NFL Power Rankings Week 8: 2016 Conference Standings and Super Bowl Odds
By now, NFL fans should expect odd surprises every week.ย
Not the Cleveland-Browns-getting-a-win odd, but outlandish developments such as the Miami Dolphins taking down the red-hot Buffalo Bills and the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals playing to a tie.
It was a trying week for bettors, indeed. Those who want to bank on the Super Bowl odds out of Las Vegas don't have it easy, not with regulars such as the Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers taking losses.
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Even in the face of strange developments, bettors can poke holes in the thoughts of oddsmakers with a precise needle. Let's comb over the latest odds and show bettors where to aim.
Week 8 NFL Power Rankings and Super Bowl Odds
| 1 | New England Patriots (15-4) |
| 2 | Pittsburgh Steelers (7-1) |
| 3 | Dallas Cowboys (25-1) |
| 4 | Green Bay Packers (9-1) |
| 5 | Denver Broncos (10-1) |
| 6 | Philadelphia Eagles (22-1) |
| 7 | Minnesota Vikings (9-1) |
| 8 | Kansas City Chiefs (28-1) |
| 9 | Oakland Raiders (33-1) |
| 10 | Seattle Seahawks (8-1) |
| 11 | Atlanta Falcons (25-1) |
| 12 | New York Giants (50-1) |
| 13 | Buffalo Bills (66-1) |
| 14 | Arizona Cardinals (18-1) |
| 15 | Cincinnati Bengals (28-1) |
| 16 | Washington (66-1) |
| 17 | Miami Dolphins (200-1) |
| 18 | San Diego Chargers (150-1) |
| 19 | New York Jets (100-1) |
| 20 | Houston Texans (28-1) |
| 21 | Detroit Lions (200-1) |
| 22 | Baltimore Ravens (40-1) |
| 23 | New Orleans Saints (125-1) |
| 24 | Indianapolis Colts (50-1) |
| 25 | Tennessee Titans (500-1) |
| 26 | Carolina Panthers (22-1) |
| 27 | Los Angeles Rams (40-1) |
| 28 | Jacksonville Jaguars (125-1) |
| 29 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (200-1) |
| 30 | San Francisco 49ers (1000-1) |
| 31 | Chicago Bears (250-1) |
| 32 | Cleveland Browns (3000-1) |
Odds courtesy of Odds Shark.
Conference Standings
| New England Patriots | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Oakland Raiders | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| Houston Texans | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Denver Broncos | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| Buffalo Bills | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| Miami Dolphins | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| San Diego Chargers | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| Tennessee Titans | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| New York Jets | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| Cleveland Browns | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| Detroit Lions | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| Washington Redskins | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| New York Giants | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| New Orleans Saints | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| Carolina Panthers | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| Chicago Bears | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 1 | 6 | 0 |
Time to Jump Ship: Arizona Cardinals
Something is off with the normally stout Cardinals.
Arizona has lost to notables such as the New England Patriots and Bills while inflating its record to 3-3-1 against iffy Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Francisco 49ers and New York Jets teams.
The shrug-worthy campaign went on as expected in Week 7 with the aforementioned tie. Quarterback Carson Palmer threw for 342 yards, and running back David Johnson took 33 carries for 113 yards, good for a 3.4 yards-per-carry average.ย
A tie hurts the Cardinals much more than the 4-1-1 Seahawks. The Cardinals have now lost two games in their division already with three more to go. Plus, they have tough encounters upcoming against the Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons and a few others.ย
Unfortunately for the Cardinals, Palmer has finally begun to show his age (36). He has seven touchdowns to five interceptions while sporting his lowest completion percentage (60.2) of his career, not counting an injury-riddled 2008.
The season isn't over for the Cardinals by any means, but they haven't shown much to inspire confidence. Instead, they resemble a former contender that is playing like a team with a suddenly shut window. The payout looks iffy, and there isn't much of a reason to invest.
Don't Sweat: Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings did everyone a favor in Week 7 and lost.
No more whispers about the 1972 Dolphins, thankfully.
Minnesota wasn't going to go undefeated by any means, so a 21-10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 7 isn't the end of the world. Quarterback Sam Bradford struggled under center against his former team, tossing a touchdown and an interception.
The Minnesota defense still held strong, keeping Philadelphia rookie quarterback Carson Wentz in line with 138 yards, a score and two picks. A pair of field goals, a kickoff return for a touchdown and a two-point conversion don't condemn the Vikings by any means.
Loss or not, chances are the Vikings will be just fine. Take a look at this note from Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press:
This is still the same team that has notable wins against the Green Bay Packers, Carolina Panthers, New York Giants and Houston Texans. It's the same team with a relatively easy schedule the rest of the way when it comes to the eyeball test. And it's the same team Adrian Peterson continues to rush to return back to as soon as possible, according to Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio.
The Minnesota defense has the defending NFC North champion looking good even after a loss. Bettors shouldn't shy awayโin fact, they should watch for a slight dip on the line and a better payout.
Worth a Look: Kansas City Chiefs
Before the season, bettors understood that keeping a close eye on the AFC West was worth it after Peyton Manning left the Denver Broncos and retired.ย
The Kansas City Chiefs look like the team with the solid payout to know. While they sit tied in second with the Broncos in the division behind the Oakland Raiders, the Chiefs smacked around the division leader in 26-10 fashion back in Week 6.
Week 7 was a 27-21 dismissal of the New Orleans Saints behind a pair of passing scores from quarterback Alex Smith and another strong showing from running back Spencer Ware, who had 131 total yards and a score while leading the team in rushing and receiving.ย
Perhaps more impressive than the offensive output was the fact the Kansas City defense held a Drew Brees-led offense to 21 points and returned an interception for a touchdown.
โI thought those guys stepped up when they had to,โ Smith said, according toย Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star. โThey didnโt give up a bunch of big plays, they made those guys drive it the whole length, eat up the clock, and it ended up being the difference.โ
Other than four winnable games against other teams in the AFC West, the Chiefs get easy encounters with the Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the course of the season.
With an opportunistic defense having allowed more than 21 points twice and Smith being flanked by fast wideouts and the Ware-Jamaal Charles combo, the Chiefs could push the Patriots as the heavyweights in the AFC. Bettors should hop on for the ride in case it takes offโthe warning lights have flashed.
Stats courtesy ofย NFL.com. All advanced metrics courtesy ofย Pro Football Focus.ย
Follow Chris Roling (@Chris_Roling) on Twitter.
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