NFL Week 7 Power Rankings
By Tim Dillon
A lot of great games this week! Did your team rise to the challenge or fall like my expectations for the Super Bowl halftime show?
1. Houston Texans (6-1) – The Texans stopped on the injury plagued Ravens on Sunday and it wasn’t pretty. Matt Schaub was impressive and lit up the injured defense. This performance earned them the #1 spot.
2. Atlanta Falcons (6-0) – The only reason they fall in my book is because the Texans played this week. We’ll see how the Falcons handle the Eagles next week now that both teams are rested.
3. Chicago Bears (5-1) – The Bears defense was so close to shutting out the Lions at home for the first time in 50 years. They are an impressive team and as long as they remain healthy, they will be dangerous in the playoffs.
4. San Francisco 49ers (5-2) – Alex Smith performed well, all things considering, against a very good Seattle defense. Frank Gore carried the load, as he should every week. The 49ers have another tough divisional game next week in Arizona, but their defense should rip through a weak Cardinals’ o-line.
5. New York Giants (5-2) – I thought for sure the Redskins were going to steal a win in the meadowlands, but not a chance. Eli was clutch in the 4th quarter and the defense forced turnovers. The Giants will face the Cowboys for the second time this season and are poised for payback.
6. Baltimore Ravens (5-2) – This defense looked like a chicken with its head cut off, even with Suggs coming back, and Joe Flacco didn’t look much better. I’m not ready to jump ship on them just yet, but their defense has to improve if they want to stay competitive without their stars Ray Lewis, Lardarius Webb.
7. Green Bay Packers (4-3) – Aaron Rodgers put on a hell of a show this Sunday when he threw for 3 TDs, 342 yards, going 30/37. His accuracy is insane and he looks fired up to reverse this team’s weak record. Look for him to torch the Jaguars defense in Lambeau Field this weekend.
8. Minnesota Vikings (5-2) – Adrian Peterson was able to counter Christian Ponder’s horrible game and lead the Vikings to a win. Ponder needs to fix his play immediately…he went 8/17 for only 58 yards and 2 picks.
9. Seattle Seahawks (4-3) – The Seahawks defense is still one of the best in the league; their offense is another story. The only games Russell Wilson has led the team to a victory have come against teams with abysmal defenses.
10. New England Patriots (4-3) – The Patriots may have won this past week but, wow, it was not pretty. They have serious issues on defense to work out and this offense needs to find its identity quickly. Luckily, the Patriots have their easy stretch of the schedule ahead facing the Rams, Bills, and Colts.
11. Denver Broncos (3-3) – Peyton Manning is second in passing yards this season only to Tom Brady. The Broncos defense will have their hands full against the prolific Saints offense, but Manning will have a field day with the Saints terrible secondary.
12. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-3) – The Steelers had a tough game on Sunday night but they pulled out a win. Big Ben did well and the defense looked a little improved despite the prolonged injury to Polamalu.
13. Washington Redskins (3-4) – RGIII is amazing to watch. This team needs to cut down on the turnovers, however, in order to become a real threat.
14. Dallas Cowboys (3-3) – I was pretty harsh on the Cowboys last week so I’ll make amends by bumping them up a bit. They are going to struggle without DeMarco Murray though, so we’ll see if they stay this high on my list for long.
15. Arizona Cardinals (4-3) – The Cardinals may have the worst offensive line in the NFL. No matter what quarterback is under center, he will be under pressure. This is going to be a problem if they want a shot of winning their tight division. They have dropped 3 straight games…
16. New York Jets (3-4) – Give the Jets credit, they nearly beat the Patriots in New England. Shonn Greene was the stud of the team, as he should be. The less Sanchez has the ball, the better for this team.
17. Cincinnati Bengals (3-4) – The Bengals offense still needs to develop. Dalton is too reliant on AJ Green, and Jermaine Gresham needs to step up and start being consistent.
18. Philadelphia Eagles (3-3) – This team was on a much needed bye this week. Firing defensive coordinator Juan Castillo is a start but perhaps Andy Reed should be next on the chopping block if things don’t improve. This team is bad, despite their record and placing second in their division.
19. New Orleans Saints (2-4) – The Saints put together back to back wins and are looking better on offense now. Their defense is still a giant leap away from being competitive, however. They will face a tough test against Peyton Manning this week.
20. Miami Dolphins (3-3) – The Dolphins are coming off a bye week that helped them take second place in the division. Who woulda thought?
21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-4) – Starting Josh Freeman on my fantasy team this week paid dividends! He had a great game even though the Buccs lost. The Vikings defense will prove more of a challenge for him this weekend than the Saints did Sunday.
22. San Diego Chargers (3-3) – The NFL is investigating the Chargers using Stick-Um during the game against the Broncos last week. Why bother? The Stick-Um clearly didn’t help since Rivers fumbled the ball twice after throwing all those picks.
23. Detroit Lions (2-4) – I can’t believe this is the same Lions team we saw last year make the playoffs. They just looked lost against the Bears on Monday night.
24. Tennessee Titans (3-4) – Oh, look. Chris Johnson’s legs do, in fact, work. Or perhaps it was just the Bills defense that handed him a monster game.
25. St. Louis Rams (3-4) – This team just doesn’t have the personnel to beat most teams in the league. Jeff Fisher has his hands full, and they won’t have an easy game this weekend against the Patriots in London.
26. Buffalo Bills (3-4) – The Bills defense is just terrible. If they could force a 3-and-out occasionally, their offense could keep them in games.
27. Indianapolis Colts (3-3) – Andrew Luck is a difference maker. Let the comparisons to Peyton Manning’s rookie season continue!
28. Cleveland Browns (1-6) – Their defense is abysmal because of the lack of personnel but Brandon Weeden is playing better than most quarterbacks that have passed through Cleveland. There is hope for this franchise yet.
29. Carolina Panthers (1-5) – Where did last year’s Cam go?
30. Kansas City Chiefs (1-5) – Think making Brady Quinn the starter will turn this team around? Think again.
31. Oakland Raiders (2-4) – It took the Raiders till overtime to beat the Jags…WITHOUT MJD. This team is bad.
32. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5) – I don’t think it could possibly get worse for Jags fans now that MJD is out for an extended period of time. Don’t worry though, there is a shiny first pick of the draft waiting for them at the end of this season.