LAS VEGAS -- The New England Patriots have extended their margin atop the NFL Vegas Rankings while the Minnesota Vikings stay in the No. 2 spot despite being dealt their first loss.
The Patriots went on the road to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-16 (albeit with Ben Roethlisberger sidelined) as 7.5-point road favorites. The Vikings lost 21-10 as 3-point road favorites at Philadelphia, snapping a 10-game ATS streak dating back to last season.
Here's a look at the teams making the biggest moves up and down the rankings, along with some Week 8 value plays (12-8 ATS so far this season) using this week's ratings:
Note: The NFL Vegas Rankings are compiled by taking the average of the ratings of ESPN Chalk handicappers, including Erin Rynning, yours truly and ESPN's Football Power Index, and are used to compare two teams as if they were to meet on a neutral field (after which most teams get 2.5 points for home-field advantage) and can be used to compare to the current point spread.