WEEK 8 POWER RANKINGS
Happy Halloween to all. Week 8 power rankings always bring you the good, bad, and ugly of the NFL. What happens to all the costumes Oakland fans wore to the black hole? Chiefs are back on top of the power ranking mountain. Jets are keeping the bottom sizzling hot because they’ve been there awhile. 49ers, Cardinals, and Rams are all on the rise. The same week ,Seahawks lose. Cowboys garage sale? Tua is coming this Sunday. Dez Bryant is back. I may need a set of crazy pills with my coffee mulling this week over. CHEERS!!! Let me see you do the monster mash.
OUR MOVIE OF THE WEEK
#1.KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (6-1) UP ONE SPOT The Chiefs showed me something last week versus the Broncos, in the snow at Denver. Patrick Mahomes has not been his best. The offense had a hard time converting third downs throughout last Sunday’s game. The Chiefs were able to score from special teams, defense, and their ground game. The kicker Harrison Butker legged out 13 points. Chiefs dominated a pretty good Denver team. It was a great day to make snow angels in the snow, as the Chiefs are back in the number one spot in the Wild Shamrock Power Rankings.
#2.PITTSBURGH STEELERS (6-0) UP ONE SPOT
RAVENS AND STEELERS FINALLY GOING TO CLASH WEEK 8 IN EPIC FIRST MEETING OF THE SEASON
First place will be on the line for the AFC North, as Steelers go on the road to Baltimore. Steelers last Sunday took out the Titans in a very good game between two elite AFC teams. Steelers started off the season facing bottom Feeders in the NFL. The last two weeks, Steelers have beaten some good teams. The Browns came in with the best running game in the league. The Titans came in undefeated with the best running back in the league. Steelers, both times, prevailed. I love how the Steelers have thrived without their cancerous play-makers that have been gone, and now resurfaced in recent weeks. Le’Veon Bell was cut from the Jets and made his debut with the Chiefs.
Are you missing that bum in Pittsburgh when you have the terminator in the back field? James Connor has 4 rushing TD’s so far in six games. Then Big Ben Roethlisberger has a slew of wide receivers that are not mental in the head, as we know what Antonio Brown is. Chase Claypool, and Ju Ju Smith-Schuster attorneys at law, James Washington, and Diontae Johnson on what George W. Bush would call…..
Weapons of mass destruction.
#3.TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (5-2) UP 2 SPOTS Antonio Brown is practicing with the Buccaneers during the week. It is not yet said when the team will unleash the beast they have just signed.
Hope the Buccaneers have given him his shots. The Buccaneers really would not need him versus the New York Giants. The running game has really not been pointed out much for the Buccaneers, that have helped Tampa Tom and his offense thrive. Not talking about the misfit veteran running backs of Shady McCoy and Leonard Fournette. Running back Ronald Jones gets most of the action in the ground game and it’s well deserved. Already 500 yards and 4 touchdowns on the ground.
#4.BALTIMORE RAVENS (5-1) SAME
The Ravens on their bye week were out shopping at Filene’s basement. The Ravens purchased a Dez Bryant hand bag receiver with matching shoes. The Ravens wanted to upgrade their receiving core, and brought in another guy from the past that has crazy pills in his coo coo puffs in the mornings. Dez Bryant is actually only 31 years of age. The Ravens liked what they saw from him, and signed him to their practice squad. Bryant was cut loose from the Cowboys in a shocking move. Bryant suited up for the Saints, but got hurt in practice and never got in a game for New Orleans. We will see if Bryant can make a difference for the Ravens down the road. But first the big game for Lamar Jackson and company, with the Steelers which should be a dog fight this weekend.
#5.SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (5-1) DOWN 4 SPOTS Seattle defense is the problem with this team. You can not expect Russell Wilson and the offense to win every shootout. Arizona last Sunday gave the Seahawks their first blemish of the season. This week Seattle added a Dunlap to defensive line.
