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

NFL Power Rankings 2009: Week 9

After I failed to post the rankings last week, I'm back at it. You're still going to hate my Miami ranking, but I'm telling you, the Dolphins are dangerous. There was actually some shake-up on the back end this week, too, so don't stop reading after number 10. Oh, and the "last week" and "change" categories are actually talking about last week. Remember, I had them done, but couldn't get them up here. So, here we go ...

1. New Orleans Saints (last week's rank: 1; change: 0): They've been living on the edge the past two weeks, but still managing to win nonetheless. The defense isn't great, but with that offense, it doesn't need to be.
2. Indianapolis Colts (2; 0): Many other teams with they were in the position where a "bad game" consists of beating a desperate, motivated team without playing that well.
3. Minnesota Vikings (7; +3): The Vikings leapfrog three teams with byes with their impressive win in Lambeau. Is you-know-who's arm going to hold out?
4. Denver Broncos (3; -1): This is a temporary one point fall, but don't you get the feeling this is only the beginning of the deluge?
5. New England Patriots (4; -1): By the end of the next four weeks (games against Miami, Indianapolis, New York Jets and New Orleans), it's not unrealistic to think New England could be at the top of these rankings.
6. Cincinnati Bengals (5; -1): The Bengals are 1-4-1 coming off of bye weeks under Marvin Lewis. If they make it 1-5-1 this week, the 2009 Bengals doubters will return in full force.
7. Pittsburgh Steelers (6; -1): Denver didn't look very good against Baltimore, but Pittsbugh fans would be foolish to think that going into Denver on a Monday night will be an easy win.
8. Philadelphia Eagles (9; +1): Philadelphia's "A" game is better than anyone else in the league's "A" game. They don't bring it consistently during the regular season, but it's something to watch for come playoff time.
9. Dallas Cowboys (10; +1): I hate to be that guy, but it's no surprise Dallas is moving up in the top 10: it's November, not December.
10. Baltimore Ravens (14; +4): That was a season-saving victory against the Broncos this week. Now they just need another one in Cincinnati.
11. Atlanta Falcons (11; 0): On NFL GameDay Final on the NFL Network, Deion Sanders said that Joe Flacco is starting to leave Matt Ryan behind. After watching the Falcons-Saints game, I think I believe him.
12. Green Bay Packers (12; 0): There's no need for them to be upset about their 4-3 mark after week 8. If they win the games they're supposed to win (starting this week at Tampa Bay), they'll be fine.
13. Miami Dolphins (15; +2): Ted Ginn, Jr. What a game. It's great to see guys get bounce-back games like that. Maybe Miami's running game will have one against New England this week.
14. Houston Texans (18; +4): See "Stat of the Week 3." I really, REALLY, can't wrap my head around that.
15. San Diego Chargers (19; +4): An average ranking for an average team. 4-0 against sub-.500 teams, 0-3 against +.500.
16. Arizona Cardinals (13; -3): Arizona, I just don't understand. As the rest of the NFC West continues to be terrible, I suppose their bad losses don't matter that much, though.
17. New York Giants (8; -9): And the Giants get dropped into the bottom half of the league. Their defense hasn't been showing up and their offense isn't good enough to compensate.
18. Chicago Bears (20; +2): The Bears hope that their blowout against Cleveland got them back on track, and wasn't just an abberation because it was against Cleveland.
19. New York Jets (16; -3): And now New York fans are starting to feel a little bit of the pain Baltimore fans have felt for the past four years ... Just shut up, Bart Scott.
20. Jacksonville Jaguars (17; -3): That was a bad loss for Jacksonville to take. How could Maurice Jones-Drew only get eight carries in that game?
21. San Francisco 49ers (21; 0): Alex Smith played fairly well in San Francisco's tough loss to the Colts. Their defense sure played tough, tough.
22. Carolina Panthers (23; +1): Don't look now, but the Panthers are 3-4. You don't want your team to face them when they have their running game going.
23. Buffalo Bills (22; -1): Buffalo could have made a big statement against Houston, but they didn't. It's a shame Trent Edwards can't ever seem to stay healthy.
24. Seattle Seahawks (25; +1): Yea, they moved up one after losing by double digits to Dallas. I couldn't stomach Oakland being above them.
25. Tennessee Titans (30; +5): I respect Jeff Fisher for pulling the plug on Kerry Collins and I respect Vince Young for - at least temporarily - seeming to get it all together. I respect the Titans organization in general.
26. Oakland Raiders (24; -2): Donovan McNabb has 1/6 of the number of pass/catches to himself as Russell to Heyward-Bey.
27. Kansas City Chiefs (27; 0): I'll be sick if Larry Johnson gets another chance. Jamaal Charles has promise and should be playing.
28. Washington Redskins (29; +1): They get moved up one A) because the Browns are the Browns and B) because there's a resemblance of talent there that gives you a fleeting suspicion they could play better after their bye.
29. Cleveland Browns (28; -1): What good will firing your GM during the middle of the season possibly do? Someone find me this answer.
30. St. Louis Rams (32; +2): Their victory was overshadowed by one of the dumbest plays I have ever seen in professional football.
31. Detroit Lions (26; -5): Oh, Lions. You better pray Tampa goes winless or else you'll take your usual perch back.
32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (31; -1): Dumbest call I've ever seen that I knew was going to be the dumbest call I would ever see when it was made: Jon Gruden, during the preseason, saying the Bucs would win 9 games.

Division Rankings: Woah! After three NFC divisions took numbers 1-3 a few weeks ago, this week, it's thee AFC divisions. There are a bunch of big interconference games the next few weeks that will be bound to shake this up.
1. AFC North (last week: 1): 13.00 average rank amongst the four teams
2. AFC East (3): 15.00
3. AFC South (6): 15.25
4. NFC East (2): 15.50
5. NFC North (4): 16.00
6. NFC South (5): 16.50
7. AFC West (7): 18.00
8. NFC West (8): 22.75

Last Week's Power Rankings:

As promised, here's a brief overview of the power rankings I had assembled from last week that never got up here. I hate to post these right after Tyler puts the work into an actual post, so please scroll down.

Anyway, the top 10 was as follows:
1. New Orleans Saints
2. Indianapolis Colts
3. Denver Broncos
4. New England Patriots
5. Cincinnati Bengals
6. Pittsburgh Steelers
7. Minnesota Vikings
8. New York Giants
9. Philadelphia Eagles
10. Dallas Cowboys

The bottom 10 ... eh. You don't care about the bottom 10. Anyway, the "bye" question really comes in this week, with numbers 4, 5, and 6 all not playing. Minnesota certainly looked very good and had a great win at a good Green Bay team, but does that win make them better than the Steelers - who they just lost to - or the Bengals - who had beaten the Steelers? So you have to look at it that way. Meanwhile, Denver could fall a lot. Not really fair considering their one loss was on the road to a truly desperate team, but such is life. Everyone's still rooting for them, but I'm not sure anyone had their heart into rooting for the Broncos 100%.

Other teams I may not know what to do with this week:
13. Arizona Cardinals: All of a sudden, the Giants win doesn't look so great, does it?
18. Texans: If the playoffs started today, the Texans would be in them.
23. Carolina Panthers: They're 3-4, which means - assuming Atlanta loses tonight - they're a game back in the loss column behind other NFC playoff "contenders."

All this and more tomorrow.

NFL Power Rankings 2009: Week 7

Oh, baby. We had some movers and some shakers this week, from the top to the (almost) bottom and virtually everything in between. The division rankings have been completely turned upside down. This week also marked just about the first week that you have to factor in fluke games: We know by week 7 Oakland is not better than Philadelphia, nor is Buffalo better than the Jets. Comment and tell me what you think ...

