So I don’t know what my problem is this year with the power ranks. I usually do them on Tuesday night but then something comes up and I don’t get around to posting them until Saturday or Sunday. I’ll try better next week, I guess.
This week, we have a new #1 team, and surprisingly, its a team that not many people have been talking about this year despite having the best record in the NFL. I think a lot of people feel that their “dynasty” is over because it has been 3 years since they made it to and 6 years since they have won the Super Bowl, but they seem to still be one of the best teams in the NFL. That’s right, I’m talking about the Patriots. They are back in familiar territory with the top spot. The Jets, who lost an ugly 9-0 game to the Packers last week, fell only 1 spot to #2. The Colts took over the #3 spot for taking control of the AFC South, while the Steelers fell out of the top 5 to #6 after losing to the Saints. Despite losing, the Titans stayed put at #4 and the Falcons are still #5.
On the bottom side, the 49ers won the clash of the titans from last week with Denver to climb out of the bottom 5 for the first time all season, while the Broncos stayed where they were at #29. The 49ers moving up pushed the Panthers down to #31 and the Cowboys down to #30. The Cardinals, who are actually a respectable 3-4, are getting murdered by all of the other factors that roll into these ranks (like offense, defense, turnovers, recent success, etc) and are now in the bottom 5 at #28. That’s exactly what these ranks are for.
This week’s big gainers had 3 teams jumping 6 spots. The 49ers moved up 6 for beating Denver in London. The Lions moved up 6 for beating the Redskins, and the red-hot Oakland Raiders moved up 6 spots for stomping on Seattle. The Raiders have by far their highest ranking since I started doing these ranks years ago, at #11. The biggest loser was Seattle, who fell 8 spots for getting crushed by the Raiders, followed by Washington, as listed mentioned above.
Playoff Projections:
NFC
First Round Byes: #5 Falcons, #7 Giants
#13 Eagles @ #12 Packers
#10 Buccaneers @ #17 Rams
Top 5 Out: #14 Saints, #15 Redskins, #18 Seahawks, #20 Bears, #21 Lions
AFC
First Round Byes: #1 Patriots, #3 Colts
#4 Titans @ #6 Steelers
#2 Jets @ #9 Chiefs
Top 5 Out: #8 Ravens, #11 Raiders, #16 Texans, #19 Dolphins, #22 Jaguars
Here are the full ranks:
1. Patriots – 78.13 – +1
2. Jets – 71.93 – -1
3. Colts – 70.83 – +3
4. Titans – 69.98 – Even
5. Falcons – 68.59 – Even
6. Steelers – 67.66 – -3
7. Giants – 65.09 – Even
8. Ravens – 63.61 – Even
9. Chiefs – 62.91 – +2
10. Buccaneers – 62.53 – +4
11. Raiders – 59.51 – +6
12. Packers – 58.63 – +3
13. Eagles – 56.60 – -1
14. Saints – 54.05 – +2
15. Redskins – 53.47 – -6
16. Texans – 51.48 – -3
17. Rams – 49.62 – +2
18. Seahawks – 49.53 – -8
19. Dolphins – 49.36 – +3
20. Bears – 46.10 – -2
21. Lions – 43.65 – +6
22. Jaguars – 41.73 – +2
23. Browns – 41.59 – -3
24. Chargers – 40.07 – +2
25. 49ers – 34.12 – +6
26. Bengals – 33.80 – -5
27. Vikings – 32.27 – -4
28. Cardinals – 31.53 – -3
29. Broncos – 25.70 – Even
30. Cowboys – 24.77 – -2
31. Panthers – 24.75 – -1
32. Bills – 17.17 – Even
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