Week 8 Power Rankings

The Elite

1. Baltimore Ravens- even if they were not impressive in their win over Buffalo, they still pulled it off, and thus, I can't drop them out of the top spot.

2. New York Jets- Bye week, stay at number 2.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers- And the Steelers stay at number 3, but this time they round out the Elite teams after squeaking by Miami. I still believe these are the only three Elite teams through this stage of the season, and these are them.

The Contenders

4. Tennessee Titans- Boy did Kenny Britt make a name for himself this week huh? The Titans finally have a serious weapon in the passing game, to compliment the league's best running back. I really like their chances at going deep in the playoffs. Unfortunately, they play in the AFC.

5. Atlanta Falcons- Unlike the Falcons, who play in the abysmal NFC and have stood out, at least in my opinion, to be the best team in the Conference.

6. Indianapolis Colts- Why bet against Peyton Manning? Even with all of their injuries, they are still pretty close to an Elite team.

7. New England Patriots- The first team with some significant movement, I have been very impressed with how well New England has played the last two weeks. Very surprising that they pulled off wins against both the Ravens and Chargers. There is no way we can't call them contenders at this point.

8. Kansas City- The clear surprise team of the season, Kansas City continues to prove that they are legit, bouncing back from two tough losses to crush the Jaguars this past week. I'm a believer.

9. Green Bay Packers- Even with a bruised, battered and broken lineup, they beat the Vikings on Sunday night. They may not get much healthier and it is definitely a concern, but playing in the NFC keeps them contenders for sure.

10. Houston Texans- off a bye, but still one of the more balanced teams in the league. Unfortunate for them, they are in a division with two teams ranked above them.

11. New York Giants- Still the luckiest team in the league and you can't convince me otherwise. Three wins against backup QBs? And they still only beat the Kitna-led Cowboys by five? When are we going to see the real Giants against a good team? Unfortunately, their schedule is so soft that it may not come til very late in the season. Why haven't I bet on the AFC to win the Super Bowl yet?

The Mediocre

12. Seattle Seahawks- The definition of a mediocre team. 4-2, great at home, bad on the road, two of their wins come against their own awful division, and they are a pretty good bet to make the playoffs. Sad.

13. Chicago Bears- Another quintessential mediocre team. Do you feel confident that they can beat anyone going into a game? With that big of a hole in their offensive line, Cutler might not survive the season.

14. San Diego- I don't care that they are 2-5. They shouldn't be. They have one of the best offenses AND best defenses in the league. They should have a much better record, and I can see them bouncing back in a BIG way in the second half. Very deceiving record.

15. Washington Redskins- Nope, still not ready to call them contenders.

16. Philadelphia Eagles- The QB carousel will continue after next week, which I don't think is very fair to Kevin Kolb. His team lost to one of the best teams in football, and it wasn't his fault. Yet they feel more comfortable watching Mike Vick try and run around after his injury. I think its a mistake, but either way they are nothing more than another mediocre NFC team.

17. Miami Dolphins- Another team that could win any time out, but could also lose to any team in the league. Completely inconsistent, but should have beaten the Steelers and got hosed on a poor ruling by the officials.

18. New Orleans- They lost to the Browns, who aren't as bad as people think, but still aren't good either. They are suffering one giant Super Bowl Hangover, but in the NFC, they could still very easily grab a Wild Card spot.

19. Oakland Raiders- Wow. What got into the Oakland Raiders this week? It made very little sense, but hey, neither has anything in the NFL this year. I can't call a team that put up 59 Garbage, just can't do it.

20. Cleveland Browns- Like I said, they are not as bad as people think. Colt McCoy could be a player in this league yet. Maybe there will be a few teams who wished they hadn't passed on him, he looks decent for a rookie.

21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Their 4-2 record is about as deceiving as the Chargers 2-5.

22. St. Louis Rams- The team that lost to the team directly above this past week. They keep showing that they are just good enough to lose to other mediocre teams. But hey, for this Rams team, that's actually considered a plus!

23. Detroit Lions- They have actually outscored opponents on the season, and are 1-6. They almost beat the Giants with their third string QB, and they get Stafford back this week. Time to make your move, Lions.

The Garbage

24. Dallas Cowboys- No more Tony Romo, a 1-5 record, despite all the talent on the team, they are Garbage and going absolutely nowhere. Sorry Jerry.

25. Minnesota Vikings- Ahhh Brett Favre's swan song. Nothing is more satisfying than watching this scumbag's career and reputation go down in flames simultaneously. When will the streak end? Will it happpen due to injury, or coach's decision? I'll watch, gleefully.

26. Cincinnati Bengals- Yup, still being overrated, still a very easy call to bet against them, and they are still going to continue to lose and finish last in the division. Yup, behind Cleveland.

27. Arizona Cardinals- This team could make the playoffs. I don't think there is anything more to say about the state of the NFC.

28. San Francisco 49ers- Ladies and gentlemen, the Troy Smith era is about to begin!

29. Jacksonville Jaguars- Two of their three wins came against teams ranked lower than them. And there are only 3 teams ranked lower than them. I've said enough.

30. Denver Broncos- Turns out I wasn't being too harsh last time. I was being far, far too generous. What happened, Denver? 59 points allowed to the Raiders on your home field? Disgusting.

31. Carolina Panthers- At least they got in the win column this week, even if it was against the lowly Niners.

32. Buffalo Bills- They may be 0-6, but they sure did lose in style last week against Baltimore. Their offense is actually moving the ball. But until they get a win, there is no logical reason to move them up any higher.