Week 8 was a bad one for the top teams of the NFL, and the fringe playoff teams couldn't be happier. 

The Chicago Bears struggled to put away the Carolina Panthers at home, as did the Green Bay Packers against the mighty Jacksonville Jaguars. The New York Giants tried their best to blow a big lead against the Dallas Cowboys. The Minnesota Vikings lost. So did the Seattle Seahawks.

Not all the top teams struggled, or even lost, but it became clear during this week of parity that plenty of teams currently sitting in the middle of the standings are in prime position to make a run at the playoffs.

In my latest power rankings, I'll take a closer look at those teams.

Note: Those teams are in italics

Also note: All following stats come from teamrankings.com. 

 

1. Houston Texans (6-1)

The impressive Texans were on a bye this week. In related news, J.J. Watt's friend tossed him the remote control and he simply batted it down. 

 

2. Atlanta Falcons (7-0)

Not only did the Falcons—much like most other teams this year—shut down Michael Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles offense, but they also torched a very solid defense.

Matt Ryan is playing out of his mind right now and his receivers make up arguably the most talented corps in the game. Consider this spot 1A. 

 

3. San Francisco 49ers (4-2)

Come back for an update after Monday Night Football.

 

4. Green Bay Packers (5-3)

Well, that was unexpected.

The red-hot Aaron Rodgers struggled against the Jacksonville Jaguars as the Packers barely escaped with a home victory. I, for one, was expecting Green Bay to win by at least 100.

Nonetheless, Jordy Nelson was out and the injuries continue to pile up for Green Bay. Regardless of this ugly win, I'm still convinced this is a legitimate Super Bowl contender when healthy. 

 

5. New York Giants (6-2)

I knew the Giants were bipolar when it came to game-to-game, but I had no idea they had the ability to take it to the next level:

Quarter-to-quarter.

The G-Men got up 23-0 on Dallas before letting the Cowboys score 24 unanswered points. Naturally, they came back with two straight field goals to grab the win.

I'm pretty sure that if I were a Giants fan I would have no hair and a heart attack on my resume. 

Still though, a road win against the Dallas Cowboys is nothing to scuff at. 

 

6. Chicago Bears (6-1)

I guess a win is a win, but it's hard to be impressed with the Bears after they needed 16 fourth-quarter points to beat a one-win Panthers team at home. 

With the way this offensive line is protecting Jay Cutler, the defense might score more touchdowns than the offense this season. That's good and bad. 

 

7. New England Patriots (5-3)

Hey, remember us? We're the team that racks up 473 yards and 45 points against a good St. Louis Rams defense. We also have Tom Brady, who's pretty good and has about 17 talented receivers to throw to. We also have a suddenly dominant running game and a good run defense. 

Things have been a little rocky for the Pats, but they are the epitome of a sleeping giant. 

 

8. Denver Broncos (4-3)

Peyton Manning threw for 305 yards on 10.2 yards per attempt for three touchdowns and zero interceptions, and it wasn't even the best performance from Sunday Night Football.

Denver's running game racked up 225 yards on 41 carries and the defense held the normally-dominant Drew Brees to 52 percent passing and just 213 yards.

Watch out, AFC.

 

9. Baltimore Ravens (5-2)

The bye week couldn't have come at a better time for the Baltimore Ravens, a team that is incredibly banged up and reeling after a shellacking at the hands of the Houston Texans. 

 

10. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3)

If a loss to the Tennessee Titans helped every team as much as it helped Pittsburgh, then, well, two other teams would be in really good shape.

The Steelers' loss to Tennessee back in Week 6 had everyone writing them off, but they have been making a steady climb back to respectability ever since.

Ben Roethlisberger throwing to Antonio Brown, Mike Wallace, Emmanuel Sanders and Heath Miller beyond a steady offensive line makes the Steelers dangerous.

But now that Jonathan Dwyer has sparked the run game with two straight 100-yard performances and the defense finally proved its worth by shutting down Robert Griffin III, the Steelers make for a smart choice to catch the Ravens in the AFC North.

This team is better than its 4-3 record indicates. 

 

11. Minnesota Vikings (5-3)

I'm not ready to give up on this team quite yet, but the fact of the matter is this: The offense has nowhere to go after Adrian Peterson and Percy Harvin.

When the offense is stagnant and the defense has a rare mediocre performance like it did against Tampa Bay, very bad things happen. Essentially, the consistency and depth needed to make a Super Bowl run aren't there yet. 

 

12. Seattle Seahawks (4-4)

This team has a lot of talent, and Russell Wilson is looking better every week, but Richard Sherman's mouth and the inability to win on the road are starting to haunt the Seahawks. 

But as long as the Transformer talk comes to an end, the potential is still extremely high.  

 

13. Miami Dolphins (4-3)

Is this the most underrated team in the NFL?

The Jets had looked good the past few weeks, but the Dolphins came in on the road and made them look like the Jets we all know and love to make fun of en route to a 30-9 win. 

The quarterback situation isn't ideal for a deep playoff run, but the Dolphins have the pieces to survive with Ryan Tannehill or Matt Moore under center.

The defense, first and foremost, is elite. Fifth in points per game allowed. Third in points per play allowed. Second in yards per rush allowed. Fifth in opponent's completion percentage. 

