Taking It To The House NFL Week 8 Power Rankings

Fred Jackson led the charge for the Bills past the Redskins on Sunday in Toronto. Buffalo leads the AFC east and after shutting out Washington in week 8, jump to number four in Taking It To The House‘s Power Rankings. 

1. Green Bay Packers (7-0) – Just what the Packers needed, a week off after playing a sloppy game atMinnesota.  Week 9: 11/6 @ San Diego
2. San Francisco 49ers (6-1) – Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman have this defense playing as well as any defense in football.  Frank Gore is carrying the load on offense.  Jim Harbough has his team very disciplined and they don’t turn the ball over.  They have only committed six turnovers this season.  Week 9: 11/6 @ Washington
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) – The Steelers have won four straight games.  The big potential problem with this team is health.  They have a lot of injuries and are an aging group.  Week 9: 11/6 vs. Baltimore
4. Buffalo Bills (5-2) – The Bills defense is very opportunistic forcing a league high 18 turnovers in 7 games.  Ryan Fitzpatrick got a brand new contract and Fred Jackson continues his MVP caliber season.  Times are good inBuffalo.  Week 9: 11/6 vs. NY Jets
5. Baltimore Ravens (5-2) – Although they overcame a 21 point deficit on Sunday, there still are lots of unanswered questions aboutBaltimore’s offense.  Week 9: 11/6 @ Pittsburgh
6. New England Patriots (5-2) – Ben Roethlisberger carved the Patriots secondary apart on Sunday.  That’s what happens when you cut a veteran cornerback and place another cornerback on IR less than 48 hours before a game.  The offense is also struggling.  Week 9: 11/6 vs. NY Giants
7. Detroit Lions (6-2) – You see what happens when this team has no distractions and can focus on football.  They are pretty good.  Week 9: Bye
8. New York Jets (4-3) – The Jets had a quiet bye week.  It seems like they’re focused for the stretch run.  Week 9: 11/6 @ Buffalo
9. Cincinnati Bengals (5-2) – This team has to start getting the respect that they deserve.  Their defense is ranked 2^nd in the league.  Andy Dalton, AJ Green, and offensive coordinator Jay Gruden are all growing together.  Week 9: 11/6 @ Tennessee
10. New York Giants (5-2) – The Giants struggled mightily against the Dolphins.  Tom Coughlin described his team best when he said they couldn’t run the ball and they can’t stop the run on defense.  Week 9: 11/6 @ New England
11. New Orleans Saints (5-3) – In order for the Saints to win the AFC South they will have to win some meaningful road games.  Week 9: 11/6 vs. Tampa Bay
12. Houston Texans (5-3) – The Texans have another “easy” home game this Sunday.  If they win convincingly we know they are for real.  Week 9: 11/6 vs. Cleveland
13. Philadelphia Eagles (3-4) – Andy Reid and the coaching staff have made some key adjustments that are helping the Eagles turn around their season.  Week 9: 11/7 vs. Chicago
14. Kansas City Chiefs (4-3) – The Chiefs are playing good football.  They have rallied from a 0-3 start to share the division lead.  Todd Hailey, keep the beard growing.  Week 9: 11/6 vs.Miami
15. Chicago Bears (4-3) – We will learn a lot about the Bears on Monday night.  Week 9: 11/7 @ Philadelphia
16. Atlanta Falcons (4-3) – The Falcons have been inconsistent all year long and if they learned anything during their bye week they won’t take the Colts lightly on Sunday.  Week 9: 11/6 @ Indianapolis
17. San Diego Chargers (4-3) – The Chargers committed 20 penalties for 200 yards and 6 turnovers over the last two games.  Philip Rivers has a league high 14 turnovers (11 INT’s and 3 fumbles lost).  Week 9: 11/6 vs. Green Bay
18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-3) – Raheem Morris challenged Josh Freeman to be better during the bye week.  Freeman hasn’t played well all season and the Bucs are still a game over .500.  If Freeman can elevate his game TB will factor in the NFC playoff picture.  Week 9: 11/6 @ New Orleans
19. Oakland Raiders (4-3) – They signed TJ Houshmandzadeh on Tuesday.  Carson Palmer should play better with an extra week of learning the offense.  Week 9: 11/6 vs. Denver
20. Dallas Cowboys (3-4) – It is hard to tell if the Eagles are that good or the Cowboys that bad by that game last Sunday night.  The Cowboys aren’t out of the race yet because of a favorable schedule down the stretch.  The problem is Jason Garrett doesn’t even know what he will get from his team week to week.  Week 9: 11/6 vs. Seattle
21. Tennessee Titans (4-3) – They keep flying under the radar in the AFC South.  They have a big test on Sunday inNashville.  Week 9: 11/6 vs. Cincinnati
22. Cleveland Browns (3-4) – The Browns are the worst team in the best division in football.  Week 9: 11/6 @ Houston
23. Minnesota Vikings (2-6) – Christian Ponder had a solid performance againstCarolina.  He will have an extra week to prepare for another showdown with the defending champs.  Week 9: Bye
24. Carolina Panthers (2-6) – Olindo Mare and a questionable holding penalty against Steve Smith contributed to the Panthers demise against the Vikings.  Week 9: Bye
25. Washington Redskins (3-4) – The Redskins offense looked horrible against the Bills.  Could Mike Shanahan be coaching for his job over the next two months?  Week 9: 11/6 vs. San Francisco
26. Seattle Seahawks (2-5) – The Seahawks are the favorites in the Matt Barkley sweepstakes.  Week 9: 11/6 @ Dallas
27. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-6) – 12.2 points per game.  That pretty much sums up the Jags season so far.  Week 9: Bye
28. Denver Broncos (2-5) – The Broncos offense will be limited as long as Tim Tebow is starting at quarterback.  Week 9: 11/6 @ Oakland
29. St. Louis Rams (1-6) – Chris Long and Steven Jackson lead the Rams to their first victory.  They hope to have Sam Bradford back on Sunday as they try to make it 2 in a row.  Week 9: 11/6 @ Arizona
30. Arizona Cardinals (1-6) – The Cardinals have lost six straight games.  Besides Indy there isn’t a team playing worse right now.  They gave up an 18 point halftime lead last Sunday.  Anybody starting to worry about Kevin Kolb?  Week 9: 11/6 vs.St. Louis
31. Miami Dolphins (0-7) – The Dolphins have been competitive over the last two weeks.  The talent just isn’t there to close out games.  Week 9: 11/6 @ Kansas City
32. Indianapolis Colts (0-8) – The Colts are in a precarious situation.  They are at a crossroad as a franchise.  The players on the field are still playing hard but when a team (both offense and defense) is built around one player and that player gets hurt you get what you’re seeing with the Colts.

Jason King is a contributing writer at Taking It to the House and he can be reached atjdk2032@yahoo.com

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