NFL Power Rankings Week 8: Saints Stumble, Titans Skyrocket, but Who's No. 1?
The NFL Power Rankings for Week 8 will look a lot different than they did just one short week ago.
Though three top 10 teams—the Colts, Texans and Jets—all had byes in Week 7, there was still plenty of shuffling in the rankings from top to bottom.
The playoff chances for the Chargers and Cowboys are looking slimmer and slimmer each week, while the Saints were beaten at home by a one-win Browns team.
The Steelers also narrowly escaped Miami with a win over the Dolphins, but was it enough to keep them atop the rankings?
Did the Jets, Colts and Texans rise thanks to the performances by teams like the Ravens and Eagles?
Let's take a look at the NFL Week 8 Power Rankings to find out.
No. 32-21: Things Aren't Looking Good
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32. San Francisco 49ers: Anytime you lose to a winless team and you have a quarterback controversy between David Carr and Alex Smith, you're in trouble. (Last Week: 29)
31. Carolina Panthers: The Panthers got their first win of the season this week, but let's be real here: they probably could have lost, and the 49ers aren't very good. (Last Week: 32)
30. Buffalo Bills: The Bills hung tough with the Ravens and Ryan Fitzpatrick had a career day, but they're still winless. (Last Week: 31)
29. Dallas Cowboys: Tony Romo's out for six to eight weeks, and John Kitna will have to be the one to lead Dallas' resurrection. Good luck with that. (Last Week: 26)
28. Detroit Lions: The Lions sat at home, but two divisional rivals—the Bears and Vikings—lost this week. (Last Week: 28)
27. Denver Broncos: The Broncos allowed 59 points at home against the Raiders! Wow. Just wow. (Last Week: 20)
26. San Diego Chargers: Has any team that's statistically as good as San Diego ever had a 2-5 record? (Last Week: 25)
25. Minnesota Vikings: If Brett Favre didn't already regret returning this season, he is now. (Last Week: 16)
24. Jacksonville Jaguars: Jacksonville has lost its last two games by 49 points. And Todd Bouman's playing quarterback. (Last Week: 24)
23. Arizona Cardinals: The Cardinals now rank 27th or lower in all but one major statistical category on offense and defense. (Last Week: 22)
22. Cincinnati Bengals: The Bengals nearly upset Atlanta, but they're still 2-4. (Last Week: 23)
21. Cleveland Browns: The Browns didn't even have 100 yards passing against New Orleans, but a convincing win over the defending Super Bowl champs is huge for any team. (Last Week: 27)
No. 20: Oakland Raiders (Last Week: 30)
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I turned on the Raiders-Broncos game on Sunday, and I seriously thought I was losing my mind when I saw the score.
But it was not a mirage; it was actuality. The Raiders dropped 59 points against Denver on the road and held Kyle Orton in check.
Darren McFadden looked like the man-child we all expected him to be, and Oakland now boasts the league's No. 3 rushing offense and No. 5 scoring offense.
No. 19: St. Louis Rams (Last Week: 17)
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At halftime of their Week 7 game against the Bucs, Rams quarterback Sam Bradford had thrown two short touchdown passes, and the Rams led on the road, 17-3.
But everything fell apart for St. Louis in the second half, and the Rams lost after giving up a game-winning touchdown with 10 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
The Rams can't afford to lose games like that if they want to be serious contenders.
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No. 18: Chicago Bears (Last Week: 14)
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That undefeated start is looking more and more like an aberration as the season goes on.
The Bears offense was sloppier than a drunken sorority chick on Sunday, and Jay Cutler still had the gonads to call out DeAngelo Hall despite being picked off by him four times in one game.
I've seen better football in peewee games than what I witnessed from Chicago this weekend.
No. 17: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last Week: 21)
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Buccaneers head coach Raheem Morris dropped this bombshell after his team's victory on Sunday:
"I like where we are. We're 4-2. We're the best team in the NFC. Yeah, I said it," Morris said.
No, you're not, Raheem. You're two plays away from being 2-4.
No. 16: Seattle Seahawks (Last Week: 19)
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Seattle is going to be tough to beat at home all season—they're undefeated there—and the Seahawks defense has been stingy against the run.
They only give up 77 yards per game on the ground and 17.8 points per game, both of which put them in the top five in the league.
The Seahawks aren't going to wow you on offense, but Mike Williams continues to be a great story. He had 11 catches for 87 yards and a touchdown in the team's Week 7 victory against the Cardinals.
No. 15: New Orleans Saints (Last Week: 5)
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Drew Brees must have been thinking about playing catch with new baby boy, Bowen, because he tossed two pick-sixes to Cleveland's David Bowens on Sunday.
The Saints were surprisingly never in the game against the Browns this week, and you have to wonder whether all the breaks the Saints got last year are now going the other way.
The good news for Saints fans is that a Reggie Bush return appears to be just around the corner, and they'll need any help they can get against Pittsburgh this week.
