NFL Week 10 Power Rankings
By Tim Dillon
1. Houston Texans (8-1) – I had my doubts about the Texans offense being able to overcome a Bears defense that may be one of the best ever, but they pulled it off despite the turnovers. The Texans’ defense was the impressive part of the night, though, will all of the forced turnovers.
2. Atlanta Falcons (8-1) – This loss will be good for the Falcons in the long run. They should get back to their winning ways against the Cardinals this weekend.
3. Chicago Bears (7-2) – As impressive as the Bears defense is, their offense is a big question mark at times. The Bears may have a hard time maintaining their record with Cutler’s injury.
4. Denver Broncos (6-3) – Many people are jumping to make the Broncos the top team in the league, but I’m not quite there yet. They do have a very easy schedule for the remainder of the season, so this team could end the year around 12-4 if they keep up this level of play.
5. Green Bay Packers (6-3) – It’s scary to imagine Aaron Rodgers will all of his top receivers back on the field…
6. Baltimore Ravens (7-2) – After I put the Ravens down pretty far in my rankings last week, they go on the road and score 55 points. Even though it was against the Raiders, it’s still an impressive feat. If Flacco can maintain consistency, this team will be a threat despite all the injuries.
7. New England Patriots (6-3) – The Pats beat the Bills again on Sunday but it was far from pretty. This game should have been a blowout, but the defense allowed Fitzpatrick to be nearly perfect. They are very lucky to have newly acquired Aqib Talib play next week to try and slow Andrew Luck and the Colts.
8. San Francisco 49ers (6-2-1) – The fact that the ‘Niners tied with the Rams is embarrassing. It’s almost worse than a loss, because history will remember this game.
9. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3) – So glad I didn’t jump on the Steelers bandwagon before it took them to overtime to beat the worst team in the league. The injury to Big Ben will hurt this team, but he’s tough and may only miss a couple weeks. It will test this team’s resilience.
10. New York Giants (6-4) – The Giants should be afraid of their historical November slump. The Cowboys are surging and could possibly overtake them in the division.
11. Indianapolis Colts (6-3) – Andrew Luck is making the Colts look like legitimate playoff contenders. The Patriots better address the issues in their secondary by next week, or Luck will set more passing records.
12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-4) – Josh Freeman is actually starting in my fantasy team over Matt Schaub. This team is playing miles better than the beginning of the season and could actually make the playoffs in a wild card spot.
13. Seattle Seahawks (6-4) – Sure, the Seahawks beat the Jets, but that isn’t much of an accomplishment. They need to start winning on the road or else their potential playoff trip will be short.
15. Minnesota Vikings (6-4) – Adrian Peterson is truly unbelievable. Not only has he been playing when he probably should still be sidelined with an ACL injury, but he’s leading the league in rushing. Him and Manning will be in a tight contest for Comeback Player of the Year.
16. Dallas Cowboys (4-5) – Just when things looked really bad for the Cowboys, a window to the playoffs opened up. The Giants are slumping while the Cowboys were able to beat their division rival Eagles. The Giants take on the Packers this weekend, which could open that playoff window a little wider if the Cowboys can beat the Browns.
17. New Orleans Saints (4-5) – The Saints have won 4 in a row and show no signs of slowing down. They are determined to chase a playoff spot but it will be an uphill battle, particularly with their abysmal defense.
14. Detroit Lions (4-5) – Just when the Lions look like they turned their season around, they go and lose to their division rival Vikings to make their division record 0-3. This team needs a lot of luck and determination in order to stand a chance at a wild card spot.
18. Cincinnati Bengals (4-5) – If the Bengals can use their big win over the Giants as motivation for the rest of the season, they could fight hard for a playoff spot or at least play spoiler to a few teams.
19. Miami Dolphins (4-5) – The Dolphins got embarrassed at home this past Sunday. Have the Dolphins showed their true colors?
20. Washington Redskins (3-6) – The Redskins best hope for the season is to make the playoff competition for the Giants or Cowboys a difficult time and end on a positive note.
21. Arizona Cardinals (4-5) – The five game losing streak will likely be extended when they travel to Atlanta this weekend. This team should just start auditioning walk-ons to play on their offensive line.
22. Buffalo Bills (3-6) – Ryan Fitzpatrick did really well against a poor Patriots pass defense…until it really counted. He proved he could play at a high level while still proving he’s not a very good quarterback.
23. Philadelphia Eagles (3-6) – My friend, an Eagles fan, was excited to see Nick Foles play quarterback in place of the injured Mike Vick. He was close to leading his team to a comeback, but rookie mistakes cost them. He should be the starter for the rest of the season if the Eagles are smart.
24. Tennessee Titans (4-6) – CJ2K learning how to run again is going to help the Titans dramatically. The less they need to rely on their quarterbacks, the better.
25. St. Louis Rams (3-5-1) – Stupid penalties cost this team a big win over the 49ers. Instead, they’ll be reminded of their blown opportunities for years to come because of their tie.
26. Cleveland Browns (2-7) – Trent Richardson will be a key part of this offense for years to come. They need more talent before they can be legit contenders, though.
27. New York Jets (3-6) – As someone that doesn’t like Tim Tebow at all it pains me to say this, but he should be the starting QB. At first I appreciated Rex Ryan’s decision to show confidence in Sanchez, but now it just looks pathetic.
28. San Diego Chargers (4-5) – It’s hard to believe Phil Rivers is the same quarterback that helped lead his team to the AFC championship game multiple times.
29. Oakland Raiders (3-6) – I laughed when Carson Palmer tripped and just curled up into a ball when the Raiders went for it on 4th and 1. It sums up their season pretty well.
30. Carolina Panthers (2-7) – Cam Newton must develop his pocket skills in order for his team to have a chance at winning.
31. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-8) – The Jags may be losing their way into Los Angeles. There are many problems with this team, but a big one that few people mention is the owner, Shahid Khan.
32. Kansas City Chiefs (1-8) – The fact that the Chiefs got two penalties for excessive celebration while they were 1-7 is embarrassing.