NFL Power Rankings Week 8: Bucs Rise Big, Saints Stumble in Bizarre Week
NFL Power Rankings Week 8 edition are out and it's time to break down the entire league team-by-team.
I've given you a recap of every team in football and my reasoning behind their placement and if you agree or disagree, make sure to leave it in the comments. This is one of the hardest years to rank teams in recent memory as nothing stays the same from week-to-week.
There's a lot of parity this year and the field is wide open, especially in the NFC. It's a crazy year, and with a lockout looming, enjoy the ride.
Nos. 32-21: Bottom of The Barrel
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32: Buffalo (Last Week: 32) — That may be as close as the Bills get to a win this year. Close, but no cigar.
31: Detroit (Last Week: 30) — Matthew Stafford returns next week. That's got to count for something.
30: Dallas (Last Week: 27) — Tony Romo is out with a broken clavicle. Well, now it's officially over in Big D.
29: San Francisco (Last Week: 26) — So how long until Mike Singletary is fired again?
28: Carolina (Last Week: 31) — Matt Moore led the Panthers to a win but they're still an awful team.
27: Denver (Last Week: 24) — Way to show up to play this weekend fellas.
26: San Diego (Last Week: 20) — Like I've said before, the Chargers find new and interesting ways to lose.
25: Cincinnati (Last Week: 19) — It's just a disaster for the Bengals. It looks like a lost season.
24: Minnesota (Last Week: 16) — I think it's time to put the nail in Minnesota's coffin after Sunday's game.
23: St. Louis (Last Week: 22) — Another close loss by the Rams, they'll learn though.
22: Oakland (Last Week: 29) — The Raiders scored as many points in one game as we thought they'd score all year.
21: Cleveland (Last Week: 28)— The Browns beat the defending champions on the road. Let that sink in.
No. 20: Jacksonville
2 of 21
Last Week: 18
The Jaguars hung tough against Kansas City on Sunday but like usual, it just wasn't enough to get the job done.
It's hard to blame them for losing with Todd Bouman at quarterback, but Jacksonville has lost two in a row and is at the bottom of the AFC South, looking up after being tied for first place just two weeks ago. Not that I'm shocked, but the Jags had an opportunity.
I'm not sure how much longer Jack Del Rio lasts after this season.
No. 19: Arizona
3 of 21
Last Week: 21
The Cardinals lost their big NFC West showdown — something that seems like an oxymoron — to Seattle on Sunday and are now 3-3 on the season.
I remember when Arizona used to be a good team. Those were good times. Now the Cardinals have players like Max Hall and Derek Anderson under center and the team just isn't the same. The defense isn't much better either.
I'm not sure where the Cardinals go from here when it comes to the quarterback.
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No. 18: Chicago
4 of 21
Last Week: 15
Well Jay Cutler, you've done it again.
Five turnovers and four interceptions? Even for him, that's pretty crappy. He singlehandedly gave the game to the Redskins and sent DeAngelo Hall to the Pro Bowl. I don't think someone could play that bad if they tried but that's a new mark for futility.
I'm sure the Bears would trade for Cutler all over again if they had the chance.
No. 17: Seattle
5 of 21
Last Week: 23
I know that before the season you said that after Week 7, the Seattle Seahawks would be in the driver's seat in the NFC West.
Mike Williams has turned into quite the target for Seattle and after he almost ate himself out of the league it's good to see that he's finally showing signs of potential as a pro players. The Seahawks are in line for a playoff spot, and while they'll likely lose in the first round if they do make it, it's a good story.
I'm still not counting out the Rams though.
No. 16: Washington
6 of 21
Last Week: 17
The Redskins beat the Bears on Sunday but if that were any other team than Chicago and I'm not sure Washington sees the same result.
Donovan McNabb played awful against the Bears but if it weren't for Jay Cutler stinking up the joint in that game, Chicago would have notched a victory. Washington has a lot of work to do, and it needs to figure it out fast.
McNabb can't be playing many more games like that.
No. 15: Tampa Bay
7 of 21
Last Week: 25
So the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are right in the thick of things in the NFC South while the defending-champion New Orleans Saints look up at them.
I think it's officially time that we admit this year in the NFL is out of hand. Head coach Raheem Morris thinks the Bucs are the team to beat in the NFC, and while as silly as that sounds, how many teams in that conference look like legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
See? Not so stupid after all.
No. 14: New Orleans
8 of 21
Last Week: 6
Drew Brees had a terrible game and gave Cleveland two touchdowns off of interceptions as the Saints fell to the Browns on Sunday.
This is rock bottom for the Saints, who have looked nothing like the team that won the Super Bowl last year. There is no explosiveness and there seems to be no fire in this team to win another championship. New Orleans knew it would be hard to repeat but I'm not sure it knew it would be this hard.
The Saints need to figure out something and quickly.
No. 13: Miami
9 of 21
Last Week: 11
It's okay to admit that Miami got jobbed out of a win against the Steelers on Sunday, we all saw it happen.
Ben Roethlisberger clearly fumbled the ball on the way into the end zone and the Dolphins came out of the pile with it yet the Steelers got the ball because there was no clear visual evidence of Miami recovering other than the Dolphins coming out of the pile.
