December 9th, 2010, Thursday
MY NFL Team Power Rankings
(Thru Week Thirteen)
MY NFL Team Power Rankings
(Thru Week Thirteen)
Both the Falcons and Patriots continue their stronghold at the top, although there will be some argument as to which team deserves the top honor. After watching Tom Brady completely dismantle the Jets on Monday night 45-3, the Patriots have a strong case.
The Ravens stumbled in week 13 and now the door is wide open for the Steelers to take the division with a one game lead and four games left. And while everyone talks about Mike Vick and the Eagles or Aaron Rogers and the Packers, folks better start paying attention to Drew Brees and the Saints.
Teams like the Buccaneers and Chiefs can’t quite break the top ten (yet), but for Kansas City a big matchup with San Diego this weekend could change that, while Tampa Bay will try to regroup on the road this week against the Redskins.
With just one game complete, we have a full slate of games this weekend and anything can happen on any given Sunday, but for now here’s how I rank them heading into week 14;
Top 10
(Does not include Thursday’s game)
1. Atlanta Falcons (10-2): Tied for the best record in the NFL, it’s tough to argue how good the Falcons really are when both losses came to two teams ranked in the top 10. Matty Ice has his boys playing like Super Bowl or bust, their week 16 showdown with the Saints will likely confirm what they already think they know.
2. New England Patriots (10-2): The Patriots took a big step in separating themselves from the rest in the AFC with an impressive dismantling of the Jets Monday night; who many thought may have been the best team in the league. Every team should take heed, it’s December and getting close to what is commonly known in the Boston area as “Brady Time.”
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3): The Steelers have been a strange team to figure. After starting strong without their starting quarterback out, they have stumbled a bit including an embarrassing loss at the hands of the Pats three weeks ago. Since then they have turned things about playing great defense and their Sunday night win over the Ravens may have rejuvenated this team again and have them looking at a possible rematch in Foxboro.
4. New Orleans Saints (9-3): The big talk in the south has been the Falcons (owners of the best record in football), but quietly the Saints have rattled off five straight wins and are perched just one game back of Atlanta. With the week 16 showdown looming with the Dirty Birds, it still looks like the road to the Super Bowl in the NFC may have to go through New Orleans.
5. New York Jets (9-3): With a golden opportunity to seize control of the AFC East Monday night, Rex Ryan and his Jets laid a huge egg on national television. Now the Jets must rebound and pick up the pieces this week against the Dolphins.
6. Chicago Bears (9-3): The Bears seem to have the winning combination now, with mistake free football, a ground attack, and solid defense. In their last three games the defense has held opponents to an average of 15 points per game, the offense has only turned the ball over twice, and the ground game is averaging 126 yards.
7. Green Bay Packers (8-4): Quarterback Aaron Rodgers continues his hot hand tossing three touchdowns in the team’s week 13 win. Rodgers has 8 touchdowns in his last three starts; if can keep the fire burning the Pack can add a ground game (136 yard rushing in week 13) they will tough to handle for any team come January.
8. Philadelphia Eagles (8-4): As long as Vick is healthy and continues his current progression he’s going to present a lot of problems for opposing defenses. The Eagles are 4-1 since his return in week 9 and the offense is averaging 34.4 points.
9. New York Giants (8-4): The Giants haven’t got everything figured out just yet, but they took big strides last week trampling the Redskins 31-7. It appears the ground game is rolling again (197 yards last Sunday) and with the possibility of Hakeem Nicks and Steve Smith returning this week the G-men could be getting healthy at the right time.
10. Baltimore Ravens (8-4): The Ravens took a few steps in the wrong direction letting last Sunday’s matchup with the Steelers get away. They now have a little work to do only posting 10 points, but one good sign was seeing quarterback Joe Flacco connect with wide receiver Anquan Boldin (5 catches, 118 yards, one touchdown) with great regularity. The defense continues to play well, but the offense needs to pick up the pace if the Ravens are going to rebound.
The Rest of the league
• Kansas City Chiefs (8-4)
• Jacksonville Jaguars (7-5)
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-5)
• Oakland Raiders (6-6)
• St. Louis Rams (6-6)
• San Diego Chargers (6-6)
• Indianapolis Colts (6-6)
• Miami Dolphins (6-6)
• Seattle Seahawks (6-6)
• Minnesota Vikings (5-7)
• Cleveland Browns (5-7)
• Washington Redskins (5-7)
• Tennessee Titans (5-7)
• Houston Texans (5-7)
• Dallas Cowboys (4-8)
• San Francisco 49ers (4-8)
• Denver Broncos (3-9)
• Arizona Cardinals (3-9)
• Buffalo Bills (2-10)
• Detroit Lions (2-10)
• Cincinnati Bengals (2-10)
• Carolina Panthers (1-11)
The Ravens stumbled in week 13 and now the door is wide open for the Steelers to take the division with a one game lead and four games left. And while everyone talks about Mike Vick and the Eagles or Aaron Rogers and the Packers, folks better start paying attention to Drew Brees and the Saints.