Additionally, the run game has been solid. The Dolphins came into Sunday's game with 116.3 rushing yards per game and Reggie Bush tallied 59 on just 14 carries (4.2 average).

It's not always pretty, but a run game and an elite defense wins ball games. 

 

14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-4)

I kept backing this team as an underrated squad, and they kept repaying the favor with close losses. 

Then, I finally dropped them a bit in my last power rankings, and they of course responded with a huge road victory against a good Minnesota Vikings squad. 

Well, I'm ready to come back on the bandwagon now. I'll sit in the corner if I have to. 

The Bucs may only be 3-4, but all the losses have been close and all the wins have been big. As a result, they have an astounding plus-31 point differential. 

Doug Martin looks better each week, and as that continues to happen, Josh Freeman's job of finding Mike Williams and Vincent Jackson continues to get easier. Throw in an elite rush defense, and this is my sleeper to grab a wild-card spot in a crowded NFC.

 

15. Indianapolis Colts (4-3)

The Colts are above .500, but let's cool our Jets here a little bit. The last two wins were against Cleveland and Tennessee. 

Still though, Andrew Luck has this team winning games, and that is all that's important. It's hard to imagine Indy not making the playoffs in the next year or two. 

 

16. Philadelphia Eagles (3-4)

The season is slowly slipping away and Michael Vick is on the verge of getting replaced by the 88th pick in the 2012 draft, Nick Foles. 

It would be appear to be time to start feeding LeSean McCoy more, but what do I know? I'm just his fantasy owner. 

 

17. Washington Redskins (3-5)

On the plus, we know now that Robert Griffin III, who threw for 177 yards and rushed for just eight more against the Pittsburgh Steelers, is human.

And robots are scary, so consider the threat averted.

Seriously though, this defense still has problems, but Griffin and the offense will bounce back from the 27-12 defeat.  

 

18. Detroit Lions (3-4)

The Lions won, and that's certainly important.

But what has to be encouraging for Lions fans is that Matthew Stafford and the offense looked very 2011-esque. Calvin Johnson recorded just 46 yards but Detroit still gained a ridiculous 415 yards against one of the best defenses in the league.

That's easily one of the most impressive performances of the week. 

 

19. Dallas Cowboys (3-4)

There is so much talent on this team, but there's also so much Dez Bryant, as well.

And by "Dez Bryant," I mean lack of concentration, stupid penalties, costly mistakes at the wrong time and turnovers. A lot of turnovers. 

 

20. St. Louis Rams (3-5)

It's probably a good thing the Rams cancelled their London games for the next two season. I like this team's potential, especially on the defensive side of the ball, but they were taken to the woodshed—or whatever the British term for woodshed is—on Sunday by the Patriots.

It was a mini step back. 

 

21. Cincinnati Bengals (3-4)

The bye should help the Bengals, who have lost three in a row after starting the season 3-1. 

Facing the white-hot Denver Broncos and the New York Giants, on the other hand, won't help all that much. 

 

22. San Diego Chargers (3-4)

I realize the weather was certainly a factor in San Diego's—gulp—7-6 loss to the Cleveland Browns, but I'm not even going to try to defend this one.

The Chargers are on a slippery slope right now. 

 

23. New Orleans Saints (2-5)

With each week, the votes for Sean Payton for Coach of the Year continue to pile up. Things are getting bad in New Orleans, but I still have trouble downgrading them too far just because Drew Brees can explode at any moment. 

 

24. New York Jets (3-5)

I realize the Jets had pretty much no choice after falling behind big early on, but letting Mark Sanchez throw the ball 54 times isn't usually a recipe for winning games. 

Sunday was a disappointing effort from a Jets team that was starting to show some fight.

 

25. Arizona Cardinals (4-3)

Come back for an update after Monday Night Football.

 

26. Cleveland Browns (2-6)

When the weather makes it nearly impossible to throw the ball and you have Trent Richardson, you are suddenly a favorite. The Browns should try to do that every game. 

 

27. Tennessee Titans (3-5)

There's potential on this offense, but unfortunately it lies in Chris Johnson and Kenny Britt, who are remarkably inconsistent. 

On the defensive side of the ball, things are much worse. 

 

28. Oakland Raiders (3-4)

Don't look now, but the Oakland Raiders have two wins in a row. Also, don't look at their opponents in those two games, who happen to be the Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars. 

Still though, Darren McFadden's 3.9 yard-per-carry average, as sad as it sounds, was an encouraging note from Sunday's contest. 

 

29. Buffalo Bills (3-4)

Maybe the bye week will help Buffalo improve its atrocious state. Maybe I'll get a date with Olivia Wilde. 

 

30. Carolina Panthers (1-6)

Everyone will be quick to make fun of Carolina's fourth-quarter meltdown, but taking the Chicago Bears to the wire on the road is an impressive feat. 

High-five, Carolina fans. 

 

31. Kansas City Chiefs (1-6)

Gotta hand it to the Chiefs. They are putting up a damn good fight for No. 1 pick in the draft. 

 

32. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-6)

Meanwhile, the Jaguars are trying to throw it away. What are they thinking playing such a hard-fought game at Green Bay? Another performance like that and they'll be moved up to No. 31 as punishment.