Week 8 Power Rankings

[diabsoule]

Week 8: Probably the wildest week so far in the NFL. Two teams rise from the ashes and get their first win of the season, a perennial powerhouse continues its tumble backwards, and another unbeaten falls. We are now finished with half of the season and the playoff picture is not that far off from taking shape.

Bye week teams: Cincinnati, Kansas City, New England, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Washington

1. New Orleans Saints (7-0) – Again they showed that they could win a tough game. Their schedule gets easier from here.

2. Indianapolis Colts (7-0) – The 49ers put a scare in them and Peyton Manning was held without a touchdown for the first time since 11/30/08.

3. Minnesota Vikings (7-1) – Winning in Lambeau is never easy for a NFC North rival but Brett Favre going into Lambeau and winning for the first time showed how much ice he has running through his veins.

4. New England Patriots (5-2) – The next five weeks will prove what kind of team the Patriots are with Colts, Jets, Saints, and bookended by the Dolphins.

5. Cincinnati Bengals (5-2) – The Bengals needed the bye week to rest up before hosting Baltimore next week.

6. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) – Four straight victories before going into the bye week to prepare to travel to Mile High and take on a Denver team that was tenderized by Baltimore.

7. Philadelphia Eagles (5-2) – A statement game against the Giants showed that the Eagles have been underestimated and the Giants overestimated.

8. Baltimore Ravens (4-3) – The Ravens dominated on defense and managed the game on offense and got a boost from the special teams. This was a complete victory over the Broncos in every phase of the game.

9. Denver Broncos (6-1) – They were exposed in all facets against Baltimore. Another tough game looms next when Pittsburgh and their tenacious defense comes to town.

10. Dallas Cowboys (5-2) – Tony Romo is playing mistake free football which is going to be needed when they go to Philadelphia next week.

11. Atlanta Falcons (4-3) – They played New Orleans close but their secondary is too porous to keep up with all of the Saints offensive weapons.

12. Houston Texans (5-3) – The Texans are off to their best start ever as a franchise but the season ending injury to Owen Daniels will hurt.

13. Arizona Cardinals (4-3) – What a difference a year makes! Kurt Warner pulled his best Jake Delhomme impression and the Panthers running game exposed the Cardinals vaunted run defense.

14. New York Giants (5-3) – This teams misses Aaron Ross and Kenny Phillips more so than Michael Boley and Chris Canty.

15. Green Bay Packers (4-3) – With little to no running game to help out, Aaron Rodgers was sacked another six times against the Vikings bringing the total to fourteen alone in just two games against Minnesota.

16. San Diego Chargers (4-3) – In a game that should have gotten out of hand quickly, the Chargers instead toyed with the Raiders in winning another close one. If they weren't toying with them then that spells trouble for SD.

17. Miami Dolphins (3-4) – Ted Ginn Jr entered the record books with his two 100 yard kickoff returns. Outside of that, though, the Dolphins need a lot of work by barely going over 100 yards of total offense.

18. Chicago Bears (4-3) – A nice win for the Bears on the 10th anniversary of Walter Payton's death.

19. San Francisco 49ers (3-4) – They played the Colts close which deserves a golf clap. Alex Smith is looking good at QB too. They have a stretch of winnable games coming up that would help them in their goal to make the playoffs.

20. New York Jets (4-4) – You couldn't ask for a better defensive performance but two special teams meltdowns cost them the game against Miami.

21. Carolina Panthers (3-4) – The Panthers are winners of three out of their last four. A win next week against division leader New Orleans will do wonders for this team.

22. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-4) – Why isn't MJD getting more carries? 8 carries for 177 yards and 2 touchdowns against Tennessee. That's over 22 yards per carry.

23. Buffalo Bills (3-5) – The defense is not the problem as safety Jairus Byrd is making a case for DROY. The offense just needs to learn how to pick up first down (9 total in Sunday's game) before they can learn how to score. Baby steps.

24. Seattle Seahawks (2-5) – Walter Jones and Lofa Tatupu are done for the season just like Seattle.

25. Oakland Raiders (2-5) – They kept it close with San Diego which is sort of a positive going into the bye week.

26. Tennessee Titans (1-6) – Their offense looked great against Jacksonville. Their defense looked pathetic.

27. St. Louis Rams (1-6) – Steven Jackson finally got into the end zone and the Rams beat the Lions in every phase of the game.

28. Kansas City Chiefs (1-6) – They had a bye week to figure things out before going to Jacksonville.

29. Washington Redskins (2-5) – The bye week should have been kind to them because their next five games is a murderers row.

30. Cleveland Browns (1-7) – About time that Eric Mangini put Brady Quinn into the game. If you move up into the first round to draft a QB you don't let him ride the pine.