1. New Orleans Saints (last week's rank: 3; change: +1): I said last week that the Saints would leapfrog the Colts if the Saints took down the Giants, and boy did they ever fulfill there. You didn't take Drew Brees in the first round of your fantasy draft why?
2. Indianapolis Colts (2; 0): With games at St. Louis, home against San Francisco and home against Houston, you think Indy is already looking forward to week 10 against the Patriots or what?
3. Minnesota Vikings (4; +1): They're just as lucky as they are good, but you have to be both to be a successful team in this league. Brett Favre has turned Sidney Rice into a star.
4. Denver Broncos (5; +1): Forget doubting whether they're good or not. It's time to start thinking whether they're actually the best defense in the NFL. They're playing like it.
5. New York Giants (1; -4): Obviously, it's no easy task to come into New Orleans and win, so the loss is no surprise. I am a bit taken aback by how easy the Saints made it look, though.
6. New England Patriots (8; +2): Make no mistake. Keith Bulluck is a bad, bad man. Bill Belichick should have thought about that before putting Tom Brady in to start the second half.
7. Atlanta Falcons (9; +2): Their defense is playing just good enough to win games with that great offense of theirs. The playoffs - albeit probably as a wild card - are definitely in sight.
8. Chicago Bears (10; +2): Yeah, I know. They lost. As everyone else around them crumbled, I respected their tough loss on the road during prime time the most.
9. Cincinnati Bengals (7; -2): I don't think the loss to Houston told us anything about this Bengals team that we didn't already know. Of course they're still the Bengals. It will need to take a few more bad losses for me to believe they're not good this year, though.
10. Pittsburgh Steelers (11; +1): They've quietly won 3 in a row and they definitely don't look like they've hit their stride yet. They're clearly the favorites in the North this year.
11. Philadelphia Eagles (6; -5): The Eagles are going to be playing a game this coming week very similar to the one this past week: against a weak opponent (Washington) with a lot to prove after lots of criticism the previous week. Hopefully they don't overlook this one.
12. Green Bay Packers (17; +5): They have to make sure not to overlook Cleveland before the you-know-who reunion part II.
13. Miami Dolphins (13; 0): Their game against New Orleans this week will be fascinating to watch. If they get down early, how much (if at all) are they going to abandon their incredible running game?
14. Baltimore Ravens (14; -2): Is Frank Walker the worst player in the NFL? No? You think Chris Carr is?
15. Dallas Cowboys (16; +1): They have a chance for a huge statement game this week against Atlanta. I wouldn't be surprised if this ends up being one of the games of the week; Dallas, off their bye, should come out fired up.
16. San Francisco 49ers (18; +2): The beneficiaries of a bye week, San Fran gets bumped back into the top half. Who would have thought them and Arizona may actually have an interesting division title race?
17. Arizona Cardinals (19; +2): They can definitely turn some heads if they play with - they don't even have to win - the Giants this weekend. Everyone wrote them off after their 1-2 start but they're 3-2 now.
18. New York Jets (18; -4): Hmm, I don't look so dumb now for having the Jets at 14 last week. With the run support he was getting, a bad performance by Mark Sanchez would have won that game. It just so happens he turned in a God-awful performance.
19. Jacksonville Jaguars (21; +2): They have to feel pretty good going into their bye week at 3-3. If they can keep flying in under the radar, they are certainly a playoff sleeper.
20. Houston Texans (22; +2): Like Jacksonville, the division title is out of reach this year. There's a sixth spot in the playoffs begging for someone to claim it, though.
21. San Diego Chargers (16; -5): Division race over? You would have to think so. I fully expect them to make a late-season charge into a crowded AFC wild card race, however. (Sense a theme?)
22. Carolina Panthers (23; +1): The invisible line has been moved! The Panthers still lead the pack of "so terrible I should be competing for the number one pick" teams but this week they're at 22! Who's the addition to the pack? ...
23. Seattle Seahawks (20; -3): It's Seattle! Sorry, when you lose by 20+ at home to a division rival that's not even that good, you belong in here. I don't care what you did to Jacksonville the previous week.
24. Buffalo Bills (28; +4): You know, at 2-4, the Bills are only a game out of a playoff spot 6 games into the season. Just saying.
25. Oakland Raiders (29; +4): You know, at 2-4, the Raiders are only a game out ... Okay, no I really take it too far this time. If the Raiders make the playoffs I will quit being a football fan.
26. Detroit Lions (24; -2): You forgot just how bad the Lions were last year until you watched them with Daunte Culpepper back in, didn't you? What's that? You didn't watch the Packers-Lions game? ... Yeah, me neither.
27. Kansas City Chiefs (30; +3): Remember when people were talking about the Chiefs being a sleeper team with Matt Cassel as their quarterback?
28. Cleveland Browns (27; -1): Things aren't looking up when your quarterback goes 9 for 24 and it's considered a vast improvement over the previous week.
29. Washington Redskins (25; -4): Jim Zorn, you're being humiliated. End it.
30. Tennessee Titans (26; -4): The Titans have played worse in every single one of their games so far this year. Which was the fluke? Last season or this one?
31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (31; 0): How come I can name 3 quarterbacks and 3 runningbacks on this team, but a total of 3 other players on the rest of the squad?
32. St. Louis Rams (32; 0): Fine, I lied. They're not better with Kyle Boller as their quarterback. Do you think they've already conceded the game against Indy this week because they're thinking about Detroit the following week?

Division Rankings: Wow, what a logjam in the middle. One team with a 15.00 average and three others with a 15.25. I broke the tie by giving the division with the best team the highest ranking, and down from there. As such, the NFC now has the best three divisions in football. It is tough to argue ...
1. NFC North (last week: 2): 12.25 average rank amongst the four teams
2. NFC East (1): 15.00
3. NFC South (5): 15.25
4. AFC East (4): 15.25
5. AFC North (3): 15.25
6. AFC South (6): 17.75
7. AFC West (7): 19.25
8. NFC West (8): 22.00

NFL Power Rankings 2009: Week 6

The power rankings were actually pretty easy this week; a lot of things seemed to fall into place. The huge mover was the Jets, who I still had optimistically high after their showing against New Orleans. I could have kept them ahead of the Dolphins on the premise of a completely fluke win, but watching that game last night, the Dolphins looked every bit the team that the Jets did. Hope you enjoy ...

1. New York Giants (last week's rank: 1; change: 0): Ho hum, a 37 point win by the Giants. There are a lot of great teams in the league, but starting here is as good of a place as any.
2. Indianapolis Colts (2; 0): I haven't seen a lot of the Colts this year, because they always play in primetime against teams I know they're going to crush. Have they clinched the South already?
3. New Orleans Saints (3; 0): Sorry Colts fans. If the Saints beat the Giants this week in what could be the game of the year so far, the Saints are taking the top spot.
4. Minnesota Vikings (4; 0): Brett Favre has been known to be egregiously confident in his arm. He'll throw it anywhere. That could either translate to a Viking blowout victory this week or a multiple interception day for Ed Reed. Based on the Ravens play this week, the former is more likely.
5. Denver Broncos (8; +3): After hating on Josh McDaniels earlier this summer, he's making me eat my words. I find myself rooting for him more every week.
6. Philadelphia Eagles (9; +3): Donovan sure looked rusty after missing a few weeks, didn't he? (sarcasm) They have one of the fastest wide receiving corps ever.
7. Cincinnati Bengals (13; +6): A truly impressive 3-0 sweep of the AFC North the past three weeks. Carson Palmer is playing some of the best fourth quarter ball you will ever see.
8. New England Patriots (6; -2): New England is really good, but didn't it just look like Denver wanted that game a bit more?
9. Atlanta Falcons (11; +2): That was a beat-down. Atlanta played like it used the bye week very well. With only one loss, they're obviously right in it for the NFC South race.
10. Chicago Bears (10; 0): NBC's getting a good one on Sunday night. Chicago-Atlanta should be a great, high-scoring game.
11. Pittsburgh Steelers (14; +3): They move up three not for how they played against Detroit but for how much better they instantly become now that Troy Polamalu is back.
12. Baltimore Ravens (7; -5): Cam Cameron's lack of mid-game adjustments has crippled the offense two weeks in a row. He gameplans as well as anyone. He's being outcoached during the game, though.
13. Miami Dolphins (20; +7): This is a completely different team with Henne as their quarterback. I still think last year's 11-5 was a fluke because they had Chad Pennington, but with a strong-armed quarterback back there now, it looks like the playoffs are realistic again.
14. New York Jets (5; -9): This is absolutely the pick that most experts would disagree with me the most. They're 3-2, but they've lost 2 in a row, and they lost the first one because of their offense and the second because of their defense. They don't look like the team that beat New England in week 2.
15. San Diego Chargers (15; 0): Not to make too much of a game in mid-October, but who knew that the Denver-San Diego matchup on Monday night would mean 10 times more to San Diego than Denver?
16. Dallas Cowboys (16; 0): They go into the bye week scratching their heads as to why they needed overtime to beat the Chiefs. They have to love getting an extra week to prepare for Atlanta.
17. Green Bay Packers (17; 0): They have must-wins against Detroit and at Cleveland before they "welcome" back you-know-who.
18. San Francisco 49ers (12; -6): Ouch. That was about as humbling of a loss as there is. It's going to be a long bye week for them.
19. Arizona Cardinals (21; +2): You had to love watching Fitzgerald on one side of the ball and Andre Johnson on the other. In the end, though, the Cardinals defense won the game.
20. Seattle Seahawks (23; +3): If you believe MVP actually means the most valuable player to his team, Peyton Manning would obviously win the award. Matt Hasselebeck might be number two.
21. Jacksonville Jaguars (18; -3): In a savage beating, the Jags (number 21) lose by 41 to the Seahawks (number 20). There should really be more separation than this, but they already beat Houston and then you get into Carolina and Detroit. It gets thin down here.
22. Houston Texans (19; -3): Deion Sanders may not make sense most of the time, but you have to agree with him here: Why was Andre Johnson not on the field for either the 3rd and 1 or 4th and 1 at the end of the game?
23. Carolina Panthers (24; +1): Draw an imaginary line between 22 and 23. The 10 worst teams in the league - starting here at Carolina - are all fantastically awful.
24. Detroit Lions (25; +1): In fact, they're so bad that you can lose by 8 at home to a team without its best player and move up one.
25. Washington Redskins (26; +1): In fact, they're SO bad you can lose to an 0-3 team and still move up one.
26. Tennessee Titans (27; +1): They're 0-5. They've lost their past two games by a combined 42 points. And they're not one of the six worst teams in this league.
27. Cleveland Browns (29; +2): You know what else gets you a promotion down here? Completing two passes in a game!
28. Buffalo Bills (22; -6): Tyler, I'm fascinated to hear your defense for Trent Edwards after this week.
29. Oakland Raiders (28; -1): Have you read the allegations on Tom Cable? Oh, only in Oakland. (quote is almost at the bottom of the page)
30. Kansas City Chiefs (30; 0): Will Washington give Kansas City their first win of the season, too?
31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (31; 0): I love football. A lot. And you would actually have to pay me to willingly watch the Panthers-Bucs game this weekend.
32. St. Louis Rams (32; 0): Insert Rush Limbaugh joke here.

