So what stands out after Week 7? How about the Vikings? Somewhat quietly, Teddy Bridgewater & Co. have compiled a 4-2 record. That's solid, but it's not quite good enough to crack our top 10. ESPN's Power Panel has Minnesota at No. 11, a four-spot improvement from a week ago.
The resurgent Dolphins have made the week's biggest move. Winners of two straight under interim coach Dan Campbell, Miami has jumped eight spots, from No. 21 to No. 13. The Rams also made a big move, rising from No. 18 to No. 12.
Who could impact our hierarchy in Week 8? Look no further than the Dolphins, whose next opponent just happens to be the No. 1 Patriots on Thursday night. An upset win would give Miami another jolt -- and likely give us a break from the status quo.
Note: The comments below are provided by ESPN Stats & Information.
• Vegas Rankings
| Football Power Index Rankings | Defense keying Dolphins' turnaround | Team Power Rankings charts since 2002| 2015 Power Rankings: Week 8 | ||||
| RANK | TEAM / RECORD | TRENDING | COMMENTS | |
| 1 |
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Last Week: 1 | The 6-0 Patriots have dropped back to pass on 70 percent of their snaps this season. The other two teams to drop back that often (Lions, Colts) are a combined 4-10. | ||
| 2 |
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Last Week: 2 | Aaron Rodgers makes the headlines, but the Packers' defense has allowed an NFL-best 16.8 points per game this season and has forced a turnover in every game. | ||
| 3 | 2 Last Week: 5 | Will the perfect season come to an end soon for Cincinnati? Andy Dalton is 7-9 with a 32.9 Total QBR against the Bengals' next two opponents, the Steelers and Browns. | ||
| 4 | 1 Last Week: 3 | The Broncos' offense has been more likely to commit a turnover (15 percent of drives) than score a touchdown (12 percent) this season. The 1-6 Lions are the only other team to do so. | ||
| 5 | 1 Last Week: 6 | Cam Newton is on pace for the lowest completion percentage and Total QBR of his career this season, but the Panthers keep finding ways to win. Their regular-season win streak is now up to 10. | ||
| 6 | 2 Last Week: 4 | Age is just a number for the Cardinals. Carson Palmer (35) is third in Total QBR, Chris Johnson (30) is second in rushing and Larry Fitzgerald (32) is fifth in receiving yards. | ||
| 7 |
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Last Week: 7 | Turnovers are becoming a problem as the Falcons have committed eight the past three games. They had two turnovers in their first four games. | ||
| 8 |
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Last Week: 8 | The Jets are averaging 170.1 rushing yards in their four wins this season. They were held under 100 yards in each of their two losses, averaging 68.0 rushing yards in those games. | ||
| 9 | 3 Last Week: 12 | The Seahawks are 3-4, but they get a Tony Romo-less Cowboys team in Dallas this week and then three straight home games. The season could turn around fast. | ||
| 10 |
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Last Week: 10 | The Steelers have gone 2-2 since Ben Roethlisberger's injury, but they've ranked 24th in Total QBR in that time. The Steelers were sixth in QBR the first three weeks of the season. | ||
| 11 | 4 Last Week: 15 | Minnesota might not be credited with one of the top defenses in the NFL, but only the Packers have allowed fewer points per game this season (16.8) than the Vikings (17.0). | ||
| 12 | 6 Last Week: 18 | Todd Gurley has gained 150 yards from scrimmage in three straight games. The last Rams player to do that? Marshall Faulk in 2002. | ||
| 13 | 8 Last Week: 21 | Dan Campbell's Dolphins have produced 82 points in two games, scoring 30-plus points in consecutive games for the first time since 2009. Joe Philbin's Dolphins scored 65 points in four games this season. | ||
| 14 |
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Last Week: 14 | The Giants have a plus-10 turnover differential this season. The Giants won at least nine games each of the past four times they finished a season with a positive turnover differential. | ||
| 15 | 6 Last Week: 9 | Will Chip Kelly stick with Sam Bradford much longer? Bradford leads the NFL in turnovers (11) and has the worst Total QBR (29.6) this season. | ||
| 16 | 7 Last Week: 23 | How good is Amari Cooper? According to Elias Sports Bureau, he's the first rookie with three 100-yard receiving games in his team's first six games since Mike Ditka in 1961. | ||
| 17 | 3 Last Week: 20 | The Saints have won three of their past four after starting the season 0-3. The Saints also have won back-to-back games for just the second time in 28 games. | ||
| 18 | 7 Last Week: 11 | Andrew Luck is 1-4 as a starter this season and things aren't getting any easier. The Colts' next three games are against the Panthers, Broncos and Falcons, who are a combined 18-1. | ||
| 19 | 2 Last Week: 17 | EJ Manuel has turned it over four times in his two starts this season, which is bad news for the Bills. Buffalo is 0-4 when losing the turnover battle. | ||
| 20 | 4 Last Week: 16 | Seven giveaways, zero takeaways and 30.5 PPG allowed by the Cowboys during their four-game losing streak. Games against the Seahawks and Eagles the next two weeks could decide the Cowboys' season. | ||
| 21 | 8 Last Week: 13 | The Chargers drafted a running back in the first round this year. Despite that, Philip Rivers has dropped back to pass an average of 63.5 times the past two games. | ||
| 22 | 7 Last Week: 29 | There are 15 teams with a positive turnover differential this season. The Chiefs (plus-1) and Eagles (plus-4) are the only ones under .500. | ||
| 23 | 1 Last Week: 22 | The Redskins are 3-0 this season when Kirk Cousins doesn't throw an interception. He has thrown two interceptions in all four of the Redskins' losses. You like that? | ||
| 24 | 3 Last Week: 27 | Seven touchdowns on 20 red zone trips for the Browns this season. Only the Seahawks have produced a lower touchdown percentage in the red zone. | ||
| 25 |
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Last Week: 25 | Matt Forte has accounted for 33.4 percent of the Bears' yards from scrimmage, highest in the NFL. No other Bear has accounted for more than 14 percent of the team's yards. | ||
| 26 | 2 Last Week: 28 | The Ravens have allowed 188 points through seven games. The only time they allowed more points through seven games was 1996 (201 points), their first year in Baltimore. | ||
| 27 | 8 Last Week: 19 | The 49ers have lost four games by 14 or more points this season, two more than any other team in the NFL. They had four such losses in 2013 and 2014 combined. | ||
| 28 | 3 Last Week: 31 | The offense has improved as Tampa Bay is averaging a touchdown more per game this season than last. Problem is the defense has allowed an NFL-worst 29.8 PPG. | ||
| 29 | 3 Last Week: 26 | The Texans have been outscored by an NFL-worst 101 points in the first three quarters this season. They've been great in garbage time, though, outscoring opponents by 56 in the fourth quarter. | ||
| 30 |
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Last Week: 30 | The Titans are now 1-15 in their past 16 games. Their only win was against the Buccaneers, who have the second-worst record over the past 16 games (3-13). | ||
| 31 | 7 Last Week: 24 | The Lions are 0-2 this season when holding a lead of at least 11 points at any time during the game. The rest of the NFL is 73-9 (.890) in those games. | ||
| 32 |
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Last Week: 32 | A 2-5 start might not be looked upon positively for most teams, but this is actually the best seven-game start for the Jaguars since 2011. | ||
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