The Browns hang around in our Week 8 power rankings in spite of losing Odell Beckham Jr.

The NFL wrapped up Week 7 and we have a lone unbeaten team. We entered the weekend with the Steelers, Titans, and Seahawks all undefeated, and walked away with just the Steelers holding their zero. Pittsburgh held off Tennessee in a battle of unbeatens, while Seattle lost a wild overtime game against the Cardinals.

The close of the week means it’s time for another round of NFL power rankings. By a week from today, a sizable chunk of the league will be halfway through their 2020 schedule. In spite of some hiccups along the way, the NFL is steaming along through the season and we’re starting to see some separation.

Best performers, Week 7

The Steelers get top billing here for an obvious reason. I still have them below the Chiefs and Ravens in my power rankings, but they have a chance to make another move up in Week 8. They travel to face the Ravens in a game that will give one of the two teams a leg up in the AFC North.

How about the Cardinals? Things regularly get crazy in Seahawks-Cardinals games in Arizona, and Sunday Night Football was one of the craziest. For the first three quarters it felt like Seattle was consistently the better team, and yet Russell Wilson turnovers and Kyler Murray kept this game interesting. And it was enough so that over the final hour of the game, Arizona sprung the critical upset. Arizona is a half game back and still has to go to Seattle in November, but this was critical for at least improving their wild card positioning.

Sleeper teams, Week 7

The Browns struggled much of Sunday but came back to beat the Bengals in a wild one. Cleveland lost Odell Beckham Jr. to a torn ACL, but I still think this is a team that will make the playoffs. They’re 5-2 and showing they can win the games they’re expected to win. Their five wins include victories over the Bengals, Washington, and Cowboys, and an impressive win over the Colts. On the other hand, the Ravens and Steelers crushed them. Looking over the rest of the Browns schedule, they face the Raiders, Texans, Eagles, and Jaguars over the next four weeks, and get the Giants and Jets in Weeks 15 and 16. They could easily get four or five wins from that group of games, and that would put them at 9 or 10 wins. That would likely be enough for a playoff berth.

More questions than answers, Week 7

The Bears took one on the chin as the Rams thumped them on Monday Night Football. Chicago entered the game with a 5-1 record and a +12 point differential. They come out of the game at 5-2 with a -2 differential. It’s been tough to sort out just what to make of this team. They edged out a now surging Bucs team in Week 5, but otherwise have wins over the Panthers, Falcons, Lions, and Giants. A win is a win, but it’s been hard to shake there’s something not right about this team — and Monday’s loss raises more questions.

And with that, here’s a look at my power rankings as we head into Week 8.