The NFL wrapped up Week 7 on Monday, with the Atlanta Falcons holding off the New York Giants by a final score of 23-20. The Falcons improve to 3-4, and sit 2.5 game back of the New Orleans Saints in the NFC South, and 1.5 games back of the Carolina Panthers for the top wild card spot. Injuries have been a big problem for the Falcons, but they are not entirely out of this thing yet.
The close of the week means it’s time for weekly NFL power rankings. As we prepare for Week 8, the San Francisco 49ers are hanging out at the bottom of the rankings one sport behind the Arizona Cardinals, and ahead of the New York Giants and Oakland Raiders. The 49ers face those three teams the next three weeks, and while they could very well win all three games, they won’t be climbing super high in the rankings. These are the three most winnable games on their schedule, and while wins would hurt their drive for the No. 1 overall pick, it’d be nice to see them not embarrass themselves — especially with two of the games on national TV.
While the Raiders did not play this past week, I decided to drop them to the bottom following the Amari Cooper trade. The Raiders might win some games the rest of the way, but the next seven days leading up to the trade deadline are going to be interesting to follow with them.
The Houston Texans are the biggest climber for me this week. They have now won four straight, capped by going into Jacksonville and thumping the Jaguars. I still am not sure what to make of Houston. They host Miami this Thursday in a game that probably won’t tell us a whole lot, but is very winnable for them.
The top of the rankings remain the same, with no changes in the top four and all but one in the top ten remaining in there in some form or fashion. Washington joins the top ten after a big home divisional win over the Dallas Cowboys. Washington holds a 1.5 game lead over Dallas and Philadelphia in the NFC East. The Cowboys added Amari Cooper in a Monday trade, so we’ll see if that gives them a boost following their bye.
On to the power rankings!
Week 8 NFL power rankings
| Rank | Team | LW |
|---|---|---|
| Rank | Team | LW |
| 1 | Los Angeles Rams (7-0) | 1 |
| 2 | New England Patriots (5-2) | 2 |
| 3 | Kansas City Chiefs (6-1) | 3 |
| 4 | New Orleans Saints (5-1) | 4 |
| 5 | Los Angeles Chargers (5-2) | 6 |
| 6 | Minnesota Vikings (4-2-1) | 7 |
| 7 | Carolina Panthers (4-2) | 9 |
| 8 | Baltimore Ravens (4-3) | 5 |
| 9 | Washington (4-2) | 14 |
| 10 | Chicago Bears (3-3) | 10 |
| 11 | Green Bay Packers (3-2-1) | 11 |
| 12 | Cincinnati Bengals (4-3) | 8 |
| 13 | Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2-1) | 13 |
| 14 | Miami Dolphins (4-3) | 12 |
| 15 | Houston Texans (4-3) | 24 |
| 16 | Denver Broncos (3-4) | 18 |
| 17 | Philadelphia Eagles (3-4) | 15 |
| 18 | Jacksonville Jaguars (3-4) | 16 |
| 19 | Detroit Lions (3-3) | 23 |
| 20 | Seattle Seahawks (3-3) | 20 |
| 21 | Cleveland Browns (2-4-1) | 17 |
| 22 | Dallas Cowboys (3-4) | 19 |
| 23 | Tennessee Titans (3-4) | 21 |
| 24 | Atlanta Falcons (3-4) | 25 |
| 25 | New York Jets (3-4) | 22 |
| 26 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-3) | 26 |
| 27 | Indianapolis Colts (2-5) | 32 |
| 28 | Buffalo Bills (2-5) | 27 |
| 29 | Arizona Cardinals (1-6) | 28 |
| 30 | San Francisco 49ers (1-6) | 29 |
| 31 | New York Giants (1-6) | 31 |
| 32 | Oakland Raiders (1-5) | 30 |