2017 NFL Week 8 Power Rankings

My power rankings didn’t change all that much in NFL Week 7. Okay, the rankings changed some. But, it didn’t change at all at the top. Philadelphia remains the top team in the NFL on my power rankings. KC, although they lost 30 t0 31 to Oakland, maintains the second spot. I did move Pittsburgh up quite a few spots. New England, Minnesota, and New Orleans are also all higher. Check out my 2017 NFL Week 8 Power Rankings!

2017 NFL Week 8 Power Rankings

1. Philadelphia Eagles (6-1)

The 34 to 24 win over Washington is more impressive the more I think about it. Philadelphia’s offense is almost unstoppable. Carson Wentz once again threw 4 TD passes. Philly is an awesome 5 and 2 against the spread.

2. Kansas City Chiefs (5-2)

The 1 point loss to the Oakland Raiders in NFL Week 7 hasn’t dropped KC too far from the top slot. The Chiefs are still one of the best teams in the NFL. They must step it up to beat Denver this Monday. I think they will.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2)

I was impressed with how the Steelers’ defense responded against Cincinnati after the first half. The Bengals were only down 6 points. Pitt shut down Cincinnati’s offense in the second half of the game. Although WR Martavis Bryant keeps complaining, Pitt keeps rolling along.

4. New England Patriots (5-2)

The Patriots’ defense only allowed 7 points in the 23 to 7 win over Atlanta in Week 7. Great, right? Not so fast. The Falcons pummeled the Patriots on the ground. If Atlanta’s O-coordinator and quarterback had been on the same page, the Falcons might have challenged for the W. I must see more before sending the Patriots ahead of Pittsburgh or KC.

5. Minnesota Vikings (5-2)

Minnesota impressed me in their 24 to 16 win over the Baltimore Ravens. What impressed me the most? The fact that the Vikings after 2 weeks depending on RB Jerrick McKinnon, decided to hand the ball off to RB Latavius Murray. Murray scampered for a 29-yard TD run that sealed the deal. The Vikings mixing it up like that on offense means that they’re going to call the plays that they feel work best versus that day’s opponent. That’s the sign of a football team headed in the right direction.

6. New Orleans Saints (4-2)

I think New Orleans proved that it’s one of the best teams in the NFL. The Saints were down 7 to 14 at halftime before rallying for a 26 to 17 win over Green Bay. New Orleans isn’t perfect. But, they keep winning. They’re also in first place in the NFC South after starting the season 0 and 2.

7. Seattle Seahawks (4-2)

Seattle’s defense appears to be coming around. Granted, they did play the New York Giants. The game was on the road, though. The Seahawks only yielded a touchdown. We’ll get a taste of exactly how good the defense is this Sunday when the Hawks host the Houston Texans and wunderkind QB DeShaun Watson.

8. Los Angeles Rams (5-2)

The Rams stepped it up big time in their 33 to 0 beat down of Arizona. LAR is one of those teams that gets better week to week. They should be there in the end, along with Seattle, for the NFC West title.

9. Buffalo Bills (4-2)

Buffalo’s offense is how the Bills beat Tampa Bay 30 to 27. It was nice to see that the Bills could score points in a shootout. Tyrod Taylor threw a TD pass. LeSean McCoy rushed for 2 TDs. The Bills showed an added dimension. Many will say that Buffalo’s defense showed chinks in the armor. I don’t think so. Tampa Bay has a nice offense.

10. Miami Dolphins (4-2)

It’s sort of strange that the Dolphins have a 4 and 2 record even though they’re averaging 15.3 points per game. The 15.3 points per ranks 31st in the NFL. If Matt Moore is any type of upgrade at QB over Jay Cutler, Cutler cracked a few ribs on Sunday, the Fins might be a tough team to deal with. Right now, they’re in a logjam atop the AFC East Division with Buffalo and New England.

11. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-3)

The Jags worked the Indianapolis Colts in Week 7. Jacksonville is a solid team. I know this because they beat Indianapolis 27 to 0 without RB Leonard Fournette rushing the football.

12. Carolina Panthers (4-3)

This is exactly what’s bothered me about Cam Newton since he came into the NFL. He’s just not a consistent QB. Newton should have played much better than he did versus the Chicago Bears. He threw 2 interceptions. He didn’t throw a TD. A lot of Cam’s issues start along the offensive line. Still, he should be better than that.

13. Green Bay Packers (4-3)

Green Bay gets a bye in NFL Week 8. They need it. The Packers’ entire season might rest on their 2 games after the bye. They host Detroit. Then, they’re at Chicago. If QB Brett Hundley can find a way to complete some passes down field, Green Bay could hang on until December when QB Aaron Rodgers is set to return. Stranger things have happened in the NFL.

14. Tennessee Titans (4-3)

What do the Titans want? A pat on the back? An atta boy? A wow, you guys looked great out there? Tennessee beat Cleveland 12 to 9 in one of the worst football games I’ve seen. Tennessee must find a way to be more consistent. The team that beat Jacksonville 37 to 16 in Week 2 no way resembled the team that beat Cleveland on Sunday.

15. Washington Redskins (3-3)

Washington’s battle with the Dallas Cowboys in NFL Week 8 should set the tone for the winner the rest of the season. Both Washington and Dallas have fallen behind Philadelphia in the NFC East. Washington’s 24 to 34 loss to Philly was a decent but not good enough effort. The team that plays in D.C. must get its defense to play with pace. By the third quarter, the D is already spent.

16. Dallas Cowboys (3-3)

The Cowboys’ offense is running like a well-oiled machine. Ezekiel Elliot caught a 71 yard TD pass. He also scored 2 rushing TDs. QB Dak Prescott rushed for a TD and threw 3 TD passes. The Boys looked like one of the best teams in the NFL in their 40 to 10 Week 7 win. Too bad Dallas looked that great facing the San Francisco 49’ers and their rookie quarterback, C.J. Beathard. Dallas isn’t a bad team. I’m just not sure how good they really are.

