NFL Power Rankings Week 8: Giants and Falcons Rise, Saints and Vikings Fall
It's time for your NFL Power Rankings for Week 8, and this week's action necessitated just some minor adjustments.
On the bright side, there's one less winless team in the league. In addition, the Cowboys sunk to new lows last night against the Giants, who are the rising star in this week's rankings. They look like thew new sheriff in town in the ever-changing NFC.
As for the AFC, picking out the best and the brightest each and every week continues to be made complicated by inexplicably subpar performances (ahem, Pittsburgh).
But enough talk. Let's get down to brass tacks. Here are your power rankings for Week 8.
The Worst Of The Worst
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32. Buffalo Bills: Still winless, but have nothing to be ashamed of about their effort against Baltimore.
31. San Francisco 49ers: Handed Carolina their first win of the season. Lost Alex Smith to injury.
30. Carolina Panthers: Picked up their first win over the lowly Niners.
29. Detroit Lions: Didn't lose. They had a bye.
28. Dallas Cowboys: They were bad with Romo. They'll be worse without him.
27. Arizona Cardinals: Max Hall and Derek Anderson might be the worst tandem in the league.
26. Denver Broncos: Got embarrassed by Oakland on their own turf.
25. San Diego Chargers: Seem to be able to do everything except win football games.
24. Cleveland Browns: It's because of them that people might start giving up on the Saints altogether.
23. Cincinnati Bengals: Nice try against Atlanta, but they dropped their third in a row.
22. Minnesota Vikings: Things can't get much worse for Favre. Or can they?
21. St. Louis Rams: Gotta love the development of Sam Bradford. The Rams might not be too many pieces away from having a truly competitive team.
20. Jacksonville Jaguars
2 of 21
After getting out to a 3-2 start, the Jaguars are definitely hurting. Literally.
Watching Todd Bauman fill in for David Garrard was hard to behold. Seeing his first action in about five years, Bauman was intercepted twice in the second half, and now he's saying that he has an injury of his own.
The good news for the Jags is that Garrard is supposed to be back next week for their game in Dallas; and yes, the Dallas part is also good news.
19. Miami Dolphins
3 of 21
They got shafted against Pittsburgh, but it's getting hard to keep believing in Miami.
True, the argument could be made that they deserve better than the No. 19 spot. But how weird is it that they are 0-3 at home and 3-0 on the road? You have to imagine that they're not going to be able to keep up that kind of success on the road.
And if their home record is a better indication of who they are... well, they're not so good.
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18. Oakland Raiders
4 of 21
How do you go from being one of the most frowned-upon teams in the league after handing the 49ers their first win? You go out and lay down a record-setting stomping on one of your biggest rival.
Seriously, who saw that one coming? And how apparent is it right now that Darren McFadden has finally become the player we all thought he was going to become?
McFadden has missed two games, but is still second in the league to Adrian Peterson in terms of yards per game. If he can stay healthy (big if), the Raiders' rushing attack suddenly looks like one of the best in the league.
17. New Orleans Saints
5 of 21
The Browns? Really?
Yes, just when it looked like Drew Brees and the Saints had turned a corner last week against Tampa Bay, they do and lose to the Browns. At home. In a game in which Brees threw four interceptions, two of which were pick-sixes to the same freakin' guy.
Next slide, please.
16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
6 of 21
Ten seconds. That's the difference between the Bucs being among the dregs of the league and being in the rarefied air with the best of the best.
The Bucs do a lot of things well. For example...
Actually, the only thing the Bucs really seem to do well is find a way to win on Sunday. Give credit to second-year quarterback Josh Freeman, who outperformed fellow youngster Sam Bradford yesterday.
15. Seattle Seahawks
7 of 21
Even this far into the season, and even given what we know about the NFC West, it still seems borderline ridiculous that there is a 4-2 team out west that doesn't play in the bay.
It's difficult, however, to take the Seahawks too seriously, as three of the wins they boast are over some pretty terrible teams (San Francisco, San Diego, Arizona), and the other came against a team that's trending downwards (Chicago).
Regardless, it's just hard to pile up points on Seattle. They allow plenty of yards (338 per game), but allow only 17.8 points per game. Not bad, not bad at all.
14. Chicago Bears
8 of 21
When the Bears managed to win in Todd Collins' four interception game against, the Bears looked like they were one of the better teams in the NFC.
After Jay Cutler's own four interception stylings, not to mention the other turnovers committed by the Bears against Washington, they look doomed.
The good news for the Bears? They're still tied atop the division with Green Bay, and they should enjoy a nice weekend in Buffalo in Week 8.
Although, Buffalo did play Baltimore pretty tough...
13. Green Bay Packers
9 of 21
How badly did the Pack need that win against Minnesota?
In what was one of the more entertaining and controversial games in recent memory, the Packers dodged bullet after bullet on their way to grinding out a win against Old Man Favre and the Vikings. Moreover, it's pretty ironic that the team that might end Brett Favre's consecutive games streak would be the Packers.
