Foxboro Blog Top 12: Week 10

There’s chaos brewing on the board this week, with teams flying up and down all over the place.  Both Pittsburgh and New England plummet four positions, but not as far as the Bills who went from #7 last week, to off the board this time around.  Then there’s the Giants who have strung together some impressive wins and are rewarded with a swift climb up the rankings.  And despite all the volatility last week, there’s no way of telling what we’re in for now as 8 of our 12 teams are going head to head this week.
 

Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
1		1	0	9-0	vs. Buccaneers
		The Packers dominated the Vikings, finally laying an undeniable smack down on an inferior team.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
2		3	+1	8-1	vs. Cardinals
		If there was any doubt that the Niners are for real, it was erased on Sunday when they took down the Giants and proved that I was wrong for pegging them #3 last week.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
3		2	-1	6-3	vs. Eagles
		No shame in losing a close game on the road to a solid team.  The Giants still have my respect for their win at Gillette.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
4		6	+2	7-3	Bye Week
		As do the Steelers for their win over New England.  Pittsburgh may have lost to Baltimore twice this season, but at least they haven’t blown multiple gimmee games against teams like Seattle.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
5		8	+3	6-3	vs. Chiefs
		Without question the win over the Jets on Sunday night was the best Patriots victory since…   Well, the last time they routed the Jets on National TV.  Shame on anyone who doubted them these past few weeks.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
6		7	+1	7-3	Bye Week
		The Saints pulled out a big win on the road to cement their dominance of the division – just not as impressive as the Patriots’ big win on the road to cement their dominance of the division.  Spots 3-7 could really go in any order, so that’s my logic for this one.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
7		4	-3	6-3	vs. Bengals
		The Ravens show up against the good teams and completely fall apart against the bottom-feeders.  Sorry, I want to respect them, but they are giving me every reason not to with their inconsistency.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
8		10	+2	6-3	@ Ravens
		The Bengals looked solid in Pittsburgh, but couldn’t get the job done.  If they want to be taken seriously in the AFC North, they absolutely must pull out a tough road win over Baltimore.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
9		9	0	7-3	Bye Week
		The Texans would be right up near the top had they not lost Matt Schaub for the season.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
10		N/A	N/A	6-3	vs. Chargers
		Suddenly, the Bears are back from the dead and are looking like they may just be the only thing that stands between Green Bay and a 16-0 season.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
11		11	0	5-4	vs. Titans
		The Falcons almost had their big win, but couldn’t pull it out in overtime.  Still, given their division, I think they have the inside track for the 2nd wild card spot over the 3rd place NFC North team.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
12		5	-7	6-3	vs. Panthers
		Which brings us to the Lions, who are in a bit of a tailspin after that 5-0 start.  A 1-3 follow up is pretty disappointing and is bringing some doubt into that playoff spot they seemed to all but have locked up a few weeks back.