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Through Pain Comes Clarity
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2007 Power Rankings: Week 8
RK (LW) TEAM REC COMMENT
1 (1) Patriots 7-0-0 Randy Moss has been able to do in seven games what no Patriots receiver has done in the past 20 years -- catch 10 touchdown passes in a season. And Wes Welker and Benjamin Watson also are on pace for 10-TD seasons.
2 (2) Colts 6-0-0 Not that this comes as any great revelation, but the AFC South race is essentially over. After whipping the Jaguars in Jacksonville on Monday, the Colts have beaten all three division foes on the road.
3 (4) Cowboys 6-1-0 Marion Barber III might not have all-world talent, but is there any tougher runner in the league? Cowboys fans might wonder why he's not starting, but perhaps that's exactly the kind of motivation he needs.
4 (9) Giants 5-2-0 The Giants, who'll be 6-2 after they beat Miami in London on Sunday, haven't lost since Antonio Pierce blew an air horn while speaking to the media. 'I just sparked something,' he told the NY Post.
5 (6) Packers 5-1-0 Not only are the Packers last in the league with 394 yards rushing, but that total is less than the league's top 19 individual rushers. No wonder Brett Favre said, 'We're hanging on by a thread.'
6 (3) Steelers 4-2-0 Weird play calling: Despite facing the league's worst run defense, the Steelers opted to pass on 10 of their first 13 plays Sunday. Oh, and did we mention that the Steelers have the best rushing team in the AFC?
7 (5) Jaguars 4-2-0 How quickly fortunes can change in the NFL. The Jags were riding high with a four-game win streak. Now the streak is over, they play the next three on the road, and QB David Garrard is injured.
8 (12) Titans 4-2-0 Good news for the Titans: Their next three games are at home. Better news: QB Vince Young should return from injury this week against the Raiders.
9 (10) Chargers 3-3-0 Just when the Chargers are starting to find themselves, they have to deal with the wildfire problem that has affected the homes of a dozen players and even more staff members. Practice this week will be in Arizona.
10 (11) Commanders 4-2-0 So, do the Commanders have any hope of pulling off the upset in New England this week? Well, if their running game gets going, and the secondary plays its best and ... oh, forget it. No way.
11 (15) Lions 4-2-0 The Lions have started 4-2 for the sixth time since the NFL expanded to a 16-game season in 1978. But in just two of the previous five times did the Lions make the playoffs.
12 (13) Panthers 4-2-0 One of the amazing stats connected to 43-year-old Vinny Testaverde: Since he was drafted No. 1 overall in 1987, 239 quarterbacks have been drafted. Oh, and 1987 was also the last time the Celtics reached the NBA Finals.
13 (16) Chiefs 4-3-0 Second-year safety Jarrad Page has five career regular-season interceptions ... and four have come at the expense of the Raiders, including Sunday's pick that preserved the K.C. win.
14 (7) Ravens 4-3-0 The Ravens have a tough second half after their bye week, with games against the Pats, Colts and Chargers, plus two vs. the Steelers. But it appears starting QB Steve McNair will return to the lineup soon.
15 (14) Seahawks 4-3-0 The schedule after Seattle's bye week sets up for a good run. The Seahawks, who lead the NFC West, will not face a team currently holding a winning record until mid-December when they face the 4-2 Panthers.
16 (8) Buccaneers 4-3-0 Earnest Graham had his best game as a pro, with 92 yards rushing and 99 yards receiving. Newcomer Michael Bennett should relieve some of the burden on Graham once he gets up to speed.
17 (21) Broncos 3-3-0 Including Sunday's 49-yarder at the gun to beat Pittsburgh, Jason Elam has kicked Denver to each of its three wins this season. That gives Elam 23 game-winning or game-saving field goals in his career.
18 (23) Bears 3-4-0 Has Brian Griese brought some stability -- dare we say, even playmaking ability -- to the QB position? Griese had his second straight game of 300-plus yards and led the team on a 97-yard drive to beat Philly.
19 (19) Browns 3-3-0 Forget about the Pats' record pace on offense. The Browns are on pace to score a franchise-record 445 points; the current franchise record is 415, set in 1964. That team, by the way, had Jim Brown and Paul Warfield.
20 (18) Cardinals 3-4-0 WR Anquan Boldin has a warning for those teams who've yet to face the Cardinals this season. 'Next nine games, whoever we got, they better bring their A game,' he told The Arizona Republic.
21 (20) Texans 3-4-0 The Texans' running game is virtually nonexistent (just 12 carries in the loss to Tennessee). Ahman Green averaged 4.6 yards on his first 31 carries this season; he has averaged 2.8 on the past 31.
