NFL Power Rankings Week 8: Green Bay Packers on a Different Level

Week 7 in the NFL was, in many respects, the worst collective showing by the National Football League that I can remember in a long time. The Monday night prime time affair between the Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars was eye-bleedingly awful. If you were a fan of the New Orleans Saints in Sunday night prime time, it was a night to remember. Without a rooting interest in that one? It was almost painful to watch.

What if there was a showdown game in a divisional race and one team didn’t show up? Ask the Tennessee Titans, who were utterly pantsed by the Houston Texans with first place on the line in the AFC South.

The San Diego Chargers put on one of the worst displays of two-minute offense I can recall. Shifting formations with 30 seconds left and the clock running? To complete a three-yard pass? Really? Philip Rivers throwing the ball away on fourth down? Yeah, Phil, good idea—let’s dial up something good for fifth down, right?

That’s not to say there wasn’t some amazing stuff happening. Aaron Rodgers had one bad pass in the Green Bay Packers’ win over the Minnesota Vikings—one! Rodgers’ six incompletions included two balls airmailed out of bounds, two that were dropped by receivers and one that was a clock-killing spike.

Arian Foster was a beast—115 yards on the ground, 119 receiving and three touchdowns? Wow. Just wow.

The end result was a severe shakeup of my NFL Power Rankings.

32. Indianapolis Colts (0-7)

Last week’s ranking: 29

Week 7: Lost at New Orleans 62-7

Week 8: at Tennessee

Strength of victory factor: “Nothin’ from nothin’ leaves nothin'.”—Billy Preston.

What went right for the Colts? Well … nobody died. Beyond that, there wasn’t a lot of good news.

The Saints tied the mark for the most points scored in a single game since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. They tied the mark for the largest point differential in a single game since the merger. That would, of course, also mean that Indianapolis tied those marks from the wrong direction.

The loss means the Colts’ streak of nine straight seasons with at least 10 wins is by the boards. From the looks of things, Indianapolis will be hard pressed to make the 3-13 seasons of 1997 and 1998.

For the record, the worst season in franchise history came in 1991, when the Colts finished 1-15.

31. St. Louis Rams (0-6)

Last week’s ranking: 32

Week 7: Lost at Dallas 34-7

Week 8: vs. New Orleans

Strength of victory factor: “We can’t win at home and we can’t win on the road. My problem as general manager is I can’t think of another place to play.” —Pat Williams

The Rams moved up a spot after a 27-point loss. Thank you, Indianapolis!

Not a lot went right for St. Louis. Dallas rookie DeMarco Murray ran wild against the Ram defense, setting a Cowboy franchise record with his 253 yards rushing. A.J. Feeley did little to energize the offense starting in place of the injured Sam Bradford.

The Rams had two good drives all day in Dallas—one led to Stephen Jackson’s touchdown run that accounted for St. Louis’ only points, the other ended at the Dallas one-yard line on a fourth-down stop.

30. Miami Dolphins (0-6)

Last week’s ranking: 31

Week 7: Lost to Denver 18-15 (OT)

Week 8: at New York Giants

Strength of victory factor: “We didn’t tackle well today, but we made up for it by not blocking.” —John McKay

The Dolphins did what bad teams do—snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Miami led the Broncos 15-0 with less than six minutes remaining before Tim Tebow led Denver to two touchdowns and a game-tying two-point conversion to force the game to overtime.

In the overtime, it was the Dolphins who made the crucial mistake—Matt Moore’s fumble which set up Denver’s game-winning field goal.

29. Arizona Cardinals (1-5)

Last week’s ranking: 25

Week 7: Lost to Pittsburgh 32-20

Week 8: at Baltimore

Strength of victory factor: 2

The Cardinals came out of their bye with quarterback Kevin Kolb talking in glowing terms of how well the team practiced during its break. Then Arizona lost its fifth straight game to the Steelers and lost running back Beanie Wells to a sprained knee.

The road ahead looks bleak for the Cardinals because, well, four of their next five are on the road. Arizona has lost 10 straight away from the Field on Wheels in Glendale, with their last road victory coming in the season opener at St. Louis to open the 2010 season.

This week’s matchup will be all about which birds are angrier—the visiting Cardinals or the host Ravens, coming off an ugly Monday night loss.

