NFL power rankings Packers Cowboys jump

seestyle · 16-07-2022 17:14:02

Going into Week 8, Sporting News'NFL power rankings continue to be predictably unpredictable. The AFC still has its lone unbeaten, while the NFC is getting top-heavier with several conference championship contenders emergingat the near-halfway point of the 2018 season.
The , which included several routs and a few upsets,shook things up all the way from No. 2 through No. 32. In many cases, the hot got hotter and the cold got colder.
Here' Troy Polamalu Hoodies Sweatshirts s the complete look at the league's updated pecking order.
MORE:
NFL power rankings1. New England Patriots, 7-0 (previous ranking: 1)
The Patriots easilytook care of the Jetson Monday night to keep pushing toward a perfect first half of the schedule. They have some injury i sues starting to factor in offensively, but they aremaking up for it with their loaded defense.
2. New Orleans Saints, 6-1 (3)
The Saints havemarched to a 5-0 record with Teddy Bridgewater filling in for Drew Brees, and they are not doing it with smoke and mirrors. They haverun the ball well, played lights-out defense andmade more big plays on special teams than they've given up.Bridgewater also has come through with clutch pa ses when needed.
3. San Francisco 49ers, 6-0 (2)
The 49ers slip a little afterwet conditions in Washington made for a sloppy battle of attrition. They didn't add any offensive style points, but given their rash of injuries and the long road trip to bad weather, the win was impre sive in its own right. They still pitched a shutout in Kyle Shanahan'srevenge game.
4. Green Bay Packers, 6-1 (5)
The Packers no longerneed to hear about Aaron Rodgers losing anything. He isstill an elite quarterback, and sometimes he just needs the running game to sputter and the defense to give up too much to prove it.
5. Minnesota Vikings, 5-2 (6)
Tre Norwood Jerseys Kirk Cousins isstarting to become worth all that money. He lostgo-to receiverAdam Thielen to an injurybut still spread the ball around, played off the run perfectly and finished off a Lions team that kept fighting back. The midseason offensive coordinator change last season is paying even bigger dividendsfor Cousinsin 2019.
6. Kansas City Chiefs, 5-2 (7)
The Chiefs will be withoutPatrick Mahomes, but they regained much-needed defensive confidence for the long haul with the big blowout win in Denver. Now they'll need to rely on Matt Moore at home to help them Chaz Green Jerseys beat the two teams right above them in these rankings.
7. Baltimore Ravens, 5-2 (8)
The Ravens' defense needed a jolt of energy, and the acquisition of cornerback Marcus Peters did just that;he scored one of their two defensive touchdownsto take control of the game in Seattle. Their increased lead in the AFC North looks insurmountablethanks to Lamar Jackson's running and pa sing.
8. Seattle Seahawks, 5-2 (4)
Ru sell Wilson had a rare badgame at home and wasn't in position to help theSeahawksovercome their continueddefensive i sues. He actually showed how much of a "most valuable player" he is with the team falling apart in the second half.
9. Dallas Cowboys, 4-3 (13)
The Cowboys needed to take some heat off Jason Garrett, and they did just that with their mostcomplete performance of the season. They Derek Watt Jerseys struck the right balance between Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott, while the defensive front seven finally played at its highest level yet.
10. Buffalo Bills, 5-1 (11)
The Bills get a mild bumpdespite needing to dig deep to beat the winle s Dolphins at home. Josh Allen and the offense still have plenty of kinks to work out, but their stifling defensegives them room to learn from mistakes on the other side of the ball.
11. Los Angeles Rams, 4-3 (14)
The Ramsagainst the Falcons rediscovered what had been alost offense and defense. Theylooked more like the reigning NFC champions in Atlanta, but they havea long way to goto vie for another division title.
12. Indianapolis Colts, 4-2 (14)
The Colts are in first place in the AFC Southbecause Jacoby Bri sett is settling into an exceptional offensive system that featuresa terrificline and versatile skill players. It also helps to have defensive stars such asDarius Leonard back healthy to help in key moments.
13. Carolina Panthers, 4-2 (9)
The Panthers slip a little only because they weren't able to gain more momentumduring theirWeek 7 bye. We'll soon Dan Moore Jr. Jerseys learnmore about how good they are with the 49ers, Packers and Saints,all on the road,beingthree of their next five opponents.
14. Houston Texans, 4-3 (10)
The Texans werea little sloppy and undisciplined with their pa sing game and pa s defense in Indianapolis,and it cost them first place in the division. They need tofinish October strong against the Raiders with a tough November ahead.
15. Philadelphia Eagles, 3-4 (12)
The Eagles have trended from good to average to bad in a hurry. Their defense gives up too many big plays, their offense doesn'tmake enough, and now everything is breaking down in a crumbling wall of poor complementary football. Doug Pederson and Jim Schwartz haven't adjusted well with their talented team.
