NFL Week 10 Power Rankings
By Tim Dillon
Nov 3, 2013; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots free safety Devin McCourty (32) celebrates an interception against the Pittsburgh Steelers with cornerback Alfonzo Dennard (37) during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
1. Kansas City Chiefs (9-0) – Are the Chiefs unstoppable? We’ll find out in two weeks when they take on the Denver Broncos on the road. If they can win that game, they should be everyone’s Super Bowl favorite. Previous Rank: 1
2. Denver Broncos (7-1) – Denver comes off the bye week and travels to San Diego to take on the streaky Chargers. Peyton Manning shouldn’t have any problem shredding their 27th ranked passing defense, but his own secondary is statistically worse. This game could be a shootout similar to their game against the Cowboys. It will be interesting to see if the loss of Coach John Fox will affect this team at all. Previous Rank: 2
3. Seattle Seahawks (8-1) – They may be one of the worst 8-1 teams anyone has seen. Don’t get me wrong, this team has a lot of talent and is the team to beat in the NFC, but they play poorly in games they should win easily. There’s no way it should have taken them until OT to beat the win-less Buccaneers at home. Previous Rank: 5
4. Indianapolis Colts (6-2) – They started out Sunday night’s game a total mess but pulled it together to get the win. Their secondary has some concerns since they allowed Case Keenum to air it out at will, but they are still one of the teams to beat in the AFC. Previous Rank: 6
5. New England Patriots (7-2) – Brady is back. The connection between him and Gronk looks as dominant as it’s ever been and the improvement of Aaron Dobson each week has been critical for this offense. Stevan Ridley is back to being the leader of the rushing game, as he should be, with excellent compliments in Blount and Bolden. Shane Vereen comes back after the Pats bye this week, which will add another dangerous dimension to this offense. Previous Rank: 8
6. New Orleans Saints (6-2) – The Saints got manhandled by the Jets at the line of scrimmage on Sunday and were unable to mount the comeback. They need to try and get some running game going so Brees doesn’t have to do all the work every week. It’s worth noting that both of their losses have come on the road and were very close games. Previous Rank: 3
7. Cincinnati Bengals (6-3) – With a front-7 this dominant and a Dolphins o-line that bad, there is no reason they should have lost on Thursday night. The loss of Gino Atkins is huge (literally) but this is still a very talented team. Andy Dalton has been good recently, but his three picks in this game killed the Bengals. Previous Rank: 4
8. San Francisco 49ers (6-2) – The ‘Niners lead the league in rushing yards but they play Carolina this Sunday who are one of the hardest teams to run against. They are going to force Kaepernick to air it out, something he hasn’t done well this year at since they rank last in passing yards. Previous Rank: 7
9. Detroit Lions (5-3) – Detroit comes off the bye with a critical game on the road against the division-rival Chicago Bears. This game and their final game against the Packers will be the toughest tests for them on the road to the postseason from now on, since the rest of the teams they play have a combined 12-37 record. Previous Rank: 10
10. Chicago Bears (5-3) – Josh McCown had a very impressive performance against the Packers in Lambeau, going 22/41 for 272 yards, 2 TDs, and no picks. Perhaps the loss of Cutler isn’t as significant as everyone expected. Previous Rank: 12
11. Dallas Cowboys (5-4) – Every Dallas loss this year has come to a likely-playoff team while every win is to a team without much of a shot at the post season. They need to get their act together this week for when they take on the New Orleans Saints in prime-time Sunday night. Previous Rank: 11
12. Green Bay Packers (5-3) – Aaron Rodgers fractured his collarbone early in Monday’s loss to the Bears and could miss three or more weeks. This could seriously hurt the Packers, who are in a three-way tie for first in the NFC North. Previous Rank: 9
13. Carolina Panthers (5-3) – Cam Newton had two picks but was still able to keep the offense rolling to beat the lowly Falcons on Sunday. They have two tough match-ups in a row coming up against the 49ers and Patriots, so Newton will have to be at his best. Previous Rank: 14
14. New York Jets (5-4) – It seems a different Jets team shows up to play each week. One week they’ll look terrible and the next they’ll beat a much better team than them. Muhammad Wilkerson could be the defensive player of the year if he keeps up his level of play through the end of the season. Right now the Jets are sitting in a wild-card spot for the playoffs, it’s up to them to build off the momentum they gained this week against the Saints and continue the playoff push. Previous Rank: 17
15. Tennessee Titans (4-4) – CJ2K looked like he did four years ago as the Titans topped the Rams on Sunday, rushing for 150 yards and 2 TDs. Jake Locker had a terrible game, though, and they will need both him and Johnson at their best if they want to compete for a playoff spot. Previous Rank: 18
