Arizona Sports Week 8 NFL Power Rankings: Patriots back to top spot

If it’s parity you want, then parity you shall have.

Through seven weeks of the 2016 NFL season, parity has been on display. Right now, more than 56 percent of the teams in the league have either three or four losses heading to the campaign’s mid-point.

Through it all, it appears currently that only the New England Patriots are a complete football team. After their 27-16 road win in Pittsburgh, the Patriots are 6-1, and have looked very strong since the return of quarterback Tom Brady, who served a four-game suspension for something (we can’t remember what it was.) Brady has completed 75 percent of his passes for 1,004 yards and eight touchdowns without an interception since his return.

Combine New England’s recent performance with Minnesota’s listless showing in Philadelphia, and we’ve got a new No. 1 team in our Arizona Sports NFL Power Rankings.

Our seven-person panel (Vince Marotta, Craig Grialou, Craig Morgan, Adam Green, Paige Dimakos, Dave Burns and Luke Lapinski) has cast their ballots on where they think teams stack up heading into Week 8.

1. New England Patriots (6-1)

High: 1 (unanimous)
Low: N/A
Movement: ▲ 1
Comment: Through three games, Tom Brady has a 132.8 passer rating. Ho hum. — Morgan
Next: at Buffalo

2. Dallas Cowboys (5-1)

High: 2 (Grialou, Dimakos, Burns)
Low: 3 (Marotta, Morgan, Green, Lapinski)
Movement: ▲ 2
Comment: They get Dez back … that’s a scary thought. — Green
Next: vs. Philadelphia

3. Minnesota Vikings (5-1)

High: 2 (Morgan, Green, Lapinski)
Low: 4 (Marotta, Dimakos Burns)
Movement: ▼ 2
Comment: Still good and their division is confusing, but good lord Bradford, hold on to the ball. — Dimakos
Next: at Chicago

4. Seattle Seahawks (4-1-1)

High: 2 (Marotta)
Low: 7 (Dimakos)
Movement: ▼ 3
Comment: Should be dancing in the streets that they salvaged a tie in Arizona. — Marotta
Next: at New Orleans

5. Denver Broncos (5-2)

High: 3 (Dimakos, Burns)
Low: 8 (Marotta)
Movement: ▲ 3
Comment: Elway 1, Osweiler 0. — Grialou
Next: vs. San Diego

6. Green Bay Packers (4-2)

High: 4 (Grialou)
Low: 10 (Green)
Movement: ▲ 1
Comment: Still shaky. — Burns
Next: at Atlanta

7. Kansas City Chiefs (4-2)

High: 6 (Marotta)
Low: 11 (Grialou, Green)
Movement: ▲ 6
Comment: Right in line to play Houston in that first Saturday morning Wild Card game. Again. — Lapinski
Next: at Indianapolis

8. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3)

High: 5 (Green)
Low: 12 (Dimakos)
Movement: ▼ 3
Comment: Bye week comes at at good time, but they need Big Ben back, ASAP. — Green
Next: Bye

9. Arizona Cardinals (3-3-1)

High: 6 (Dimakos, Lapinski)
Low: 13 (Marotta)
Movement: ▲ 1
Comment: Did so many things well. Two missed field goals away from 5-2. — Burns
Next: at Carolina

10. Oakland Raiders (5-2)

High: 7 (Marotta)
Low: 11 (Dimakos, Lapinski)
Movement: ▲ 2
Comment: 4-0 on the road. I like that you’re proving me right. — Dimakos
Next: at Tampa Bay

11. Philadelphia Eagles (4-2)

High: 6 (Morgan)
Low: 12 (Burns, Lapinski)
Movement: ▲ 3
Comment: Carson Wentz keeps stacking impressive wins on the resume. — Grialou
Next: at Dallas

12. Atlanta Falcons (4-3)

High: 10 (Marotta, Dimakos, Lapinski)
Low: 15 (Grialou)
Movement: ▼ 6
Comment: Why did you go for it there on 4th down? And what kind of play call was that? — Dimakos
Next: vs. Green Bay

13. Buffalo Bills (4-3)

High: 12 (Marotta)
Low: 16 (Burns)
Movement: ▼ 5
Comment: Couldn’t hold an 11-point lead and lost Shady to a hammy. — Burns
Next: vs. New England

14. Cincinnati Bengals (3-4)

High: 12 (Green)
Low: 19 (Dimakos)
Movement: ▲ 3
Comment: Beating the Browns doesn’t exactly launch you up the standings. — Lapinski
Next: vs. Washington (London)

