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My NFL Power Rankings (through Week 11)

1. Arizona Cardinals (9-1): So long as Arizona is the only one-loss team in football, they'll remain atop my rankings. They may not win pretty often times, but so long as they're winning, that's all that matters. Through 10 games, the Coach of the Year award has already been decided - Bruce Arians.

2. New England Patriots (8-2): Since starting the year a disappointing 2-2, the Patriots have won six straight, and as of now, are the favorites to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. Also, who's this Jonas Gray character again? The only ones that seem to know play on the Indianapolis Colts defense...

3. Denver Broncos (7-3): Even after their disappointing loss to St. Louis over the weekend, I still think, as of this moment, Denver is the best amongst the 3-loss teams. Two possible areas of concern moving forward, however, will be the injury situation at receiver and finding a consistent ground attack, which they've lacked all year.

4. Green Bay Packers (7-3): Like the Patriots, while the Packers defense worries me at times, if their offense continues to play like they've been playing, they won't need to worry a great deal about having a mediocre defensive unit.

5. Philadelphia Eagles (7-3): Through two games, it's still up in the air how Mark Sanchez will fare as starting quarterback for the Eagles. However, for as up and down as his game was on Sunday and for as much worry as that's seemed to generate around certain circles, the bigger story is the fact the Eagles defense allowed 53 points. If the defense can't play better, it won't matter who's behind center.

6. Kansas City Chiefs (7-3): Kansas City out Seahawk-ed Seattle at home on Sunday, and as of now, are tied atop the AFC West alongside Denver (whom currently holds the head-to-head tie-breaker). Like Arizona, KC may not be flashy, but week in and week out, they typically do enough to come out on top.

7. Detroit Lions (7-3): One of the biggest surprises this year has been Detroit's stellar defense. I keep waiting for them to fall back into their old bad habits, but to this point, that hasn't happened. On the other hand, however, one of the biggest disappointments this year has been Detroit's underachieving offense. When healthy, the Lions showcase top pick Matthew Stafford behind center, tailbacks Joique Bell and Reggie Bush, as well as receiving targets Calvin Johnson, Golden Tate, and Brandon Pettigrew. The Lions may be a pesky team to beat, but if they don't start clicking more on offense, they're also going to have a tough time making the playoffs.

8. Dallas Cowboys (7-3): After a week off, we'll again get to see whether or not Dallas is bound to slump and finish at 8-8 without a playoff bid, or if they're truly a different team this year. Luckily for them, that test will come against the 3-7 New York Giants.

9. Cincinnati Bengals (6-3-1): This year, at least, this team's new name should be the Befuddling Bengals. Over the past two weeks, Cincinnati got embarrassed on Thursday night football by the Cleveland Browns 24-3, where Andy Dalton had one of the worst passing efforts I can remember. Then they beat up on the New Orleans Saints on the road by the final score of 27-10. They'll take on a pesky Houston team on the road this week. What to expect? Who in the hell knows?

10. Seattle Seahawks (6-4): Seattle isn't in desperation mode quite yet, as at 6-4, they're right in the thick of the NFC Wild Card race. However, if they want to have any chance at winning the NFC West again, they'll need to beat Arizona at home this coming weekend. If Seattle loses that game, they'll be four back of Arizona with five games left. If they win, they'll be just two back, with five left, and one of them being against the Cardinals. At this point, for as much as some people are questioning why they traded Percy Harvin, I'm questioning why they let Golden Tate get away. If they want to have any chance at repeating, they'll need to find some more play-making ability in the passing game.

11. San Francisco 49ers (6-4): The 49ers just don't look to be a very focused team right now. They have plenty of play-making ability on offense, with the likes of Colin Kaepernick, Frank Gore, Carlos Hyde, Anquan Boldin, Michael Crabtree, Stevie Johnson, Vernon Davis, etc. However, they just can't seem to find consistency on that side of the ball this year. On Sunday, they only beat the New York Giants 16-10, even though Eli Manning threw five interceptions. When an offense can only generate 16 points after the defense picks the opposing quarterback off five times, chances are, some issues need to be sorted. Up next is a must-win game against lowly 3-7 Washington.

