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The Ultimate Source for your Ph.D. in Pigskin |
Week Seven Power Rankings Well, for the second straight week, the games I told you to keep an eye on had very little impact on the rankings. This stems from the fact that the favorites took care of business in those contests. However, there was a game that really shook things up. Of course, I'm talking about Cleveland-New Orleans. If you saw the game, you realize that the Saints couldn't stop shooting themselves in the foot, but credit needs to be given to the Browns for taking full advantage of those opportunities and Eric Mangini throwing caution to the wind with some unorthodox calls. As a matter of fact, the game was so bizarre that the leading rusher was Cleveland's punter, Reggie Hodges, who appeared as though he may pass out at any time during his 68-yard "sprint" on a fake punt. Because of the 30-17 Browns win in the Superdome, Cleveland rose five spots (30th to 25th) and New Orleans slid six (6th to 12th). In addition, Oakland joined the Browns as the big winners of the week, jumping from 29th to 24th after their absolute dismantling of the Broncos, 59-14. This week's homework, kiddos, is to watch out for the results from Washington-Detroit, Green Bay-New York Jets, Tennessee-San Diego, and Minnesota-New England. All are games where I could see the underdogs pulling out a win, causing major upheaval in the rankings, and thus, causing my head to explode while completing a fine piece of weekly literature that we kindly refer to as the Weekly Power Rankings.
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| 1 |
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New York Jets |
5-1 |
I'm still not sure if they should be ranked ahead of the Steelers, but this week's test against the Packers should provide a good indication. |
| 2 |
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Pittsburgh | 5-1 | Of course, Pittsburgh pulling the rabbit out of their hat in Miami, doesn't make me feel too good about that effort either. Sorry Ben, but it should have been Miami ball. |
| 3 |
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New England | 5-1 | Obviously, they San Diego win wasn't impressive, but that kind of win was a staple in the Patriots' glory years.. |
| 4 |
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Baltimore | 5-2 | Here I've been very critical of the offense, particularly Joe Flacco, but the defense hasn't been very Raven-like. 31 points to the Bills? Really??? |
| 5 |
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Indianapolis | 4-2 | This week's Monday-nighter against the Texans will tell us how they'll adapt sans Clark, Addai, and Collie. Something tells me it could be the beginning of the end. |
| 6 |
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New York Giants | 5-2 | If they can learn to get out of their own way, they might be the best in the league. Manning, Bradshaw, and Jacobs almost gave the game, literally, to Dallas. |
| 7 |
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Tennessee | 5-2 | To me, this is the most enigmatic team in the league. I just can't see them as a division-winning team, but I can't ignore how well they're playing, either. |
| 8 |
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Houston | 4-2 | Everyone said that the first game of the season was the most important in team history. Well, that one pales in comparison to this week's rematch against Indy. |
| 9 |
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Philadelphia | 4-3 | I like Kevin Kolb, but there's no doubt in my mind that the Eagles are better with Mike Vick at the controls. This may be the lowest you'll see them from here on out. |
| 10 |
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Atlanta | 5-2 | I keep hearing the pundits say this is the best team in the NFC. They're overrated and I'm not even sure they're the third best team in the conference. |
| 11 |
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Green Bay | 4-3 | Beating Brett Favre and the Vikings, even in an ugly game, was a huge milestone. They need to back that up with a win against the Jets or it's all for naught. |
| 12 |
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New Orleans | 4-3 | After Pittsburgh this week, they have Carolina, bye, Seattle, Dallas, Cincinnati, and St. Louis. Sounds like a pretty good way to right the ship, huh? |
| 13 |
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Miami | 3-3 | OK Miami, I get it, you got screwed. But, it's time to get over it. Complaining about it to national radio and TV hosts isn't going to make them review it again. |
| 14 |
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Kansas City | 4-2 | I realized with this ranking that I do think the Chiefs are a good team. After all, I didn't move them up or overreact to them beating up on the Jags. |
| 15 |
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Washington | 4-3 | Can anyone explain to me how they get six turnovers from Chicago, and still need an interception return by DeAngelo Hall to win that game? Yeah, I didn't think so. |
| 16 |
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Tampa Bay | 4-2 | If Josh Freeman played in an East-coast big market, he would be the biggest story in the league this year. That's OK, though, Tampa fans have no problem with it. |
| 17 |
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Minnesota | 2-4 | I didn't penalize them because they ran into some bad luck and officiating against the Packers. But, if they lose in Foxboro, I'll have no choice but to move them down. |
| 18 |
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Cincinnati | 2-4 | Welcome back, Carson Palmer. My how we've missed you. Ummm, what's that? What do you mean he's been playing all along? Oh...well then...good game, son. |
| 19 |
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Seattle | 4-2 | I'm actually thinking about no longer commenting on NFC West teams. I mean, seriously, they make the NFC Central of the 80's look like a power division. |
| 20 |
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San Diego | 2-5 | They're next two are at home against Tennessee and then at Houston. Norv really needs to concentrate on maximizing his job search during the week 10 bye. |
| 21 |
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Chicago | 4-3 | Is it just me, or is the Jay Cutler/Mike Martz marriage beginning to look like a really bad idea (said with an incredibly humongous amount of sarcasm)? |
| 22 |
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Dallas | 1-5 | How 'bout them Rangers?!?!?! Yeah, that's what I thought, too. Trust me, not even the people in Dallas/Ft. Worth care about the World Series. |
| 23 |
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Jacksonville | 3-4 | It's a shame to see a player who is as passionate about football as Maurice Jones-Drew playing for such a lackluster franchise and fan-base. |
| 24 |
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Oakland | 3-4 | I know this is going to sound sarcastic, but that's more like the team I thought we'd see this year. Remember, I had them going 8-8 and finishing second in the AFC West. |
| 25 |
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Cleveland | 2-5 | In the past, I always got the feeling that players didn't care for Eric Mangini. Maybe it's the Mike Holmgren effect, but the Browns are definitely playing hard for him. |
| 26 |
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St. Louis | 3-4 | Every time I hear Steve Spagnuolo on Sirius NFL Radio, I find myself wanting to run through a brick wall. No wonder he's turning this thing around quickly. |
| 27 |
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Denver | 2-5 | That may have been the worst beating since the 73-0 whooping the Bears put on the Redskins in 1940. OK, maybe not that bad, but it was closer than you think. |
| 28 |
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Detroit | 1-5 | In paraphrasing Roy Williams, it's ridiculous how the Lions could very easily be 3-3 or better. This time, Roy, it's actually true. |
| 29 |
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Arizona | 3-3 | Many people will be surprised at a 3-3 team being ranked at 29. I'm not - that's the most hollow .500 record since the Pirates started 2009 at 1-1. |
| 30 |
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Carolina | 1-5 | This team's performance has been pretty surprising, and no one is talking about it. How can you be this bad offensively with DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart? |
| 31 |
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San Francisco | 1-6 | Believe it or not, and it may take some time because of his lack of practice time with the first team, but I think Troy Smith will be a huge upgrade at quarterback. |
| 32 |
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Buffalo | 0-6 | Only 10 more losses for the greatest prediction of all time! |