22 (17) Eagles 2-4-0 The Eagles are off to their worst start since Andy Reid's first season as the head coach (1999), and with the other three NFC East teams off to strong starts, it might be too much to climb out of the basement.
23 (27) Bengals 2-4-0 Give the Bengals credit for sticking with the run after falling behind 23-10 to the Jets. Cincy's 41 rushing attempts were its most in a game since 2003. 'Old-fashioned Bengals football,' tackle Levi Jones told the Cincy Enquirer.
24 (26) Saints 2-4-0 Reggie Bush has 86 carries this season, with his longest going for 22 yards. Pierre Thomas, an undrafted free agent from Illinois, has three carries this season, with 24 yards as his longest. Go figure.
25 (28) Bills 2-4-0 In Buffalo's first three games (all losses), opponents averaged 458.3 yards to Buffalo's 200. In the past three games (two wins), opponents' average has dropped to 346.3 and the Bills' has increased to 258.3.
26 (22) Vikings 2-4-0 Perhaps in time, Tarvaris Jackson will be a serviceable quarterback, maybe even a playoff-caliber one. But it's not happening now, and the Vikings are suffering for it.
27 (25) Raiders 2-4-0 It's official: The Raiders have scored more touchdowns this season (13) than in all of last season. But that doesn't mean the offense is worth watching -- it had just 90 first-half yards Sunday.
28 (24) 49ers 2-4-0 A promising start has turned into four consecutive losses. A frustrated Frank Gore said some players aren't trusting the play calling of new offensive coordinator Jim Hostler. Sounds like a mutiny!
29 (29) Falcons 1-6-0 Is there a curse associated with playing quarterback for the Falcons? Michael Vick's problems. Joey Harrington's benching. Now Byron Leftwich's injury. Note to Chris Redman: You've been warned!
30 (30) Jets 1-6-0 Twice in the past three weeks, the Jets have blown 10-point halftime leads, and they have been outscored 73-35 in the fourth quarter overall. 'The frustration is reaching another level,' Jerricho Cotchery told the NY Daily News.
31 (31) Rams 0-7-0 The Rams began playing football in 1937 -- and until this season, they had never started 0-7. On the positive side, Donnie Jones' 80-yard punt Sunday was the franchise's longest since 1947. So there's that.
32 (32) Dolphins 0-7-0 Anybody else feel sorry for British fans who shelled out big bucks to see two NFL teams play a meaningful game in London ... and one of those teams is the league's worst? Maybe they won't know Ronnie Brown is out.
RK (LW) TEAM REC COMMENT
1 (1) Patriots 7-0-0 Randy Moss has been able to do in seven games what no Patriots receiver has done in the past 20 years -- catch 10 touchdown passes in a season. And Wes Welker and Benjamin Watson also are on pace for 10-TD seasons.
2 (2) Colts 6-0-0 Not that this comes as any great revelation, but the AFC South race is essentially over. After whipping the Jaguars in Jacksonville on Monday, the Colts have beaten all three division foes on the road.
3 (4) Cowboys 6-1-0 Marion Barber III might not have all-world talent, but is there any tougher runner in the league? Cowboys fans might wonder why he's not starting, but perhaps that's exactly the kind of motivation he needs.
4 (9) Giants 5-2-0 The Giants, who'll be 6-2 after they beat Miami in London on Sunday, haven't lost since Antonio Pierce blew an air horn while speaking to the media. 'I just sparked something,' he told the NY Post.
5 (6) Packers 5-1-0 Not only are the Packers last in the league with 394 yards rushing, but that total is less than the league's top 19 individual rushers. No wonder Brett Favre said, 'We're hanging on by a thread.'
6 (3) Steelers 4-2-0 Weird play calling: Despite facing the league's worst run defense, the Steelers opted to pass on 10 of their first 13 plays Sunday. Oh, and did we mention that the Steelers have the best rushing team in the AFC?
7 (5) Jaguars 4-2-0 How quickly fortunes can change in the NFL. The Jags were riding high with a four-game win streak. Now the streak is over, they play the next three on the road, and QB David Garrard is injured.
8 (12) Titans 4-2-0 Good news for the Titans: Their next three games are at home. Better news: QB Vince Young should return from injury this week against the Raiders.
9 (10) Chargers 3-3-0 Just when the Chargers are starting to find themselves, they have to deal with the wildfire problem that has affected the homes of a dozen players and even more staff members. Practice this week will be in Arizona.
10 (11) Commanders 4-2-0 So, do the Commanders have any hope of pulling off the upset in New England this week? Well, if their running game gets going, and the secondary plays its best and ... oh, forget it. No way.
11 (15) Lions 4-2-0 The Lions have started 4-2 for the sixth time since the NFL expanded to a 16-game season in 1978. But in just two of the previous five times did the Lions make the playoffs.
