Week 11 power rankings

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1. Arizona Cardinals (last week No. 1; 9-1): Justin Bethel’s touch pass may end up being more important than any pass Drew Stanton throws this year.

2. New England Patriots (No. 2; 8-2): In each of the last two games against the Colts, a different running back has scored four touchdowns.

3. Green Bay Packers (No. 7; 7-3): Based on the recent offensive outputs, Fifty Shades of Cheese should be the name of this year’s highlight film.

4. Dallas Cowboys (No. 6; 7-3): It’s Six Games to Glory for the Cowboys, who emerge from the bye week to face the Giants and Eagles four days apart.

5. Philadelphia Eagles (No. 3; 7-3): Suddenly, Nick Foles looks a lot better.

6. Denver Broncos (No. 4; 7-3): Suddenly, Peyton Manning looks a lot worse.

7. Detroit Lions (No. 5; 7-3): Suddenly, the Lions can’t score points.

8. Kansas City Chiefs (No. 11; 7-3): Suddenly, the Chiefs are becoming dominant.

9. Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 10; 7-4): Suddenly, LeGarrette Blount doesn’t have a job.

10. Indianapolis Colts (No. 8; 6-4): Suddenly, LeGarrette Blount may have a job.

11. Cincinnati Bengals (No. 15; 6-3-1): Suddenly, Andy Dalton 2.0 is Andy Dalton 2.0!

12. Baltimore Ravens (No. 12; 6-4):  This is the one team the Patriots don’t want to see rolling into Gillette Stadium in January.

13. Seattle Seahawks (No. 9; 6-4):  Marshawn Lynch didn’t stay on the field at halftime because he was upset with the team; he just really likes marching bands.

14. San Francisco 49ers (No. 14; 6-4):  Generating five interceptions and winning only by six points isn’t really cause for celebration.

15. Miami Dolphins (No. 17; 6-4):  They’ll win just enough game to create realistic hope before losing just enough games to kill it.

16. San Diego Chargers (No. 19; 6-4):  Philip Rivers has a severe rib injury.  Unless he doesn’t.  Unless he does but simply didn’t tell the coaches about it.

17. Houston Texans (No. 22; 5-5):  With four of last six games at home and three of last six against the Titans and Jaguars, the Texans remain very much alive.

18. Cleveland Browns (No. 13; 6-4):  Every time it looks like Brian Hoyer will force the Browns to make a tough decision, he makes their decision a lot easier.

19. Buffalo Bills (No. 16; 5-5):  Broncos fans may be able to send a few “Orton Hears a Boo” signs to Buffalo.

20. New Orleans Saints (No. 18; 4-6):  They’re still the most talented team in the division.

21.  Chicago Bears (No. 31; 4-6):  Sunday’s win was Jay Cutler’s first victory at home since October 10, 2013.

22. Minnesota Vikings (No. 20; 4-6):  Geno Smith apparently was operating the clock at Soldier Field.

23. St. Louis Rams (No. 21; 4-6):  The Rams would be a dangerous team in the playoffs, if they could ever get there.

24. Atlanta Falcons (No. 23; 4-6):  As MDS pointed out on Sunday, the Falcons could end up hosting a playoff game as a 14-point underdog.

25. New York Giants (No. 24; 3-7):  Eli Manning’s five interceptions made him the first quarterback to throw that many in one game since the last time Eli Manning did it.

26.  Carolina Panthers (No. 26; 3-7-1):  If Cam Newton had said what RGIII said after Sunday’s game, it would have been difficult to find fault with Newton for saying it.

27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 30; 2-8):  “We’re only two games out of first place!”

28. New York Jets (No. 27; 2-8):  The Jets technically were on a bye, but Mark Sanchez’s performance kept them from being completely forgotten.

29. Tennessee Titans (No. 28; 2-8):  I wonder why Chase Coffman didn’t try to cheap shot Steelers assistant Joey Porter?

30. Washington (No. 25; 3-7):  Regardless of whether RGIII threw his teammates under the bus, Jay Gruden drove the bus over Griffin.

31. Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 29; 1-9):  At least the Jags covered the spread during the bye week.

32. Oakland Raiders (No. 32; 0-10):  The Tiger Slam is officially completed; the Raiders will now try to avoid the Lion Slam.

91 responses to “Week 11 power rankings

  1. Chiefs should be a little higher. Their last two losses were on the road against Denver and SanFran and both were tight games. And they didn’t have Jamal Charles in Denver.

  2. Sadly, I can’t really disagree with the Broncos ranking.

    However, I still think that they should be above the Eagles, if for no other reason than Manning at his worst is arguably better then Sanchez and his best.

  3. The Bills have fallen out of playoff contention and Buffalo is getting six feet of lake-effect snow.

    Just another November in western New York.

  4. “Brady! What is best in life?”
    “To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of Bob Costas.”

  5. The Cowboys chilled at home and jumped up. One of the best bye weeks in a while. Can’t really complain about the power rankings. However, I can complain for days about the remarks with each team… Terrible jabs…

  6. lol…everyone said foles was terrible…

    the O line has been terrible thus McCoy and the rest of the O has been stymied…

    Mark Sanchez is not the eagles #1 QB…Foles is….

  7. While some of the Ravens’ recent trips to Gillette Stadium have been classic games, I’d be awfully scared of how well the secondary would do against the passing game unless Suggs, Dumervil, Mosley, Ngata, and company would rain fire and brimstone on Tom Brady.

  8. Suddenly the Lions can’t score points? Outside of 35 against the Giants, the Lions offense has been pretty terrible all year.

  9. I was confident that Mark Sanchez would soon be Mark Sanchez again.
    But it didn’t really matter too much the way that Rodgers and the GB offense played. Props to Sitton and Lang for getting the job done while at about 67%.

  10. 14. San Francisco 49ers (No. 14; 6-4): Generating five interceptions and winning only by six points isn’t really cause for celebration.

    It would be cause for celebration if it were a shootout.

    The bigger reason not to celebrate is that they generated five interceptions and scored only 16 points. That would be bad even for the Raiders.

  11. gdive says:Nov 18, 2014 3:21 PM

    Someone splain to me how the Rams drop 2 spots after beating the Broncos by 15 points?!?!

    ————————————

    They didn’t really “drop” 2 spots. But my guess is they only went up 2 spots because they’re still 4-6 and they have some significant losses on their schedule.

  12. The Chiefs made some great 4th down stops against the Seahawks, but they did NOT “dominate”. That game was, as Goose kept on saying, “Smashmouth football”.

  13. Not to be a homer, but I also think the Pats should be number one. I am not a fan of the way PFT does it: For the most part, you can’t jump a team if they don’t lose, which is really a matter of standings, not a true power ranking at any given moment.

    The way I look at it is if you had to literally bet your house, would you really pick Arizona over the Pats right now? I wouldn’t, and if you wouldn’t, that is because you believe the Pats to be stronger right now.

  14. I wish it were only suddenly that the Lions can’t score points…this season has been like giving the keys to a Ferarri 458 to someone who proceeds to drive 5mph and leaves their left blinker on

  15. The Raiders have lost all 10 games by a touchdown or less right? I think that makes them better than the Jags.

    Also, I hate to say it, but the 9ers are playing better than the Hawks at the moment, so I’d have to put them higher.

  16. How are teams like Washington and the Giants above the Jaguars??? Yea the Jags lost to the Redskins but the Redskins are terrible! They just lost to Tampa!! Eli just threw 5 picks in one game!! The Jaguars are improving week by week! Thr jags are even better than the Jets. The jags should be at least at #25 on the power rankings list.

  17. Hyzers, that’s EXACTLY how I was going to say the same thing. My Lion’s O sucks. It’s nice to be 7-3 (nicer to be 8-2), but looking over at what Rodgers is doing, you can’t feel good about Stafford taking them far. The D MIGHT take them far, but not Stafford unless he or the coaching staff WAKES UP.

  18. I see you clowns ranking on the Fins who are two last minute drives from being 8-2. Maybe they miss the playoffs, who knows. What we do know is you’ll never save face on your pre-season power rankings and making them the second to worst team in the NFL.