No. 14: Green Bay Packers (Last Week: 18)
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Green Bay escaped Sunday night's game with a big win over the Vikings, but Aaron Rodgers continues to make too many mistakes.
He only has one game all season without an interception, and he has nine picks in just seven games.
Rodgers won't be able to pull out another win against the Jets this week if he slips up against Darrelle Revis and company.
No. 13: Philadelphia Eagles (Last Week: 6)
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Here we go again: the quarterback carousel in Philadelphia never ends.
Eagles quarterback Kevin Kolb had a subpar performance against the Titans this week, completing just 26 of 48 passes on the day. And now it's back to the bench for Kolb.
Michael Vick is set to to return following the team's bye week in Week 8, so we'll see how that affects the team as the season progresses.
No. 12: Miami Dolphins (Last Week: 12)
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There's no way you can move the Dolphins down when they were probably screwed out of a victory against the Steelers this week.
I'm not saying this has anything to do with it, but the referee who made the ruling at the end of that game is from Pittsburgh.
Don't blow a gasket, Steelers fans. I'm just saying.
No. 11: Washington Redskins (Last Week: 15)
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The Redskins continue to blow my mind every time they win a football game.
This week, they played in easily the sloppiest game of the season, and the only reason they came out with a victory is because Jay Cutler pounded back some tequila shots before the game.
OK, not really.
But aside from DeAngelo Hall and Ryan Torain, this game was incredibly hard to watch.
No. 10: Houston Texans (Last Week: 9)
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The Texans lost linebacker DeMeco Ryans this week and moved Brian Cushing over to his linebacker spot.
But none of that matters because the Texans still can't stop anybody from throwing the ball.
Houston gives up 306 passing yards per game, which is good enough to be the worst in the NFL.
No. 9: Kansas City Chiefs (Last Week: 13)
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The Kansas City Chiefs rank first in the league with 176.5 rushing yards per game, but believe it or not, it's Matt Cassel that is the glue that holds this offense together.
In the team's last four games, Cassel has thrown eight touchdowns and just one interception.
Cassel to Dwayne Bowe is unstoppable!
No. 8: Atlanta Falcons (Last Week: 11)
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My two fantasy football quarterbacks are Phillip Rivers and Matt Ryan.
I left Ryan on the bench this week like I usually do, and he decided to go off for 299 yards and three touchdowns.
You're lucky I still won, Matty Ice.
No. 7: Indianapolis Colts (Last Week: 8)
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It's never a good thing when you lose two of your top receiving threats like Peyton Manning did this week with Austin Collie and Dallas Clark.
Clark has been Manning's security blanket throughout his career, and his presence in the passing game will certainly be missed.
But he's still Peyton Manning. He'll be fine.
No. 6: New York Giants (Last Week: 7)
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Eli Manning needs to decide whether or not he's a great quarterback in this league.
He has thrown nine touchdowns in the team's last three games—all wins, I might add—but he's also already thrown 11 interceptions on the season.
He still managed to pull out a victory against the Cowboys this week, but who isn't doing that these days?
Like Rodgers in Green Bay, Manning leads to limit his mistakes, because the Giants winning streak won't continue if he doesn't.
No. 5: Tennessee Titans (Last Week: 10)
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Two words describe why the Tennessee Titans won this week: Kenny Britt.
Seriously though, the Titans proved this week that they can win without Vince Young and without a big game from Chris Johnson, who was limited to just 66 rushing yards.
But if Tennessee can have any kind of formidable passing attack to go along with Johnson, look out.
This team could be really good.
No. 4: Baltimore Ravens (Last Week: 4)
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Baltimore pulled out an overtime win on Sunday, but I can't make any excuses for the Ravens going into OT against the Bills for crying out loud.
The Ravens haven't looked all that great in the past five or six quarters of football, but I think it's more of a bump in the road than it is a sign of things to come.
Still, you can't play Buffalo that close, especially at home.
No. 3: New England Patriots (Last Week: 3)
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The New England Patriots scathed by with a win at San Diego this week.
New Chargers kicker Kris Brown missed a 50-yard field goal with 23 seconds left that would have sent the game to overtime.
The Patriots did pull out the win against a Chargers team that is better than its record indicates, but they can't afford to (nearly) blow big leads late in the game like that.
No. 2: Pittsburgh Steelers (Last Week: 1)
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The Steelers got a huge win over the Dolphins on the road this week, but that game could very easily have gone the other way.
Pittsburgh does have a nasty run defense, but their pass defense is still suspect at best, and it'll be difficult for them to remain at the top of the league if they continue to give up 250-plus yards passing every week.
That being said, Ben Roethlisberger already looks back to form, and that's not a good sign for other AFC teams.
No. 1: New York Jets (Last Week: 2)
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I hesitated to put the Jets at No. 1 because they had a bye week, and the Steelers got a big win on the road.
But New York is on a roll right now, winning five straight games after an opening week loss against the Ravens.
Mark Sanchez can't hope for another flag at the end of the game like he did against Denver though. You're not going to win multiple games like that.
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