1. Green Bay Packers (7-0) (Last week: 1)- Idle week for the Pack does nothing to their ranking. The Pack are still the class of the league and Aaron Rodgers continues his impressive season with 20 TDs to only 3 INTs thus far.
2. San Francisco 49ers (6-1) (LW: 4)- And the Niners continue to climb. Frank Gore is proving he's back, registering his 4th consecutive game with 125+ yards on the ground and a rushing TD. I'll be shocked if they don't have the division locked up by week 12.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) (LW: 5)- Big Ben threw the ball 50 times in Week 8 against New England, including a career-high 30 in the opening half. Apparently that worked. Pittsburgh pulled off a win against a quality team in New England and the Patriots pass defense was no match for Big Ben and company. So much for that talk in the first couple weeks that the Steelers were getting too old.
4. Detroit Lions (6-2) (LW: 7)- The Lions returned to their dominant form with a convincing 45-10 victory over Tim Tebow and the Broncos. Their defense sacked Tebow 7 times and made him one dimensional, perhaps writing the book on how to stop Tebow altogether. The Lions get a week to rest before taking on the Bears as Soldier Field.
5. New England Patriots (5-2) (LW: 2)- Big Ben torched the Pats defense for 365 yards through the air while the Steelers tenacious pass defense kept Tom Brady in check. As I've said so many times, the Pats can be a great team, but if they can't get their pass defense together, they won't be able to make that next step toward the Super Bowl.
6. Baltimore Ravens (5-2) (LW: 6)- Well, they successfully gave the Cardinals a 21 point head start and said "Go ahead, we'll play just one half" before coming all the way back behind 3 Ray Rice rushing TDs to defeat Arizona. Defense really stood up in the second half when it counted.
7. New York Giants (6-2) (LW: 8)- Sunday was ugly for a while as they found themselves trailing the winless Dolphins, but Eli Manning, who I feel is an elite QB in this league (post about this coming), got it done when it matters, coming from behind to win the game for the 4th time this season. Now, the brutality that is the Giants schedule comes beginning this week in New England. We'll see what this team is really made of in the upcoming weeks ahead.
8. Buffalo Bills (5-2) (LW: 9)- The Bills defense made a mockery of the Redskins offense, sacking John Beck a whopping 9 times and intercepting him twice en route to a 23-0 shutout win, handing Mike Shanahan the first shutout of his career. The Bills' surprising season continues.
9. New Orleans Saints (5-3) (LW: 3)- You can't lose to a winless team and expect to stay near the top. the Saints came off their 62-7 shellacking of the Colts very flat and couldn't even muster a single point in the first half against a team giving up the most points of any team in the league. Brees has to be better than he showed Sunday and quick to avoid another loss to Tampa as the Bucs come to the Superdome this week with a healthy LeGarrette Blount.
10. Cincinnati Bengals (5-2) (LW: 14)- The Bengals kept their surprising season rolling with a 34-12 win over the Seahawks, in which the Dalton to Green duo was present again. Don't look now but the Bengals are only a half-game back of the Steelers for the division lead.
2. San Francisco 49ers (6-1) (LW: 4)- And the Niners continue to climb. Frank Gore is proving he's back, registering his 4th consecutive game with 125+ yards on the ground and a rushing TD. I'll be shocked if they don't have the division locked up by week 12.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) (LW: 5)- Big Ben threw the ball 50 times in Week 8 against New England, including a career-high 30 in the opening half. Apparently that worked. Pittsburgh pulled off a win against a quality team in New England and the Patriots pass defense was no match for Big Ben and company. So much for that talk in the first couple weeks that the Steelers were getting too old.
4. Detroit Lions (6-2) (LW: 7)- The Lions returned to their dominant form with a convincing 45-10 victory over Tim Tebow and the Broncos. Their defense sacked Tebow 7 times and made him one dimensional, perhaps writing the book on how to stop Tebow altogether. The Lions get a week to rest before taking on the Bears as Soldier Field.
5. New England Patriots (5-2) (LW: 2)- Big Ben torched the Pats defense for 365 yards through the air while the Steelers tenacious pass defense kept Tom Brady in check. As I've said so many times, the Pats can be a great team, but if they can't get their pass defense together, they won't be able to make that next step toward the Super Bowl.
6. Baltimore Ravens (5-2) (LW: 6)- Well, they successfully gave the Cardinals a 21 point head start and said "Go ahead, we'll play just one half" before coming all the way back behind 3 Ray Rice rushing TDs to defeat Arizona. Defense really stood up in the second half when it counted.
