NFL Week 8 Power Rankings
By Tim Dillon
Oct 20, 2013; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall (23) celebrates on the field after the Redskins against the Chicago Bears at FedEx Field. The Redskins won 44-41. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Sorry there were no power rankings last week! The previous ranking for each team this week will reflect their rank from 2 weeks ago.
1. Denver Broncos (6-1) – Peyton lost a tough one in his old home, but the Broncos are still the team to beat in the NFL. Turnovers proved to be the difference in this tight game, but when was the last time Peyton threw 20 incompletions? He looked human for one of the first times this season. Previous Rank: 1
2. Kansas City Chiefs (7-0) – This defense is the best in the league, but everyone knew how good they could be last year since they had four pro-bowlers. The clear difference maker on this team, aside from Andy Reid, is QB Alex Smith. He makes smart plays and protects the football. Who would have thought they would lead the division over the Broncos right now? Previous Rank: 4
3. New Orleans Saints (5-1) – Hopefully the Saints used this bye week to get healthy since Jimmy Graham is the focal point on this offense along with the also-injured Darren Sproles. They have a relatively easy game this week against the Buffalo Bills. Previous Rank: 2
4. Indianapolis Colts (5-2) –Sunday’s win against Peyton was arguably the biggest game of Andrew Luck’s career. This team has beaten excellent opponents this season, but they suffered another big loss with the injury to Reggie Wayne. Will they trade for Josh Gordon as a replacement? Previous Rank: 6
5. Seattle Seahawks (6-1) – Russell Wilson had an excellent day at the office, going 18/29 for 235 yards and 3 TDs. This offense should get even better soon now that WR Percy Harvin will begin practicing this week. Previous Rank: 3
6. Cincinnati Bengals (5-2) – The Bengals have won four of their last five games and this defense is one of the league’s best. Andy Dalton has his doubters, but he was 24/34 for 372 and 3 TDs with no picks against the Lions. Previous Rank: 7
7. New England Patriots (5-2) – Patriots fans are quick to blame the strange penalty on the OT field goal as the reason for Sunday’s loss to the Jets, but the fact is they played terrible. Brady’s throws were erratic and they were an abysmal 1-12 on third down. Josh McDaniels should be fired after this season after some seriously questionable play calling and under-utilizing Stevan Ridley. Previous Rank: 5
8. San Francisco 49ers (5-2) – Colin Kaepernick rushed for only two fewer yards than Frank Gore on less than half the carries and scored his first rushing TD of the year. Gore played well too scoring 2 TDs on the game. Previous Rank: 13
9. Green Bay Packers (4-2) – No Randall Cobb or James Jones? No problem for Aaron Rodgers who carved up Cleveland’s secondary for 260 yards and 3 TDs. The defense played well, but then again it’s very easy to defend against Brandon Weeden. Previous Rank: 10
10. Dallas Cowboys (4-3) – Dallas has staked their claim at the top of the NFC East although it’s all but assured in this division. They need DeMarco Murray and DeMarcus Ware back as soon as possible to stay on top until the playoffs. Previous Rank: 14
11. Chicago Bears (4-3) – The groin injury to Jay Cutler may derail this team in a competitive NFC North if he is out for a prolonged period of time, but backup Josh McCown played well in Sunday’s loss. He went 14/20 for 204 yards and a TD with no picks. The next few games may be rough: @Green Bay, vs. Detroit, vs. Baltimore. Previous Rank: 8
12. Detroit Lions (4-3) – A 54-yard field goal as the final seconds ticked away handed the Lions their third loss of the season. The connection between Matt Stafford and Megatron is incredible; just watch Megatron’s TD catch that Stafford heaved deep into triple coverage. Previous Rank: 11
13. San Diego Chargers (4-3) – Phil Rivers and Ryan Matthews took care of business against Jacksonville on Sunday, just like every other team has. Rivers only tossed four incompletions on the day and was efficient in picking up first downs. Previous Rank: 19
14. New York Jets (4-3) – Geno Smith played reasonably well against the Patriots and earned the victory he got. The Jets were smart and went back to the run game to attack a Patriots defense without Vince Wilfork and Jerod Mayo. They had nearly double the Patriots rushing yard total on Sunday. Previous Rank: 20
15. Baltimore Ravens (3-4) – The defending Super Bowl champions lost their third of the past four games on Sunday against the division rival Steelers. Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce only gained 58 yards on 21 rushes, something unusual for them. Previous Rank: 16
