Tom Brady’s Week 8 power rankings came with a promise hanging over them, and the Chicago Bears made sure he had to keep it. The whole setup was simple: Brady had teased that Chicago could jump all the way to No. 1 if it went into Seattle and beat the Seahawks, and that was before the Bears added All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. Then Chicago went out and handled business on Monday night, winning 34-17 behind Caleb Williams, D’Andre Swift and a defense that suddenly looks much more serious with Simmons in the middle. Swift scored three times, and when Seattle made things interesting late, the Bears answered instead of wobbling. That result, combined with impressive wins by Buffalo and Denver and Minnesota’s first loss of the season, turned Brady’s top 10 into a real debate. But Brady didn’t dodge it. He said he was a man of his word, and he put Chicago at No. 1. His full top 10, from No. 10 to No. 1, was Pittsburgh, Kansas City, New England, Minnesota, Detroit, the AFC South’s runaway leader, Denver, San Francisco, Buffalo and Chicago. It was a list that mixed résumé, eye test and gut feel, and Brady leaned into all three.
At No. 10, Brady welcomed the Pittsburgh Steelers into the top ten after a 27-6 beatdown of the Cleveland Browns. He called Pittsburgh a temporary winner from the “Cloud of Dust” that is the AFC North, which is a very Brady way of saying the division is a mess and somebody had to grab control. The Steelers did exactly that. Their defense lived in Cleveland’s backfield all afternoon, and the offense ran the ball all over the Browns. Aaron Rodgers and company got payback for their earlier loss to Cleveland, won their fourth straight game, took sole possession of first place in the division and did it with a defense that has been suffocating during the streak. Brady also praised Rodgers for how well he’s playing from the pocket this year. He noted that Rodgers has always protected the football, but a lot of that used to come from escaping the pocket and turning would-be sacks into big plays. Now, Brady said, Rodgers is doing it from inside the pocket, still throwing it as well as ever, and looking like an ageless wonder. Pittsburgh gets a bye next, and Brady told them to enjoy it. At No. 9, the Kansas City Chiefs dropped after a 28-24 loss at Denver. Brady pointed out that two weeks ago he had Kansas City at No. 2 when it was unbeaten, and now the Chiefs have lost two straight. This one stung because Kansas City led going into the fourth quarter and didn’t score again. More than 100 yards in penalties will do that, and Brady admitted the knee flinched on the late call, though he said the refs made the right one. The good news was Patrick Mahomes looking like Mahomes again with three touchdowns and no picks. If the Chiefs clean up the flags, Brady thinks the offense will be right back in it when the Jets come to Arrowhead.
At No. 8, the New England Patriots jumped after a 24-19 win at Miami. Brady noted that New England went into halftime down double digits in Miami, which is a familiar feeling, but the Patriots flipped a switch and scored three straight touchdowns to win. Drake Maye was super efficient, throwing for two touchdowns and rushing for another, and Mike Vrabel helped steady the ship through some wild South Florida weather. Brady joked that he loves the humidity these days, but he isn’t sure the Patriots would agree. Next up is Packers at Patriots on Sunday, and Brady is already asking Vrabel for a parking pass. He’s excited to go back to that stadium, see friends who have made a positive difference in his life and take part in a big reunion for the 2016 team. He said he has to pace himself because there’s Gronk’s induction ceremony on Saturday, the game on Sunday and a lot of family and friends around. At No. 7, the Minnesota Vikings fell from No. 1 after their 19-15 loss at Detroit. Brady was there, and he saw the Vikings fail to slow down the Lions’ ground game in the second half and fail to put together a drive late when they needed a touchdown. Still, Minnesota is 6-1, and nobody has allowed fewer points. Brady also pushed back on the idea that the Vikings need to bench Kyler Murray. He thinks Murray has done a very good job this year, doesn’t turn the ball over much, had one errant throw Sunday but has generally protected the ball, can still make plays outside the pocket with his legs and remains a threat to throw downfield. Brady said Minnesota has to hit some of those shots to Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison because that would take pressure off the play-to-play execution. The Vikings get a chance to bounce back Monday night against Josh Allen and the Bills.
At No. 6, the Detroit Lions moved up after beating Minnesota 19-15. Brady thought about this one for a while and initially had the one-loss Vikings ahead of Detroit, but then he remembered the rule: head-to-head tiebreaker applies when he decides he wants to apply it. The Lions ran for over 200 yards, and Jared Goff found Jameson Williams for the go-ahead touchdown late. Brady said that connection keeps finding the end zone and has turned into one of the most dangerous combos in the league to start the year. Just like that, there are no unbeaten teams left in the NFL, and Detroit has won three in a row. The NFC North is shaping up for some great divisional battles later this year, which Brady noted is nothing new. At No. 5, the AFC South’s runaway leader moved up after a 42-7 blowout of the Indianapolis Colts that was over by halftime. Brady said the runaway watch is officially on in the division. Brian Thomas Jr. caught a touchdown a couple of weeks after getting benched in London, and the defense took an interception back almost the length of the field. That gave the team a three-game lead in the division and a chance to extend it Thursday against a reeling Baltimore team. It was a statement win, and Brady treated it like one.
At No. 4, the Denver Broncos moved up after a 28-24 win over Kansas City. Brady noted that there has been a lot of discussion about Bo Nix and his struggles getting the ball down the field this year, and while everyone was discussing that, Denver just kept winning. Down two scores going into the fourth, the Broncos’ defense stepped up with huge stops, and then Nix did what he needed to do, helping punch it into the end zone twice. Brady said the clutch numbers just keep getting better for Nix. That’s four straight wins, Denver is unbeaten at home, and the Broncos keep finding a way to win late. Brady said these guys believe in themselves and believe in each other, and first place in the AFC West belongs to Denver. Next up is a trip to Carolina. At No. 3, the San Francisco 49ers held steady after taking the week off. Brady said that after the Atlanta game, the bye was needed. Getting DeForest Buckner back to the Bay is a solid way to hold a high ranking during a bye week. The 49ers are still 6-1, tied with Minnesota for the best record in the NFC, and in control of the NFC West. Next up is Las Vegas at home.
At No. 2, the Buffalo Bills moved up after a 36-10 win over Baltimore. Brady said Buffalo hosted the Ravens, and with Lamar Jackson leaving after one play, we didn’t really get the game everyone wanted to see. But it created a nice chance for the Buffalo defense to gain confidence against the backup Ravens quarterbacks. Josh Allen is already at 20 total touchdowns on the year, which Brady called insane, and the Bills still have the most points in the NFL. Brady said he had Buffalo at No. 1 when he first started thinking about this list. They’re definitely deserving, but he had another idea. That other idea was Chicago at No. 1. The Bears went into Seattle on Monday night and handled their business, winning 34-17. D’Andre Swift scored three times, and when Seattle made it a one-score game late, Chicago answered. And oh yeah, Jeffery Simmons is anchoring the defense from now on. No big deal, right? Brady leaned into the fact that these are power rankings, not standings, and there was something about the vibe in Chicago that sold him on giving the Bears the top spot. But with great power comes great responsibility, so now the question is what Caleb Williams can do next. Chicago hosts Tampa Bay on Sunday, and Brady’s list will be watching.
