It’s been a bit longer than I had hoped to do the next
power-ranks so here they are through 10 weeks. So back again are my current
power ranks for the NFL. The Number in brackets is the teams rank from Week 7:
32 (32): Jacksonville
Jaguars: With the first pick in the draft the Jacksonville Jaguars
select………… I’m actually going to say they don’t draft a QB – I think their team
is just SO FLAWED that if they have the 1st pick, they trade down.
By all accounts this upcoming draft is just LOADED with NFL calibre QB’s. And
there’s only so many teams that need a QB: By my count 8… but even all of them
won’t draft a QB in the 1st round - Jacksonville, Tampa Bay,
Minnesota, Houston, Arizona, Cleveland, Kansas City. Couldn’t they go the
Cincinnati route and draft a non-QB in Round 1 to get a QB in Round 2? Clowney
and McCarron doesn’t make them a better team right away?
31 (30): Tampa Bay
Buccaneers: Considering I know that Russell Wilson never gets blown out in
football games, I wasn’t too panicked when the Seahawks were down 21-0 last
week to the Bucs. But man, is it ever going to be difficult for this team to
pick themselves back up now. How does Greg Schiano even look this team in the
face now? He’s not winning any games and this mentality of is has to be wearing
thin on these guys. I’m amazed he’s still hired right now.
30 (30): New York
Giants: There is a “Believe The Hype” section below but right here I’m
encouraging to not believe the hype in this team. Still some major flaws and
picking up wins over Minnesota and Philly when they couldn’t score a TD isn’t
anything to be proud of.
29 (24) St. Louis
Rams: The Bradford injury drops them a bit but not too far. Especially
since the emergence of Zac Stacy giving them a viable ground game to go with
their ferocious pass-rush. However they’re out of the playoff picture and it’s
another lost season for St. Louis.
28 (28): Pittsburgh
Steelers: Even though they’re not TECHNICALLY out of the division
(especially with Cincinnati falling apart by the week), I just don’t see how
they get back into it. Someone needs to put them out of their misery.
27 (5): Green Bay
Packers: Wait WHAT?!?! A 22 team drop? Well you have to consider the value of Aaron
Rodgers vs. the Spread is roughly 8.5-9 points – so if he were healthy or
even missing just 1 week they would be MUUUCH higher. But the reality is he’ll
be out for a bit, suddenly the landscape changes for the NFC North and the
Packers.
26 (29): Oakland
Raiders: It’s all about context – coming into the year the Raiders were
just hoping for anything to hang their hat on... Turns out they can probably
hang it on Terrelle Pryor. They’ll stay in the Hope section for the remainder
of the year.
25 (27): Minnesota
Vikings: These ranks were set before Week 10 so expect them to move up a
bit after their win against Washington. You realize that Aaron Rodgers is out,
Jay Cutler is banged up and Detroit eternally can’t get out of their way....
and that Minnesota is only 3 games back of all 3 teams. And gets to face each
team once more. I’m not saying they’ll do it but – hope is a good thing.
24 (22) San Diego
Chargers: The old saying is “You can’t win a season in October but you can
lose it” applies here. That gut-wrencher
loss on opening day to Houston, then another brutal late game loss to
Tennessee, and last week vs. Washington – they messed up the easy part of their
schedule and came out of it just a mere 4-4. That was their chance. Now they
get to play Denver twice, KC Twice, and Cincinnati. Hope is all that you have
left since you didn’t bank wins earlier.
23 (14): Atlanta
Falcons: Tumble all the way down. They’re just not good. Simply put. The “in
the trenches” players are getting blown up every week and it’s causing big
problems. They need all the pieces offensively to be healthy to run up scores to
force teams to throw and play into their hands, but they don’t have the horses
offensively to pull it off. And Roddy White coming back “allegedly healthy” I don’t
think actually helps thim.
22 (26): Washington
Redskins: Again these ranks are set prior to Week 10’s games so they’ll
obviously move down after this week. The defence is shambolic. Which is why I
couldn’t take them as a road favourite against an equally hilariously awful
Vikings team.
21 (25) Houston
Texans: Just for the record, I actually kind of like Case Keenum. But when
you had Super Bowl aspirations and now your season has become an adventure to
see if Case Keenum can be your guy down the road... that’s not a good thing.
20 (17): Baltimore
Ravens: In the week Eminem released his newest CD, I have to go retro and
ask “Will the Real Ray Rice – please stand up?” Boy do they need him... or at
least ANYTHING out of their running game, even if it’s from Pierce. They haven’t
led to finish out a 1st quarter in ANY of their past SEVEN games.
With their depleted receiving options , ditching the run is a worst case
scenario for them.
