Culture
NFL Power Rankings Week 8: Are Packers, Steelers, Seahawks contenders?
The Week 8 Power Rankings are here, and it’s time to take a closer look at everyone’s resume. After all, not all 5-2 teams are built the same. Yes, we’re looking at you Washington and Buffalo. A good record built on empty calories doesn’t necessarily make a team a pretender, but it’s a good way to start figuring out where everyone should be slotted as the midpoint approaches. For instance, it’s the reason the Eagles are ranked in a spot that’s likely to rile the Philly folks. Remember, we’re putting a lot of weight on who you’ve beaten this week.
With that in mind, we have plenty of movement in this week’s rankings, starting at the top with a new No. 1.
Last week: 3
Sunday: Beat Minnesota Vikings 31-29
Who have they beaten?: Rams, Cardinals, Seahawks, Cowboys, Vikings
You could have argued before Sunday that the Lions had a weak resume. Then they beat the NFC’s only undefeated team. Detroit is averaging a league-best 40 points per game since Week 4. Jared Goff, who has thrown seven touchdown passes and no interceptions in his last three games, leads the NFL in passer rating (111.5).
Up next: vs. Tennessee Titans, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
Last week: 2
Sunday: Beat Tampa Bay Buccaneers 41-31
Who have they beaten? Cowboys, Bills, Bengals, Commanders, Buccaneers
The Ravens defense has issues. Baltimore, uncharacteristically, is 26th in the league in points allowed (25.7 per game). With this offense, that might not matter. Derrick Henry had another 100-yard game Monday night (15 carries, 169 yards). That makes four in the last five outings for the 30-year-old. The Ravens are tied for the league lead in scoring (31.14) and have won five straight, with four of those coming against teams with a winning record.
Up next: at Cleveland Browns, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
3. Minnesota Vikings (5-1)
Last week: 1
Sunday: Lost to Detroit Lions 31-29
Who have they beaten? Giants, 49ers, Texans, Packers, Jets
How many good wins are we giving the Vikings credit for with the 49ers looking iffy? Honestly, Sunday’s loss to the Lions may have been Minnesota’s second-best showing. If Jake Bates misses a 44-yard field goal with 15 seconds left, the Vikings are still undefeated. Minnesota remains fourth in the league in point differential (61 points).
Up next: at Los Angeles Rams, Thursday, 8:15 p.m. ET
GO DEEPER
The 49ers’ shrinking window and how Brock Purdy fits (or might not): Sando’s Pick Six
Despite injuries and less-than-impressive stats, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs keep winning. (Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)
Last week: 4
Sunday: Beat San Francisco 49ers 28-18
Who have they beaten? Ravens, Bengals, Falcons, Chargers, Saints, 49ers
The stats page doesn’t think the Chiefs are an elite team. Their offensive DVOA (13.2 percent) is seventh in the league but much closer to the Bengals (13 percent) than the Ravens (33.6 percent), according to FTN Fantasy. They are 16th in the league in yards per play (5.4) and 25th in the league in yards per carry (4.1), according to TruMedia. Patrick Mahomes is 23rd in passer rating (82.5) and has thrown more interceptions (eight) than touchdowns (six) this year. And yet, here we are. The Chiefs are unbeaten and half of their wins have come against winning teams.
Up next: at Las Vegas Raiders, Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET
GO DEEPER
Silver: Why Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs look capable of a three-peat
5. Green Bay Packers (5-2)
Last week: 7
Sunday: Beat Houston Texans 24-22
Who have they beaten? Colts, Titans, Rams, Cardinals, Texans
Sunday was only the Packers’ second win over a team with a winning record, and it took a 45-yard Brandon McManus field goal at the buzzer to do it. Josh Jacobs, who had 76 rushing yards against the Texans, is quietly fourth in the league in rushing with 540 yards. He also had his first career touchdown catch Sunday.
