ESPN NFL power rankings, Week 8: Chiefs at No. 1
By Josh Sanchez
The Kansas City Chiefs are riding high as the top team in the NFL, and their status as the lone unbeaten in the league has been reflected by having the top spot in nearly every set of power rankings around the web.
For ESPN, the trend continues as Kansas City tops the list that has the Indianapolis Colts in second after their big home win against Denver.
Where does your team stand?
Here is how ESPN sees the league shaping up:
| RANK | TEAM / RECORD | TRENDING | COMMENTS |
| 1 | Chiefs 7-0 | 1 | The Chiefs defense has been devastating this season, leading the NFL in PPG allowed (11.6), sacks (35) and passes defended/intercepted (47). |
| 2 | Colts 5-2 | 4 | 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 | Broncos 6-1 | 2 | Fumbling may be the Broncos’ biggest weakness. Denver lost two big ones against Indianapolis, and no team has fumbled more this season. |
| 4 | Seahawks 6-1 | — 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 | Saints 5-1 | 2 | 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 | 49ers 5-2 | 1 | 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 | Bengals 5-2 | 1 | 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 | Patriots 5-2 | 3 | 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 | Packers 4-2 | — Last Week: 9 | The Packers have finally found their running back. Eddie Lacy leads the NFL in rushing over the past three weeks. |
| 10 | Cowboys 4-3 | 3 | 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 | Lions 4-3 | — 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 | Chargers 4-3 | 3 | Believe it or not, Ryan Mathews is the only player this season to rush for 100 yards in consecutive games. |
| 13 | Bears 4-3 | 3 | 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 | Ravens 3-4 | 2 | 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 | Jets 4-3 | 5 | 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 | Dolphins 3-3 | 2 | The Dolphins have lost three in a row, and Ryan Tannehill has fallen back down to Earth. |
| 17 | Titans 3-4 | 1 | Chris Johnson has two long touchdown receptions this season, but has yet to score on the ground despite 17 red zone rushes. |
| 18 | Panthers 3-3 | 6 | 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 | Eagles 3-4 | 2 | 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 | Falcons 2-4 | 3 | 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 | Bills 3-4 | 4 | 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 | Browns 3-4 | 4 | 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 | Redskins 2-4 | 5 | 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 | Cardinals 3-4 | 3 | 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 | Steelers 2-4 | 2 | 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 | Texans 2-5 | 4 | 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 | Rams 3-4 | 8 | 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 | Raiders 2-4 | 2 | 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 | Giants 1-6 | 2 | The Giants won the turnover battle for the first time all season Monday night, and it resulted in win No. 1. |
| 30 | Vikings 1-5 | 1 | Not a great debut for Josh Freeman, who overthrew his receivers for incompletions 16 times Monday, the most for any QB since 2006. |
| 31 | Buccaneers 0-6 | 1 | 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 | Jaguars 0-7 | — 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. |