NFL 2014 Week 8 news and Power Rankings

I was traveling for much of Sunday, so my news and insights are based most on game summaries.

Week 8 takeaways
1.  It has been tough for Super Bowl Champs to return to the playoffs the next year, but it's been even tougher for Super Bowl losers.  The Broncos are looking to be that rare team that makes it, and are currently leading the AFC for the right to return to the Super Bowl.  Of course, they face the Patriots this week, and nobody has stymied Peyton Manning more than the Patriots.

2.  Speaking of the Patriots, what the hell happened to the Bears defense?  The Patriots offense has been listless most of the season, only recently showing some muscle, and they pull off one of their best offensive performances in years.  As a Bears fan, it makes me sick.

3.  Speaking of performances, how about Ben Roethlisberger?  The man has his best game as a pro, and it occurs wearing those damn "prison style" throwback uniforms!  Maybe that's why he played so well -- he wanted to prove he deserved a better uniform.

4.  Colt McCoy had a great game starting for Washington (the best game of his NFL career, in fact), but it was a rivalry game.  I still think he will disappoint.

5.  Two one-loss teams were defeated this week, leaving only one in each division.  Not much dominance in the league this year.  Six of the top ten teams lost their games (albeit two of them lost to other top ten teams).  This year really shows that no outcome is certain in this league.  We're also down to only five two-loss teams, and one is the Bengals, who have scored fewer points than they've allowed.

6.  I heard an interesting conversation on ESPN, as two analysts were determining who was the worst team in the league.  The two teams in contention?  The Jets and the Bears.  Granted, the Jets are poor and the Bears had a terrible game, but aren't the Raiders still the only winless team?  Doesn't Jacksonville have the statistically worst offense AND the worst defense?  Some people demonstrate their stupidity by the thoughtless exclusions in their conversations.

Top Ten [Last week's position]
1.  DENVER BRONCOS (6-1) [1] : Impressive win against a strong Chargers team keeps them on top
2.  Arizona Cardinals (6-1) [4] : They beat Philly to capture 2nd place
3.  New England Patriots (6-2) [9] : HUGE offensive output
4.  Dallas Cowboys (6-2) [3] : Close loss, and Romo's back might be cause for concern
5.  Philadelphia Eagles (5-2) [2] : Chip Kelly's offense hit a defensive brick wall in Arizona
6.  Baltimore Ravens (5-3) [6] : Despite a loss, the Ravens look good
7.  Detroit Lions (6-2) [10] : It was a tough win, but they held out against Atlanta
8.  Indianapolis Colts (5-3) [5] : Victims of Big Ben's career day
9.  San Diego Chargers (5-3) [7] : No disgrace to lose to the surging Broncos
10. Green Bay Packers (5-3) [8] : Aaron Rodgers got hurt, and didn't play well

Divisional Rankings [Last week's position]
1.  AFC West [1] : With KC on the cusp of the Top Ten, they can forget about Oakland
2.  AFC North [3] : Cincy played well and Pittsburgh had a HUGE day.  Remains the only division where all the teams have winning records
3.  NFC East [2] : Their two best teams lost, but they still occupy two of the top five spots
4 (tie). NFC West [4] : Half the teams had byes, and the others won, although Seattle's win was not pretty
4 (tie). AFC East [6] : Buffalo and New England combined for nearly 100 points, and Miami had an excellent day (of course, they were playing Jacksonville)
6.  NFC North [5] : Despite a Vikings win, it was a tough week for the division
7.  AFC South [7] : They trail the others so much, I don't see them getting up anytime soon
8.  NFC South [8] : By far the dregs of the league, no team has a winning record.  If the Saints keep winning, though, they can boost the division