That’s the wrong Dunlap. Reggie Dunlap and the Hanson Brothers could probably stop the 49ers this weekend. Seahawks land Carlos Dunlap from the Bengals.
Carlos Dunlap wanted out of Cincinnati. Dunlap is a DE that could get to the quarterback and Seattle desperately needs that.
#6.TENNESSEE TITANS (6-1) SAME Last Sunday the Titans showed me something when they met up with the Steelers in an elite AFC match-up of two unbeaten teams. Titans trailed the Steelers in the second half and made a nice comeback. A missed field game in the last seconds could have sent this game to OT. The Titans defense held the Steelers to 27 points instead of the high 30’s or 40’s which they’ve been giving up in some of these games. Steelers are no slouch of an offensive team. Titans will stay in the top ten of the power rankings all year, and my prediction is that the defense will come around.
#7.GREEN BAY PACKERS (5-1) UP 1 SPOT What do Aaron Rodgers and cockroaches have in common? You think they’re dead after you step on them once. Then they crawl back from the pond scum they came from. Rodgers, and Green Bay, recovered quickly from the stomping Tampa Tom gave them as they gave the Texans a square dance of trouble in the Houston barn. Devante Adams had another huge game as the Rodgers to Adams is one of deadliest combinations in the league.
#8.BUFFALO BILLS (5-2) UP 1 SPOT The Bills should not even be be ranked in the top ten with their performance versus the Jets last Sunday. The rookie kicker of the Bills was the only offense they had.
Bass kicked 8 field goals, and made six of them for 18 points. I’m concerned about three things. Bass still missed two field goals. What the hell happened to the offense? They could not score even one touchdown against the hapless Jets. The Bills defense gave up a touchdown and field goal to the Jets. That is only 10 points, but again it’s versus a very bad Jets team. Yes, a win is a win, and the Bills needed it. Now they face the Patriots this Sunday, who right now are on the ropes of their season. Bills need a must win against their nemesis with many of the regular villains elsewhere these days for the Patriots.
Its time to throw Bill Belichick, the Emperor, over the rail and finish the evil dynasty for good. If the Patriots win this game, they will reinvent themselves and think they can easily win the division. I will also think if Bills lose, Belichick must have pictures of the owner of the Bills’ wife in bed with a horse.
#9.CLEVELAND BROWNS (5-2) UP 1 SPOT If Baker Mayfield can duplicate his performance he had versus the Bengals last Sunday, he will not have to go through security to get into the house on his commercials.
Mayfield threw 5 touchdowns and only 1 interception, going 22-28 passing the ball. This was without wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who hurt his knee on a tackle early in this game. Raise your hand if Beckham has screwed up your fantasy football team once again.
Watch Baker Mayfield do better without Beckham in the line up every week. Mayfield may not have to think he has to throw in Odell’s direction so many times in each game. Now Baker Mayfield can just hit the wide open guy, like he did when he took over his rookie season.
#10.ARIZONA CARDINALS (5-2) UP 2 SPOTS Arizona Cardinals with a signature victory versus the Seahawks on Sunday. Arizona started off hot, went cold, and now they’re hot once again and are 5-2 heading to their bye week. This NFC West should be fun to watch as all the teams right now are playing well, even the 49ers with all their injuries.
Love to see the Cardinals make the playoffs. Larry Fitzgerald in post season was electric. Larry may have lost a step or two, but I can see him coming up big when needed in huge games. Plus, the loyalty of staying in Arizona during many bad years with bad quarterback play and still making a difference. Still wanting to stay when he could easily be like every other crazy wide receiver demanding a trade, or the ball, every other play.
#11.INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (4-2) SAME Colts coming off their bye week face the Detroit Lions in a game they should win. The bye week may have given Phillip Rivers a chance to relax and maybe make another kid with his wife, in the state of Indiana. Maybe the Rivers have a goal to make a baby in every state. The bye week also gives Head Coach Frank Reich the chance to get his team ready, and correct some of the mistakes they have made over the first six games. The Colts defense is one of the best units in the league. The Colts have that control over the ball offense attack. Rivers needs to stay protected and not make the stupid turnovers. This will be the biggest key for the Colts.
