Updated NFL Power Rankings: Week 11
By Editorial Staff
This ranking was completed by staff writer Jon New.
1. New England Patriots (7-2) Brady seems to have the Steelers number. They also seem to have the Colts, Ravens and Jets number as well. They sure pick good teams to beat up, and it will likely come in handy in January.
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2. Atlanta Falcons (7-2) Atlanta is for real, but if a team ever needed home field for the playoffs it was this team. Matt Ryan is showing what a franchise quarterback is supposed to be
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3. New York Jets (7-2) The Jets are going to wear themselves out playing into overtime every week. But they keep on winning. Playing two game in five days in the next 2 weeks will show if they are as good as their record.
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4. Philadelphia Eagles (6-3) An absolute thrashing of Washington on Monday Night proved that the Eagles made the right decision letting Donovan McNabb go in a trade. What to do with Michael Vick next year is the next question.
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5. Baltimore Ravens (6-3) Tough loss on Thursday for the Ravens, but seriously has any team griped about being ripped off by the refs more than the Ravens?
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6. Indianapolis Colts (6-3) The Colts didn’t look sharp on Sunday, but when playing the Bengals most teams don’t need to. They continue to plug people in when someone gets hurt. We all expect this from Peyton and company but for how much longer?
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7. Green Bay Packers (6-3) The Packers are hurting but they keep on winning.
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8. New Orleans Saints (6-3) The Saints are looking up at Atlanta in their own division and may have to take the wild card route at this point to make the playoffs. However, there is still a lot of football left to play.
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9. New York Giants (6-3) The Giants drew the short straw when they were forced to play Dallas inspired by their change in coach. How the Giants bounce back next week against Philadelphia will show how good this team can be.
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10. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3) The Steelers are banged up on the offensive line and it showed last night as Big Ben was roughed up. They have had a rough four game stretch going 1-2 in primetime games. They are going to need to plug some holes on the O-line if they want to make a run in the playoffs.
11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-3) The Buccaneers keep beating teams they should beat and are getting better and better every week. Has a team ever had so many contributions from 1st and 2nd year players?
12. Chicago Bears (6-3) Proof that records are not always what they seem the Bears are 6-3. All that being said I don’t think they really scare anyone down the stretch. Regardless they have some quality division wins that may help down the stretch.
13. Kansas City Chiefs (5-4) Rough day for the Chiefs. They just ran into a team that wasn’t going to lose on Sunday. The Chiefs are much improved but have a lot of work to do to get back to the playoffs.
14. Tennessee Titans (5-4) Randy Moss had exactly zero impact for the Titans and they fell to the Dolphins. To make matters worse they lost Kerry Collins who has proven invaluable with Vince Young’s injury history.
15. Miami Dolphins (5-4) Big win for the Dolphins over the Titans but it wasn’t cheap. The Dolphins lost their top two quarterbacks in the game and now will turn to Tyler Thigpen to keep their playoff hopes alive.
16. Oakland Raiders (5-4) Oakland benefited a great deal from Denvers win over Kansas City and the AFC West will now be very interesting down the stretch.
17. San Diego Chargers (4-5) No one was happier than the Chargers on Sunday watching Denver dismantle the Chiefs and put the Chargers in perfect position to make their typical late season run. The Chargers have made it this far without any real receivers and will be getting some help soon enough.
18. Seattle Seahawks (5-4) Ugly win for Seattle and now Matt Hasselbeck is banged up but Seattle is in the drivers seat in the NFC West. They took care of a weak Arizona team and as good as they appear one week they looks just as bad the next.
19. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-4) Amazing ending to the game for Jacksonville. A much needed win by the Jaguars. After ten weeks the Jags are still a mystery but are also still in the hunt for the playoffs.
20. St. Louis Rams (4-5) Picking at the top of the draft is starting to pay off for the Rams. Chris Long had a fantastic day against the Niners on Sunday and Sam Bradford continues to improve. The Rams are still alive in the West and look promising for years to come.
21. Cleveland Browns (3-6) The Browns may be 3-6 but they are a team no one wants to play. They have beaten Cincinnati, New Orleans, and New England, while taking every other team to the wire. The Browns may have something in Colt McCoy who never should have lasted to the third round.
22. Houston Texans (4-5) Houston started the season on a hot streak and has since fallen apart. They lost on a fluke hail mary pass on Sunday, but that was just a microcosm of a team that is not quite there yet. Gary Kubiak likely needs a playoff berth to salvage his job.
23. Denver Broncos (3-6) Denver dismantled the Chiefs on Sunday and in the process made the divisional race made a very very interesting. This Broncos team is tough to figure out and the next few weeks will be quite intriguing as we find out what Broncos team is the real one.
24. Washington Redskins (4-5) Washington may have signed McNabb to a long term deal a day to soon. Granted McNabb isn’t responsible for tackling Michael Vick, but regardless the decision doesnt look so good after Monday nights debacle.
25. San Francisco 49ers (3-6) Gutsy effort by Troy Smith on Sunday. The niners weren’t very sharp but they made plays when they needed to to get the win. Lucky for San Francisco their division is miserable so even at 3-6 they have a shot at the playoffs.
26. Dallas Cowboys (2-7) Dallas looked really sharp on Sunday as they easily handled the Giants. This team has all the talent in the world and with Jason Garrett bringing some discipline they might be able to utilize it and salvage something from the rest of 2010.
27. Arizona Cardinals (3-6) This team isn’t any good and Larry Fitzgerald isn’t enough to overcome a dismal offense. You have to wonder if Matt Leinart wouldn’t have been a better fit for Arizona.
28. Minnesota Vikings (3-6) Minnesota is done. Though with seven games left and out of the division by 3 games its not impossible. But lets face it 30 year-old Brett Favre isn’t walking through the doors anytime soon and neither is Vince Lombardi.
29. Cincinnati Bengals (2-7) What a total waste of talent this Bengals team is. They continue to find new and interesting ways to lose and have a QB in Carson Palmer who can make any throw yet for some reason seems to make terrible decisions which cost his team wins. Its time to blow this whole thing up and start over in Cincinnati.
30. Detroit Lions (2-7) Detroit lost to Buffalo on Sunday. Jim Schwartz may be running out of time in Detroit as the losses continue to pile up.
31. Buffalo Bills (1-8) The Bills got their first win against a two win Lions team with a backup QB. Regardless its better than a winless season, and with the pathetic Bengals team up next Buffalo could be working on a winning streak after next Sunday.
32. Carolina Panthers (1-8) Any team that is in line to pick first in the draft after 10 weeks deserves to be last in the power rankings. Things aren’t getting better for Carolina anytime soon either. They are down their two star running backs and potentially their two top QB’s with Baltimore on the schedule next. Carolina might as well start scouting for the draft.