NFL Power Rankings Week 8: 2017-18 Conference Standings and Super Bowl Odds

Another week, another seismic shift in the NFL power rankings. 

Fans had to know a brutal week of change was coming after the dominant Kansas City Chiefs went down at the hands of the Oakland Raiders on Thursday Night Football. 

True to form, the Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons were a few of the heavyweights to take a fall in Week 7—and they did so while scoring a combined 10 points. 

Yet another strange week of developments creates an opening for fans who like to play odds, though. As oddsmakers try to adjust on a weekly basis, would-be bettors can hop in on season-long lines and find some good values. 

Let's point out a few below after taking a look at updated power rankings ahead of Week 8. 

2017 NFL Power Rankings and Super Bowl Odds

Rank	Team
1	Philadelphia Eagles (8-1)
2	Pittsburgh Steelers (7-1)
3	Seattle Seahawks (10-1)
4	New England Patriots (4-1)
5	Los Angeles Rams (25-1)
6	New Orleans Saints (33-1)
7	Oakland Raiders (33-1)
8	Kansas City Chiefs (8-1)
9	Carolina Panthers (25-1)
10	Detroit Lions (33-1)
11	Denver Broncos (25-1)
12	Minnesota Vikings (20-1)
13	Washington Redskins (33-1)
14	Atlanta Falcons (14-1)
15	Buffalo Bills (75-1)
16	Chicago Bears (300-1)
17	Tampa Bay Buccaneers (66-1)
18	Los Angeles Chargers (150-1)
19	Green Bay Packers (20-1)
20	Miami Dolphins (100-1)
21	Dallas Cowboys (25-1)
22	New York Jets (300-1)
23	Houston Texans (33-1)
24	Cincinnati Bengals (66-1)
25	Jacksonville Jaguars (75-1)
26	Tennessee Titans (33-1)
27	New York Giants (100-1)
28	Baltimore Ravens (75-1)
29	Arizona Cardinals (75-1)
30	Indianapolis Colts (150-1)
31	Cleveland Browns (5000-1)
32	San Francisco 49ers (5000-1)

Conference Standings

AFC

• Pittsburgh Steelers 5-2
• Kansas City Chiefs 5-2
• New England Patriots 5-2
• Buffalo Bills 4-2
• Miami Dolphins 4-2
• Tennessee Titans 4-3
• Jacksonville Jaguars 4-3
• Denver Broncos 3-3
• Houston Texans 3-3
• Baltimore Ravens 3-4
• New York Jets 3-4
• Los Angeles Chargers 3-4
• Oakland Raiders 3-4
• Cincinnati Bengals 2-4
• Indianapolis Colts 2-5
• Cleveland Browns 0-7

NFC

• Philadelphia Eagles 5-1
• Minnesota Vikings 5-2
• Los Angeles Rams 5-2
• New Orleans Saints 4-2
• Seattle Seahawks 4-2
• Washington Redskins 3-2
• Green Bay Packers 4-3
• Carolina Panthers 4-3
• Atlanta Falcons 3-3
• Dallas Cowboys 3-3
• Detroit Lions 3-3
• Arizona Cardinals 3-4
• Chicago Bears 3-4
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2-4
• New York Giants 1-6
• San Francisco 49ers 0-7

Odds to Consider: Los Angeles Rams (25-1)

Here's proof enough 2017 might be the strangest NFL year in decades—the Los Angeles Rams not only have an attractive Super Bowl line, it also makes sense. 

Don't look now, but the Rams are 5-2 and sit alone atop the NFC West. There's a loss to the Seattle Seahawks in there, but otherwise, the Rams have taken care of business, including hitting the road and taking down the Dallas Cowboys. 

Not that those involved want any hype to build about them. 

"We haven't arrived by any stretch," head coach Sean McVay said, according to ESPN.com's Alden Gonzalez. "5-2 is a good feeling, but that's all it is right now."

Maybe not, but it's hard to avoid getting excited about a team that just blanked the Arizona Cardinals in a 33-0 whipping. The Cardinals might not be great this year, but a shutout of a pro team is a shutout of a pro team. 

With strong play from a resurgent Jared Goff under center, five touchdowns from Todd Gurley and a defense surrendering less than 20 points per game, the Rams are a strong concoction of the elements critical to a playoff run. 

The Rams will obviously face a heat check in the form of the Seahawks again. But oddsmakers seem to be trending toward the idea the Rams can make it happen, and bettors will want to arrive there before this isn't profitable anymore. 

Odds to Consider, Pt. II: New Orleans Saints (33-1)

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

It's time to start believing in the New Orleans Saints. 

It looked like business as usual at first after the Saints stumbled out of the gates to an 0-2 mark. But in hindsight, losses to the Minnesota Vikings and New England Patriots aren't anything to be ashamed of given how both teams have played. 

The Saints have since won four in a row, including going on the road to take down the Carolina Panthers in 34-13 fashion and blowing out the Detroit Lions 52-38. 

Most recently, the Saints took care of business against the Aaron Rodgers-less Green Bay Packers, 26-17. While far from a perfect performance as Drew Brees threw for one touchdown against two interceptions, rushing for 161 yards and two touchdowns and winning a game they're supposed to win shouldn't be a strike against the Saints. 

And look at the big picture: The Saints sit alone atop the NFC South and own a win against the closest team, while the Falcons continue to struggle and seem like a distant third. 

The defense might eventually cause some problems for the Saints. But with a quarterback like Brees and the Saints winning tough games on the road, anything is possible down the stretch and into the playoffs, barring a dramatic change of momentum. 

Contender to Buy: Pittsburgh Steelers (7-1)

The Pittsburgh Steelers have arrived. 

It was fun to point out the Steelers' flaws over the first few weeks of the season. The team almost lost to the Cleveland Browns. It did lose to the Chicago Bears. It then got blown away by the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

Now? The Steelers have back-to-back wins against the Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals, and the former was undefeated at the time. 

Against the Bengals, Ben Roethlisberger casually threw for two touchdowns against one of the league's better defenses, and Le'Veon Bell cruised to 134 rushing yards.

As the team's media manager Dom Rinelli illustrated, the Steelers have quickly ascended the ladder on all fronts: 

Long story short, the Steelers already have wins against the two biggest threats in the AFC North and three overall. The rest of the schedule doesn't look challenging overall, either, the exception being a Week 15 dance with the Patriots. 

By then, though, the Steelers should be quite comfortable and mostly focusing on staying healthy for the playoffs. The offense looks like it could drop 30 every game right now, and the defense continues to play at a high level, making the Steelers one of the most complete teams in football. 

Stats courtesy of NFL.com. Odds courtesy of OddsShark.