Buffalo finally got a defensive performance to match Josh Allen’s offense. Jacksonville buried Indianapolis before halftime, and Tampa Bay won without completing a pass. Baltimore lost two quarterbacks, Seattle came apart late against Chicago, and the Colts followed two major trades with a 35-point loss.
PFM’s Latest Ranking Changes page tracks every ratings update. This week’s breakdown covers the three biggest risers and fallers from the November 3 update by PFM Team Score, following the Week 8 games. Ranking movement shows where each team stands among all 32 clubs.
Buffalo gained 2.64 points, more than Jacksonville and Tampa Bay combined. The Bills jumped two places, while the Buccaneers gained ground for a second straight week without moving from No. 17. Seattle lost 1.14 points and held No. 3. The scoreboard and the PFM rankings are not always telling the same story.
Week 9 snapshot: These moves compare PFM’s October 27 Week 8 scores with its November 3 Week 9 update after the Week 8 games. The 32-team November 3 scores export supplies the current ratings and exact score changes. The table rounds scores to one decimal, while changes retain two decimals. The October 27 ranks come from the preceding PFM ranking board; the November 3 ranks are sorted by the current PFM Team Scores. The full board belongs on the 2026 PFM NFL Team Rankings page.
| Team | Team Score | Change | PFM Rank | Rank Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Buffalo Bills |
83.5 → 86.1 | Up 2.64 | No. 7 → No. 5 | Up 2 |
 Jacksonville Jaguars |
82.4 → 83.2 | Up 0.86 | No. 11 → No. 9 | Up 2 |
 Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
78.5 → 79.2 | Up 0.72 | No. 17 → No. 17 | No change |
 Baltimore Ravens |
81.0 → 79.7 | Down 1.36 | No. 13 → No. 15 | Down 2 |
 Seattle Seahawks |
87.8 → 86.7 | Down 1.14 | No. 3 → No. 3 | No change |
 Indianapolis Colts |
73.5 → 72.4 | Down 1.13 | No. 29 → No. 31 | Down 2 |
One useful distinction: Buffalo’s 2.64-point gain moved it from No. 7 to No. 5. Jacksonville’s smaller 0.86-point gain was also worth two spots. Tampa Bay added 0.72 points without changing rank, and Seattle remains No. 3 after the second-largest drop of the week. The size of the score change and the distance to nearby teams are different things.
1. Buffalo Finally Has a Defensive Win to Match Josh Allen
Biggest riser · +2.64 · No. 7 → No. 5
Buffalo had the offense to beat almost anyone. The defense was the question. On Sunday, the Bills finally gave Josh Allen a game where he did not have to cover for it. Baltimore managed just 145 yards in a 36-10 loss, and Buffalo finished with four sacks and 12 quarterback hits.
There is an important catch to those numbers: Lamar Jackson left with a thumb injury on Baltimore’s first offensive play, Tyler Huntley followed with a toe injury, and undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano had to finish the game. Buffalo was creating problems up front, too: Jim Leonhard sent Cole Bishop on a blitz that forced a Huntley fumble and set up a short field. Allen did his part with 289 passing yards, two passing touchdowns and another score on the ground.
The PFM change is hard to miss. Buffalo’s Defense Strength climbed from 67.50 to 76.69, while Recent Performance rose from 86.36 to 90.71. That sent the Bills from No. 7 to No. 5. One game against a team that lost two quarterbacks does not settle every question about this defense. It does give Buffalo something it badly needed: proof that Allen does not have to win every Sunday on his own.
2. Jacksonville Made Its Case Before Halftime
Riser · +0.86 · No. 11 → No. 9
Jacksonville did not give Indianapolis time to make this a game. Trevor Lawrence threw three touchdown passes, Bhayshul Tuten broke loose for a 39-yard scoring run, and safety Rayuan Lane III took an interception back 92 yards. By halftime, the Jaguars led 28-0. The final was 42-7.
This was not just a big passing day. Tuten ran for 104 yards and scored again on a screen pass, while Jacksonville finished with 183 rushing yards. The defense forced three turnovers and sacked Daniel Jones four times. Indianapolis could not protect the football, slow the run game or make Lawrence work for much of anything.
PFM raised Jacksonville’s Defense Strength from 79.05 to 82.00 and its Offense Strength from 82.13 to 82.94. The Jaguars climbed from No. 11 to No. 9, and the AFC South lead grew to three games. Beating a Colts team that just traded two veteran stars is not the same test as beating another contender. Still, Lawrence had answers, the running game delivered and the defense closed every door Indianapolis tried to open.
3. Tampa Bay Did Not Complete a Pass. It Did Not Need To.
Riser · +0.72 · No. 17 → No. 17
A week after running over Carolina, Tampa Bay found an even stranger way to win. The Buccaneers did not complete a single pass in a rain-soaked 16-0 shutout of Atlanta. Baker Mayfield finished 0-for-3, but Bucky Irving rushed for 170 yards and Kenny Gainwell added 140. When a team can run like that, it does not need to pretend the weather will allow a normal passing game.
Todd Bowles’ defense made sure the Falcons could not fight their way back. Michael Penix Jr. threw four interceptions, including two to Alex Anzalone, and Atlanta finished without a point. Tampa Bay has now piled up more than 580 rushing yards across its wins over Carolina and Atlanta. That is not a one-week accident, even if the conditions helped push this particular game toward the ground.