Teams like the Buccaneers and Chiefs can’t quite break the top ten (yet), but for Kansas City a big matchup with San Diego this weekend could change that, while Tampa Bay will try to regroup on the road this week against the Redskins.
With just one game complete, we have a full slate of games this weekend and anything can happen on any given Sunday, but for now here’s how I rank them heading into week 14;
Top 10
(Does not include Thursday’s game)
1. Atlanta Falcons (10-2): Tied for the best record in the NFL, it’s tough to argue how good the Falcons really are when both losses came to two teams ranked in the top 10. Matty Ice has his boys playing like Super Bowl or bust, their week 16 showdown with the Saints will likely confirm what they already think they know.
2. New England Patriots (10-2): The Patriots took a big step in separating themselves from the rest in the AFC with an impressive dismantling of the Jets Monday night; who many thought may have been the best team in the league. Every team should take heed, it’s December and getting close to what is commonly known in the Boston area as “Brady Time.”
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3): The Steelers have been a strange team to figure. After starting strong without their starting quarterback out, they have stumbled a bit including an embarrassing loss at the hands of the Pats three weeks ago. Since then they have turned things about playing great defense and their Sunday night win over the Ravens may have rejuvenated this team again and have them looking at a possible rematch in Foxboro.
4. New Orleans Saints (9-3): The big talk in the south has been the Falcons (owners of the best record in football), but quietly the Saints have rattled off five straight wins and are perched just one game back of Atlanta. With the week 16 showdown looming with the Dirty Birds, it still looks like the road to the Super Bowl in the NFC may have to go through New Orleans.
5. New York Jets (9-3): With a golden opportunity to seize control of the AFC East Monday night, Rex Ryan and his Jets laid a huge egg on national television. Now the Jets must rebound and pick up the pieces this week against the Dolphins.
6. Chicago Bears (9-3): The Bears seem to have the winning combination now, with mistake free football, a ground attack, and solid defense. In their last three games the defense has held opponents to an average of 15 points per game, the offense has only turned the ball over twice, and the ground game is averaging 126 yards.
7. Green Bay Packers (8-4): Quarterback Aaron Rodgers continues his hot hand tossing three touchdowns in the team’s week 13 win. Rodgers has 8 touchdowns in his last three starts; if can keep the fire burning the Pack can add a ground game (136 yard rushing in week 13) they will tough to handle for any team come January.
8. Philadelphia Eagles (8-4): As long as Vick is healthy and continues his current progression he’s going to present a lot of problems for opposing defenses. The Eagles are 4-1 since his return in week 9 and the offense is averaging 34.4 points.
9. New York Giants (8-4): The Giants haven’t got everything figured out just yet, but they took big strides last week trampling the Redskins 31-7. It appears the ground game is rolling again (197 yards last Sunday) and with the possibility of Hakeem Nicks and Steve Smith returning this week the G-men could be getting healthy at the right time.
10. Baltimore Ravens (8-4): The Ravens took a few steps in the wrong direction letting last Sunday’s matchup with the Steelers get away. They now have a little work to do only posting 10 points, but one good sign was seeing quarterback Joe Flacco connect with wide receiver Anquan Boldin (5 catches, 118 yards, one touchdown) with great regularity. The defense continues to play well, but the offense needs to pick up the pace if the Ravens are going to rebound.
The Rest of the league
• Kansas City Chiefs (8-4)
• Jacksonville Jaguars (7-5)
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-5)
• Oakland Raiders (6-6)
• St. Louis Rams (6-6)
• San Diego Chargers (6-6)
• Indianapolis Colts (6-6)
• Miami Dolphins (6-6)
• Seattle Seahawks (6-6)
• Minnesota Vikings (5-7)
• Cleveland Browns (5-7)
• Washington Redskins (5-7)
• Tennessee Titans (5-7)
• Houston Texans (5-7)
• Dallas Cowboys (4-8)
• San Francisco 49ers (4-8)
• Denver Broncos (3-9)
• Arizona Cardinals (3-9)
• Buffalo Bills (2-10)
• Detroit Lions (2-10)
• Cincinnati Bengals (2-10)
• Carolina Panthers (1-11)
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