When the 2022 NFL schedule was released and the Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills, Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams all had byes during Week 7, it looked like a totally random grouping of teams. 

Or was it? Maybe the schedule-maker saw into the future and wanted to even the playing field by giving three of the four best teams (and four of the best 11) byes at the same time? 

OK, probably not. But the unusual schedule made for a week of little movement at the top of the league. Not the case near the bottom, after the Washington Commanders and Chicago Bears pulled stunning upsets of the Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots, respectively. 

Here are The Post’s NFL power rankings for Week 8, when thankfully most of the best teams (except the Chiefs) are in action: 

What a time to be a Philadelphia sports fan. The Phillies are World Series-bound after barely qualifying for the playoffs. The Eagles are the lone undefeated team, but part of a surprisingly stacked NFC East. Expect general manager Howie Roseman — the most aggressive trader in the sport — to be active before the Nov. 1 deadline. 

A Bills’ week off usually spells trouble for their next opponent. They are 5-0 after the bye under head coach Sean McDermott. All those wins are at home. Sure enough, the disappointing Packers visit Buffalo this week. Josh Allen is on pace to break the single-season record for passing yards in Year 2 of the 17-game schedule. 

In a Super Bowl LIV rematch, the Chiefs beat the 49ers again, 44-23. Patrick Mahomes threw for 423 yards and three touchdowns to erase an early 10-point deficit. If there is a reason for concern with the Chiefs, it’s that they frequently seem to sleepwalk through first quarters and count on their quick-score explosiveness to rally. 

Is the NFC North title already wrapped up? Not officially, but the Lions aren’t going anywhere, the mighty Packers look broken and the Bears are one-dimensional. The Vikings have been called for just 25 penalties (second-fewest in the NFL) and are winning the final two minutes of both halves. 

Dak Prescott returned after a five-game injury absence to take a backseat as Ezekiel Elliott ran for two touchdowns and the defense forced five turnovers in a 24-6 win against the Lions. The turning point was a fumble recovery at the 1-yard line to protect a 10-6 fourth-quarter lead. Trevon Diggs has 17 interceptions in his first 35 career games. 

The secondary gang-tackled Christian Kirk at the 1-yard line as time expired to seal a 23-17 win against the Jaguars. Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley both rushed for more than 100 yards — the first Giants’ teammates to do so since 2010. Five of the Giants’ wins include second-half comebacks, including wiping out the Jaguars’ 17-13 fourth-quarter lead. 

Not this time! The Ravens have blown a double-digit second-half lead in each of their three losses. So, nothing was certain when Gus Edwards’ second touchdown run opened up a 10-point third-quarter lead, but the defense shut out the Browns over the final nine minutes of a 23-20 victory. Edwards had missed the last 23 games with a knee injury. 

The Bengals scored on their first four possessions and Joe Burrow passed for 345 of his 481 yards before halftime of a 35-17 victory against the Falcons. It was Burrow’s fifth career 400-yard passing game — and the score would’ve been uglier if not for allowing 10 points in a 39-second span at the end of the first half. 

Breece Hall’s 62-yard touchdown run likely was one of the final acts of his dazzling rookie season because he suffered a torn ACL in a 16-9 win against the Broncos. The Jets are 4-0 on the road, after winning just four total games last season. Lamarcus Joyner had an interception and this ball-hawking secondary nearly had about three more. 

Shame on us for writing off last year’s No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs after a 0-2 start. It doesn’t look so bad now when the Giants and Bills are a combined 11-2 and the Titans have won four straight. Andrew Adams’ 76-yard pick-six was the Titans’ only touchdown in a 19-10 win to complete a season sweep of the Colts.