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NFL power rankings after week 8

by Kevin Taylor | November 4 2009

There are only two unbeaten teams left in the NFL after Week Eight, as one by one, teams have fallen from the unbeaten ranks and are left trying to shore up the holes that were exposed after their first losses.

This week the Denver Broncos came crashing back to earth after getting handily beaten by Baltimore 30-7. Online sportsbook SPORTSBETTING.COM had the Ravens favored at -3.5 for the opening line and the sports betting public pushed the number up to -4.5 by game time.

Other teams that ran out to 3-0 and 4-0 records have struggled mightily after losing their first game. The Giants jumped out to a 5-0 record and have now lost three in a row. The Jets and Ravens both had 3-0 records and now hold 4-4 and 4-3 records. Denver faces another tough physical team when they host the Steelers this week. Only time will tell if Denver is able to get right back to winning like Minnesota was able to do, after their one loss, or will they follow the losing trail of the Giants, Jets and Ravens.

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NFL Power Rankings:

1. New Orleans Saints: The Saints continue to roll after beating the Falcons in a sloppily played game 35-27. They didn't cover the 10½ but did cover the 54.5. They beat Atlanta after committing four turnovers and allowing Michael Turner to run for 151 yards. The Saints have more playmakers at every position than any other team and will be a touch match-up as long as they play at home. The Saints next three are against the Carolina, St. Louis and the Bucs. The Saints go marching to 10-0. — Last Week 1
2. Indianapolis Colts: The Colts barely kept the unbeaten streak going after squeaking by the 49ers 18-14. Peyton Manning threw for 349 yards but wasn't as accurate as he usually is and the Colts didn't cover the 13? line. The Colts will be hard pressed to remain unbeaten if they can't spring the running game. They face Houston, New England and Baltimore in the next three weeks. They could win all three just as easily as they could lose all three. Houston is a 9pt dog, which looks like a good bet for next week. Last Week — 2
3. Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings won the Favre Bowl in Lambeau with a convincing 38-26 win to easily cover as a 3pt underdog. Favre is playing his best football in years, which is saying a ton. They have the best shot at beating the Saints in the NFC but will need to get Antoine Winfield back in the secondary to hang with New Orleans. Favre has a bit of a groin injury, but the Vikes have a bye to get healthy. Last Week — 4
4. Denver Broncos: The Broncos hung around the first half in Baltimore but couldn't match the physical intensity of the Ravens for 60 minutes. Kyle Orton needs to get the ball downfield more or teams will start to key off on the running game. They host the Steelers this week in another tough matchup with the early line favoring the Steelers by 3. Last Week — 3
5. Cincinnati Bengals: The Bengals had a bye week after demolishing the Bears 45-10 in Week seven. For their reward they get to host the Ravens in a rematch of Week five when they went on the road as 8½ dogs and beat Baltimore 17-14. The Bengals ran wild on the Ravens and will look to repeat for a sweep. The Ravens are listed as 3 pt favorites. Last Week — 5
6. The Pittsburgh Steelers: Pittsburgh had a bye to prepare for the Broncos in Denver. Troy Polomalu's return to the lineup is a huge boost to the team. The extra week's rest should pay dividends. James Harrison has been playing like a beast in the last few games. The running game has returned and they are looking poised to make a run. They have won four in a row and have a big game at home against the Bengals in Week 10. Last Week — 6
7. The New England Patriots: It's still hard to judge how good New England is after winning in the snow against a discombobulated Tennessee squad and winning big in London over the sad-sack Bucs. Brady looks great and the defense is much improved. They get Miami this week—that is playing their second straight division road game. Pats by 10½ over the Fish. Last Week — 7
8. Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys are starting to gain momentum after their third straight win, disposing of the Seahawks 38-17. Tony Romo has had the best three game stretch of his career and Miles Austin is playing lights out. Dallas is tied atop the division with the Eagles who they play Sunday Night in Philly. The Eagles are listed as three point favorites. Last Week — 8
9. Philadelphia Eagles: Maybe it just took getting embarrassed by Oakland for Philly to realize how good they can be. The Eagles dominated the falling Giants 40-17 in a game that had the Eagles as 2½ pt home underdogs. DeSean Jackson is a difficult matchup for any team and Donovan McNabb is finding his playmakers without turning the ball over. Big game against Dallas this week. Last Week — 9
10. Baltimore Ravens: The bye week served the Ravens well as they finally looked like the Ravens we all love. The defense cut down on big plays and pressured Kyle Orton all day. Joe Flacco was solid again. They are on the road in Cincinnati with a chance to tie for the division lead. Ed Reed and Ray Lewis looked rejuvenated after the bye. Last Week — 14
11. Houston Texans: Houston is playing good ball on both sides having won three in a row — two on the road against the Bills and Bengals. They have the top passing attack and Andre Johnson is a monster. Losing TE Owen Daniels is a big blow. They need more consistency out of their running game. Last Week — 13
12. Arizona Cardinals: Will the real Cardinals team stand up? A week after beating the Giants in New York, they lose as 12½ favorites to Carolina 34-21. They are 1-3 at home, which is not a good record for a playoff contender. Lucky for the Cards they play in the NFC West. They will need to play better to hold off the 49ers. They take their red-hot road show to Chicago. Last Week — 10
13. San Diego Chargers: San Diego doesn't really scare anyone but they have won two in a row to climb back into the AFC West race. The held on as 17 pt favorites to beat the Raiders 24-16. They still can't run the ball and go into New York this week to face the struggling Giants. This is a good test for the Chargers. Getting rid of Chris Chambers is odd. Last Week — 15
14. Green Bay Packers: The Packers were looking to show the NFL that they belonged in the upper echelon of the NFC after convincingly beating the Lions and Browns but ran into the real deal in the Vikings - losing at home where they were instilled as 2½ pt favorites. They continue to rely on the passing game, which catches up to them because they can't pass block. Aaron Rodgers is good but holds onto the ball too long. Last Week — 11