7. New York Giants (6-2) (LW: 8)- Sunday was ugly for a while as they found themselves trailing the winless Dolphins, but Eli Manning, who I feel is an elite QB in this league (post about this coming), got it done when it matters, coming from behind to win the game for the 4th time this season. Now, the brutality that is the Giants schedule comes beginning this week in New England. We'll see what this team is really made of in the upcoming weeks ahead.
8. Buffalo Bills (5-2) (LW: 9)- The Bills defense made a mockery of the Redskins offense, sacking John Beck a whopping 9 times and intercepting him twice en route to a 23-0 shutout win, handing Mike Shanahan the first shutout of his career. The Bills' surprising season continues.
9. New Orleans Saints (5-3) (LW: 3)- You can't lose to a winless team and expect to stay near the top. the Saints came off their 62-7 shellacking of the Colts very flat and couldn't even muster a single point in the first half against a team giving up the most points of any team in the league. Brees has to be better than he showed Sunday and quick to avoid another loss to Tampa as the Bucs come to the Superdome this week with a healthy LeGarrette Blount.
10. Cincinnati Bengals (5-2) (LW: 14)- The Bengals kept their surprising season rolling with a 34-12 win over the Seahawks, in which the Dalton to Green duo was present again. Don't look now but the Bengals are only a half-game back of the Steelers for the division lead.
11. Houston Texans (5-3) (LW: 13)- Houston turned in another win at home against Jacksonville this week in what wasn't anything spectacular but they did what they needed to do at home against a division opponent: win. They look to increase their hold on the division this week against Cleveland at home.
12. New York Jets (4-3) (LW: 12)- Big divisional game looms this week as the Jets travel to Ralph Wilson Stadium to take on the Bills in what could have huge implications on the AFC East race. We'll see if the Jets really are returning to form or not.
13. Atlanta Falcons (4-3) (LW: 11)- Atlanta headed into the bye coming off a big win against Detroit and they'll look to build off that this week when they travel to Indianapolis to take on the winless Colts. Shouldn't be too big of a problem, but then again look what happened last week when we thought an NFC South team would trump a winless team...
14. Chicago Bears (4-3) (LW: 16)- We'll see how much work the Bears put in during the off week as when they travel to Philadelphia to take on the suddenly rejuvenated Eagles under the lights on Monday Night.
14. Chicago Bears (4-3) (LW: 16)- We'll see how much work the Bears put in during the off week as when they travel to Philadelphia to take on the suddenly rejuvenated Eagles under the lights on Monday Night.
15. San Diego Chargers (4-3) (LW:10)- The Chargers downward spiral continued on Monday with a crushing OT loss to Kansas City. It doesn't get any easier for the Chargers this week as they get the Packers at home coming off of the bye with an extra week to prepare. The good news for the Chargers, though, is that the calendar switched to November, and Philip Rivers is 15-5 lifetime in November.
16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-3) (LW: 18)- The Bucs will look to make it 3 straight against the Saints when they travel to New Orleans this weekend, this time with starting RB LeGarrette Blount. The Saints should prepare for a heavy dose of Blount after the Bucs watched Steven Jackson plow through the Saints on Sunday.
16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-3) (LW: 18)- The Bucs will look to make it 3 straight against the Saints when they travel to New Orleans this weekend, this time with starting RB LeGarrette Blount. The Saints should prepare for a heavy dose of Blount after the Bucs watched Steven Jackson plow through the Saints on Sunday.
17. Philadelphia Eagles (3-4) (LW: 21)- The Eagles soared back in a big fashion this week with a convincing 34-7 win over Dallas at home on Sunday Night Football. LeSean McCoy ran rampant through a mediocre Dallas run defense as the Eagles seemingly had the ball all night. They get the Bears at home this week in another primetime affair, this time on Monday night.
18. Dallas Cowboys (3-4) (LW: 15)- The Cowboys, who had looked sharp against St. Louis in Week 7, came out and completely got manhandled by a hungry Eagles team. The 'Boys better wake up quick or their find themselves out of the division race before it even begins.
19. Oakland Raiders (4-3) (LW: 17)- Hopefully Carson palmer got a little more comfortable with the playbook during the bye. They get Denver at home this week so it should ease them back into gear, and with news just breaking that the Raiders have reunited Carson Palmer with TJ Houshmandzadeh, the Raiders could be gearing up for an intense division race.
20. Kansas City Chiefs (4-3) (LW: 20)- The Chiefs somehow stole a win from the Chargers after letting them come back and almost take it away on Monday night. Matt Cassel showed poise and the defense picked off Philip Rivers twice and took the ball away from him with under a minute left in regulation, preventing a game winning field goal by Nick Novak.
