All change!
After last week, we sat down and decided that after nearly a third of the season, it is time to re-evaluate each team's chances. That means teams such as the Giants, the Titans, and the Redskins are worthy of their places in the top ten, and right now all three look comfortably on course for the playoffs.
At the bottom, the Texans are clearly a better team than their position suggests, but the fact is at 0-4 and with no bye week, it's hard to see them mounting a playoff run in a tough division. Similarly, the Eagles are falling out of contention in the East, and the Seahawks - although not out of it by any means - will need some luck to overhaul the Cards.
1) Pittsburgh Steelers - When the season started, we tipped the Steelers as dark horses. While there are more surprising teams at the top of their respective divisions, none was expected to fall harder than the Steelers. With a bye week upcoming, they have cemented themselves as the most consistent team in the league, and are one of the few teams who we'd stake the house on making the playoffs.
This week: bye
2) Dallas Cowboys - A gritty win against the Bengals, but it could be said that the Cowboys gave Cinci every opportunity to shock them, and the final score flattered to deceive. In a tough division, they will need to carry on their good (regular season...) form against the Giants to maintain this position at their expense.
This week: @ Arizona - Dallas win
3) Indianapolis Colts - People will say 'but the Titans are 5-0!', and they're right. Those people can certainly read numbers. What we feel is this: The Colts have an opportunity to finish in the playoffs, and this week will be looking to get within two games of Tennessee during their bye week. Put simply, if the Colts get into the playoffs, they have a better opportunity of winning the Superbowl.
This week: vs Baltimore - Indianapolis win
4) New York Giants - Warrant their place near the top after a convincing victory over Seattle. We still think they've had an easy schedule, and a lot will rest on their divisional matchups, but when it comes to beating the teams that are put in front of them, the Giants have proved themselves more than capable. An interesting banana skin this week in Cleveland, but realistically, the Giants have every chance of going deep into the playoffs again.
This week: @ Cleveland - NY Giants win
5) New England Patriots - The Pats are flying under the radar somewhat, but a win this week would see them draw level with Buffalo due to the latter's bye week. The blip against Miami has really given the Pats a great opportunity to keep their low profile and still maintain their divisional dominance. How will they fare in the post-season? Difficult call.
This week: @ San Diego - New England win
6) Tennessee Titans - The Titans are now in the luxurious position of having a record that will likely get them through to the playoffs with games to spare. On the other hand, the rival Colts are not out of the picture, and it's important that they take advantage of their easy game next week (@ KC) to keep the momentum going into the teams' Monday Night Football battle the following week. If one game decides a division, it is that one.
This week: bye
7) San Diego Chargers - We now enter as phase of the power rankings dominated by teams that have talented rosters, but are doing their best to squander their shot at the playoffs. It is only outrageous talent that keeps the Chargers in our conscious, but every game they slip behind the Broncos could be critical, as no team is guaranteed a wild card in the AFC, no matter how weak their division.
This week: vs New England - New England win
8) Washington Redskins - We have to admit, the Redskins are not what we would consider a strong team. Their Defence has huge holes that will be exploited as the season goes on. On the other hand, they've beaten two divisional rivals, and that in itself means they have a great shot at second place in the NFC East. We just have a little gut feeling this weekend that the Rams may have more impetus and energy, and could catch the 'skins cold.
This week: vs St. Louis - St. Louis win
9) Denver Broncos - The Broncos are a patchy team, and certainly not a lock to reach the post-season, but they have managed to get some crucial victories, and their position at the head of the AFC west is not a fluke. We'll admit that we had the Broncos wrong this year. They've managed to outpunch most of their opponents, even if they have taken some huge blows themselves. We're not sure where this boxing analogy is going, suffice to say that their aggressive style will likely yield some poor results down the line.
This week: vs Jacksonville - Jacksonville win
10) Green Bay Packers - Aaron Rodgers must be frustrated. It's hard to knock him for what has been a solid start to his reign as Packers QB. At the current rate, you'd imagine that it is simply a matter of time before he is rewarded with his second long term deal with the team. Unfortunately, the team has contrived to lose some crucial games, and the worry has to be that their schedule will not get any easier (The NFC North teams play the strong AFC and NFC South teams as part of their schedules this year), and the team has perhaps put themselves behind Chicago as the best team in the division. A lot will come down to this week, where they have a golden opportunity to restore some confidence in Seattle.
