2014 Week 8
Nipping at #10's heels:
Steelers (#16), Panthers (#15), Chiefs (#14)
49ers (#13), Bengals (#12)
The top teams seem so competitive right now,
I couldn't help but give #11 it's own blurb as well...
11. Detroit Lions (5-2)
Last Week: 10th
Best Ranking: 7th (Week 5)
*The Lions only move down because the Ravens and Packers had to move up. Two weeks ago at Ford Field, the Lions looked like they gave away a game when they missed three field goals against the Buffalo Bills. Two weeks later, they got it back. The Lions went from listless to a team looking like a playoff contender in four minutes Sunday, scoring two touchdowns to beat New Orleans. This might be the spark the Lions offense has needed for the past few weeks. They got a 73-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to Golden Tate to give them a chance, and then a huge play from a role player, Corey Fuller, gave them the lead. Those are the types of plays Detroit has needed in the absence of Calvin Johnson the past two weeks. Detroit now heads to London on a big high and a two-game winning streak. - Michael Rothstein
10. Baltimore Ravens (5-2)
Last Week: 11th
Best Ranking: 8th (Week 5)
The Ravens (5-2) moved into first place in the AFC North for the first time, jumping ahead of the Cincinnati Bengals (3-2-1), who they'll play on the road this Sunday. This was the Ravens' fifth win in the past six weeks. The Ravens have outscored three NFC South opponents (Panthers, Buccaneers, Falcons) by a combined 115-34. The Ravens' hopes for their first shutout in five years ended when they gave up a touchdown with 7 minutes, 12 seconds left in the game. Still, the Ravens defense held the Falcons, the fifth-highest scoring team entering this game, to 20 points below their average. - Jamison Hensley
9. Seattle Seahawks (3-3)
Last Week: 4th
Best Ranking: 1st (6, 5, 4, 2, 1, Post-Draft)
The Seahawks are reeling and fall to 3-3, having lost the last two games and three of the last five. The team was completely out of sync Sunday. Were they still in shock from the Percy Harvin trade two days earlier? What has happened to the Seattle pass rush? One of the team's strengths a year ago is almost non-existent now. The Seahawks didn’t have a sack Sunday, and they weren’t exactly facing the world’s greatest offensive line. Meanwhile their own O-line wasn't great either as QB Russell Wilson was sacked 3 times in the 1st half and pressured constantly. And if you take out Wilson’s 106 yards, mostly while scrambling, Seattle had only 65 yards rushing on 22 carries. - Terry Blount
8. Arizona Cardinals (5-1)
Last Week: 8th
Best Ranking: 5th (Week 5)
No matter how much the Cardinals tried to deny it or downplay it, Sunday in Oakland was a trap game. The winless Raiders were feeling positive under a new coach with a new philosophy. It was the perfect recipe to upset the Cardinals, the first-place team in the NFC West. Even as the Raiders cut their deficit to just one point, Arizona showed enough resiliency to hold off Oakland and improve to 5-1. But it’s how the Cardinals were able to do it despite an offense that did not put together a complete game and threw its first interception of the season. The Cardinals converted their third downs - 9-for-15 on Sunday - while holding the Raiders to 56 rushing yards. They showed they had what it takes to win in a game that lacked emotion. - Josh Weinfuss
7. New England Patriots (5-2)
Last Week: 9th
Best Ranking: 2nd (Week 1)
Patriots' players have been forthcoming when it comes to some of the communication-based breakdowns that occurred in helping the Jets ring up 218 yards on 43 carries. This contributed to the Jets decisively winning the time-of-possession battle 40:54 to 19:06. Having lost defensive signal-caller Jerod Mayo on Sunday, and then having to play another game four days later without the benefit of a non-walkthrough practice, was always going to be a challenge. But don't forget New England was also playing their fourth game in a span of 18 days - an emotional grind of highs and lows that finally caught up to them. This happens over the course of a 16-game regular season and it's misplaced right now to make any definitive declarations. Now it's about revival for the defense, and the results should soon improve. - Mike Reiss
