Arizona Sports NFL Power Rankings Week 8: Top 4 hold; Cardinals sink
Oct 23, 2018, 7:20 AM
Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller (58) hits Arizona Cardinals quarterback Josh Rosen (3) as he throws during the second half of an NFL football game, Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
We’re nearing the halfway point (for most teams) of the 2018 NFL season, and we’ve got four really good teams and about five that are just terrible.
At the top of the pecking order, things look the same this week as the Rams, Saints, Patriots and Chiefs — last week’s top four teams — all won in Week 7 and still constitute the top eighth of the league.
At the bottom, there was a little movement. It’s impossible not to return the Arizona Cardinals to the cellar after a nationally televised beatdown at the hands of the Denver Broncos that led to the firing of offensive coordinator Mike McCoy and a reported trade demand from Patrick Peterson — arguably the team’s best defensive player.
Here’s a full look at this week’s pecking order.
Arizona Sports NFL Power Rankings – Week 8
| Rank | Team | Record | Result | Movement | Comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  |
Los Angeles Rams | 7-0 | beat San Francisco 39-10 | (–) | Todd Gurley is on pace for 32 touchdowns. |
| 2. |  |
New Orleans Saints | 5-1 | beat Baltimore 24-23 | (–) | More milestones for Drew Brees. |
| 3. |  |
New England Patriots | 5-2 | beat Chicago 38-31 | (–) | Never hurts your chances of winning when you get two special teams touchdowns. |
| 4. |  |
Kansas City Chiefs | 6-1 | beat Cincinnati 45-10 | (–) | Four more touchdowns for Patrick Mahomes. |
| 5. |  |
Minnesota Vikings | 4-2-1 | beat NY Jets 37-17 | (▲1) | Can anyone slow down Adam Thielen? |
| 6. |  |
Baltimore Ravens | 4-3 | lost to New Orleans 24-23 | (▼1) | Nobody in Baltimore feels worse than Justin Tucker. |
| 7. |  |
Los Angeles Chargers | 5-2 | beat Tennessee 20-19 | (–) | Winning streak temporarily halted by Week 8 bye. |
| 8. |  |
Pittsburgh Steelers | 3-2-1 | Bye Week | (–) | Will try to “avenge” Week 1 tie vs. Cleveland. |
| 9. |  |
Green Bay Packers | 3-2-1 | Bye Week | (–) | Packers play Rams, Patriots, Seahawks and Vikings on the road in the next five weeks. |
| 10. |  |
Carolina Panthers | 4-2 | beat Philadelphia 21-17 | (▲5) | Tremendous fourth-quarter comeback in Philly. |
| 11. |  |
Washington Redskins | 4-2 | beat Dallas 20-17 | (▲8) | Washington fans the only ones who liked the penalty on the Dallas long snapper. |
| 12. |  |
Cincinnati Bengals | 4-3 | lost to Kansas City 45-10 | (▼2) | Smashed by Kansas City. At least they have company in that group. |
| 13. |  |
Chicago Bears | 3-3 | lost to New England 38-31 | (▼2) | If only Trubisky could’ve put a little more oomph on that throw… |
| 14. |  |
Houston Texans | 4-3 | beat Jacksonville 20-7 | (▲6) | Suddenly, the Texans have won four in a row. |
| 15. |  |
Seattle Seahawks | 3-3 | Bye week | (▲2) | Back from the bye to take on Detroit. |
| 16. |  |
Philadelphia Eagles | 3-4 | lost to Carolina 21-17 | (▼2) | Eagles look almost nothing like the team that won the Super Bowl. |
| 17. |  |
Miami Dolphins | 4-3 | lost to Detroit 32-21 | (▼1) | On the bright side, Brock Osweiler finally looks serviceable. |
| 18. |  |
Jacksonville Jaguars | 3-4 | lost to Houston 20-7 | (▼6) | Outscored by Texas teams 60-14 over the last two weeks. |
| 19. |  |
Detroit Lions | 3-3 | Beat Miami 32-21 | (▲4) | Offense, bolstered by Kerryon Johnson, has looked good the last two games. |
| 20. |  |
Atlanta Falcons | 3-4 | beat NY Giants 23-20 | (▲2) | Ryan has completed almost 75% of his throws with 13 TDs and zero interceptions over last five games. |
| 21. |  |
Dallas Cowboys | 3-4 | lost to Washington 20-17 | (▼3) | Lost a game that rightly should have gone to overtime. |
| 22. |  |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 3-3 | beat Cleveland 26-23 (OT) | (▲2) | Beat the Browns despite being -3 in turnovers. |
| 23. |  |
New York Jets | 3-4 | lost to Minnesota 37-17 | (▼4) | The perils of starting a rookie QB: Darnold was terrible against the Vikings. |
| 24. |  |
Denver Broncos | 3-4 | beat Arizona 45-10 | (▲1) | Either Von Miller rallied his team, or he knew how bad the Cardinals are. |
| 25. |  |
Tennessee Titans | 3-4 | lost to LA Chargers 20-19 | (▼4) | Love the decision to go for two; hated the play call. |
| 26. |  |
Indianapolis Colts | 2-5 | beat Buffalo 37-5 | (▲3) | Andrew Luck has 15 TD passes over his last four games. |
| 27. |  |
Cleveland Browns | 2-4-1 | lost to Tampa Bay 26-23 (OT) | (▼1) | Browns have played four OT games in their first seven contests. |
| 28. |  |
New York Giants | 1-6 | lost to Atlanta 23-20 | (▼1) | Back-to-back 1-6 starts for the G-Men. Somewhere, Ben McAdoo is laughing. |
| 29. |  |
Buffalo Bills | 2-5 | lost to Indianapolis 37-5 | (▼1) | It turns out Derek Anderson is still in the league. Good for him. |
| 30. |  |
San Francisco 49ers | 1-6 | lost to LA Rams 39-10 | (–) | C.J. Beathard continues to be the most turnover-plagued QB in football. |
| 31. |  |
Oakland Raiders | 1-5 | Bye Week | (▲1) | Trading Cooper for a first-rounder is the best thing they’ve done this season. |
| 32. |  |
Arizona Cardinals | 1-6 | lost to Denver 45-10 | (▼1) | What a mess. |
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