    Currently a Wild Card team after playing the harder part of their schedule. But sure, give them #15…

  19. I will says this – seems like every team has had spikes and valleys in their play, while the Cardinals have been overall steady and unspectacular.

    Not sure what that means, but not something Cards fans are used to.

  20. Pats are the best team in football right now, they’ve annihilated the two top seeds in the AFC, KC may be their kryptonite though, I could see them doing some damage.

    I’m looking forward to this playoff race, both AFC and NFC, a lot of close races.

  21. I’d be more impressed by Green Bay if they hadn’t been recently blown out by the lowly Saints after barely put up a fight against the Lions.

    I’m not ready to believe based on easy wins against Cutler and Sanchez.

  22. bonnovi says:
    Nov 18, 2014 3:17 PM

    The Bills have fallen out of playoff contention and Buffalo is getting six feet of lake-effect snow.

    Just another November in western New York.

    I live in WNY too and dudes not kidding….6 feet of snow in 1 day….literally…..

  23. Someone has to explain to me what offensive juggernaut Detroit is in the first place. An old and brittle No. 1 WR living off his name and past performance who is about good for maybe 1 difference making play per month.

    A QB that is as erratic as the guy now playing in Philly but for whatever reason has been giving a pass up to now. Here’s a hint, he’s not elite, nor will he ever be.

    A RB that you never know if he’s in or out of the lineup, whether injured or otherwise.

    A clump of TE’s that have some name recognition but not much production.

    Which leaves a pretty good 2nd WR and…..well, that’s about it. When you’ve got the 4th best offense in the NFC North, that’s not necessarily a good thing but that’s really what Detroit has. And let’s not even get to how in the world they plan on moving the football in Lambeau in winter. It’s not going to happen….

  24. As a Rams fan I’ve never disputed their rankings for obvious reasons but the fact they beat Seattle, San Fran, Denver and had AZ on the ropes until 10 mins left in the game all in the last month and still managed to drop 2 spots is mind boggling to say the least.

  25. Packers will get to rest their starters in the fourth quarter again this week playing the lowly vikings. Looking forward to see them tested against a hot Patriot team to see where they are at in two weeks.

  26. So its seems the way you rank teams, if KC beats Denver at home on 10 days rest, then beats Zona, they’ll be about 3rd on your list. We LOVE the hate. See you all in January!

  27. So the Bengals are number 1 in division, and romped the Saints “20” the Steelers are number 2 in the division and barely skirted the Titans “29” Yet the Steelers are ahead of them. Makes alot of sense.

    Now I understand that the Bengals are very inconsistent, but being the division leader in the closest division, where each team is above 500 should at least put you in the top 10, but thats right, the number two team in that division is top 10 while the leading team isnt.

  28. The Broncos are done. They can’t beat NE on the road and do not appear at all interested in playing any quality football this year. This team can take a flying you-know-what if this is the effort fans can expect. Terrible! Fox is awful. Del Rio forgot how to blitz???? and Manning will not allow a run game to be established due to the fact that his immobile arse might actually have to take a snap under center every now and again. Thanks for everything. Go sign a one day contract with Indie so you can retire a bloated underachiever.

  29. The Green Bay Packers should be the only team on this list. No other teams really matter, seriously. The greatest franchise in all of sports and it’s not even close. Bow down pft, you’re witnessing greatness.

  30. The Fins have had no respect all season so I guess why should we expect any now?? 2 mins from beating the Packers and the Lions, that’s not that terrible.

  31. Finfan, damn it’s hard to type that with auto correct on, you answered your own question with your comment. Yes they are two, two minute drills away from being 8-2, but that’s why they don’t get a higher ranking, they can’t get the job done when it counts. Miami is where they are supposed to be, below NE. One year that will change, but it’s not gonna be this year.

    As a devout Patriots homer I must say the Pats deserve the top spot. I don’t think AZ wants anything to do with the Pats right now. After watching them destroy the Broncos, then have an off night and still beat the bag out of Indy, you gotta give it to them.