16. Arizona Cardinals, 3-3-1 (20)
Turns outthisKliff Kingsbury offense with Kyler Murray at the controls can workwell in the NFL, especially against bad defenses. Speaking of defense, the return of Patrick Peterson was a game-changer against the Giantsfor a much-improved group under Vance Joseph.
17. Detroit Lions, 2-3-1 (17)
The Lions keep losing close games they havechances to win thanks toone or two mistakes. Matt Patricia has a good team, but he isstill having trouble installing a winning mentality down to the finish, especially defensively.
18. Oakland Raiders, 3-3 (15)
The Raiders looked like they had a chance against the Packers because of their explosive offense, but then they ran into the buzzsaw that isAaron Rodgers' right arm. Jon Gruden has one side of the ball working the right way, but the defensive promise keeps dwindling.
19. Chicago Bears, 3-3 (18)
When the Bears don't play good defense and can'trun the ball, , because it Diontae Johnson Jerseys puts games on the right arm of Mitchell Trubisky. They have a few schedule breaks coming up, but they need their third-year QB to play a lot better for that to matter.
20. Jacksonville Jaguars, 3-4 (25)
The Jaguars didn't needmuch Gardner Minshew magic to literally run over the Bengals with a lot of Leonard Fournette and others, including Minshew himself rushing the ball. Also credit the defense for bringing the heat andmaking big plays on the back end without Jalen Ramsey.
21. Tenne see Titans, 3-4 (26)
The Titans needed a spark, and Ryan Tannehill starting at quarterback provided that, as their offenselooked legitimate against the Chargers. The defense apparently also was Miles Killebrew Jerseys inspiredto shut the door in crunch time with a smalllead.
22. Pittsburgh Steelers, 2-4 (19)
The Steelers can't be totally ruled out of the wild-card race in a weak AFC.After theirbye, they shouldleta healthy Mason Rudolph loose to see if he can be a long-term solution.
23. Cleveland Browns, 2-4 (19)
We'll see what Baker Mayfield and Freddie Kitchens do to fix the offense coming out of their bye. The Patriotscan immediately ruin all those best-laid plans forOdell Beckham Jr. and others in Week 8.
24. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2-4 (24)
The Bucs also had their bye at the right time for Jameis Winston and Bruce Arians. Let's hope they are le s sloppy and morestreamlined offensivelyon the road against the Titans in Week 8.
25. Denver Broncos, 2-5 (21)
Vic Fangio thought he had his defense ready for the Chiefs Ben Roethlisberger Jerseys , butit didn't work against Patrick Mahomes, Matt Moore or the running game. The real i sue is the Broncos beingstuck with yet anothershaky bridge QB in Joe Flacco.
26. Los Angeles Chargers, 2-5 (23)
Philip Rivers is the leader of a Big Red Zone Turnover Machine, but Melvin Gordon has joined the club, too. Getting injured at keypositions and losing one-po se sion games arewhat the Chargers are doing best in 2019, almost as if coach Anthony Lynn, after a playoff season, is haunted by ghosts of Chargers teams past.
27. New York Joe Greene Jerseys Giants, 2-5 (27)
Daniel Jones keeps reminding us he is a rookie who at times can struggleto read NFL defenses and at other times deliver Danny Dimes. Saquon Barkley will do his best to lift theyoung QB, but the defense automatically puts the offense in precarious positions.
28. New York Jets, 1-5(28)
The Jetsprobably won't staydown here for too long, as C.J. Mosley and the defense are getting healthier, just as Sam Darnold and the offense did before the Cowboys game. They failed to give the Patriots a fightat homeMonday night, but their real chances to improvecome during the easiest second-half schedule in the league.
29. Washington Redskins, 1-6 (30)
The Redskins' defense did its best against the mighty 49ers in the slop,but the overlyrun-heavy offense of Bill Callahan won't cut it in any weather. This is a team merely playing out the string before a hiring a new full-time coach, with a brutal second-half schedule ahead.
30. Atlanta Falcons, 1-6 (29)
The Falcons are positioned to move on fromcoachDan Quinnas hisdefense finds new ways to be undisciplined and disappointing. Now the one personmaking the offense hum, quarterback Matt Ryan, will probably mi s another tough matchup at home against the Seahawks in Week 8.
31. Miami Dolphins, 0-6 (32)
Dolphins moving up? Yep.Credit Ryan Fitzpatrick for giving the team legitimate chances to winover the past two weeks. Coach Brian Flores also has the undermanned defense playing hard. The tanking is more related to the talent, which can be further depleted beforethe trade deadline.
32. Cincinnati Bengals, 0-7 (31)
They deserve to drop down here after losing to the Cardinals and Jaguars at home in consecutive weeks. The lifele John Stallworth Jerseys s offenseis making more mistakes, and thedefense is Swi s cheese against the most simplistic running game. Rookie coach Zac Taylor looks overwhelmed, and it mightcome down to a loser-take-all battle against the Dolphins in Week 16 to avoid agoose egg this season.