NFL Power Rankings Week 8: Updated Standings, Predictions Before MNF
Believe it or not, we're almost through seven full weeks of NFL football. After the Denver Broncos and Houston Texas play on Monday night, Week 7 will officially be over.
We've had plenty of excitement so far in the 2016 season, and we've had plenty of surprises along the way. This trend continued over the weekend, as teams perceived as contenders—the Atlanta Falcons and the Minnesota Vikings—were handed losses.
We even had a surprising tie, as the Seattle Seahawks and the Arizona Cardinals battled for five full quarters to a draw.
One thing that wasn't so surprising was the New England Patriots' win over a Pittsburgh Steelers team that was missing quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The Steelers have now lost two in a row and have opened the door in the AFC North. The Patriots, meanwhile, move to 6-1 and look like the best team in football.
What does all of this mean in relation to the general NFL landscape? Well, that's what we're going to try to determine today. We'll be taking a look at the league standings headed into Monday night's game between the Denver Broncos and the Houston Texans. We'll also provide power rankings based on what we think will happen in that game.
In addition, we will take an in-depth look at some of the most notable rankings on our list. First, though, let's examine those standings.
NFL Standings
| New England Patriots | 6-1 | 1-1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 4-3 | 1-2 |
| Miami Dolphins | 3-4 | 1-1 |
| New York Jets | 2-5 | 1-0 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 4-3 | 1-0 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 3-4 | 1-0 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 3-4 | 1-1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 0-7 | 0-2 |
| Houston Texans | 4-2 | 2-0 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 3-4 | 1-2 |
| Tennessee Titans | 3-4 | 0-2 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 2-4 | 1-0 |
| Oakland Raiders | 5-2 | 1-1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 4-2 | 2-0 |
| Denver Broncos | 4-2 | 0-1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 3-4 | 1-2 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 5-1 | 1-1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 4-2 | 0-1 |
| Washington Redskins | 4-3 | 2-1 |
| New York Giants | 4-3 | 1-1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 5-1 | 1-0 |
| Green Bay Packers | 4-2 | 2-1 |
| Detroit Lions | 4-3 | 0-2 |
| Chicago Bears | 1-6 | 1-1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 4-3 | 2-1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 3-3 | 2-0 |
| New Orleans Saints | 2-4 | 1-1 |
| Carolina Panthers | 1-5 | 0-3 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 4-1-1 | 1-1-1 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 3-3-1 | 1-1-1 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 3-4 | 2-1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 1-6 | 1-2 |
Power Rankings
| 1 | New England Patriots | 6-1 |
| 2 | Dallas Cowboys | 5-1 |
| 3 | Minnesota Vikings | 5-1 |
| 4 | Seattle Seahawks | 4-1-1 |
| 5 | Denver Broncos | 5-2* |
| 6 | Kansas City Chiefs | 4-2 |
| 7 | Green Bay Packers | 4-2 |
| 8 | Oakland Raiders | 5-2 |
| 9 | Philadelphia Eagles | 4-2 |
| 10 | Atlanta Falcons | 4-3 |
| 11 | Houston Texans | 4-3* |
| 12 | Arizona Cardinals | 3-3-1 |
| 13 | Buffalo Bills | 4-3 |
| 14 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 4-3 |
| 15 | New York Giants | 4-3 |
| 16 | Washington Redskins | 4-3 |
| 17 | Detroit Lions | 4-3 |
| 18 | Cincinnati Bengals | 3-4 |
| 19 | Tamps Bay Buccaneers | 3-3 |
| 20 | Los Angeles Rams | 3-4 |
| 21 | San Diego Chargers | 3-4 |
| 22 | Miami Dolphins | 3-4 |
| 23 | Baltimore Ravens | 3-4 |
| 24 | Indianapolis Colts | 3-4 |
| 25 | Tennessee Titans | 3-4 |
| 26 | New Orleans Saints | 2-4 |
| 27 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 2-4 |
| 28 | Carolina Panthers | 1-5 |
| 29 | New York Jets | 2-5 |
| 30 | Chicago Bears | 1-6 |
| 31 | San Francisco 49ers | 1-6 |
| 32 | Cleveland Browns | 0-7 |
Notable Rankings
1. New England Patriots
The Minnesota Vikings lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 21-10 on Sunday. Now that the last undefeated team is no longer undefeated, it's time to acknowledge that the New England Patriots are the best team in football right now.
