NFL Power Rankings Week 8: Reaction and Standings After Thursday Night Football

Following Week 8's Thursday Night Football bash between the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins, there's no disputing who sits on the NFL's throne.

The Dolphins entered Thursday night as hot as can be, winning two games by a combined 46 points under interim head coach Dan Campbell. They never stood a chance against the Patriots, who cruised to a 36-7 annihilation behind another masterful performance from Tom Brady. 

Another victory improves New England's spotless record to 7-0, and its plus-116 scoring margin comfortably leads the NFL. Nearly every spot in the league's power rankings will cause debates, but not No. 1. 

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

Playoffs?

Some years, the NFL postseason is lucky enough to host a dozen legitimate Super Bowl contenders. Not this season. Each conference features a division daring someone to rise above the fray, but nobody has accepted the challenge.

These three teams haven't lit the league on fire. In fact, two have tumbled considerably below preseason expectations. Yet a playoff bid remains easily up for grabs entering Week 8. 

Indianapolis Colts

If the Indianapolis Colts were the fringe title contender everyone anticipated, they would already be close to clinching the AFC South. Instead, they've enabled Jacksonville Jaguars fans to actually harbor a glimmer of optimism.

At 3-4, the Colts are on a dubious path to matching the Carolina Panthers' 7-9 NFC South division victory. If they want to break even in the standings, they'll have to best a much better Panthers model a triumph away from matching 2014's win tally. A couple more tough matchups place Indianapolis in serious danger of falling to 3-7.

Week	Opponent	Record
8	Carolina Panthers	6-0
9	Denver Broncos	6-0
10	Bye	----
11	Atlanta Falcons	6-1

Coming off a breakout year, Andrew Luck is Pro Football Focus' lowest-rated of 50 quarterbacks—worse than Nick Foles, Brandon Weeden, Matt Hasselbeck, Matt Cassel, Michael Vick and, well, everyone. ESPN Stats & Info also examined his floundering season:

Before pinning everything on Luck, the defense also stinks. No team has surrendered more total yards per game than the Colts' 408.6. In their three wins, all against their fellow AFC South misfits, they coughed up more yards than they gained. They escaped those three triumphs by a combined 12 points.

Even if Luck never switches his setting from liability to MVP candidate, they'll get another run through the division to close the season as well as a winnable bout with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. By simply salvaging one victory over the next three weeks, they'll stay in the driver's seat at 4-6.

New York Giants

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Although they opened 2015 with two heartbreaking losses, the New York Giants are a fortuitous 4-3. They exploited Kirk Cousins early in the season and narrowly edged out the suffocating San Francisco 49ers. Along with defeating the Buffalo Bills without LeSean McCoy and Sammy Watkins, they recently bested the Dallas Cowboys with Tony Romo and Dez Bryant watching from the sideline.

Despite those lucky breaks, the Giants rank No. 29 in total defense and No. 31 against the pass. They've yielded 391 rushing yards over the past two bouts, turning an early strength into another liability. ESPN.com's Dan Graziano observed the rushing defense's rapid decline:

A shaky offense struggling to establish the ground game essentially boils down to hoping Odell Beckham Jr. makes huge plays. When he didn't during last weekend's 35-yard outing, the Giants needed a pick-six and kick return touchdown to outlast the Cowboys with Cassel under center.

Having accrued a measly nine sacks through seven games, the Giants will welcome back Jason Pierre-Paul with open arms. According to Giants.com's Michael Eisen, the defensive end signed a contract earlier this week and is aiming to return from a July 4 fireworks incident. 

“I’m very excited to be back,” Pierre-Paul said, per Eisen. “I’m getting ready to do what I have to do. I’ve been training down in South Florida with my trainer. Every day, I got up at 7:30 and lifted weights, I’ve been doing what I have to do to stay in football shape."

According to Fox Sports' Mike Garafolo, the Giants are hoping he makes his 2015 debut during Week 10's matchup against the Patriots. They need the pass-rusher who recorded 12.5 sacks last year to return soon, which is asking a lot. 

They hold the edge now, but the NFC East remains a tight, four-team race. Washington is better than expected, the Philadelphia Eagles are rebounding from a putrid start and Dallas is the best of the pack at full strength. Before Pierre-Paul returns, the Giants will face two pivotal road tilts against the New Orleans Saints and Buccaneers.

Seattle Seahawks

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

The Seattle Seahawks have already matched last year's four losses, but they currently face similar circumstances. Last season, they limped to a 3-3 start, also including a road upset against the St. Louis Rams, before roaring to a 12-4 finish.

After a sluggish start without safety Kam Chancellor, Seattle has quietly risen to No. 3 in total defense behind the Denver Broncos and New York Jets. An offensive line authorizing an NFL-worst 31 sacks, however, hurt its chances of again running the table in dominant fashion.

Most importantly, the Arizona Cardinals have a healthy Carson Palmer and NFC-high plus-96 point differential. Two head-to-head meetings can alter the NFC West dichotomy, but the Seahawks will probably spend the final weeks fighting for a wild-card spot.

They won't face steep competition. Either the Atlanta Falcons or Panthers hold the keys to one, but the second is anyone's for the taking. The Minnesota Vikings currently grip the final playoff slot at 4-2, and they've yet to best a team with more than two wins. A 9-7 tally, if one of those victories comes against Minnesota, could send Seattle into the postseason.

So far, the Seahawks have comfortably topped cupcake opponents while falling short against elite competition. After losing in overtime to the undefeated Cincinnati Bengals, they suffered a four-point defeat to the perfect Panthers. Look for them to jump to 4-4 against Dallas before setting up a massive Week 10 showdown with Arizona following a bye week.