NFL Power Rankings, Week 8: Rams finally end losing streak by blowing out Falcons

5. Indianapolis Colts (9)

Two weeks ago, the Indianapolis Colt made a strong case for being one of the top contenders in the AFC by handing the Kansas City Chiefs a surprise loss on the road, but the argument can be made that Sunday’s win was even more important.

When looking at how the AFC South is shaping out at the moment, all signs point to the division winner coming down to the Colts and the Houston Texans.

Since Houston was coming off an impressive win of their own as well over Kansas City, Indianapolis seemed like they would be in for a tough matchup against their division rivals in Week 7, which turned out to be exactly the case.

Despite the Texans rallying late, it was the Colts that held on for the 30-23 win to move into first place all alone in the division standings while earning the upper hand over their rivals as well when it comes to the AFC South race.

Back in the preseason when Andrew Luck made the surprise decision to retire, no one really knew what to expect from Indianapolis as a team after making a surprise playoff run the year before.

But as Jacoby Brissett (four touchdown passes in Week 7) continues to show, the Colts quarterback is capable of leading this team to another deep run in the playoffs, and Sunday’s win over the Texans was another huge step in that direction.