28. Minnesota Vikings (1-6)

Last week’s ranking: 23

Week 7: Lost to Green Bay 33-27

Week 8: Using the bye to refill the dirt in the grave containing Donovan McNabb’s career as an NFL starting quarterback.

Strength of victory factor: 1

Christian Ponder had mixed results in his first NFL start at quarterback, but the first-round draft pick out of Florida State looked like he belonged there. He was just 13-for-32 for 219 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. One of the touchdowns was a 72-yard bomb to Michael Jenkins on Minnesota’s first offensive play.

The Viking secondary hasn’t been good when it has everyone available and Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers shredded what was left of the defensive backfield that was without injured Jamarca Sanford, Antoine Winfield and an incarcerated Chris Cook.

Adrian Peterson continued to be a beast, running for 175 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries, but it wasn’t enough.

27. Denver Broncos (2-4)

Last week’s ranking: 26

Week 7: Won at Miami 18-15 (OT)

Week 8: vs. Detroit

Strength of victory factor: 4

Tim Tebow spent most of Sunday’s game at Sun Life Stadium looking awful. Then in a span of 2:44, he threw two touchdown passes and scored on a two-point conversion run to force overtime. Then D.J. Williams forced a fumble and Matt Prater boomed a 52-yard field goal to win it for Denver.

It was the Broncos’ first-ever win at Miami.

Next up for Denver is a home game against the banged-up Lions.

26. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-5)

Last week’s ranking: 28

Week 7: Beat Baltimore 12-7 (Monday night)

Week 8: at Houston

Strength of victory factor: 7

The Jaguars slogged past the Ravens in a truly awful game to snap their five-game losing streak. Blaine Gabbert earned his first career win as a starting quarterback after three losses, but that’s not to imply he played well—he was just 9-for-20 for 93 yards but didn’t turn the ball over against the tough Baltimore defense.

Maurice Jones-Drew carried the offense on his legs, finishing with 105 yards on 30 carries, and three of Josh Scobee’s four field goals were from longer than 50 yards.

The Jacksonville defense harassed Joe Flacco all night and held the Ravens off the scoreboard until the final two minutes and change.

25. Kansas City Chiefs (3-3)

Last week’s ranking: 30

Week 7: Won at Oakland 28-0

Week 8: vs. San Diego (Monday night)

Strength of victory factor: 5

Two weeks into the season, the Chiefs were left for dead—safety Eric Berry out for the year, running back Jamaal Charles out for the year and tight end Tony Moeaki out for the year with blowout losses to the Bills and Lions.

Then Kansas City lost at San Diego in a close game before rolling to three straight wins, including a shutout at Oakland that featured two pick-sixes by the defense. The Chiefs picked off the Raiders' quarterbacks, Kyle Boller and Carson Palmer, a total of six times.

Now Kansas City hosts the Chargers for the return game with first place in the AFC West on the line. Love Todd Haley or hate him, but the guy has done a remarkable job turning this mess around.

24. Seattle Seahawks (2-4)

Last week’s ranking: 22

Week 7: Lost at Cleveland 6-3

Week 8: vs. Cincinnati

Strength of victory factor: 5

The Seahawks’ defense bent but didn’t break, holding the Browns to just a pair of field goals, but the Seattle offense was awful, mustering just 137 total yards. Charlie Whitehurst, making his first start of the season in place of the injured Tarvaris Jackson, was terrible, throwing for just 97 yards on 12-of-30 passing.

The special teams did their part, blocking a pair of Phil Dawson field-goal attempts, but also made the key mistake in the game—a blocking in the back call that negated an 81-yard touchdown by Leon Washington on a third quarter punt return.

23. Philadelphia Eagles (2-4)

Last week’s ranking: 21

Week 7: Leaving Michael Vick encased in ice packs for the entire bye week

Week 8: vs. Dallas

Strength of victory factor: 3

The Eagles return from their bye off a win at Washington and go into a huge home game with the Cowboys. Philadelphia currently trails the Giants by two games in the NFC East. Sunday’s game with Dallas is the first of three straight home games for the Eagles as they try to recover from that early four-game losing skid.