12 (13) Panthers 4-2-0 One of the amazing stats connected to 43-year-old Vinny Testaverde: Since he was drafted No. 1 overall in 1987, 239 quarterbacks have been drafted. Oh, and 1987 was also the last time the Celtics reached the NBA Finals.
13 (16) Chiefs 4-3-0 Second-year safety Jarrad Page has five career regular-season interceptions ... and four have come at the expense of the Raiders, including Sunday's pick that preserved the K.C. win.
14 (7) Ravens 4-3-0 The Ravens have a tough second half after their bye week, with games against the Pats, Colts and Chargers, plus two vs. the Steelers. But it appears starting QB Steve McNair will return to the lineup soon.
15 (14) Seahawks 4-3-0 The schedule after Seattle's bye week sets up for a good run. The Seahawks, who lead the NFC West, will not face a team currently holding a winning record until mid-December when they face the 4-2 Panthers.
16 (8) Buccaneers 4-3-0 Earnest Graham had his best game as a pro, with 92 yards rushing and 99 yards receiving. Newcomer Michael Bennett should relieve some of the burden on Graham once he gets up to speed.
17 (21) Broncos 3-3-0 Including Sunday's 49-yarder at the gun to beat Pittsburgh, Jason Elam has kicked Denver to each of its three wins this season. That gives Elam 23 game-winning or game-saving field goals in his career.
18 (23) Bears 3-4-0 Has Brian Griese brought some stability -- dare we say, even playmaking ability -- to the QB position? Griese had his second straight game of 300-plus yards and led the team on a 97-yard drive to beat Philly.
19 (19) Browns 3-3-0 Forget about the Pats' record pace on offense. The Browns are on pace to score a franchise-record 445 points; the current franchise record is 415, set in 1964. That team, by the way, had Jim Brown and Paul Warfield.
20 (18) Cardinals 3-4-0 WR Anquan Boldin has a warning for those teams who've yet to face the Cardinals this season. 'Next nine games, whoever we got, they better bring their A game,' he told The Arizona Republic.
21 (20) Texans 3-4-0 The Texans' running game is virtually nonexistent (just 12 carries in the loss to Tennessee). Ahman Green averaged 4.6 yards on his first 31 carries this season; he has averaged 2.8 on the past 31.
22 (17) Eagles 2-4-0 The Eagles are off to their worst start since Andy Reid's first season as the head coach (1999), and with the other three NFC East teams off to strong starts, it might be too much to climb out of the basement.
23 (27) Bengals 2-4-0 Give the Bengals credit for sticking with the run after falling behind 23-10 to the Jets. Cincy's 41 rushing attempts were its most in a game since 2003. 'Old-fashioned Bengals football,' tackle Levi Jones told the Cincy Enquirer.
24 (26) Saints 2-4-0 Reggie Bush has 86 carries this season, with his longest going for 22 yards. Pierre Thomas, an undrafted free agent from Illinois, has three carries this season, with 24 yards as his longest. Go figure.
25 (28) Bills 2-4-0 In Buffalo's first three games (all losses), opponents averaged 458.3 yards to Buffalo's 200. In the past three games (two wins), opponents' average has dropped to 346.3 and the Bills' has increased to 258.3.
26 (22) Vikings 2-4-0 Perhaps in time, Tarvaris Jackson will be a serviceable quarterback, maybe even a playoff-caliber one. But it's not happening now, and the Vikings are suffering for it.
27 (25) Raiders 2-4-0 It's official: The Raiders have scored more touchdowns this season (13) than in all of last season. But that doesn't mean the offense is worth watching -- it had just 90 first-half yards Sunday.
28 (24) 49ers 2-4-0 A promising start has turned into four consecutive losses. A frustrated Frank Gore said some players aren't trusting the play calling of new offensive coordinator Jim Hostler. Sounds like a mutiny!
29 (29) Falcons 1-6-0 Is there a curse associated with playing quarterback for the Falcons? Michael Vick's problems. Joey Harrington's benching. Now Byron Leftwich's injury. Note to Chris Redman: You've been warned!
30 (30) Jets 1-6-0 Twice in the past three weeks, the Jets have blown 10-point halftime leads, and they have been outscored 73-35 in the fourth quarter overall. 'The frustration is reaching another level,' Jerricho Cotchery told the NY Daily News.
31 (31) Rams 0-7-0 The Rams began playing football in 1937 -- and until this season, they had never started 0-7. On the positive side, Donnie Jones' 80-yard punt Sunday was the franchise's longest since 1947. So there's that.
32 (32) Dolphins 0-7-0 Anybody else feel sorry for British fans who shelled out big bucks to see two NFL teams play a meaningful game in London ... and one of those teams is the league's worst? Maybe they won't know Ronnie Brown is out.