31. Detroit Lions (1-6) – The Lions are playing aggressively but that bit them in the butt by biting on the fake FG.

32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-7) – With the way the rest of the season shapes up the Bucs will be lucky to get a win this season.

[Bengalsrocket]

Glad to see Cincinnati was not forgotten in the bye week. I hope Denver beats Pittsburgh, but either way the AFC North power rankings might get shook up in the next few weeks with Cincinnati playing Baltimore then Pittsburgh. Meanwhile Pittsburgh plays Denver and then Baltimore gets the easiest schedule with a game against the Browns to try and catch up.

[Rosebud]

I disagree with the assessment of the giants. Missing Kenny is huge, but if we had boley back our coverage would be good enough if we could stop the run, which we can't do with our current DTs.

[tjsunstein]

I can't argue where we're ranked. All three of our losses have come against teams in the top 5.

[BmoreBlackByrdz]

good rankings, but IMO the Broncos should be a bit lower, I know there 6-1 but they haven't really beat anyone convincingly. They needed a miracle to beat the Bengals, they had two cake-walks with Cleveland and Oakland and barely beat the Cowboys. They beat New England when Brady was outta sync, and it still took em overtime to do so. When they finally play a physical team like Baltimore, there defense DID show up, but I think offensively, they were exposed. I think they are going to have a very tough time beating Pittsburgh and they still have the likes of Philly, San Diego, the Giants and the Colts. However, if they come out and beat Pittsburgh, then I'll definitely change my opinion.

[the decider13]

good rankings, but IMO the Broncos should be a bit lower, I know there 6-1 but they haven't really beat anyone convincingly. They needed a miracle to beat the Bengals, they had two cake-walks with Cleveland and Oakland and barely beat the Cowboys. They beat New England when Brady was outta sync, and it still took em overtime to do so. When they finally play a physical team like Baltimore, there defense DID show up, but I think offensively, they were exposed. I think they are going to have a very tough time beating Pittsburgh and they still have the likes of Philly, San Diego, the Giants and the Colts. However, if they come out and beat Pittsburgh, then I'll definitely change my opinion.

Yeah they totally did beat San Diego by two scores on the road. Good job leaving that out though.

[terribletowel39]

I think the Pats being that high is somewhat of a joke. I just can't see how someone could make an argument for them to be that high. I would put them between Denver and Dallas and move everyone else up a spot.

I can not wait until next Monday night. It is gonna be righteous.

[RAVENS/WIZARDS/ORIOLES]

Yeah they totally did beat San Diego by two scores on the road. Good job leaving that out though.

Yea I agree. I don't think you can say they haven't beat anyone because they beat who was put in front of them. I hate that you say they "barely" beat the Cowboys. Barely is still a win. Brady out of sync doesn't give them an excuse for losing either.

[falloutboy14]

Broncos have beaten 3 teams in the top-10 (NE, Dal, Cincy). Don't see how you could justify moving them out of the top-10, ugly win or not.

[diabsoule]

I disagree with the assessment of the giants. Missing Kenny is huge, but if we had boley back our coverage would be good enough if we could stop the run, which we can't do with our current DTs.

Disagree all you want. Your pass coverage is horrendous without one of your top corners and your starting safety. It's kinda hard to miss a LB when he's only played 3 games this season.

what? they have 8 days. they have more time than, say, chicago did.

Changed that. I had no idea why I wrote what I did. They get longer than the other teams do to prepare for a game.

[Hines]

3 AFC North teams in the top ten? Nice. I personally feel all three of the top teams in the AFCN can make the playoffs. Unlikely? Yes, but it's possible. I remember when this division used to be one of the strongest, faded off, and now it's looking strong again. Big games for each of the three AFCN teams.

Personally, I think Washington is worse than Detroit since Detroit did beat them. Cleveland, IMO, is the worse team in the league.

[Jvig43]

I think the Pats being that high is somewhat of a joke. I just can't see how someone could make an argument for them to be that high. I would put them between Denver and Dallas and move everyone else up a spot.

I can not wait until next Monday night. It is gonna be righteous.

The next four weeks are going to tell how good the Pats are with Miami, Indy, Jets, and New Orleans in that order. However The defense is playing very well, hopefully Brady worked the kinks out with the offense over the bye week, I actually really like this unit, if the offense can continue to be explosive than they can be just as good as anyone this year.

[CC.SD]

I don't really disagree with the Chargers spot but the description is a little off. The game was basically dominated by the Chargers, 2 flukey turnovers (receiver tipped interception, fumbled punt) and one big return set up all of the Raider points. Actually thought the Bolts played their best game of the season.

[wordofi]

Week 8: Probably the wildest week so far in the NFL. Two teams rise from the ashes and get their first win of the season, a perennial powerhouse continues its tumble backwards, and another unbeaten falls. We are now finished with half of the season and the playoff picture is not that far off from taking shape.