Division Rankings: The AFC East took a hard fall this week, going 1-3 (including a loss to the Browns.) The rest stayed the same, with the exception of an NFC South/AFC South flip flop.
1. NFC East (last week: 1): 12.00 average rank amongst the four teams
2. NFC North (3): 13.75
3. AFC North (4): 14.25
4. AFC East (2): 15.75
5. NFC South (6): 16.50
6. AFC South (5): 17.75
7. AFC West (7): 19.75
8. NFC West (8): 22.25

NFL Power Rankings 2009: Week 5

My bad for not posting too much other than power rankings lately. I have a few ideas lined up for the week to do about one a day until next Tuesday. Here's hoping I can actually get to it. Without further ado, the quite difficult week 5 power rankings (I really felt like a prisoner to my own rules this week; you'll see):

1. New York Giants (last week's rank: 1; change: 0): There just aren't many holes in this team. In what could be a crowded NFC championship race, they have just as many weapons as anyone.
2. Indianapolis Colts (2; 0): While Brett Favre and Drew Brees are getting all the hype, Peyton Manning's having a career year. That's saying something.
3. New Orleans Saints (3; 0): You can really just label them "1c." They've won with passing, running, and now defense. Darren Sharper is the free agent acquisition of the year.
4. Minnesota Vikings (6; +2): If Brett Favre's arm actually does hold up this year, the NFC is in trouble.
5. New York Jets (5; 0): Ugh. Just two weeks ago, the Jets beat the Patriots. Since then, I think New England has gotten their groove back and the Jets' suspect offense has been discovered. Nonetheless, ranking laws are ranking laws.
6. New England Patriots (7; +1): They're just so good at maintaining time of possession. They always could with their short passing game; now they have that and a running game.
7. Baltimore Ravens (3; -4): Things are looking up in Baltimore when you can play a mistake-plagued, horrid-luck game and still come within a drop of winning at Foxboro.
8. Denver Broncos (9; +1): The offense isn't anything special. Overrated. At this point in time, I don't think we can say the same thing about the defense.
9. Philadelphia Eagles (8; -1): The bye week really screws with you doesn't it? I feel like the Eagles haven't played in a month. They have a great chance to be 5-1 heading into their showdown with the Giants.
10. Chicago Bears (14; +4): After the ugly beginning in Green Bay, Chicago has won a quiet 3 in a row. The less you hear about Jay Cutler, the better this team is doing.
11. Atlanta Falcons (12; +1): They took the bye week to hopefully improve their run defense. Huge game at San Francisco this week.
12. San Francisco 49ers (15; +3): Good teams dominate inferior opponents in all three phases of the game. The 49ers did that to the Rams.
13. Cincinnati Bengals (13; 0): I let the Bears and 49ers leapfrog them because of how inept they looked at times against the Browns. They need to learn to play four quarters of football.
14. Pittsburgh Steelers (17; +3): Speaking of playing four quarters of football, it's not like the Steelers to give up all of those late points. The mojo of this team isn't there right now.
15. San Diego Chargers (10; -5): I knew they were horrid against the run, but that was just embarrassing.
16. Dallas Cowboys (11; -5): All of a sudden the Cowboys have gone from the team with all the talent in the world that couldn't get it done to a team that's just not that good.
17. Green Bay Packers (16; -1): The defense isn't that good. Ryan Grant doesn't look that good. The offensive line just looks bad. Aaron Rodgers is the only thing keeping this season from being a disaster.
18. Jacksonville Jaguars (19; +1): The Jags rebounded nicely from 0-2 with 2 wins against divisional opponents. It'll take a lot to catch Indy, though.
19. Houston Texans (20; +1): The Texans played like they were supposed to stomp the Raiders, and they were. This week's game at Arizona may be fun to watch.
20. Miami Dolphins (24; +4): Fantasy note: If Ricky Williams is a free agent in your league, take a look at his numbers. I think you'll be surprised.
21. Arizona Cardinals (21; 0): They needed the early bye about as much as anyone could. With the way San Francisco is playing, they're going to need to turn it around soon.
22. Buffalo Bills (18; -4): That was ugly. Both scoring only 10 against Miami and giving up 38 to Miami are not good things.
23. Seattle Seahawks (23; 0): You gotta feel bad for Matt Hasselbeck and the Seahawks. The NFC West race would be a lot more fun with him in it.
24. Carolina Panthers (25; +1): Perhaps I'm too nice to Carolina, but I just think they have too much on offense to be that bad this season.
25. Detroit Lions (26; +1): Not that I condone giving up 48 points in a game, but I'm bitter at Tennessee, so they get the bump up despite the loss.
26. Washington Redskins (28; +2): You do realize they get Carolina and Kansas City the next two weeks, right? They could be 4-2 at that point. Unless they beat Philadelphia after that, they stay down here.
27. Tennessee Titans (22; -5): Tennessee, I can't rank on talent alone. You're down here with the dredges of the league because you started playing like them.
28. Oakland Raiders (27; -1): Is there anyone in the NFL you would want to play for less than the Raiders?
29. Cleveland Browns (32; +3): Derek Anderson gives them a better shot at winning than Quinn does, that's for sure. Derek Anderson is really, really bad, by the way.
30. Kansas City Chiefs (29; -1): If I'm Todd Haley, I'm convincing my guys this is the week they get in the win column. They're not better than Dallas, but they'll probably play harder.
31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (30; -1): Fun fact: The Bucs have dropped one spot for the third week in a row. Does this mean the Rams are getting lucky this week?
32. St. Louis Rams (31; 0): They're playing Minnesota. I highly doubt this is the one.

And, of course, the division rankings. Only one change this week: the AFC North and AFC South flip flop.
1. NFC East (last week: 1): 13.00 average rank amongst the four teams
2. AFC East (2): 13.25
3. NFC North (3): 14.00
4. AFC North (5): 15.75
5. AFC South (4): 16.50
6. NFC South (6): 17.25
7. AFC West (7): 20.25
8. NFC West (8): 22.00

NFL Power Rankings 2009: Week 4

There was a lot less movement this week, although we did have one double digit move. Sorry, Pittsburgh, enough's enough. The NFC North made the biggest move of the week, not because they did anything really special, but because I didn't realize the Bengals were actually good when I dropped the Packers so far last week and because there are so, so many bad teams in this league that I had to reward the Lions. With no other introduction needed ...

