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The Ultimate Source for your Ph.D. in Pigskin |
Week Sixteen Power Rankings Well, two of the games I told you about last week ended up affecting the rankings: Denver-Houston and Dallas-Arizona. Because of their loss, the Texans dropped three spots. They didn't drop too far because, once again, it was the coaching staff that cost them the game. Arian Foster had 14 carries for 66 yards and a touchdown in the first half as the Texans built a 17-0 lead, only to see him touch the ball five more times in the second half. I have no idea why Gary Kubiak insists on going away from what's working.
Because it's so late in the
year, and teams tend to rest players at this time, I don't think there
will be too much movement next week. But, here are the games I'm looking
at for some changes: Pittsburgh-Cleveland, New York Giants-Washington,
and San Diego-Denver.
|
| 1 |
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New England |
13-2 |
Provided the Jets can win the first round playoff game against the Chiefs or Colts, a second round matchup with the Patriots in Foxboro should be extremely interesting. |
| 2 |
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Baltimore | 11-4 | Even though they got the win against a game Cleveland team, the Ravens better not show up with a 258 yard offensive performance in the playoffs, or it will be a short trip. |
| 3 |
 |
Pittsburgh | 11-4 | Considering how they've been playing recently, putting the Panthers down early was good, and the decision to rest Troy Polamalu for the playoffs was even better. |
| 4 |
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New Orleans | 11-4 | Plain and simple, this is the one team that nobody wants to play in January. They're beating good teams and I don't even think we've seen their best yet. |
| 5 |
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Atlanta | 12-3 | For those of you who thought that Matt Ryan was an MVP candidate, I submit Monday night's performance. Without a strong running game, he struggles. He's just not an elite quarterback. |
| 6 |
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Philadelphia | 10-5 | Since they're locked into the three seed, Andy Reid's decision to sit Mike Vick this week is a very smart one. They'll have to play the Pack or Giants in the first round who will get after him. |
| 7 |
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Chicago | 11-4 | I know I'm late to the party, but I'm starting to believe in the Bears. Even with home-field advantage, I don't think they'll win a playoff game, but they're better than I thought. |
| 8 |
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Green Bay | 9-6 | Next to New Orleans, this is the other team that nobody wants to play. There's just a huge difference when Aaron Rodgers is pulling the trigger. |
| 9 |
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New York Jets | 10-5 | They're just too inconsistent. Fortunately, they'll get a one-dimensional team in the first round of the playoffs, but I can't see them beating anyone after that. |
| 10 |
 |
Indianapolis | 9-6 | After all the injuries, the bad play by Peyton Manning, the porous defensive performances, is anyone surprised the Colts are going to win the AFC South again? Nope, me neither. |
| 11 |
 |
Kansas City | 10-5 | No matter what happens in the playoffs, this has been a banner year for the Chiefs and Todd Haley. I'm pretty sure he's my coach of the year. |
| 12 |
 |
New York Giants | 9-6 | They're 7-2 against teams with losing records and 2-4 against teams with winning records. In other words, they're just not that good. |
| 13 |
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San Diego | 8-7 | It was reported this week that Norv Turner is going to keep his job. Yes, I just had to re-read that sentence to believe it. |
| 14 |
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Tampa Bay | 9-6 | Barring an absolute miracle, this team is not going to the playoffs. But, Raheem Morris has still done an unbelievable job. I look for big things from him and Josh Freeman next year. |
| 15 |
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Jacksonville | 8-7 | Unfortunately, Maurice Jones-Drew and David Garrard got injured at the wrong time. I don't think they would have gone far in the playoffs, but it certainly would have been a nice story. |
| 16 |
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Dallas | 5-10 | Jason Garrett definitely deserves the head coaching gig, but this team is still under-performing. Some roster turnover will be needed this offseason. |
| 17 |
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Tennessee | 6-9 | In my opinion, Chris Johnson is becoming a problem. He cares more about his personal stats than he does about how his team performs. |
| 18 |
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Oakland | 7-8 | Why is Al Davis thinking of making a coaching change? Tom Cable has done a remarkable job producing a 7-9 or 8-8 team with the crap that Davis has drafted for him. |
| 19 |
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Detroit | 5-10 | In addition to the way he's turning around the organization, there's something I really admire about Jim Schwartz. Even playing his 3rd-string quarterback, he makes no excuses whatsoever. |
| 20 |
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Miami | 7-8 | They might finish at .500 for two reasons: the Pats won't play their starters for the whole game and they're on the road. How does an 8-8 team go 1-7 on the road? No, seriously. |
| 21 |
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Minnesota | 6-9 | Even though the Eagles looked totally disinterested on Tuesday night, I still gave them credit for not giving up on the season with everything that's gone wrong for them. |
| 22 |
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Cleveland | 5-10 | Sure, they've lost three in a row, but Browns' followers have to consider this season a success. I don't think anyone thought they'd finish with five wins and play so hard. |
| 23 |
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Houston | 5-10 | This season has been an absolute disaster, and Houston fans are enraged about the news that Gary Kubiak will keep his job. Wade Phillips and the 3-4 coming to town will change their mind. |
| 24 |
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St. Louis | 7-8 | Sorry, even if they win that division, I don't think they'll go much higher than this. Still, Steve Spagnuolo and Sam Bradford have done a hell of a job this year. |
| 25 |
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Cincinnati | 4-11 | So both Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens are out and Carson Palmer has his best game of the season. Hopefully, the Bengals learn from this... Who am I kidding, it's the Bengals. |
| 26 |
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Washington | 6-9 | I thought Mike Shanahan was coming into a difficult situation last year. However, I think the worst is still to come with all of the stuff that's gone down this year. |
| 27 |
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Buffalo | 4-11 | I'm not surprised that they got pummeled by the Patriots, but I am surprised about the seven turnovers. One thing's been certain this season, the Bills rarely beat themselves. |
| 28 |
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San Francisco | 5-10 | I was upset to see Mike Singletary let go. He's a good man who deserved better than the effort he got from a talented team this year. I'm sure he'll land somewhere as a coach next season. |
| 29 |
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Denver | 4-11 | I'll be the first to admit, I was not high on the pro prospects of Tim Tebow, and one game isn't going to change that. But, the quarterback position must look better for Broncos' fans. |
| 30 |
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Arizona | 5-10 | This is just an odd team. Every time I'm sure there's no way they can win, they come up with an effort like Saturday night against the Cowboys. |
| 31 |
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Seattle | 6-9 | Nothing against Seattle or Pete Carroll, but I hope they lose to the Rams on Sunday night. No matter how bad the division is, I don't want to see a sub-.500 team in the playoffs. |
| 32 |
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Carolina | 2-13 | I feel bad for Andrew Luck. He's going to have to go to a really bad team with a new coach (who will not be Jim Harbaugh), and they don't play in the NFC West. |
