%) among defenders with at least 85 pass-rush snaps. -- Marc Raimondi

THE ATHLETIC

Publish date: Oct. 27

The Athletic's Top 10

Buffalo Bills
San Francisco 49ers
Kansas City Chiefs
Minnesota Vikings
Chicago Bears
Denver Broncos
Seattle Seahawks
Jacksonville Jaguars
Detroit Lions (4-2), Beat the Packers, 20-17
Cincinnati Bengals

Biggest ranking change:

Buccaneers +9 from No. 28 in Week 7 to No. 19 in Week 8

Raiders -7 from No. 18 in Week 7 to No. 24 in Week 8

Where the Atlanta Falcons rank: No. 21 (+4)

Something spooky: Michael Penix Jr. without pressure

Few quarterbacks have the drastic splits of Penix when pressured. When he faces pressure, he's averaging 6.8 yards per attempt with one touchdown and one interception. When kept clean, he's averaging 8.4 yards per attempt with eight touchdowns and no interceptions. It's no surprise then that the Falcons allowed a season-low pressure rate of 8.8 percent in their upset of the 49ers. -- Josh Kendall

NFL.com

Publish date: Oct. 27

NFL.com's Top 10

Minnesota Vikings
Buffalo Bills
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
Cincinnati Bengals
Jacksonville Jaguars
Kansas City Chiefs
Denver Broncos
Chicago Bears
New England Patriots

Where the Atlanta Falcons rank: No. 13 (+6)

Look, I'm with you: I don't know who the Falcons are, either. They were an inspired bunch on Sunday, outplaying a strong 49ers team by cashing in their most important opportunities around halftime and tacking on points after a magnificent interception made by veteran safety Jessie Bates III. Michael Penix Jr. looks very comfortable in Kevin Stefanski's offense, and Jeff Ulbrich's defense played with a higher level of aggression, bottling up some of the 49ers' most important playmakers (minus Mike Evans, who was unable to go). A win like this makes me believe in this team. Hopefully, it doesn't deliver the opposite this Sunday in Tampa. -- Nick Shook

BLEACHER REPORT

Publish date: Oct. 27

Bleacher Report's Top 10

Buffalo Bills
Minnesota Vikings
San Francisco 49ers
Kansas City Chiefs
Chicago Bears
Denver Broncos
Seattle Seahawks
Jacksonville Jaguars
New England Patriots
Cincinnati Bengals

Where the Atlanta Falcons rank: No. 19 (+2)

The Atlanta Falcons looked like one of the worst teams in the NFL over the first two weeks, but they changed the narrative once Michael Penix Jr. returned to the lineup. Atlanta is 3-2 since then and has outscored opponents by 36 points in that five-game stretch.

Sunday's win over the previously undefeated San Francisco 49ers showed that the Falcons can indeed be a dangerous playoff team.

Atlanta has a dangerous offensive skill group that will match most teams when Penix takes care of the football. While the Falcons' defense has been decidedly average, it showed on Sunday that it can punch above its weight when it generates turnovers.

The Falcons will have a prime opportunity to establish themselves as NFC South contenders against Tampa Bay next week. -- Kris Knox

FOX Sports

Publish date: Oct. 27

NFL.com's Top 10

Buffalo Bills
Minnesota Vikings
Kansas City Chiefs
Denver Broncos
San Francisco 49ers
Chicago Bears
Seattle Seahawks
Jacksonville Jaguars
Cincinnati Bengals
Detroit Lions

Where the Atlanta Falcons rank: No. 19 (+1)

I want to be more excited that the Falcons knocked off the top team in these rankings, but it felt a little fluky to me. They didn't exactly light up the 49ers on offense and they didn't really do that much to stop them on defense. What they got was four turnovers, which counts, but isn't something that happens all the time. And one came when RB Christian McCaffrey was out. So … yay! Big win. But they're still 3-4. They are playing a lot better over the past five weeks, though. That does count for something in a really bad division.

Stat To Know: The Falcons' win over the 49ers on Sunday was their first home win of the season. Atlanta is now 1-3 at home in 2026. -- Ralph Vacchiano