NFL Power Ranks: Week 8

Besides the Titans and Giants, it just seems like no one wants to be in the top 5. Teams that made appearances or flirted with it for the past few weeks have dropped down, only to be replaced by other teams that have flirted with the top 5. I guess now we'll just sit back and watch the teams that got bounced down the ranks this week make a comeback.

The Steelers, Bucs, and Bills all got knocked down this week with losses to the very good Giants, the shaky Cowboys, and the below average Dolphins. The new #3 is a former #3 and #4, the Panthers. The new #4 is a team that spent 3 weeks in a row in the top 5, the Redskins, only to fall out after a loss to the Rams and a bad win over the now not so bad looking Browns. The new #5 is now the new AFC East co-leader, and a former #4, the Patriots, who have shown some life on offense but still aren't the team they were last year. The Titans hold a nearly 10 point lead over the Giants, while the Giants hold a nearly 10 point lead over the Panthers, so they should both be in the top 5 for a long time.

I can't talk about the bottom 5 without discussing the just awful AFC West. The 4 teams are now ranked 24, 26, 27, and 29. Even though the Broncos are in first place at 4-3, they have only won 1 of thier last 4 games, and are near the bottom of the league in turnovers and defense. The actual teams in the bottom 5 didn't change this week, but the positions did. Some fiestier play by the Lions coupled with some horrible play by the Bengals have switched the 2 winless teams, while the 49ers are gradually sinker closer to those teams despite having 2 wins. The Seahawks are still in the bottom 5 despite winning....over the awful 49ers, but the win was enough for them to pass Kansas City for 28th.

The biggest gainers this week were Cleveland, who are now ranked #12 after playing much better the past few weeks, jumping 8 spots, and Dallas, who got a win over the #3 team to probably delay thier inevitable collapse. The biggest losers wer Jacksonville and San Diego, 2 playoff teams from last year that just can't get it together, both dropping 8 spots. Also, the Colts and Falcons dropped 7 spots. The Colts have gone for 28th, to 6th, back to 22nd in just 5 weeks.

Here are the ranks....

1. Titans - 87.14 - Even
2. Giants - 77.37 - Even
3. Panthers - 67.93 - +4
4. Redskins - 67.01 - +2
5. Patriots - 66.36 - +6
6. Eagles - 65.95 - +4
7. Steelers - 64.97 - -3
8. Bears - 64.49 - Even
9. Buccaneers - 61.30 - -6
10. Packers - 57.94 - +3
11. Bills - 57.54 - -6
12. Browns - 55.73 - +8
13. Jets - 55.14 - +4
14. Cowboys - 54.67 - +7
15. Dolphins - 54.35 - +4
16. Falcons - 54.23 - -7
17. Cardinals - 52.94 - -3
18. Saints - 52.20 - Even
19. Ravens - 49.24 - +4
20. Jaguars - 49.10 - -8
21. Texans - 48.39 - +4
22. Colts - 48.37 - -7
23. Vikings - 43.91 - -1
24. Chargers - 41.47 - -8
25. Rams - 37.24 - +1
26. Broncos - 37.05 - -2
27. Raiders - 30.95 - Even
28. Seahawks - 28.92 - +1
29. Chiefs - 27.80 - -1
30. 49ers - 19.61 - Even
31. Lions - 13.60 - +1
32. Bengals - 12.93 - -1