#12.LA RAMS (5-2) UP 5 SPOTS This is what the Rams do as a team. They look stale and zombie-like in one game. Then the team comes out of the woodwork in the following game.
Rams exposed the Bears on Monday night. The Rams defense is still one of the best units in the league. I still question the Rams offense at times, as Jared Goff is a head scratcher or world beater.
Malcolm Brown just ran over a good Bears defense, dragging players with him to the end zone on Monday night. Rams have some fun offensive players. Players that are not super stars of the league. You can’t count this team out because they seem to play big in big moments, like on Monday night.
#13.CHICAGO BEARS (5-2) DOWN 6 SPOTS I’m leaning on the fact that the Bears, I thought were a pretender. The 5-2 record is misleading. The Bears have had comebacks by double digit points versus the Falcons and Lions. The Rams clearly exposed the Bears’ glaring weaknesses which is the offense and the offense’s philosophy. Head coach Matt Nagy does not have the personnel to run the type of offense he wants to run. The offensive line for the Bears is Swiss cheese. The running game is non-existent because the play calling and the offensive line can not make any kind of push. The team lacks play-makers in their skill positions. The defense is strong, but you can run the ball on this unit. The defense stays on the field too long because of the offense’s inability to sustain drives.
Akiem Hicks continues to cost his team with stupid penalties on defense, like jumping into the pile at the end of the play. Nick Foles has looked like Mitch Trubisky’s brother. Some fans want to see the return of Mitch Trubisky behind center.
#14.MIAMI DOLPHINS (3-3) SAME Dolphins stay the same being on the bye week. It’s Tua time in Miami. How will the rookie quarterback from ‘Bama do in his first game versus a great Rams defense? Rookie quarterbacks this season have fared well so far. Especially Justin Herbert with the Chargers. What about Tua Tagovailoa’s injury from college which was questioned on his draft stock? Is Miami better off letting him sit for two reasons? One, let his body fully heal from college. Second, Patrick Mahomes only played one game his first year. Throwing him out to the wolves versus the Rams may turn into a very bad idea.
#15.NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (4-2) SAME Saints play-makers are having all kinds of problems at the skill position. Emmanuel Sanders is fighting the Covid virus. While Michael Thomas is out still, which some say money may be the problem there. Drew Brees goes out and uses all the other tools he has in the shed. They put up a win over the Carolina Panthers, a division game which is very important to win. Saints are now marching up the standings, and quietly making some noise.
#16.LA CHARGERS (2-4) UP 3 SPOTS
Justin Herbert may be the new Mad Bomber in the league. Daryle Lamonica, the original mad bomber, tossed many bombs in his time and his teams had an impressive aerial attack. Justin Herbert continues to launch passes deep into the skies, and these are perfectly placed with the wide receiver in stride. Herbert now has 12 TD passes as he dropped a few bombs last Sunday versus the Jaguars.
I have to give a special mention of Jeff Blake, who had a very nice deep pass in his days under center.
#17.DETROIT LIONS (3-3) UP 3 SPOTS The good is the Lions are even 3-3. The bad is Lions are even at 3-3 which means Matt Patricia is a dingle berry that will not go away. Lions met the Falcons last week. Two teams that get burned regularly in the last minute of the game. Last Sunday, the Lions roared and won on the last play of the game. Lions even added a defensive lineman from the Cowboys. Everson Griffen, who the Lions are familiar with because he played for the Vikings for a few years.
Lions weakness is the defense. What does Matt Patricia specialize in?
#18.SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (3-3) UP 4 SPOTS NEXT MAN UP!!!
