NFL Power Rankings Week 8: 2015 Season Review Before Thursday Night Football

The top teams in the NFL keep on winning, ensuring the balance of power stays where it is for at least another week.  

There are five undefeated squads heading into Week 8, and with three of them coming off byes, nothing has really changed in how we rate any of them. The New York Jets played hard but lost a game they should have lost to the New England Patriots, while the Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Cardinals won games they should have won. As a result, there is little movement in the top 10 of the power rankings from the week before.

While the middle of the league remains jumbled for now, there are some teams capable of making a move in the coming weeks. Here is a look at the full power rankings for the upcoming weekend with a breakdown of teams to watch out for going forward.

Rank	Record	Record	Prev.
1	New England Patriots	6-0	1
2	Green Bay Packers	6-0	2
3	Cincinnati Bengals	6-0	3
4	Carolina Panthers	6-0	4
5	Denver Broncos	6-0	5
6	Atlanta Falcons	6-1	6
7	New York Jets	4-2	7
8	Arizona Cardinals	5-2	9
9	St. Louis Rams	3-3	12
10	Pittsburgh Steelers	4-3	8
11	Seattle Seahawks	3-4	14
12	Minnesota Vikings	4-2	15
13	Miami Dolphins	3-3	21
14	Philadelphia Eagles	3-4	10
15	New York Giants	4-3	17
16	Buffalo Bills	3-4	12
17	Indianapolis Colts	3-4	13
18	Oakland Raiders	3-3	19
19	San Diego Chargers	2-5	16
20	New Orleans Saints	3-4	22
21	Dallas Cowboys	2-4	18
22	Washington Redskins	3-4	25
23	Cleveland Browns	2-5	20
24	Chicago Bears	2-4	24
25	San Francisco 49ers	2-5	23
26	Kansas City Chiefs	2-5	30
27	Baltimore Ravens	1-6	26
28	Detroit Lions	1-6	27
29	Jacksonville Jaguars	2-5	32
30	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	2-4	28
31	Tennessee Titans	1-5	31
32	Houston Texans	2-5	29

Teams to Watch

St. Louis Rams (3-3)

Billy Hurst/Associated Press

We can stop talking about the "potential" of Todd Gurley now. He is already a star. The running back has three 100-yard rushing games in a row with 433 rushing yards in that stretch, getting big plays like this with consistency:

It isn't going to be easy for opposing teams to slow down the rookie running back any time soon, although the rest of the offense does need to pick up some slack.

"We just can't rely on Todd all the time," head coach Jeff Fisher said, per R.B. Fallstrom of the Associated Press. "At some point it's going to get hard to run, until we start making some plays on the outside."

It would be nice for Nick Foles to start doing something at quarterback, but even if he doesn't, Gurley should be able to keep the team in decent enough position to win games. It also helps to have a great defense doing work behind you.

With Aaron Donald and Robert Quinn anchoring one of the best defensive lines in the NFL, the Rams are tied for second in the league with 23 sacks. They have given up big chunks of yards at times, but they turn it on in the red zone and prevent touchdowns.

Considering this squad already has wins over the Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks, this is certainly a team no one will want to play going forward.

Seattle Seahawks (3-4)

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

No matter how bad the Seahawks looked earlier in the year, there is no way you can count out this team until they are officially eliminated. This isn't just because they went to the Super Bowl the last two years, but because they are still extremely talented and show it often.

Seattle dominated the San Francisco 49ers in Week 7 for a 20-3 win, featuring the second time this year the defense allowed fewer than 150 yards of offense. With Richard Sherman starting to shadow receivers instead of just staying on one side of the field, the secondary is even better than before, with Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas still making plays.

Add in Michael Bennett leading a ferocious pass rush, and this defense has not lost much from recent seasons.

Tony Gonzalez of CBS Sports still has faith in this team to win the division once it figures it out offensively:

The offense is obviously still a work in progress with a rebuilt line that has clearly struggled. No team in the league has allowed more sacks than Seattle's 31. However, Marshawn Lynch is back to full strength, and with Russell Wilson and eventually Jimmy Graham making plays, there is more than enough on this offense to be excited about.

Despite the poor record, three of the Seahawks' losses were to still-undefeated teams, with the other coming in overtime on the road against the Rams. Even at 3-4, they aren't necessarily playing poorly. With an easier second-half schedule, they should get back into contention before you know it.

Miami Dolphins (3-3)

Marc Serota/Associated Press

Dan Campbell might be an early favorite for Coach of the Year after completely transforming the Miami Dolphins in two weeks. ESPN Stats & Info broke down the difference so far:

Yes, it is a small sample size, but the team is playing much better on both sides of the ball. Lamar Miller getting more involved has opened things up dramatically on the offense, while the defensive players are finally reaching their potential and playing hard-nosed football.

Omar Kelly of the Sun Sentinel provided his thoughts on the turnaround:

Blowout wins over the Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans are nice, but the real test comes Thursday with a matchup against the New England Patriots. This is where we will see if the reborn squad is a legitimate contender or just a good story for a few weeks.

Based on what we have seen, the Dolphins have a real shot to send a message. The defense has played well enough to slow down Tom Brady and Co., while Ryan Tannehill's short, quick passing has led him to be an extremely efficient passer. If the Dolphins can even stay in contention with the Patriots, it would be a great sign going forward.

In any case, Miami is miles better than it was a few weeks ago.

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