The NFL season is nearly halfway over. The Indianapolis Colts probably aren’t going anywhere.
The Colts are 7-1, most of their wins have been decisive and their one loss to the Los Angeles Rams should have been a win if not for Adonai Mitchell dropping a touchdown before he crossed the goal line and the defense having 10 men on the field for an 88-yard touchdown in the final minutes. There’s no reason to believe the Colts are anything but legit this season. That should lead to a conversation the Colts likely never thought they’d be having: Should they be buyers before next week’s trade deadline? The answer should be yes.
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While the Colts don’t look like a fluke, it’s smart to not assume this is the start of multiple years of success. Ask the 2025 Minnesota Vikings about that. It’s never a bad idea to maximize a special season. The Colts seem to be set on offense — though the depth behind running back Jonathan Taylor is very unproven — but an addition or two on defense could help. Cornerback stands out as the top position of need, especially with the injuries Indianapolis has had there. Another pass rusher wouldn’t be a bad idea either.
The Colts have every reason to believe they’re one of the NFL’s best teams. They’ve played at that level all season. Now might be the time to push more chips to the middle of the table.
Here are the NFL Power Rankings after eight weeks of the NFL season:
The Titans have been outgained in every game this season. Their one win was a ridiculous fluke. The offense is the worst in the NFL and the defense is bottom five or six. Every loss has been by eight or more points. They’re very lucky they got that one win, because there might not be another.
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The Jets had 502 yards in their first win of the season, which probably says more about Cincinnati’s defense. Still, it had to be sweet for Justin Fields, who was thrown under the bus by owner Woody Johnson earlier in the week. Fields probably saved his job for another week.
Spencer Rattler has played better than expected, but turnovers gave the Saints a reason to bench him for rookie second-round pick Tyler Shough. Life isn’t always fair, and New Orleans has to get a long look at Shough this season before inevitably drafting another quarterback in April.
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The Dolphins blowing out the Falcons came out of absolutely nowhere. They haven’t played like that all season. Tua Tagovailoa had four touchdowns, which had to feel good considering the heat he has been under. It had to be nice for embattled coach Mike McDaniel, too.
It would be odd if the Raiders didn’t trade Jakobi Meyers. He’s in the final year of his contract, he wants out, the Raiders aren’t going anywhere and they could play younger players. We’ll see if they find the right deal before next week.
We’re getting closer to a real discussion about Shedeur Sanders starting. Dillon Gabriel is averaging just 170.8 yards in his four starts, and interceptions on consecutive possessions put Cleveland out of the game. He’s probably not getting benched yet, but it might be a couple bad games away.
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Kyler Murray should return this week, and he would get to face a bad Cowboys defense. If Murray can’t have a nice day against that defense, the Cardinals will have to consider what to do at the quarterback position going forward. They simply looked better with Jacoby Brissett.
Cam Skattebo’s injury is horrible for a few reasons. He gave Giants fans something to get excited about in what isn’t going to be a winning season. Also, that looked like an injury that won’t be easy to bounce back from. It was just terrible news for an exciting rookie.
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Don’t blame Joe Flacco for the loss. He looked pretty good again. But the Bengals aren’t going anywhere. It’s also OK to be skeptical Flacco keeps up this pace. It’s a lost season. And it’s probably time to start trading players like defensive end Trey Hendrickson and linebacker Logan Wilson.
The Panthers got exposed against the Bills, and their next game is at Green Bay. Not great. The surprise was the run defense, which had been OK before allowing James Cook to go wild for 216 yards on the ground. Nothing was good about Sunday’s blowout loss though.
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It’s already getting late for the Vikings, especially after QB Carson Wentz suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. Next up, they play at the Lions. They’re in danger of being well out of the playoff race before Thanksgiving unless J.J. McCarthy can come back and save the day, but that’s asking a lot.
Even when accounting for injuries, the Falcons’ embarrassing loss to the Dolphins might be the worst of the entire NFL season to date. They got beat by a miserable team by 24 points at home. The Falcons’ offense looks awful and the defense got torched by Tua Tagovailoa. Not great.
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We’re seeing how much a healthy Jayden Daniels means to the Commanders. He covers up a lot of flaws. The Commanders aren’t doing anything particularly well, and they struggled across the board against the Chiefs. Even when Daniels returns, this doesn’t look anything like a playoff team.