12. Indianapolis Colts (6-4): There are games when the Colts passing game, defense, and special teams play to a level where most observers say, "They're ready to take that next step and contend for an AFC championship." Then the defense falters, the lack of a ground game becomes more noticeable, and onlookers then have to say, "Okay, so maybe not yet..." Until the Colts can find more consistency in both their defense and run game, I have a hard time seeing them beating New England, Denver, Kansas City, or even Cincinnati (if it's on the road and Andy Dalton decides to show up) come playoff time.

13. Miami Dolphins (6-4): With their underrated defense and an evolving offense, while Miami may still be a year away from making the playoffs, they will be a pain in the backside for all their opponents moving forward. They'll take on a hungry, angry Denver team on the road this coming weekend. It'll be interesting to see how the Broncos adjust on offense, since Miami plays a similar style of defense as St. Louis, which shut down the usually high-powered Broncos offense on Sunday.

14. Baltimore Ravens (6-4): Like every other AFC North team, Baltimore is a tough one to figure out. On paper, they should be able to score plenty of points against the sub-par New Orleans Saints defense on Monday night, yet while they got off to a great start this year, the Ravens offense hasn't been as efficient in recent weeks. On the other side of things, with Baltimore's secondary as beat up as it is, the chances are good New Orleans will be able to put up a few points on them as well, but then again, they only scored 10 at home against Cincinnati this past Sunday. In other words, if you're a gambler, it'd be wise to hold on to your money for this game.

15. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-4): When they're clicking, the Pittsburgh Steelers offense is about as good as anybody's in the league. However, their defense has been extremely disappointing and the team has had some issues on the road. Due to this, I have a hard time seeing them doing much come playoff time.

16. San Diego Chargers (6-4): At one time, San Diego was 5-1 and one of the hottest teams in all of football. Then came three straight losses and a 7-point victory against the winless Raiders. With Philip Rivers hurting, the last thing the Chargers want to do is take on the hard-hitting St. Louis Rams on Sunday. If San Diego can find a way to win that game, they could turn the corner and make a serious run at the playoffs. However, if they continue to struggle and fall to St. Louis, it may be difficult to turn things around in time to make a playoff run.

17. Houston Texans (5-5): Even without Arian Foster in the lineup, Houston dominated the then 6-3 Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Now, at 5-5, while it will be difficult, the Texans could make a playoff run. Up next on the slate is another AFC North foe - the Cincinnati Bengals.

18. Buffalo Bills (5-5): The Bills are moving in the right direction. They have a very underrated defensive unit, one of the best young receivers in the game in Sammy Watkins. Also, when healthy, they have a formidable backfield with veteran Fred Jackson and speedster C.J. Spiller. The question going forward will be do they want to give E.J. Manuel another shot at leading the team at quarterback or should they go another direction?

19. Cleveland Browns (6-4): The good news for the Browns is, at 6-4 and right in the thick of the AFC North race, they'll be getting standout receiver Josh Gordon back this week. The bad news might be that the team had been overachieving to this point, got a rude wake-up call against Houston on Sunday, and that reality will continue for the rest of the season. Their offense should be able to generate more against the sub-par Atlanta Falcons defense on Sunday than they did against Houston, but it will be interesting to see how long it takes for Brian Hoyer and Josh Gordon to get in sync with one another. If that happens on Sunday, Atlanta may have a tough time winning that game. However, if it's still a week or two away, Atlanta should be able to generate enough offense to win at home.

