|
|
|
|
|
The Ultimate Source for your Ph.D. in Pigskin |
Week Fifteen Power Rankings Sorry for the brief intro this week, folks, but it's the holiday season, which means I'm supposed to spend 150 of the 168 hours this week wrapping gifts or helping my wife make cookies. Obviously, that leaves little time for the rankings.
The games to watch this week
that could affect the rankings will be Dallas-Arizona,
Baltimore-Cleveland, Indianapolis-Oakland, and Houston-Denver. |
| 1 |
 |
New England |
12-2 |
A 31-27 win over an Aaron Rodgers-less Packers' team is not exactly impressive, but they're still the best and they have Tom Brady. |
| 2 |
 |
Atlanta | 12-2 | I think we'll find out how much we can expect from this team in January on Monday night. Playing a desperate Saints team will provide their toughest test this year. |
| 3 |
 |
Baltimore | 10-4 | Their win over the Saints was a statement game. However, and I never thought I'd say this, but the Ravens may have to rely on their offense to get where they want to this season. |
| 4 |
 |
Philadelphia | 10-4 | There's been a lot of talk about Mike Vick for MVP. Even after last week, he's still number two on my list behind Brady, who's having the second-best season of his career. |
| 5 |
 |
New York Jets | 10-4 | Like Atlanta, I really don't know how I feel about this team. Outside of New England, they seem to play their best when the most is on the line, but they've also looked pitiful at times. |
| 6 |
 |
Pittsburgh | 10-4 | Looking at the stats, they should have beaten the Jets, especially after finding out they hurt Mark Sanchez. But, nothing turns the tide of a game like a kickoff returned for a TD. |
| 7 |
 |
New Orleans | 10-4 | This team is just not the same away from home, so their game against Atlanta will be huge, especially since it looks like their road to repeating will be exactly that...on the road. |
| 8 |
 |
San Diego | 8-6 | Can you believe that at least three, if not four, of the teams in the top 11 will not make the playoffs? San Diego will be one of them with another loss. |
| 9 |
 |
New York Giants | 9-5 | That was the biggest collapse I've seen since the Oilers-Bills playoff game in 1993. I wouldn't be surprised if that wasn't the nail in the coffin for Tom Coughlin's tenure in New York. |
| 10 |
 |
Chicago | 10-4 | Watching them dominate the Vikings made me see them in a totally different light. I still think they're the second best team in the NFC North, but it's not by much. |
| 11 |
 |
Green Bay | 8-6 | The good news for the Packers is that Aaron Rodgers will play this week. The bad news is that it may be too late to matter. |
| 12 |
 |
Indianapolis | 8-6 | Granted, they are not the team they used to be, but that was the typical gut-check performance I expected to see from Peyton and the Colts I've been waiting for all year. |
| 13 |
 |
Kansas City | 9-5 | It's amazing what a difference Matt Cassel for that offense. Without him, that offense is junk. With him, they have a passing threat that makes the running game go. |
| 14 |
 |
Jacksonville | 8-6 | Unfortunately, Maurice Jones-Drew just isn't enough to carry the Jags into the playoffs, but they're closer than I thought the were. |
| 15 |
 |
Dallas | 5-9 | When I ranked the teams this week, I thought I may have put them too high. However, this is the way I thought they'd play all year, so I threw their record out of the equation. |
| 16 |
 |
Tennessee | 6-8 | I wasn't as impressed with how their offense played against the Texans (everyone does that) as I was their defense. Shutting down that offense is a really tough thing to do. |
| 17 |
 |
Tampa Bay | 8-6 | I didn't penalize them too much because Detroit is a better team than their record indicates. Still, playoff teams beat sub .500 teams at home late in the year. |
| 18 |
 |
Oakland | 7-7 | The only thing that bothers me about the future of this team is that I heard Al Davis say that he still believes in Jason Campbell. Wrong answer, Al. |
| 19 |
 |
Miami | 7-7 | I should have known they would suffer a letdown after the big win over the Jets, but I definitely didn't see them losing to the Bills. |
| 20 |
 |
Houston | 5-9 | The Texans need a change. Rick Smith, the GM, definitely has to go, but they also need a shakeup in the coaching staff, especially on the defensive side of the ball. |
| 21 |
 |
Cleveland | 5-9 | From everything I hear, Eric Mangini will not be back, which is a shame. I've been critical of him in the past, but I don't anyone could have done as well with this roster as he has. |
| 22 |
 |
Detroit | 4-10 | If I'm a Lions fan, I am extremely excited about the future of this team. Martin Mayhew and Jim Schwartz are changing the atmosphere in Detroit and they'll be very good, very soon. |
| 23 |
 |
Minnesota | 5-9 | I don't understand the mindset in Minnesota. Why did Brett Favre start that game? He's no longer their best chance to win, and he was still clearly hurt - bad call by Leslie Frazier. |
| 24 |
 |
Buffalo | 4-10 | If nothing else, Buffalo has shown heart this year. They play hard no matter the score, but they still need a lot of roster turnover to really compete. |
| 25 |
 |
San Francisco | 5-9 | Well, it looks like Mike Singletary finally came to his senses. Personally, I have no idea why he put Alex Smith under center again...ever. |
| 26 |
 |
St. Louis | 6-8 | No doubt about it, Rams' fans will be upset that they're not going to the playoffs, but they need to see the big picture. This team went from nowhere to NFC West contender in one year. |
| 27 |
 |
Washington | 5-9 | Just like I thought, the McNabb-Shanahan duo has been a complete disaster. And now, it's affecting the rest of the team. Trust me, the Redskins will be broken for a long time. |
| 28 |
 |
Cincinnati | 3-11 | Well, they finally broke their 10-game losing streak. Unfortunately, it's a little late for Marvin Lewis. Then again, don't we say that very year? |
| 29 |
 |
Seattle | 6-8 | After watching this team get pasted again at home, I wonder how in the hell they've won six games this year. They're bad, and I mean really bad. |
| 30 |
 |
Carolina | 2-12 | Actually, they should be ranked higher than this, because they totally outplayed Arizona. But, I'd like to see how well they play before I really jump them in the rankings. |
| 31 |
 |
Arizona | 4-10 | That was totally pathetic. Only 218 total yards against the Panthers??? If the Bidwell's weren't so cheap, I would be worried for Ken Whisenhunt's job, but he'll be fine. |
| 32 |
 |
Denver | 3-11 | Now that Tim Tebow is starting, they're certainly in line for the first overall pick. Hello, Da'Quan Bowers. |