This is a team that was good enough to go 3-1 to start the season without quarterback Tom Brady and despite losing backup Jimmy Garoppolo to injury. Since Brady returned in Week 5, the Patriots have bested their opponents by a combined score of 95-46. The team is rated sixth in overall offense and second in overall defense by Pro Football Focus for the season so far.
The Patriots did not play a perfect game this past week against Pittsburgh—they lost two fumbles and lost the time-of-possession battle—but the team was talented enough to pull out a win.
"Our execution, when it was good we made a lot of good plays," Brady said, per Will Graves of the Associated Press (via Boston.com). "I think there were self-inflicted wounds that really hurt us. It’s still really good to come in here and get the win."
Might New England have lost to a healthy Roethlisberger? Perhaps. The reality, though, is that there aren't many teams that are going to match up with the Patriots when they are playing well. This is a team that is good enough to beat a lot of teams when playing sloppy football and capable of beating the best when firing on all cylinders.
There are plenty of folks who believe this team will ride its momentum all the way to Super Bowl 51.
Barring an unforeseen setback, at least, this is a team that should make a strong playoff run at minimum.
4. Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks might just have the best overall defense in the NFL. They have a Pro Bowl quarterback in Russell Wilson and a capable head coach in Pete Carroll. As the Seahawks showed on Sunday night, though, they also have some major flaws.
The biggest issue with Seattle is its offensive line. The Seahawks might have the worst offensive line in the entire NFL, and the Cardinals knew it heading into their rivalry game.
If Seattle doesn't figure out how to address its line, Wilson could have a tough time surviving the season, and the team could have a difficult time closing out the NFC West. Though Wilson has only been sacked 11 times this year, he has been repeatedly battered.
Even more alarming, perhaps, is the fact that poor line play has consistently rendered Seattle's rushing attack ineffective. This is a team that wants to win with defense and a strong ground game—and it is currently averaging just 82.7 yards per game on the ground.
As a team, Seattle is rated dead last in run blocking and in pass blocking by Pro Football Focus.
The Seahawks had no business avoiding a loss on Sunday night, but they did. Therefore, they'll stay near the top of our rankings, but we'll likely learn over the next few weeks if they deserve to stay there.
21. San Diego Chargers
A couple of weeks ago, you probably would have found the San Diego Chargers near the bottom of most power rankings. A lot has changed for this 3-4 team in two weeks, however, and the Chargers appear to be a squad on the rise.
Don't be surprised if San Diego even finds a way to push for a playoff spot down the stretch.
You can laugh at the thought of San Diego as a playoff team if you want, but the Chargers are not a bad team. San Diego is averaging 29.4 points per game, second in the NFL. The team's unheralded defense is rated 10th overall by Pro Football Focus.
Early in the season, the team's main problem was an inability to close out games. The Chargers seem to have figured out how to do that and have now knocked off the Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons in consecutive weeks.
The win on Sunday was especially impressive because the Chargers were playing in hostile territory. You can blame the Falcons' loss on some questionable play-calling, but the Chargers still staged a comeback and earned the win.
There is a lot of exciting, young talent on this Chargers team, including running back Malvin Gordon and pass-rusher Joey Bosa. As long as quarterback Philip Rivers is playing well, the Chargers should have a chance to beat virtually anyone.
As Chris Burke of SI.com recently explained, the future for the franchise is bright:
"Whether or not they get all the way back, they should be intrigued if not thrilled by their progress. This time last year, the franchise was adrift without an obvious course. Even a short month ago, they were unable to close out games, and Bosa still had not made his debut. It hasn’t taken long for the pieces—at least those that are still healthy—to start falling into place.
"
We could find out as soon as this week if the Chargers' bright future includes a shot at the 2016 postseason. San Diego heads into Denver on Sunday for a rematch with the Broncos.
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