19 (21) Tennessee
Titans: The landscape didn’t change too much for them with Locker out. Really
the bye week couldn’t have come at a better time. While they could have used
that Texans win against Indy (don’t get me started on that game) to keep pace
with the Colts, it’s not done for them yet. If the D can continue to generate
turnovers, which under Gregg Williams there’s no reason to suspect they won’t,
they’ll start to pick up W’s.
18 (19): Arizona
Cardinals: I had to do a triple take when I saw they were 4-4. Go ahead and
check it. I’ll
wait.........................................................................................
Amazing right? Now sit down for a second – look at their upcoming schedule. Vs.
Houston , @ Jacksonville, vs. Indy, @ Philly, vs. St. Louis. Considering their
defence, couldn’t they go 4-1 in that stretch? Indy and Philly are really the
question marks, but I think they could go 1 n’ 1 for those games.
17 (18): Cleveland
Browns: In theory they’ve moved up 1 spot but remember that the Packers
have dropped so far because of the Rodgers injury so really nothing has
changed. They still find themselves in the mix for the AFC North so I hope you
kept your pre-season Browns make the playoffs stock like I did.
16 (20) New York Jets:
I hope you didn’t think I forgot them. Congrats to Rex Ryan who will get
himself a contract extension at some point which only makes me think of this Joker line. He’s
just a brilliant defensive coach which is basically what this NFL is now. And
actually all sports in this cap-era. If you’re elite at 1 thing, you can use it
to mask your other flaws and play the matchups vs. your opponent. The Jets have
an elite front 4 and it will win them games. That’s just the bottom line.
Except now the expectations coming into the year were so low that they’re not
laughing stocks. And are actually only 2 games out of the division lead aaaaand
currently reside 6th in the AFC... aka – the last playoff spot.
15 (16): Philadelphia
Eagles: I don’t even know with this team. That’s all I have.
14 (23): Buffalo
Bills: Here’s the reverse effect of getting your QB back rather than losing
it like Green Bay – you spring up the rankings. There’s no reason the Bills
should have lost that game last week. Just dumb bad luck. And despite all that,
they’re still not even out of it. Remember when Washington went crazy at the
end of last year racking up wins to get to the playoffs... Buffalo ABSOLUTELY could
be that team this year. What do you need – An easy schedule to start
(@Pittsburgh, vs. Jets, bye week, vs. Atlanta, @ Tampa, @ Jacksonville, vs.
Miami, @ New England) – Take away New England and for those keeping score, that’s
a final 6 games against teams with a combined 13 wins. And really who knows if
the full set of starters start for The Pats in Week 17.
13 (11) Chicago Bears:
The Bills are so high because I feel that their play on the field makes them
worthy of that spot so they deserve to be there and I’d rather be right on them
early then right on them late. The Bears deserve to be lower, but that win last
week keeps them up. And for the record... IT WAS GIFT WRAPPED. It’s not a fair argument
or comparison to make to say that “Well Chicago had their backup as well” when
you look at Josh McCown and Seneca Wallace. McCown had 2 weeks to prepare for
Green Bay. Wallace was making sure the clipboard had enough paper when the game
began. There are 2 teams I believe will
come careening down the standings, and this is 1.
12 (10) Miami
Dolphins: One more reminder, these ranks were done before most of this
Icognito – Martin story broke. I’ll have more on this team below.
11 (9) Detroit Lions:
If there was ever a time for this team to lay claim to this AFC North –
this is it. We’re about to see what Matt Stafford and Jim Schwartz are made of.
Important note, I left out Calvin Johnson there – because we know
what he’s made of.
10 (13) Indianapolis
Colts: Remember when I said don’t get me started – well that was a lie. ARE
YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME. Ok forget the fact that they won the game last week,
but what a miraculous cover. They needed 3 missed field goals and a 2 point
conversion. Just take your time with that. This is my 2nd candidate
to take a tumble. Because I refuse to believe you can be this fortunate in this
league.
9 (12): Cincinnati
Bengals: The injuries are mounting and collectively it has them lower than
they should be. Do they need to do some yoga or something to get more
flexibility to prevent injuries? What is happening there?!?!?! How can so many
guys be in the infirmary? Hall, Atkins, Maualuga, Whitworth, Gresham, Bernard,
Zeitler. Like those are all important players. Some or slated to play but all
have ended up on the injury report.
8 (15): Carolina
Panthers: WHOOOOO! Loving me these Carolina Panthers. Just T-C-B’ing.
Taking Care of Business. They’ve put themselves in position to make the
playoffs now and if it wasn’t for some early season stumbles they’d be ahead of
some good teams on this list.