Up next: at Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
6. Houston Texans (5-2)
Last week: 5
Sunday: Lost to Green Bay Packers 24-22
Who have they beaten? Colts, Bears, Jaguars, Bills, Patriots
C.J. Stroud had the second-worst passer rating of his career Sunday (58.8), and the Texans are now 0-5 when Stroud doesn’t hit at least 82 on that scale. Stroud, who completed 10 passes for 86 yards against the Packers, has been sacked on 8 percent of his dropbacks this season (which ranks 12th in the league) and hit 43 times, which is the seventh most. Joe Mixon’s 115 rushing yards were about the only bright spot against the Packers.
Up next: vs. Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
7. Buffalo Bills (5-2)
Last week: 8
Sunday: Beat Tennessee Titans 34-10
Who have they beaten? Cardinals, Dolphins, Jaguars, Jets, Titans
Josh Allen is third in the league in EPA per dropback (.24), fourth in passer rating (108.4) and fourth in passing touchdowns (12), all while still having no interceptions. He led Buffalo to 34 unanswered points on Sunday after the Titans had taken a 10-0 lead. However, this is the week we have to point out that the Bills’ wins have come over teams that are a combined 9-24.
Up next: at Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET
GO DEEPER
Josh Allen has grown as a game manager, and Sunday’s win shows why that’s crucial for Bills
8. Washington Commanders (5-2)
Last week: 6
Sunday: Beat Carolina Panthers 40-7
Who have they beaten? Giants, Bengals, Cardinals, Browns, Panthers
The DMV area got a distraction from the election cycle Monday as everyone waited breathlessly for an update on Jayden Daniels’ injured ribs. Coach Dan Quinn said the rookie quarterback is “week to week” but could play as soon as this week. We speak for everyone in the league, save maybe Eagles and Cowboys fans, when we say, “Whew.” The knock on the Commanders is that Washington hasn’t beaten a team with a winning record this season, and its five wins are over teams averaging 1.8 wins. How about Marcus Mariota, though? The veteran had a 132.8 passer rating after spelling Daniels on Sunday.
Up next: vs. Chicago Bears, Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET
Last week: 14
Sunday: Beat New York Jets 37-15
Who have they beaten? Falcons, Broncos, Chargers, Raiders, Jets
It looks like Mike Tomlin picked the right time to switch quarterbacks. Russell Wilson made his Steelers debut and posted a 109 passer rating, connecting with George Pickens five times for 111 yards, against the Jets. The Steelers remain in first place in the AFC North, but they’ll be tested by the Commanders and Ravens in two of their next three games. Before that, though, they get the Giants and a bye week.
Up next: vs. New York Giants, Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET
Brandon Marshall stops by the postgame presser and asks Mike Tomlin if it was one of his boldest decisions to start Russell Wilson.
Tomlin: “that’s why I’m well-compensated.” pic.twitter.com/fQ5bdMsOtA
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) October 21, 2024
10. Seattle Seahawks (4-3)
Last week: 15
Sunday: Beat Atlanta Falcons 34-14
Who have they beaten? Broncos, Patriots, Dolphins, Falcons
Not only did the Seahawks snap a three-game losing streak on Sunday, but they also beat just their second team with a winning record. DK Metcalf’s four catches for 99 yards were the highlight. The Seahawks, who are eighth in the league scoring (25.71 ppg), lead the NFC West by one game. They lost to the 49ers in Week 6 but get another shot in Week 11 in a game that will say a lot about this team’s playoff chances.
Up next: vs. Buffalo Bills, Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET
GO DEEPER
What we learned in NFL Week 7: Chiefs flip the script, Steelers’ bet pays off
11. Atlanta Falcons (4-3)
Last week: 9
Sunday: Lost to Seattle Seahawks 34-14
Who have they beaten? Eagles, Saints, Buccaneers, Panthers
The Falcons’ momentum under first-year head coach Raheem Morris hit a brick wall Sunday in a listless 20-point loss, but they are 3-0 in the NFC South and have gotten their young talent more involved this season. Bijan Robinson had his first 100-yard rushing game since Week 4 of his rookie year on Sunday (21 carries, 103 yards) and is sixth in the league with 483 yards. Tight end Kyle Pitts has had 65 or more receiving yards in three straight games, which is just the second time he has done that.