Recent Performance rose from 77.42 to 80.61, and Defense Strength moved from 82.55 to 84.00. Tampa Bay gained another 0.72 Team Score points but stayed No. 17. That is a useful reality check: two impressive wins have changed the Buccaneers’ direction, but they still have to show this ground-heavy approach works when opponents can stack the box and force Mayfield to throw.
4. Baltimore Lost Two Quarterbacks and Any Chance of Keeping Up
Biggest faller · -1.36 · No. 13 → No. 15
Baltimore barely got its offense started before the quarterback situation fell apart. Lamar Jackson injured his thumb on the Ravens’ first offensive play. Tyler Huntley took over, then left with a toe injury in the second quarter. Undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano was thrown into his NFL debut against a Buffalo defense that had no intention of making things easy. The Ravens lost 36-10.
Fagnano threw for 91 yards, and Baltimore finished with only 145 total yards. Derrick Henry scored the Ravens’ lone touchdown, but that came after a Buffalo turnover gave Baltimore the ball deep in Bills territory. It is difficult to judge the offense as if Jackson had played the full game. It is also impossible to ignore a third straight loss and another afternoon in which the Ravens could not keep pace.
PFM’s Recent Performance grade fell from 76.05 to 71.26, with Offense Strength down from 86.18 to 84.20. Baltimore dropped from No. 13 to No. 15. The quarterback injuries explain much of Sunday’s collapse, but they do not make the next stretch any easier. Baltimore needs a way to sustain drives while it sorts out who can play quarterback.
5. Seattle Added Quenton Nelson, Then Got Run Over on Monday Night
Faller · -1.14 · No. 3 → No. 3
Seattle spent the week adding All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson. On Monday night, the Seahawks still could not control the game against Chicago. D’Andre Swift scored three rushing touchdowns after halftime, and the Bears walked out of Lumen Field with a 34-17 win.
Sam Darnold found Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a 43-yard touchdown and Cooper Kupp for another score. Seattle even cut the deficit to 20-17 in the fourth quarter. Then Chicago answered with two more Swift touchdowns, the second set up by a Darnold interception. The Seahawks totaled just 252 yards, and a promising comeback ended almost as quickly as it began.
PFM cut Seattle’s Recent Performance from 83.73 to 80.81 and its Explosiveness grade from 83.84 to 80.84. The Team Score fell 1.14 points, but Seattle held No. 3. Nelson should help the line, but a trade cannot fix an offense overnight or erase a defense that could not get Chicago off the field late. Seattle has now lost three of four, and the next step is turning that still-strong rating into more consistent football.
6. The Colts Traded Two Cornerstones, Then Got Blown Out
Faller · -1.13 · No. 29 → No. 31
Indianapolis traded guard Quenton Nelson and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, then watched Jacksonville take a 28-0 halftime lead. The 42-7 final was the Colts’ fourth straight loss. Whatever the long-term plan is, Sunday showed what this team looks like when it cannot win up front on either side of the ball.
Daniel Jones threw for 144 yards and two interceptions, including a 92-yard pick-six by Rayuan Lane III. Jonathan Taylor managed 23 rushing yards on eight carries, and Jacksonville ran for 183 yards at the other end. The Colts picked up a 2027 third-rounder and a 2028 fifth-rounder for Nelson, plus a 2027 fourth-rounder for Buckner. None of those future picks could help Jones on Sunday.
PFM lowered Indianapolis’ Recent Performance from 69.51 to 66.34, with Offense Strength and Defense Strength both falling by nearly two points. Franchise Direction ticked up slightly because of the acquired picks, but the Colts still fell from No. 29 to No. 31. Only Tennessee sits below them. This is no longer just a rough month. Indianapolis has moved veteran talent out and now has to decide what it can build around next.
What Week 8 Actually Changed for PFM
Buffalo’s defense finally gave Josh Allen some room to breathe, even if Baltimore’s quarterback injuries make that 36-10 win difficult to judge on its own. Jacksonville looked like a division leader from the opening drive against Indianapolis. Tampa Bay backed up last week’s breakthrough with a shutout and another huge rushing performance, this time without completing a pass.
Baltimore’s third straight loss came with a quarterback emergency that changes the conversation around its offense. Seattle has Quenton Nelson, but it still could not finish a close game against Chicago. The Colts are collecting future picks while the current team slides toward the bottom of PFM’s rankings.
The biggest movement belonged to Buffalo, but the most revealing contrast might be Tampa Bay and Seattle. One team is winning without a conventional passing game and still sits No. 17; the other has lost three of four but remains No. 3. PFM is measuring more than the latest final score. The next games will show whether either team’s rating needs a bigger adjustment.
See every Week 9 change, not just the six biggest moves.
Sources and PFM Data
- PFM November 3, 2026 Week 8 Scores Export (all 32 teams; used for the November 3 Week 9 changes)
- PFM 2026 NFL Team Rankings
- PFM Latest Ranking Changes
- PFM 2026 NFL Standings
- Buffalo Bills: Week 8 recap and game details
- Jacksonville Jaguars: Week 8 game report
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Week 8 takeaways
- Baltimore Ravens: Week 8 game recap
- Chicago Bears: Week 8 Monday Night Football recap
- Indianapolis Colts: Week 8 game recap
- Seattle Seahawks: Quenton Nelson trade
- Indianapolis Colts: DeForest Buckner trade
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