“Next man up” is the slogan of the 49ers. Dealing with multiple injuries, the 49ers are still playing hard and winning games. Last week, Jimmy Garoppolo beat his former team, the Patriots. The next man up in this game for the 49ers was running back Jeff Wilson Jr. Wilson Jr. scored three touchdowns on 112 yards on the ground. Wilson Jr. got hurt on his third TD of the game.
Wilson Jr. also earned NFL player of the week award. I always wonder why the Chicago Bears can not insert player into their line up and get results like that.
#19.CAROLINA PANTHERS (3-3) DOWN 6 SPOTS Panthers won three in row and now have fallen back on hard times losing two in a row. Last two games, if you put pressure on Bridgewater, he crumbles. Panther fans do not want to hear another cookie at quarterback. The offensive line in the middle needs to protect better. Panthers have a lot of great things going on. Weapons emerging at the skill positions. Wide receivers, Robby Anderson and Curtis Samuel ,have stepped their games up. D.J. Moore was the main weapon last year. With attention on him, the other guys are getting open. The Panthers will get better with the return of Christian McCaffrey, who may return next Sunday.
#20.LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (3-3) DOWN 4 SPOTS Raiders were steamrolled by the Buccaneers coming off a bye week. Raiders have an Even Steven record. The team has a trend: one good week and then one bad week. This Sunday, Raiders play the Browns, a team that’s closer to their level. Raiders offense can be explosive or just average. The Raiders defense has been crappy most of the year. Raiders can strike at anytime though. This is a team that stunned the Chiefs and put 40 up on them. Like a box of chocolates, you just don’t know what you will get.
I wonder what the Oakland Raider fans have done with their black hole attire. I’m sure some are still fans of Raider Nation. Some can’t be too happy about them moving to Vegas. Being Halloween, some of these costumes could sell well on EBAY. Any Star Wars convention in town? The convention in Vegas. Poor Oakland.
21.PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (2-4-1) SAME As soon as they get a play-maker back, another guy gets hurt for the Eagles. Eagles activated Dallas Goedert and Jalen Reagor who they are excited to get back. Eagles need to get healthy because they have a talented team when healthy. Eagles won their last game just squeaking by the Giants. This Sunday they can feast on a very bad Cowboy team who have been getting rid of guys on their defense. The same guys that make the Cowboy defense laughing stocks. Winning the third game of the year can be a commanding lead in the NFC East.
#22.DENVER BRONCOS (2-4) UP 1 SPOT Even though the Broncos were blown out by the Chiefs, I do like what Denver has been doing. Solid defense scheme. Good running game. Just scrap the flea flicker with Melvin Gordon, from the playbook. Drew Lock is getting better. Weapons are emerging from the skill positions.
#23.NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (2-4) DOWN 5 MORE SPOTS
Is it time to bang on the drums all day with the fallen of the Evil Empire Patriots?
Which head would be Cam newton?
#24.MINNESOTA VIKINGS (1-5) SAME Viking fans on their bye week should have kidnapped Kirk Cousins and tossed him in a lake. Minnesota lakes could freeze you at this time of the year.
Then the Viking fans could approach the Evil Empire AKA the Patriots, or any other team interested in a quarterback, and give Cousins to them.
Doug Marrone above for the Jaguars might take a Kirk Cousins since he’s trying to think outside the box.
#25.ATLANTA FALCONS (2-6) UP 3 SPOTS Last Sunday, the Falcons should have run their second game in a row with interim coach, Raheem Morris. If Todd Gurley did not score, the Falcons could have ran out the clock and won the game.
We all know Todd Gurley’s head is not on very tight. You can say he tried, but fell over the line for the score. Then Detroit went down the field with less than a minute, and won the game in the very last play of the game. Lions and Falcons are two teams that don’t know how to hold the lead and give up winning scores at the very end. It figures one team wins the last play of the game. Falcons quickly rebounded on Thursday with a very convincing win over the Panthers. Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, and Matt Ryan should win you more games even with that bad defense. The Falcons should be 3-0 under Morris instead of 2-1.