Up next: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
12. Philadelphia Eagles (4-2)
Last week: 18
Sunday: Beat New York Giants 28-3
Who have they beaten? Packers, Saints, Browns, Giants
Has any player been more important for team morale this season than Saquon Barkley? The Eagles’ new running back is third in the league with 658 rushing yards and has been a bright spot in a season that has encountered a few bumps on the way to four wins. On Sunday, Barkley carried the ball 17 times for 176 yards against his former team as Philly walloped the Giants. Week 11 against Washington is shaping up to be a showdown.
Up next: at Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
Saquon Barkley wanted the young guys to play instead of going for his record. What a teammate. @saquon | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/tJi8waO7MY
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) October 21, 2024
13. Chicago Bears (4-2)
Last week: 13
Sunday: Bye
Who have they beaten? Titans, Rams, Panthers, Jaguars
There are two ways to look at the Bears’ start. One: They have beaten teams with a combined record of 6-20. Two: They are sixth in point differential (47) and have won three straight behind rookie quarterback Caleb Williams. Chicago, which is tied for fourth in turnover margin (six), will get a chance to prove itself against Washington this week. Hopefully, Jayden Daniels (ribs) will be available to make that game the battle of rookie quarterbacks everyone has been waiting for for a month.
Up next: at Washington Commanders, Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET
14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-3)
Last week: 11
Sunday: Lost to Baltimore Ravens 41-31
Who have they beaten? Commanders, Lions, Eagles, Saints
The Buccaneers lost the two most productive wide receivers in franchise history on Monday night against the Ravens. Mike Evans re-injured his hamstring and his availability in the coming games is questionable. Then Chris Godwin suffered what the Bucs believe is a dislocated ankle with 1:04 remaining in the game. ESPN’s decision not to show replays of the injury suggests it’s a season-ender, which means Tampa Bay probably lost a lot more than just one game Monday night.
Up next: vs. Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
15. San Francisco 49ers (3-4)
Last week: 10
Sunday: Lost to Kansas City Chiefs 28-18
Who have they beaten? Jets, Patriots, Seahawks
Are the 49ers in trouble? They’ve beaten only one team with a winning record. Brandon Aiyuk is out for the season with a torn ACL and MCL. Christian McCaffrey remains on injured reserve. The defense is 16th in the league in points allowed (22.6). Even Brock Purdy looks human. The quarterback posted a 36.7 passer rating, the lowest in his career as a starter. Purdy had a 30.1 passer rating in a game in 2022, also against Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
Up next: vs. Dallas Cowboys, Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET
16. Dallas Cowboys (3-3)
Last week: 16
Sunday: Bye
Who have they beaten? Browns, Giants, Steelers
At least Dallas has that win over Pittsburgh to keep it warm at night because not much else is going right for “America’s Team.” This week brought Cowboy-on-Cowboy crime as coach Mike McCarthy fired back at ESPN analyst and former Dallas quarterback Troy Aikman, who made critical comments about the team’s wide receivers. “They don’t carry any weight with me,” McCarthy said. Aikman might have a point, though. Dallas is 21st in the league in touchdowns per pass attempt (3.4 percent), which is a bad sign for a team that has also rushed for the fewest yards in the league (463).
Up next: at San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET
GO DEEPER
NFL Week 7 takeaways: Are the 49ers in too deep a hole? Who are kings of the NFC North?
17. Denver Broncos (4-3)
Last week: 19
Thursday: Beat New Orleans Saints 33-10
Who have they beaten? Buccaneers, Jets, Raiders, Saints
So, are the Broncos for real or not? Their most impressive win of the season (Tampa Bay) came in Week 3, and they’ve been fattening up on junk food since. The advanced statistics are skeptical. Even the defense (ranked third in expected points added per snap) slips some when measured by DVOA, which takes into account opponent strength (seventh in DVOA, according to FTN Fantasy). The offense is 27th in expected points added per 100 snaps (minus-14.4), according to TruMedia.
