NFL: Week Seven Power Rankings

1. Green Bay Packers (7-0): As you all know, I view Aaron Rodgers as the best quarterback in the NFL. The Packers have a serious chance at running the table for the rest of the season, with the only road blocks ahead being a Thanksgiving day showdown against the Detroit Lions, who have slowed down considerably after a strong start to the year. 

Last Week: #1

2. New England Patriots (5-1): The Patriots defense, which hasn’t been anything to brag about this season, will suffer dramatically with the losses of Leigh Bodden (released) and Ras-I Dowling (IR). I’ve been saying it all season, if you knock around Tom Brady you will beat the Patriots. The defense allows too many big plays, but the Patriots success is linked with the way Brady performs, and not many teams can ever apply the needed pressure to cool him down. 

Last Week: #3

3. New Orleans Saints (5-2): How about that slugfest last Sunday in New Orleans? 62-7, really Indianapolis? Drew Brees is in prime form this year, throwing for 2,477 yards and 18 touchdowns as we near the midway point of the season. More important than Brees has been the staggering performance of tight end Jimmy Graham, who has 5 touchdowns 674 yards receiving so far. 

Last Week: #4

4. Baltimore Ravens (4-2): How ugly was that game Monday night in Jacksonville? I was ranting my ass off at Joe Flacco. The hype he gets is ridiculous, no “elite” quarterback should ever throw for only 8 yards in an entire half like Flacco did in the first half of Monday night. As always, the defense is the heart and soul of the Ravens, but their quick start is getting to look like a time of the past as the Steelers continue to gain momentum within the division. 

Last Week: #2

5. San Francisco 49ers (5-1): San Fran may only need two more wins this year to capture the NFC West title. Instead, they may be heading towards eight more wins and a first round bye. Alex Smith seems to finally be getting it together, and NaVarro Bowman looks like the steal of the first round, he and Patrick Willis are easily the best interior lineman duo in the league. 

Last Week: #5

6. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2): From unranked last week all the way to 6th this week, that’s been the theme of the Steelers entire season. Completely dominant in one game, flat in the next. The Steelers appear to be getting back on track, and with a huge game against the Patriots this week, they could solidify themselves as an even better team than the one that went to the Super Bowl last year. 

Last Week: Not Ranked

7. New York Giants (4-2): After this week against the Dolphins, the Giants have a stretch through hell in the schedule. Away against New England and San Francisco before playing Philadelphia, New Orleans, Green Bay, Dallas, and the Jets to round out the season. If the Giants can fight through the second half of the year, the Giants may be a top 2 or 3 team in the NFC. On the other hand, they could find themselves out of the playoff hunt all together. 

Last Week: #9

8. Detroit Lions (5-2): Two straight losses and the Lions may already be out of the NFC North race. I do believe that they’ll still make the playoffs, but it will only be if Matt Stafford can stay healthy and keep Calvin Johnson happy. He’s the best wide receiver in football, throw him the ball in the fourth quarter, its as simple as that. 

Last Week: #6

9. San Diego Chargers (4-2): I think the Chargers were truly exposed last week against the Jets. Phillip Rivers is not playing nearly up to his ability, and Ryan Matthews seems to be yet another injury prone running back. On the bright side, Antonio Gates looks to be back for good. Huge, huge game this week against the Chiefs, who have reeled off three straight wins and played the Chargers close in week 3. 

Last Week: #7

10. New York Jets (4-3): Looking back, the reaction to the three straight losses in the beginning of the season may have been a bit dramatic. The Jets got back to what they do best against San Diego, playing great defense and running the ball up the gut. Bye week this week, but then two crucial divisional games against Buffalo and New England. Oh yeah, if Darrelle Revis isn’t in the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year, then the entire award is a crock. 

Last Week: Not Ranked 

NFL: Week Six Power Rankings

1. Green Bay Packers (6-0): Aaron Rodgers and the Packers had the most deceiving 24-3 victory last week against the Rams. Rodgers threw for 300+ yards for the fourth time this season, but the defense gave up 424 total yards from St. Louis. Green Bay goes into week 7 as the best team in the league right now, gearing up for the 1-5 Minnesota Vikings, where rookie Christian Ponder makes his first pro start. 

Last Week: #1

2. Baltimore Ravens (4-1): Baltimore came out of their bye week and defeated the Houston Texans 29-14. Joe Flacco threw for 304 yards and Ray Rice rushed for another 101 yards, but the offense only put up one touchdown along with five field goals courtesy of Billy Cundiff. The Baltimore defense held Houston, who was without Andre Johnson again this week, to only 293 yards of total offense. The Baltimore defense remains the strong point of the team, and with the Patriots and Saints looking decent at best this week, the Ravens have leapfrogged back into the top-2. 

