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The Ultimate Source for your Ph.D. in Pigskin |
Week Ten Power Rankings Many of you who follow the site will not be surprised by the top team, and biggest riser, in the rankings this week: the New England Patriots. It hasn't been a secret that I'm a huge fan of the way Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick run their organization with a "no one is bigger than the team" mantra. However, last week's drilling of the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field was eye-opening, even for me. They simply beat the Steelers in every way possible, and definitely set themselves up as the team to beat in the AFC (well, at least for this week). The games I'm looking at
to shake things up this week are Chicago-Miami, Green Bay-Minnesota,
Houston-New York Jets, and Tampa Bay-San Francisco. |
| 1 |
 |
New England |
7-2 |
Their win over the Steelers may be the most impressive win of the year. The Pats went into a very good team's home stadium and whooped them down. |
| 2 |
 |
New York Jets | 7-2 | At times, I feel like they are the best team in the league. Then, I see them barely beating the Lions, Browns, Broncos, and Vikings. I'm still not convinced. |
| 3 |
 |
Pittsburgh | 6-3 | Of the Steelers' nine games, only two have come against teams with losing records. So, the BCS can never question their strength of schedule. |
| 4 |
 |
New Orleans | 6-3 | How did they move up two spots without playing, you ask? Well, the Saints are starting to resemble last year's team and Reggie Bush, another weapon, is coming back this week. |
| 5 |
 |
Indianapolis | 6-3 | Another absolutely unspectacular win for the Colts. I don't know if I should be impressed, indifferent, or disappointed. We'll find out this week when they go to Foxboro. |
| 6 |
 |
Philadelphia | 6-3 | Wow - all I can say is wow. Mike Vick's game was one of the most impressive games I've ever seen at any level - college, pro, whatever. If he plays like that, they're unstoppable. |
| 7 |
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New York Giants | 5-3 | However, if there's one defensive line that can take him down, it's the Giants' unit. I'll be interested to see what Tom Coughlin has in store for this NFC East rumble. |
| 8 |
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Atlanta | 7-2 | OK, Falcons fans, I'm sure you won't be really happy with this ranking, either, but with only New Orleans and Green Bay left on the schedule, the wins should keep them climbing. |
| 9 |
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Baltimore | 6-3 | Yes, you guys got screwed on the non-pass interference call on Roddy White. However, what's your excuse for the bad pass defense for the rest of the game? |
| 10 |
 |
Green Bay | 6-3 | They have some tough games down the stretch (Atlanta, New England, New York Giants, and Chicago), but i still think they're head and shoulders above anyone else in their division. |
| 11 |
 |
San Diego | 4-5 | On the other hand, the Chargers (outside of Indy in week 12) have no real threats left on the schedule. If they don't end up at least 10-6 with a division title, Norv Turner should be fired. |
| 12 |
 |
Miami | 5-4 | I have a feeling, this is a team on the way down, but right now, they deserve the ranking. If they have to go a significant part of the season with Thigpen at the helm...yikes. |
| 13 |
 |
Tennessee | 5-4 | The game against Miami is my worst fear for this team coming to life. When it comes down to it, can they score enough points to win? |
| 14 |
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Houston | 4-5 | I'm telling you, they just figure out new ways to lose every week. There's no way this team shouldn't be at least 6-3. Then again, don't we say that about them every year? |
| 15 |
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Oakland | 5-4 | As I stated earlier, I don't think they have enough to win the division this year, but they're definitely on the right track. We'll see how close they are this week when they go to Pittsburgh. |
| 16 |
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Tampa Bay | 6-3 | I know it sounds odd, but the Bucs-49ers game should be a good one this week. Even with opposite records (6-3 and 3-6), neither team can afford to lose. |
| 17 |
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Jacksonville | 5-4 | I have absolutely no idea how this team has a winning record. Of course, a little bit of luck against the Texans this weekend helped. Still, how do you explain the other four wins? |
| 18 |
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Chicago | 6-3 | As you can see from their spot, I'm definitely not convinced the Bears are for real. I'll find out with the Dolphins, Eagles, Pats, Jets, and Packers still on the schedule. |
| 19 |
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Kansas City | 5-4 | I think the Todd Haley Express is running out of steam. But, with a pretty manageable schedule remaining, they could stay in the hunt until December. |
| 20 |
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Minnesota | 3-6 | Brett Favre coming back was a bad idea, and it's not going to get better. The plan should be: fire Childress and start looking at rookie quarterbacks in this year's draft. |
| 21 |
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Washington | 4-5 | Oh my, that was ugly. Sure, Vick was great, but the Redskins showed no life whatsoever. This is beginning to look a lot like the 6-10 team I thought they'd be before the season. |
| 22 |
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Cleveland | 3-6 | Since Colt McCoy took over, they've played each of the top four teams in the rankings, are 2-2, with a combined score of 94-85. Holmgren and Mangini are turning this thing around. |
| 23 |
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Cincinnati | 2-7 | Another "close but no cigar" game for them against Indy. But, I still think they're done. Don't be surprised if they become Buffalo's second victim this week. |
| 24 |
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San Francisco | 3-6 | Everyone laughed at John York, but he may be right. They're much better with Troy Smith, only two games out of first, with a big game at home against Seattle in week 14. |
| 25 |
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Seattle | 5-4 | Consistency, or a lack thereof, is what's killing this team. I really don't like their schedule down the stretch and could easily see them ending up at 7-9. |
| 26 |
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Dallas | 2-7 | With the way they dominated the Giants, you have to believe Wade Phillips was cussing up a storm, wondering where that passion was when his job was on the line. |
| 27 |
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Denver | 3-6 | I don't blame Todd Haley. To be honest, I always get a smarmy, Urban Meyer-like vibe from Josh McDaniel. Either way, it was a good win for Denver, but I don't see more coming. |
| 28 |
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Detroit | 2-7 | They dropped significantly because Buffalo tried in every way possible to give them that game. Unfortunately for Lions' fans, they just didn;t capitalize. |
| 29 |
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St. Louis | 4-5 | They gave the 49ers a better fight than I thought they would, but I think that's what we're going to see from here on out: a lot of fight without optimal results. |
| 30 |
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Buffalo | 1-8 | They actually deserved to be out of the bottom spot for a few weeks now. But, I kept hoping they'd regress and finish 0-16, thus making me the Nostradamus of football. |
| 31 |
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Arizona | 3-6 | They have only one game remaining against a team with a winning record, and I still can't see them winning any more than two of them. |
| 32 |
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Carolina | 1-8 | And if things weren't bad enough for John Fox, now he's got the Brian St. Pierre Era to look forward to. When it rains... |
