NFL Power Rankings Week 14: Saints Streaking, Lions Playoff Hopes Dimming
#16 Tennessee Titans
I slowly have the Titans creeping up week by week. This team sure looks different when Chris Johnson is on their game, no? Johnson is finally back and the Titans could ride his hot legs into the playoffs.
#15 New York Giants
If the Giants played the way they played against the Packers all season they would have two to three more wins on the season. They came out with fire and passion and really got after the quarterback, now Aaron Rodgers is so good he still put up a ton of points, but their ability was evident. If you watched the Packers game and compared it to the Eagles and Saints game you wouldn’t recognize the Giants. The Giants have Three games they must win: the 2 vs the Cowboys, and the one against the Redskins if they do that they will win the division regardless of what they do against the Jets.
#14 Oakland Raiders
Raiders are clinging on for dear life here. After they lose to the Packers this week they have to play Detroit, Kansas City, and San Diego. They probably need to win at least two if not all three of those games to make the playoffs.
#13 New York Jets
The Jets are in a familiar position, needing some help to get into the playoffs for the third year in a row, and you know what they’ll probably get it somehow. No matter how much this team beats itself throughout the year they seem to find a way to sneak into the playoffs and create some havoc, but they have virtually no tiebreakers and must finish a game ahead of the Broncos and hope the Bengals lose two conference games to get in.
And they played poorly for 95 percent of the Redskins game, but ended up winning big in the end as the Redskins shot themselves in the foot a few times and had Rex Grossman as quarterback. I keep writing this every week, but they have to play better, yet they are still winning.
#12 Detroit Lions
The Lions loss, but at least they have their quarterback and best offensive player (Johnson) on the team and have their best DL coming back after next week. The Lions, Bears, Falcons are in a battle here. Right now I have the Detroit Lions ahead of the Bears right now because they looked more impressive than the Bears did on Sunday.
#11 Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals are a game ahead of the other wild card contenders, but they don’t have a favorable schedule comign up: with
Pittsburgh,
Houston and Baltimore still remaining. The Texans game looks less daunting than it did before, but it could still be tough. It looks to be a low scoring game at least. If they take care of their business and win the game with either
Pittsburgh or
Baltimore (and the Ravens game is the last game of the season and could mean nothing to the Ravens) they should be playoff bound.
The Jets and Titans are nipping at their tails though so they have to be better.
#10 Atlanta Falcons
The N.F.C. Wildcard picture is a mad scramble as teams can’t get out of their own way to make the playoffs. With the Falcons loss they now have four conference losses, but the Lions loss gives them five conference losses and the Falcons are still in a good position to make the playoffs, surprisingly.
#9 Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers are #9 because I like to put the division leaders 1 through 8 and the Steelers are the best wild card team.It wouldn’t shock me at all if they are playing in the Superbowl, but right now they are in an uphill battle to win the division.
#8 Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys hold all the cards, now if the Giants sweep the Cowboys and beat the Redskins they will likely win the division, but let’s not get ahead of oursevles. The Cowboys don’t drop in this power ranking this week because the Giants also lost and the Cowboys remain in control of the N.F.C. East.
#7 Denver Broncos
This week the Raiders are traveling to Green Bay to lose to the packers while the Broncos will await at home for the Bears travel to them. Oh did I mention the Bears will be without their Quarterback or team M.V.P. and running back? I think the Broncos are chugging along their way to the playoffs. Believe in them or not, if the season ended today the Broncos would be in the playoffs.
#6 Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens finally beat down a vastly inferior team as Ray Rice rushed for over 200 yards. When Rice is on the Ravens are nearly impossible to beat.
#5 San Francisco 49ers
Last week I had the 49ers at #6 and the Ravens at #5, but I felt bad about that because the 49ers could be as high as #3 with the way they have played this year so I creeped them up a bit this week even though both the Ravens and 49ers handled lesser teams with ease. The 49ers have been much more consistent this year than the Ravens. Hopefully for the 49ers Patrick Willis won’t have any serious injury.
#4 Houston Texans
I didn’t move the Texans down after last week and said I’d wait a week until they lost (I had them at #2) to move them off the #2 spot, but forging ahead with a late round rookie quarterback…yikes. It’s not like Leinart was setting the world on fire, but this team can’t possibly keep it’s pace up, can they? I really hope they win a few more games and make the playoffs for the first time ever.
Well I wrote that last week and their defense and run game came through in a game I thought they would lose to a quality Atlanta Falcons team.
#3 New Orleans Saints
No one, Green Bay included looks forward to playing the Saints with their deep array of wide receiving options. Their defense is vulnerable, but they are well coached, agressive and a terrific offense. The Lions gave them all they could handle, but they still came out on top.
#2 New England Patriots
This defense is really over-achieving as of late like the Buffalo Bills defense early in the season. They are creating some turnovers, and are generating a fair pass rush with some no-names and over the hill types. Still they are winning a lot of games have an easy schedule to finish up and have Tom Brady and Bill Belichick they have to be the favorites to represent the A.F.C in the Superbowl right now.
#1 Green Bay Packers
The only other ranking other than the Colts that comes without any controversy. Their defense looks much better than it did at the beginning of the season, but it still is a sieve against the pass and the defense doesn’t look Superbowl Champion caliber even though the offense might overcome that. The Packers have had some close calls on the road, but who cares? They won’t see the road in the playoffs.
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