2012 NFL Power Rankings Week 8: Chicago Bears Still the Team to Beat 

We are starting to get a better idea of what to expect from many of the teams in the NFL going into week 8, but there are still plenty of teams that continue to defy those expectations.

The week 8 NFL Power Rankings see two teams move in to the top ten (welcome back, Green Bay and everyone please say hi to the Vikings), while a new low man on the totem pole can be found way down at the bottom of the page.

1. Chicago Bears (Power Number: 3.9533, Last Week Rank: 1): Da Bears! Come on, I had to do it at least once. I bet Ditka is dancing in his grave…wait, he’s not dead…just on ESPN, that’s all.

2. Houston Texans (3.677, 3): The Texans emphatically laid their claim to the AFC. And by “emphatically” I mean they destroyed the Ravens.

3. Atlanta Falcons (3.07, 2): The only remaining unbeaten team had a bye week, but several close calls have to make you wonder how long they can keep this up.

4. San Francisco 49ers (2.639, 5): The Niners may not be the best the NFC has to offer, but they are the best the NFC West has to offer. They brought in WR talent; now they need to figure out how to use it.

5. New York Giants (2.569, 4): Three wins in a row and another 4^th quarter comeback for Eli…the Giants are heavily in the mix…right now, according to footballoutsiders.com, the G-men have a 10.7% chance of winning it all this year.

6. Green Bay Packers (1.958, 11): who would have thought the Packers would be third in the NFC North going into week 8. Rodgers appears to be ready to put the losses to Seattle and Indy behind him and take it out on the rest of the league.

7. New England Patriots (1.778, 8): It was hard to tell who wanted to lose Sunday’s game more, but the Patriots proved to be just a bit too much for the Jets.

8. Minnesota Vikings (1.639, 12): Week 2 I had the Vikings at 32^nd. I’m not afraid to say I was wrong. They may not be a polished and smooth machine, but they are winning games.

9. Denver Broncos (1.557, 7): I wish I had something more interesting to talk about here, but the story will be Manning all season. Although, the D has held up fairly well against some of the best QBs in the league…and have Mr. Brees on deck.

10. Seattle Seahawks (1.498, 9): I love defense! And Seattle is playing as well as anyone on that side of the ball, but at some point they are going to need some consistency and points on offense.

11. Baltimore Ravens (1.209, 6): Who was more important to the Ravens D: Lewis, Webb or a healthy Ngata? Does it matter? Lewis will miss most, if not all, of the season; Webb is done and Ngata is going to try to fight through injury.

12. Arizona Cardinals (0.9614, 10): The Cardinals busted out of the gates at 4-0, but three straight losses and a week 8 match-up against the 49ers may mean an 0-4 second quarter of the season.

13. St. Louis Rams (0.9086, 13): I have a feeling I am alone in having the Rams ranked this high, but they have played well for the most part. If Bradford doesn’t show more this season, it may be time (so soon?) to move on for St. Louis.

14. Miami Dolphins (0.8367, 18): Somehow the dysfunction that was the preseason-Dolphins has become a respectable 3-3 team. Hopes are high that Tannehill will continue to progress under Joe Philbin.

15. Washington Redskins (0.8110, 16): The ‘Skins sure are fun to watch, but a lack of big-time WR talent and an inconsistent D will probably keep them around .500 all year.

16. Dallas Cowboys (0.71, 17): I heard a rumor going around on Monday: that Tony Romo did not throw a single interception in Sunday’s game. Good job, Tony. Keep it up and maybe you will still be the QB in Dallas in 2013.

17. New York Jets (0.5885, 20): The Jets had a good game plan going into New England and were looking to prove that they were still legit. Instead, even when things went their way, they still managed to give the game away.

18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0.5633, 14): I assume that Josh Freeman reads these rankings every week and was probably tired of me dogging him, so he put up 420 yards passing. I will shut up, Mr. Freeman…for now.

19. Pittsburgh Steelers (0.5433, 23): Who knew Dwyer was the answer for the Steelers running game? 9-7 might be good for a wild card in the congested AFC, but with three conference losses already on their record, Pittsburgh could find themselves on the short end of the tie-breakers.

20. San Diego Chargers (0.5, 15): Do you think Norv Turner has had a “hot seat” installed in his office yet? Rivers is still throwing INTs like he is handing out toys at Christmas.

21. Detroit Lions (0.4333, 21): The discipline issues that were largely during a winning season last year may have a lot to do with the underperforming Lions of 2012.

22. New Orleans Saints (0.2583, 25): Don’t look now, but the Saints have won two in a row…one more and that is what we call a winning streak. The defense better pick it up, though, or any outside chance of making the playoffs is meaningless.

23. Philadelphia Eagles (0.1867, 19): Is this the end of the line for Andy Reid in Philly? He fires the D-coordinator when the offense can’t hold onto the ball…I still do not know how that works.

24. Indianapolis Colts (0.023, 27): Andrew Luck did his best RG3 impression. It was only good for 12 yards, but he did find the endzone twice.

25. Cincinnati Bengals (-0.1364, 22): The Bengals haven’t made the post season in back-to-back years since 1981-82. So are we really surprised that they are performing under last year’s expectations?

26. Carolina Panthers (-0.1393, 24): Cam Newton says that something has to change and then the GM gets fired…coincidence?

27. Buffalo Bills (-0.4914, 28): Insert comment about how bad the Bills defense is here: ____________________________________________________________________________________.

28. Cleveland Browns (-0.6554, 26): I am impressed with Weeden. I still say the Browns have a good chance to surprise in 2013 and more in the years to come.

29. Oakland Raiders (-0.7391, 29): I’m sorry Oakland, I really do not want to pile on…but, come on, it took overtime to beat the Jags without MJD???

30. Tennessee Titans (-0.7989, 30): Chris Johnson’s rush yards per attempt by game this season are: 0.36, 2.13, 1.71, 5.64, 1.60, 4.79 and 10.83. In his last two outings he had 286 yards on 37 carries. Is CJ2K back?

31. Jacksonville Jaguars (-1.1573, 32): MJD is likely to miss “an extended period of time”. Well, the Jags weren’t winning with him; now is their chance to prove they can win without him. I’m not holding out much hope.

32. Kansas City Chiefs (-1.467, 31): I’m not a big Matt Cassell fan, but I am even less of a Brady Quinn fan. Although, the Chiefs need to do something to try to be competitive this season.