This week: @ Seattle - Green Bay win
11) Carolina Panthers - One team has set themselves apart in the highly competitive NFC South, and their overall play means that the Panthers deserve more credit than they have received this year. The big problem is that the Saints - arguably the strongest team in the division on paper - are only two games back, and they're the team with the worst record in the division! Can the Panthers maintain their good form? We think so, but the South could be turned on it's head by a couple of divisional results.
This week: @ Tampa Bay - Carolina win
12) Chicago Bears - What can you say? The team gets wins, one way or another. You can certainly never say the team is dull to watch - though perhaps the number of people with heart problems in Chicago could be traced back to a steady diet of Pizza and Bears. Either way, the team is in the box seat, and confidence is growing in QB Kyle Orton, who is proving himself more than a game manager every week. The play of rookie Matt Forte has been a pleasant surprise, and the one word that springs to mind regarding the running back is 'playmaker'. Sadly, the team does not have enough of these to contend for the big one this year.
This week: @ Atlanta - Chicago win
13) Buffalo Bills - WHAT DID WE SAY? Ok, no more bragging, but it is true that we have been saying for a couple of weeks that the Bills being at the top of the pile was due to their schedule as much as anything, and last week's implosion in Arizona was on the Cards (yes, we just did that) long before Trent Edwards was knocked out of the game. They have a bye this week, and it couldn't come at a better time, as the Bills need to regroup fast to avoid freefalling. What the Patriots and Jets do this weekend could be more important than Buffalo's result next week.
This week: bye
14) Arizona Cardinals - Ok breath... breath... breath... Yes, the Cards are in the top half of the power rankings. It's on merit, and you have to feel that in a division where the other teams are amongst the three worst in the league, the Cardinals have a huge opportunity to make the playoffs this season. Kurt Warner is always going to rack up yards, and even with his fumblitis, he can keep the team in contention against the biggest of deficits. The big question will come if Warner goes down with an injury, but Matt Leinart is no scrub, and can likely hold the team together down the stretch.
This week: vs Dallas - Dallas win
15) Philadelphia Eagles - Not quite out of the hunt yet, but in need of some help to regain lost ground against the rest of the division. Don't count them out though, especially considering that the Redskins and Giants are perhaps shakier than their records suggest. Unfortunately, the injury sustained to Brian Westbrook could deal the final blow to this team's hopes, but a game against the 49ers and a bye week next week could see them right back in the mix.
This week: @ San Francisco - Philadelphia win
16) New York Jets - Just scraping in are the Jets, who are technically bottom of the AFC East, but could be right back in the playoff chase if results go their way. Brett Favre is finding the New York Groove, but the danger is that with the Dolphins making progress, the Jets could also slip the other way. Their schedule is favourable in the next few weeks, and they must make the most of that before their tough divisional games come up, as it's make or break time in week 11 as they travel to New England for a crucial Thursday night matchup.
This week: vs Cincinnati - NY Jets win
The rest (In one word or phrase):
17) Jacksonville Jaguars - Inconsistent
This week: @ Denver - Jacksonville win
18) New Orleans Saints - Lacking a dominant running back
This week: vs Oakland - Oakland win
19) Baltimore Ravens - Best of a bad bunch
This week: @ Indianapolis - Indianapolis win
20) Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Still in the hunt
This week - vs Carolina - Carolina win
21) Atlanta Falcons - Improving all the time
This week: vs Chicago - Chicago win
22) Miami Dolphins - Intelligent football team
This week: @ Houston - Houston win
23) Minnesota Vikings - Internal strife is never a good sign
This week: vs Detroit - Minnesota win
24) Houston Texans - Better than their record
This week: vs Miami - Houston win
25) Cleveland Browns - Recovery does not look imminent
This week: vs NY Giants - NY Giants win
26) Seattle Seahawks - Time zones, no Receivers, no Quarterback...
This week: vs Green Bay - Green Bay win
27) Cincinnati Bengals - Falling apart
This week: @ NY Jets - NY Jets win
28) Oakland Raiders - Potentially the surprise team of the next few weeks
This week: @ New Orleans - Oakland win
29) San Francisco 49ers - Poor despite their record
This week vs Philadelphia - Philadelphia win
30) Kansas City Chiefs - Poor coaching, unable to use their best weapons
This week: bye
31) Detroit Lions - Embarrassing - and that's in their own words
This week: @ Minnesota - Minnesota win
32) St. Louis Rams - New coach, new beginning? Just an outside shot at a victory this week.