  32. The Chiefs made some great 4th down stops against the Seahawks, but they did NOT “dominate”.

    Seahawks were +2 in the turnovers but still lost by 4 points. Imagine what the score would have been without the 10 points from turnovers. Now think about the word “dominate” again.

  33. Arizona is so elite, and Seattle so average, that Vegas thinks Seattle is better. (6.5 favorite at home, so without the 3 for home field Vegas still thinks Seattle is a field goal better of a team than arizona)

  34. The Pats mopped the floor with the Ravens last time around, I don’t think there’s a lot of fear there.

    Arizona deserves top spot – for now.

  35. Oh the trolls of the NFC West are coming out! Cant handle the Cards being in the #1 spot. Seattle should get ready. Losing your center and one of your best LB’s does not bode well against AZ. You and the noise scares no one anymore.

  36. right the 49ers beat the Chiefs by 5 and the seahawks lost to the chiefs by 4 so ofcouse the seahawks are rated above the niners
    ——————-
    yeah, people that know football know how this is you determine EVERYTHING. Go away, try soccer, its easier to figure out.

  37. sarahmc24 says:
    Nov 18, 2014 5:36 PM
    Oh the trolls of the NFC West are coming out! Cant handle the Cards being in the #1 spot. Seattle should get ready. Losing your center and one of your best LB’s does not bode well against AZ. You and the noise scares no one anymore.
    —————-
    Pay attention, the Center played but has been out the previous 3 weeks, and “the linebacker” you are referencing, Bobby Wagner has been out for a month, so this isnt new info. Typical Cardinals “Fan” that really doesn’t know what is going on other than they have the best record and they are supposed to talk now. Look at the line, the experts think Seattle is STILL better than you. Arifraud Soreno’s.

  38. beastmode5150 says:Nov 18, 2014 5:45 PM

    sarahmc24 says:
    Nov 18, 2014 5:36 PM
    Oh the trolls of the NFC West are coming out! Cant handle the Cards being in the #1 spot. Seattle should get ready. Losing your center and one of your best LB’s does not bode well against AZ. You and the noise scares no one anymore.
    —————-
    Pay attention, the Center played but has been out the previous 3 weeks, and “the linebacker” you are referencing, Bobby Wagner has been out for a month, so this isnt new info. Typical Cardinals “Fan” that really doesn’t know what is going on other than they have the best record and they are supposed to talk now. Look at the line, the experts think Seattle is STILL better than you. Arifraud Soreno’s.
    ———————————————————-

    You’re getting a little defensive bro. It’s ok, I understand that its frustrating when your team just isnt as good as last year. I won’t stoop to your level and insult your intelligence though. Seems like such a Seahawks thing to do. Experts have been picking against AZ all year, and they keep winning. Good luck making it to the postseason.

  39. sarahmc24…last I checked Seahawks are still the defending WORLD CHAMPIONS. Something the Cardinals haven’t been able to say uhhh…NEVER. We understand it’s frustrating having been the doormat of the NFCW since forever, but there is still alotta ball to play. BTW, that best LB you speak of, yeah, he will be playing this weekend. So you keep trying to convince yourself that you’re not afraid of us and the noise…anything to help you sleep at night, right?

  40. Is there a formula for Power Rankings? Every time they post the rankings, everyone argues that the rank is wrong…”all they did was use the record”….etc.

    Are there rules to power rankings…. or at least what it means?

  41. LOL!!!!!!!!!

    The Rams held Peyton’s Broncos to 7 points and kept them out of the redzone the entire game and dropped two spots.

    LOL!!!!!!!!!

  42. rdubluv12 says:
    Nov 18, 2014 6:21 PM

    sarahmc24…last I checked Seahawks are still the defending WORLD CHAMPIONS.
    ——————————————————–

    LOL. Living in the past, I see. “Defending World Champions” simply means that you won it all LAST YEAR. It has no meaning now, at all.

    You complain when fans from other teams brag about past Super Bowl wins. Well, guess what? You’ve just joined the raks of those that brag about teams of the past.