7 (7): Kansas City
Chiefs: These ranks aren’t done to reflect the standings – they’re done to
reflect on how I feel about these teams and my trust level with them. And you
can be 9-0 but that doesn’t mean your wins are impressive (See 2012: Atlanta
Falcons). If you want to be considered an elite team, then don’t win 3 games
against sub .500 teams by a combined 17 points. And that’s an inflated 17
points because last week they had zero offensive
TD’s but got 2 from their D.
6 (7) Dallas Cowboys:
I have them just a hair above KC just because they can do things offensively
that suit today’s NFL whereas the Chiefs can’t (i.e. Throw the ball downfield).
I don’t think they’ll win this week so you KC Fans can rest easy knowing you’ll
pass the Cowboys this week, but coming out of the bye they need to rattle off 3
wins to put away the horrendous NFC East.
5 (6): San Francisco
49ers: So the Panthers go on a 4 game win streak and everyone points to
their weak opposition but the 49ers go on a 5 game winning streak and nobody
says anything? Why? Is it maybe because it’s easier to root for Jim Harbaugh
and the 49ers than Ron Rivera and the Panthers? Maybe. Is it cause the 49ers
are a tradition team and the Panthers aren’t. Maybe. But the 49ers got to play
Schaub and Houston during the tailspin, The Rams, Arizona, The Titans with
Locker coming back way too early from an injury, and the Jaguars. How is that difficult?
4 (4): New England
Patriots: 1 more Eminem reference. Guess who’s back.... back again... Brady’s
Back... Tell a friend. Actually I’m not so sure that they are or if he just
looked REALLY good against Pittsburgh, but it was kind of nice to see the Pats
drop 50+ on the scoreboard again.
3 (3): New Orleans Saints:
This team did what San Diego didn’t. Took care of business early. They have
a murderous row of a schedule coming up but with the wins in the bank, they
really just need to go .500 through that stretch to make the playoffs. They
have Carolina twice, San Fran next week, Seattle, Dallas this week and even
though Atlanta is pretty awful, it’s still a huge divisional rivalry game that
the Falcons will get up for.
2 (2): Seattle
Seahawks: I usually make up my Christmas List right after Remembrance Day –
Seahawks Offensive Line getting healthy was #2 on the list.
1 (1): Denver Broncos:
#ScoreAllThePoints
Week 10 Picks: I’m really excited for this week because the
playoff picture is starting to form. Plus I was finally above .500 last week. On
bye this week: Cleveland, Kansas City, New England, and New York Jets..... Home
teams are in CAPS
VIKINGS (+2.5) over Redskins
The Vikings beat the Redskins 34-27 on Thursday Night.
TITANS (-13) over Jaguars
YES! I FINALLY KICKED THE HABIT OF PICKING THE JAGUARS. The
Titans do play a divisional game against the Colts on Thursday but I don’t
think looking ahead will hurt THEM here. *SPOILER
ALERT FOR COLTS PICK* Because while that’s a big game for them, it means
virtually nothing if you don’t take this one seriously.
PACKERS (+1) over Eagles
We live in a world now where if you give a competent coach
enough time he can get Jason Campbell, Thad Lewis, Josh McCown to look good
enough to get teams W’s. Seneca Wallace had ZERO chance last week and it was
unfortunate because that game was begging to be had. But now with a full week
to prepare for a semi sieve like defence and the backing of Eddie Lacy burning
through gaps on the D – I’ll take the Pack at Lambeau. This line has swayed 11
points, from where it opened which is kind of crazy. Important mantra of never being
as good or as bad as you look applies here with the Eagles coming off that 7 TD
performance by Foles and Wallace looking how he was. Plus – HOME DOG!
BILLS (+3) over Steelers
This will be the 3rd underdog through 4 games so
just get used to it now. I was all-in on the Panthers a month ago and the
marketplace changes. When the price escalates and plateaus on 1 stock you need to
find a new one. My new one is Buffalo. I’m buying into Doug Marrone.
Raiders (+7) over GIANTS
I’ve looked for ANY injury news in regards to this game. I
just don’t get it. It might be a trap game but I’m not sure which way. Do
people really think that this Giants team is going to make a 2nd
half surge again? I get that’s the narrative with this team but how many times
can you go to the well? The D-Line doesn’t look healthy and they still have no
running game. I think the Raiders are a better team.
Rams (+9) over COLTS
This was 10 points and it got moved to 9 opening the door
for another miraculous cover by Andrew Luck. This time I predict that the
Colts are up by 1 with 3 minutes to go and score a TD to go up 8. The ensuing
kickoff will be returned from 8 yards deep but only be returned to the 14 yard
line and then a clipping flag will be thrown moving it back. 1st
down will be a holding penalty moving it back further. After a loss of 1 on a
run by Zac Stacy, Kellen Clemens will be sacked for a safety on 2nd
down creating an insurmountable 10 point lead and the Colts will kill the clock
when they gain possession. That’s a ludicrous sequence of events to happen but
when you get the kind of fortune the Colts have had over the past 2 years (like
tanking in the perfect season for the next transcendent QB), anything is
possible. But for real, this is a matchup league and I don’t think the Colts
matchup well vs. the Rams considering they can now run with Stacy and their D-Ends
will devour the Colts line.