6. Green Bay Packers (5-2)
Last Week: 13th
Best Ranking: 6th (Week 8, 3, 1)
There aren't many stress-free games in the NFL, but the Packers have experienced two of them in the past three weeks. Two weeks after blowing out the Minnesota Vikings 42-10, the Packers had another game where the only major decision to make in the second half was when to take out quarterback Aaron Rodgers and other key starters. It was a welcome respite after last week's last-second victory over the Dolphins. The Packers played about as complete a game as is possible in the NFL. After winning their fourth in a row and now at 5-2, there will be much discussion this week about whether the Packers are perhaps the top team in the NFC. - Rob Demovsky
5. San Diego Chargers (5-2)
Last Week: 2nd
Best Ranking: 2nd (Week 7)
San Diego’s five-game winning streak ended with Kansas City’s first victory at Qualcomm Stadium since 2007. The Chargers fell to 5-2 on the year, 1-1 in the AFC West. It’s the fifth time in seven meetings between these two teams that a game has been decided by a field goal. The Chargers were No. 3 in the NFL in time of possession heading into Sunday’s game. However, with a steady diet of running back Jamaal Charles (95 yards on 22 carries), the Chiefs dominated time of possession, keeping the ball away from San Diego’s explosive offense. Kansas City finished with a 39:00-21:00 edge in time of possession. - Eric D. Williams
4. Philadelphia Eagles (5-1)
Last Week: 5th
Best Ranking: 4th (Week 8, 4, 3)
It’s fair to wonder if the Eagles weren't better served by their late-November bye last year. This year, the bye immediately follows their first truly excellent performance of the season. After finding ways to win despite deeply flawed performances, the Eagles were flat-out dominant against the New York Giants a week ago. Their running game finally looked as powerful as it was last year, and their defense managed its first shutout in 18 years. Not exactly when you want to call a halt to operations and force everyone to start over after a week off. But as coach Chip Kelly pointed out, this bye comes at the real midway point of the NFL season. The Eagles played four preseason games and six regular-season contests. They have 10 regular-season games remaining. This is an opportunity to reboot, and the Eagles could use that. - Phil Sheridan
3. Indianapolis Colts (5-2)
Last Week: 6th
Best Ranking: 3rd (Week 8)
The Colts have tried for years to assemble a defense on par with their offense, but it's been a struggle each year to reach those standards. The defense is attempting to change that. It continued its dominating ways of late on Sunday by recording four sacks, holding the Bengals to 1-of-13 on third down, including 11 straight three-and-out possessions. The Colts were supposed to struggle without linebacker Robert Mathis, but that’s been far from the case. They have 20 sacks during their five-game winning streak. Sunday was their first shutout since the 2008 season. The Colts' offense, meanwhile, struggled early on, as both of their main running backs, Trent Richardson and Ahmad Bradshaw, fumbled in the first half. But they got it going in the second half by scoring 17 points. Quarterback Andrew Luck finished 27-of-42 for 344 yards and two touchdowns. - Mike Wells
2. Dallas Cowboys (6-1)
Last Week: 3rd
Best Ranking: 2nd (Week 8)
When the measuring stick in the regular season is the 2007 season, you know the Cowboys are doing something right. The Cowboys are 6-1 for the first time since 2007 and have their first six-game win streak since that season. With the Philadelphia Eagles on their bye week, the Cowboys moved into first place in the NFC East with their first division win of the season. They also beat the Giants for the second time in a row at AT&T Stadium after losing their first four games at the stadium. DeMarco Murray had his seventh straight 100-yard game. Tony Romo had his second three-touchdown game of the season. Gavin Escobar had his first two-touchdown game of the season. The defense forced two turnovers. They simply followed the formula that has them off to this fast start. - Todd Archer
1. Denver Broncos (5-1)
Last Week: 1st
Best Ranking: 1st (Week 8, 7, 3)
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