Week 8 Power Rankings: Patriots-Colts ready to battle

By Connor Byrne | Wednesday, October 31, 2007 | ( 15 )

Got something to say?

Every Wednesday during the NFL regular season, RealFootball365.com brings you its power poll, ranking the teams from the worst of the moment to the best. This is the eighth installment of 2007.

32. Miami Dolphins (Last week: 32; 0-8) - The Dolphins have a bye this week, but they'll start losing again on Nov. 11. Still, a one-week respite from defeat is much needed for everyone in South Florida.

31. St. Louis Rams (LW: 31; 0-8) - St. Louis, in its 27-20 defeat at the hands of Cleveland, lost yet another starting offensive lineman, guard Richie Incognito, to a season-ending injury. The Rams now have just one remaining O-lineman who was an opening-day starter for them.

30. New York Jets (LW: 30; 1-7) - Head coach Eric Mangini has finally pulled the plug on quarterback Chad Pennington, whose 106-yard, three-point performance against Buffalo was nothing shy of ugly. However, be careful what you wish for, Jets fans, because second-year man Kellen Clemens probably won't produce many positive results just yet.

29. San Francisco 49ers (LW: 28; 2-5) - There's no longer an 'O'. From now on, it's San Francisc.

28. Atlanta Falcons (LW: 29; 1-6) - The Falcons, despite a bye, moved up a spot this week because the 49ers are worse. Luckily, we'll find out who is truly more inept when Atlanta battles the Niners this Sunday. Chomping at the bit, NFL fans? Didn't think so.

27. Oakland Raiders (LW: 27; 2-5) - Oakland has lost three of its games this year by a combined eight points. The thing is, the Raiders are neither experienced or talented enough to win close games yet. It's going to take awhile before Oakland becomes a contender again.

26. Minnesota Vikings (LW: 25; 2-5) - Having Adrian Peterson doesn't mean a whole lot when your QB depth chart consists of world-beaters Tarvaris Jackson, Kelly Holcomb and Brooks Bollinger.

25. Arizona Cardinals (LW: 26; 3-4) - The Cards are coming off their bye week, so the extra preparation time should be enough for Ken Whisenhunt & Co. to earn win No. 4 against slipping Tampa Bay.

24. Cincinnati Bengals (LW: 23; 2-5) - Cincinnati is at the point now where it's going to have to completely rebuild in the offseason. Marvin Lewis isn't getting it done, and neither are certain high-profile players (Chad Johnson, for instance).

23. Houston Texans (LW: 20; 3-5) - With Andre Johnson: 2-0. Without Andre Johnson: 1-5.

22. Chicago Bears (LW: 17; 3-5) - Last week's comment, "Chicago, despite all its troubles, is one freak Adrian Peterson performance away from being 4-3. Since Brian Griese took over for Rex Grossman, the Bears are a different team, one that might be on its way to the postseason," was premature, obviously.

21. Carolina Panthers (LW: 16; 4-3) - If you think the Panthers are a playoff team, even in the weak NFC, think again.

20. Philadelphia Eagles (LW: 24; 3-4) - The Eagles' next two games -- Dallas, at Washington -- will determine whether they'll have a shot at the playoffs this season.

19. Baltimore Ravens (LW: 22; 4-3) - Off their bye week, the healthier Ravens have three consecutive divisional games -- at Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Cleveland -- then have to face San Diego, Indianapolis and New England in consecutive weeks. Ouch.

18. Buffalo Bills (LW: 21; 3-4) - The Bills are in a must-win situation against Cincinnati this weekend. If they defeat the Bengals and win their fourth game in their last five, they'll be 4-4 with 0-8 Miami next on the docket.

17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (LW: 17; 4-4) - Tampa Bay, having lost two straight, is fading fast, but it can right the ship against 3-4 Arizona this week.

16. Seattle Seahawks (LW: 19; 4-3) - Of Seattle's final nine opponents, only three are above .500. The Seahawks are once again in position to take home the NFC West.

15. New Orleans Saints (LW: 18; 3-4) - After winning three in a row, the Saints' 0-4 start is definitely in the rear-view mirror at this point. Last week's comment, "Bold prediction: The Saints, once 0-4, will make the playoffs," continues to hold true. New Orleans is in great position to take the NFC South lead and run with it very soon.

