Week 8 NFL Barometer

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Week 7 proved to be full of drama as we witnessed last-second game-winning field goals by the Chiefs, Falcons, and Bucs. More noteworthy was the quarterback change in Dallas. Just in case you were away on some secluded island this week and missed the coverage, Coach Bill Parcells made the switch from veteran Drew Bledsoe to the untested Tony Romo. This change occurred at halftime of their division game against the Giants, which coincidentally was on Monday Night Football. Welcome to the NFL, Tony.

We’re closing in on the halfway point of the NFL season. Which teams will survive that stretch run to make the playoffs, and which ones are going to be left out in the cold on New Year’s?

Recently, we asked seven Cafe members to rank all 32 NFL teams from first to worst after Week 7 of the 2006 season. The average number for each team, based on their submissions, was calculated and the teams were ranked accordingly (to increase consistency, the highest and the lowest values for each team were disregarded).

Rank	Change	TEAM	Avg Rank	K n a p p	S w i p e r	K i l r o y	A b e	N i t t	J o e l	J a y
1 (1)		Chicago	1.2	1	2	1	2	1	1	1
How will the Bears come out of their bye week against the 49ers? Will the dominating Bears team from the first five weeks reappear?
2 (2)		Indianapolis	1.8	2	1	2	1	2	2	2
Which team has the best stable in the league? We’ll find out when Peyton and the Colts travel to Denver to face the Broncos on Sunday.
3 (4)		Denver	3.8	5	3	3	3	3	5	5
Jake Plummer is still the starter, but if he puts up a bad game against the Colts, coach Mike Shanahan might feel the urge to throw in highly-touted rookie, Jay Cutler.
4 (5)		New England	4.0	3	4	4	4	4	4	4
Coming off their victory over division rival Buffalo, the Patriots will try to notch a big Monday night win over the Vikings.
5 (7)		New Orleans	5.4	4	5	5	5	6	6	6
New Orleans, 3-0 at home, has had two weeks to get ready for the visiting Ravens. Will they keep their undefeated record in the Superdome intact?
6 (3)		San Diego	6.6	6	7	7	8	5	3	9
Can the Chargers block out the distraction of their star defender, Shawne Merriman, testing positive for steroids and defeat the visiting Rams?
7 (11)		NY Giants	7.0	7	9	6	6	7	15	3
After trouncing the Cowboys on Monday night, the Giants try to improve their win streak to four games on Sunday against the Buccaneers.
8 (12)		Cincinnati	9.4	12	6	8	9	12	10	8
The Bengals ended their October win drought against the Panthers. Now comes the big bet between Chad Johnson and Deangelo Hall. Who will be working at Fatburger on Tuesday?
9 (5)		Carolina	10.0	16	10	9	7	10	11	10
Can the Panthers bounce back from their loss to Cincinnati and get the win on Sunday night against Tony Romo and the Cowboys?
10 (17)		Atlanta	11.4	13	8	11	13	9	13	11
Following Michael Vick’s four touchdown passes in Week 7, how will he fare against the opportunistic Cincinnati secondary?
10 (14)		Baltimore	11.4	10	12	10	16	11	12	12
After taking the bye week to heal up, will Steve McNair be able to lead the Ravens to victory in New Orleans?
12 (9)		Philadelphia	11.6	11	15	13	11	8	17	7
The Eagles dominated every phase of the game, but lost on a last-second 62-yard field goal by Matt Bryant. Once again, the lack of a clock-killing running game burns Philly.
13 (13)		St. Louis	12.4	8	13	12	18	16	7	13
Fresh off of their bye, St. Louis goes to San Diego to try to notch their fifth win of the year.
14 (18)		Minnesota	13.6	9	14	14	12	14	14	14
Former Seahawk Steve Hutchinson got a serious jab in last week as the Vikings outrushed Seattle 175 yards to 53. Who says guards don’t deserve top money?
15 (7)		Seattle	14.6	14	11	15	19	15	8	18
The Seahawks will have to go win at Arrowhead Stadium without Matt Hasselbeck and Shaun Alexander to retain their division lead. Good luck with that.
16 (10)		Jacksonville	16.0	17	16	16	14	17	9	17
That was a humiliating loss to the Texans last week. They better come to play on Sunday, as Donovan McNabb and the Eagles will prove to be a much tougher task.
17 (16)		Dallas	17.6	15	19	18	17	13	19	19
After their QB switch, Dallas and Bill Parcells will try to salvage their playoff hopes when they visit Carolina on Sunday.
17 (15)		Pittsburgh	17.6	20	18	20	10	19	16	15
Big Ben’s concussion will likely make him a game time decision in Week 8. The good news is they get to face Oakland on Sunday.
19 (19)		Kansas City	18.2	19	17	19	15	20	21	16
The Chiefs and their fans at Arrowhead Stadium backed up their reputation as being one of the toughest places to win at last week. Will they continue their home field dominance against Seattle?
20 (20)		NY Jets	18.8	18	20	17	20	18	18	20
After their late win over the Lions, the Jets look to improve to 5-3 against the struggling Browns.
21 (22)		Tampa Bay	22.4	25	21	21	25	22	22	22
Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good. The Bucs got two defensive TDs and a 62-yard field goal in last week’s win. They better pack an extra horseshoe against the Giants.
22 (31)		Houston	23.4	23	22	22	27	24	26	21
Can Houston keep the momentum going against the Titans? Or are they in for a let-down after their big win last week?
23 (21)		Washington	23.6	24	23	23	21	23	25	26
Following their fifth loss on the season, will Joe Gibbs take the bye week to get second-year QB Jason Campbell ready to make his first start?
24 (30)		Green Bay	24.0	21	24	24	24	25	28	23
Can the Packers string together a pair of victories as the shaky Cardinals visit Lambeau Field?
25 (26)		San Francisco	24.4	22	25	25	22	26	30	24
The 49ers could be in for an epic beating if the ticked off Bears team we’re all expecting shows up on Sunday.
26 (24)		Buffalo	26.2	26	26	27	28	21	24	28
Riding a three game skid, the Bills will take their bye week to try to prepare for the visiting Packers in Week 9.
27 (27)		Tennessee	28.2	31	27	29	26	27	31	27
Will Vince Young make the Texans sorry they passed on him in the draft, or will their pick, Mario Williams, make sure that doesn’t happen?
28 (23)		Arizona	28.4	28	32	32	23	28	23	31
If his seat gets any hotter, coach Denny Green is going to need fire-retardant briefs. A loss to Green Bay could signal his firing at season’s end… or sooner.
28 (28)		Cleveland	28.4	29	29	26	29	30	20	29
The Browns are swirling at 1-5. Can they get things on the right path against the Jets?
30 (25)		Detroit	29.4	30	28	31	31	31	27	25
The struggling Lions are on a bye this week as they get ready for the Falcons in Week 9.
30 (29)		Miami	29.4	27	31	28	30	29	29	32
The Dolphins’ woes continued when defeated by the Packers in Week 7. They’ll get two weeks to prepare for Chicago in Week 9.
32 (32)		Oakland	31.2	32	30	30	32	32	32	30
Every Raider fan let out a sigh of relief as the clock ticked down in their first victory of the season last week. Looking at the rest of their schedule, that may be their last as well.

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