20. St. Louis Rams (4-6): One has to give credit to Jeff Fisher and his coaching staff. The Rams lost a number of key players early in the season to injury, including quarterback Sam Bradford. They've started three different quarterbacks this year, have beaten Denver (7-3), Seattle (6-4), and San Francisco (6-4) - three of the final four teams in the playoffs a year ago, including the two which made the Super Bowl. The Rams also played things close against Dallas (7-3) and Philadelphia (7-3). While it will be nearly impossible for the Rams to make the playoffs this year, they could pose as a serious spoiler, and that could start this coming week against the struggling 6-4 San Diego Chargers.

21. New Orleans Saints (4-6): Can we all just finally admit that we were wrong about this team? Before their win in Carolina three weeks ago against the 3-7-1 Panthers, New Orleans had lost seven consecutive road games. They've now lost two straight home games. They've remained mediocre and inconsistent on defense. They've underachieved and been careless at times on offense. They're just not as good as most of us thought they were to start the season. However, even in saying all of that, they're right in the thick of the NFC South race, and if they beat Baltimore at home on Monday night, could find themselves atop the division.

22. Chicago Bears (4-6): Well, that's one win for the Bears at Soldier Field, and one game where they didn't allow 50 points on defense. So, yeah, that's something...

23. Minnesota Vikings (4-6): Aside from the Adrian Peterson situation, Minnesota appears to be moving in the right direction, with Teddy Bridgewater at quarterback and a rather underrated defense. They likely won't make the playoffs this year, but should be in the thick of that discussion in a year or two.

24. Atlanta Falcons (4-6): In two consecutive weeks, the Atlanta Falcons won road games and scored points in the 4th quarter. Yes, I'm shocked as well. What's even more shocking is the fact the once 2-6 Falcons, with a win at home against Cleveland on Sunday, could sit atop the NFC South all by themselves at 5-6.

25. Carolina Panthers (3-7-1): Cam Newton hasn't been playing very well and will likely receive most of the blame for the team's woes. However, most of the blame should be placed on the offensive line and defense. The reason Carolina was so good last year was because their defense was one of the very best in all of football, and their offensive line allowed for them to be one of the best rushing offenses in the league, and that, in turn, opened up the passing game at times. Now, without being able to rely on the defense to shut down opponents and being forced to pass the ball behind a line which doesn't give Newton much time to throw it, that has spelled disaster for this team.

26. New York Giants (3-7): The Giants continue to be one of the most careless teams in football. It doesn't matter how much talent a team has on the field, if they turn the ball over like the Giants do, they're not going to win many games. We'll see if that trend continues at home against Dallas this week.

27. Washington Redskins (3-7): It's at this point when first-year head coach Jay Gruden is calling his brother during halftime of Monday Night Football games and asking, "So, do you want to trade places?"

28. New York Jets (2-8): Since they had a bye this past weekend, the Jets have gone without losing a game for two straight weeks! Up next will be a road game against Buffalo. It'll be interesting to see if Michael Vick, Percy Harvin, and the new-look New York Jets offense can do to Buffalo's stout defense what they did against the mediocre Steelers defense.

29. Tennessee Titans (2-8): To their credit, the Titans played the Steelers tough at home on Monday night, but at the end of the day, they'll still just see it as another loss. Expect another one as they go into Philadelphia to take on an angry Eagles team this coming weekend.

30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-8): First-year head coach Lovie Smith has to be quite flummoxed at the moment, as he thinks to himself, "Okay, so we won on Sunday to improve to 2-8, which is awful. At this point, we'd have a top five draft pick. Yet, we're still only two games back of the division lead? Wait, that can't be right, can it?" Indeed, it can...

31. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-9): During this time of the year, most Jags fans, coaches, and players are simply saying, "We're thankful for the Oakland Raiders."

32. Oakland Raiders (0-10): Once again, Oakland played a pretty hard fought game on Sunday, when they fell to San Diego by a touchdown. At 0-10, though, they have to be thinking, "Will we ever win a game?" The chances aren't good this week when they take on the hot Kansas City Chiefs at home on Thursday night.

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