Consensus NFL Power Rankings: Packers Inch Up After Week 8

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers dominated the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second half on Sunday night and were rewarded by moving up to No. 4 in our Consensus NFL Power Rankings.

Our Consensus Power Rankings take eight sets of national power rankings and turn them into one more-powerful-than-a-locomotive power ranking.

Even with the best record in the NFC, they were No. 5 last week. They inched up to No. 4 this week after storming past the Steelers. Last week, they were just behind the Rams and just ahead of the Eagles. This week, they are ahead of both teams, even though the Rams (over the Vikings) and the Eagles (over the Giants) had convincing wins, as well.

The Indianapolis Colts for the first time are at No. 1. They were the top team in four of the eight rankings. The Detroit Lions slipped to No. 2. The top 11 teams in our Dandy Dozen are in the top 11 of all eight rankings.

Here are this week’s rankings, with links to more in-depth analysis.

CBS: 3rd

The Packers stayed at No. 3 in Pete Prisco’s rankings.

“Jordan Love lit up the Steelers, and the pass rush dominated on the defensive side,” he wrote. “Getting speedy Christian Watson back is big for the offense.”

Fox Sports: 4th

Green Bay is up one spot in Ralph Vacchiano’s rankings.

“Jordan Love and the Packers' defense both came alive in a dominating performance in Pittsburgh,” he wrote, “their best win since they beat the Lions way back in Week 1.”

NFL.com: 4th

The Packers stayed at No. 4 in Eric Edholm’s rankings.

The Packers “went cold for a stretch” at Pittsburgh, Edholm said, before Jordan Love got rolling to beat Aaron Rodgers. “With an emerging star at tight end (Tucker Kraft) and a full complement of wide receivers, the Packers will be tougher to defend down the stretch.”

Pro Football Talk: 4th

The Packers stayed at No. 4 and in the No. 3 position in the conference, though Mike Florio wrote, “They’re quietly making the case to be the best team in the NFC.”

The Athletic: 6th

The Packers inched up one spot in Josh Kendall’s rankings after a win that had them looking like the “Super Bowl contender” they were “early in the season.”

This week’s theme is something scary. Kendall picked a motivated Micah Parsons. Wrote Kendall: “Since Week 4, when the Packers played Parsons’ old team, he is second in the league in sacks (five) and pressures (26), according to TruMedia.

Yahoo: 6th

The Packers remain sixth in Frank Schwab’s rankings.

The first half at Pittsburgh “wasn’t pretty” and “was a continuation” of their relatively lackluster play, Frank Schwab noted. But the Packers “turned it on in the second half and looked like one of the best teams in football. Can they maintain that level?”

ESPN: 7th

The Packers moved up one spot in ESPN’s beat-writer rankings.

This week’s theme was best offseason addition. Rob Demovsky went with the obvious choice, defensive end Micah Parsons, who “has been everything the Packers had hoped for – and perhaps more.”

Sports Illustrated: 7th

Green Bay is up a couple spots in Conor Orr’s rankings.

“The Packers are getting healthy at the right time, and with no real defensive tackle presence on the trade market, it would seem its cornerback or nothing for Green Bay,” he wrote. “Still, I wouldn’t waste a Super Bowl opportunity that feels more real than at any other point in the Jordan Love era.”

This Week’s Opponent: Carolina Panthers

The Panthers range from 18th through 23rd in this week’s rankings. Their average spot is 20.6.

The Panthers are No. 21 at NFL.com, down two spots after they got crushed at home 40-9 by the Bills. It didn’t help that quarterback Bryce Young was out with an ankle injury, but that had nothing to do with Bills running back James Cook gaining 216 yards and scoring four touchdowns.

“After winning three straight, the Panthers lost by at least 16 points for the third time this season,” Edholm wrote. “If the Panthers hope not to fall below .500 again, getting Young back in time for Sunday's game at Green Bay will go a long way.”

Carolina is 1-3 on the road, with the lone win being a 13-6 verdict at the Jets two weeks ago.

“Would things have been different this past Sunday if Bryce Young had been healthy enough to play instead of Andy Dalton?” wondered Fox’s Vacchiano, who had Carolina at No. 20. “Not the way their defense rolled over for the Bills’ ground assault.”

Latest Packers Odds

Sportsbook odds aren’t part of the rankings, but they are a different way to view the power of teams.

Through Week 8 at FanDuel Sportsbook, the Kansas City Chiefs are the favorites to win the Super Bowl at +500. The Lions are next at +700, followed by the Packers at +750, the Bills at +800, the Eagles at +950, the Rams at +1000 and the Colts at +1100. There’s a huge gap between those teams and the next tier.

While Detroit has the shorter odds to win the Super Bowl, the Packers are the choice to win the NFC North at FanDuel at -130 compared to Detroit at +125. Well off the pace are Chicago at +2200 and Minnesota at +4500.

Packers On SI’s Consensus Dandy Dozen

1, Indianapolis Colts (15 points; four first-place votes); 2, Detroit Lions (20 points; two first-place votes); 3, Kansas City Chiefs (33 points; two first-place votes); 4, Green Bay Packers (40 points); 5, Los Angeles Rams (45 points); 6, Philadelphia Eagles (47 points); 7, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (58 points); 8, Denver Broncos (59 points); T-9, Seattle Seahawks (64 points); T-9, Buffalo Bills (64 points); 11, New England Patriots (80 points); 12, Los Angeles Chargers (102 points).