15. New York Giants: Wow — have the mighty fallen. The once 5-0 Giants have lost three in a row and haven't looked very good doing it. The secondary is pathetic and Eli Manning's foot injury is hurting the team. They might be better off going with David Carr and that's not pretty. They now face the Chargers with Phillip Rivers always out to prove the Giants were wrong for trading him for Manning. The G-Men are favored by 5 against San Diego. Last Week — 12
16. Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons played a good road game but fell short to the Saints on Monday Night. That was the second tough road loss in a row after losing to Dallas last week. Matt Ryan made a couple of errant throws in an otherwise solid performance. Michael Turner is starting to run well again. They host Washington and are listed as 10-point favorites. Last Week — 16
17. Miami Dolphins: Miami swept the Jets after beating New York 30-25 in a game where Miami only gained 104 total yards. Ted Ginn was easily the best player on the field returning two kicks for tds. Miami goes to New England where they will need to play better than last week to have a chance against a rested New England team. Last Week — 18
18. Chicago Bears: The Browns were the perfect medicine for a self-destructing Bears team. Jay Cutler played a solid but unspectacular game against Cleveland and the defense finally shut down an opponent. They have a good matchup against the Cards in Chicago. Bears are favored by 3. Last Week — 20
19. New York Jets: The Jets continue to shoot themselves in the foot after outplaying Miami by a wide margin in almost every statistical category but find a way to lose by giving up 21 pts in the third quarter on kickoffs and a fumble return. The Jets get a bye to try to right their sinking ship but its quickly becoming a season to groom the rookie QB. The Jets host the Jaguars when they return in Week 10 before going to New England for a big rematch. Last Week — 17
20. San Francisco 49ers: They have lost three in a row but played both Indianapolis and Houston tough. Lucky for them they play in the NFC West but will need to start winning again soon. They host the new-look Titans next week in a must win game. The 49ers are an early 4 pt favorite. Last Week — 21
21. Carolina Panthers: Another head-scratcher of a team. They can't beat bad teams at home but go out and dismantle the Cardinals as 12½ dogs. Julius Peppers is stepping up his game and might have single-handedly saved John Fox's job. Jake Delhomme finally found his game — which is to hand the ball of to one of the best backfields in the game. They get to go to school with the Saints this week as 13½ road underdogs. Last Week — 25
22. Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jaguars are another inconsistent team that looks like they belong in the top half of the league and other weeks play below the level of weak opponents. They handed the Titans their first win and wasted another strong effort by Maurice Jones-Drew. They get the Chiefs at home next week as 6½ pt favorites. Last Week — 19
23. Buffalo Bills: The Bills had won their last two games under mysterious circumstances to the Jets and Panthers when both teams decided they didn't like hanging onto the ball and gave it to the Bills time and time again. This week they came up against a good Houston team that took care of the ball, at least enough, to spank the Bills 31-10. Buffalo can't stop the run and can't throw the ball but get a bye to try to figure it out. Last Week — 22
24. Seattle Seahawks: Seattle has had a disappointing season and a number of injuries that has derailed this team. They had a bye to get ready for Dallas and looked lousy. T.J. Houshmandzadeh is starting to be a disruptive force but will probably get a lot of looks this week with the Hawks favored by 10 against the Lions. Last Week — 23
25. Tennessee Titans: The Vince Young experiment worked with him handing the ball to Chris Johnson and watching him rumble for miles against a porous Jacksonville defense. The Titans were equally ripped by Maurice Jones Drew. Getting DB Vincent Fuller back really helped the secondary. They travel to San Francisco to face angry 49ers team. Last Week — 29
26. St. Louis Rams: St. Louis won its first game in Detroit behind the legs of Steven Jackson. Marc Bulger is still struggling to find his game but they can ride Jackson to a couple more wins. The Rams get a bye to come up with some kind of crazy game plan to host the Saints in Week 10. Last Week — 31
27. Washington Redskins: It will be interesting to see if the Redskins were able to use the bye to straighten out the offense in time to meet the Falcons. They will miss TE Chris Cooley who was their best offensive player. Last Week — 24
28. Oakland Raiders: The Raiders showed up against the Chargers this week after getting pummeled by the Jets. JaMarcus Russell is still going to struggle all season so he could be decent one game and beyond bad the next. The defense and running game can still win a couple of more games this season. They have a bye to prepare for the Chiefs in Oakland. Last Week — 32
29. Detroit Lions: The Lions couldn't hold home serve against a lousy Rams team but it was Stafford's first game back after missing the last two games. Calvin Johnson's absence hurt the team but he could be back against Seattle. Too many drops by Lion's receivers hurt this team against the Rams. Last Week — 26
30. Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs had a bye trying to recover from the debacle against the Chargers. They will look to even the series with the Raiders in Oakland this week. The Larry Johnson mess could be just the tip of the locker room unrest that is pervading this team. Last Week — 29
31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Bucs stay at 31 coming off a bye and their loss to the Patriots because the Browns are a disgrace. The Bucs played a bit better than the score indicated against the Patriots but not that much better. They host the Packers and will look to get pressure on Rodgers. Last Week — 30
32. Cleveland Browns: The Browns fired their General Manager this week after the 30-6 loss to the Bears. The team can't move the ball and is in danger of a full-scale mutiny led by the fans. The clock is ticking on Mangini. They get a bye to get ready to get crushed by the Ravens in Week 10. Last Week — 27

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