1. New York Giants (last week: 1; change: 0): That was about as dominant as it gets. They play in too tough a division to feel too comfortable up here, though.
2. Indianapolis Colts (2; 0): Don't you get the feeling when watching Peyton Manning throw to Pierre Garcon that Marvin Harrison's entire career was completely overrated?
3. Baltimore Ravens (3; 0): The gauntlet begins. It doesn't get too much tougher than at New England, home against the suddenly potent Bengals and then at Minnesota three weeks in a row.
4. New Orleans Saints (4; 0): They face maybe the best defense in the league this week with the Jets. If they score at will on them, then the rest of the league will take notice.
5. New York Jets (5; 0): You think they have swagger now? Imagine if they beat the Saints in New Orleans.
6. Minnesota Vikings (8; +2): Brett Favre ... Touche.
7. New England Patriots (9; +2): Atlanta's a good team, so that was a good win. The Patriots need Wes Welker because Joey Galloway isn't working out.
8. Philadelphia Eagles (10; +2): How used does Jeff Garcia feel? They bring him in in case the Kolb experiment didn't work out. It did. Kudos to him for proving everyone wrong.
9. Denver Broncos (15; +6): Eh. They're probably too high. At some point, though, you have to reward wins. I still can't believe how well their defense is playing.
10. San Diego Chargers (12; +2): Philip Rivers is a step below Brees/Brady/Manning, but I do believe he is the top of the second tier of quarterbacks in this league.
11. Dallas Cowboys (13; +2): Conservative Tony Romo just can't last, can it? Either way, they have a heck of a ground game there.
12. Atlanta Falcons (6; -6): A little tough for dropping a hard fought game at New England, but there's a strong crop of 2-1 teams out there. They'll be in the battle for the postseason at the end.
13. Cincinnati Bengals (19; +6): Cedric Benson. What a story. This team wants to win, and it shows.
14. Chicago Bears (14; 0): None of their games seem convincing. I image they'll be hanging around the mid-teens for most of the year.
15. San Francisco 49ers (11; -4): There is absolutely no shame in how they lost that game. Vernon Davis is playing like never before.
16. Green Bay Packers (21; +5): No, they don't deserve to be up 5 for beating the Rams. In retrospect, they didn't deserve to drop double digits for losing to Cincinnati. This is a compromise.
17. Pittsburgh Steelers (7; -10): They have issues. Fourth quarter collapses on defense. Lack of pressure on the quarterback. Patchy offensive line play. Questionable playcalling. That being said, they'll still make the playoffs.
18. Buffalo Bills (16; -2): You already know my thoughts on the T.O. situation. What's more interesting to me is how they incorporate Marshawn Lynch.
19. Jacksonville Jaguars (26; +7): It gets really, really muddled down here. This won't be the first leapfrog between the 19 and 26 spots.
20. Houston Texans (17; -3): Houston being mediocre is about as predictable as Oakland being bad.
21. Arizona Cardinals (18; -3): It's hard to consider a season when you get to the Super Bowl to be a fluke, but unless they put this bye week to good use, I think we can do just that.
22. Tennessee Titans (22; 0): They're not playing good defense, and they definitely don't have the offense to be compensate.
23. Seattle Seahawks (23; 0): Kudos to this team for playing hard with Seneca Wallace at quarterback. It just seems like this isn't Seattle's year for the second consecutive time.
24. Miami Dolphins (24; 0): Can we talk for one second about the fact the Ravens - because they were in second place in the North last year - play the combined 5-1 Patriots and Colts this year while the Steelers play the combined 0-6 Titans and Dolphins?
25. Carolina Panthers (25; 0): You know there are some bad teams in this league when the Panthers are 25th here.
26. Detroit Lions (32; +6): You knew and I knew they weren't the single worst team in the league, but I had to keep them there until they won. I think this is more like it.
27. Oakland Raiders (27; 0): I broke my own rule last week. I just realized that I dropped the Raiders 2 spots in my rankings when they beat the Chiefs. I notice nobody complained.
28. Washington Redskins (20; -8): Albert Haynesworth. Brian Orakpo. Clinton Portis. Santana Moss. Chris Cooley. LaRon Landry. These are good players. How are they so bad?
29. Kansas City Chiefs (28; -1): Their offense is bad, but their defense is worse. A lot worse.
30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (29; -1): Have they not noticed that this whole rookie quarterback/rookie coach thing seems to be working? Why is Josh Freeman not playing?
31. St. Louis Rams (31; 0): I'm telling you, they have a better chance to win with Kyle Boller playing than Mark Bulger.
32. Cleveland Browns (32; 0): They just make consistently bad decisions. Hmm, I kind of want to write a post about that now.

Division Rankings
1. NFC East (last week: 1): 12.00 average ranking amongst the four teams
2. AFC East (2): 13.50
3. NFC North (6): 15.50
4. AFC South (5): 15.75
5. AFC North (3): 16.25
6. NFC South (4): 17.75
7. AFC West (7): 18.75
8. NFC West (8): 22.50

NFL Power Rankings 2009: Week 3

Wow. After week 2 knocked gave 4 of the top 6 teams in the rankings losses, week 3 is looking quite different. A lot of teams fell what may seem a disproportionate amount based on their week 1 performances (but won anyway), and a lot of teams rose based on the fact I'm a lot more sold on them 2 weeks in than 1. So, without further ado ...

1. New York Giants (last week: 3; change: +2): To beat two divisional rivals in the first two weeks is huge. Eli Manning has finally proven to the doubters he's an upper echelon quarterback.

2. Indianapolis Colts (4; +2): The run defense looks horrid, but they're 2-0. They're one of the few teams in the league you're never going to want to bet against.

3. Baltimore Ravens (7; +4): ESPN and Peter King's number one team, the Ravens scored a huge win cross country in San Diego. They need to improve their pass defense, though.

4. New Orleans Saints (13; +9): The way they manhandled a stout Philadelphia defense was certainly eye-opening. What happens on defense when they're not facing Jake Delhomme or Kevin Kolb?

5. New York Jets (14; +9): They talked the talk, and then walked the walk. Mark Sanchez is going to be a great player in this league.

6. Atlanta Falcons (10; +4): In the same boat as the Saints. We know what they have offensively. Their defense has yet to be tested (until this week at New England).

7. Pittsburgh Steelers (1; -6): They need to be better offensively in just about every way. Don't sleep on the Steelers-Bengals game this weekend.

8. Minnesota Vikings (12; +4): Perhaps they're better than this, but their first two opponents (the Browns and the Lions) will have a combined total of 4 wins this year, so I can't take them seriously yet.

9. New England Patriots (2; -7): We knew they didn't have any leadership on defense. It's truly stunning how different of a quarterback Tom Brady is this year.

10. Philadelphia Eagles (5; -5): They reside here for a little bit. Once McNabb comes back, they will climb back up the rankings.

11. San Francisco 49ers (17; +6): Well, they certainly got Frank Gore going, and he showed why, when healthy, he's a top 5 running back in this league. I still can't believe Shaun Hill is quarterbacking a 2-0 team.

12. San Diego Chargers (6; -6): Philip Rivers can definitely throw the ball. It's too bad their linebackers can't tackle anybody and their coach can't coach anybody.

13. Dallas Cowboys (8; -5): I hate to pile on, but has Tony Romo ever won a game of any significance? Their running game looked great, though.

14. Chicago Bears (16; +2): Hmm. As you see, I don't know what to do with the Bears. They could just as easily be 2-0 as 0-2. Matt Forte's been awfully quiet this year.

15. Denver Broncos (23; +8): I know, I know. They played the Bengals and the Browns. That being said, the defense is playing hard and fast, and Kyle Orton has a sort of moxie about him, no?

16. Buffalo Bills (24; +8): They're a Leodis McKelvin fumble away from 2-0. Trent Edwards can sling the ball around, but most impressive is the way Fred Jackson's been running.

17. Houston Texans (26; +9): So there's the offense we remember from last year. They're going to hang around this spot all year because we also saw the defense from last year again.

18. Arizona Cardinals (18; 0): What can be said about Kurt Warner that hasn't already been said? How is 24 for 26 even possible?

19. Cincinnati Bengals (27; +8): They're one of the flukiest plays ever away from being 2-0 themselves. That was an impressive win at Green Bay. If they can beat Pittsburgh this week, look for them to soar up these rankings.

20. Washington Redskins (20; 0): They may have one of the worst offenses I have ever seen in my entire life. It's a good thing their defense will keep them in a lot of games.

