NFL Power Rankings 11

NFL Power Rankings

After Week 11

NOTE: Previous ranking is noted in the first parenthesis, record in second parenthesis.

1. (1) New England Patriots (8-2) – Now own the best record in the AFC, with wins over Denver and New England, two of the other top teams. Tom Brady continues to play well, Gronk is back, and Jonas Gray is now up to speed.

2. (3) Arizona Cardinals (9-1) – Best record in the NFC, by two games! In fact, they own the best record in the NFL, largely based on their great team defense. Who cares about Carson Palmer?

3. (7) Green Bay Packers (7-3) – Aaron Rodgers continues to play at an MVP level, and this team suddenly seems unbeatable. My money would be on this team making it to the Super Bowl if I had to pick now (in the NFC).

4. (8) Kansas City Chiefs (7-3) – The Broncos won’t pull away with the AFC West this season, as the Chiefs are one of the hottest teams in the league. Taking out Seattle Sunday was impressive, as they use tough defense and a stellar rushing attack.

5. (2) Denver Broncos (7-3) – The Broncos suffered a shocking loss to St. Louis, which really hurts their chances at the #1 seed in the AFC. They are suddenly tied atop their own division, so now they have to take care of that.

6. (5) Detroit Lions (7-3) – A road loss to the best team in the NFC by 8 points isn’t too disappointing. But they did lose their division lead and it was a loss to a backup QB. What I’m still trying to figure out is what happened to their offense this season?

7. (6) Indianapolis Cots (6-4) – The Colts didn’t play their best in a loss to the Pats, particularly on defense when they allowed Jonas Gray to run all over them. Seems like the Pats simply have their number.

8. (4) Philadelphia Eagles (7-3) – The buzz saw that is Green Bay was too much for the Eagles on Sunday, but every team would lose at Green Bay right now.

9. (9) Dallas Cowboys (7-3) – The bye was great for the Cowboys as they saw Philly lose and it gave Romo more time to heal up.

10. (11) San Francisco 49ers (6-4) – Despite a sluggish effort on offense, the 49ers won in Aldon Smith’s return. The defense forced 5 Eli Manning INT’s in the win. Chris Borland is making us forget about Patrick Willis.

11. (13) Cincinnati Bengals (6-3-1) – The Bengals got back on track and played great on both sides of the ball. Dalton had three TD’s and the defense held the Saints to 10 points… and it was at New Orleans!

12. (10) Seattle Seahawks (6-4) – Seattle is vulnerable on defense against the run. We saw this now against a bunch of teams. They also struggle passing the ball, especially with Tate and Harvin gone. This is a much different team than last year.

13. (15) Pittsburgh Steelers (7-4) – Thanks to LeVeon Bell, Pittsburgh is back on track. They now have a bye week before the get ready for a crucial stretch run.

14. (14) Baltimore Ravens (6-4) – Their bye week saw Cleveland lose, but the Bengals simply took over the top spot. This division seems to change hands on a weekly basis.

15. (16) Miami Dolphins (6-4) – Miami helped their wildcard pursuit by taking out the Bills. Buffalo was another wildcard hopeful, so this win could prove big.

16. (18) San Diego Chargers (6-4) – The Chargers righted the ship coming out of their bye, which kept them very much alive in the crowded AFC wildcard race.

17. (21) Houston Texans (5-5) – Ryan Mallott moved to 1-0 as an NFL starter. He also kept Houston alive despite their likely slim playoff chances.

18. (12) Cleveland Browns (6-4) – I was very disappointed in the Browns this week due to a disastrous effort against Houston… I had just started believing in them too. Funny how that always works.

19. (17) Buffalo Bills (5-5) – Buffalo lost a road matchup to a fellow division opponent, and a fellow wildcard team. They have to be disappointed, but they have to bounce back strong.

20. (22) Atlanta Falcons (4-6) – What team is winning the NFC South? This one! Yes, 4-6 and 20^th in my power rankings accomplishes that feat.

21. (24) St. Louis Rams (4-6) – What team can say they have wins over Seattle, San Francisco, and Denver? Only St. Louis. Too bad they can’t play that way every time.

22. (19) New Orleans Saints (4-6) – Two home losses in a row for a team once thought to be unbeatable there. Join the club if you are utterly confused by them.

23. (27) Chicago Bears (4-6) – So they can win at home! Chicago finally won their first home game of the season with a victory over Minnesota. Defense actually did some positive things. But Jay had two more INT’s.

24. (20) Minnesota Vikings (4-6) – Minnesota had a chance to reach .500 but couldn’t get the victory at Chicago. If AD returns, he could surely help.

25. (25) New York Jets (2-8) – This ranking isn’t based on their whole season, but on the fact they now look capable under Michael Vick. We’ll see if they can continue being competitive coming out of their bye.

26. (23) Carolina Panthers (3-7-1) – A blocked FG kept them from winning a big game over Atlanta. They now have a bye week to get things sorted out.

27. (31) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-8) – Mike Evans is emerging as a young star in this league. He had over 200 yards on Sunday in a big win.

28. (26) Washington Redskins (3-7) – I should actually rank them lower after their poor effort, but the rest of these teams suck also.

29. (28) New York Giants (3-7) – Can’t win a game when Eli throws 5 INT’s! Simple as that this week.

30. (29) Tennessee Titans (2-8) – The Titans had the game against Pittsburgh all but won. Too bad they couldn’t stop Bell. At least Mettenberger did some positive things.

31. (30) Jacksonville Jaguars (1-9) – They slid a spot despite a bye due to the Bucs win.

32. (32) Oakland Raiders (0-10) – Only six more games left this year to get a win. Will it happen?

By: The Sports Guys