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NFL Power Rankings - Week 8: Packers, Cardinals enter top 5; Bengals plummet

Joe Robbins / Getty

The NFL Power Rankings are selected by a panel of theScore's NFL Editors, including David P. WoodsMichael AmatoCaitlyn Holroyd and Gino Bottero.

1. Denver Broncos

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
1st 1st 1st 1st

Previous Rank: 1st

Peyton Manning is now the NFL's all-time leader in touchdown passes with 510, and is on pace for another 50-touchdown season. The offense's dominance has overshadowed the improved play of the team's defense since the bye. The Broncos' pass rush was a nightmare for the 49ers on Sunday. - Gino Bottero

2. Dallas Cowboys

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
2nd 2nd 3rd 3rd

Previous Rank: 4th

As long as DeMarco Murray keeps averaging 26 carries and more than 100 yards a game, nobody is going to beat the Cowboys. The running game masks an average defense that's largely kept off the field, and sets up an opportunistic passing attack featuring Dez Bryant, who nobody can seem to cover. - Michael Amato

3. Green Bay Packers

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
3rd 4th 2nd 6th

Previous Rank: 7th

Nobody can stop the Packers' offense and Aaron Rodgers has 18 touchdowns to only one interception. Peyton Manning may have the touchdown record, but Rodgers is the best in the business right now. - Michael Amato

4. Arizona Cardinals

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
4th 3rd 9th 2nd

Previous Rank: 8th

The Cardinals have been the cream of the crop in the NFC West thus far, and have yet to lose a game with Carson Palmer under center. Their next two games - versus Philadelphia, at Dallas - will reveal a lot about how far they're capable of going this season. - Caitlyn Holroyd

5. San Diego Chargers

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
6th 5th 5th 5th

Previous Rank: 2nd

Maybe they're guilty of looking ahead, but last weekend's loss to the Chiefs simply wasn't the kind of game the Chargers can afford to give away with the way the Broncos are playing. A loss Thursday will all but officially put them in the wild-card chase. - Gino Bottero

6. Indianapolis Colts

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
7th 10th 6th 4th

Previous Rank: 10th

The Colts' thrashing of the Bengals was the team's most impressive win this season because it came despite Andrew Luck having a relatively poor game. This defense is way more than the sum of its parts. - David P. Woods

7. Philadelphia Eagles

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
5th 8th 4th 11th

Previous Rank: 6th

The Eagles had a week off to prepare for a tough matchup with Arizona. LeSean McCoy got back on track in Philly's most recent victory over the Giants, which is bad news for opposing defenses. - Michael Amato

8. New England Patriots

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
11th 6th 8th 7th

Previous Rank: 11th

The Patriots can't stop the run. They can still win the AFC East with that fatal flaw, but they won't go anywhere in the playoffs. Bill Belichick has nine weeks to work his magic and correct a big problem. - David P. Woods

9. Seattle Seahawks

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
10th 7th 7th 9th

Previous Rank: 3rd

The Seahawks have lost as many games this season as they did all of last year, and have looked a lot less imposing in recent games. Seattle is a talented team, but you can't rely on talent alone. - Caitlyn Holroyd

10. Baltimore Ravens

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
8th 12th 13th 8th

Previous Rank: 12th

When the Ravens have been on, they've really been on this season, with four of their five wins coming by 20 or more points. They'll face a stern test in Cincinnati on Sunday with a chance to build on their division lead. - Gino Bottero

11. Detroit Lions

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
9th 9th 10th 13th

Previous Rank: 13th

The Lions' defense is for real and it's causing nightmares for opposing quarterbacks with pressure generated off the line. By only giving up an average of 15 points per game, the Lions are finally making life easier for Matthew Stafford and the offense. - Michael Amato

12. San Francisco 49ers

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
12th 13th 11th 12th

Previous Rank: 9th

Injuries have taken their toll on the 49ers, and it was especially apparent against the Broncos. A much-needed Week 8 bye will give them an opportunity to get healthy and regroup. - Caitlyn Holroyd

13. Cincinnati Bengals

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
13th 11th 12th 14th

Previous Rank: 5th

It's been a true tale of two seasons for the Bengals, who started the year 3-0, but have gone 0-2-1 since. It sounds as if they won't be getting A.J. Green back at full capacity until 2015. Sunday's game against the Ravens isn't a must-win, but it's close. - Gino Bottero

14. Kansas City Chiefs

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
15th 14th 14th 10th

Previous Rank: 18th

They may be 3-3, but a quick look at the Chiefs' schedule shows that this team shouldn't be overlooked. Outside of a bad loss to the Titans to open the season, the Chiefs kept within one score in losses at Denver and San Francisco, while picking up wins over the Dolphins, Patriots and Chargers. Their schedule lightens up over the next few weeks. - Gino Bottero

15. Carolina Panthers

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
16th 16th 15th 17th

Previous Rank: 14th

The Panthers found themselves on the wrong side of a blowout loss to the Packers in Week 7, and must now contend with a hungry Seahawks team. Their hold on the NFC South is far from secure right now. - Caitlyn Holroyd