This week: @ Washington - St. Louis win
Sunday 12 October 2008
Friday 3 October 2008
Week Five Power Rankings
An all in one bumper update this week, sponsored by my wisdom teeth trying to burrow their way out of my skull. Yes, it's pain city, but on the plus side, I can manage to churn out this rubbish quality content while I'm incapacitated. One thing I'm going to do is take a look at some of the bigger stories too, because we've become bogged down in predictions and stats over the last few weeks, which isn't how I imagined the site becoming during the '08 season.
Anyway, let's kick off with the Power Rankings from week five:
1) Dallas Cowboys - The Cowboys remain in top spot, but it's more an indication of how poor some of their main rivals have been in recent weeks. Divisional losses hurt more, but even in the NFL's strongest division, the 'boys reign supreme.
2) San Diego Chargers - The Chargers are the best of a challenging group that has tailed off in recent weeks. Do you look at their propensity to struggle against weak opposition - but grind out a win - as a good thing, or a bad thing? To me, it's enough to question their ability to go deep into the playoffs.
3) Green Bay Packers - A .500 team in 3rd, whilst it's NFC counterparts languish down the rankings? Well think about this: The Packers can likely afford to lose 5 games, and still win their division. It's a luxury that none of their NFC rivals can realistically afford.
4) New England Patriots - No move for the Pats, as again, it's hard to knock a team that didn't play, when it's rivals seem so underwhelming. The next two games will likely determine whether they can retain the AFC East.
5) New York Giants - The Giants eh? Everyone has them in the top three, but hold on for a moment. Do people seriously think that because the Giants beat the Redskins, and the Redskins beat the Cowboys, that somehow the Giants have overtaken the Cowboys? No, we've said it before, but that's not how it works, otherwise the Jets (who beat the Dolphins) would have beaten the Pats. Got it yet? Probably not. Said it before: Let's see how they fare against genuine quality. The Seahwaks are a nice test.
6) Tennessee Titans - Again, a team that is higher on most boards at the moment. Why? Well, they have one of the best Defences in football, and their running game has the feted 'Thunder and Lightning' combination that has become de rigeur throughout the league. The big question for me - and I'll go into some depth on this one later - is what happens when this team starts losing. How will they react? At the moment they're in the enviable position of not knowing what that is like.
7) Pittsburgh Steelers - The big question for Pittsburgh is 'can they stay healthy?'. Right now it's not looking good. Mewelde Moore at Running Back is not as bad as people might think. Moore was a relatively dependable back in Minnesota, forced out more by the Peterson-Taylor combination than any real failings on his own part. An injury to Ben Roethlisberger is still the major worry. Every week he takes a knock of some description, and really the O-line needs to start protecting him from what could at some point become a season-ending mauling.
8) Philadelphia Eagles - Ouch. A fall from grace for Philly, who can't seem to quite nail their colours to any kind of winning streak. Compared to the Redskins, I'd say they have the experience neccesary to stay in the playoff hunt, though, and it wouldn't surprise me to see them challenge the Cowboys for the NFC East come December.
9) Jacksonville Jaguars - The Jags have now ground out two close victories over Divisional rivals, including the reigning AFC South champions, the Colts. A patchwork O-line seems to have at least stabilised the pass protection for David Garrard, but to get back to 'contender' status, they'll need to take the Rushing form they showed against Indianapolis two weeks ago and get it to consistently work.
10) Indianapolis Colts - The Colts pay the price for a bye week when their major rivals in the division both won. The Houston game is now crucial, and it's imperative that the team learns to stop a concerted Running game, as both Chicago and the Jags have ran all over this team.
11) Washington Redskins - Why so low? Well it's simple: Jason Campbell is still - despite the gushing praise from some media types - performing with the consistency of a second year player. The Defence, too, looks to have regressed back to it's pre-2007 habits of giving up big plays at crucial moments. Mainly though, they're probably a year away from winning this division.
12) New Orleans Saints - The Saints are putting up big offensive numbers, and have had a relatively tough schedule with the exception of last week's encounter with the 49ers. Drew Brees has been the best QB in the league through four weeks, and if he stays healthy, the team should roll into the playoffs. Their division is a tough one to predict, however, with the Panthers and Bucs snapping atheir heels and claiming big scalps on the way.