21. Green Bay Packers (11; -10): The rare double digit move. You can't consider yourself to be a top half team in this league with losses like that. The offensive line is horrid.

22. Tennesee Titans (9; -13): I will probably never have a team move 13 spots one way or the other ever again. I just thought they could pull it together to win at Houston, and I recognize that Houston has a good offense. I was still stunned to see all the missed assignments.

23. Seattle Seahawks (15; -8): I really shouldn't have had them as high as 15 after week 1 anyway. Losing Matt Hasselbeck really hurts (wow, shocker of the week).

24. Miami Dolphins (22; -2): It looked like they didn't show up for week 1 because they were too busy getting prepared for week 2. And they still lost. What does that say?

25. Carolina Panthers (21; -4): Good to see Jake Delhomme have a "normal" game again. Now we're just faced with the conclusion that he's not that good.

26. Jacksonville Jaguars (19; -7): Not that I was 100% sure the Jags were going to win, but they really got tossed around by the Cardinals. It's only week 3, but they need to turn things around in a hurry.

27. Oakland Raiders (25; -2): Heading into the last drive of the game, JaMarcus Russell had 3 completions. That's an astonishing statistic.

28. Kansas City Chiefs (29; +1): They've been in two games in a row, but haven't figured out how to win yet. I like some of the players on this team, especially Dwayne Bowe.

29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (28; -1): Similarly to how Shaun Hill keeps winning and you don't know why, Byron Leftwich just keeps losing and you're not sure why. Of course, he really doesn't have much around him.

30. Cleveland Browns (30; 0): They're certainly bad enough to be the worst team in the league.

31. St. Louis Rams (31; 0): At least they were competitive this week.

32. Detroit Lions (32; 0): I'm not sure I would bet against the Lions this week. I'm being serious, too.

Division Rankings! (Sorry, I forgot these last week.)

1. NFC East (average rank: 11.0): As usual, they sit perched atop the division rankings. Having 3 upper echelon teams helps.

2. AFC East (13.5): The Pats and Dolphins fall a bit, but the ascent of the Bills and Jets more than makes up for it.

3. AFC North (14.75): They probably won't get too much above this no matter what because the only place the Browns are destined to go is down.

4. NFC South (16.0): Two real good teams, two real bad teams. We'll see if the Panthers can turn things around, because the Bucs probably won't.

5. AFC South (16.75): Definitely the division with the most potential for upward movement.

6. NFC North (18.75): My brutal ranking of the Pack contributed to this. They definitely have a lot more room to go up than down, too.

7. AFC West (20.5): And here come the western divisions. The AFC (buoyed by Denver's rise) gets the slight nod this week.

8. NFC West (20.75): I do think they're a better division than the AFC West, but the numbers don't lie.

NFL Power Rankings 2009: Week 2

Sorry about the little delay here. If you were looking for the AL Division races post, it came up on blogger before the power rankings post, so check it out here. Sorry about the font issues with that one, by the way. But anyway, here are week 2 power rankings. You will notice one thing immediately: I, 100%, will not drop a team if they won their game. That means the Steelers, Patriots, Ravens and Chargers, among others, can breathe a little easier after some obvious flaws were shown in week 1. The mark of a good team is 1) to be able to win games despite your flaws, and 2) to be able to learn from your mistakes and correct them for the next week. So, if the problems persist and any of those teams fall because of them, we could see significant droppage. With that made-up word, I give you week 2.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers (last week: 1; change: 0): With Santonio Holmes emerging as a star in this league, Pittsburgh will be able to get away with throwing the ball more. It's not going to do anything for Big Ben's health, though.

2. New England Patriots (2; 0): Their defense, as we thought, isn't too much. That being said, the offense is only beginning to click. By the end of the year, they'll be consistently putting up 30+ again.

3. New York Giants (3; 0): If Ahmad Bradshaw can continue being effective (he put up pretty good numbers against what will be a very good Redskins rush D), the Giants shouldn't even notice Derrick Ward is gone.

4. Indianapolis Colts (4; 0): Sure, the win against Jacksonville wasn't the prettiest of things, but the Colts were slow out of the gates last year, too. They have Peyton Manning.

5. Philadelphia Eagles (5; 0): It's a shame McNabb got hurt. I don't care what the experts are saying, it's competitive instinct to go diving into the end zone there.

6. San Diego Chargers (6; 0): Analyzing LaDainian Tomlinson's ability/role in San Diego's offense is befuddling. It doesn't do him any favors that Darren Sproles is a heck of a football player.

7. Baltimore Ravens (7; 0): Which team are they? The team that's top 3 in the league in both offense and defense? Or the team that was tied with a 2-14 team at home with 3:00 left in the game? You'll find out in San Diego this week.

8. Dallas Cowboys (9; +1): Tony Romo appears happy and comfortable. It will be interesting to see if Patrick Crayton can continue to shine behind Roy Williams.

9. Tennesee Titans (8; -1): They played tough and almost won a game they weren't supposed to win. The Kerry Collins jokes need to stop. He's effective enough to be a top-half QB in this league.

10. Atlanta Falcons (10; 0): If they can get that kind of performance from their defense consistently, Atlanta will be in the NFC title race. I just don't think they can.

11. Green Bay Packers (11; 0): The Bears put up some points, but I still liked what I saw in the Packers defense. Aaron Rodgers to Greg Jennings is a beautiful thing.

12. Minnesota Vikings (16; +4): Okay, my bad. I got too focused on you-know-who. I apologize to Adrian Peterson for not respecting his preposterous abilities.

13. New Orleans Saints (17; +4): He scores 6 TD's and Drew Brees gets up to the podium and starts talking about all of their missed opportunities. This Philly game could get real interesting.

14. New York Jets (21; +7): Tied with the team below them for my biggest jump of the week. Rex Ryan is going to take this rookie coach with rookie qb thing and run like the wind with it.

15. Seattle Seahawks (22; +7): 28-0 is 28-0 no matter who you play against. Matt Hasselbeck is confirming what a few people forgot; when he has some weapons around him, he's a darn good quarterback.

16. Chicago Bears (12; -4): To still be in that Packer game considering everything in that game is remarkable. They have a real opportunity against Pittsburgh with Polamalu out.

17. San Francisco 49ers (23; +6): There aren't many teams in the NFL who are doing more with less than the 49ers. Mike Singletary gets his guys to play as hard as anyone.

18. Arizona Cardinals (13; -5): Oh, dear. Warner started to look old and their play was generally uninspired. With Seattle and San Francisco stepping up, Arizona will have to do the same if they want back in the playoffs.

19. Jacksonville Jaguars (18; -1): Nothing wrong with losing a close game to the Colts. It's games like those, though, that the Jags just never seem to be able to pull out.

20. Washington Redskins (19; -1): If the Redskins were down 4 to the Eagles with 3:00 left and the ball, would you feel confident Jason Campbell could lead them down the field? Me neither.

21. Carolina Panthers (14; -7): Ouch. If Delhomme struggles mightily again this week, we can officially start to say that one game has ruined the career of an otherwise good NFL quarterback. Not much reason for optimism around Carolina.

22. Miami Dolphins (15; -7): They probably don't deserve this drop, but I was discouraged by their game against Atlanta. Turner was ineffective, Elam missed two fgs, but the Dolphins still couldn't make things real interesting. Not good.

23. Denver Broncos (26; +3): Who wouldn't rather be lucky than good? Cincinnati's offense should be okay this year, so that was a real good sign for Denver's defense.

24. Buffalo Bills (25; +1): Oh, Buffalo. You really do find ways to lose games like none other. Well, not quite as bad as Cincinnati but still. Fred Jackson, by the way, looks terrific.

25. Oakland Raiders (27; +2): I don't believe I'm exaggerating for a moment when I say the Raiders 1) have one of the three worst starting quarterbacks in the NFL, and 2) would compete with the Chargers to make the playoffs if they had even an average quarterback.

26. Houston Texans (20; -6): There is absolutely no excuse for this team not to score 20+ every single week. Disappointing doesn't even begin to describe week 1.

27. Cincinnati Bengals (24; -3): Words can't begin to cover what Bengals fans must have felt Sunday night. A bigger issue: How did their finally healthy offense only put up 7 on the Broncos?

28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (28; 0): A surprisingly game Bucs team did what they could against Dallas. They just ... can't do much.

29. Kansas City Chiefs (29; 0): The Chiefs took advantage of every opportunity they were given on Sunday. They will have to continue to do so to scratch out a few wins this year.