15. Detroit Lions (4-3)

High: 14 (Marotta, Dimakos, Burns, Lapinski)
Low: 23 (Green)
Movement: ▲ 4
Comment: Probably shouldn’t have beaten Washington. Just saying. Nice little win streak, though. — Green
Next: at Houston

16. Washington Redskins (4-3)

High: 12 (Grialou)
Low: 24 (Green)
Movement: ▼ 5
Comment: Probably shouldn’t have lost to the Lions. Just saying. — Green
Next: vs. Cincinnati (London)

17. New York Giants (4-3)

High: 13 (Lapinski)
Low: 26 (Green)
Movement: ▼ 1
Comment: It’s almost like the NFL doesn’t want to win over London with the teams they’re sending. — Morgan
Next: Bye

18. Houston Texans (4-3)

High: 15 (Morgan)
Low: 21 (Grialou)
Movement: ▼ 3
Comment: I like Brock Osweiler, but that offense is God-awful with him at the controls. — Marotta
Next: vs. Detroit

19. San Diego Chargers (3-4)

High: 15 (Burns)
Low: 25 (Green)
Movement: ▲ 4
Comment: Only team with a losing record to have a positive point differential (+21). — Lapinski
Next: at Denver

20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-3)

High: 17 (Grialou)
Low: 25 (Morgan)
Movement: ▲ 4
Comment: Latest team to plaster the 49ers on the ground. — Burns
Next: vs. Oakland

21. Indianapolis Colts (3-4)

High: 15 (Green)
Low: 24 (Dimakos, Lapinski)
Movement: ▲ 6
Comment: Quick, name two RBs on the Colts’ roster. No, seriously. — Lapinski
Next: vs. Kansas City

22. Miami Dolphins (3-4)

High: 16 (Green)
Low: 25 (Burns)
Movement: ▲ 4
Comment: This keeps up and they’ll have to change their name to Miamyi. — Lapinski
Next: Bye

23. Baltimore Ravens (3-4)

High: 19 (Morgan, Lapinski)
Low: 26 (Marotta)
Movement: ▼ 6
Comment: The Ravens have lost four straight for the first time under Harbaugh. — Morgan
Next: Bye

24. Los Angeles Rams (3-4)

High: 19 (Grialou, Green, Lapinski)
Low: 28 (Burns)
Movement: ▼ 4
Comment: Bad loss to the Giants. How long until we see Captain Sunrise? — Green
Next: Bye

25. Tennessee Titans (3-4)

High: 20 (Green)
Low: 26 (Grialou)
Movement: ▼ 3
Comment: Two TDs allowed in eight seconds? That’s awfully impressive; stress ‘awfully.’ — Grialou
Next: vs. Jacksonville

26. New Orleans Saints (2-4)

High: 21 (Green)
Low: 27 (Grialou, Morgan, Lapinski)
Movement: ▼ 5
Comment: With Brees, they’ll always have a chance. With that defense, they’ll really need Brees. — Green
Next: vs. Seattle

27. Carolina Panthers (1-5)

High: 21 (Burns)
Low: 29 (Marotta, Morgan)
Movement: ▲ 1
Comment: I’m starting to think you made a deal with the devil last year. — Dimakos
Next: vs. Arizona

28. New York Jets (2-5)

High: 25 (Marotta, Grialou)
Low: 29 (Green)
Movement: ▲ 1
Comment: “Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh. Ryan Fitzpatrick” — Marotta
Next: at Cleveland

29. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-4)

High: 27 (Green)
Low: 29 (Grialou, Dimakos, Burns, Lapinski)
Movement: ▼ 4
Comment: My sleeper team is asleep. Bradley’s seat is white hot. — Burns
Next: at Tennessee

30. Chicago Bears (1-6)

High: 30 (Marotta, Grialou, Morgan, Burns, Lapinski)
Low: 31 (Green, Dimakos)
Movement: —
Comment: Who cares? The Cubs are in the World Series! — Burns
Next: vs. Minnesota

31. San Francisco 49ers (1-6)

High: 30 (Green, Dimakos)
Low: 31 (Marotta, Grialou, Morgan, Burns, Lapinski)
Movement: —
Comment: Doesn’t even feel like they’re in the league anymore. — Lapinski
Next: Bye

32. Cleveland Browns (0-7)

High: —
Low: 32 (unanimous)
Movement: —
Comment:
Next: Who cares? The Tribe is in the World Series! — Burns

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