Bye week teams: Cincinnati, Kansas City, New England, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Washington

1. New Orleans Saints (7-0) – Again they showed that they could win a tough game. Their schedule gets easier from here.

2. Indianapolis Colts (7-0) – The 49ers put a scare in them and Peyton Manning was held without a touchdown for the first time since 11/30/08.

3. Minnesota Vikings (7-1) – Winning in Lambeau is never easy for a NFC North rival but Brett Favre going into Lambeau and winning for the first time showed how much ice he has running through his veins.

4. New England Patriots (4-2) – The next five weeks will prove what kind of team the Patriots are with Colts, Jets, Saints, and bookended by the Dolphins.

5. Cincinnati Bengals (5-2) – The Bengals needed the bye week to rest up before hosting Baltimore next week.

6. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) – Four straight victories before going into the bye week to prepare to travel to Mile High and take on a Denver team that was tenderized by Baltimore.

7. Philadelphia Eagles (5-2) – A statement game against the Giants showed that the Eagles have been underestimated and the Giants overestimated.

8. Baltimore Ravens (4-3) – The Ravens dominated on defense and managed the game on offense and got a boost from the special teams. This was a complete victory over the Broncos in every phase of the game.

9. Denver Broncos (6-1) – They were exposed in all facets against Baltimore. Another tough game looms next when Pittsburgh and their tenacious defense comes to town.

10. Dallas Cowboys (5-2) – Tony Romo is playing mistake free football which is going to be needed when they go to Philadelphia next week.

11. Atlanta Falcons (5-2) – A tough toss to the division leading Saints should not put a damper on their wild card hopes.

12. Houston Texans (5-3) – The Texans are off to their best start ever as a franchise but the season ending injury to Owen Daniels will hurt.

13. Arizona Cardinals (4-3) – What a difference a year makes! Kurt Warner pulled his best Jake Delhomme impression and the Panthers running game exposed the Cardinals vaunted run defense.

14. New York Giants (5-3) – This teams misses Aaron Ross and Kenny Phillips more so than Michael Boley and Chris Canty.

15. Green Bay Packers (4-3) – With little to no running game to help out, Aaron Rodgers was sacked another six times against the Vikings bringing the total to fourteen alone in just two games against Minnesota.

16. San Diego Chargers (4-3) – In a game that should have gotten out of hand quickly, the Chargers instead toyed with the Raiders in winning another close one. If they weren't toying with them then that spells trouble for SD.

17. Miami Dolphins (3-4) – Ted Ginn Jr entered the record books with his two 100 yard kickoff returns. Outside of that, though, the Dolphins need a lot of work by barely going over 100 yards of total offense.

18. Chicago Bears (4-3) – A nice win for the Bears on the 10th anniversary of Walter Payton's death.

19. San Francisco 49ers (3-4) – They played the Colts close which deserves a golf clap. Alex Smith is looking good at QB too. They have a stretch of winnable games coming up that would help them in their goal to make the playoffs.

20. New York Jets (4-4) – You couldn't ask for a better defensive performance but two special teams meltdowns cost them the game against Miami.

21. Carolina Panthers (3-4) – The Panthers are winners of three out of their last four. A win next week against division leader New Orleans will do wonders for this team.

22. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-4) – Why isn't MJD getting more carries? 8 carries for 177 yards and 2 touchdowns against Tennessee. That's over 22 yards per carry.

23. Buffalo Bills (3-5) – The defense is not the problem as safety Jairus Byrd is making a case for DROY. The offense just needs to learn how to pick up first down (9 total in Sunday's game) before they can learn how to score. Baby steps.

24. Seattle Seahawks (2-5) – Walter Jones and Lofa Tatupu are done for the season just like Seattle.

25. Oakland Raiders (2-5) – They kept it close with San Diego which is sort of a positive going into the bye week.

26. Tennessee Titans (1-6) – Their offense looked great against Jacksonville. Their defense looked pathetic.

27. St. Louis Rams (1-6) – Steven Jackson finally got into the end zone and the Rams beat the Lions in every phase of the game.

28. Kansas City Chiefs (1-6) – They had a bye week to figure things out before going to Jacksonville.

29. Washington Redskins (2-5) – The bye week should have been kind to them because their next five games is a murderers row.

30. Cleveland Browns (1-7) – About time that Eric Mangini put Brady Quinn into the game. If you move up into the first round to draft a QB you don't let him ride the pine.

31. Detroit Lions (1-6) – The Lions are playing aggressively but that bit them in the butt by biting on the fake FG.

32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-6) – With the way the rest of the season shapes up the Bucs will be lucky to get a win this season.

Good job with the rankings, but the Patriots are 5-2, and the Buccaneers are 0-7.

[LonghornsLegend]

The Falcons are 4-3 now, not 5-2, just to note.