2009 NFL Barometer: Week 8

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And then there were three. Minnesota’s loss to defending champion Pittsburgh has left just three undefeated teams in the ranks of football, with all three unsurprisingly heading our Barometer for Week 8. Don’t work Viking fans — the Purple People Beaters didn’t fall far, as they are now the only one-loss team in the league.

A dominant victory across the pond moved the Pats up, but I think we’re all eager to see how they perform against a legitimate NFL team and not the Buccaneers and Titans. Miami travels to New England in Week 9, but with the Patriots coming off a bye week, it’s safe to say the deck is stacked in their favor. The big battle comes on November 15th, when the Pats travel to Indianapolis to take on the now-undefeated Colts. Game of the Year?

Two embarrassing losses by the 49ers and the Bears have precipitated a free-fall in the Barometer, as both teams are now comfortably in the bottom half of our rankings. The 49ers actually made a game of it in the second half, but I think we all agree that when Alex Smith is to be your savior, you’re in trouble. Maybe we’re just anticipating an Indy beat-down of San Fran this week and have jumped the gun on next week’s Niners ranking.

When you get to that area of the Barometer (17-20), you’re just a hop, skip and a jump away from the moldy, expired, headed-for-the-trash-can portion of the league. We’ve seen parity in our league for so long, it’s almost comical to note the differences between the top eight and bottom eight teams in the league, a cross-section that makes up exactly half of the NFL. And I’m nothing if not comical …

Rank	Change	TEAM	Avg Rank	D Z	D N	U H
1		Indianapolis Colts (6-0)	1.33	1	2	1
Last week: Win 42-6 at STL. Next up are the Niners, but the Colts may be eyeballing a Week 10 matchup with the Pats.
2		New Orleans Saints (6-0)	1.67	2	1	2
Last week: Win 46-34 at MIA. The Saints had no business winning that game, but they did — the mark of a great team.
3		Denver Broncos (6-0)	3.00	3	3	3
Last week: Bye. Kyle Orton and Josh McDaniels better than Jay Cutler and Mike Shanahan? Say it ain’t so.
4		Minnesota Vikings (6-1)	4.33	5	4	4
Last week: Loss 17-27 at PIT. You may not know this, but Brett Favre use to play for Green Bay, this week’s opponent.
5		New England Patriots (5-2)	4.67	4	5	5
Last week: Win 35-7 UK TB. The Pats get a week off just as the offense was showing life, albeit against offensive teams.
6		Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2)	6.00	6	6	6
Last week: Win 27-17 vs. MIN. Big win for the defending champs, who needed to keep pace with the Bengals.
7		New York Giants (5-2)	8.67	10	7	9
Last week: Loss 17-24 vs. ARI. A trip to Philly is at hand, and the Giants are reeling. It’s a crucial game in this three-team race.
8		Cincinnati Bengals (5-2)	9.00	11	8	8
Last week: Win 45-10 vs. CHI. Wow, they ‘85 Bears-ed the ‘09 Bears. If the Benson wheels stay on, this team is legit.
9		Arizona Cardinals (4-2)	10.00	9	14	7
Last week: Win 24-17 at NYG. The SB Loser curse is in the process of being shaken off. Huge win in New York.
10		Green Bay Packers (4-2)	10.33	7	13	11
Last week: Win 31-3 at CLE. New left tackle T.J. Lang and new OLB Clay Matthews are saving the season for the Pack.
11		Philadelphia Eagles (4-2)	10.67	8	10	14
Last week: Win 27-17 at WAS. Is it unreasonable to think the fate of this Eagles team rests with a man named Shady?
12		Dallas Cowboys (4-2)	11.33	12	12	10
Last week: Win 37-21 vs. ATL. Tony Romo is back, and all he needed was a guy named Austin in the passing game.
13		Atlanta Falcons (4-2)	11.33	13	9	12
Last week: Loss 21-37 at DAL. The Falcons get the next shot at the New Orleans powerhouse, and I think they fail.
14		Baltimore Ravens (3-3)	13.00	15	11	13
Last week: Bye. Once thought Super Bowl contenders, the Ravens now sit at .500 and now get the undefeated Broncos.
15		New York Jets (4-3)	15.67	16	16	15
Last week: Win 38-0 at OAK. “Hot Dog” Sanchez won’t have it this easy most weeks, and I’m not convinced this is a playoff team.
16		Houston Texans (4-3)	15.67	14	17	16
Last week: Win 24-21 vs. SF. For the most part, this actually looks like a playoff team. Doing a great job drafting.
17		San Diego Chargers (3-3)	17.00	19	15	17
Last week: Win 37-7 at KC. Even against a bad team, this was still an impressive win for the up-and-down Bolts.
18		Jacksonville Jaguars (3-3)	18.67	18	20	18
Last week: Bye. Breakout fantasy player of the season? I say Mike Sims-Walker, a legitimate WR1 at this point.
19		San Francisco 49ers (3-3)	19.33	20	18	20
Last week: Loss 21-24 at HOU. Only a game back in the division, the Niners have turned to Alex Smith, former No. 1 pick.
20		Miami Dolphins (2-4)	19.67	17	21	21
Last week: Loss 34-46 vs. NO. Even with just two wins, this team seems so much better than this ranking, right?
21		Chicago Bears (3-3)	20.33	23	19	19
Last week: Loss 10-45 at CIN. Embarrassing. Unbelievable. I think it’s time for a coaching change in Chicago. They need a shakeup.
22		Seattle Seahawks (2-4)	22.00	22	22	22
Last week: Bye. With Lofa Tatupu out for the season, I think Seattle fans can give up on a second-half surge.
23		Buffalo Bills (3-4)	22.33	21	23	23
Last week: Win 20-9 at CAR. Scrappy? Consecutive wins with Ryan Fitzpatrick at the helm. Really?
24		Carolina Panthers (2-4)	24.00	24	24	24
Last week: Loss 9-20 vs. BUF. Why haven’t the Panthers been grooming a young QB to eventually take over?
25		Washington Redskins (2-5)	25.67	26	25	26
Last week: Loss 17-27 vs. PHI. No truth to the rumors that Dan Snyder has promised the 2010 gig to Phil Jackson.
26		Detroit Lions (1-5)	26.67	27	26	27
Last week: Bye. The Lions will take any week where they don’t suffer a loss as improvement. Two in a row with the Rams next?
27		Kansas City Chiefs (1-6)	26.67	28	27	25
Last week: Loss 7-37 vs. SD. Seriously, what was Larry Johnson thinking? How did any of that seem like a good idea?
28		Oakland Raiders (2-5)	27.33	25	29	28
Last week: Loss 0-38 vs. OAK. JaMarcus doesn’t feel like he’s the problem. Then again, which quarterback ever does?
29		Tennessee Titans (0-6)	29.00	30	28	29
Last week: Bye. It’s time for Vinsanity, Round Two, the Sequel, Tokyo Drift, Unleashed. I’m buying a ticket.
30		Cleveland Browns (1-6)	30.00	29	30	31
Last week: Loss 3-31 vs. GB. You know what this team needs? Rebranding. Do we seriously need to keep the Brown legacy going?
31		Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-7)	31.00	31	32	30
Last week: Loss 7-35 UK NE. Why make the Bucs give up a home game? They’re perfectly fine losing games in their backyard.
32		St. Louis Rams (0-7)	31.67	32	31	32
Last week: Loss 6-42 vs. IND. Remember how many Rams fans there were 10 years ago? Where are they now? I feel this should be a show.