30. Cleveland Browns (30; 0): Half of me wants to scold the Browns for not being able to tackle. The other half of me wants to thank the Browns for all the good times I've had at their expense.

31. St. Louis Rams (31; 0): Simply put, they're the worst team in the league. I want to put them at 32 but ...

32. Detroit Lions (32; 0): Then I look at the stat of the week.

NFL Power Rankings 2009: Week 1

Oh, it's that time again. POWER RANKINGS. Yes, in caps. There's a few surprised thrown in the bag here, especially when you look down at division rankings. Comments, both good and bad, are of course appreciated.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers: They return basically the same team that won the Super Bowl ... and might be better. With their schedule, they have the best chance in the league to go 16-0 (but still unlikely).

2. New England Patriots: They have a few questions on the defensive side of the ball after this week, but any Tom Brady-led team will usually be in the top 3.

3. New York Giants: Don't forget how good of a season they had last year. They could have the best defense in the NFC.

4. Indianapolis Colts: Donald Brown should get the running game going again, and they should put up more points because of it.

5. Philadelphia Eagles: They could be in the running with the Patriots and Saints for the best offense in the league. A historically stout defense could be a weakness this year, though.

6. San Diego Chargers: Enough talent to be in the top 3. Will it all actually come together this year?

7. Baltimore Ravens: They don't need a huge year out of Mark Clayton/Demetrius Williams/Kelley Washington. They just need them to stretch the field.

8. Tennesee Titans: It will be hard to duplicate their success from last year with a quarterback who's only gotten older and minus their best defensive player.

9. Dallas Cowboys: Tony Romo needs the playoffs this year to be taken seriously as a top-flight NFL quarterback.

10. Atlanta Falcons: Plenty to love about their offense, but their lack of defensive leadership (losing Keith Brooking and Lawyer Milloy) is troublesome.

11. Green Bay Packers: Aaron Rodgers may have the best fantasy year of any quarterback in the league. Will the transition to 3-4 on defense work?

12. Chicago Bears: Gave up a ton, but are counting on Cutler to pay huge dividends this year. To go all the way, though, they will need a better defensive performance than last year.

13. Arizona Cardinals: I had them as the 12th best team out of 12 heading into the postseason last year. I guess I don't learn from my mistakes.

14. Carolina Panthers: Seemingly way too low for a team with a first round playoff bye last year. The NFC South is too tumultuous to think they will duplicate that success.

15. Miami Dolphins: If the Dolphins are successful this year, it will be because Pat White has revolutionized the already revolutionary Wildcat.

16. Minnesota Vikings: I don't believe in Brett Favre. At all. At least Tavaris Jackson could scramble.

17. New Orleans Saints: My pick to win the NFC South at the end of the year. There's a lot to like about their defensive improvements.

18. Jacksonville Jaguars: A common sleeper pick for the postseason this year. David Garrard is a better quarterback than he is given credit for being.

19. Washington Redskins: Optimism abounds in D.C. - again. I think nothing about their offense, but I think Brian Orakpo will be the defensive rookie of the year.

20. Houston Texans: Will this be the year? They have a young, talented front seven on defense, but the secondary could be a liability.

21. New York Jets: Rex Ryan runs a high risk, high reward defense. It works when you have two future hall of famers playing up the middle. Memo: Jenkins/Scott/Rhodes does not equal Ngata/Lewis/Reed.

22. Seattle Seahawks: I think the world of Matt Hasselbeck, and I love the Houshmandzadeh signing. The offensive line is beyond bad, though.

23. San Francisco 49ers: Talent abounds in every position except for quarterback ... the most important position.

24. Cincinnati Bengals: If Palmer is healthy, Cincy could make some noise this year. They need him upright, though, because they won't be able to run the ball.

25. Buffalo Bills: Questions abound. TO's health? New offensive coordinator? How will the holdout affect Maybin? Are they moving to Toronto?

26. Denver Broncos: Their defense didn't get much upgrading, and they downgraded significantly at quarterback.

27. Oakland Raiders: Essentially wasted 2009 and 2011 first round choices on a second round talent and a guy they should have traded a third rounder for. Thanks Oakland.

28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: They may be able to run the ball between Cadillac, Graham and Ward ... but that's about it.

29. Kansas City Chiefs: With Cassel in, they could win a few games. Without Cassel, they may be number 32.

30. Cleveland Browns: No running game. No quarterback. Scant receivers. No defensive line. No secondary. At least they have Joshua Cribbs.

31. St. Louis Rams: The Rams - with Sam Bradford - will be a team to watch ... next year.

32. Detroit Lions: They just didn't do much to a defense that gave up 30+ points 11 times last year.

And, of course, the division rankings ...

1. NFC East: 9.00

2. AFC South: 12.50

3. AFC North: 15.50

4. AFC East: 15.75

5. NFC South: 17.25

6. NFC North: 17.75

7. AFC West: 22.25

8. NFC West: 22.50

Power Rankings: Playoff Edition

For 20 NFL teams, the season is over. So why bother ranking them? I didn't. Here is another edition of the power rankings, this time only ranking the teams that matter. 

1. Indianapolis Colts: Yeah, I still have them at number one. In my mind, they have to be considered the favorite to win the AFC. They have the best quarterback in the league, they've been here before, and they have an underrated, fast defense. 

2. Tennessee Titans: If you believe in defense, running the football, and playing at home, you believe in the Tennessee Titans. There are a lot of potentially terrific re-matches in the AFC playoffs, but perhaps none are as enticing as a Tennessee-Indy AFC championship game. 

3. New York Giants: See exactly what I wrote about the Titans. Insert "Philadelphia" for "Indy" and insert "NFC divisional round matchup" for "AFC championship game" and it's perfect. Completely accidental, too. 

4. Carolina Panthers: I've come to the conclusion that Jake Delhomme may be a great leader, but he's only an average quarterback. He has one of the two best wide receivers in the game catching anything that's thrown within five yards of him.

5. Pittsburgh Steelers: And the debate rages on as to whether Big Ben should have been playing or not. Me personally, I agreed with having him out there, if only because Pittsburgh has a bye this week. Having a bye for two weeks straight can be too much. By the way, is it a coincidence that the quarterbacks of the top five teams on this list have all been to super bowls?

6. Baltimore Ravens: They go from being unanimously picked against in Dallas to being everyone's sleeper favorite to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. A number of things have to happen. First, they have to do better both on returning and covering kickoffs. Second, Joe Flacco can't have more than one turnover in any game. Third, they have to tackle better behind the line of scrimmage. 

7. Miami Dolphins: They're far from a walk in the park during the first round for Baltimore. This is a team with a quarterback who can lead drives down the field because of his accuracy, and can use their running game for the big play. Turnover margin is the most important stat in the NFL, and the Dolphins are the best at it. 

8. Atlanta Falcons: You have to wonder if there's enough playoff experience on this team for them to truly know what they're getting in to. Their top three guys on offense have never been in the spotlight quite like they are now. Mike Smith should have them prepared, though. 

9. Minnesota Vikings: The Eagles are going to stack eight in the box every single down to do two things. Their primary goal will be to stop Adrian Peterson, but they also hope to confuse Tavaris Jackson. The Vikings have to counter with a few big runs by Peterson and Jackson's receivers helping him out by breaking tackles on things like slant routes. 

10. Philadelphia Eagles: A lot of people, including myself, think that Philadelphia is going to go and Beat Minnesota this week. Why do I have them all the way down here, then? Because Philadelphia has shown this year that they have the ability to lay an egg like no other team. When they're playing their best, Philadelphia is a top-5 team. Can they play their best four weeks in a row, though?

11. San Diego Chargers: What a great first round matchup San Diego vs. Indianapolis will be. Indy can score on anyone; your only option is to score with them. San Diego has the ability to do that far more than Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Baltimore or Miami does. Philip Rivers has the opportunity to show the world why he was the NFL's highest rated quarterback this year. 

12. Arizona Cardinals: Their only hope is that the offense remembers the way it was playing midseason. The Falcons have a fairly poor pass defense (number 21 in the league), so that bodes well for Arizona. Their interior line has to play like men on Saturday. If they get blown off the ball like they have been recently, the Cardinals simply won't get the ball enough to put up enough points. 

Power Rankings: Week 16

Remember what I said last week about ranking 1-5? Try doing it this week. There's only one good conclusion in my mind, and that is ...