17. Houston Texans (3-3)

The Texans were on their bye. They battle Seattle this Sunday. We’ll see how well DeShaun Watson plays against one of the better defenses in the NFL.

18. Atlanta Falcons (3-3)

Atlanta is currently the worst 3 and 3 team in the NFL. The defense played about the way I expected it to versus the New England Patriots this past Sunday night. Atlanta’s defense isn’t great. The offense once again sucked it up. I’m not sure what’s going on. All I can write is that QB Matt Ryan seems out of sorts every time he steps back to pass. I must believe that has a lot to do with Steve Sarkisian calling the plays.

19. Detroit Lions (3-3)

Detroit was on their bye. They host Pittsburgh in Week 9.

20. Los Angeles Chargers (3-4)

The Chargers won their third straight by dominating the rival Denver Broncos 21 to 0. 25,388 fans showed up to the Bolts’ home game win over Denver. LAC finally has it together. They should be competitive in every game from now until the end of the season.

21. Chicago Bears (3-4)

I’m definitely impressed how the Chicago Bears beat the Carolina Panthers 17 to 3 in Week 7. The most impressive thing is that Bears’ rookie QB Mitch Trubisky only threw 7 passes. That’s flat out ridiculous, isn’t it? How can you win an NFL game in 2017 when your QB only throws 7 passes? I don’t know. Maybe, Chicago coach John Fox knows because it definitely happened.

22. Denver Broncos (3-3)

Denver’s got big problems. The Broncos have scored a measly 10 points in their last 2 games. The defense has allowed over 20 points in Denver’s last 2 games. It’s too early to give the Broncos the fork. I am warming up the fork, though.

23. Oakland Raiders (3-4)

I can’t move Oakland too far up the ladder. It was strange to see RB Marshawn Lynch run onto the football field. It was even stranger to hear that Lynch flew onto the field to save KC cornerback Marcus Peters from getting bum rushed by the Raiders’ offensive linemen. In any case, I’m not ready to declare  Oakland an AFC Playoff team even though they beat Kansas City 31 to 30.

24. New York Jets (3-4)

The Jets have nobody to blame but themselves. J-E-T-S had a 28 to 14 lead going into the 4th quarter in their loss to the Dolphins. Allowing Matt Moore to rally the Fins to a 31 to 28 win is flat out embarrassing.

25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-4)

The Buccaneers aren’t totally out of it. It does feel as if the season has gotten away from Tampa, though. The 3 point loss to the Bills in Week 7 had be a huge downer. The Buccaneers have now lost 3 in a row after going 2 and 1 to begin the season.

26. Cincinnati Bengals (2-4)

You can tell the teams that have a shot at making the playoffs this season from the ones that don’t. Down only 6 points, the Bengals made absolutely no adjustments in the second half in their loss to Pittsburgh. Zero. If you don’t make the necessary adjustments during halftime in an NFL game, you’re going to lose almost every time. Cincy had a chance in that game. They blew it.

27. Arizona Cardinals (3-4)

Losing QB Carson Palmer is a huge deal for the Arizona Cardinals. Palmer was starting to get into a groove. Arizona is this year’s snakebit NFL franchise. They lost RB David Johnson early in the season. They’ve lost QB Carson Palmer at the middle of the season. It’s going to be tough for Zona to win a single game until Palmer returns. Opponents can now key on Adrian Peterson and the rushing attack.

28. Baltimore Ravens (3-4)

Baltimore infuriates me. No, really. They’re not the least talented team in the NFL. They just play like the least talented team in the NFL. QB Joe Flacco averages 157.4 passing yards per game. That’s insanely terrible. The Ravens have now lost 4 out of their last 5. The good news is that Baltimore has a shot at winning at least 2 more games this season. Both Indianapolis and Cleveland are on Baltimore’s second half schedule.

29. Indianapolis Colts (2-6)

Indianapolis had no shot against Jacksonville’s front 7. The Jags sacked QB Jacoby Brissett 10 times on Sunday. That’s 10 times that Brissett got taken to the ground. Colts’ WR TY Hilton can call out the offensive line all he wants. The problem is that the Colts don’t have great players along the offensive line. Calling out teammates only works if those teammates are talented enough to be called out.

30. New York Giants (1-6)

Oh, wow. After stunning the Denver Broncos, in Colorado no less, NYG finds a way to yield 14 points to the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth quarter to lose 24 to 7. The Giants are horrendous. They’re not as bad as San Francisco and Cleveland, but they are horrendous.

31. San Francisco 49’ers (0-7)

This could be the first NFL Season where we’ve got not 1 but 2 zero and 16 teams. San Francisco appears to be going backwards. I didn’t expect QB C.J. Beathard to go nuts. I did expect SF’s defense to contain Dallas RB Ezekiel Elliott. I also expected the 49’ers to have a better game plan than to sit down and allow the Boys to repeatedly kick them in the groin. That’s what it felt like watching the train wreck that is the San Francisco 49’ers versus the Dallas Cowboys in Week 7.

32. Cleveland Browns (0-7)

Coach Hue Jackson benched QB DeShone Kizer for Cody Kessler. Maybe, it’s time to admit that the Browns must rebuild again. Unfortunately for Cleveland, the one piece they were guaranteed to be able to move, LT Joe Thomas, is out for the season. The Browns battle the Minnesota Vikings in London on Sunday. Cleveland is the home team. Not only are the Browns horrible, they also got jacked out of a home game.

What do you think?

Written by D.S. Williamson