12. Washington Redskins
10 of 21
In addition to Bears fans, the only people in the country that didn't enjoy watching DeAngelo Hall intercept Jay Cutler four times were the pour souls in Oakland, who saw nothing out of Hall while he was with the silver and black.
But who cares about them?
Hall's four interceptions tied and NFL record, and the Redskins forced six turnovers in all. They also sacked Jay Cutler four times. They're a team that looks like they might be better than their 4-3 record. The only really bad loss they have all year is a loss in St. Louis in Week 3.
11. Kansas City Chiefs
11 of 21
The Chiefs just won't go away. And now it looks like they might have figured things out on offense.
Kansas City has topped 30 points in three of their last four games, and the sheer energy of their defense clearly makes up for their lack of big names.
Don't look now, but Matt Cassel is having a pretty good season, and he's been very solid in each of the last two games. He threw for 200 yards and compiled a 122.9 rating against Indy, and was good for a 144.0 rating against Jacksonville.
Not impressed with the Jaguars as an opponent? Neither were the Chiefs.
10. Philadelphia Eagles
12 of 21
The Eagles may have dropped their record to 4-3 with Sunday's loss to the Titans, but they're a team that deserves the benefit of the doubt going into their bye week.
Michael Vick, who has missed the last three games, is set to return when Philadelphia returns to action next week against the Colts. Kevin Kolb performed pretty well in Vick's absence, but you have to believe that Vick truly is the better option.
9. Tennessee Titans
13 of 21
Technically, the Titans are the best team in the AFC South. Sure, they're only on top because Indianapolis and Houston couldn't keep pace this weekend. But still, Tennessee is very good.
Indeed, how many other teams can you name that have an experienced backup quarterback who can bring plenty to the table when the starter goes down? In fact, the only other team that can make that claim is the team they just beat, although the exactly who is the clear-cut starter for the Eagles is hard to figure from week to week.
In any case, Tennessee looks legit. Sitting out the first quarter as punishment for his involvement in a bar fight didn't stop sophomore receiver Kenny Britt from having himself a day. He finished with seven catches for 225 yards and three scores.
Chris Johnson still seems like he hasn't gotten going yet, but he's still fifth in the NFL with 94.6 yards per game.
8. Atlanta Falcons
14 of 21
Things looked pretty dire for the Falcons after three quarters at home against Cincinnati, but the trio of Matt Ryan, Roddy White and Michael Turner found a way to pull it out.
In case you haven't noticed, Roddy White is a beast. He leads the NFL in receiving yards with 747, and he always seems to make a great play when the Falcons need one (and not just on offense either, as Nate Clements can vouch).
7. Houston Texans
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The Texans rode a win over Kansas City into their bye week, and have maintained their good standing among the NFL's elite teams.
Andre Johnson is the best receiver in the NFL, and you have to appreciate the rise of Arian Foster in an offense that was expected to be a pass happy unit.
6. Baltimore Ravens
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The Ravens were probably much higher in most power rankings last week, but barely escaping with an overtime win against the Bills definitely merits second thoughts.
Nevertheless, they still have that great defense. And it's still difficult to find an offense with more playmakers. They'll be okay.
5. New York Giants
17 of 21
Last night's game really wasn't as close as the 41-35 final indicates. The Giants scored 31 unanswered points between the second and third quarter, and they successfully turned the Cowboys from a disappointment to an embarrassment.
Taking their foot off the gas late in the game nearly burned them, but you can rest assured that Tom Coughlin is just as aware of that as anybody.
4. Indianapolis Colts
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The Colts took a win over Washington into their Week 7 bye, and they are set to engage in what should be a great matchup with the Texans on Monday Night Football.
Peyton Manning is still the best, and Reggie Wayne might end up having the best year of his career. The only real worry for the Colts is Dallas Clark's injury. How bad will his absence hurt the Colts?
3. Pittsburgh Steelers
19 of 21
The Steelers were lucky to escape Miami with a win. As such, they deserve to drop a few places in the rankings.
Say what you will about the Steelers' ability to grind out a tough win, but the fact of the matter is that capitalizing on the buffoonery of the officials is something that no team deserves credit for.
Of course, they're still very good.
2. New England Patriots
20 of 21
It was probably time to stop sleeping on the Patriots after they pulled out a win against Baltimore. And while a close win against the hapless Chargers probably isn't all that impressive, the Pats are still one of the best teams in the NFL.
It's Tom Brady and a cast of supporting characters. That's how it was when the Pats were winning championships, and it's working again.
1. New York Jets
21 of 21
How about that for a bye week, eh? All the Jets had to do was sit back and let the other teams lower themselves.
They are the best team. Great defense, great run game, and a developing star at quarterback. They play with attitude, and are only going to get better with a healthy Darelle Revis.
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