1. Indianapolis Colts (2; +1): Go ahead, make your arguments for the Giants. Go ahead, make your arguments for the Titans. I don't care. Nobody in the NFL is as hot as this team, and I don't care how much they're winning by. Nobody else in the NFL has Peyton Manning on their team, either.

2. Tennessee Titans (4; +2): Well, that was certainly a statement without two of their top defensive linemen. I'm surprised Kerry Collins had as much time to throw all game as he did. 

3. New York Giants (5; +2): That's what happens when Brandon Jacobs is back in the lineup. Home field throughout is theirs, and they again look like the team to beat in the NFC. 

4. Carolina Panthers (3; -1): There is absolutely nothing wrong with that loss. They took New York into overtime on the day the Giants got Jacobs back. The Panthers showed they can on even the stoutest of defenses.

5. Pittsburgh Steelers (1; -4): I have no qualms about dropping them back to number 5. After all, they did lose to numbers 1-3. There offense dug itself in a big enough hole so that there couldn't be any late-game heroics from Ben.

6. Baltimore Ravens (6; 0): Every Ravens fan is already looking ahead to attempting vengeance in Tennessee after the phantom roughing the passer penalty gave Tennessee the victory in Baltimore. 

7. Miami Dolphins (7; 0): That was about as predictable as they come. Now, it's time for the 1-15 Dolphins to come full circle this season and make the playoffs.

8. New England Patriots (8; 0): You have to feel bad for the Patriots, and especially Matt Cassel. I mean, the guy had to replace Tom Brady. He did brilliantly, too, and could guide the Pats to an 11-5 record. At 11-5, they probably won't even make the playoffs, though. 

9. Atlanta Falcons (12; +3): The Falcons could get a first round bye this year? Good Lord, just give Mike Smith the Coach of the Year award already. 

10. Minnesota Vikings (10; 0): The Vikings fumbled the ball seven times and lost four of them. Meanwhile, Matt Ryan fumbles the ball and the Falcons recover it for a touchdown. Both of those things usually won't happen in games, which is why I see no reason to demote Minnesota. 

11. Dallas Cowboys (9; -2): Amazingly, the Cowboys still control their own destiny to get into the playoffs. If they do get in, they'll probably be able to beat Minnesota. Will anyone be scared of them after that, though?

12. Chicago Bears (15; +3): I know I'm going to have to change this if the Bears lose tonight to Green Bay. I think they won't though. I also think that I would like to see what Kyle Orton does in the playoffs. I know it's a long shot, but still.

13. Philadelphia Eagles (11; -2): You. Can't. Do. That. I know, I know, divisional opponent and all that, but you just can't lose that game when you're pushing to the playoffs. A lot has to go right now.

14. San Diego Chargers (20; +6): And here come the Chargers, roaring six spots ahead to number 14. When they beat Denver this week, they will have won four in a row. They will be the most dangers 8-8 team ever.

15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (13; -2): My, how the mighty have fallen. All of a sudden, it's an uphill climb just to the playoffs. Their defense looks older and older every week.

16. New York Jets (14; -2): Skip Bayless, you are the single worst ESPN personality there is. Please, please try and find something positive to say about Brett Favre today. 

17. Buffalo Bills (22; +5): I'm impressed with Buffalo, and I rewarded them appropriately. The season ended for them a few weeks ago, but they've turned some things around and are fighting hard. It's good to see that.

18. Denver Broncos (17; -1): Ed Hochuli gets sweet justice this week. 

19. New Orleans Saints (19; 0): Drew Brees deserves a better team around him. And no, I don't care they just won by 40+ to the Lions. 

20. Arizona Cardinals (16; -4): If they come within 10 points of the Falcons or Panthers (whoever they play in the first round), I will be as shocked as the rest of the world.

21. Washington Redskins (21; 0): Do I reward them for a win against the Eagles? No, because they lost to the Bengals the week before, and I know that Philadelphia has an affinity for choking. 

22. Houston Texans (18; -4): How differently would the season have played out had Hurricane Ike not struck them? I don't have an answer.

23. San Francisco 49ers (23; 0): I'm already predicting an open quarterback competition between Shaun Hill and Kyle Boller next year. 

24. Jacksonville Jaguars (24; 0): They could play the spoiler by showing up to one final game in Baltimore next week. It looked like they gave the Colts all they had, though, so I doubt they will.

25. Green Bay Packers (25; 0): They're going to have a high enough draft pick so that they can get an elite defensive player in the first round. They need one.

26. Seattle Seahawks (28; +2): Congratulations to the Seahawks for winning one final home game for Mike Holmgren. I just wonder what Holmgren had to say to Favre after the game.

27. Oakland Raiders (29; +2): Well look at you, Oakland. You beat the Texans after being positively annihilated by the Patriots the week before. Maybe you do have some pride in you.

28. Kansas City Chiefs (27; -1): I don't want Herm Edwards to be gone. I think he's a good coach, and his players are still playing for him. They're just too young to know how to win.

29. Cincinnati Bengals (30; +1): Will Cedric Benson be the Bengals' starting halfback in 2009? I'm not really sure, but it looks like he wants to be.

30. Cleveland Browns (26; -4): No offensive touchdowns in four straight games. Shut out by the Bengals at home. Cleveland, it's looking really bad right now.

31. St. Louis Rams (31; 0): I would move the Rams up to 30 for competing in two straight games, but I can't stop staring at that point differential number.

32. Detroit Lions (32; 0): One more week until my prediction I made way back in October comes true.

Division Rankings: I hate the AFC East. I think it's the most overrated group of teams in the NFL. So, how did they become tied for second in my power rankings? I have no idea, I just did the math.

1. NFC South (average rank: 11.75)

2. NFC East (12.00)

2. AFC East (12.00)

4. AFC South (12.25)

5. AFC North (17.50)

6. NFC North (19.75)

7. AFC West (21.75)

8. NFC West (25.00)

Power Rankings: Week 15

These were brutal. Ranking the top 5 hurt my head. I'll be interested to see how they compare with all the pros' tomorrow.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers (3; +2): Their defense is so good that their offense doesn't have to play well until the fourth quarter, which is exactly what's been happening.

2. Indianapolis Colts (4; +1): They have often looked nothing better than mediocre during this seven game win streak, but ... they have a seven game winning streak. They are the Steelers' main competition in the playoffs.

3. Carolina Panthers (6; +3): I didn't fully buy into them after last week because I wanted to see how they would respond from the game. They did it in amazing fashion. Steve Smith is a remarkable football player.

4. Tennessee Titans (2; -2): Are teams - finally - starting to figure out Kerry Collins? It certainly appears so. If the running game doesn't click for them, it won't matter how good their defense is. 

5. New York Giants (1; -4): Without Brandon Jacobs and Plaxico Burress, this team is not Super Bowl-bound. With Brandon Jacobs and without Plaxico Burress is yet to be fully seen.

6. Baltimore Ravens (5; -1): They have a game on Saturday night in Dallas, the last game ever to be played in Texas Stadium. If they lose that game, the sixth ranked team in these power rankings will most likely miss the playoffs. Meanwhile, the 17th is going to get a home game. Am I bitter? Possibly.

7. Miami Dolphins (8; +1): Well, slap them silly and call them the Colts. They can't win anything convincingly, but they're still winning. Im not sure anyones going to be scared of them come playoff time, though.

8. New England Patriots (9; +1): If the same Arizona and Dallas teams that showed up last Sunday show up this Sunday, then the Patriots are going to the playoffs.

9. Dallas Cowboys (13; +4): Who would have thought the defense would be carrying this team? They're playing very, very fast. 

10. Minnesota Vikings (10; 0): It's long been said that if you run the ball and stop the run well, then you will have success in this league. That saying even has an asterisk next to it saying "even if Gus Frerotte and Tavaris Jackson are your quarterbacks."

11. Philadelphia Eagles (14; +3): Boy, what a great job their offensive line did on Monday night against Cleveland. I'm sitting here watching it, and they're just fundamentally sound.

12. Atlanta Falcons (15; +3): They won a game they absolutely had to have to win. If they win out, they will more than likely be in. And then it's really time to see what Matt Ryan is all about.

13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7; -6): If you can't stop the run, good luck in the NFC playoffs, especially considering a first round match-up against Adrian Peterson is certainly possible.

14. New York Jets (16; +2): If they get in the playoffs, they will scare whoever plays them, because they can beat anybody when they play well. They can also lose to anyone when they don't.

15. Chicago Bears (19; +4): Great, gutsy win by the Bears, who can only hope for the Vikings to falter this week at home against Atlanta.