13) Buffalo Bills - This one will cause uproar, we know. Look, the Bills are 4-0, and we're glad, because for one reason or another, we grew up wishing they would break their Superbowl duck. The reality of the situation though, is that this team narrowly beat Seattle and Jacksonville when they were injury plagued, and has genuinely struggled against the Raiders and Rams - the two worst teams in the league on our list - in the last two weeks. Remember that the AFC East plays the AFC and NFC West divisions this season, which in theory means that the Dolphins, Jets, and Patriots all get to face the same weak opposition. The Bills will make the playoffs, but how will they fare come the crunch, after one of the easiest schedules in football? It will be a strong test of character for a young team.
14) Carolina Panthers - A solid win against a divisional rival (Atlanta) was important, but as usual, the South is much of a muchness. None of the teams inspire you enough that you'd happily wager money on them winning or losing the next game. In what is traditionally a close division, the Panthers find themselves in the lead right now. Expect that to change, but not this week - they face the Chiefs.
15) Denver Broncos - What did we say? We said they'd screw up against the Chiefs, and they only went and did! The main reason being that enough people had hopped on the bandwagon, that eventually the whole thing would tilt over and end up in a ditch. Not quite sure what that means? Me neither, but they lost to the Chiefs, and that isn't good.
16) New York Jets - Interesting. The Jets have what could be their biggest opportunity for a decade to genuinely rid themselves of their tag as being 'the team most likely to finish second in the AFC East', yet seem intent to labour for every victory. They've made hard work of the Dolphins and Cards, and lost to the two big teams (the Chargers and Patriots) they've faced. Despite that - and it pains us to go along with the man crush that certain media outlets have on him - Brett Favre will win games when they look dead and buried, and will win any shootout like last weekend's against the Cards.
The rest (In one word or phrase):
17) Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Passable
18) Arizona Cardinals - Glass Ceiling
19) Baltimore Ravens - Unbalanced
20) Chicago Bears - Moustachioed
21) Cleveland Browns - at the crossroads
22) Seattle Seahawks - Homesick
23) Houston Texans - Back on the wagon
24) Minnesota Vikings - Jaded
25) Atlanta Falcons - Satisfied
26) Miami Dolphins - Stable
27) Cincinnati Bengals - Bruised Ego
28) Detroit Lions - Porous
29) San Francisco 49ers - Resuscitated
30) Kansas City Chiefs - Meeting Expectations
31) Oakland Raiders - Circus
32) St. Louis Rams - Utterly inept. Probably have shares in Washington Mutual
Anyway, let's kick off with the Power Rankings from week five:
1) Dallas Cowboys - The Cowboys remain in top spot, but it's more an indication of how poor some of their main rivals have been in recent weeks. Divisional losses hurt more, but even in the NFL's strongest division, the 'boys reign supreme.
2) San Diego Chargers - The Chargers are the best of a challenging group that has tailed off in recent weeks. Do you look at their propensity to struggle against weak opposition - but grind out a win - as a good thing, or a bad thing? To me, it's enough to question their ability to go deep into the playoffs.
3) Green Bay Packers - A .500 team in 3rd, whilst it's NFC counterparts languish down the rankings? Well think about this: The Packers can likely afford to lose 5 games, and still win their division. It's a luxury that none of their NFC rivals can realistically afford.
4) New England Patriots - No move for the Pats, as again, it's hard to knock a team that didn't play, when it's rivals seem so underwhelming. The next two games will likely determine whether they can retain the AFC East.
5) New York Giants - The Giants eh? Everyone has them in the top three, but hold on for a moment. Do people seriously think that because the Giants beat the Redskins, and the Redskins beat the Cowboys, that somehow the Giants have overtaken the Cowboys? No, we've said it before, but that's not how it works, otherwise the Jets (who beat the Dolphins) would have beaten the Pats. Got it yet? Probably not. Said it before: Let's see how they fare against genuine quality. The Seahwaks are a nice test.
6) Tennessee Titans - Again, a team that is higher on most boards at the moment. Why? Well, they have one of the best Defences in football, and their running game has the feted 'Thunder and Lightning' combination that has become de rigeur throughout the league. The big question for me - and I'll go into some depth on this one later - is what happens when this team starts losing. How will they react? At the moment they're in the enviable position of not knowing what that is like.
