NFL Power Rankings Week 8: New York Giants and Teams That Will Keep Climbing

Seven weeks in and the 2011 NFL power rankings are still as amorphous as ever. We can say with some certainty that the Green Bay Packers and the New England Patriots will be at or near the top of the list for pretty much the entire season, just as the Miami Dolphins, the St. Louis Rams and the Indianapolis Colts will sit in the basement for the foreseeable future.

Just about everything else is up for grabs, with these teams poised to take advantage of the league's soft underbelly in Week 8.

New York Giants

A 4-2 record is a 4-2 record, even if it belongs to the Giants and even if three of the four wins came against the Rams, the Eagles and the Cardinals.

Last I checked, the NFL will still award a team a division crown if it pads its record against the dregs of pro football.

Which makes a home game against the winless Dolphins on Sunday that much more valuable for Big Blue. What's more, Eli Manning and his pals will be well rested after a Week 7 bye and ready to spear the Fish, who would be more than happy to "Suck For Andrew Luck".

Cincinnati Bengals

Speaking of teams coming off byes with games against bad teams, the Bengals couldn't have asked for a much better matchup in Week 8 than a game against the sloppy Seahawks.

Granted, they'd probably prefer the tilt more if it were in Cincinnati rather than Seattle, though not even home-field advantage can heal Marshawn Lynch and Tarvaris Jackson.

And, frankly, if your team is pining for the good ol' days of Lynch and T-Jax, then you're already in deep, deep trouble. The Bengals' top-ranked defense won't make life any easier for Charlie Whitehurst, Justin Forsett and Leon Washington, either.

Carolina Panthers

After weeks of near-misses, the Panthers finally came up with their second win of the season by way of a 33-20 victory over the quarterback-challenged Redskins.

Carolina has no such problems under center, not after Cam Newton posted his most efficient performance of the season against a solid 'Skins defense.

For their efforts, the Panthers will face another talented team with a rookie QB that's had its fair share of close calls this season—the Minnesota Vikings.

Christian Ponder showed against the Packers that he's no pushover, though he won't have the benefit of playing at home this time around. This game could turn out to be a launching pad to further success for the Panthers, especially if Newton continues to improve.

Josh Martin's Week 7 NFL Power Rankings

1. Green Bay Packers

2. New England Patriots

3. Baltimore Ravens

4. San Francisco 49ers

5. New Orleans Saints

6. Pittsburgh Steelers

7. Atlanta Falcons

8. New York Giants

9. Detroit Lions

10. Buffalo Bills

11. New York Jets

12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

13. San Diego Chargers

14. Cincinnati Bengals

15. Houston Texans

16. Chicago Bears

17. Kansas City Chiefs

18. Cleveland Browns

19. Oakland Raiders

20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

21. Philadelphia Eagles

22. Tennessee Titans

23. Washington Redskins

24. Carolina Panthers

25. Minnesota Vikings

26. Denver Broncos

27. Seattle Seahawks

28. Jacksonville Jaguars

29. Arizona Cardinals

30. Miami Dolphins

31. St. Louis Rams

32. Indianapolis Colts