WEEK 8 NFL Power Rankings

Indy is now averaging 27.0 points-per-game, third-best in the league behind only the New York Giants and the San Diego Chargers, and almost a touchdown above the league average (20.7).

As well, the Colts still feature the league's top defense, allowing only 11.0 points-per-game through seven weeks of play. Next on the list of top defenses are the Chicago Bears, at 11.3 points-per-game allowed, followed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (12.0), Pittsburgh Steelers (15.8), and Cincinnati Bengals (15.9). Indianapolis has a bye scheduled for Week 8, giving them a little extra time to prepare for their November 7, Monday night matchup with their nemesis, the defending-champion (and Colts-bouncing) New England Patriots.

At the bottom of the list, the Houston Texans remain winless and are firmly entrenched in spot No. 32. And those losses haven't really been that close - the Texans are 1-5 ATS on the season. This week, Houston plays at home versus the Cleveland Browns on Sunday afternoon, which could be their last real chance to pick up a win for a while. After playing the Browns, the Texans face the Jaguars, Colts, Chiefs, and Rams over the following four weeks. They get some relief later in the schedule - a season-ending game with the equally-hopeless San Francisco 49ers.

Why do we do this? Why do the NFL power rankings even matter? Well let me tell you!!! They don't! But we still love NFL power rankings anyways. Here is the Week 8 edition of the NFL Power Rankings.

" the Week 8 NFL Power Rankings "

Week 8 NFL Power Rankings:				Last Weeks Power Rankings >>
05 Record	Rank	Team		2005 NFL Power Rankings - Comments
7-0-0	1	Colts		That 14-14 halftime tie was a bit disconcerting, but the Colts turned it on in the second half to trounce the Texans.
5-1-0	2	Falcons		Warrick Dunn ran for 155 yards in their Monday win over the Jets, allowing Michael Vick to have another weak outing.
4-2-0	3	Steelers		Ben Roethlisberger threw for under 100 yards versus the Bengals, but Willie Parker had a big game on the ground.
5-1-0	4	Buccaneers		Had a bye in Week 7, and running back Carnell Williams could be back in the lineup this week versus Oakland.
5-2-0	5	Broncos		Blew a lead versus the Giants in the fourth quarter Saturday. Mike Anderson ran for 120 yards in the loss.
5-2-0	6	Bengals		Ouch. Maybe they are pretenders after all; didn't put up much of a fight in their loss to the Steelers on Sunday.
5-2-0	7	Seahawks		Needed to put up 10 points in the fourth quarter to top the Cowboys on Sunday in a defensive battle.
4-2-0	8	Jaguars		Open date in Week 7 gave them a chance to prepare for the Rams' aerial attack this week.
4-2-0	9	Panthers		Host the Vikings on Sunday after taking Week 7 off; need to get a win to stay with the NFC South leaders.
4-2-0	10	Eagles		Matt Ware blocked a field goal attempt and returned it for the winning touchdown Sunday versus the Chargers.
3-3-0	11	Patriots		Need to avoid looking ahead to the Colts matchup in two weeks; have to take care of the Bills on Sunday night.
4-2-0	12	Chiefs		Getting the game shifted to Friday night was no problem for the Chiefs; they cruised to a 30-20 win over Miami.
4-2-0	13	Giants		What a difference a year makes. Eli Manning is now calmly leading his team on fourth-quarter, game-winning drives.
4-2-0	14	Redskins		Were up 35-7 by halftime versus the 49ers on Sunday, and from there cruised to a 52-17 victory.
4-3-0	15	Cowboys		Marion Barber rushed for 95 yards in the absence of Julius Jones on Sunday, who could be out again this week.
3-4-0	16	Chargers		Loss to the Eagles Sunday dropped them below the .500 mark, and get a tough game versus the Chiefs this week.
3-4-0	17	Rams		Spotted the Saints a 14-0 lead on Sunday, and then needed to score three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to win.
3-3-0	18	Lions		Jeff Garcia went 22-of-34 for 210 yards as the starter on Sunday, which likely keeps Joey Harrington on the bench.
3-3-0	19	Bears		Kyle Orton's touchdown pass to Marc Edwards in the first quarter Sunday was the only score they needed to win.
2-4-0	20	Raiders		Big offensive game against the Bills, but Randy Moss only had 3 catches for 43 yards (and a TD) in the victory.
3-4-0	21	Bills		Kerry Collins and the Raiders lit them up for 38 points on Sunday. Next have to face the Patriots on Sunday night.
2-4-0	22	Ravens		Two second-quarter field goals was the only scoring they could do versus the Bears; tied for last in the AFC North.
2-5-0	23	Jets		Fell further out of contention with their loss Monday, and Vinny Testaverde left the game late with an Achilles injury.
2-4-0	24	Browns		Trent Dilfer had an ugly game versus the Lions: 10-of-19 for 73 yards, no touchdowns, and three interceptions.
2-4-0	25	Dolphins		Have now lost three straight games, but amazingly are only a single game behind the division-leading Patriots.
2-4-0	26	Vikings		Down 17-0 at halftime Sunday, stormed back to defeat the Packers 23-20; still a game back of the division lead.
2-4-0	27	Cardinals		Scored 20 unanswered points versus the Titans on Sunday to get their second win of the season. Cowboys up next.
2-5-0	28	Saints		Take their 2-5 record to Baton Rouge this weekend to take on the Dolphins at LSU's Tiger Stadium.
2-5-0	29	Titans		Not only is Steve McNair hurting, but replacement Billy Volek was forced from Sunday's loss with a concussion.
1-5-0	30	Packers		Will try again for their second win of the season this weekend versus the Bengals in Cincinnati.
1-5-0	31	49ers		Embarrassed by the Redskins for their fifth straight loss, and Alex Smith sprained two knee ligaments in the game.
0-6-0	32	Texans		David Carr versus the Colts on Sunday: 6-of-9 for 48 yards passing, one touchdown, one interception. And another L.