Foxboro Blog Top 12: Week 10

It’s a strange week for the Top 12.  The Top 6 teams are all the same, but none of them are in the same spot they were last week.  Then there’s a stagnant group in the middle, followed by a little shifting of the bottom three spots.   This week’s big riser is the Patriots, who whupped on the Steelers, and the big faller is the G-Men after their disheartening loss to Dallas.  Only the Titans, losers of two straight, fell off the board.  Replacing them is a team you might now expect.  Oh, and there’s a new #1 team as well.  You’ll never guess who…

Or maybe you will…

Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
1		5	4	7-2	vs. Colts
		After a bad loss dropped them out of the #1 spot, an even bigger win has the Patriots back at the top of the standings.  Even the best of teams have a bad game every now and then.  What makes a great team, is being able to bounce back from that adversity, and New England did just that on the road against a tough Steelers team.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
2		4	2	7-2	@ Rams
		Don’t look now, but the Falcons are quickly on their way to the NFC’s #1 seed.  You put them in the dome during the playoffs and they’ll be a very tough “out”.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
3		1	2	6-3	@ Panthers
		You can’t fault Baltimore too much for losing to a quality team like Atlanta.  Two of their three losses are to this week’s Top 2 teams. But to be the best, the Ravens will have to learn to beat the best.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
4		6	2	7-2	vs. Texans
		Another garbage win for the Jets.  Their luck will run out eventually.  I think Week 13 @New England is a pretty safe bet.  They rise two spots after their bogus victories against Detroit and Cleveland, but only becuase the Steelers and Giants laid eggs, and the #7 and #8 teams were on a bye.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
5		3	2	6-3	vs. Oakland
		If Pittsburgh doesn’t get that O-line fixed, their Super Bowl hopes will go up in smoke.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
6		2	4	6-3	@ Eagles
		The Giants left the door to the NFC East wide open by losing to Dallas.  Now we’ll see if Philly walks right through it this weekend.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
7		7	N/A	6-3	vs. Seahawks
		Not a whole lot to say this week.  The Saints hold firm on their week off.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
8		8	N/A	6-3	@ Vikings
		As do the Packers.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
9		9	N/A	6-3	@ Patriots
		I wanted to raise Indy a bit, because #9 just seems to low.  Still, the win over the reeling Bengals was less then overwhelming.  If they win the Brady/Manning bowl, I’ll be sure to give them a nice lift.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
10		11	1	6-3	vs. Giants
		The Eagles are my new frisky team after Houston and Tennessee have fallen to pieces of late.  Don’t sleep on them.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
11		12	1	5-4	vs. Bears
		Miami pulled out a big win, edging out theh playoff hopeful, Tennessee Titans.  Still, with their tough schedule, I don’t see how they end up with a Wild Card spot.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
12		N/A	N/A	4-5	vs. Broncos
		A sub-.500 team in the Top 12 after Week 10?  Yup.  There were any number of teams I could place here – Oakland, Chicago, Tampa, Tennesse, Jacksonville.  But at the end of the day, do you really believe any of those teams are better than the Chargers?  I don’t.