You have to love the rules in the NFL.
No. 12: Kansas City
10 of 21
Last Week: 13
The Kansas City Chiefs are leading the AFC West. I think I should just stop making predictions after how this season has gone.
The Chiefs beat Jacksonville on Sunday in a game that was closer than it probably should have been when you consider that Todd Bouman was the opposing quarterback for the Jaguars. A win is a win I suppose, but there are prettier wins than that.
Kansas City just keeps on rolling though.
No. 11: Philadelphia
11 of 21
Last Week: 9
Well the Kevin Kolb era is over yet again as Andy Reid said that Michael Vick will be the starting quarterback when the Eagles take on the Colts in two weeks.
It's not like Kolb played bad against Tennessee, it was really LeSean McCoy's fumble deep in Titans territory that swung the entire game around. Kolb did have one really bad interception but other than that, played a good game.
We'll see how this move pans out.
No. 10: Green Bay
12 of 21
Last Week: 12
Aaron Rodgers and company got a big win this Sunday night against Minnesota.
Sure, the Vikings aren't the best team in the league and Brett Favre is dinged up, but it's a big psychological win after two big losses to Minnesota last year. I'm sure it's a big weight off of Rodgers' shoulders to finally beat Favre and do it on national TV.
Green Bay is still very injured and we'll see if it can keep it going this week.
No. 9: Atlanta
13 of 21
Last Week: 10
The Falcons held on to beat the Bengals on Sunday, giving Atlanta a big bounce back win after getting beat down by the Eagles.
Atlanta is in a race for the NFC South crown with the Buccaneers while the Saints slip further and further behind. With the way this season is shaping up, the playoffs are going to be so unpredictable that we won't know what we're looking at.
It's exciting and perplexing at the same time.
No. 8: Houston
14 of 21
Last Week: 7
Houston had a bye week last week and the Texans find themselves staring up at the Tennessee Titans for the time being in the AFC South.
The bye week came at a good time to let Andre Johnson fully heal his injured ankle and get to 100 percent. Matt Schaub has had a bit of an up-and-down year but had a good game right before the bye. We'll see if he can carry the momentum through that.
I'm still not sold on the Texans, but we'll see.
No. 7: NY Giants
15 of 21
Last Week: 14
Things got rather easy for Eli Manning and company as they steamrolled the Cowboys once Tony Romo went down with a broken clavicle.
The Giants have taken out five opposing quarterbacks this season and they've done it all on clean hits too. New York is the class of the NFC, which doesn't mean much as that seems to change every week in that conference.
I'm sure the Giants will drop a bad game soon enough to leave us questioning that.
No. 6: Tennessee
16 of 21
Last Week: 8
The Titans got another big win on Sunday, beating the Eagles in a come-from-behind victory.
Tennessee came alive in the passing game without Vince Young and Kerry Collins and Kenny Britt lit up the stat sheet in the second half as Britt had the best game of any Titans wideout since the move to Nashville.
Tennessee is 5-2 and in position to make a run at a playoff spot. The Titans could be trouble down the stretch.
No. 5: Baltimore
17 of 21
Last Week: 5
Okay Baltimore, what happened here fellas? Buffalo? No seriously, Buffalo?
The fact that the Ravens had to go to overtime with the Bills to win on Sunday would scare me stiff if I'm a Baltimore fan. The Ravens' defense looked horrendous on Sunday as Buffalo went up and down the field all day long.
A win's a win, but that was an ugly one.
No. 4: New England
18 of 21
Last Week: 4
What is it with Bill Belichick and bad 4th and 1 calls?
The decision to go for it was dumb enough, but the play call was even worse. There was no chance for success on that play and it almost gave the Chargers the game. Good thing Kris Brown is one of the biggest choker kickers in history.
Belichick's arrogance almost blew up in his face like it did last year in Indianapolis.
No. 3: Indianapolis
19 of 21
Last Week: 3
Peyton Manning and the Colts had a bye week on Sunday and with the way guys are dropping like flies on that roster, it couldn't have come at a better time.
Dallas Clark is out for the year and Austin Collie just had surgery so it's not getting any better for the Colts but if any quarterback can continue to have success after this, it's Manning. Don't count the Colts out yet, but with the Titans and Texans looming and an 0-2 record in the AFC South, it could be a down year for Indy.
But I wouldn't hold my breath.
No. 2: NY Jets
20 of 21
Last Week: 2
Another top team had a bye week as the Jets sat this week out.
New York looks a million times better than the team that showed up for that first Monday night of the season. Mark Sanchez is playing better than he ever has and LaDainian Tomlinson is carrying the load in the backfield.
The Jets are who everyone thought they'd be coming into the season.
No. 1: Pittsburgh
21 of 21
Last Week: 1
Okay, the Steelers stole one in Miami this week, but every good team gets a fluke win or two, even if this one came with the help of the refs.
Pittsburgh is 5-1 on the season and while the Steelers don't look as dominant as they did at the beginning of the season, Pittsburgh still is a force to be reckoned with in the AFC and are a clear Super Bowl contender as we get towards the second half of the season.
It's clear the AFC is the best conference in football.
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