Up next: vs. Carolina Panthers, Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET
18. Los Angeles Chargers (3-3)
Last week: 12
Sunday: Lost to Arizona Cardinals 17-15
Who have they beaten? Raiders, Panthers, Broncos
Justin Herbert passed for 349 yards, his highest total since Week 3 last year on Monday night, but it wasn’t enough for the Chargers, who rushed for a very un-Jim Harbaugh-like 59 yards. Los Angeles’ three losses this season have come by an average of 6.3 points, but their three wins aren’t terribly impressive. The Chargers are 12th in the league in point differential (plus-23).
Up next: vs. New Orleans Saints, Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET
Don’t look now, but Sam Hubbard and the Bengals have won three of their last four games. (Jason Miller / Getty Images)
19. Cincinnati Bengals (3-4)
Last week: 17
Sunday: Beat Cleveland Browns 21-14
Who have they beaten? Panthers, Giants, Browns
Who knows what to make of the Bengals? Joe Burrow is having one of his best seasons. His expected points added per dropback this season (.16) is the best of his career. On plays with a passing attempt, the Bengals’ EPA (67.78) is the second best in the league. And yet, three wins over three teams with four combined wins is not impressing anybody.
Up next: vs. Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
20. Indianapolis Colts (4-3)
Last week: 20
Sunday: Beat Miami Dolphins 16-10
Who have they beaten? Bears, Steelers, Titans, Dolphins
Indianapolis is only one game out of the AFC South lead, which is impressive considering the play it has gotten from Anthony Richardson. The second-year quarterback entered the season with a lot of hype but is 32nd in the league in completion percentage (48.5), 29th in EPA per dropback (minus-.11) and has thrown twice as many interceptions (six) as touchdown passes (three). Richardson had a 59.2 passer rating Sunday but did add 56 rushing yards to help get Indianapolis past hapless Miami.
Up next: at Houston Texans, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
21. Arizona Cardinals (3-4)
Last week: 22
Sunday: Beat Los Angeles Chargers 17-15
Who have they beaten? Rams, 49ers, Chargers
Are the Cardinals the Kings of the West Coast? They are now just one game back in the NFC West, and they haven’t played the division-leading Seahawks yet. On Monday night, the Cardinals beat an AFC West team, riding James Conner’s 101-yard performance to a win that wasn’t secured until a last-second field goal.
Up next: at Miami Dolphins, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
22. New Orleans Saints (2-5)
Last week: 21
Thursday: Lost to Denver Broncos 33-10
Who have they beaten? Panthers, Cowboys
After starting 2-0, the Saints have lost five straight. The offense appears to be evaporating as the injuries pile up. After averaging 45.5 points in the first two weeks, New Orleans has averaged 17.2 points per game in the last five games, which ranks 26th in that stretch. Somehow, it’s been worse on defense. The Saints have given up an average of 34 points per game in the last four games, and their point differential in the last month (minus-62) is the worst in the league.
Up next: at Los Angeles Chargers, Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET
23. New York Giants (2-5)
Last week: 24
Sunday: Lost to Philadelphia Eagles 28-3
Who have they beaten? Browns, Seahawks
Coach Brian Daboll replaced Daniel Jones with Drew Lock in the fourth quarter. Maybe it was because the Giants were trailing by 25 points. Maybe it was because Daboll figured that was Jones’ fault. After some brief moments of hope this season, Jones took a step back Sunday, completing 14 passes for 99 yards and failing to get the Giants into the end zone. With Pittsburgh and Washington next, the Giants’ season could be over by midseason.
Up next: at Pittsburgh Steelers, Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET
The Rams are struggling on offense, but running back Kyren Williams has been a bright spot. (Alex Gallardo / Imagn Images)
24. Los Angeles Rams (2-4)
Last week: 26
Sunday: Beat Las Vegas Raiders 20-15
Who have they beaten? 49ers, Raiders
The Rams had 259 yards of offense and converted two third downs. Quarterback Matthew Stafford had a 62.6 passer rating. And somehow they won. That’s not going to provide much salve for this season, though. The Rams are 24th in scoring margin (minus-40) and their 19 points per game are on track to be their lowest since the Stafford-less 2022 season and second lowest of the Sean McVay era.
