NFL Power Rankings Week 8: Initial Standings Post-Thursday Night Football

We're just one game into Week 8 of the 2014 NFL season, and the league's power rankings have been adjusted accordingly following the Denver Broncos' victory over the San Diego Chargers on Thursday Night Football. The Broncos are now at 6-1 and have a stranglehold on the AFC West with the Chargers remaining their closest competitors at 5-3.

Power ranking all 32 NFL squads is a fluid process. Team standings shift dramatically each week depending on the strength of on-field performances, and while most teams have yet to take the gridiron in Week 8, we can begin to look forward and determine what each must accomplish in an effort to move up the pecking order.

That said, let's overview each team standing heading into Sunday's action, provide a look ahead at every impending matchup and determine how the rankings could be affected.

32. Oakland Raiders

Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

Oakland remains the league's final winless team this season; however, the Raiders do get a shot at a victory in Week 8 against a reeling Cleveland Browns team that lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 7. Following the Raiders' most recent loss, Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians praised Oakland's rookie quarterback, via SiriusXM NFL Radio:

If running back Darren McFadden can help establish a balanced offense alongside Carr, leading to a win over Cleveland, there's a chance the Raiders will climb out of the gutter.

31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay is well rested coming off a much-needed bye week after getting slaughtered by the Baltimore Ravens in Week 6. The Buccaneers get a hapless Minnesota Vikings team in Week 8, but in order to pull out a victory, the team must find a way to get through Minnesota's porous offensive line and pressure Teddy Bridgewater.

30. Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars finally notched a win in Week 7, but they won't have it so easy in Week 8 against a surging Miami Dolphins team. Jacksonville's defense played well against Cleveland, and the team will need a repeat performance to prevent Ryan Tannehill from having a career day.

29. New York Jets

What kind of effect will Percy Harvin have on the Jets offense? This team came close to upsetting the New England Patriots in Week 7 and now get the Buffalo Bills in Week 8. This is a winnable game for New York, but we're going to need to see some kind of an offensive spark to get past the Bills defense.

28. Tennessee Titans

Will Zach Mettenberger be the answer at quarterback for Tennessee? The rookie gets his first career start on Sunday after looking very good in the preseason, via Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean:

He'll have his hands full against J.J. Watt and the Houston Texans defense, so it could come down to a matter of offensive line play in this one.

27. Minnesota Vikings

If Bridgewater is going to right the ship this season, he has a great chance of doing so in Week 8 against the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay's defense is giving up an average of 294.5 passing yards and 34.0 points per game. It's time to see what the rookie signal-caller is truly made of.

26. Washington Redskins

Can Colt McCoy earn this team another win? He looked great in a small sample size against the Titans, but repeating that performance on Monday Night Football on the road against the Dallas Cowboys isn't very likely. However, if he pulls off the miracle upset, expect these rankings to turn inside out.

25. Atlanta Falcons

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The Falcons just have a really bad matchup in Week 8. Atlanta's offensive line can't stay healthy, and quarterback Matt Ryan has been under plenty of pressure as a result. Now, this team must take on a very good Detroit Lions defense on Sunday. Things look rather bleak, but Ryan is a very capable quarterback.

24. New Orleans Saints

When will the Saints stop underperforming on the field? This is a very talented team, but it has only been able to muster a 2-4 record to this point. A home game in Week 8 will help, but odds aren't great against the surging Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.

23. Houston Texans

The Texans couldn't overcome their own mistakes in prime time against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but they have a great shot at redemption against the Titans on Sunday. Tennessee is allowing 123.7 yards per game on the ground this season, and we should expect Arian Foster to feast.

22. St. Louis Rams

Austin Davis and the Rams used some trickery to defeat the Seattle Seahawks in their last outing, and this team gets another tough test on Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs. Former NFL great Brett Favre seems to think Davis can get the job done with this lofty praise, via NFL on ESPN:

Kansas City is an all-around solid team, but if Davis can find a way around its stingy pass defense and earn a win, the Rams will suddenly be on everyone's radar.

21. Chicago Bears

It's not going to get any easier for the Bears this week. After a dreadful performance against the Miami Dolphins, they are now set to take on the Patriots. New England has been fantastic against the pass this season, making for a difficult rebound game for Jay Cutler and his prolific wide receivers.

20. New York Giants

The Giants get a much-needed week of rest following two consecutive losses to division rivals. This team needs Rashad Jennings back in the fold to regain offensive balance while Odell Beckham Jr. continues to develop and lessen the burden of being without Victor Cruz.

19. Cleveland Browns

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

Which version of the Browns will show up this week? This team appears to be red-hot one week and then can't get out of its own way the next. Cleveland gets a home game against the Raiders on Sunday, and if it drops another game against a winless team, expect to see a significant slide down the NFL's pecking order.

18. Pittsburgh Steelers

Are the Steelers for real? That's a question that is highly debatable right now. This team has put together some impressive performances, but it has also struggled against some inferior opponents. We should see this team's true colors in Week 8 against a very good Indianapolis Colts team.