16. Pittsburgh Steelers

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
17th 17th 17th 16th

Previous Rank: 19th

The Steelers' offensive prowess was on full display Monday. The problem has been stringing performances like that together, as they've yet to win two in a row this season. It won't be easy to buck that trend on Sunday when the Colts come to town. - Gino Bottero

17. Buffalo Bills

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
14th 18th 21th 19th

Previous Rank: 21st

Losing Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller hurts bad, but suddenly the trade for Bryce Brown looks prescient. So does the trade up for Sammy Watkins. There's hope in Buffalo, but one gets the feeling Bills fans have been hurt too many times to fully embrace it. - David P. Woods

18. Miami Dolphins

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
19th 15th 20th 18th

Previous Rank: 22nd

If the Dolphins have truly turned the corner, and are as good as they've looked the past three weeks, they'll roll over the Jaguars on Sunday. As crazy as it sounds, Joe Philbin's ill-advised talk of benching Ryan Tannehill actually may have been a good thing for this team. - David P. Woods

19. New Orleans Saints

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
20th 21st 19th 15th

Previous Rank: 15th

The Saints came really close to securing their first road victory of the season before allowing the Lions to claw back and win. The season is still young, but New Orleans has easily been one of the NFL's biggest disappointments so far. - Caitlyn Holroyd

20. Cleveland Browns

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
18th 20th 18th 20th

Previous Rank: 17th

The Browns had a shot to cement themselves as playoff contenders by improving to 4-2 on Sunday, but they lost in Jacksonville of all places. Worse yet, Mike Pettine and his staff reportedly considered making the switch to Johnny Manziel during the game. - Gino Bottero

21. Chicago Bears

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
21st 19th 16th 21st

Previous Rank: 16th

Reports of locker room turmoil following a bad loss at home to Miami isn’t going to help this team turn things around. Chicago has lost three of its last four contests and may be the most inconsistent team in the league. If the Bears fail to make the postseason again, this roster could be looking at a major overhaul. - Michael Amato

22. Houston Texans

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
23rd 23rd 23rd 22nd

Previous Rank: 20th

The collapse against the Steelers took a special kind of ineptitude. It's past time for Ryan Mallett to start. The fact that he still isn't considered ready to play probably tells us everything we need to know about his NFL future. - David P. Woods

23. New York Giants

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
22nd 22nd 24th 24th

Previous Rank: 23rd

Sunday’s loss against Dallas may be a sign of things to come. The effort was there, but there isn’t enough talent on this roster to compete in the NFC. They were outclassed by the Cowboys, and with matchups against the Colts, Seahawks and 49ers on the horizon, expect more of the same. - Michael Amato

24. St. Louis Rams

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
24th 24th 22nd 23rd

Previous Rank: 26th

Pulling off an upset against the defending Super Bowl champions should provide the Rams with a huge confidence boost. With a tough three-game road stretch looming, they will need all the confidence they can get. - Caitlyn Holroyd

25. Atlanta Falcons

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
25th 25th 26th 27th

Previous Rank: 24th

After a promising start to the season, the Falcons have lost four straight and remain winless on the road. Their only saving grace is how poorly the rest of the NFC South is playing. - Caitlyn Holroyd

26. New York Jets

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
26th 27th 28th 25th

Previous Rank: 29th

The Percy Harvin trade would have been much more interesting if Nick Folk had hit that field goal against the Patriots and pushed the Jets to 2-5. There's no hope for the playoffs now. But, on the bright side, we saw in the Patriots game that there's hope yet for Geno Smith. - David P. Woods

27. Washington Redskins

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
27th 26th 27th 28th

Previous Rank: 27th

The Redskins probably didn’t envision Colt McCoy starting in Week 8 when they kicked off the season. It’s been a disaster for Jay Gruden in his first year in Washington and it’s not even half over.  - Michael Amato

28. Minnesota Vikings

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
28th 28th 25th 31st

Previous Rank: 25th

A heartbreaking loss in Buffalo ended any hopes of salvaging this season. The task now for Norv Turner is to help Teddy Bridgewater develop into a polished passer, which will be no easy task given the personnel around him. - Michael Amato

29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
31st 29th 29th 26th

Previous Rank: 30th

Coming off a bye week, the Bucs will look to right the ship Sunday against the struggling Vikings. - Caitlyn Holroyd

30. Tennessee Titans

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
29th 30th 30th 29th

Previous Rank: 28th

The Titans are a perfect test case for NBA-style tanking in the NFL. They desperately need to draft a quarterback like Marcus Mariota, yet one more win may take them out of position to do it. Is it so crazy to suggest they should bench their starters and lose out? - David P. Woods

31. Jacksonville Jaguars

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
30th 31st 31st 30th

Previous Rank: 32nd

Have the Jaguars found a building block in Denard Robinson? Early indications are promising, but it's still a long shot that the converted quarterback can hold up to feature-back carries. - David P. Woods

32. Oakland Raiders

Woods Holroyd Amato Bottero
32nd 32nd 32nd 32nd

Previous Rank: 31st

The Raiders' deficiencies on defense have only served to cover up how bad they've been on offense. The team has scored more than 14 points only once through six games. It's really unfair that they have one of the toughest schedules in football. - Gino Bottero

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