We have hit the half way point of the NFL season and it certainly has been exciting. Who would have guessed that after eight weeks the Bucs would be ahead of the Saints in the standings? Here are my Top 5 and Bottom 5 teams after the first eight weeks:
Top Five (Best to Worst):
- Patriots (Prev. 3): The Patriots have the best record in the NFL, but they continue to fly under the radar. Their offense isn’t as explosive as it has been in recent memory, but it is highly effective.
- Colts (Prev. 5): Despite numerous key injuries on offense (Dallas Clark, Austin Collie, all RBs), the Colts continue to play well. Peyton Manning is having another great season and the Colts are coming of a great win against the Texans in Week 8.
- Jets (Prev. 2): The Jets suffered a minor set-back by dropping a large goose-egg against the Packers in Week 8. The Jets offense struggled mightily and the Packers demonstrated that the Jets are very beatable. On the positive side, the Jets defense did not allow a TD in the loss.
- Falcons (Prev. 6): The idol Falcons are able to crack the Top 5 this week behind the Titans loss at San Diego. The Falcons’ game against Tampa Bay this week is for first place in the NFC South.
- Steelers (Prev. 1): The Steelers take a small drop in the rankings after losing to the Saints on Sunday Night Football. The Steelers have had a tough schedule up until now and could have easily been worse than 5-2.
Bottom Five (Best to Worst):
- 49ers (Prev. 30): If the 49ers had beaten the Panthers in Week 7, things would actually not be looking too bad in San Francisco. After the BYE week, the Niners have three key games against beatable opponents. If the Niners are able to beat St. Louis, Tampa Bay and Arizona, winning the (bad) division is a possibility.
- Broncos (Prev. 26): The Broncos have fallen apart this season. They had a very solid offensive team to start this season, but defense is another story. They have been outscored by 69 points, 53 of which came over the past two weeks. They need to make a defensive adjustment quickly.
- Cowboys (Prev. 29): I have run out of words to describe the Cowboys this season. They are playing horribly and someone needs to step-up – in a big way.
- Panthers (Prev. 31): Steve Smith took the blame for their loss against the Rams in Week 8, but I actually feel bad for him. He is a very talented receiver stuck in a horrible situation (a la Larry Fitzgerald).
- Bills (Prev. 32): The Bills are ever so close to getting that first win. For the second week in a row, they lost a tough game in overtime. You have to wonder if these two recent losses are going to demoralize the Bills, or inspire them to get over the hump.
Be sure to check back next week for the Week 10 Power Rankings!
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