NFL Power Rankings Week 8: Which Teams Are in Danger of Missing Playoffs?

There is one thing that is sure to land you on the hot seat if you're a head coach—missing the playoffs. This is especially true if expectations are high after coming off of a good season or one in which your team overachieved.

Nonetheless, only 12 can make it and 20 are left with their heads shaking. Here are three teams who were expected to have success this year that are in early danger of missing the playoffs.

New York Giants (4-2)

For the Giants, it's not so much that they're not good enough to make the postseason as it is they have an insanely difficult schedule through the final nine weeks.

Sure they're getting healthier, but you can't expect those players to just flip a switch and immediately get back to their normal productivity. Plus, the NFC East is only going to have one playoff team because the NFC North and South will be fighting for two teams, if not three.

The bottom line however, is that their schedule is just simply too difficult to overcome, especially since we've seen how bad they can be in their home loss to Seattle and road loss to Washington.

San Diego Chargers (4-2)

Right now the Bolts are just underachieving. Even in their four wins over teams with a combined 6-19 record, none of those wins were very impressive.

Their two losses came on the road against the Pats and Jets, so it's certain that the Chargers don't like the weather outside of sunny San Diego. This week they play at Kansas City in a big AFC West matchup.

Unless the Chargers can win on the road they have no shot at making the postseason, and as evidenced by their poor performance thus far, San Diego is missing out on the playoffs.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-3)

The only thing keeping Tampa Bay alive right now are their two divisional wins over New Orleans and Atlanta, both of those wins coming at home. The overseas loss to Chicago in Week 7 was very telling about how the Bucs play on the road, so their chances have dimmed.

You know Atlanta and New Orleans are anxiously awaiting the Bucs to visit, and don't discount their two games against Carolina. The Panthers have been putting up quite a fight each week and are only getting better.

If Tampa Bay cannot figure out how to play more consistently overall, and even more so on the road (at Minnesota wasn't an impressive showing for the Bucs), 2011 will be a disappointing encore to their 10-6 campaign in 2010.

Week 8 NFL Power Rankings (LW = Last Week's Rank)

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

Be sure to check out John on Bleacher Report. 

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