‘05 Power Rankings: Week 8

By Dave Shepherd | Wednesday, October 26, 2005 | ( 0 )

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Let's take a look at this week's NFL Power Rankings...

1 (1) Indianapolis Colts (7-0)
Peyton Manning's Colts continue to roll, stomping on the Texans. They have their bye week, and then the biggest game of the season. Can the Colts beat New England, in New England? Even if they can't, it looks like the road to the NFL Super Bowl is going through Indianapolis anyway.

2 (6) Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2)
A huge divisional win over Cincinnati puts the Steelers back in running for the AFC North title. Now they've got a Monday Night date with the Baltimore Ravens in which they look to build on their momentum. What a difference having Roethlisberger makes.

3 (4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-1)
It's their turn to stomp on the 49ers, and every win matters with the Falcons breathing down their necks. Their first date against the Falcons isn't for a few weeks though.

4 (7) Seattle Seahawks (5-2)
With a win over a surprisingly good Dallas team, the Seahawks are looking better and better. They should easily take the division this year, barring any major set back, and they have a chance at home-field advantage.

5 (2) Cincinnati Bengals (5-2)
If you want to be a legitimate NFL powerhouse, you have to win the game they lost against the Steelers. The Bengals are close, but as Pittsburgh proved on Sunday, they aren't quite there.

6 (5) San Diego Chargers (3-4)
This team could be a lot better if they weren't so conservative. I know it's not an easy call to make, but when LaDainian Tomlinson has been held to under 10 yards rushing, maybe a different play should be called when you're trying to run the clock down. Teams that play to win will win more often than not while teams that play not to lose? things just go wrong for them.

7 (3) Dallas Cowboys (4-3)
They're still alive in the ultra-competitive NFC East, but by how much? Any one loss could be enough to knock them out of the race, and that last one against the Seahawks hurts. A game this week against the Cardinals should put them right back on track.

8 (8) Atlanta Falcons (5-2)
Hammered the Jets on Monday Night, and in doing so kept up with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a shot at the NFC South. They'll get a nice break before heading into Miami to take on the Dolphins.

9 (10) Philadelphia Eagles (4-2)
They slipped past the Chargers thanks to special teams, but they can't keep winning without a running game. They have one of the worst rushing offenses in the NFL (57.5 ypg) and it's going to come back and haunt them.

10 (9) Denver Broncos (5-2)
The Broncos are a good team, but they can't seem to stop Manning?Either of them. This time it was Eli, playing fantastic down the stretch to down the Broncos. Things aren't getting any easier with the Eagles coming into town.

11 (14) Washington Redskins (4-2)
There's nothing like a game against the 49ers to put you back on track. Now they have to play against a very tough Giants team that's coming off a huge win against the Broncos.

12 (16) New York Giants (4-2)
Another team in the race to knock off Philadelphia for the NFC East crown, and a huge win over the Broncos proves that Eli Manning is for real. Washington will have their hands full this week.

13 (11) Carolina Panthers (4-2)
That season opening loss against the Saints is looking like it may very well be the thing that stops the Panthers from winning the NFC South. They can't have a relapse this week against Minnesota if they want to keep up with Atlanta and Tampa Bay.

14 (12) Jacksonville Jaguars (4-2)
The Jags get a bye-week to prepare for the Martz-less Rams. Will they perform to the level they're capable of? They're not going to catch Indianapolis, but they still have a shot at a wild-card berth.

15 (18) Kansas City Chiefs (4-2)
After a big win over Miami, the Chiefs have a huge divisional game against San Diego coming up. In the AFC West it's essentially a must-win game to stay in picture for the divisional championship.

16 (13) New England Patriots (3-3)
I do not expect the Patriots to stay down here for long, and I highly doubt they'll drop any lower at any point this season. A win against the Bills will give them sole possession of first place in the AFC East.

17 (22) Chicago Bears (3-3)
Won by 4 against the Ravens, and now they have a divisional game against the Detroit Lions. The winner will become the NFC North's leader, while the loser will fall one game behind - although in the NFC North, that doesn't mean much. It's nice playing in one of the two divisions that doesn't have a team with a winning record (the other being the AFC East)

18 (24) Detroit Lions (3-3)
They got a huge win over Cleveland thanks to ex-Brown QB Jeff Garcia. They'll need a repeat performance to win against Chicago and take the lead in the race for the NFC North.

19 (25) Oakland Raiders (2-4)
They finally showed what they're capable of, absolutely hammering the Bills. It will take quite a bit for the Raiders to get out of the hole they dug themselves into, but they can continue in that direction this week against the Titans.

20 (19) Green Bay Packers (1-5)
Oh Favre, why'd you come back? I'm sure it wasn't for this. The loss against the Vikings was the arrow through the Packers heart, and that may be enough to knock them out of the NFL playoffs, barring a major turnaround.

21 (20) Tennessee Titans (2-5)
A loss to Arizona all but eliminates the Titans from the playoffs. Sometimes it sucks to be in the AFC, nevermind being in the same division as the best team in the league. A loss against the Raiders will finish the Titans.

22 (15) Miami Dolphins (2-4)
The Dolphins struggled at home, which is a bad sign because that was the only place they were playing well. Fortunately their next game is against the Saints, and that should get them back on track.

23 (17) Baltimore Ravens (2-4)
You know you're not doing so well when you lose to Chicago. Things are going to get worse before they get better - traveling to Pittsburgh to play a Monday Night game against one of the best teams in the league? that's not going to be fun. Save the trip, send a coffin - this team's all but dead.

24 (21) Buffalo Bills (3-4)
They got their butts handed to them by the Raiders - not a good sign for a team that still has a shot at the division title. They need this win against New England, and I just don't see it happening.

25 (23) Arizona Cardinals (2-4)
They were jumped by the Raiders and the Lions, dropping them two spots. Will there be a repeat performance against Dallas? Or can the Cardinals only beat the bottom feeders of the league?

26 (27) St. Louis Rams (3-4)
The division - as well as playoff hopes - are slowly slipping away from the Rams. Jacksonville's incredibly tough defense should give them plenty of problems, not to mention the fact that they're missing head coach Mike Martz, who will be gone for the rest of the season.

27 (26) New Orleans Saints (2-5)
It'll take some kind of hero to save this team as they continue to spiral out of control. There's just too much going wrong to overcome, and even if the players say it isn't distracting them - it is.

28 (29) New York Jets (2-5)
They got dumped by Atlanta on Monday Night, and now they'll have a bye-week to think about it. Hopefully they'll be prepared to be dumped on again, this time by the San Diego Chargers.

29 (28) Cleveland Browns (2-4)
They made a game of it against Detroit, and now they'll have a chance to beat a team that's actually worse than they are - the Houston Texans.

30 (30) Minnesota Vikings (2-4)
A win over the Packers wasn't enough to move this team up a spot. That should give you an idea of how far back they are.

31 (31) Houston Texans (0-6)
Going winless isn't out of the question for the Texans. The excuses continue to pile up on behalf of the offensive line and QB David Carr. They'll have a shot against the Browns, but not much of one.

32 (32) San Francisco 49ers (1-5)
The worst team in the league gets to face one of the best in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This one shouldn't even be close.

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