NFL Power Rankings: San Diego Chargers and More Teams That Will Plummet

While the NFL's elite teams are fairly apparent at this point, there are a lot of questions among the mid-tier squads. Power rankings certainly aren't static and they tend to change dramatically with each passing week as surprising wins or losses occur.

In our minds, every team is ranked based upon what they have done so far. Because of that, some teams are much higher up than they will ultimately be and vice versa. With that said, here are three teams that will plummet in the standings after Week 8's games.

Philadelphia Eagles

At 2-4, most may not consider the Philadelphia Eagles to be too high up in the NFL's pecking order, but I think most fans have given them the benefit of the doubt following their slow start. With the likes of Michael Vick, LeSean McCoy, DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin on offense, they have too much talent to continue losing, right?

Not so fast, as the Eagles have a very tough game coming up on Sunday night against the 3-3 Dallas Cowboys. Like the Eagles, the Cowboys have under-performed, but much of that has to do with blown leads late in games and an absolutely brutal schedule.

One of those teams is going to have to take a tumble down the rankings this week, and despite being at home, I think it will be Philly. Provided Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo can limit mistakes and sudden star running back DeMarco Murray can run on the Eagles' deplorable run defense, Dallas should be in line for a victory.

Cincinnati Bengals

Few teams in the NFL this season have been more surprising than the 4-2 Cincinnati Bengals. Most prognosticators picked the Bengals to be among the NFL's worst teams, but with a stellar defense and steady play from rookie quarterback Andy Dalton, the Bengals are just a half-game out in the AFC North.

While I believe Cincinnati's defense is for real, the offense is bound to hit bumps in the road. Dalton hasn't made many mistakes, but he hasn't really been forced to win a game yet. That could change this week against the Seattle Seahawks as running back Cedric Benson is out due to suspension.

The 2-4 Seahawks aren't a particularly dangerous team, but they are a different animal at home. Seattle proved how dangerous it could be on its home field last season by beating the New Orleans Saints in the playoffs. I think the Bengals wilt under the pressure of being favored and get ambushed this weekend.

San Diego Chargers

The San Diego Chargers were able to avoid the slow start that normally plagues them by racing out to a 4-1 record this season. The Bolts let one slip away against the New York Jets last week, however, and are entering dangerous territory in terms of blowing their AFC West lead.

San Diego will face the 3-3 Kansas City Chiefs on the road on Monday night. The Chiefs were left for dead by most in losing their first three games, two of them by blowouts. Kansas City has been able to right the ship, though, without the services of safety Eric Berry and running back Jamaal Charles.

While the Chargers are favored, the Chiefs look like a very dangerous team right now that is starting to come together. A win would put them in a tie for first in the division, so a win would be huge for both teams. Kansas City's secondary shined with six interceptions against Oakland last week, and I think it can force a struggling Philip Rivers into some mistakes on Monday.

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