2013 Power Rankings - Week 8

1) SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (7-1):  Change: 0 [1,3]  I was thinking of lowering them in the rankings, but that goalline stand as time expired was a thing of beauty.  Every team is entitled to a few bad losses, but the Seahawks stole a win in a game that should have been one of those.

2) INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (5-2): Change: 0 [2,14] The Colts stay high by virtue of their trio of impressive victories.  The Texans are in for trouble as the Colts visit them next week, fresh and rested from their bye week.

3) GREEN BAY PACKERS (5-2): Change: +1 [2,5]  The Packers continue to impress me after a shaky start.  Rodgers has been able to maintain control of the offense despite the injuries to his receivers.

4) NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (6-1): Change: +1 [3,6] Another week, another impressive win for the Saints.  They'll continue to climb these rankings if they keep it up. 

5) DENVER BRONCOS (7-1): Change: -2 [1,5]  I'm quickly losing confidence in the Broncos.  They just barely beat a far inferior Redskins team, and they're just looking shaky all-around.  Del Rio has the defense playing better, but I expected Manning to do a lot more against that weak Washington secondary. 


6) SAN FRANCSICO 49ERS (6-2): Change: 0 [2,6] A win against the Jaguars isn't worth much, but they took care of business in impressive fashion.

7) CINCINNATI BENGALS (6-2): Change: +1 [7,10] I've been waiting for Cincy to rout someone, and it finally happened as they won by their largest margin since 2009 when Palmer and Ochocinco were at the helm.  The Bengals are for real, and will challenge for the #2 seed in the AFC.

8) NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (6-2): Change: -1 [5,8]  Good teams find ways to win games, and that's what New England did against Miami.  It wasn't glamorous, and Tom Brady wasn't himself, but the running game did enough to win.  The Patriots are a very quiet 6-2, but solid victories over good teams like the Saints indicate that they will be in the conversation well into the postseason this year.  Now, if Tom Brady's receivers can get healthy...

9) KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (8-0): Change: 0 [9,22] A win, but what a lackluster one!  The Chiefs needed an abysmal drop by Bess to seal a victory at home against one of the weaker AFC teams.  I know I'm ranking the league's sole unbeaten team far lower than most, but I simply don't think they are better than any of the teams ahead of them.  Week 11's test against the Broncos will give us a real indication as to where they stand.  Their pass defense will present a real challenge to Manning, and they have a shot to win - I just don't see the Chiefs are deep playoff contenders yet, though.

10) DETROIT LIONS (5-3): Change: +1 [10,13] That was a huge win for the Lions.  They showed the grit and resilience of a true contender.  Calvin Johnson had a career day, and the Lions are looking like the real deal now. 

11) CAROLINA PANTHERS (4-3): Change: +3 [9,14] I was heavily criticized for picking the Panthers to take a wildcard spot and the Falcons to miss the playoffs, but it's looking a lot better right now.  The Falcons only have two wins, and the Panthers are winners of four straight.  They'll be in contention with the Lions and Bears for the #6 seed down the stretch. 

12) CHICAGO BEARS (4-3): Change: -2 [8,12] The Bears move down a bit during their bye as two teams beneath them started to assert their dominance.  We'll see how Chicago looks after their week off.

13) DALLAS COWBOYS (4-4): Change: -1 [12,18]  What a crushing loss for the Cowboys.  It was all Romo's fault.  Haha, just kidding, Tex.  Romo had one of his better games, but the Cowboys have had trouble closing games all season.  That still might be enough to win the horribly weak NFC East this year, but they will go nowhere in the playoffs if it keeps up.

14) BALTIMORE RAVENS (3-4): Change: +2 [14,19]  They move up in the rankings during their bye just because everyone else in the middle of the pack has been horrible.  I have no confidence in them moving forward.

15) ARIZONA CARDINALS (4-4): Change: +9 [15,24] The Cardinals may be the hardest team to predict this season.  They have won several games where I thought they'd lose by double-digits, including last week against the Falcons.  They finally get a much-deserved move into the middle of the pack.  

16) SAN DIEGO CHARGERS (4-3): Change: +7 [16,25] Upon further reflection, I felt that I ranked them too low last week.  I don't think that their success will last, but they deserve more respect in these rankings.

17) NEW YORK JETS (4-4): Change: -4 [13,30]  Just when I thought the Jets were turning a corner, they got destroyed by the Bengals.  Geno looked atrocious out there, and the Jets' overachieving defense crashed down to earth. 

18) TENNESSEE TITANS (3-4): Change: +1 [18,30]  The Titans sit right in the middle as they look to come back strong from their bye week.

19) CLEVELAND BROWNS (3-5): Change: -2 [17,27] The Browns were much better than I expected them to be, and Jason Campbell looked like a huge improvement over Weeden.  I still think they can make a push for the playoffs, but it needs to start very soon.

20) ATLANTA FALCONS (2-5): Change: -5 [8,20] I knew the Falcons were grossly overrated, but I didn't think they'd be this bad.  Losing Julio and Roddy White makes it tough, but still....losing to the Cardinals??

21) WASHINGTON REDSKINS (2-5): Change: +1 [17,22] I'll move them up a bit for being competitive against the Broncos.

22) MIAMI DOLPHINS (3-4): Change: -2 [20,28]It just gets more and more disappointing in Miami.

23) NEW YORK GIANTS (2-6): Change: +3 [12,26] Did anyone else realize that the Giants are only two games out of first place in the NFC East?  Just saying...that's two wins in a row.

24) OAKLAND RAIDERS (3-4): Change: +4 [24,32] Nice upset win for the Raiders...it's good for a few spots up. 

25) BUFFALO BILLS (3-4): Change: +2 [25,29] They're doing better than I expected with Thad Lewis.

26) PITTSBURGH STEELERS (2-4): Change: -5 [21,26] They're starting to have a thing for losing to the Raiders.

27) ST. LOUIS RAMS (3-5): Change: +2 [14,29] I'll move them up a bit for a good showing on Monday Night Football.

28) PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (3-5): Change: -6 [17,22] The wheels are falling off.

29) HOUSTON TEXANS (2-5): Change: -4 [6,29]  They fall during their bye week as a few of the bottom-feeders got wins.

30) MINNESOTA VIKINGS (1-6): Change: 0 [23, 30] The Vikings are embarrassingly bad.  I feel awful that AP has to play for them.

31) TAMPA BAY BUCS (0-7): Change: 0 [19,31] Not as bad as the Jaguars.

32) JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (0-8): Change: 0 [31,32]  Different continent, same crappy team.