NFL Power Rankings (And Week 8 Picks)

It has been a while since we did the NFL Power Rankings and since the hometown team is number one, now seems like a great time. That and in most likelihood nobody wants to see my picks after another poor week (which you can find at the bottom of the rankings).

1. Pittsburgh Steelers – The loss of Aaron Smith is a big one but the Steelers still have the most balanced talent on offense and defense in the League.

2. New York Jets – You could easily make the argument for the Jets to be in the top spot but the difference for me is Roethlisberger over Sanchez.

3. New York Giants – The NFC looks quite inferior to the AFC with the exception of New York and Atlanta. The Giants pass rush is fearsome and Eli has a ton of weapons to work with on offense.

4. Indianapolis Colts – The Colts have suffered numerous injuries but you know who is still there and most of the injured players are expected back before the stretch run.

5. New England Patriots – They may have traded Randy Moss, a move that I still do not like for their Super Bowl chances, but the Patriots continue to win with solid but unspectacular play and fantastic gameplans from Bill Belichick.

6. Atlanta Falcons – The Falcons are another of the very balanced attacks with Michael Turner running the football and Roddy White on the outside catching it. The Falcons could use some shoring up on the defensive side of the ball, however.

7. Baltimore Ravens – Buffalo exposed Baltimore’s vulnerable secondary last week, something that I have been waiting to happen for weeks now. Still, this Baltimore team will be there in the end fighting for a Super Bowl appearance.

8. Tennessee Titans – Jeff Fisher’s boys just know how to get it done, nothing flashy, just hard-nosed football on both sides of the ball. The emergence of Kenny Britt at WR could be a big time difference-maker for this team.

9. Green Bay Packers – The Packers squeeze in as the third NFC representative in the League’s top 10 but it hasn’t been pretty for these guys. I’ve said it one thousand times already but I will say it again, speed up the game on offense. You have one of the league’s premier quarterbacks!

10. Houston Texans – Houston has been inconsistent this year from quarter to quarter, let alone game to game. Still, the Texans sit in a good spot at 4-2 and head to Indianapolis this week in another big AFC South game.

11. Kansas City Chiefs – I was tempted to put their rival in San Diego above them but the Chiefs continue to win football games while the Chargers continue to find ways to lose football games.

12. San Diego Chargers – Ladies and gentlemen, the NFL’s number one offense and defense, the San Diego Chargers! In this wacky league, that translates to a 2-4 record. This team is undisciplined, turnover-prone, and seems to have an on-off switch during games. Hmm, I wonder who that falls on…Norv Turner anyone?

13. Miami Dolphins – Need more proof that this league makes no sense? The Dolphins are 3-0 on the road but 0-3 at home. I do think this team has a lot of room for growth with the continued development of Chad Henne.

14. Minnesota Vikings – Minnesota, to me, still has the look of one of the NFC’s premier teams. Now they just have to get Brett Favre to quit throwing the football to the other team. I’d also like to have a few bucks on Favre playing this week.

15. New Orleans Saints – The Saints look nothing like the team that steamrolled opponents on offense last year and forced turnovers at will on defense. I expected the defense to take a big step back, but I wonder if Drew Brees is hiding some kind of an injury.

16. Philadelphia Eagles – Reid has to play Vick at this point and that probably does not help the long term plans of the franchise. The Eagles were the toast of the NFC last week and now look like a fringe playoff team. That is the nature of the beast in a very average NFC.

17. Seattle Seahawks – Seattle looks like they could be rising to the top of the pathetic NFC West. Matt Hasselbeck gives them a veteran presence and their home-field advantage is second to none.

18. Washington Redskins – Redskins’ fans probably need some blood pressure medicine after watching every one of their team’s games come down to the wire. I have a feeling that loss to St. Louis will come back to haunt these guys when the playoffs roll around.

19. Chicago Bears – Never been a fan of Jay Cutler, never will be.

20. Dallas Cowboys – Romo’s injury probably puts an end to any hope Dallas had at making a run in the topsy-turvy NFC.

21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – The Bucs are certainly improving and young QB Josh Freeman looks like the real-deal but seriously, would you take the Buccaneers on a neutral field over any of the teams ahead of them in these rankings? I didn’t think so…

22. Cincinnati Bengals – The Bengals finally get a great performance from Carson Palmer and their defense lets them down. I said much earlier this year that this team will be much worse than the sum of its parts and that certainly looks to be the case. Marvin Lewis could be out of a job at year end.

23. Oakland Raiders – I don’t think anyone saw that beat down coming in Denver last week. If Oakland can get the solid play Jason Campbell has provided the last two weeks and Darren McFadden can stay healthy, this is not a team many people will want to play as the year goes on.

24. Arizona Cardinals – Proof number approximately eight billion that this is a quarterback’s league. If Kurt Warner would have played football this year instead of dancing on TV, my guess is that the Cards would be headed for another playoff appearance.

25. Jacksonville Jaguars – Jacksonville’s given up 209 points on the year, the most in the league and second only to Buffalo in points per game. That’s pretty impressive considering the Broncos gave up nearly 60 last week.

26. Detroit Lions – Detroit has actually outscored their opponents this year and yet they sit at 1-5. Matthew Stafford returns this week and I expect continued improvement from the Lions over the second half of the season.

27. Cleveland Browns – The Browns are well-coached, play hard and compete in every game. The lack of talent, however, is still the major issue in Cleveland.

28. Saint Louis Rams – The Rams proved their youth last week, blowing a fourth quarter lead to the Buccaneers in a game they absolutely needed for their division title hopes. This team continues to trend in the right direction but the next step is to get a play-making pass catcher for Sam Bradford.

29. Denver Broncos – Josh McDaniels started 6-0 as coach of the Broncos, since then he is 4-13. Getting killed at home by one of your biggest rivals is one surefire way to find yourself on the hot seat.

30. San Francisco 49ers – The NFL is sending Denver and San Francisco over to Europe this week for the League’s annual game across the pond. I am sure the spectators in England cannot wait for this one.

31. Carolina Panthers – The Panthers became the last team to get a win with a home victory over the 49ers last week. I doubt many people were tuned in to see that one.

32. Buffalo Bills – Their offense has shown some life under Ryan Fitzpatrick but their defense is the League’s worst unit, giving up 33 points per game.

Week 8 Picks (Home Team in Caps)
Miami (+1.5) over CINCINNATI
DALLAS (-6.5) over Jacksonville
Washington (+3) over DETROIT
Buffalo (+7.5) over KANSAS CITY
Green Bay (+6) over NEW YORK JETS
SAN FRANCISCO (-1) over Denver
ST. LOUIS (-3) over Carolina
SAN DIEGO (-3.5) over Tennessee
ARIZONA (-3) over Tampa Bay
Minnesota (+5) over NEW ENGLAND
Seattle (+3) over OAKLAND
Pittsburgh (pk) over NEW ORLEANS
INDIANAPOLIS (-5) over Houston
(Last Week: 4-10; Overall: 44-55-5)