Week 8 NFL Power Rankings: What's Wrong with the Saints?

In a season full of surprises, Week 7 was once again filled with the unexpected. The Raiders put up 59 points, the Browns went into New Orleans and won, Kenny Britt had 225 yards receiving, DeAngelo Hall had four interceptions and to top it all off, the Cowboys season got even worse with Tony Romo breaking his collarbone.  Should I keep going on?

One thing is clear: The NFC is wide open. When I say wide open, I mean it. No team has looked dominant. In the AFC, it's a different story with the Steelers, Jets, Patriots and Ravens. 

Here is my attempt to sort out the madness. 

1. Pittsburgh Steelers (1): 5-1. The Dolphins were in trouble as soon as they gave the ball to Ben Roethlisberger at midfield with five minutes to play. There's no other quarterback I'd rather have with the game on the line. 

2. New York Jets (2): 5-1. The Jets come out of their bye week having won five in a row and are the hottest team in football. 

3. New England Patriots (4): 5-1. The Patriots avoided a fourth quarter collapse and held on in San Diego. Next up, Randy Moss returns to New England. 

4. Baltimore Ravens (3): 5-2. The Ravens were lucky to win that game against the Bills. They have problems on defense that need to be addressed. 

5. Indianapolis Colts (5): 4-2. The Colts got bad news over their bye week when Dallas Clark was announced out for the season. That hurts, big time. 

6. New York Giants (8): 5-2. In a wide open NFC, the Giants look like the best team in the conference. Hakeem Nicks is a monster. 

7. Atlanta Falcons (9): 5-2. The Falcons won, but their defense struggled for the second straight week. That needs to improve. 

8. Tennessee Titans (10): 5-2. Thanks to a huge fourth quarter and a monster performance out of Kenny Britt, the Titans were able to improve to 5-2. This team is very good. 

9. Green Bay Packers (13): 4-2. Finally, the Packers won a close game, and it gets tougher next week in New York against the red-hot Jets. 

10. Houston Texans (11): 4-2. The Texans come out of their bye week and are on the road in a rematch against the Colts. I can't even explain the significance a win would be here. 

11. Kansas City Chiefs (15): 4-2. The Chiefs are for real, and that two-headed monster of Thomas Jones and Jamaal Charles is dangerous. The AFC West is theirs to lose. 

12. New Orleans Saints (6): 4-3. That's now losses to the Cardinals and Browns in two of their last three games. That's not the sign of a good team. 

13. Philadelphia Eagles (7): 4-3. The Eagles let that game slip away, and they have major problems in the secondary. Remember when I said Kevin Kolb should be the starter? He had his chance to take it back, he didn't want it.  

14. Washington Redskins (12): 4-3. DeAngelo Hall single-handedly won that game for the Redskins. McNabb had a rough game, but he isn't complaining with a victory. 

15. Miami Dolphins (14): 3-3. What is the deal with the Dolphins that they can't win at home? Next week they are on the road against the Bengals, where they are 3-0. 

16. Seattle Seahawks (17): 4-2. Another week, another Mike Williams double-digit catch game. How did Pete Carroll do it?

17. Minnesota Vikings (16): 2-4. That would have been a huge win for the Vikings, but it's tough to win when you throw three interceptions. Brett Favre looks like he's really hurting. 

18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (25): 4-2. You've got to love Josh Freeman, he was great during that last drive to lead the Bucs to a huge win. At 4-2, are they for real? 

19. St. Louis Rams (21): 3-4. That's a tough loss for the Rams, they did everything right except stop the Bucs in the final drive. Sam Bradford is still searching for his first win on the road. 

20. San Diego Chargers (19): 2-5. At 2-5, the Chargers have been one of the most disappointing teams of the season. Whatever happened to Ryan Mathews showing so much promise? 

21. Chicago Bears (18): 4-3. The Bears lead on the NFC North is slowly, but surely, fading away. You can't win games with an offensive line like that. Oh yeah, and it doesn't help to throw four interceptions to DeAngelo Hall. 

22. Oakland Raiders (29): 3-4. Raise you're hand if you predicted the Raiders to unload on the Broncos to the tune of 59-14. Darren McFadden is showing why he was the fourth pick in the draft. 

23. Cleveland Browns (30): 2-5. The Browns defense was so good that Colt McCoy only had to throw it 16 times. Crazy stat: This is the third straight year the Browns have beaten the defending Super Bowl champions. 

24. Cincinnati Bengals (26): 2-4. For the first time all season, both Terrell Owens, and Chad Ochocinco played well, but it didn't matter. The Bengals have major problems, it's only a matter of time before Owens explodes. 

25. Arizona Cardinals (20): 3-3. If only the Cardinals had a quarterback. Oh, how dearly they miss Kurt Warner. 

26. Dallas Cowboys (23): 1-5. Just when you think it couldn't get any worse for the Cowboys they lose Tony Romo to a broken collarbone. Stick a fork in them, they're done. 

27. Detroit Lions (27): 1-5. Matthew Stafford will return this week to an offense that is already explosive. The Lions are a fun team. 

28. Jacksonville Jaguars (24): 3-4. Todd Bouman struggled, but nobody expected anything out of him. The Jags secondary is pitiful. 

29. Denver Broncos (22): 2-5. And the award for the most embarrassing performance of the NFL season goes to the Denver Broncos. 59 points to the Raiders, really?

30. Carolina Panthers (31): 31. 1-5. Matt Moore brought a spark to the Panthers, and did enough for them to get a win. Can they build on it next week in St. Louis?

31. San Francisco 49ers (28): 1-6. The excuses are done for the 49ers, their season is over. It's just going to keep going downhill if Alex Smith is seriously injured. 

32. Buffalo Bills (32): 0-6. That was a heart-breaker for the Bills, Ryan Fitzpatrick played the game of his life. They are still searching for their first win of the season.