22. Carolina Panthers (2-5)

Last week’s ranking: 27

Week 7: Beat Washington 33-20

Week 8: vs. Minnesota

Strength of victory factor: 5

Cam Newton passed for 256 yards and ran for 59 more, accounting for two touchdowns, as the Panthers got just their second win of the season.

Newton’s 16-yard touchdown run in the third quarter was his seventh score on the ground, tying the post-merger record for rookie quarterbacks. Tennessee’s Vince Young scored seven rushing touchdowns as a rookie in 2006.

It was Newton’s most efficient performance as a pro, as he completed 18-of-23 passes and didn’t turn the ball over.

21. Cleveland Browns (3-3)

Last week’s ranking: 24

Week 7: Beat Seattle 6-3

Week 8: at San Francisco

Strength of victory factor: 2

The Browns were held to two field goals. Colt McCoy threw for just 157 yards. Cleveland had two field goals blocked. Yet the Browns won the game.

Cleveland’s defense held the short-handed Seahawks—who played without Tarvaris Jackson and Marshawn Lynch—to 137 yards and a single field goal.

It’s just the fourth time the Browns 2.0 have been at .500 or better after six games since their return to the NFL in 1999.

20. Washington Redskins (3-3)

Last week’s ranking: 16

Week 7: Lost at Carolina 33-20

Week 8: vs. Buffalo at Toronto

Strength of victory factor: 5

John Beck threw for 279 yards and scored on a short keeper  in his first start for the Redskins—and his first start in the NFL since 2007—but Washington turned the ball over three times and couldn’t stop Carolina’s rookie quarterback Cam Newton, who accounted for 315 total yards and two touchdowns.

The Redskins also lost running back Tim Hightower for the year to a torn ACL and wide receiver Santana Moss is expected to miss at least five weeks after surgery to repair a broken hand.

The enthusiasm over Washington’s 3-1 start is all but a memory after two straight losses after the bye.

19. Tennessee Titans (3-3)

Last week’s ranking: 12

Week 7: Lost to Houston 41-7

Week 8: vs. Indianapolis

Strength of victory factor: 9

The Titans couldn’t handle Arian Foster or the Texans’ depleted defense. Matt Hasselbeck had his worst game since signing with Tennessee, going 14-for-30 for 104 yards and two interceptions before giving way to first-round draft pick Jake Locker in the fourth quarter. Chris Johnson’s struggles continued, as he mustered just 18 yards on 10 carries.

The loss cost the Titans first place in the AFC South. Johnson was the target of the Nashville boo birds as he continues to do little after signing a $53 million contract extension after a protracted holdout in training camp.

18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-3)

Last week’s ranking: 18

Week 7: Lost to Chicago at London 24-18

Week 8: Auditioning running backs during the bye

Strength of victory factor: 10

The Buccaneer running game was woeful against the Bears at Wembley Stadium, managing just 30 yards in 11 attempts in a game during which Tampa Bay fell behind early. The Bucs lost Earnest Graham for the year to an Achilles’ injury and LeGarrette Blount is still banged up with a knee injury, leaving Kregg Lumpkin as Tampa Bay’s lone ambulatory running back.

Josh Freeman was picked off four times by the Bears and the Bucs blew any momentum that might have been gained by their big win over the Saints the previous week.

17. San Diego Chargers (4-2)

Last week’s ranking: 15

Week 7: Lost at New York Jets 27-21

Week 8: at Kansas City (Monday night)

Strength of victory factor: 6

The Chargers were shut out in the second half against the Jets and any hopes of a final drive to win the game went awry with awful clock and situation management. San Diego wasted several seconds shifting formations with the clock running under 40 seconds and Philip Rivers inexplicably threw the ball away when facing a fourth-down play.

The Chargers simply self-destructed, committing 13 penalties against the Jets and turning the ball over twice. They didn’t score after Mike Tolbert’s one-yard touchdown run gave them a 21-10 lead late in the first half.

16. Oakland Raiders (4-3)

Last week’s ranking: 8

Week 7: Lost to Kansas City 28-0

Week 8: Locking Carson Palmer in with his playbook during the bye

Strength of victory factor: 13

Kyle Boller was Kyle Boller in his first start for the Raiders, throwing three picks—including a pick-six—before being relieved by Palmer in the second half. Palmer, in his first game since last season with the Bengals, also threw three interceptions—including a pick-six.

