1. New Orleans Saints (9-2)
The Saints have won a lot of close games both at home and on the road, which goes to show you that they have overcome the most difficult challenges a team could ask for. They respond to every obstacle presented before them well and have made a complete turnaround from where they were at this point in the season around a year ago. This point alone could be the reason Sean Peyton wins Coach of the Year.
2. Seattle Seahawks (10-1)
The only reason that the Seahawks aren't ranked as the top team in my power rankings is because of the weak schedule they faced. If they manage to beat the Saints on Monday Night Football there is no reason to put this team at any other spot than #1. The Seahawks have only given up over thirty points once and that ended up being their only loss. At the start of the season I didn't want to believe that the Seahawks would be this good because of their poor play on the road, but this season has been a completely different story.
3. New England Patriots (8-3)
Tom Brady picked up his Patriots after they found themselves down 24-0 and launched them to victory. With TE Gronkowski, WR Ammendola, and RB Vareen all back, the Patriots offense looks dangerous again. Even though Vince Wilfork is out, the defense shouldn't be overlooked as it somehow found a way to keep Peyton Manning off balanced all night.
4. Denver Broncos (9-2)
I'm not sure what caused Peyton Manning to play so terribly against the Patriots last week but I doubt it we will see anything like that again. Their offense is as complete as it gets as every player looks like a lethal option.
5. Kansas City Chiefs (9-2)
The defense is as damn good but the offense will need more big play potential if they fall behind in the game early. Last week's performance against the chargers shouldn't be looked at too closely as it's more of an outlier than anything. This team's real capabilities will be tested against Peyton Manning's Broncos once again and this time the Chiefs will be playing at home.
6. Carolina Panthers (8-3)
It was a struggle for Cam Newton and the Panthers against the Dolphins last week but they still managed to win with a strong second half. The team's defense is playing much better than anyone could have anticipated at the beginning of the season. Luke Kuechly has improved so dramatically over the course of his career, it's actually kind of scary.
7. San Francisco 49ers (7-4)
The niners snapped their losing skid and showed the nation why they're a dangerous team. More still needs to be done if they want to win a championship but they're definitely moving in the right direction. OLB Aldon Smith was fantastic in his game against the Redskins and WR Michael Crabtree is expected to make his season debut this coming week. Hopefully his return means a complete resurgence of the polarizing Colin Kaepernick as well.
8. Cincinnati Bengals (7-4)
Even with the injury of Geno Atkins this defense has remained formidable and has won them many games this season. If Andy Dalton can play smarter football the team can look to make a lot of noise for the rest of the regular season and playoffs.
9. Arizona Cardinals (7-4)
Another team with a defense that has been leading them to many victories. They have a lot of big names on that side of the ball and all are living up to expectations. You shouldn't sleep on the Palmer-Fitzgerald connection either as Fitz has now caught eight touchdowns this season.
10. Indianpolis Colts (7-4)
The Colts miss Reggie Wayne dearly (as does my fantasy team). The running game has been a bust since the Trent Richardson trade, the wide receivers have not stepped up, and the offensive line is putting Luck into too much pressure. The lone bright spot since Wayne's injury on the offensive side of the ball has been TE Coby Fleener.
11. Detroit Lions (6-5)
If the Lions manage to win a majority of their remaining games and make the playoffs Megatron should be a viable candidate to win MVP. The last time a wide receiver won the award was when all-time great Jerry Rice got it in 1990.
12. Chicago Bears (6-5)
Josh McCown has done an admirable job in replacing Jay Cutler and kept the Bears in the playoff chase. The Bears have a legitimate chance of winning every week in this pass happy league as cornerbacks Charles Tillman and Tim Jennings both rank amongst the best.
13. Dallas Cowboys (6-5)
Don't look now but it looks as if the talented Cowboys have finally figured it out. Tony Romo converted many key third downs and made a lot of clutch plays down the stretch last week, but how many times can you rely on him to win close games? I'd expect the Cowboys to make the playoffs and Romo finally proving his critics wrong.
14. Philadelphia Eagles (6-5)
Nick Foles is playing better than many have anticipated. He's not turning the ball over and just doing that alone has put the Eagles in a significantly better position to win games. Because of the sudden collapse every team in this division faced, the Eagles still have a shot at making the playoffs but Foles will have to maintain his high level of play.
15. San Diego Chargers (5-6)
The Chargers have all the firepower in the world with Phillip Rivers. Unfortunately, RB Ryan Mathews got injured once again and this time it happens to be his hamstring. Never feel good about hamstring injuries as initial reports tend to be wrong.
