2012 NFL Power Rankings: Week 8
A season can turn sour quickly in the NFL. Just look at the Cardinals and Bengals.
Remember when Arizona was sitting pretty at 4-0? Or when Cincinnati jumped to an impressive 3-1 start? Now both teams are in the throes of three-game losing streaks.
Not that they're the only ones struggling. The Chiefs and Jaguars also have lost three straight, while the Panthers own the league's longest losing streak at four games (costing GM Marty Hurney his job). And let's not forget about the Chargers, who followed a 3-1 start with back-to-back second-half collapses.
Do our voters (ESPN.com's John Clayton, ESPN.com's Ashley Fox, NFC East blogger Dan Graziano, AFC North blogger Jamison Hensley and NFC West blogger Mike Sando) view any of these teams in a positive light? Not really. Arizona and San Diego lead the group at No. 14 and No. 17, respectively, hardly ringing endorsements. (The Cards were No. 5 three weeks ago.) None of the others rank above No. 22 (Cincinnati).
But we won't pile on. No one is out of it yet, and there's plenty of time to reverse fortunes. The Chargers, despite their recent woes, remain a viable threat to win the AFC West. The Cards are only a game out of first place in the NFC West.
Will someone's turnaround begin in Week 8? You never know. As we've seen already, things can change quickly.
• How they voted | Bloggers |
Rank 'Em | Who's overrated, underrated? 
| Bettors' Poll | Mike & Mike 
|
Team Power Rankings charts since 2002
| 2012 Power Rankings: Week 8 | ||||
| RANK | TEAM / RECORD | TRENDING | COMMENTS | |
| 1 |  | -- Last Week: 1 | Ten of the last 37 teams to go 6-0 and stand as the last unbeaten team won the Super Bowl. (Sando) | |
| 2 |  | 1 Last Week: 3 | Befuddled most of the day by RG3 and the Redskins, the Giants still somehow managed to win. It's what they do. (Graziano) | |
| 3 |  | -- Last Week: 3 | The Texans distanced themselves as the AFC's No. 1 seed with their blowout of the Ravens. (Clayton) | |
| 4 |  | 1 Last Week: 5 | Week 9's MNF game is 49ers-Cardinals; the Cards' W over San Fran last year in Week 14 snapped a five-game losing streak in the series. (Sando) | |
| 5 |  | 1 Last Week: 6 | There's no defense in the league right now that makes life more consistently miserable for its opponents. (Graziano) | |
| 6 |  | 2 Last Week: 4 | The 30-point loss at Houston marked the largest margin of defeat for Baltimore in coach John Harbaugh's five seasons, a span of 80 games. (Hensley) | |
| 7 |  | 1 Last Week: 8 | Aaron Rodgers has 16 touchdown passes and two interceptions in his last four games. Pack heating up. (Graziano) | |
| 8 |  | 1 Last Week: 7 | New England plays the Rams after losing its first two games against NFC West teams, Arizona and Seattle. (Hensley) | |
| 9 |  | 1 Last Week: 10 | Mistake-prone Christian Ponder (6 INTs in last 3 games) remains an issue, but in Adrian Peterson they trust. (Graziano) | |
| 10 |  | 4 Last Week: 14 | Pittsburgh is looking for its first winning streak -- and first winning record -- since the end of last season. (Hensley) | |
| 11 |  | 2 Last Week: 9 | Russell Wilson has six TDs with no INTs at home, but 2 TDs and 7 INTs on the road. (Sando) | |
| 12 |  | -- Last Week: 12 | At 3-3, the Broncos are tied with San Diego atop the AFC West, but now their schedule gets easier. They should be the favorite to win it. (Fox) | |
| 13 |  | -- Last Week: 13 | Andy Reid's teams are 13-0 right after bye weeks. Can it continue against unbeaten Atlanta? (Graziano) | |
| 14 |  | 3 Last Week: 11 | The Cardinals have held opponents below nine completions in two of their last three games; oddly, they've lost both. (Sando) | |
| 15 |  | 3 Last Week: 18 | Even behind improved line play, the passing game's still not clicking. (Graziano) | |
| 16 |  | 1 Last Week: 17 | Miami, which has lost eight of 11 road games since the start of the 2011 season, plays three of the next four games away from home. (Hensley) | |
| 17 |  | 1 Last Week: 16 | The bad news? The 3-3 Chargers have lost two straight to New Orleans and Denver. The good news? Up next are the Browns. (Fox) | |
| 18 |  | 3 Last Week: 15 | So good on offense behind their brilliant rookie QB. So, so heartbreakingly bad on defense. (Graziano) | |
| 19 |  | -- Last Week: 19 | Of the 133 points they've scored this year, 83 have come in the fourth quarter or later. Tough to win like that. (Graziano) | |
| 20 |  | 4 Last Week: 24 | Drew Brees has eight TDs with two INTs over his past two games, but the schedule is getting tougher. (Sando) | |
| 21 |  | 1 Last Week: 20 | The Rams need turnovers but have only one opponent's fumble recovery this season. (Sando) | |
| 22 |  | 1 Last Week: 21 | This is the sixth time in coach Marvin Lewis' 10 seasons that the Bengals have entered the bye week with a losing record. (Hensley) | |
| 23 |  | 3 Last Week: 26 | At home, the Colts are lucky and good. They have the emotion of Chuck Pagano's recovery along with QB Andrew Luck. (Clayton) | |
| 24 |  | 1 Last Week: 23 | The Jets usually bounce back from tough games. They have an impressive 3-1 record following overtime games under Rex Ryan. (Hensley) | |
| 25 |  | 2 Last Week: 27 | The Titans may not have a defense, but Mike Munchak would be defenseless if he replaces Matt Hasselbeck as the starting QB. (Clayton) | |
| 26 |  | 4 Last Week: 22 | The Buccaneers are 2-4 despite playing four of their first six at home. (Sando) | |
| 27 |  | 2 Last Week: 25 | Buffalo has the NFL's worst run defense (176.9 yards per game) after letting Chris Johnson run wild. (Hensley) | |
| 28 |  | 1 Last Week: 29 | An ugly win is still a win. Can the Raiders keep it going at Kansas City? (Fox) | |
| 29 |  | 1 Last Week: 28 | Firing the general manager destabilizes the head coach, a concern for Ron Rivera. (Sando) | |
| 30 |  | -- Last Week: 30 | The first game of the Jimmy Haslam era extended the Browns' road losing streak to 11 games, which ties a franchise record. (Hensley) | |
| 31 |  | -- Last Week: 31 | Maurice Jones-Drew is out with a foot injury. Blaine Gabbert has a bum shoulder. The Jags have a bum team. (Clayton) | |
| 32 |  | -- Last Week: 32 | The Chiefs still haven't led in a game this season. Their one victory came in OT. (Fox) | |
| ||||
| Glossary |
| The rankings were determined by ESPN's Power Panel, a group of more than 80 writers, editors and television personalities. |