Last Week: #4

3. New England Patriots (5-1): If it weren’t for the most vanilla play calling on the Cowboys second to last offensive drive of the game, the Patriots may have suffered their second loss of the season. The New England defense looked spotty again this week, giving up 300 yards passing to Tony Romo. However, just as in years past, the Patriots won the battle in the two-minute drill, with Tom Brady driving the team down field before connecting with Aaron Hernandez on the game winning 8 yard touchdown pass. Dallas proved again that if you can knock down Brady and apply pressure, the Patriots are not as dominant as they seem. Unfortunately, that needs to happen for 60 minutes of play not 58, because if you put the Pats in position to win the game in the last two minutes, they’ll beat you every time. 

Last Week: #3

4. New Orleans Saints (4-2): How devastating could it be to lose your head coach in the first quarter to an MCL injury? In the case of the Saints, pretty devastating. Coach Sean Payton is the head signal caller for the Saints offense, and when he left the game the offense faltered. He was not responsible for the fourth down end zone interception Drew Brees threw into the arms of safety Quincy Black, but losing your head coach and play caller really does affect the performance of a team. The Saints loss to Tampa Bay was brutal, as now the two teams stand atop the NFC South at 4-2.

Last Week: #2

5. San Francisco 49ers (5-1): I’m not even going to get into the post-game shouting match between Jim Harbuagh and Jim Schwartz, just know that I would not want to go toe-to-toe with Harbaugh. The 49ers defense was spectacular on Sunday, holding Calvin Johnson to zero touchdown catches, and the Lions never even looked his way on their last two drives when it mattered most. When losing 10-0 early, the 49ers stuck to their guns and ran Frank Gore up and down the field. If the defense and running game can remain dominant and Alex Smith continue to play smart football, the 49ers could be on their way to a first round bye in the playoffs. 

Last Week: #9

6. Detroit Lions (5-1): How badly does America want to see the Lions and 49ers meet up again in the playoffs? The game was not pretty, sloppy play on offense by Matt Stafford and the rest of the Lions, but these two teams are good. The 49ers proved that if you can take Calvin Johnson out of the game, the Lions aren’t going to dominate you. If Johnson and Stafford can get back in a groove for the rest of the year, the Lions will be able to walk into the playoffs. 

Last Week: #5

7. San Diego Chargers (4-1): Week 7 will prove whether or not the Chargers are overrated. On the season, the San Diego four victories came against teams with a combined win total of four (Denver, Miami, Minnesota, and Kansas City). The Chargers were only able to beat those teams by an average margin of 6 points. This Sunday against the Jets could expose San Diego, especially if Vincent Jackson is on Revis Island and tight end Antonio Gates still nurses his toe injury. 

Last Week: #6

8. Oakland Raiders (4-2): The Raiders were so devastated by the collarbone injury to starting quarterback Jason Campbell that they traded away two first round picks to Cincinnati for Carson Palmer this morning. What this shows is that Hue Jackson and the silver and black are fighting to make the playoffs this season. If Palmer can come in and be accurate enough to make some plays when the Raiders aren’t running it with Darren McFadden, then they’ll be able to do just that. 

Last Week: #10

9. New York Giants (4-2): The Giants were able to bounce back nicely this week with a 27-24 victory over the Buffalo Bills after losing to Seattle last week. The emergence of Jason Pierre-Paul on the defensive line as allowed Giants fans to forget about all the injuries the unit has had this year. They now find themselves atop the mediocre NFC East at 4-2, with key games against New England and San Francisco on the horizon. 

Last Week: Not Ranked

10. Buffalo Bills (4-2): The slipper may be falling off the foot of the Bills this year. The defense got exposed Sunday against the Giants. All year we’ve seen them make big plays on interception returns for touchdowns in key moments, but the Buffalo defense just is not that good. They enter an extremely tough stretch in the coming weeks that could determine their playoff fates, with games against Washington, the Jets, Dallas, Miami and then the Jets again. 

Last Week: #8

Honorable Mentions: Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2, beat Jacksonville 17-10), Washington Redskins (3-2, lost to Philadelphia 20-13), New York Jets (3-3, beat Miami 24-6) Cincinnati Bengals (4-2, beat Indianapolis 27-17)

NFL: Week Four Power Rankings

1. Green Bay Packers (4-0)- Aaron Rodgers notched up 70 points in my fantasy league this week after a 408 yard passing, six total touchdown day (four in the air, two on the ground). Rodgers has had his best season to date so far, and if there are people who don’t put him in the Brady-Manning-Brees echelon then I would love to meet them. 