Up next: vs. Minnesota Vikings, Thursday, 8:15 p.m. ET
25. New York Jets (2-5)
Last week: 23
Sunday: Lost to Pittsburgh Steelers 37-15
Who have they beaten? Titans, Patriots
Maybe Davante Adams’ addition will help in the long run, but it wasn’t a miracle cure. Aaron Rodgers targeted his old friend nine times Sunday but completed only three of those passes for 30 yards. The Jets have now lost four straight and are two games behind the pace they were on last year through Week 7 under quarterback Zach Wilson. The Jets are 24th in scoring (18.29 ppg) and 25th in drive success rate (30.26 percent). Rodgers is completing 61.7 percent of his passes and is 25th in EPA per dropback (minus-.03).
Up next: at New England Patriots, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
26. Las Vegas Raiders (2-5)
Last week: 25
Sunday: Lost to Los Angeles Rams 20-15
Who have they beaten? Ravens, Browns
Maybe the most perplexing outcome of the 2024 season is the Raiders’ Week 2 win in Baltimore. Since then, the Raiders are 1-4 and have beaten only the Browns. Quarterback Aidan O’Connell is headed to injured reserve with a broken thumb, and they signed Desmond Ridder off the Cardinals’ practice squad on Monday, but does it really matter? At least there’s tight end Brock Bowers. The rookie is second among all tight ends in yards per route run (2.26), which is especially impressive considering he has run more routes than all but three other tight ends. His 447 receiving yards lead all tight ends.
Up next: vs. Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET
GO DEEPER
After sloppy loss to the Rams, it’s clear these Raiders are headed nowhere
27. Miami Dolphins (2-4)
Last week: 27
Sunday: Lost to Indianapolis Colts 16-10
Who have they beaten? Jaguars, Patriots
Tua Tagovailoa has been designated to return from injured reserve and could play this weekend against Arizona. That’s good news for a Dolphins team averaging a league-low 10 points per game since he suffered a concussion in a Week 2 loss to the Bills. It’s worrying news for a lot of people, though, considering his most recent injury was his third concussion. “I love this game, and I love it to the death of me,” Tagovailoa said Monday. Those words won’t make any of the worried people feel better.
Up next: vs. Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
Tua Tagovailoa on those who worry he could get hurt again: “I appreciate your concern. I really do. I love this game. And I love it to the death of me. That’s it.” pic.twitter.com/fAvoHA2PXo
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) October 21, 2024
28. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-5)
Last week: 31
Sunday: Beat New England Patriots 32-16
Who have they beaten? Colts, Patriots
Jacksonville got a win Sunday, so let’s focus on the positive. Rookie Brian Thomas Jr. is fifth in receiving yards this season with 513 (the most by a rookie in 2024), and he’s averaging 17.1 yards per reception, which is top 10 in the league. Thomas had five catches for 89 yards and Tank Bigsby rushed for 118 yards to help the Jaguars salvage their fortnight in London.
Up next: vs. Green Bay Packers, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
29. New England Patriots (1-6)
Last week: 29
Sunday: Lost to Jacksonville Jaguars 32-16
Who have they beaten? Bengals
The Patriots have lost six straight after a surprising Week 1 win over Cincinnati. Rookie quarterback Drake Maye’s insertion into the lineup hasn’t turned the tide, and the locals are starting to turn on first-year head coach Jerod Mayo. Former coach Bill Belichick chimed in Monday with a clinical if subtle skewering of New England’s run defense, pointing out on “The Pat McAfee Show” that it was No. 1 in the league “last year” when it had most of the same players.
Up next: vs. New York Jets, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
30. Tennessee Titans (1-5)
Last week: 28
Sunday: Lost to Buffalo Bills 34-10
Who have they beaten? Dolphins
A Week 4 win over a Miami team without Tua Tagovailoa is first-year head coach Brian Callahan’s only victory so far. Mason Rudolph filled in for an injured Will Levis on Sunday, but it didn’t help. Levis will return to the starting job when healthy, Callahan said. That’s not comforting news for the remaining Titans fans. The only quarterbacks in the league with a worse EPA per dropback than Levis’ minus-.31 are the benched Bryce Young and fill-in starter Spencer Rattler. The Lions are up next. Oof.
