Where do Bucs land in latest power rankings after win over Saints?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have one of the best records in the league following their 23-3 win over the New Orleans Saints in Week 8. Sitting at 6-2, the Bucs are in total control of their own destiny the rest of the way as they head into their bye week with a stranglehold on the NFC South.

It hasn't been the prettiest getting to this point for Tampa Bay. They will use this bye week with the hopes of getting healthier for the back stretch of the season and will undoubtedly need to continue to be resilient if they want to continue being one of the top teams in the NFL.

Speaking of top teams in the NFL, NFL.com releases its power rankings following each week, and while many might have thought the Bucs would move up this week, they are staying put as the eighth-best team in the league, per NFL.com's Eric Edholm.

No shifting seas for Buccaneers

Oct 26, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler (2) loses the football during a tackle by Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Anthony Nelson (98)Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

"Baker Mayfield didn’t throw or run for a touchdown, yet Tampa Bay still won in a relative laugher. It might have been the worst offensive showing of the season for the shorthanded Bucs -- and Mayfield and both looked less than fully healthy against the Saints -- but when you play that kind of defense, it doesn’t matter. Producing four takeaways (including an Anthony Nelson pick-six) and two fourth-down stops, the Bucs held the Saints out of the end zone and sent Spencer Rattler to the bench," wrote Edholm. "The bye should help in the health department, and though three straight tough games await Tampa on the other side, this team has shown it can hang with virtually anyone at close to full strength."

Despite not having the best game from an offensive standpoint against the Saints, the Bucs' defense stepped up in a major way, forcing five sacks and four turnovers on the day to pull out the win on the road.

While the thought would be the Bucs would move up maybe a spot or two, it just really wasn't the week for it. Per Edholm's rankings, there was very minimal change, with only the Green Bay Packers (+1), the Philadelphia Eagles (+1) and the Seattle Seahawks (-2) seeing any movement at all.

The Buccaneers enter their bye week in a comfortable position, but will have to come out of it strong if they hope to continue climbing the power rankings with the likes of the New England Patriots (11th and rising), the Buffalo Bills (9th), and the Los Angeles Rams (7th) immediately on deck following the off week.

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