The Steelers have always been lower in these rankings than their record would have indicated. We’re seeing why. The defense is simply not very good. It got old fast. The offense can’t make up for it. The Ravens are only two games back and it’ll be tough for Pittsburgh to hold them off.
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Houston’s defense didn’t allow the 49ers a first down until the final minute of the first half. The offense gained 475 yards. The defense isn’t a question; it’s one of the best in the NFL. If the offense improves, there’s still time to jump in the playoff race.
The Broncos’ offense had been mostly stuck before Sunday when it scored six touchdowns. The Cowboys’ defense is atrocious. Cornerback Trevon Diggs went on injured reserve, with questions about his future with the team. A trade, even two, isn’t saving this defense.
The Jaguars come out of the bye and play a Raiders team they should beat. A big question will be if they can continue to get the most out of Travis Hunter, who had 101 receiving yards in his last game before the bye.
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The Bears losing to a Tyler Huntley-led Ravens team wasn’t ideal, but it was a road game in which they were down multiple cornerbacks. They’ll bounce back. But they can’t afford to lose at Cincinnati in Week 9 to make it a two-game losing streak.
The Ravens had a good weekend. They won despite Lamar Jackson being out. The rest of the AFC North lost. Now Jackson allegedly will return on Thursday night with extra rest. But after the injury report shenanigans last week, let’s see Jackson back on the field before believing it.
The 49ers looked great on defense against the Falcons in Week 7, but now that seems to say more about the Falcons. San Francisco had no chance against a Texans offense with no Nico Collins and a terrible offensive line. It’s going to be hard to overcome that defense the rest of the season.
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The Chargers outgained a decent Vikings team 419-164. It was an incredible team effort and reminded everyone that the Chargers have an elite upside. Next up is what should be an easy win over the woeful Titans.
The Buccaneers weren’t in danger of losing against New Orleans, but they didn’t play great in their first game since Mike Evans broke his collarbone. They gained just 212 yards against the middling Saints. There’s still a lot to prove, despite a great record and a really bad division to contend with.
Puka Nacua is slated to return this week. Before he hurt his ankle, he was an NFL Offensive Player of the Year favorite, though Jonathan Taylor has taken the lead in that race. Nacua can still win the award if he resumes his pace from before the injury.
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The Patriots gained 422 yards against a good Browns defense that hadn’t even given up 350 in a game this season. New England is watching quarterback Drake Maye improve every week. The Patriots-Bills matchup on Dec. 14 is going to be a lot of fun.
The Seahawks’ first game back from the bye will be a big national spotlight, on Sunday night at the Commanders. If the Seahawks can win that game, they might start to get some more hype, which they have earned. This is a good team.
Trusting Sean Payton to fix an offense is a good plan. Maybe Sunday was just a product of facing a bad Cowboys defense, but if the Broncos can play anywhere near that level the rest of the season, a Chiefs AFC West title is far from a given.
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The first half at Pittsburgh wasn’t pretty. It was a continuation of the Packers still not reaching the elite level they displayed in the first two weeks. Then they turned it on in the second half and looked like one of the best teams in football. Can they maintain that level?
Scoring 40 points was big, but seeing the defense dominate against the Panthers was a good sign after that unit showed some cracks before Buffalo’s bye. Buffalo forced three turnovers and didn’t allow a touchdown until the game was well out of hand. The Bills looked elite again.
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Seeing Saquon Barkley break off a 65-yard run was huge. Those explosive Barkley runs hadn’t happened all season after being a staple of Philly’s Super Bowl run last season. Barkley’s groin injury doesn’t seem serious, and the Eagles need him to gain momentum.
Jonathan Taylor averaged 12.8 yards per carry and had his fourth three-touchdown game of the last six weeks. The level he’s playing at is ridiculous. And yes, there should be some NFL MVP buzz if he continues this pace, even if it’s nearly impossible for non-quarterbacks to win.
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The Lions’ bye came at a good time. The defense can get healthier. We know the offense is still explosive and can outscore just about anyone if it’s on. The key to a championship season would be getting some better injury luck on the defensive side.
The Chiefs ran the ball pretty well in the second half Monday, which is one of the few missing pieces for them this season. They rushed for 148 yards on 4.9 yards per carry. If that is a sign of an awakening, the Chiefs get even tougher to beat.