16. Green Bay Packers (5-5-1)
QB Matt Flynn did a great job after being subbed in for the struggling Scott Tolzein but the Packers couldn't come up with a win against the struggling Minnesota Vikings. They still have Eddie Lacy and a strong receiving corps that can keep them alive in the playoff race, but this team should not be expected to accomplish a whole lot with standout Aaron Rodgers sidelined.
17. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-6)
After their rough start to the season, the Steelers have now five of their last seven. Their remaining schedule is pretty tough so I doubt they will be able to maintain their hot streak. Much props to Big Ben for putting up enough points for his team to win. Although their offense has looked really ugly at times this year...
18. Baltimore Ravens (5-6)
If the Ravens want to be successful they will need to get Ray Rice to produce again. He's a top running back in this league so his lack of production cannot be explained very well. Fortunately for the Ravens, their defense is still playing at a pretty high level, which is keeping them alive in the playoff race. Even if they're barely hanging on.
19. St. Louis Rams (5-6)
After their beatdown of the Chicago Bears the Rams' record is looking good for a team thought to be rebuilding. The NFC West is extremely song with its weakest team having a record close to .500 and a load of draft picks in the future. Suddenly their running game has turned on with runningbacks Benny Cunningham and Zac Stacy breaking out.
20. Tennesse Titans (5-6)
Things are starting to look up for the Titans and now they're only one good draft away from being legitimate playoff contenders. If CJ2K comes back motivated in the following season, the league will have to look out for this team.
21. Miami Dolphins (5-6)
After signing him to a big contract, the Dolphins finally found a way to get WR Mike Wallace involved in the offense. If this is something that will be consistent or not will determine if the Dolphins make the playoffs this season.
22. New York Giants (4-7)
After winning four straight the Giants have run into a little bit of a speed bump with their loss to the Cowboys. With Hakeem Nicks injured, the Cowboys loaded up on Victor Cruz and he failed to get open.
23. Cleveland Browns (4-7)
When you have one of the best rated defenses and a stud wide receiver who gets 14 receptions, 237 yards, and a touchdown against a division rival how do you lose the game? Well that's how things go for the people of Cleveland. With QB Jason Campbell injured it's likely that the Browns playoff hopes are done.
24. Buffalo Bills (4-7)
With E.J. Manuel's return the Bills can only hope to get him more experience as this season has become a lost cause. There is still plenty to like with this team going forward as they possess a nice offense with the quarterback mentioned earlier and a nice one-two punch in the wide receiver and running back department. Most of the impact players on this team are relatively young so things should only look to get better as the years progress.
25. New York Jets (5-6)
Geno Smith has played so badly lately it's reminiscent of what Mark Sanchez was doing the last two seasons. Fortunately, Smith has shown potential early in the season and hopefully turns it around for future years so that the Jets can be relevant again instead of a laughing stock.
26. Oakland Raiders (4-7)
Raiders are struggling as expected from rebuilding teams. It doesn't help that their top players like QB Terrelle Pryor and RB Darren McFadden have gotten injured this season. They have bright spots on their roster but desperately need some more help in the secondary which should be addressed in the draft.
27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-8)
I wonder how different their season would have been if lineback Lavonte David didn't commit that stupid penalty in Week 1 and cause them to lose that game. Bucs fans do have something to look forward to next season with a promising running game and improved defense.
28. Minnesota Vikings (2-8-1)
Adrian Peterson can only carry his team so far. Even though his opponents load up the box and game plan to stop him, Peterson is still having a successful season as he is about to top 1000 yards once again. But with poor play nearly everywhere else on the field, the Vikings haven't managed to win many games.
29. Atlanta Falcons (2-9)
Even with their rough season, the Falcons and Matt Ryan have maintained good quarterback play. It's unfortunate what happened to one of the best wide receiver duos (Roddy White and Julio Jones) as this team was expected to accomplish great things this season.
30. Washington Redskins (3-8)
It's gotten really bad in the nation's capitol. People are calling for RGIII to be benched and for Kirk Cousins to get some reps. Let's face it, the Redskins have problems everywhere except at running back. Unfortunately, Alfred Morris can't celebrate his great season in which he's averaging five yards a carry when the rest of his team is doing so badly.
31. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-9)
MJD stopped playing like MJP (youtube search "Matt Forte prank calls Maurice Jones Drew" if you don't get this reference) and led his team to victory. While he is immensely talented and strong in many components of the game, he cannot be expected to carry his team to victories every week when he isn't getting any help from his quarterback and offensive line. This team needs the season to end.
32. Houston Texans (2-9)
What a meltdown. They were projected to do so well this season with countless weapons on the offensive side of the ball and a defense stacked with talent in nearly every position. Unfortunately significant injuries and poor quarterback play are only a few of the problems this steam has had this season. [Sorry Ben]
Go Bills!
ReplyDeletewow glad you caught that mistake
Deleteit would have gone unnoticed otherwise LOL