NFL Power Rankings 2009: Week 10

Sigh. I fail spectacularly. After that impassioned blog post about how regularly I'm going to be doing this ... I didn't. No more promises, but I will try my best. Anyway, how about that AFC? 5 of the top 7 teams, still 3 of the top 4 divisions (the NFC South's big week had to be thrown in there) and looking to win in interconference play for about the millionth time in a row. By the way, if it feels like the Steelers are better than 6th and the Cowboys are better than 8th, it's because they probably are. It's a very top heavy league though right now.

1. New Orleans Saints (last week's rank: 1; change: 0): The Saints certainly look beatable, but nobody's done it yet. Drew Brees needs to stop fumbling (he's fumbled 8 times and lost 4) or it could hurt them by playoff time.
2. Indianapolis Colts (2; 0): Oh, boy. Indy-New England. Which is not the MNF game because that's Baltimore at Cleveland. ... What?
3. Minnesota Vikings (3; 0): I graciously keep them here even though the Steelers (who beat them) are waiting a few spots behind. Their schedule is absurdly easy; it would shock me to see them not get a first round bye.
4. New England Patriots (5; +1): If NE beats Indianapolis this week, Minnesota will have to shrug it off because NE is moving into the two spot. Gee, we've never seen New England, Pittsburgh and Indy be the three best teams in the AFC this decade, have we?
5. Cincinnati Bengals (6; +1): But wait! Cry the Bengals fans. We already beat the Steelers this week; surely we are better than they! Well, for now, Bengals fans, you are. Win this coming weekend and you'll stay that way.
6. Pittsburgh Steelers (7; +1): Watching the Steelers' second half performance against the Broncos ... Well, all I'll say is this: If there's one team I would not bet AGAINST making the Super Bowl, it would be Pittsburgh.
7. Denver Broncos (3; -4): They hold onto a spot in the top 10 with trembling fingers, just praying that the pseudo-expected collapse hasn't begun. San Diego fans are snickering so loudly Josh McDaniels can hear it in his office.
8. Dallas Cowboys (9; +1): Dallas flexes its muscle and grabs sole possession of first place in the NFC East. Tony Romo rips the month of December out of his personal calendar.
9. Atlanta Falcons (11; +2): It kind of feels like last year for this team. They're good, and nobody would be surprised to see them in the playoffs, but they're not Super Bowl contenders yet.
10. Philadelphia Eagles (8; -2): I'm a bit surprised Philadelphia's offense couldn't get more going at home. They have a huge game this week at San Diego; I don't even know what it is, but I would be betting on the "over."
11. San Diego Chargers (15; +4): Everyone (well, maybe not Tyler) thought they would eventually get hot, but few thought it would be so soon. If they take care of the Eagles this weekend, there won't be any more doubters.
12. Arizona Cardinals (16; +4): Is anyone going to be surprised if they get knocked out of the first round of the playoffs? Will anyone be surprised if they go to the Super Bowl?
13. Baltimore Ravens (10; -3): The bad news for the Ravens? The division is basically out of reach. The good news? They're in the thick of the dogfight that will be the race for the 6th seed in the AFC.
14. Houston Texans (14; 0): The Texans finally get a bye (what is the point of having two teams with byes in week 10?) as they prepare to grab their first playoff berth in franchise history.
15. Miami Dolphins (13; -2): I stubbornly keep the Dolphins in my top 15 for only one more week (if they lose). That playoff spot I predicted for them looks far-fetched, but I'm telling you, still possible.
16. New York Giants (17; +1): Nothing about losing at home merits a raise of one point, but the epic failure of a certain Wisconsin football team says they have to move up one.
17. Chicago Bears (18; +1): See above.
18. New York Jets (19; +1): See above, replace "losing at home" with "having a bye."
19. Jacksonville Jaguars (20; +1): See above, replace "having a bye" with "struggling with Kansas City."
20. Green Bay Packers (12; -8): Ah, that certain Wisconsin football team. So much potential, so little reward. There's no excuse for losing to any team ranked 26-32.
21. Tennessee Titans (25; +1): I'm not even going to say it, but you know what I'm thinking. Mum is the word on this team until they pick up two more losses, then everyone can exhale.
22. Carolina Panthers (22; 0): Blast. My upset pick of the year didn't come through for me. When they were up 14-0, I have to tell you, I was feeling pretty darn good.
23. Buffalo Bills (23; 0): Is there a team that receives less publicity than the Buffalo Bills? Even with T.O, you hear nothing about them - except that they're probably going to leave Buffalo.
24. Seattle Seahawks (24; 0): They won! ... at home ... against Detroit ... clinching it in the last 45 seconds ...
25. San Francisco 49ers (21; -4): Ouch, San Fran. I don't believe in you one bit, except for Patrick Willis, Frank Gore and Vernon Davis.
26. Oakland Raiders (26; 0): It's bad enough the world has to stomach one KC-Oakland game a year, but two? Really?
27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (32; +5): Good for you, Tampa Bay. Good for you, Josh Freeman. If they can get even two or three more wins this year, they have to feel okay about their future.
28. Kansas City Chiefs (27; -1): Does anyone else think that the KC front office was listening to our show on Wednesday when we said they should release Larry Johnson?
29. Washington Redskins (28; -1): Washington could get a morale boost with a win over struggling Denver at home this weekend. Not saying it could happen, but I wouldn't be surprised.
30. Cleveland Browns (29; -1): The Browns have every single reason to win this Monday night game. The Ravens will probably play undisciplined because they're mad. The Browns are home underdogs on a Monday night, the safest bet in sports. The players are going to be playing angry because of their fans. Mangini has something to prove. If there's a perfect storm for upset, this is it. ... And they're still going to lose by 20.
31. St. Louis Rams (30; -1): I drop the Rams on their bye week just because they're really, really bad. I still can't get that safety out of my head.
32. Detroit Lions (31; -1): Sigh. The Lions. I hope you enjoyed your 6 weeks out of the cellar. I hope you don't spend the rest of the season in here.

Division Rankings: With the Bucs being the biggest movers this week, the NFC South catapults itself into the top 3. The AFC North remains in the lead, and that shouldn't change too much this week unless Cleveland pulls the Baltimore upset. I broke the NFC North/AFC West tiebreak because the NFC North had the best team between the two.
1. AFC North (last week: 1): 13.50 average rank amongst the four teams
2. AFC South (3): 14.00
3. NFC South (6): 14.75
4. AFC East (2): 15.00
5. NFC East (4): 15.75
6. NFC North (5): 18.00
7. AFC West (7): 18.00
8. NFC West (8): 23.00