2013 NFL Power Rankings: Week 8
Updated: October 22, 2013, 5:21 PM ET
ESPN.com
Week:
We warned you.
We wrote here a week ago that a shakeup -- or least a change at No. 1 -- could be imminent, and we were right. The surprising Chiefs, thanks to their sparkling 7-0 record and the Broncos' loss at Indianapolis, reign supreme heading into Week 8. (Who saw that coming?)
The notable changes don't end there. Our voters (John Clayton, Ashley Fox, Dan Graziano, Jamison Hensley, Mike Sando and Kevin Seifert) moved the Colts up four spots to No. 2, the Patriots down three spots to No. 8 and the Cowboys up three spots to No. 10.
Do we have any bold predictions this week? Not really, but the current top five appears relatively safe. Kansas City hosts Cleveland, Indy has a bye, Denver hosts Washington, Seattle plays the Sam Bradford-less Rams and New Orleans hosts Buffalo.
So if you're expecting another shakeup, you'll probably be disappointed. Trust our instincts on this.
Note: The comments below are provided by ESPN Stats & Information.
• Reporters' analysis | Rank 'Em | Mike & Mike 
| Can't blame Tannehill for Miami's slump | Team Power Rankings charts since 2002
| 2013 Power Rankings: Week 8 | ||||
| RANK | TEAM / RECORD | TRENDING | COMMENTS | |
| 1 |  | 1 Last Week: 2 | The Chiefs defense has been devastating this season, leading the NFL in PPG allowed (11.6), sacks (35) and passes defended/intercepted (47). | |
| 2 |  | 4 Last Week: 6 | Beating the Broncos was nice, but losing Reggie Wayne will be costly. Only Calvin Johnson and Brandon Marshall have more targets the past two seasons. | |
| 3 |  | 2 Last Week: 1 | Fumbling may be the Broncos' biggest weakness. Denver lost two big ones against Indianapolis, and no team has fumbled more this season. | |
| 4 |  | -- Last Week: 4 | Percy Harvin's return is looming, which is a scary thought as the team is already averaging the fourth-most yards per pass attempt. | |
| 5 |  | 2 Last Week: 3 | The Patriots shut down Jimmy Graham and Darren Sproles in Week 6 (6 receptions, 18 targets), but doing so is easier said than done. The Bills try their hand this week. | |
| 6 |  | 1 Last Week: 7 | The 49ers are running again, rushing on 59 percent of their plays during their four-game win streak. The 49ers ran 35 percent of the time in their first three games (1-2). | |
| 7 |  | 1 Last Week: 8 | Andy Dalton has thrown for 300 yards in back-to-back games, but faces a Jets team in Week 8 that hasn't allowed a 300-yard passing game this season. | |
| 8 |  | 3 Last Week: 5 | Even with Rob Gronkowski back in the lineup Sunday, Tom Brady failed to complete half of his attempts for the third time this season. | |
| 9 |  | -- Last Week: 9 | The Packers have finally found their running back. Eddie Lacy leads the NFL in rushing over the past three weeks. | |
| 10 |  | 3 Last Week: 13 | How about that Cowboys defense? Opponents have completed 46.6 percent of passes with no touchdowns and four interceptions against Dallas since its loss to the Broncos. | |
| 11 |  | -- Last Week: 11 | Is Reggie Bush the key to the Lions' success? Bush is averaging 5.5 yards per rush in wins this season, and nearly half that (2.8) in losses. | |
| 12 |  | 3 Last Week: 15 | Believe it or not, Ryan Mathews is the only player this season to rush for 100 yards in consecutive games. | |
| 13 |  | 3 Last Week: 10 | Jay Cutler is out at least four weeks and the defense is struggling. The Bears have allowed 29.4 PPG this season (17.3 last season). | |
| 14 |  | 2 Last Week: 12 | Joe Flacco may not have saved any of his deep ball magic from last year's Super Bowl run. Flacco has no touchdowns on passes 20-plus yards downfield this season. | |
| 15 |  | 5 Last Week: 20 | Geno Smith gets the headlines, but let's give it up for the Jets defense, which is allowing a league-best 3.1 yards per rush this season. | |
| 16 |  | 2 Last Week: 14 | The Dolphins have lost three in a row, and Ryan Tannehill has fallen back down to Earth. | |
| 17 |  | 1 Last Week: 16 | Chris Johnson has two long touchdown receptions this season, but has yet to score on the ground despite 17 red zone rushes. | |
| 18 |  | 6 Last Week: 24 | Cam Newton returns to prime time on Thursday red hot. Just eight incomplete passes in his past two games (35-for-43, 81.4%). | |
| 19 |  | 2 Last Week: 17 | Nick Foles may have won the starting job for Michael Vick after Sunday's performance. Foles is now 2-6 career as a starter, with both wins coming against the Bucs. | |
| 20 |  | 3 Last Week: 23 | Who needs Roddy White and Julio Jones? Matt Ryan was 7-for-7 for 149 yards and a touchdown targeting Harry Douglas in Week 7. | |
| 21 |  | 4 Last Week: 25 | Mario Williams has now reached double-digit sack totals in each of his two seasons in Buffalo, something he did only twice in six seasons with the Texans. | |
| 22 |  | 4 Last Week: 18 | The Browns don't have many offensive weapons, so why were Josh Gordon and Jordan Cameron targeted only two times in the first three quarters of Sunday's loss to the Packers? | |
| 23 |  | 5 Last Week: 28 | Robert Griffin III and the Redskins are starting to run like they did last season, but a trip to Denver may put the recent surge on hold. | |
| 24 |  | 3 Last Week: 21 | Carson Palmer was thought to be an upgrade at QB, but Larry Fitzgerald might disagree. Palmer has more interceptions (6) than TDs (4) targeting Fitzgerald. | |
| 25 |  | 2 Last Week: 27 | Rookie Le'Veon Bell rushed for 93 yards in Week 7 against the Ravens. No Steelers rusher had more than 92 yards on the season entering the week. | |
| 26 |  | 4 Last Week: 22 | Case Keenum showed promise in a Week 7 loss to the Chiefs, but the Texans defense was dealt a big blow: Leading tackler Brian Cushing is out for the season. | |
| 27 |  | 8 Last Week: 19 | Sam Bradford wasn't performing at a high level, but his injury puts the Rams in an even worse place. Kellen Clemens has the worst Total QBR since 2006. | |
| 28 |  | 2 Last Week: 26 | After nine sacks against Kansas City, Terrelle Pryor should have spent the bye working on his release time. No QB has held onto the ball longer on average this season. | |
| 29 |  | 2 Last Week: 31 | The Giants won the turnover battle for the first time all season Monday night, and it resulted in win No. 1. | |
| 30 |  | 1 Last Week: 29 | Not a great debut for Josh Freeman, who overthrew his receivers for incompletions 16 times Monday, the most for any QB since 2006. | |
| 31 |  | 1 Last Week: 30 | Things are only getting worse for Tampa. Doug Martin -- who accounted for 75 percent of the Bucs' rushing yards -- may be lost for the season. | |
| 32 |  | -- Last Week: 32 | The Jaguars have yet to score a touchdown at home this season. The Jags are "home" this week (in London) against the 49ers, but don't return to Jacksonville until Nov. 17. | |
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| Glossary |
| The rankings were determined by ESPN's Power Panel, a group of more than 80 writers, editors and television personalities. |
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