Up next: at Detroit Lions, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
31. Cleveland Browns (1-6)
Last week: 32
Sunday: Lost to Cincinnati Bengals 21-13
Who have they beaten? Jaguars
Deshaun Watson suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in Sunday’s loss, and it appeared he was booed by the home fans as he was carted off the field. That’s how bad things have gotten in Cleveland. The injury may end not only Watson’s season but his career as the Browns could now try to get some relief from his exorbitant contract. On the field, Cleveland now has to decide between Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Jameis Winston, although the decision might be made for them. Thompson-Robinson suffered a finger injury Sunday after replacing Watson.
Up next: vs. Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
32. Carolina Panthers (1-6)
Last week: 30
Sunday: Lost to Washington Commanders 40-7
Who have they beaten? Raiders
Dave Canales took the heat off “Which first-year coach is having the roughest time of it?” Derby on Sunday by getting blown out by a Washington team under the direction of backup quarterback Marcus Mariota. The Panthers have given up 71 points in their last seven quarters of football and are last in the league in scoring margin (minus-133). That’s on pace to be the worst margin per game in at least the last 20 years, according to TruMedia.
Up next: at Denver Broncos, Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET
(Top photo: Patrick McDermott / Getty Images)
A strong sense of place can deeply influence a story, and in some cases, the setting can even feel like a character itself — or have a lasting influence on an author. With that in mind, this week’s literary geography quiz highlights the final stops for five authors after a life of writing. To play, just make your selection in the multiple-choice list and the correct answer will be revealed. At the end of the quiz, you’ll find links to the books if you’d like to do further reading.
Whatever you do, don’t think of a bird.
Now: What kind of bird are you not thinking about? A pigeon? A bald eagle? Something more poetic, like a skylark or a nightingale? In any case, would you say that this bird you aren’t thinking about is real?
Before you answer, read this poem, which is quite literally about not thinking of a bird.
Human consciousness is full of riddles. Neuroscientists, philosophers and dorm-room stoners argue continually about what it is and whether it even exists. For Wallace Stevens, the experience of having a mind was a perpetual source of wonder, puzzlement and delight — perfectly ordinary and utterly transcendent at the same time. He explored the mysteries and pleasures of consciousness in countless poems over the course of his long poetic career. It was arguably his great theme.
Stevens was born in 1879 and published his first book, “Harmonium,” in 1923, making him something of a late bloomer among American modernists. For much of his adult life, he worked as an executive for the Hartford Accident and Indemnity Company, rising to the rank of vice president. He viewed insurance less as a day job to support his poetry than as a parallel vocation. He pursued both activities with quiet diligence, spending his days at the office and composing poems in his head as he walked to and from work.
As a young man, Stevens dreamed of traveling to Europe, though he never crossed the Atlantic. In middle age he made regular trips to Florida, and his poems are frequently infused with ideas of Paris and Rome and memories of Key West. Others partake of the stringent beauty of New England. But the landscapes he explores, wintry or tropical, provincial or cosmopolitan, are above all mental landscapes, created by and in the imagination.
Are those worlds real?
Let’s return to the palm tree and its avian inhabitant, in that tranquil Key West sunset of the mind.
Until then, we find consolation in fangles.
When the director Rob Reiner cast his leads in the 1986 film “Stand by Me,” he looked for young actors who were as close as possible to the personalities of the four children they’d be playing. There was the wise beyond his years kid from a rough family (River Phoenix), the slightly dim worrywart (Jerry O’Connell), the cutup with a temper (Corey Feldman) and the sensitive, bookish boy.
Wil Wheaton was perfect for that last one, Gordie Lachance, a doe-eyed child who is ignored by his family in favor of his late older brother. Now, 40 years later, he’s traveling the country to attend anniversary screenings of the film, alongside O’Connell and Feldman, which has thrown him back into the turmoil that he felt as an adolescent.