  43. beastmode5150 says:
    Nov 18, 2014 5:09 PM

    Arizona is so elite, and Seattle so average, that Vegas thinks Seattle is better. (6.5 favorite at home, so without the 3 for home field Vegas still thinks Seattle is a field goal better of a team than arizona)
    —————————————————–

    Vegas odds are based on where the money is going, not on how good the team is.

    Vegas has Denver as a 2.5 point favorite in the Super Bowl. How’d that turn out?

  44. Eli Manning’s five interceptions made him the first quarterback to throw that many in one game since the last time Eli Manning did it.

    Buhahahaha.

  45. “Eli Manning’s five interceptions made him the first quarterback to throw that many in one game since the last time Eli Manning did it.”

    FAN: “Hey, Eli, I knew you threw picks but 5 INTs? That goes beyond my wildest dreams.”
    ELI: “I like to stretch myself on occasion.”

  46. No, no no, no no.

    This is from a Pats fan. It’s all about right now.

    1. Green Bay
    2. Kansas City
    3. New England
    4. San Francisco
    5. Denver
    6. Arizona
    7. Miami

  47. I’m still confused as to why Power Rankings even exist

    ———————————-

    It dates back to the early days of the NFL, when there were just two teams. Chicago and St. Louis.

  48. So basically what radar8 is saying is it’s only OK for fans of teams not named the Seahawks to brag about trophies from 20+ years ago but not OK for fans of the Seahawks to brag about bringing home the most recent trophy, because ya know, February 2014 is such ancient history. And because the Seahawks only have one championship within the last nine months and not 5 prior to the 1990’s that somehow strips them of their right to brag about being the most recent champions.

  49. So, the 49ers are lower ranked than 3 teams they beat, KC, Philly and Dallas? Either you are just using current playoff seeds, or you know nothing.

  50. Remember this and you’ll never look at another Power Rankings again.

    Look at who won SBs between 2005 and 2012. All these teams went on a losing streak mid or late season and were written off.

    For example, 2006 Champion Colts lost 3 of 4 entering playoffs.

    2012 Champion Ravens lost 3 or 4 straight.

    2005 Champion Steelers lost 3 straight.

    And so on.

  51. If not for horrendous play calls and 2 horrific fumbles the Chiefs would be 6-4 with a week 10 loss in Buffalo. Chiefs are good, but a team whose wr corps are yet to have a TD is anything but dominant.

  52. finfanjim, currently the Dolphins are not a wild card team, those spots belong to the Chiefs and Steelers

    Idriveamoped, the Bengals are 2-3 against teams over .500, Steelers are 3-2. Beat the Panthers or maybe show up in prime time and this wouldn’t be an issue.

  53. The Falcons do not have the NFC South wrapped up, not by a long shot.

    Saints have 3 division games left, Falcons 2. Two of the three are at home, against a team we’ve already beat and a team that can’t beat us in the Dome (Falcons). The other one is in Tampa and we already beat them once. If we sweep, which I expect we will, then we will be tied in the division.

    Then, it all comes down to the three games we have left that are non-division. We are favorites for the Ravens for the simple fact that Brees is 12-0 in primetime in the Dome and the Saints have NEVER lost three in a row at home since 2006. And with the way the Steelers have been playing, up/down, up/down, we have a chance against them and the Bears, we are also picked to win that game.

    Even if we lose to the Steelers and take the Bears, and the Falcons beat the Browns, and lose to the Cardinals (which is a given), then we could conceivable end up with the EXACT same win/loss record and the EXACT same record in the division.

  54. Every week the Patriots have a challenge on their hands. They just dominated Denver and Indianapolis. Now they have to face Detroit (and I fear their lines like I fear Kansas City’s), Green Bay at Green Bay, and then San Diego in San Diego (where they actually play well). After that I think it’s Miami. Yikes!

  55. “…15. Miami Dolphins (No. 17; 6-4): They’ll win just enough game to create realistic hope before losing just enough games to kill it….”

    You hope, Florio, you hope! This ain’t last year…too bad Mikey…Maybe Magoo isn’t who you thought he was….

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