NFL Power Rankings 8

NFL Power Rankings

After Week 8

NOTE: Previous ranking is noted in the first parenthesis, record in second parenthesis.

1. (1) Denver Broncos (6-1) – Manning got Sanders more involved in a big way, as the two of them connected for three TD’s on Thursday night. Now they prepare to travel to Foxboro…

2. (7) New England Patriots (6-2) – With Tom Brady playing as well as he is can anyone beat them? We’ll find out next week with Denver coming to town… It’s Manning vs. Brady and #1 vs. #2 in my rankings!

3. (6) Arizona Cardinals (6-1) – Arizona maintained their lead in the NFC West with a great late win against Philly. Bet they are happy that Carson Palmer is back.

4. (2) Dallas Cowboys (6-2) – I only dropped Dallas two spots after a home loss to the Redskins because it was aided heavily by an injury (Romo). If there isn’t lingering damage, this team is still in control. If he’s affected by it, this team could drop heavily.

5. (9) Detroit Lions (6-2) – Another heroic comeback from Matt Stafford. But the defense was terrific in the second half also. They’ll all be happy with Megatron returns.

6. (5) Philadelphia Eagles (5-2) – Philly took the lead late but couldn’t hold on. If they can get McCoy running better, things will be much easier on Foles.

7. (3) Indianapolis Colts (5-3) – The most confusing result on Sunday was the Colts getting smashed by Pittsburgh. What happened to that defense that shut out Cincy a week ago?

8. (4) Green Bay Packers (5-3) – Total collapse in the Saints game Sunday night that started when Rodgers tweaked his hammy. Everyone gets blown out though in that dome on primetime.

9. (12) Kansas City Chiefs (4-3) – Here come those Chiefs, tearing it up on defense and pounding it on the ground. That recipe led to great things a year ago…

10. (11) San Francisco 49ers (4-3) – Bye week saw both NFC West rivals win. Bummer for them.

11. (14) Cincinnati Bengals (4-2-1) – They completed a season sweep of Baltimore on Sunday which could end up delivering them the division. Dalton was big in this one, especially since he was without AJ Green again.

12. (13) Seattle Seahawks (4-3) – There is trouble brewing in Seattle, despite Wilson’s claims that they are all together. He did pull off a late TD pass that won the game for them. That was clutch.

13. (15) Pittsburgh Steelers (5-3) – Big Ben… Just wow. First QB EVER to throw for over 500 yards twice. Oh, he had 6 TD passes also. Stud performance!

14. (8) Baltimore Ravens (5-3) – I just bragged on their defense last week, but they were a little soft on Cincy’s final drive. Of course, I’d be singing a different tune if Smith Sr.’s final TD wasn’t taken back due to penalty.

15. (16) Buffalo Bills (5-3) – With Kyle Orton at QB, the Bills have exploded. Sammy Watkins is quickly chasing down Kelvin Benjamin in the Rookie of the Year race.

16. (17) Miami Dolphins (4-3) – Tannehill wasn’t on fire in this one as he has been, but the team won with ease and moved above .500.

17. (10) San Diego Chargers (5-3) – I dropped this squad 7 spots for the second week in a row. They simply haven’t looked the part against good teams, this time getting smoked by Denver.

18. (22) New Orleans Saints (3-4) – Too bad they can’t play every game at home... The Saints offense returned in a big way, and they are suddenly looking good within their own division.

19. (18) Carolina Panthers (3-4-1) – Nearly beat Seattle, but couldn’t make a late play. They are still in the mix in the mediocre NFC South though.

20. (20) Cleveland Browns (4-3) – Got above .500 again but they did so by defeating the lowly Raiders at home. Can’t give them much credit for that.

21. (21) New York Giants (3-4) – We’ll see what sort of team New York is out of their bye. Too bad they can’t have Cruz back.

22. (26) Houston Texans (4-4) – The Texans did what they have all season: beat bad teams. JJ Watt continues to play at an amazing level.

23. (24) Washington Redskins (3-5) – Who needs RG3 or Cousins… Colt McCoy for MVP… Not really, but winning at Dallas was special. Defense paved the way.

24. (19) Chicago Bears (3-5) – Chicago is now officially the most underachieving team in the league. Their blowout loss was embarrassing on Sunday, and they lost Houston in the process during a pointless celebration.

25. (27) Minnesota Vikings (3-5) – Another win for the Vikings behind Teddy Bridgewater, but it was really the defense that got it done. Anthony Barr is the rookie that deserves some praise.

26. (23) St. Louis Rams (2-5) – They scored an early TD, but didn’t score again. Pathetic effort against KC. Coach is on the hot seat!

27. (25) Atlanta Falcons (2-6) – Here’s another coach on the hot seat, as Atlanta blew a big lead in London in this game. Can’t do anything right at the moment.

28. (28) Tennessee Titans (2-6) – Better get their scouts out there watching Mariotta, Winston, Hundley, and others.

29. (29) New York Jets (1-7) – The QB situation continues to be a mess. They too better get their scouts out there.

30. (30) Jacksonville Jaguars (1-7) – Denard Robinson was good again, Bortles even had a lot of yards, but it still did add up to anything.

31. (31) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-6) – Tampa will be making some noise this week… on the market via trades.

32. (32) Oakland Raiders (0-7) – Winless on the year, and by my count they only have two winnable games left this season…

By: The Sports Guys