16. Miami Dolphins (3-3) – They dropped a critical game on Sunday against the division rival Bills and now slipped to third place in a very tight division. They take on the Patriots in New England this week in another divisional showdown. If they lose that game it will mark four consecutive losses for this team. Previous Rank: 9
17. Tennessee Titans (3-4) – Jake Locker played well in his return, throwing for 326 yards and 2 TDs with a pick, but the Titans defense didn’t have an answer for Kaepernick. They are now second in the AFC South behind Indianapolis and ahead of Houston. Previous Rank: 12
18. Carolina Panthers (3-3) – Cam Newton has been on fire the past two games: he’s gone 35/43 for 464 yards and four TDs with no interceptions. It seems like a new Panthers team shows up each week, but if they can find some consistency they can string together more wins. Previous Rank: 27
19. Buffalo Bills (3-4) – Despite blowing an early 14-point lead, the Bills rallied to beat the division rival Dolphins and tighten up the AFC East. They have a tough matchup next week against the New Orleans Saints. Previous Rank: 21
20. Washington Redskins (2-4) – RGIII is back and this offense is finally clicking. The defense is abysmal, but if they can keep putting up points on offense it won’t necessarily be a game-killer for them. Previous Rank: 28
21. Philadelphia Eagles (3-4) – Just when it seemed like there may be another quarterback controversy in Philly after Nick Foles’s impressive performance last week, he tanked really hard against the Cowboys. His accuracy and decision making were awful, and his performance cemented Vick’s status as starter upon his return. Previous Rank: 22
22. Cleveland Browns (3-4) – Brandon Weeden went 17/42 on Sunday against the Packers. This kind of inaccuracy is what makes him one of the worst quarterbacks in the league. Jason Campbell should get a look to start soon. Previous Rank: 15
23. St. Louis Rams (3-4) – With Sam Bradford out for the season the Rams are likely bringing in Brady Quinn for a workout. Their season is basically over already, though, in a competitive NFC, particularly their own division. Previous Rank: 25
24. Atlanta Falcons (2-4) – It took the Falcons three consecutive losses to the AFC East in order to finally grind out a win this Sunday. Matt Ryan connected with Harry Douglas with the absence of Julio Jones and Roddy White, a trend that should continue in the future. Previous Rank: 23
25. Arizona Cardinals (3-4) – Larry Fitzgerald with only two catches was likely because of Richard Sherman’s coverage, but Carson Palmer has to do a better job of getting him the ball. Previous Rank: 17
26. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-4) – Pittsburgh got a big win this weekend against the defending Super Bowl champions to give them their second straight win. Are they turning their season around or is it too late? Previous Rank: 29
27. Houston Texans (2-5) – Sunday’s loss marks the fifth straight for the Texans. Case Keenum went 15/25 for 271 and a TD with no picks against a very good Kansas City defense, so there’s some positive play from the QB position for once this season. He has this bye week to develop more before taking on the Colts. Previous Rank: 18
28. Oakland Raiders (2-4) – The Raiders had a bye this week and take on the Steelers next week. Terrell Pryor leads the team in passing and rushing, but that won’t continue unless the O-line got healthy over the bye. Previous Rank: 24
29. New York Giants (1-6) – It took one of the few teams worse than the Giants to hand them their first win. Monday night’s game against the Vikings was awful but it’s a step in the right direction for the G-men. Eli finally had a game without throwing a pick. Previous Rank: 30
30. Minnesota Vikings (1-5) – This team is a complete mess. It was unfair to throw Josh Freeman into the game when he obviously wasn’t comfortable with the offense. The Vikings need to trade Jared Allen before the deadline and get some solid picks. Previous Rank: 26
31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-6) – Mike Glennon is playing better than Josh Freeman did this year, so that’s a positive sign for the Buccs. The loss of Doug Martin all but put the nail in the coffin for their season, though. Previous Rank: 31
32. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-6) – The Jags should try to trade MJD at the deadline to give a team in need of a RB a playoff push while collecting much needed rebuilding picks. You can almost guarantee they won’t, however, since the organization as a whole is a complete train wreck. Previous Rank: 32