17. Seattle Seahawks

For the first time in quite a while, Seattle is tasked with stopping a losing skid. The Seahawks travel to Carolina to take on Cam Newton and the Panthers in an effort to right the ship in Week 8. Here's what quarterback Russell Wilson had to say about his team's performances thus far, via the team's official Twitter account:

The defending Super Bowl champions must get it together quickly before the hole they've dug themselves into becomes too deep.

16. Carolina Panthers

Newton has begun to run again, and that's a great sign for the Panthers. However, this team needs its defense to step up in a big way when facing Wilson and the Seahawks on Sunday. The Panthers are atop the NFC South by default right now, and falling below .500 won't keep them there for long.

15. Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals need a bounce-back performance in the worst possible way against the Ravens. Andy Dalton and Co. only managed a measly 135 yards of offense against the Colts in Week 7, and that won't cut it in a highly competitive AFC North. A loss on Sunday could doom the Bengals' chances for another division title.

14. Kansas City Chiefs

Lenny Ignelzi/Associated Press

A victory over the Chargers got the Chiefs back on track, and Alex Smith and Co. have a great chance of getting over the .500 mark with the Rams coming to town on Sunday. With an efficient offense and a great secondary, this team matches up very well against St. Louis. Now, it must live up to expectations.

13. Buffalo Bills

This could be a make-or-break week for the Bills against the Jets. Buffalo is still in AFC East contention; however, without Fred Jackson or C.J. Spiller in the fold, quarterback Kyle Orton could find running the offense more difficult. A win here keeps the team in great shape, but a loss could mark the beginning of a downward spiral.

12. Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins are a red-hot football team right now. Tannehill is playing the best football of his young career of late, and that has a good chance of continuing in Week 8 against a horrible Jaguars secondary. A big win over Jacksonville could bump this team into the league's top 10.

11. San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco gets a week of rest after being dismantled by the Broncos in Week 7. This team must get back to the basics of playing solid defense and running the ball effectively. Hopefully, the 49ers put the bye week to good use and come out strong with a solid game plan in a pivotal contest against the Rams in Week 9.

10. San Diego Chargers

San Diego dropped its second consecutive game to a division opponent on Thursday night when Peyton Manning torched the team's secondary. At 5-3, the Chargers are still in good shape to make another run at the playoffs, but the team could be in too deep of a hole to compete for the division this season.

9. Detroit Lions

Detroit is only allowing 15.0 points per game this season, which is good enough for second in the league. No stranger to applying pressure to opposing quarterbacks, the Lions have also accumulated 21 sacks through seven games. Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press tweeted his thoughts on the team's defense:

Even if Calvin Johnson can't go on Sunday, this team's defense has what it takes to stifle Atlanta's struggling offense and notch another win.

8. Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals get a big test on Sunday against the visiting Philadelphia Eagles, as both teams have just one loss this year. Carson Palmer has been electric so far this season, and the Cardinals' run defense is still one of the league's best. If they can put it all together in Week 8, this team can defeat Philadelphia and possibly move into the league's top five.

7. New England Patriots

The Patriots' vaunted secondary will be put to the test this week against Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery. Meanwhile, New England must also find a ground game against Chicago's improved run defense following the season-ending injury to Stevan Ridley. If the Patriots can overcome these obstacles and notch a fourth consecutive win, it will be safe to say this team is fully back.

6. Baltimore Ravens

Nick Wass/Associated Press

Baltimore is one of the league's hottest teams entering Week 8. Joe Flacco has been fantastic this season thanks to the great additions of Steve Smith and Justin Forsett. The Ravens defense has been resurgent as well, allowing just 14.9 points per game. This team faces a tough road test on Sunday against a reeling Bengals team that took Baltimore down once already this season.

5. Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles will be tested in a big way on Sunday. LeSean McCoy will be up against a very stout Arizona run defense, Nick Foles' efficiency will be tested against a defense that has accumulated eight interceptions this season and Philadelphia's secondary faces the surging Palmer. If the Eagles can leave the desert with a win, there's no doubt they are among the league's elite.

4. Green Bay Packers

Aaron Rodgers is a man on a mission. He's thrown 18 touchdown passes this season and just one interception. Now, he's in line to go up against a Saints secondary that's allowing 270.5 passing yards per game. If Green Bay's ball-hawking secondary can clamp down on Drew Brees, the Packers will come away with their fifth consecutive win.

3. Indianapolis Colts

Indianapolis made the Bengals look like a junior varsity squad in Week 7, and the team will attempt to do the same against an inconsistent Steelers team on Sunday. Pittsburgh has been average on defense this season, so Andrew Luck will get a chance to shine once again.

2. Denver Broncos

Manning was electrifying once again Thursday night. His ageless play is simply astonishing, and he almost appears to get better with every passing season. Another Broncos win secures them in the No. 2 position in the power rankings for now—it all depends on what Dallas does on Monday. Still, another Super Bowl appearance isn't far-fetched for this all-around complete team.

1. Dallas Cowboys

LM Otero/Associated Press

The Cowboys are clinging to the top spot in the power rankings, but they will need a solid performance on Monday with the Broncos nipping at their heels. Tony Romo must continue his efficient play, and head coach Jason Garrett must continue riding DeMarco Murray and the ground game. ESPN Stats & Info explains why:

Everything else will fall into place.