21. Tennessee Titans (4-3) (LW: 19): Tennessee pulled out another one, and yet again it wasn't pretty. They let the Colts hang around longer than they should have and Chris Johnson's struggles continue. Javon Ringer came in late in the game and doubled Johnson's total yards. Head Coach Mike Munchak says the team is sticking with Johnson as their primary back, but we'll see how long that lasts if these performances persist.
19. Oakland Raiders (4-3) (LW: 17)- Hopefully Carson palmer got a little more comfortable with the playbook during the bye. They get Denver at home this week so it should ease them back into gear, and with news just breaking that the Raiders have reunited Carson Palmer with TJ Houshmandzadeh, the Raiders could be gearing up for an intense division race.
20. Kansas City Chiefs (4-3) (LW: 20)- The Chiefs somehow stole a win from the Chargers after letting them come back and almost take it away on Monday night. Matt Cassel showed poise and the defense picked off Philip Rivers twice and took the ball away from him with under a minute left in regulation, preventing a game winning field goal by Nick Novak.
21. Tennessee Titans (4-3) (LW: 19): Tennessee pulled out another one, and yet again it wasn't pretty. They let the Colts hang around longer than they should have and Chris Johnson's struggles continue. Javon Ringer came in late in the game and doubled Johnson's total yards. Head Coach Mike Munchak says the team is sticking with Johnson as their primary back, but we'll see how long that lasts if these performances persist.
22. Cleveland Browns (3-4) (LW: 23)- The Browns hung tough with a very good San Francisco team, but Frank Gore punched them right in the mouth and Cleveland didn't have an answer. They look to rebound this week as they travel to Houston for a tough road game against the Texans.
23. Carolina Panthers (2-6) (LW: 24)- Despite the record, Cam Newton continues to shine and if it weren't for a questionable holding call on the Panthers final drive that nullified a Cam Newton run that would have put Carolina inside the five, they might have won the game outright. The Panthers have to feel good about their QB of the future, as well as the resurgence of Steve Smith.
24. Minnesota Vikings (2-6) (LW: 28)- Christian Ponder picked up his first NFL win Sunday against the Panthers, and Adrian Peterson showed he is also a threat in the passing game out of the backfield. Maybe the Vikes are beginning to right the ship.
24. Minnesota Vikings (2-6) (LW: 28)- Christian Ponder picked up his first NFL win Sunday against the Panthers, and Adrian Peterson showed he is also a threat in the passing game out of the backfield. Maybe the Vikes are beginning to right the ship.
25. Washington Redskins (3-4) (LW: 22)- Despite what their record says, I can't rightfully put the 'Skins ahead of the Vikes or Panthers. They looked horrendous again on Sunday getting blanked by the Bills on the road. They are headed downhill in a hurry.
26. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-6) (LW: 26)- Blaine Gabbert had a poor showing Sunday against the Texans, as we should see for much of 2011 with a terrible cast around him. They're off this week before getting to play Indy.
27. Seattle Seahawks (2-5) (LW: 27)- Whether it's Whitehurst or Jackson at the helm, the Seahawks aren't going to win many games period. Both QBs are backups at best and the Seahawks might as well mail it in and hope that the bottomfeeders steal some wins.
28. Denver Broncos (2-5) (LW: 25)- One thing that was evident in the Broncos 45-10 loss to the Lions: Tim Tebow looked horrible. He couldn't make throws that NFL QBs need to make and he was turned one-dimensional, which spells disaster for the Broncos. He won't last the season as the starter, John Fox already thought he sucked.
29. St. Louis Rams (1-6) (LW: 31)- The Rams came out at home on Sunday and truly gave it to the Saints. Chris Long and Robert Quinn were no match for the Saints' tackles as the defense sacked Brees 6 times and picked him off twice. Oh, and see what happens when you give Steven Jackson the rock and let him do his thing?
30. Arizona Cardinals (1-6) (LW: 29)- They were so close to knocking off the Ravens, but they couldn't seal the deal. They let the Ravens march right back into the game and erase a 21 point halftime deficit. It's going to be a long year in the desert.
31. Miami Dolphins (0-7) (LW: 30)- The Dolphins came so close to finishing off the Giants but the defense couldn't stop them when it counted. The Dolphins take one step closer to Andrew Luck.
32. Indianapolis Colts (0-8) (LW: 32)- Another week, another one in the loss column. That's pretty much all there is to say.
-TA
No comments:
Post a Comment