It was the worst home loss ever for the Raiders to the Chiefs in a rivalry dating back to the AFL days in 1963.

Running back Darren McFadden sprained his right foot in the loss, but tests showed no structural damage.

15. Atlanta Falcons (4-3)

Last week’s ranking: 20

Week 7: Won at Detroit 23-16

Week 8: Basking in a two-game winning streak during the bye

Strength of victory factor: 11

Michael Turner rushed for 122 yards and Matt Ryan returned after leaving the game after a scary looking collision with teammate Will Svitek. The Falcons survived two interceptions by Ryan with an aggressive defensive effort that kept Matthew Stafford on the run most of the day.

The win gave the Falcons—13-3 last season—their first back-to-back wins of the season.

The bye also gives wide receiver Julio Jones an opportunity to rest his sore left hamstring.

14. Dallas Cowboys (3-3)

Last week’s ranking: 19

Week 7: Beat St. Louis 34-7

Week 8: at Philadelphia

Strength of victory factor: 8

DeMarco Murray didn’t start at running back for the Cowboys, he just took over. Murray broke Emmitt Smith’s franchise record with 253 yards on 25 carries, including a 91-yard touchdown in the first quarter.

Tony Romo didn’t have an opportunity to cost Dallas a game—the Cowboys led 20-7 after three quarters and put the game away in the fourth.

Dallas got back to .500 with the win and now visits Philadelphia in a huge NFC East game.

13. New York Giants (4-2)

Last week’s ranking: 10

Week 7: Enjoying the bye week in first place

Week 8: vs. Miami

Strength of victory factor: 7

The Giants got back defensive end Justin Tuck, right guard Chris Snee and running back Brandon Jacobs to practice this week, and just in time. After hosting winless Miami this week, the schedule turns brutal in the second half of the season.

Big Blue still has road games left at New England, San Francisco, New Orleans, Dallas and the Jets and will host the Packers and Cowboys.

12. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2)

Last week’s ranking: 17

Week 7: Won at Arizona 32-20

Week 8: vs. New England

Strength of victory factor: 8

Mike Wallace scored the second-longest touchdown in franchise history with a 95-yard reception as the Steelers handled Arizona.

Ben Roethlisberger threw for 361 yards and three scores as the Steelers won their third straight game with the Patriots coming to Heinz Field on Sunday.

11. New York Jets (4-3)

Last week’s ranking: 14

Week 7: Beat San Diego 27-21

Week 8: Watching Rex Ryan do some sets in Atlantic City during the bye week

Strength of victory factor: 9

Plaxico Burress went from spare part to playmaker, scoring three touchdowns as the Jets beat the Chargers to improve to 4-0 at home.

Gang Green’s defense shut out San Diego in the second half and Darrelle Revis had his second interception in as many weeks while Shonn Greene ran for a season-high 112 yards on 20 carries. New York goes into its bye with a two-game win streak on the heels of a three-game losing slide.

10. Cincinnati Bengals (4-2)

Last week’s ranking: 7

Week 7: Prepping Bernard Scott for his start at running back

Week 8: at Seattle

Strength of victory factor: 9

The Bengals will be without running back Cedric Benson, who will serve his one-game suspension coming off the bye week.

It’s been an encouraging season in Cincinnati, with rookies Andy Dalton and A.J. Green leading the Bengals into contention after last season’s Ochocinco-T.O. soap opera and Carson Palmer’s trade demands in the offseason.

9. Chicago Bears (4-3)

Last week’s ranking: 13

Week 7: Beat Tampa Bay at London 24-18

Week 8: If they were smart, putting a contract offer together for Matt Forte during the bye

Strength of victory factor: 11

Forte is an elite running back on two continents, rushing for 145 yards and a touchdown to lead the Bears to a win over the Buccaneers at Wembley Stadium. He became the first player to top 1,000 yards from scrimmage in the first seven games since Priest Holmes and Tiki Barber turned the trick in 2004.

Jay Cutler threw for 226 yards and a touchdown and the defense intercepted Josh Freeman four times and held Tampa Bay to just 30 yards on the ground.