16. Arizona Cardinals (11; -5): This team has absolutely packed it in for the season. Well, at least it looked like that against Arizona. They will need to turn it back on in the next few games; they can't go into the playoffs that cold.

17. Denver Broncos (12; -5): The weekly trip for the Broncos from 17 to 12 and back again. See my comment for the Jets.

18. Houston Texans (20; +2): What a fantastic story for the Texans. While other teams out of it have absolutely quit (see Packers), the Texans keep fighting hard. I never expected Steve Slaton to be so good, let alone in his rookie season.

19. New Orleans Saints (17; -2): A playoff-killing loss. When the defense isn't there, all of the offensive points are for nothing.

20. San Diego Chargers (24; +4): I can not believe that they can still make the playoffs. It's absolutely embarrassing for that division.

21. Washington Redskins (18; -3): Five weeks ago, Jim Zorn was a serious candidate for coach of the year. Now, it's 50-50 he makes it to next season. Hello, Bill Cowher?

22. Buffalo Bills (21; -1): Oh, things have gotten bad in Buffalo. They choked that game away in a big way. Marshawn Lynch is still running very hard, though.

23. San Francisco 49ers (22; -1): They obviously still need a lot of help in a lot of other areas, but can the Hill-Gore-Davis trio be a good NFL unit?

24. Jacksonville Jaguars (26; +2): I didn't see the game against Green Bay, but I saw the game against Chicago, so I know the way Jacksonville's been playing. I also know that I lost in m fantasy playoffs because Garrard and Jones-Drew combined for four touchdowns.

25. Green Bay Packers (23; -2): This defense should be positively ashamed of themselves. I'm still of the belief that this season is in no way, shape or form Brett Favre's or Aaron Rodgers's fault.

26. Cleveland Browns (25; -1): Joshua Cribbs is one of the best all-around football players in the NFL today, and I am neither kidding nor exaggerating. He can run, throw, catch, return, and is fantastic on special teams coverage. Every single team in the NFL would love this guy to be on their team.

27. Kansas City Chiefs (27; 0): Here's where all the rankings become stagnant. The bottom six teams could all get the number one draft pick in any other year. 

28. Seattle Seahawks (28; 0): You expect me to have something intelligent to say about the Seattle Seahawks?

29. Oakland Raiders (29; 0): So much for "at least Oakland's defense has been playing hard."

30. Cincinnati Bengals (30; 0): One play I noted. Chad Ocho Cinco catches a pass across the middle and gets absolutely leveled by a member of the Redskins' secondary. The play didn't even count; it got taken back by a holding penalty. But Ocho Cinco got up and was fired up and in the defensive back's face. It was good to see a team have some sort of life.

31. St. Louis Rams (31; 0): I've been watching ESPN basically all day and I've yet to see anything about the Rams game. Did it even happen?

32. Detroit Lions (32; 0): Calvin Johnson is awesome. Period.

Division Rankings: The NFC East takes back the top spot, and the NFC West breaks the tie at the bottom to take last. 

1. NFC East (average rank: 11.50)

2. NFC South (11.75)

3. AFC South (12.00)

4. AFC East (12.75)

5. AFC North (15.75)

6. NFC North (20.50)

7. AFC West (23.25)

8. NFC West (24.50)

Power Rankings: Week 14

Some shake-ups. Some calls based on appearance, not record. A little of everything this week. 

1. New York Giants (1; 0): I was mocked for calling the upset, but it happened. Because I thought it was so predictable, I kept them at number 1. They faced the Eagles at a time when nobody wants to face the Eagles. 

2. Tennessee Titans (2; 0): This team is built for the playoffs. They're the team to beat in January. 

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (3; 0): I think I'm going to go on a Tony Romo rant in a little bit, but it won't be here. In any case, the Steelers didn't deserve that one. I'm excited for Sunday.

4. Indianapolis Colts (5; +1): Finally, a blow-out. The Bengals happened.

5. Baltimore Ravens (10; +5): I've been cautious all season with them. This week they leap-frog the winning Panthers because their four losses just so happen to be to the top four teams in these rankings. 

6. Carolina Panthers (9; +3): They win big over a very good divisional opponent, but it's not enough to keep them above Baltimore. Is there any justice in this world? Everyone in the NFC South wins at home.

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4; -3): If their defense couldn't tackle Carolina's running backs, how do they think they'll be able to get through the Giants in the playoffs?

8. Miami Dolphins (13; +5): I'm convinced that the Dolphins just do not have the talent to be feasibly good in the NFL. Sparano needs to be talked about more for coach of the year. 

9. New England Patriots (11; +2): I certainly don't like moving them up 2 spots, as they really don't look too hot right now. I don't know of anyone that should be above them, though. 

10. Minnesota Vikings (12; +2): They need Pat and Kevin Williams for their defensive line in the playoffs. If they have them, they could make some noise. If not, early exit.

11. Arizona Cardinals (14; +3): The Cardinals are in the playoffs! The Cardinals are in the playoffs! The Cardinals are in the playoffs!

12. Denver Broncos (15; +3): Quietly, they've won four out of five, but are now on their sixth string running back.

13. Dallas Cowboys (7; -6): And they're going to stay down here (or go lower) until the beginning of next year. Tony Romo was pathetic on Sunday. This is a team with no backbone. 

14. Philadelphia Eagles (18; +4): Every single Eagles fan in America is just saying to themselves "if we don't get in because of the Cincinnati tie ..." Congratulations Brian Westbrook, though, for becoming the franchise leader in yards from scrimmage.

15. Atlanta Falcons (8; -7): Why did I drop them 7 for a close loss to a divisional opponent? Because they're 1-4 against the top 14 teams. And the one was a win against Carolina at home. Everyone in the NFC South wins at home. 

16. New York Jets (6; -10): I don't care how much better San Francisco is playing, and that the Jets had to travel, and this and that. If they wanted to convince the world they were ready to play in the playoffs, they would have won this game. 

17. New Orleans Saints (16; -1): Eh, what are you going to do. The Jets still have the most impressive victory in the league so far this season in my opinion. The Falcons have had a better year so far. Keep winning and they'll move up. 

18. Washington Redskins (17; -1): At least they attempted to battle back against the Ravens. They just don't have enough offensively to succeed this year. 

19. Chicago Bears (21; +2): At 7-6, if they win out, they could still sneak into the playoffs. That's a rather large "if."

20. Houston Texans (22; +2): Well look who's almost at .500. They want to be taken with respect and not have another high draft pick this year. 

21. Buffalo Bills (19; -2): I guess Toronto didn't help.

22. San Francisco 49ers (26; +4): It will be a travesty if Mike Singletary is not re-hired at the end of this season. It will also be a travesty if Shaun Hill doesn't become their full-time quarterback. 

23. Green Bay Packers (20; -3): Wow, this team faded fast. From a potential playoff spot to a possible top-10 draft pick. Didn't think I'd see that one. 

24. San Diego Chargers (24; 0): I'm surprised I didn't see more headlines along the lines of "Chargers are coming back!" after they beat the Raiders. It seems it happens every other week.

25. Cleveland Browns (25; 0): If they play the Titans with this team in Tennessee 100 times, they would lose 100 times.

26. Jacksonville Jaguars (23; -3): I haven't seen a more uninspired defense in my life than what I saw from the Jaguars on Sunday.

27. Kansas City Chiefs (27; 0): Week 14 just ended, and the Chiefs are 2-11. For those of you who are actually still reading this, can you tell me what I should possibly say here?

28. Seattle Seahawks (30; +2): What a terrible way for Mike Holmgren's great career to end.

29. Oakland Raiders (29; 0): Where do you go in the draft for a team young at almost every offensive position?

30. Cincinnati Bengals (31; +1): Reports are that Marvin Lewis will be back next year. That's terrible. Tell me one thing he's done in Cincinnati to deserve such tenure. 

31. St. Louis Rams (28; -3): This team beat Dallas this year?

32. Detroit Lions (32; 0): If they were going to win a game this year, that was going to be it. Stafford, here we come. 

Division Rankings (I don't know why these didn't show up last week): Not a single change this week from last week, except for AFC South taking the number 3 spot back from the East. There's also a tie for last now that the 49ers are giving the NFC West its highest ranking of the year.  

1. NFC South (average rank: 11.25)

2. NFC East (11.50)

3. AFC South (13.00)

4. AFC East (13.50)

5. AFC North (15.75)

6. NFC North (21.00)

7. AFC West (23.00)

8. NFC West (23.00)