Every week, the National Football Post brings you our NFL Power Rankings: a breakdown of how we stack up the league.
Week 8 (previous rankings in parenthesis)
1. (1) Green Bay Packers (7-0): Rodgers throws for 300-plus (again) as the Packers keep rolling with a road win over the Vikings.
2. (2) New England Patriots (5-1): Another defensive test for Tom Brady when the Patriots travel to Pittsburgh this Sunday.
ICONThe Saints rolled up the Cots on Sunday night in a 62-7 win.
3. (5) New Orleans Saints (5-2): The Saints put up 62 on the Colts—and it could have been more if Brees didn’t take a seat in the 4th quarter.
4. (8) Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2): The Steelers continue to climb up our rankings and might have the best deep threat in the game with WR Mike Wallace.
5. (6) San Francisco 49ers (5-1): Did anyone think Jim Harbaugh and the Niners would be in our Top 5 in late October?
6. (9) New York Giants (4-2): With the Dolphins coming to town, we expect the Giants to hold onto that first place spot in the NFC East.
7. (3) Baltimore Ravens (4-2): Ray Lewis and the defense came to play, but where was the offense? That was a nightmare in the loss to the Jags.
8. (13) New York Jets (4-3): The Jets found out that Plaxico Burress is a pretty good option in the red zone on Sunday.
9. (4) San Diego Chargers (4-2): The Monday night game in K.C. this week just got a lot bigger for Norv Turner’s club.
10. (7) Detroit Lions (5-2): The hype of the 5-0 start has worn off for the Lions after two straight home losses.
11. (11) Buffalo Bills (4-2): Do the Bills continue to be a big play team on both sides of the ball after the bye week?
12. (15) Chicago Bears (4-3): Matt Forte is making more money every time he touches the ball in Chicago. Now Jerry Angelo just has to pay him.
13. (14) Atlanta Falcons (4-3): The Falcons looked physical up front vs. the Lions in the run game and picked up a big NFC win on the road.
14. (16) Philadelphia Eagles (2-4): The Eagles host the Cowboys on Sunday night in a crucial game if they want to get back in the NFC East discussion.
Murray ran for a franchise best 253-yards in the Cowboys' win over the Rams on Sunday.
15. (18) Dallas Cowboys (3-3): Looks like the Cowboys found their answer at the RB position with rookie DeMarco Murray.
16. (10) Oakland Raiders (4-3): Hue Jackson probably didn’t expect to see Carson Palmer throwing three picks when Oakland made the trade for the veteran QB last week.
17. (20) Houston Texans (4-3): As long as Arian Foster stays healthy the Texans are the favorite in the AFC South.
19. (17) Cincinnati Bengals (4-2): The Bengals travel to Seattle this week and could be a 5-2 club by Sunday night.
20. (23) Kansas City Chiefs (3-3): If the Chiefs beat the Chargers on Monday night they are right back in the mix out west after an 0-3 start.
21. (22) Carolina Panthers (2-5): Newton put up big numbers again on Sunday, but the win is what the Panthers needed most.
22. (19) Washington Redskins (3-3): Now it is the ‘Skins defense that is coming under fire after the loss to Carolina.
23. (21) Tennessee Titans (3-3): Until Chris Johnson starts to produce with that big contract this team will continue to lose games.
24. (28) Jacksonville Jaguars (2-5): The Jags defense played like a playoff unit last night in the win over the Ravens.
ICONCan Tebow get another win vs. the Lions on Sunday?
25. (27) Denver Broncos (2-4): The Tebow hype will continue to grow if the Broncos can knock off the Lions on Sunday.
26. (25) Cleveland Browns (3-3): A 6-3 win over the Seahawks? It counts, but that's not a solid brand of football.
27. (26) Minnesota Vikings (1-6): Rookie Christian Ponder looked the part at times on Sunday, but the result was the same with another Vikings’ loss.
28. (24) Seattle Seahawks (2-4): Charlie Whitehurst (12-30) threw for 97-yards and the Seattle offense managed to put up 3 points. That’s a problem.
29. (29) Arizona Cardinals (1-5): Kevin Kolb is playing like a QB that lacks experience for a team that has been a bust.
30. (31) Miami Dolphins (0-6): Time to start talking about head coaching candidates in south Florida.
31. (30) Indianapolis Colts (0-7): The Colts packed it in. What else can you say after a 62-7 loss?
32. (32) St. Louis Rams (0-6): How do you grade out a team that isn't improving?
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