Last Week- #1

2. New England Patriots (3-1)- Wes Welker is having the season of all seasons for the Patriots this season. Through the first-quarter of the year, Welker has 40 receptions for 616 yards and five scores. Until teams can learn how to stop Welker from going over the middle or on short slants, the Patriots will continue to win. They head home for a divisional game agains the bipolar New York Jets, but if history tells us one thing its that anything can happen when these two teams meet. 

Last Week- #2

3. Baltimore Ravens (3-1)- The score doesn’t reflect it, but the Ravens offense was nowhere to be found in the second half of Sunday night’s 34-17 win over the Jets. Quarterback Joe Flacco went the entire third quarter without completing a pass, but the Baltimore defense forced four Jets turnover, three of which went for touchdowns. The Ravens are showing that they are for real this season, and with the Steelers playing without an offensive line, it looks as though Baltimore is already close to punching their playoff ticket. 

Last Week- #3

4. New Orleans Saints (3-1)- Drew Brees didn’t light up the Jacksonville Jaguars defense like so many thought he would, but the Saints still managed to in 23-10. Tight end Jimmy Graham continued his superb season with a 10 reception, 132 yard and one touchdown day. Next week the Saints head to Carolina for a (surprisingly) difficult divisional game against Cam Newton and the Panthers. 

Last Week- #4

5. Detroit Lions (4-0)- Its time to give the Lions the respect they deserve. So far this season their the league’s comeback kids. Down by 24 points in the third quarter in Dallas, the Detroit defense got them right back into the game, taking two Tony Romo interceptions to the house before Matt Stafford and Calvin Johnson connected on two second half touchdowns, the latter a game winning score that put the Lions ahead for good. So far this season Johnson has had four straight two touchdown games, a Lions first. Detroit will go as far as Stafford can take them, but its time to give them the respect they deserve; the Lions have come to play. 

Last Week- #7

6. San Diego Chargers (3-1)- This is where the power rankings list starts to get a little hazy. There are a boatload of teams that are 3-1 so far, but some of them I don’t believe are better than some of the leagues 2-2 teams. This isn’t the case for the Chargers, though. San Diego has quietly put together a strong first month, their only loss coming at the hands of the Patriots. I don’t believe the Chargers are among the elite in the AFC this year, but they are going to be a team no one will want to face in late December. 

Last Week- Not Ranked

7. Chicago Bears (2-2)- The Bears move up three spots from last week to this week, even though they only beat the Panthers by 5. The Bears will continue to be competitive, but if they can’t fix the offensive line then they will not be able to keep up with the Packers and Lions in the AFC North. And also, why do teams still kick the ball to Devin Hester?

Last Week- #10

8. New York Giants (3-1)- The Giants won last weekend in Arizona on a controversial call where wideout Victor Cruz fell to the ground on a catch and was not touched, but the whistle was blown and Cruz let the ball go. According to the NFL rulebook, a player is considered down if he makes himself known to be down, as if to say he slides or falls to the ground on his own. I’m not sold on the Giants, I think the defense as no depth and the offense is not explosive enough to keep winning. However, Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs continue to bowl over people, and the Giants continue to win. 

Last Week- Not Ranked

9. Houston Texans (3-1)- The Texans seem to like to jump in and out of the top 10. The defense played extremely well against Pittsburgh, pressuring Big Ben and taking him out at the knees, the only way to tackle a 6 foot 5 inch quarterback. The team will be hurt by not having Andre Johnson (hamstring) for the next game or so, but it seems as if Arian Foster is fully healed (30 carries for 150 yards and a touchdown). 

Last Week- Not Ranked

10. New York Jets (2-2)- I’m not ready to give up on the Jets just yet. The offensive line was absolutely terrible in Baltimore Sunday night. I’m not giving Mark Sanchez a free pass for the loss (the Jets lost by 17, while Sanchez was responsible for giving up 21 points), but it must be pretty hard to make plays when the offensive line gives you 2 seconds of free time in the pocket before it collapses on you. The Jets will look to get All-Pro center Nick Mangold back for this weeks game against New England, but a loss to the Patriots will knock the Jets out of the top 10, and maybe even the divisional race. 

Last Week- #5

Honorable Mentions- Buffalo Bills (3-1, lost to the Bengals 23-20); Washington Redskins (3-1, beat the Rams 17-10); Tennessee Titans (3-1, beat the Browns 31-13); Philadelphia Eagles (2-2, lost to the 49ers 24-23)