7) Pittsburgh Steelers - The big question for Pittsburgh is 'can they stay healthy?'. Right now it's not looking good. Mewelde Moore at Running Back is not as bad as people might think. Moore was a relatively dependable back in Minnesota, forced out more by the Peterson-Taylor combination than any real failings on his own part. An injury to Ben Roethlisberger is still the major worry. Every week he takes a knock of some description, and really the O-line needs to start protecting him from what could at some point become a season-ending mauling.
8) Philadelphia Eagles - Ouch. A fall from grace for Philly, who can't seem to quite nail their colours to any kind of winning streak. Compared to the Redskins, I'd say they have the experience neccesary to stay in the playoff hunt, though, and it wouldn't surprise me to see them challenge the Cowboys for the NFC East come December.
9) Jacksonville Jaguars - The Jags have now ground out two close victories over Divisional rivals, including the reigning AFC South champions, the Colts. A patchwork O-line seems to have at least stabilised the pass protection for David Garrard, but to get back to 'contender' status, they'll need to take the Rushing form they showed against Indianapolis two weeks ago and get it to consistently work.
10) Indianapolis Colts - The Colts pay the price for a bye week when their major rivals in the division both won. The Houston game is now crucial, and it's imperative that the team learns to stop a concerted Running game, as both Chicago and the Jags have ran all over this team.
11) Washington Redskins - Why so low? Well it's simple: Jason Campbell is still - despite the gushing praise from some media types - performing with the consistency of a second year player. The Defence, too, looks to have regressed back to it's pre-2007 habits of giving up big plays at crucial moments. Mainly though, they're probably a year away from winning this division.
12) New Orleans Saints - The Saints are putting up big offensive numbers, and have had a relatively tough schedule with the exception of last week's encounter with the 49ers. Drew Brees has been the best QB in the league through four weeks, and if he stays healthy, the team should roll into the playoffs. Their division is a tough one to predict, however, with the Panthers and Bucs snapping atheir heels and claiming big scalps on the way.
13) Buffalo Bills - This one will cause uproar, we know. Look, the Bills are 4-0, and we're glad, because for one reason or another, we grew up wishing they would break their Superbowl duck. The reality of the situation though, is that this team narrowly beat Seattle and Jacksonville when they were injury plagued, and has genuinely struggled against the Raiders and Rams - the two worst teams in the league on our list - in the last two weeks. Remember that the AFC East plays the AFC and NFC West divisions this season, which in theory means that the Dolphins, Jets, and Patriots all get to face the same weak opposition. The Bills will make the playoffs, but how will they fare come the crunch, after one of the easiest schedules in football? It will be a strong test of character for a young team.
14) Carolina Panthers - A solid win against a divisional rival (Atlanta) was important, but as usual, the South is much of a muchness. None of the teams inspire you enough that you'd happily wager money on them winning or losing the next game. In what is traditionally a close division, the Panthers find themselves in the lead right now. Expect that to change, but not this week - they face the Chiefs.
15) Denver Broncos - What did we say? We said they'd screw up against the Chiefs, and they only went and did! The main reason being that enough people had hopped on the bandwagon, that eventually the whole thing would tilt over and end up in a ditch. Not quite sure what that means? Me neither, but they lost to the Chiefs, and that isn't good.
16) New York Jets - Interesting. The Jets have what could be their biggest opportunity for a decade to genuinely rid themselves of their tag as being 'the team most likely to finish second in the AFC East', yet seem intent to labour for every victory. They've made hard work of the Dolphins and Cards, and lost to the two big teams (the Chargers and Patriots) they've faced. Despite that - and it pains us to go along with the man crush that certain media outlets have on him - Brett Favre will win games when they look dead and buried, and will win any shootout like last weekend's against the Cards.
The rest (In one word or phrase):
17) Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Passable
18) Arizona Cardinals - Glass Ceiling
19) Baltimore Ravens - Unbalanced
20) Chicago Bears - Moustachioed
21) Cleveland Browns - at the crossroads
22) Seattle Seahawks - Homesick
23) Houston Texans - Back on the wagon
24) Minnesota Vikings - Jaded
25) Atlanta Falcons - Satisfied
26) Miami Dolphins - Stable
27) Cincinnati Bengals - Bruised Ego
28) Detroit Lions - Porous
29) San Francisco 49ers - Resuscitated
30) Kansas City Chiefs - Meeting Expectations
31) Oakland Raiders - Circus
32) St. Louis Rams - Utterly inept. Probably have shares in Washington Mutual
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