Week 11 Power Rankings

Hi NFLers

Welcome to my weekly NFL Power Rankings – a look at how I rank the 32 NFL teams after the Monday Night Football fallout. The figures to the right of the logo denote each team’s current record while the number to the left in brackets is where I had them placed last week.
With the season of the bye week now upon us, should I mention a team’s overall offense or defense in the context of leading or propping up the league, I’ll place an asterisk next to that statistic because some teams have played a game less then others and these waters will become further muddied the longer the season progresses, until Week 12, when every team would have had their bye week and the statistics bear a truer reflection.

Big love for: Steelers, Bears, Raiders, Titans

No love for: Ravens, Bills, Chiefs

1. (1) 9-0 The last four Super Bowls have all been competitive or, in a couple of cases, absolute classics. We may be pining for such a game come February in Indianapolis.

2. (5) 7-3 The Saints justified their lofty perch in last week’s rankings and I still say they’ll make the NFC Championship Game.


3. (8) 7-3 Their two losses to the Ravens may not matter if Baltimore can’t put losing teams away.

4. (4) 8-1 I can’t believe a team with Alex Smith at QB have eight wins in nine. He’s lucky he has Jim Harbaugh.

5. (5) 6-3 The first rule of NFL Club…do not write off Belichick and Brady. The second rule of NFL Club…do not write off Belichick and Brady. The third rule of NFL Club…do not write off Belichick and Brady.

6. (6) 7-3 The loss of Matt Schaub for the season is a shocker. Matt Leinart takes over at QB. That’s even more of a shocker.

7. (3) 6-3 Even more of a shocker is the Ravens being 0-2 against the Jags and Seahawks this season.

8. (12) 6-3 Great coaching plus Matt Forte plus Devin Hester equals a deserved resurgence.

9. (7) 6-3 The loss in San Francisco didn’t surprise me and they remain dangerous.

10. (9) 6-3 The Bengals remain in my Top 10…just. The Ravens are gifting the Steelers the division and the Bengals may just do the same.

11. (10) 5-4 Coach Mike Smith made the howler of the season to gift the Saints the division.

12. (16) 5-4 Felix Jones joins DeMarco Murray from this week. They can barely wait for their two games against the Giants. The Cowboys are getting hot.

13. (13) 6-3 The darlings of the early season are finding out that 16 games is a long road.

14. (14) 5-4 New England beware should the Jets visit in the playoffs.

15. (24) 5-4 Carson Palmer kept his head while all those in San Diego were losing theirs.

16. (15) 4-5 What a waste of talent…for another season. Hang on, four wins out of seven could give them a home playoff game.

17. (11) 5-4 Big drop for the Bills and, like Detroit, are finding it tough going past October.

18. (22) 4-5 Tim Tebow completes two passes all game (two passes???) and the Broncos win in KC. Roll up next week when he turns water into wine.

19. (23) 2-7 Criticise me for my Top 20 Dolphins, but they’ve learnt to play for 60 minutes and they have the chance to further ruin Buffalo’s playoff hopes this Sunday.

20. (27) 5-4 The Titans’ 30-3 stroll in Carolina had Cam Newton calling the result “embarrassing”. I have no idea how they did it.

21. (25) 3-6 Kevin Kolb may find himself as a backup QB when he returns from injury as his own backup has just gone 2-0.

22. (17) 3-6 The Eagles have lost six games in nine weeks. They need to lose no more games over the next eleven weeks.

23. (18) 2-7 Getting blown away in Green Bay could happen to anybody.

24. (19) 4-5 Go on Tampa, go for the high draft pick, you know you want to. It’s better in the long run ‘cos you’re not as bad as you look right now.

25. (20) 2-7 It was good to see a mortified Cam Newton face the press after the Tennessee humiliation. His leadership skills are developing and you know the Panthers organisation can’t wait for 2012.

26. (26) 2-7 Steven Jackson remains impressive both on and off the field and he’s aided by Brandon Lloyd’s veteran presence. Much like the Panthers, bring on next season.

27. (21) 4-5 They’ll go down in history on the same page as Tim Tebow…and it will embarrass the Chiefs that the Broncos will forever have that over them.

28. (30) 3-6 The Pittsburgh Steelers love the Seattle Seahawks right now.

29. (28) 3-6 Beating the Colts does not a jump in the rankings make. Yes, it can even make you go backwards.

30. (29) 3-6 Averaging 9.25 points per game over the past four weeks. And yet there still is two teams worse than the Browns.

31. (31) 3-6 Rex Grossman is back at QB so we may see the Redskins reach 30th.

32. (32) 0-10 Peyton Manning welcomes Indy drafting a QB in April. That’s big progress so you have to hope that Andrew Luck wants to be a Colt.

http://www.sportingopinions.com/