8. Houston Texans (4-3)

Last week’s ranking: 11

Week 7: Won at Tennessee 41-7

Week 8: vs. Jacksonville

Strength of victory factor: 8

The Texans made a statement in the AFC South by dominating the formerly first-place Titans in Nashville. Arian Foster became the fourth player since the merger—and the first since Philadelphia’s Brian Westbrook in 2007—to have 100 yards rushing and receiving in the same game, accounting for three touchdowns in the rout.

Houston outgained the Titans 518-148 and Ben Tate also rushed for more than 100 yards, the first time in franchise history the Texans have had two backs over the century mark in the same game.

The win snapped a two-game losing streak and allowed Houston to regain first place in the division.

7. Buffalo Bills (4-2)

Last week’s ranking: 5

Week 7: Stocking up on loonies for their trip to Canada

Week 8: vs. Washington at Toronto

Strength of victory factor: 14

The Bills suffered a setback early this week when linebacker Shawne Merriman was placed on injured reserve with an Achilles injury. Buffalo is also trying to get left guard Andy Levitre up to speed at left tackle, as they will be without starter Demetrius Bell (shoulder) and backup Chris Hairston (ankle) at the Rogers Centre.

The good news is that linebacker Chris Kelsay is back at practice.

6. New England Patriots (5-1)

Last week’s ranking: 6

Week 7: Watching Mike Wallace run at Arizona and cringing

Week 8: at Pittsburgh

Strength of victory factor: 15

The Patriots are 9-2 after bye weeks under Bill Belichick, including their last eight in a row. That bodes well for the trip to Heinz Field for another battle between the AFC’s two best teams of the new century.

New England may also get a boost with the return of veteran running back Kevin Faulk, who excels in pass protection.

5. New Orleans Saints (5-2)

Last week’s ranking: 9

Week 7: Beat Indianapolis 62-7

Week 8: vs. St. Louis

Strength of victory factor: 12

The Saints get another shot at a winless team after obliterating the Colts in a game during which Drew Brees had more touchdown passes (five) than incompletions (four).

New Orleans tied a post-merger record by scoring 62 points and set franchise records for point total and margin of victory (55) with offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael calling plays in place of injured head coach Sean Payton, who watched the game from the booth.

4. Baltimore Ravens (4-2)

Last week’s ranking: 4

Week 7: Lost at Jacksonville 12-7 (Monday night)

Week 8: vs. Arizona

Strength of victory factor: 13

The Ravens’ offense was dreadful in the loss to the Jaguars and must get itself straightened out before the Cardinals come to town.

Baltimore didn’t get a first down until early in the third quarter and got its only score on a five-yard pass from Joe Flacco to Anquan Boldin with a little more than two minutes left in the game.

The Ravens mustered only 16 yards of offense in the first half and Flacco threw for just 137 yards on 21-for-38 passing.

3. Detroit Lions (5-2)

Last week’s ranking: 3

Week 7: Lost to Atlanta 23-16

Week 8: at Denver

Strength of victory factor: 15

The glow may be coming off the feel-good story in Motown. Matthew Stafford’s limping. Ndamukong Suh is again being accused of being a dirty player. And the Lions have lost two straight after a 5-0 start.

Now Detroit heads to the Rocky Mountains to take on the Fighting Tebows. The pass rush will have to be prepared to go after Tebow while having to worry about containing the running threat the big left-hander poses.

The Lions may still be without running back Jahvid Best for a second straight week because of a concussion.

2. San Francisco 49ers (5-1)

Last week’s ranking: 1

Week 7: Tutoring Jim Harbaugh on handshake etiquette during the bye

Week 8: vs. Cleveland

Strength of victory factor: 17

The 49ers already have a three-game lead in the moribund NFC West, but the division may be spared the embarrassment of having a sub-.500 champion this season.

Next up for San Francisco: A meeting with a Cleveland team that barely was able to slog by Seattle last week.

1. Green Bay Packers (7-0)

Last week’s ranking: 2

Week 7: Won at Minnesota 33-27

Week 8: Probably something to do with pass defense during the bye

Strength of victory factor: 18

The Packers are 7-0 and Aaron Rodgers is on a different level at quarterback. Rodgers completed his first 13 passes at Minnesota and finished 24-for-30 for 335 yards and three touchdowns.

James Starks gave Green Bay a running game to salt the game away in the fourth quarter with a pair of big first-down runs as the Packers ran out the clock on the Vikings.