Seahawks (-4) over FALCONS
Unfortunately going against a HOME DOG here but it’s because
I think the Seahawks defensive line actually comes to play. They got embarrassed
last week vs. Tampa so I’m banking on them playing for pride against an
opponent they know they can beat up on.
RAVENS (+1.5) over Bengals
Ravens at home. Ravens at home. Ravens at home. Ravens off a
bye. Ravens off a bye. Ravens off a bye. Harbaugh off a loss. Harbaugh off a
loss. Harbaugh off a loss.
Lions (PK) over BEARS
Like I said above, the Bears are going to experience a
tumble because the defence just isn’t good. The Lions aren’t that far removed
from dropping 40 on them. And Detroit has managed some wins away from home this
year which is encouraging. Plus I think the win over the Cowboys in the manner
it was done is a huge mental hurdle for them.
Panthers (+6.5) over 49ers
If you enjoy football in the trenches – then enjoy this
game. It’s going to be a battle. It’s not going to be for those with weaker
stomachs. It wouldn’t surprise me to see this game be 9-7 final score. Not even
in the least. I don’t buy that Aldon Smith coming back is a good thing for the
49ers much in the way that Von Miller didn’t look great his first game back for
the Broncos. A month off in a rehab DURING the season isn’t a good thing.
Before that creampuff schedule I laid out for the 49ers above, they were coming
off back to back losses to Indy and Seattle. Enter a strong team and we’ll learn
what we need to about both teams.
CARDINALS (-3) over Texans
I’ve flip flopped over this pick at least a dozen times. I
really have no feel for it so I’m just going to take the home team with the
elite defence. But please remind me how stupid this pick was when JJ Watt takes
it personally that Bruce Arians is calling 7 step drops with Carson Palmer and
that weak offensive line against him.
Broncos (-7) over CHARGERS
Man what’s wrong with me this week. Going against the Jags
and taking a 2nd road favourite? But hey did you notice how Phillip
Rivers is getting all this press for being back! So you’d think over the past
month with games against the Raiders, Colts, Jaguars and Redskins they’d put up
over 24 points at least once (Raiders, Jags, Redskins are all averaging over 24
Points Per Game Allowed). I’ve tried not to buy into San Diego all year because
I felt like things would catch up to them and now that time has come. And I
know you’re concerned about this being open to a scary back-door cover but this
is when you remind yourself that Peyton Manning has had 2 weeks to prepare for
a divisional game in the dewy
sweet air of San Diego.
SAINTS (-6.5) over Cowboys
You really can’t make this high enough for me. This isn’t
even going to be close. The Cowboys pass D is about as helpful as the guy in
your fantasy league that’s 1-8 but has a GREAT offer for you. The Saints don’t
just enjoy playing at home – they relish it. They play 60 minutes when they’re
at home and refuse to let their foot of the petal. In fact they don’t even have
a petal because it’s just assumed that the motor runs. They’re 20-6 against the
spread their last 26 home games. That’s pretty absurd. 77% for those that want
percentages. Add in that they’re coming off a loss to the high-profile Jets, a
game which they probably weren’t even focused on because they had their eye on
this one. And this is a primetime game.
Dolphins (-2.5) over BUCCANEERS
I flipped on this one all week as well because both teams
are in shambles. Here’s the difference between the two teams though. The
Dolphins issue on a week to week basis is a situational problem. If the
coaching staff and management allowed that type of culture to develop in the
locker room, it’s not magically going to disappear in a week’s time. It’s
something that needs to be addressed in the off-season. When Penn State started
last year with a win against all odds all you heard from the players was that
they just wanted to get back to play football. Get away from all the
distractions they had to deal with to do what they love. But they had already
removed the problem with Sandusky and Paterno so now only the healing needed to
continue. So while we learn more and more about Incognito and Martin, the virus
that is Richie Incognito has already been removed from the scenario. Now the
players can just look forward to football. It might be a distraction, but they
are still operating in a locker room culture that they think they can make
work. The Buccaneers however have a foundational problem. Now I get that
Seattle is just a better team than Tampa, but when you’re up 21-0 – you shouldn’t
lose that game. And WHEN you do, especially given their track record... how
much longer can you continue to look at the coach and take what he says
seriously?
This Week: 1-0
Last Week: 7-6
This Season: 61-83-2
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