Wheaton has channeled those emotions and his on-set memories into his latest project: narrating a new audiobook version of “The Body,” the 1982 Stephen King novella on which the film was based.
A few years ago, Wheaton started to float the idea of returning to the story that gave him his big break — that of a quartet of boys in 1959 Oregon, in their last days before high school, setting out to find a classmate’s dead body. “I’ve been telling the story of ‘Stand By Me’ since I was 12 years old,” he said.
But this time was different. Wheaton, who has narrated dozens of audiobooks, including Andy Weir’s “The Martian” and Ernest Cline’s “Ready Player One,” says he has come to enjoy narration more than screen acting. “I’m safe, I’m in the booth, nobody’s looking at me and I can just tell you a story.”
The fact that he, an older man looking back on his younger years, is narrating a story about an older man looking back on his younger years, is not lost on Wheaton. King’s original story is bathed in nostalgia. Coming to terms with death and loss is one of its primary themes.
Two days after appearing on stage at the Academy Awards as part of a tribute to Reiner — who was murdered in 2025 alongside his wife, Michele — Wheaton got on the phone to talk about recording the audiobook, reliving his favorite scenes from the film and reexamining a quintessential story of childhood loss through the lens of his own.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
“I felt really close to him, and my memory of him.”
Wheaton on channeling a co-star’s performance.
There’s this wonderful scene in “Stand By Me.” Gordie and Chris are walking down the tracks talking about junior high. Chris is telling Gordie, “I wish to hell I was your dad, because I care about you, and he obviously doesn’t.”
It’s just so honest and direct, in a way that kids talk to each other that adults don’t. And I think that one of the reasons that really sticks with people, and that piece really lands on a lot of audiences, and has for 40 years, is, just too many people have been Gordie in that scene.
That scene is virtually word for word taken from the text of the book. And when I was narrating that, I made a deliberate choice to do my best to recreate what River did in that scene.
“You’re just a kid,
Gordie–”
“I wish to fuck
I was your father!”
he said angrily.
“You wouldn’t go around
talking about takin those stupid shop courses if I was!
It’s like
God gave you something,
all those stories
you can make up, and He said:
This is what we got for you, kid.
Try not to lose it.
But kids lose everything
unless somebody looks out for them and if your folks
are too fucked up to do it
then maybe I ought to.”
I watched that scene a couple of times because I really wanted — I don’t know why it was so important to me to — well, I know: because I loved him, and I miss him. And I wanted to bring him into this as best as I could, right?
So I was reading that scene, and the words are identical to the script. And I had this very powerful flashback to being on the train tracks that day in Cottage Grove, Oregon. And I could see River standing next to them. They’re shooting my side of the scene and there’s River, right next to the camera, doing his off-camera dialogue, and there’s the sound guy, and there’s the boom operator. There’s my key light.
I could hear and feel it. It was the weirdest thing. It’s like I was right back there.
I was able to really take in the emotional memory of being Gordie in all of those scenes. So when I was narrating him and I’m me and I’m old with all of this experience, I just drew on what I remembered from being that little boy and what I remember of those friendships and what they meant to me and what they mean to me today.
“Rob gave me a gift. Rob gave me a career.”
Wheaton recalls the “Stand By Me” director’s way with kids on set, as well as his recent Oscars tribute.
Rob really encouraged us to be kids.
Jerry tells the most amazing story about that scene, where we were all sitting around, and doing our bit, and he improvised. He was just goofing around — we were just playing — and he said something about spitting water at the fat kid.
We get to the end of the scene, and he hears Rob. Rob comes around from behind the thing, and he goes, “Jerry!” And Jerry thinks, “Oh no, I’m in trouble. I’m in trouble because I improvised, and I’m not supposed to improvise.”
The context for Jerry is that he had been told by the adults in his life, “Sit on your hands and shut up. Stop trying to be a cutup. Stop trying to be funny. Stop disrupting people. Just be quiet.” And Jerry thinks, “Oh my God. I didn’t shut up. I’m in trouble. I’m gonna get fired.”
Rob leans in to all of us, and Rob says, “Hey, guys, do you see that? More of that. Do that!”
