NFL Power Rankings Week 8: Which Teams Are in Absolute Freefall?

What has happened to the Washington Redskins? 

No one believed that the Redskins could hold on to the top spot in the NFC East for the entire season, but all of a sudden, they are awful. Washington entered its bye week with a 3-1 record, and since that time, the 'Skins have dropped back-to-back games to two underachieving teams, had a quarterback change and possibly lost starting running back Tim Hightower for the season thanks to a likely torn ACL.

The Redskins are currently in free fall. They sit at 3-3, have already had their bye week—which means they don't have a chance to regroup—and John Beck has taken over at quarterback for Rex Grossman, who even admitted he entered the season out of shape.

I don't see Washington turning things around this year. The roster simply doesn't have enough talent to get off the mat and build something down the stretch.

The Tennessee Titans also started this season off on a 3-1 run, despite most pundits writing them off during the preseason. Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck stepped in and looked great through the team's first four games, even after top receiver Kenny Britt was lost for the season in Week 3. 

Without Britt, the Titans have tried to establish running back Chris Johnson and the team's rushing attack, but that simply hasn't happened. Tennessee's running game currently ranks dead last in the NFL, averaging just 64.3 yards per game. That's horrible when you consider that the Titans handed Johnson a six-year, $55.26 million contract during the preseason.

After that 3-1 start, the Titans have been embarrassed 38-17 by the Pittsburgh Steelers and 41-7 by the Houston Texans. They appear to be a completely different team, and this looks like the squad we all expected to see before the season kicked off. 

Like the Redskins, I don't expect to see the Titans in the playoffs, so their free fall is what we all should have expected.

NFL Power Rankings, Week 8

1. Green Bay Packers (7-0)
2. New England Patriots (5-1) 
3. New Orleans Saints (5-2) 
4. Baltimore Ravens (4-1)
5. San Francisco 49ers (5-1)
6. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2)
7. Buffalo Bills (4-2)
8. Detroit Lions (5-2)
9. San Diego Chargers (4-2)
10. Houston Texans (4-3)
11. New York Jets (4-3)
12. New York Giants (4-2)
13. Atlanta Falcons (4-3)
14. Cincinnati Bengals (4-2)
15. Oakland Raiders (4-3)
16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-3)
17. Chicago Bears (4-3)
18. Dallas Cowboys (3-3)
19. Philadelphia Eagles (2-4)
20. Tennessee Titans (3-3)
21. Cleveland Browns (3-3)
22. Kansas City Chiefs (3-3)
23. Washington Redskins (3-3)
24. Seattle Seahawks (2-4)
25. Carolina Panthers (2-5)
26. Denver Broncos (2-4)
27. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5)
28. Arizona Cardinals (1-5)
29. Minnesota Vikings (1-6)
30. St. Louis Rams (0-6)
31. Indianapolis Colts (0-7)
32. Miami Dolphins (0-6)