Cowher Ranks AFC Top Five, Omits Steelers
Bill Cowher's Week 8 AFC rankings on CBS's NFL Today left out the Pittsburgh Steelers, who face the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
Updated on Nov. 1, 2026 in Football
Bill Cowher ranked his top five AFC teams for Week 8 on CBS's NFL Today, placing the Buffalo Bills first and the Kansas City Chiefs second. The list omitted the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are 5-2 and play the Cleveland Browns on Sunday in a battle for first place.
Why it matters
Cowher's rankings offer a snapshot of how a former Steelers coach views the AFC race as the Steelers and Browns contend for first place in the division. The omission of Pittsburgh from the top five highlights how the conference's order is being debated heading into the middle of the season.
The rankings are one analyst's weekly opinion rather than a statistical model, and the Steelers hold a 5-2 record while the Denver Broncos carry a three-game winning streak into the week. Cowher's full methodology and how the Steelers were weighed against Cleveland were not detailed.
The players
Bill Cowher
Former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach who led the team for 15 seasons and now works as an analyst for CBS's NFL Today.
The details
Cowher released his top-five list on CBS's NFL Today on Sunday morning, ranking the teams in descending order from No. 5 to No. 1. The Cincinnati Bengals were fifth, followed by the Denver Broncos, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills, while the Baltimore Ravens were also left off the list.
Timeline
Sunday morning, Week 8: Cowher releases AFC top-five rankings on NFL Today
Sunday, Week 8: Steelers play the Browns for first place
Nov. 10: NFL trade deadline
The Season Trajectory
Cowher's omission of the Steelers from a top-five list that includes the Jacksonville Jaguars and Denver Broncos underscores how the AFC race remains unsettled at the season's midpoint. The Steelers' showdown with the Browns for first place in the AFC North could reshape how the conference's contenders are ordered over the coming weeks.
Fantasy managers and bettors weighing AFC contenders may want to note that the Steelers and Browns meet Sunday for first place in the division. Those tracking playoff positioning should watch how the Denver Broncos' three-game winning streak affects the conference standings.
The takeaway
A single analyst's ranking can highlight how the AFC race is being judged at midseason, but the standings will be shaped by head-to-head results like Sunday's Steelers-Browns game. Readers tracking the conference should weigh those outcomes over preseason reputations.
What happens next
The NFL trade deadline falls on Nov. 10, and the Steelers and Browns meet Sunday for first place in the AFC North.
Further reading
Explore more on the Football section for additional context on the AFC playoff picture.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Newsweek.
