The AFC is a mess right now, and that’s exactly what makes Week 8 worth watching. There’s talent all over the conference, especially at quarterback, but plenty of teams are still stuck in the mud. As November nears and the NFL Trade Deadline gets closer, the updated AFC Power Rankings already reflect how unsettled things have become.
At the bottom, the Los Angeles Chargers sit at 0-6 and remain the NFL’s lone winless team. They were on a bye in Week 7, but that doesn’t change the bigger picture: the roster has been disappointing, injuries keep piling up, and the coaching hire has not worked out. Right now, the Chargers look like a complete mess, with just about everyone on the hot seat for the rest of the season.
The Tennessee Titans aren’t much better at 1-5. They’ve been one of the league’s least convincing teams, and quarterback Cam Ward hasn’t given them nearly enough in year two.
Robert Saleh hasn’t changed that either. With the deadline approaching, Tennessee could be heading toward sell mode, and it’s fair to wonder whether this current coaching setup or Ward is still around by 2027.
The Indianapolis Colts check in next at 2-5, and their slide has been hard to miss. They already fired General Manager Chris Ballard, and the season has gone the wrong way since that ridiculous 7-1 start in 2025. This feels like a team with little direction, and a deadline sell-off would make sense for a group that has settled into mediocrity.
The Miami Dolphins round out this stretch at 1-5, and their latest win over the New York Jets came with 156 rushing yards. There’s fight in this team; that part is obvious. But the talent level just isn’t enough to make winning easy, and given that Miami entered the year in a full rebuild, the slow start isn’t exactly a surprise.
In Other News...
Dolphins Finally Escaped One Brutal Spot After Their First Win
The Dolphins first win of the season, a much-needed one over the New York Jets, at least changed the conversation around the team outside the building. After opening 1-5, Miami was still going to have an uphill climb in the national picture, but the latest wave of power rankings shows a modest step forward, with multiple outlets slotting the Dolphins anywhere from 26th to 31st.
It is a small victory in its own right that no major outlet still has Miami dead last, but the margin for comfort remains thin. The challenge gets steeper quickly with the New England Patriots next on the schedule, and the Dolphins will need more than one relief performance if they want to keep moving out of the leagues basement. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Can Change The Whole Feel Of This Season Sunday
The Dolphins finally got a win under Jon-Eric Sullivan and Jeff Hafley, and it came against the Jets in a game that at least gave the building something to hang onto. After a rocky stretch, even one victory can change the tone around a team, especially when it arrives with a new coaching staff trying to establish itself and get the roster pointed in a clearer direction.
Miami now gets a Patriots matchup that could carry more weight than a typical early-season divisional game. Another win would give the Dolphins a better feel for where they stand and add a little more credibility to the progress theyre trying to make, even if the bigger picture is still about development. It would also nudge the franchise further away from the very top of the 2027 NFL Draft conversation, which is the kind of backdrop teams rarely mention but always have in mind. [Read more 🡒]
Jonah Savaiinaea Is Easing A Dolphins Concern That Looked Serious
Jonah Savaiinaea has spent the 2026 season turning what looked like a major Dolphins concern into a much quieter conversation. The second-year guard has made noticeable strides from his rookie campaign, with his work in both pass protection and run blocking drawing positive attention from coaches and teammates. For a Miami staff that is trying to build around player development, that kind of progress matters beyond just one spot on the line.
The improvement is especially important because the Dolphins had reason to wonder whether they would need to keep looking for help on the interior. Savaiinaeas growth has at least given the team a more stable answer for now, and it could even affect how Miami approaches the draft if this level of play holds. For a roster that has been trying to solve enough offensive-line questions already, one less hole would be a welcome development. [Read more 🡒]