NFL POWER RANKINGS: WEEK EIGHT

BY ADAM GREENE

For only the third time this season we have a new No. 1. Let’s see how long they can hold onto the belt with a Top Four team on their schedule Sunday.

1. PITTSBURGH STEELERS (6-0)

The Steelers are the NFL’s last undefeated team, but more surprisingly, this is their first 6-0 start since 1978. And this is a franchise that’s won three of their six Super Bowls and played in five since then. Last week: No. 3

2. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (6-1)

If the Steelers do stumble against the Ravens this week, the Chiefs will be right back atop the rankings as they enjoy their bye against the New York Jets. Last week: No. 4

3. GREEN BAY PACKERS (5-1)

The Packers bounced back after getting embarrassed by the Buccaneers two weeks ago with a victory over a one-win Texans squad. Now they face off against a one-win Vikings team. What looked like a daunting schedule before the season has turned into a bunny slope. Last week: No. 5

4. BALTIMORE RAVENS (5-1)

The Ravens spent the last three weeks beating up on inferior teams before their bye and wasted the opportunity to expand their offense. Now they face a Steelers squad that should be more than ready to clog run lanes and force Lamar Jackson to beat them with his pass reads. We’ll see how he responds. Last week: No. 6

5. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (5-1)

It’s a precipitous drop for a team that fell to another good group in overtime, but this is where they fit when you factor in the units above them. All Seattle has to do to start climbing back up the ladder is win. Last week: No. 1

6. TENNESSEE TITANS (5-1)

Here’s what’s interesting about the Titans’ 27-24 loss to the Steelers. They held Pittsburgh to just three points in the second half, stormed back from a 24-7 halftime deficit and were a missed field goal away from sending the game into overtime. This is good team that will play a while. Last week: No. 2

7. LOS ANGELES RAMS (5-2)

The Rams did a lot of good things in their 24-10 win over the Bears. They beat their former quarterback Nick Foles for the first time and put up 24 points against Matt Nagy’s Chicago team, the most in three tries. Plus, they held the Bears’ offense to just three points. Last week: No. 7

8. BUFFALO BILLS (5-2)

The Bills get the chance to do something no one has in nearly two decades Sunday, put an end to the New England Patriots. Last week: No. 8

9. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (5-2)

Tom Brady has the Buccaneers cruising and even managed a great performance in an odd-numbered week, which, honestly, nobody really wanted to see. It’s not all great news for the Bucs. They added alleged sex offender Antonio Brown to their roster this week as “insurance” Bruce Arians said. Insurance for what? For having any chance to win a title, as teams that have fielded Brown on their roster for even a single game are 0-for-his career in even getting to the Super Bowl. Last week: No. 10

10. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (5-2)

Here’s good news if you believe the criticism against Drew Brees’ arm strength was overblown in the first months of the season; he’s raised his yards per completion from 3.8 to a whole 5.2, going from No. 32 in the league all the way up to No. 28. So checkmate, haters! Last week: No. 11

11. ARIZONA CARDINALS (5-2)

While the Cards dropped a couple of lackluster games, two of their five wins are now against NFC West opponents, the best division in football. This team might sneak into the playoffs yet. Last week: No. 15

12. CLEVELAND BROWNS (5-2)

After losing Odell Beckham Jr. for the year with a knee injury, there’s even more pressure on Baker Mayfield to actually cruise this thing to the finish line and not, you know, go all Cleveland Browns down the stretch. Last week: No. 12

13. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (4-3)

That’s two solid wins in a row now for a team that was dragging a bum leg through the desert three weeks ago. Last week: No. 16

14. CHICAGO BEARS (5-2)

We’re at the midpoint of the season and it’s clear that the Bears are actually good. They’re just not good enough. Last week: No. 9

15. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (4-2)

The Colts come off a bye to play at the Lions before a murderer’s row stretch that Philip Rivers hasn’t faced since walking through nine different children’s spilled legos in the dark barefoot. Last week: No. 17

16. LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (3-3)

It’s hard to judge the Raiders after the last two weeks. They played the game of their lives in knocking off the Kansas City Chiefs, then fell face-first into a porta-john the very next week against the Bucs. It’s a weird thing to even write out, but I think this Sunday’s game against the Browns will tell us a lot about both teams. Specifically, which one will be immediately knocked out of the playoffs in the Wild Card round. Last week: No. 14

17. DETROIT LIONS (3-3)

We’ve all been there Lions fans, actively rooting for your team to lose so that ownership will be forced into firing your head coach. Somebody needs to get Matthew Stafford to buy into the program. Last week: No. 21

18. MIAMI DOLPHINS (3-3)

You pick your game against the Los Angeles Rams, one of the best defenses in the league, to debut Tua Tagovailoa? There are better ways to check out the health of the kid’s shoulder. Last week: No. 19

19. CAROLINA PANTHERS (3-4)

The Panthers might be the NFL’s best “bad team” in a season where there are plenty of bad teams to choose from. Last week: No. 18

20. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (2-4)

It feels as if the season just might be on the line when the Patriots host the Bills this week. As good as it is to have Cam Newton back from COVID-19, he doesn’t seem like the same guy. What Buffalo probably doesn’t want is some stupid pundit to fire him up by questioning his leadership skills based on his bedazzled sombrero of choice. Last week: No. 14

21. LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (2-4)

Justin Herbert picked up his second win of an already fun career. If the Chargers would do the right thing with this coaching staff this offseason, he’ll get plenty more. Last week: No. 23

22. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (2-4-1)

Listen, we all joke, but there’s no excuse for the Eagles to be this bad. Yes, they won last week, but it was a one-point victory over the Giants. Nobody cares. Don’t be the team that gets into the playoffs with a losing record the first year they expanded the field. You’ve got a nice walk through the lilies over the next couple of weeks. Make the most of it. Last week: No. 24

23. WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM (2-5)

The Ron Rivera vs Mike McCarthy coaching duel wasn’t so much a chess match as it was a dad dunking a nerf basketball over a toddler. Last week: No. 30

24. DENVER BRONCOS (2-4)

Every week I come to the Broncos entry with the same thought, “Oh yeah. I got to write something about the Broncos.” In a league with just 32 teams being completely forgettable seems like a bad thing. Last week: No. 20

25. DALLAS COWBOYS (2-5)

The Cowboys are a complete disaster. Mike McCarthy is Mike McCarthy-ing all over the walls and floor. Yet, I don’t move them down. Why? Because this whole part of the Power Rankings is a flaming rat king charging into a pile of dirty diapers. Last week: No. 25

26.  HOUSTON TEXANS (1-6)

It’s safe to say that Romeo Crennel, fired from his last two head coaching jobs, has still got it. Last week: No. 22

27. ATLANTA FALCONS (1-6)

At this point Raheem Morris might as well give up auditioning for the Falcons head coach job and instead focus on what he’s actually good at. And whoever can figure out what that is should really tell him. Last week: No. 26

28. MINNESOTA VIKINGS (1-5)

The last head coach that got fired right after signing an extension was the Los Angeles Rams’ Jeff Fisher. Since then the Rams have won two NFC West titles, one NFC Championship and played in the Super Bowl. What I’m saying is, don’t be afraid to pull that trigger on Mike Zimmer, Vikes. Last week: No. 28

29. NEW YORK GIANTS (1-6)

With one of the worst rosters in the sport, the Giants have managed to play four of their opponents to within one score. I don’t know if that means Joe Judge is a decent coach cursed with bad players or every team overlooks New York on the schedule like they’re the Akron Zips. Last week: No. 28

30. CINCINNATI BENGALS (1-5-1)

Like the Giants, the Bengals too have lost four games by a single score. Unlike the Giants, I think this is something that will pay off in the future if Cincy opens up the checkbook for offensive line help this coming offseason. Last week: No. 29

31. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (1-6)

Your “Tanking for Trevor” plan was almost perfect. And you would have gotten away with it too if not for those meddling Jets. Last week: No. 31

32. NEW YORK JETS (0-7)

Here we are again, New York. Anchored at the bottom of the Power Rankings with no relief in site as you travel to Kansas City this week in a game you lost when the schedule first printed. Last week: No. 32

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