It's another crapshoot week for the Rankings. There were a few surprises in Week 8 that I didn't foresee happening; thus the preponderance of 5-3 teams in the bottom of the list. I'm not sure what to think of any of them. And I dropped a couple that I could very well have left in, although I wasn't terribly fond of that idea.
Honestly, this endeavor is fluid until the regular season is over. Even then, we don't know who's going to win in the playoffs.
But that's a couple months away and we're talking about teams who are reaching the halfway point or are going to do so next week. With eight games played, one would think we'd have a better idea of who is good and who isn't.
Not so fast.
What do we know? Well, the South divisions stink, the West divisions are pretty tough, the East divisions might get entertaining down the stretch and actually yield multiple playoff teams, and the North divisions are jumbled.
After that, it's hard to say anything definitively, because week-to-week performance for every team not located in Colorado or Arizona is basically a toss-up.
Here are the Rankings for Week 8:
1.) Denver (6-1) [+2]
Last Thursday seems like a while ago. You may remember that Denver played San Diego and won. Peyton Manning looked good, and while he may be leading the pack, it's obvious that the other elite QB's decided to finally get back into shape and maybe present a challenge. Rivers is not an elite QB and that was proven again Thursday. Peyton also picked apart a Chargers defensive unit that was missing key players. That might have had something to do with how Rivers looked...but I doubt it. This week, Denver has one of the key matchups to watch as they go to Foxboro to play a late game. Hell, after the past couple of weeks, this might be the one game where both teams score over 40.
Next opponent: at New England (11/2)
2.) Arizona (6-1) [+2]
I guess it's better to play good teams at home. That said, it was close for the entire day and the only reason Arizona came out on top is because of one pass from Palmer to WR John Brown. It was a sublime display of down-field passing that scored the go-ahead touchdown. Probably the play of the day, even with Roethlisberger going nuts and Brees going equally nutty later on. The Cardinals look like they're for real and they've already suffered injuries (so I hear). So obviously, despite their placement in a rough division, they're on top and are dictating terms to the rest of the NFC at the moment.
Next opponent: at Dallas (11/2)
3.) New England (6-2) [+4]
Even though I purport to "cover" the NFL by writing about it in this fashion, there are some things that just escape me. Like how the Patriots, who were dead in the water after a Monday night game against Kansas City, are suddenly 6-2. They've reeled off four wins in a row and Tom Brady is putting up stats that would have fit in with his eye-popping numbers from 2007. It just doesn't make sense, really. But Gronkowski is healthy, and while there's no true #1 receiver on the outside (Amendola and Edelman don't count as they're basically slot receivers), Brady is making it work as usual. They've got a tough test in Week 9 against the Broncos, but at least they're at home.
Next opponent: vs. Denver (11/2)
4.) Detroit (6-2) [+5]
Turns out that playing early in London might not be the worst thing, when you're playing a bad opponent. And even though the Lions didn't show up in the first half, they more than made up for it in the second. It's huge to get a win in that situation and then go on the bye. Now they're set up for what ought to be a nice run to the finish...if they don't stumble over themselves and go 2-6. History tells us the more likely occurrence is 2-6, but if their defense is stopping people and Stafford isn't throwing the ball to the other team, they should be fine.
Next opponent: vs. Miami (11/9)
5.) Dallas (6-2) [-4]
Believe me, after that loss I wanted to drop the Cowboys right out of the damn thing. I really did. But I only dropped them four spots because there just aren't enough good teams out there. The records say that the Cowboys are one of the five best, so here they are. But damn, was I disappointed with their effort early and late against Washington. They let Colt McCoy beat them and the O-line wasn't managed well enough to stop the blitzes Washington sent in. When so many guys are coming in and only three or four are out in coverage, time is at a premium and quick decisions have to be made. But there also has to be some kind of effort to not let free rushers get to the QB after 1-3 seconds. I'm not sure who should take the most blame for that, but I'm inclined to go with Romo, since he takes charge of the protection at the line. It's either him or center Travis Frederick. But since Romo has so much more experience...yeah. It's a disappointing loss, but it by no means buries the team...unless the "contusion" Romo suffered turns out to be a lingering issue. I hope it doesn't, because it'd be nice to see the Cowboys go to the playoffs and maybe even win a game.
Next opponent: vs. Arizona (11/2)
6.) Philadelphia (5-2) [-4]
It's tough going on the road against a good opponent. If there's such a thing as a "moral victory", it's that Philly was in the game for 60 minutes. And they almost won. Hell, they would have won had Foles' pass been just a bit better. Given that the Cowboys lost yesterday, Philadelphia is in a good position; they're still not playing to their capabilities and Dallas is suddenly vulnerable.
Next opponent: at Houston (11/2)
7.) Pittsburgh (5-3) [-]
I feel certain that nobody saw that coming. Ben Roethlisberger had one of the three best games he'll ever have in his career against a strong team that looks better than the Steelers have all year. Weird things happen every week. And their reward for the win is the Ravens coming to town on Sunday night. Good times.
Next opponent: vs. Baltimore (11/2)
8.) Buffalo (5-3) [-]
It's a team that probably won't be around here very long. But for the moment they look like one of the ten best teams in the league. At least, until Baltimore or San Diego start pounding weak competition again.
Next opponent: vs. Kansas City (11/9)
9.) Indianapolis (5-3) [-4]
I don't know if that was a fluke or if the Colts defense is really that bad. Whatever the case, they got exposed in a big way against the Steelers. I guess the takeaway is that since there isn't a QB of Roethlisberger's stature in the AFC South, the Colts will be just fine and will win the division with no problem. That's all well and good, but unless they shore up the defense before the playoffs start, it likely won't be a long stay in the postseason for the Colts if they continue to play like they did on Sunday.
Next opponent: at NY Giants (11/3)
10.) Green Bay (5-3) [-4]
Rodgers "pulled up lame", as they say, and the game changed accordingly. What had previously looked like a Packers win turned into a resounding victory for the Saints, because Rodgers refused to pull himself out of the game until well after the Saints had sewn it up. He's not the only QB who got injured and then lost the game for his team, as Romo did it last night. Now we wait to see how long Rodgers' hammy will keep him out of action, if at all. It probably won't keep him out, but that collarbone issue from last season wasn't supposed to be a long-term injury either...yet it cost him the rest of the season.
Next opponent: vs. Chicago (11/9)
That's all for this week. See you next week.