The whole time when you’re a kid actor, you’re just around all these adults who are constantly telling you to grow up. They’re mad that you’re being a kid. Rob just created an environment where not only was it supported that we would be kids — and have fun, and follow those kid instincts and do what was natural — it was expected. It was encouraged. We were supposed to do it.
They chanted together:
“I don’t shut up,
I grow up.
And when I look at you I throw up.”
“Then your mother goes around the corner
and licks it up,”
I said, and hauled ass out of there,
giving them the finger over my shoulder as I went.
I never had any friends later on
like the ones I had when I was twelve.
Jesus, did you?
When we were at the Oscars, I looked at Jerry. And we looked at this remarkable assemblage of the most amazingly talented, beautiful artists and storytellers. We looked around, and Jerry leans down, and he said, “We all got our start with Rob Reiner. He trusted every single one of us.”
And to stand there for him, when I really thought that I would be standing with him to talk about this stuff — it was a lot.
“I was really really really excited — like jumping up and down.”
The scene Wheaton was most looking forward to narrating: the tale of Lard Ass Hogan.
I was so excited to narrate it. It’s a great story! It’s a funny story. It’s such a lovely break — it’s an emotional and tonal shift from what’s happening in the movie.
I know this as a writer: You work to increase and release tension throughout a narrative, and Stephen King uses humor really effectively to release that tension. But it also raises the stakes, because we have these moments of joy and these moments of things being very silly in the midst of a lot of intensity.
That’s why the story of Lard Ass Hogan is so fun for me to tell. Because in the middle of that, we stop to do something that’s very, very fun, and very silly and very celebratory.
“Will you shut up and let him tell it?”
Teddy hollered.
Vern blinked.
“Sure. Yeah.
Okay.”
“Go on, Gordie,”
Chris said. “It’s not really much—”
“Naw,
we don’t expect much from a wet end like you,”
Teddy said,
“but tell it anyway.”
I cleared my throat. “So anyway.
It’s Pioneer Days,
and on the last night
they have these three big events.
There’s an egg-roll for the little kids and a sack-race for kids that are like eight or nine,
and then there’s the pie-eating contest.
And the main guy of the story
is this fat kid nobody likes
named Davie Hogan.”
When I narrate this story — whenever there is a moment of levity or humor, whenever there are those brief little moments that are the seasoning of the meal that makes it all so real and relatable — yes, it was very important to me to capture those moments.
I’m shifting in my chair, so I can feel each of those characters. It’s something that doesn’t exist in live action. It doesn’t exist in any other media.
“I feel the loss.”
Wheaton remembers River Phoenix.
The novella “The Body” is very much about Gordie remembering Chris. It’s darker, and it’s more painful, than the movie is.
I’ve been watching the movie on this tour and seeing River a lot. I remember him as a 14- and 15-year-old kid who just seemed so much older, and so much more experienced and so much wiser than me, and I’m only a year younger than him.
What hurts me now, and what I really felt when I was narrating this, is knowing what River was going through then. We didn’t know. I still don’t know the extent of how he was mistreated, but I know that he was. I know that adults failed him. That he should have been protected in every way that matters. And he just wasn’t.
And I, like Gordie, remember a boy who was loving. So loving, and generous and cared deeply about everyone around him, all the time. Who deserved to live a full life. Who had so much to offer the world. And it’s so unfair that he’s gone and taken from us. I had to go through a decades-long grieving process to come to terms with him dying.
Near the end
of 1971,
Chris
went into a Chicken Delight in Portland
to get a three-piece Snack Bucket.
Just ahead of him,
two men started arguing
about which one had been first in line. One of them pulled a knife.
Chris,
who had always been the best of us
at making peace,
stepped between them and was stabbed in the throat.
The man with the knife had spent time in four different institutions;
he had been released from Shawshank State Prison
only the week before.
Chris died almost instantly.
It is a privilege that I was allowed to tell this story. I get to tell Gordie Lachance’s story as originally imagined by Stephen King, with all of the experience of having lived my whole adult life with the memory of spending three months in Gordie Lachance’s skin.
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