Nov

20

NFL Power Rankings Week 11

Posted by Matt Loede under Power Rankings 

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, right, talks with quarterback Tom Brady during the NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Nov. 18, 2007. The Patriots won 56-10 

Six game remain in the regular season, and there are still a lot of things to play for in the National Football League.  It was another week of wild endings and some surprises, so here we go with our week 12 edition of our power rankings.

NFC Top 5
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1. Dallas (1) – The Cowboys struggled early with the rival Redskins, but once they found their stride, and that included Terrell Owens getting behind the secondary, look out.  T.O. had four TD’s, and Dallas held on for a  28-23 win.  This week should be much easier with the two win Jets coming to town on Thanksgiving.

2. Green Bay (2) – Another solid win Sunday at home for the Pack, who beat up the Panthers and are also sitting at 9-1.  The defense is still playing at a high level, and the running game with Ryan Grant continues to get better.  And then there’s Brett Favre, who is also playing like an MVP which is one of the better stories of 2007.

3. New York Giants (3) – Sunday in Detroit the Giants got a big road win that cements them as at least a wild card team in the NFC.  Their defense played well against the high powered Lions, and the offense did enough in the end to get the job done.  They look like they have the makings of a team that can give someone a tough game in the first round.

4. Seattle (5) – The new look Hawks that are throwing the ball a lot more seem to be the team that we thought they would be.  Matt Hasslebeck is going to have to continue to play well for this team to keep making strides, and Sunday vs the Bears he hung in there and made some big plays.  They will have to hold off a Cards team that is also starting to hit their stride.

5. Arizona (-) – Speaking of which, the Cards make our list for the first time in 2007, as they have won two in a row and Sunday their defense came up with some big scores in a win in Cincinnati.  They have started buyin into their defensive scheme, and the offense is doing enough with a banged up Kurt Warner to get the job done.
NFC Bottom 3
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1. San Francisco (1) – Another ugly offensive effort Sunday from the 49′ers, who are now saying that they will make no coaching moves with coordinators till after the year.  Whatever.  This team has gone so backwards in 2007, it’s hard to imagine it just being the fault of one coach or player.  Trent Dilfer played again on Sunday for Alex Smith, and nothing changed.

2. Atlanta (-) – The Falcons are back in our rankings after a dismal home outing vs the Bucs.  They keep playing the QB shuffle, and no one knows what the heck Bobby Petrino is thinking.  They host the Colts on Thursday night, and that should be another ugly night at the Georgia Dome.

3. St.Louis (3) – Yes, the Rams have won two in a row, but considering it’s their only two wins of the year, they still have a long way to go.  I still contend this team can play spoiler for the last month and a half, and with the talent they have all over the place, there’s no reason for them not to win 4-5 games this year.
AFC Top 5
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1. New England (1) – Is it getting boring watching this team week after week?  I started feeling bored Sunday night as they took apart yet antoher hapless foe in the Buffalo Bills.  What are they going to put up on the Jets in a few weeks, 80?  How about the winless Dolphins, 100?  If there’s a team out there that can beat these guys, I’d like to see it.

2. Indianapolis (3) – The Colts are still struggling on offense, but Sunday they at least had enough on defense and at the end to get the job done at home vs the Chiefs.  That was a gutsy call late for Tony Dungy to go for it on 4th-and-1 inside the Cheifs 10.  What it did was spark the team enough to repay their coach with a first down and a win.  They really need to get some players healthy though.

3. Pittsburgh (2) – What the heck was that Sunday in the Meadowlands?!  The Steelers, who for the past few weeks looked like a legit challenger to the Pats and Colts, couldn’t stop the 1-8 Jets, and lost 19-16 in OT.  That loss can do one of two things – wound them for the rest of the year, or be a serious wake up call.  It will be interesting to see which one it is.

4. Jacksonville (4) – The Jags continue to impress, as this past Sunday they were at home for the first time in almost a month and beat the Chargers 24-17.  They welcomed back David Garrard, who played well, and the defense did a great job in holding down the up and down Chargers offense.  They still are a threat to the Colts in the AFC South.

5. Denver (-) – Monday night the Broncos got back in the AFC West race with a big win home over the Titans.  Hard to believe after bad losses to the Chargers and Lions that this team could actually sneak out the AFC West and host a first round game at Invesco Field.  This is not to say that would win that game, but if they can keep making strides, they could be a darkhorse in the AFC the rest of the season.
AFC Bottom 3
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1. Miami (1) – The troubles for the Fins continued on Sunday in Philly, as they had little offense with new QB John Beck, and their defense allowed Brian Westbrook to run all over them for a career-high 148 yards.  Now they get to go play a ticked off Steelers team in Pittsburgh, where the Steelers have yet to lose in 2007.  Is it possible they may not win a game?  Very much so.

2. Oakland (3) – Daunte Culpepper threw the ball a ton against his old team, but he continues to be a turnover machine, and it’s a big reason he and the Radiers are in the midst of a 6-game losing streak.  There’s hope coming, as #1 pick JaMarcus Russell is a few weeks away from playing, and it looks like he indeed will play this season.

3. Cincinnati (-) – One week after beating the Ravens, the Bungles dropped a winnable home game to the Arizona Cardinals.  Carson Palmer looks like he and the wide outs are not on the same page anymore, and this team has not been able to run the ball well the whole season.  The fan base is becoming restless in the Queen City, and at 3-7 a 6-10 record is even going to be tough to get to.                                                      


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