Foxboro Blog Top 12: Week 3

I’m having a hard time remembering a week as volatile as the one we just had on the Top 12.  With three weeks under the belt, it was time to cast aside any lingering feelings from last season or the preseason and truly evaluate the teams based on what they’ve done on the field in 2011.  As a result, we had three teams nosedive from the Top 12, the most shocking of which was Atlanta, who plummeted off the board from #6. The Eagles and Bears also dropped completely off, while three newcomers took their places.  And the Patriots…  Well, let’s just say that they probably aren’t hanging onto that #1 spot after their debacle in Orchard Park.
 

Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
1		2	+1	3-0	vs. Broncos
		For the fourth week in a row, there’s a new #1 team, with Green Bay reclaiming the top spot they held in the preseason. Barring a massive meltdown vs. the Broncos, it could be a pretty safe bet that they’ll be the first team to hang onto the #1 position this year.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
2		3	+1	2-1	@ Jaguars
		New Orleans has had a tough slate the first three games and performed admirably.  Now the question is how they’ll handle a trip to the cellar in Jacksonville.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
3		4	+1	2-1	vs. Jets
		Tough call here between the Pats and the Ravens.  Both have two wins, one against a Top 12 team, and one embarrassing loss. Ultimately, Baltimore’s crushing defeat of the Steelers in Week 1 tipped the scales for me.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
4		4	-3	2-1	@ Raiders
		There’s no excuse for blowing a 21 point lead, and thus the Patriots fall harder than any team left on the Top 12 board.  That being said, if it takes four interceptions, some horrible officiating calls, and pretty much everything going wrong in the final 33 minutes of the game to take you down, that’s a good sign, right?.  Still, the pourous secondary officially has me worried.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
5		5	0	2-1	vs. Steelers
		Texans faced their first real test of the season and came up short.  Still, hard to knock a team for losing to the Saints.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
6		11	+5	3-0	@ Cowboys
		This one boggles my mind.  Not because the Lions are holding the #6 spot, but because having an overtime come-from-behind win against the 0-3 Vikings should be a reason to drop a spot, not go up a ridiculous five places. The problem is that the Jets, Steelers, and Chargers did nothing to impress, and the Falcons, Eagles, and Bears all fell off the board.  Some massive shift needed to occur to right this board, and the undefeated Lions reaped the benefit of it.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
7		N/A	N/A	3-0	@ Bengals
		Flip a coin here with Detroit, not only for being the surprise team of the season, but for the #6/7 ranking.  Ultimately, you know how flukey I felt this past Sunday’s win was for the Bills, but there’s no denying that Buffalo looks like a playoff contender through three weeks.  On the flip side, they are probably two garbage plays away from being 1-2 and at the bottom of the pile…
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
8		7	-1	2-1	@ Ravens
		Suffice to say that New York has looked lackluster thus far.  There are some big tests the next two weeks with road games against Baltimore and New England.  If they fail, it’s quite possible that the Jets could find themselves three games behind a 5-0 Bills team for the AFC East lead.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
9		N/A	N/A	2-1	vs. Colts
		By virtue of beathing Atlanta, the Buccs get themselves on the board.  Still, that shaky win over Minnesota two weeks ago gives me some pause.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
10		N/A	N/A	2-1	vs. Lions
		The Cowboys have been in some incredible tight games the past three weeks. Like the Bills and Buccs, a play here or there could have them off the board, but that’s the NFL.  For now, they’re holding onto the #10 spot.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
11		9	-2	2-1	@ Texans
		Eeking out a last second field goal against a team quarterbacked by Curtis Painter will earn you no love from me.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
12		12	0	2-1	vs. Dolphins
		San Diego couldn’t do much to earn favor this week with a gimmee game against KC.  Still, if it weren’t for the disasterous starts by some of last week’s Top 12 counterparts, only winning by 3 points could have been enough to drop the Bolts.  The Chargers won’t get much opportunity to help themselves in the rankings against Miami this week, but I think they’ll take that in exchange for what should be a 3-1 start to the year.