#26.CINCINNATI BENGALS (1-5-1) SAME Bengals trading away one of their top defensive players Carlos Dunlap to Seattle. Bengals might as well trade guys that do not want to be there. Dunlap was one of those guys and they might have a few others. If you’re a Bengal fan, you will still be watching Joe Burrows get better. Burrows was involved in an epic shootout with the Browns and quarterback Baker Mayfield last Sunday. Both teams going back and forth. Browns won the game but you may have a ton of games like that between both those quarterbacks in the battle of Ohio and playing in the same division. Plus, both quarterbacks are young.
#27.HOUSTON TEXANS (1-6) SAME Texans have played a very tough schedule this year. Playing the Chiefs, Ravens, Steelers, Titans, and then the Packers last week make it very hard to get wins. Texans head to bye week without their long time head coach, Bill O’Brien, who was fired. Romeo Crennell, a dead branch off the Belichick coaching tree, has not fared well. Crennell was running the team when the Texans did win their own game. The defense is in shambles. Only reason why you watch the Texans if you’re a fan of the team, is quarterback Deshaun Watson. If only the Bears would have drafted Watson instead of Trubisky.
#28.WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM (2-5) UP 2 SPOTS Could a team with no name actually make the playoffs? Has a team with no name ever made it to the NFL playoffs? The NFC East is just horrible. The Washington team gave their division rival, the Cowboys, a beat down last Sunday. Cowboys this week look like sellers. Giants are playing better, but they just beat you by one point weeks ago. The Eagles continue to be the walking wounded. The Washington team actually has a very good chance of winning the division. Kyle Allen looked better behind center. All quarterbacks look great versus a bad Dallas defense.
#29.NEW YORK GIANTS (1-6) SAME Giants have been playing some decent football this year winning a close one over that Washington football team and losing a close one late in the game versus the Eagles. Now the team faces a very hot Buccaneer team led by Tampa Tom on Monday night.
It’s like the Giants are thinking the night before, like Rocky before the big fight versus Apollo Creed, that they just want to go the distance with Brady and the Buccaneers. Knowing they will lose but give them a battle.
#30.JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (1-6) SAME Jacksonville could have used some air raid sirens in LA last week.
Justin Herbert of the Chargers just bombarded the Jaguars with the aerial attack. Jaguars took a lead in that contest to see it disappear with another bomb. Head coach Doug Marrone is threatening to think outside the box over the bye week to get this Jaguar team back on track from losing six in a row.
I’m sure Marrone will eat what’s inside the box first.
#31.DALLAS COWBOYS (2-5) DOWN SIX SPOTS
The Cowboys are having a garage sale selling off pieces of that horrible defense. The Detroit Lions purchased an end table as they get DE Everson Griffen, a former Viking who will be seeing his X team soon. Jerry Jones had to wheel Dontari Poe to the curb, no takers. Many thought Poe was kneeling in protest, but it seems he is overweight and has a hard time standing. Daryl Worley may be recycled as he remains in the cart as a truck is about to pick him up. Worley will be melted down and turned into a jock strap for former Cowboy Leon Lett.
Jon Bostic of the Washington Football team really shot the eye out of the red rifleman. Cheap hit by Bostic has Andy Dalton in concussion protocol. Can the Cowboys save their season by maybe trading for Fitzmagic? Ryan Fitzpatrick was benched by the Dolphins just because they want to start their rookie, not his play behind center which has been really good in the first six games. Does any quarterback want to be knocked into tomorrow with a bad Dallas line?
#32.NEW YORK JETS (0-7) SAME
The Jets will need their French sweep play with Kansas City coming to town. Do the Jets get a mercy rule?
Jets played their best game last week in their loss to the Bills. Jets were the only team in that match up to score a touchdown. If you take out the kicking game in football, Jets would have won that game 6 to 0. Kicking is part of the game so it was Jets 18-10 loss to keep them on track for the number one draft pick who just contracted the virus if they are going to grab the quarterback from Clemsen.
The Wild shamrock 