Foxboro Blog Top 12: Week 6

Things are getting a bit stagnant here at Foxboro Blog.  First, we have the nearly unanimous picks the past two weeks in the Pick ‘Em game.  Now we have a Top 12, where seven of the teams hold the exact same spot that they did the week before.  It’s been an odd NFL season to some degree.  First we had the lockout.  Then you have no Peyton Manning.   Green Bay, Baltimore, New England, and New Orleans have been solid, as expected, but then you have Buffalo, San Fran, Detroit, and Cincinnati all coming out of nowhere.  Normally things are flip-flopping around quite a bit this time of year, but it seems like we’ve hit a bit of an even keel in 2011.  With four of the twelve teams this week heading into a bye, things may not get very spicy next week either.
 

Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
1		1	0	6-0	@ Vikings
		Green Bay did what a championship caliber team should do against an 0-5 team.  They dominated.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
2		2	0	4-1	@ Jaguars
		Baltimore continues to lay pounding after pounding on the quality teams on their schedule.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
3		3	0	5-1	Bye Week
		Tom Brady’s vintage game-winning drive is the talk of the town.  Still, the thing that I’m most excited about is that the Patriots won on Sunday because of their defense.   Worst in the league, they are no longer.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
4		4	0	4-2	vs. Colts
		New Orleans was ripe for a fall in the rankings after losing at Tampa.  However, they get to hang onto the #4 spot due to the incompetency below them.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
5		5	0	5-1	vs. Falcons
		It might seem weird to put the Lions above San Fran, given the fact that they just lost at home to the Niners, but the Top 12 is based on your entire body of recent work.  As a result, I give the edge to Detroit.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
6		11	+5	5-1	Bye Week
		Were it not for Tony Romo’s dramatic comeback, the Niners would be undefeated.  How unbelievable is that?
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
7		7	0	4-1	@ Jets
		San Diego stays put with their bye week.  Given their lackluster schedule thus far, they have an opportunity to move up the board with a strong performance against the Jets.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
8		6	-2	4-2	Bye Week
		Hand it to the Bills – win or lose, they’ve managed to play some incredibly exciting football.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
9		9	0	4-2	@ Cardinals
		The Steelers don’t look dominant, but they’re doing what they need to do to remain in the AFC playoff picture.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
10		8	-2	3-3	@ Titans
		The Texans should have the AFC South on a silver platter, but they just can’t bring themselves to take it.  Big game this week vs. Tennessee.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
11		N/A	N/A	4-2	vs. Bears
		The Buccs looked like the Yucks last week, before rebounding strongly against the Saints to keep pace in the NFC South.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
12		N/A	N/A	4-2	Bye Week
		This spot could have gone the Raiders, the Bengals, the Falcons, or even the Jets, but the G-Men have looked the most impressive the past several weeks.  The currently appear to have the edge in the NFC East.