16. Arizona Cardinals (4-4) – They have the opportunity to piece two wins together against the Texans and Jaguars to gain momentum before taking on the Indianapolis Colts in three weeks. If they want to prove they are a serious contender, gaining momentum enough to top the Colts is the best way to do it. Previous Rank: 16
17. San Diego Chargers (4-4) – This team is incredibly hard to figure out. They lose games by a small margin that they should win so often that they could be 8-1 right now if you give them the two wins from games they lost by 3 points and last week’s OT game against a weak Redskins defense. They have a tough match-up this week against Denver, so they better get their act together. Previous Rank: 13
18. Cleveland Browns (4-5) – Jason Campbell was excellent for the Browns and gives this team the skill it needs to keep winning and maybe even fight for a playoff spot since they are currently 2nd in their division. He went 23/35 for 262 and 3 TDs with no picks against the Super Bowl champions. They have another critical divisional match-up in two weeks against the Bengals. Previous Rank: 22
19. Miami Dolphins (4-4) – They got a huge win against a very good Bengals team on Thursday despite going 3-14 on third down. The difficult locker room situation they are dealing with may have stolen all the momentum out of that win, though. With Richie Incognito suspended they lose their best offensive lineman which demotes the line from bad to worse. Previous Rank: 19
20. Philadelphia Eagles (4-5) – Nick Foles was incredible on Sunday, throwing for 7 TDs, but let’s return to reality and remember they played the Raiders. The only teams the Eagles have beaten this year are teams with a worse record than them. They will have a tough road to the playoffs, but in the very tight NFC East they are somehow only one game out of first place. Previous Rank: 25
21. Washington Redskins (3-5) – Winning in OT helped to bring the ‘Skins within two games of first place in their division. They should have an easy win against the Vikings this weekend to help build momentum before they take on the Eagles in a critical division match. Previous Rank: 21
22. Baltimore Ravens (3-5) – Joe Flacco had more rushing yards in Sunday’s loss to the Browns than Ray Rice did. There’s something very wrong with this offensive line, but Flacco hasn’t exactly played up to the level of his contract. Previous Rank: 15
23. Buffalo Bills (3-6) – EJ Manuel has been cleared to return from his knee injury, which will give the Bills a much needed boost. They are only two games behind the Jets, who currently sit in a wild card spot, so their season is far from over yet. Previous Rank: 23
24. St. Louis Rams (3-6) – Kellen Clemens played relatively well, but mistakes were extremely costly and the Rams defense couldn’t get the job done against the Titans. They have an even tougher game next week when they travel to Indianapolis. Previous Rank: 24
25. Oakland Raiders (3-5) – It’s never a good day of football when you give up 7 TDs to your opponent’s backup quarterback at home. To make matters worse, Darren McFadden left the game in the first half after re-aggravating his hamstring injury. Previous Rank: 20
26. Houston Texans (2-6) – At least the Texans have found a quarterback for the rest of this season, and perhaps beyond, in Case Keenum. The young quarterback went 20/34 for 350 yards, 3 TDs, and no picks. If Coach Kubiak wasn’t carted off the field leaving the playcalling duties to Wade Phillips, the Texans may have pulled out a win. Previous Rank: 27
27. New York Giants (2-6) – The Giants have a chance to win their third straight game when they host the Raiders this Sunday. They need to capitalize on this opportunity or risk falling too far behind in the NFC East division race. Previous Rank: 26
28. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-6) – Sunday marked the first time in team history the Steelers have ever given up 55 points in one game. They now have lost 11 of their last 15 games dating back to last season. This defense needs to rebuild badly and the offensive line is too hurt this year. Previous Rank: 28
29. Atlanta Falcons (2-6) – Matt Ryan threw three interceptions again this week and this team is all but out of a playoff spot already. It’s hard to believe many’s Super Bowl favorites entering the season are at the bottom of the league and show no signs of rising. Previous Rank: 29
30. Minnesota Vikings (1-7) – Adrian Peterson played very well against the Cowboys, and all things considered, so did Christian Ponder. This team just needs to go in full rebuilding mode. Previous Rank: 30
31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-8) – They were so close to their first win this weekend in Seattle against the NFC’s best team. Winning that game may have sparked a change in pace for the rest of their season, but they couldn’t get the job done. Previous Rank: 31
32. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-8) – The Jaguars have a chance at victory this Sunday against the Titans. After resting up on the bye week, maybe they’ll play like an actual football team. Previous Rank: 32