The calendar has flipped to November, and with Week 8 in the books, we're now at the mid-season mark.
Crazy, right?
This season has flown by with many of the usual suspects leading the pack. But what makes the NFL so great is that anything can happen on any given Sunday, and it's been a few tough Sundays for some Super Bowl hopefuls.
Here are a few sentences on each team in our mid-season power rankings:
1. San Francisco 49ers (6-1): The Niners sit atop the NFC and have some quality wins over the Rams, Broncos and Seahawks. A clean bill of health will only make them bigger favourites down the stretch.
2. Buffalo Bills (6-1): It's been status quo in Buffalo at the midway point. Josh Allen is playing at an MVP-level once again, but there are serious question marks about the defence.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-2): Liam Coen's squad is once again exceeding expectations, and the Jags should have no problem repeating as AFC South champs with the easiest strength of schedule remaining.
4. Chicago Bears (6-2): After a win over the reigning Super Bowl champs on Monday night, the Bears are off to their best start through eight games since 2012. All phases are clicking, Jeffery Simmons had an amazing debut, and Chicago is looking like a serious threat to hoist the Lombardi.
5. Denver Broncos (6-2): Despite mediocre (at best) QB play, the Broncos escaped their gauntlet of a first-half schedule with just two losses. If Bo Nix can settle in, their wins should become less stressful for fans.
6. Kansas City Chiefs (5-2): RB Kenneth Walker has completely changed the way the Chiefs' offence operates — and for the better. Consecutive losses shouldn't worry anyone, and anything can happen with Patrick Mahomes under centre.
7. Detroit Lions (5-2): Similar to the Bills, the Lions boast a top offence and a suspect defence. They've toppled divisional foes in back-to-back weeks and look to be back on track after a 2-2 start.
8. Minnesota Vikings (6-1): The league's top defence is largely responsible for the Vikings holding the top spot in the vaunted NFC North. They're the only team to surrender fewer than 100 points, but they also sport the fifth-lowest-scoring offence.
9. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2): Pittsburgh is rolling heading into its bye week, reeling off four straight wins. However, the Steelers could use another WR at the deadline to get the passing game going with Michael Pittman Jr. and Roman Wilson sidelined.
10. Green Bay Packers (5-3): Jordan Love is playing like an MVP candidate, while receivers Matthew Golden and Christian Watson have taken major leaps. Add in stud TE Tucker Kraft, and the Pack's air raid will keep them in every game.
11. Seattle Seahawks (4-4): The Seahawks have now surpassed their loss total from a year ago, but have lost to some great teams in the Bears, Broncos and 49ers. Some weaker opponents over the next few weeks should help get some confidence back before playing the Rams in two of the final three weeks — a stretch that will surely be important for playoff implications.
12. Los Angeles Rams (4-4): Sitting in the middle of the standings after entering the season as the Super Bowl favourites, the first half of the year has been nothing short of a disaster for the Rams. Luckily, they have the right guys to turn the ship around, while help will be on the way with some injured stars returning.
13. Cincinnati Bengals (5-2): Narrowly squeaking by the one-win Titans isn't exactly ideal for a team with Super Bowl aspirations. Luckily, the Bengals' trio of offensive stars are playing like stars.
14. New England Patriots (5-3): Drake Maye got off to a worrying start, but has seemed to get back to an elite level of late. The Pats' success hinges on No. 10, and he'll be tested with some tough defences over the final nine games.
15. New York Giants (4-2-1): Winning three of five without Jaxson Dart is a solid accomplishment for the G-Men. How many will they win going forward with J.J. McCarthy and Jameis Winston? Tough to say.
16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-5): Baker Mayfield is back, although you wouldn't think so looking at his stat line from the last two weeks. But Tampa's running the ball effectively and playing solid defence. A good recipe for success.
17. Cleveland Browns (5-3): The Browns have been one of the most surprising teams over the first half of the year, nearly eclipsing their pre-season projected win total of 5.5. They haven't faced much tough competition so far, and luckily don't have to for the remainder of the season.
18. Las Vegas Raiders (4-4): Another squad whose start exceeded expectations, the Raiders have ridden Kirk Cousins to a .500 record. Fans will want to see Fernando Mendoza get some action, but Klint Kubiak has no reason to turn away from the veteran right now.
19. Atlanta Falcons (3-5): Inconsistency has plagued the Falcons — some weeks they dominate, others they get dominated. They've essentially become the poster boy for the entire NFC South.
20. Carolina Panthers (3-4): A Week 8 Thursday night loss led to Carolina firing its defensive coordinator. Those things tend to happen when you surrender 140.7 yards on the ground and 27.6 points a game.
21. Baltimore Ravens (4-4): Down Lamar Jackson for four games and now likely the remainder of the season is not easy to recover from. A trade for a quality QB could give the four-win Ravens some hope, but it's tough to feel good about losing one of the top QBs in the sport.
22. Houston Texans (2-5): The halfway point represents a complete 180 from last year's Texans squad. A dominant defence turned pedestrian, while the offence and C.J. Stroud show signs of improvement.
23. Dallas Cowboys (3-5): Another year, another fairly dominant offence overshadowed by a clumsy defence. The loss to Arizona on Sunday was one of the more embarrassing in recent memory and should put HC Brian Schottenheimer firmly on the hot seat.
24. Arizona Cardinals (3-5): Week 7 saw the Cards pull off an incredible win at Dallas, but with a QB switch midway through. Gardner Minshew is not the long-term solution at QB, so it's worth wondering when they give third-round rookie Carson Beck a look. And Trey McBride is a joy to watch every week.
25. New Orleans Saints (2-5): Tyler Shough hasn't necessarily been the problem in New Orleans, but through eight weeks he hasn't really been the solution either. It's a big second half for the sophomore to prove he's the guy going forward.
26. Washington Commanders (2-4-1): Things have continued to go downhill since the Commanders' NFC Championship Game run two seasons ago. It doesn't help that Jayden Daniels has been limited to just 12 games since then, but there's another half of the season for him to find his rookie-year form.
27. New York Jets (2-6): Garrett Wilson, Omar Cooper Jr., AD Mitchell, Braelon Allen, Kenyon Sadiq, Mason Taylor and (maybe) Breece Hall is a fantastic young nucleus of playmakers on offence. Now it's about finding the right QB and HC — two of the most important parts of a successful organization. Oh, and three potential early first-rounders is fun, too.
28. Miami Dolphins (1-6): The highlight of the first half for Miami has been the contributions from its rookie class. That's a great starting point for a rebuilding squad in Year 1 of a new regime.
29. Philadelphia Eagles (2-6): Injuries galore derailed Philly's season. Now it's time to focus on next year with a stacked 2027 draft.
30. Tennessee Titans (1-7): Taking the Bengals to OT was cool and all, but there's still a lot more to do down in Nashville. Netting two first-round picks for Simmons was a start, but if Cam Ward can't figure it out, it's all irrelevant, and the Titans will be back to square one.
31. Indianapolis Colts (2-6): Paying $100 million for Daniel Jones — coming off a torn Achilles nonetheless — was never the answer. The Colts dealt two key veterans prior to Week 7's blowout loss to the Jags and will remain in full sell-mode without their 2027 first-rounder in their possession.
32. Los Angeles Chargers (0-7): Everything that could've gone wrong for the Chargers has gone wrong. Better hope Jeremiah Smith ends up in powder blue come next season, but with a new play-caller in Justin Herbert's ear.