14. Washington Redskins (LW: 9; 4-3) - The Redskins lost 52-7 to New England, yet Washington linebacker Randall Godfrey wants to see the Pats again because they unnecessarily ran up the score. You want to go through that again, Randall? Yeah, right.

13. Denver Broncos (LW: 11; 3-4) - Denver tied the Packers late in the fourth quarter on Monday night, then the Broncos went to overtime and found out why Brett Favre is one of the league's all-time best quarterbacks. Tough luck, Denver.

12. Kansas City Chiefs (LW: 13; 4-3) - With Green Bay, Denver and Indianapolis coming up in the next three weeks, we'll find out pretty quickly whether the surprising Chiefs are actually for real.

11. Detroit Lions (LW: 14; 5-2) - Before the season, who expected the Lions to sweep the defending NFC champion/North division-rival Bears? What an amazing story Detroit has been.

10. Cleveland Browns (LW: 12; 4-3) - Only three of the Browns' last nine opponents are over .500, so this Derek Anderson-led team is in decent position to continue its run and maybe end up in the playoffs. Romeo Crennel for coach of the year, anyone? Barring a collapse, he'll be a candidate.

9. Tennessee Titans (LW: 10; 5-2) - The Titans are rarely victorious in pretty fashion, but wins are wins no matter what. Bottom line: Tennessee wins.

8. Jacksonville Jaguars (LW: 8; 5-2) - Jacksonville began the 2006 campaign 5-3 and finished 8-8. In 2007 the Jags' next three games include visits to New Orleans, Tennessee and a home matchup with San Diego. With the mediocre Quinn Gray at the helm, don't put it past the team to begin a severe skid and drop three in a row. Excuse me for being skeptical after the Jaguars' collapse a year ago.

7. New York Giants (LW: 4; 6-2) - New York beat the Dolphins by three, and Eli Manning accumulated 58 passing yards. Considering that and the fact the Giants were 6-2 last year and finished 8-8, dropping them three spots seemed fair. However, Big Blue has a bye week and then a potentially NFC East-deciding home matchup against 6-1 Dallas.

6. San Diego Chargers (LW: 7; 4-3) - This week's game in Minnesota ought to be a mere tuneup for San Diego, one of the league's hottest teams. The real fun will begin in Week 10 against Indianapolis.

5. Green Bay Packers (LW: 6; 6-1) - Even at 38 years old, you're not going to find many QBs better than Brett Favre is right now.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers (LW: 5; 5-2) - With games against division rivals Baltimore and Cleveland up next, the Steelers can lock up the AFC North by going 2-0.

3. Dallas Cowboys (LW: 3; 6-1) - Dallas signed QB Tony Romo to a six-year, $67 million deal on Monday. Smart move by the Cowboys. Romo is erratic sometimes, but he's also proven himself as one of the league's top signal-callers.

2. Indianapolis Colts (LW: 2; 7-0) - If you don't think the undefeated reigning champs have a chip on your shoulder, take a closer look. Because of New England's dominance, the Colts have been somewhat of an afterthought this year. They can put a stop to that in an AFC title game preview this weekend. Excited yet?

1. New England Patriots (LW: 1; 8-0) - New England's been running up the score against weaker opponents throughout the season. Unfortunately for the Patriots, their fun might stop against an angrier-than-ever Indianapolis team. If the Pats win, 16-0 will not only become realistic, it'll be expected.

Get NFL power rankings every Wednesday at RealFootball365.com

Got something to say?

	About Connor Byrne Sorry, Connor Byrne's bio is currently not available. Please check back soon!
	read more

Share! | RSS | Bleacher Report

Comments: 15 | Sign Up View all comments


	No.1 Carl	02:54 AM 10/31/2007

	Um. It may have slipped your mind but that Giants game was played in the rain and the mud. There was no reason to pass because...


	No.2 rich (the real one. the original one)	09:53 AM 10/31/2007

	Um, Carl. YOUR GMEN ARE OVERRATED! Boys, Packs, Skins....there all way better. Your team almost lost a humiliating one in London....


	No.3 Stephanie	11:53 AM 10/31/2007

	I'm agreeing with Rich on this one... the Giants suck. And so do the Skins and Eagles...so don't be surprised when you see Dallas...