Week 10 NFL Power Rankings
Number in brackets indicates last weeks rank.
The Patriots took a big step toward an undefeated season, outlasting the Colts in Indy 24-20. Up next for the Pats, a week off and then a Sunday Night game against an improving Pats team.
The Colts looked very good against the Patriots and there's no question they'll have a rematch with them in January. What was most surprising about this game was the Colts defense, which held QB Tom Brady to just 255 passing yards and intercepted him twice. The Colts have to bounce back from that loss quickly, as they have to travel to San Diego to take on a very upset Chargers team who are coming off an embarrassing loss to the Vikings.
The Cowboys are off a nice win at Philadelphia, but have to travel again this week to take on the resurgent Giants. Cowboys are 7-1 and are currently the favorite to win the NFC, which means they're the favorites to lose in the Super Bowl to the Colts or Patriots.
The Steelers showed their the class of the AFC North, pounding the Ravens into submission with a dominating 38-7 victory on Monday Night. They can all but clinch another divisional title with a win at home vs the Browns this week.
The Packers back to back wins on the road puts them at 7-1 and their are no longer questions about this team being for real, they definitely are. The Packers survived 2 first half Brett Favre interceptions and showed lots of resolve coming back in the 4th quarter for the victory. Up next for the Packers, the Adrian Peterson show at Lambeau Field.
The Giants are coming off a bye week and have a monster matchup with the Dallas Cowboys at home. For this team to have any shot at winning the NFC East, they have to win this game. They currently trail the Cowboys by 1 game and a loss would put them 2 games behind the Cowboys and with 2 losses vs the Cowboys, they'd be all but eliminated from the NFC East race.
The Titans keep winning ugly, only gaining 236 total yards in their victory last week vs. the Panthers. They recorded 7 sacks in that game as their defense keeps getting better and keeps winning games.
The Lions have won 3 straight games (last year they won 3 games all season) and take to the road this week with a very winnable game vs. the Cardinals. They come home for 2 games vs. playoff contenders, the Packers and Giants. The Lions next 3 games will tell us a lot about this young team.
The Jags got gashed by the Saints last week, giving up 538 total yards. Now they lose DT Marcus Stroud, which will only hurt a team that relies heavily on their defense. They now play their 3rd consecutive road game vs. divisional rival Titans.
The Saints have won 4 straight with an average margin of victory of 13.75. They are getting hot at the right time and are back in the race for the
NFC South.
This is a pivotal part of the season for the Redskins, with their next 2 games vs
NFC East rivals and back to back travel dates, @ Dallas and @ Tampa. They will need to go at least 2-1 in their next 3 games to stay alive for a playoff spot.
The Browns are 5-3 but face a major challenge this week in Pittsburgh. The Steelers have owned the Browns in recent years and pounded the Browns in week 1 of the season, 34-7. If the Browns want to challenge for the
AFC North, they have to win this game. A win vs. the Steelers would push the Browns into a tie for 1st and show once and for all this team is for real.
The Bucs got back to winning last week, snapping their 2 game losing streak. The Bucs are 5-4 and in sole possession of 1st place in the NFC South.
The Seahawks are off a tough loss to the Browns, but this team is almost assured a playoff spot because the
NFC West is awful.
The Chargers got shredded last week vs. the Vikings. Their defense gave up 378 rushing yards and the Chargers were only able to run the ball for only 40 yards. That's a disparity of 338 yards. That's awful. Up next for the Chargers, a Colts team coming off their first loss of the season.
The Ravens were fully exposed last Monday in Pittsburgh. They were completely outclassed by the Steelers and the Ravens showed very little offense. They desperately need their CBs back from injury, as QB Ben Roethlesberger put up record numbers against this shaky secondary.
The Chiefs are coming off a very disappointing effort vs. the Packers. The Chiefs had 2 weeks to improve their offense, in particular their rushing attack, in preparation for their matchup last week. They gained only 61 rushing yards and 234 total yards off their bye week. This team is tied for 1st in the
AFC West, but won't be a threat to make the playoffs with their offensive production, or lack there of.
The Bills have a nice 3 game win streak and have won 4 of their last 5 games and look to extend this streak against the brutally bad Dolphins. The second half of the schedule does get very difficult, with games vs the Patriots, Jags, Redskins, Browns and Giants.
The Eagles showed very little effort or heart in their Sunday Night game vs. the Cowboys. They are now 3-5 on the season and 0-3 in divisional play, and those 3 losses were not competitive, losing against the Redskins by 8, the Giants by 13 and last week vs. the Cowboys by 21 points.
RB Adrian Peterson is
unbelievably exciting. He's broken multiple records already this season and the future looks very bright for the Vikings running game. The only problem, their anemic passing game is
brutally bad and Peterson is going to take a pounding each week if their passing game doesn't improve.
The Panthers QB issues are getting comical. They've started 3 different play callers, including 43 year old Vinny Testaverde and the much maligned David Carr, who is an offensive lineman's worst nightmare. Carr holds onto the ball too long and is slow to make decisions. He was sacked an alarming 7 times last week vs. the Titans. He won't last long this season if he keeps getting knocked around like that, which would mean yet another starter for the Panthers.
The Bears come off their bye week and travel to Oakland to take on the hapless Raiders. The Bears are 3-5 and the second half of their season looks rough, with 5 of their next 8 games against winning teams.
The Cardinals have lost 3 straight but are only 1 game out of first place in their division, which tells you how bad their division is. The Cardinals schedule does get easier in the second half, with games scheduled against the Bengals, 49ers, Falcons and Rams.
The Broncos disappointing season just got worse with QB Jay Cutler going down last week with an injured leg. As bad as this season has gone for the Broncos, their only 1 game out of first place in the AFC West.
The Texans snapped their 3 game losing streak with a win against the lowly Raiders. They enter their bye week at a good time and desperately need to get healthy, especially stud WR Andre Johnson who's been out since week 2 with a tweaked knee.
At the beginning of the season, the Bengals thought the arrival of WR Chris Henry off of suspension would help their playoff push, but it looks like the only push coming in the second half of this season could be from the Bengals fans/critics pushing Marvin Lewis into the streets. This promising season has been very disappointing and the blame goes squarely on the shoulders of the Bengals head coach.
The Falcons are coming off a nice win over the 49ers, a much needed win for embattled NFL rookie coach Bobby Petrino who many think has lost this team.
The Jets played hard against the Skins, but eventually their defense wilted as the game warred on. After this week's bye, their schedule gets brutal with 6 of their next 8 games against teams with winning records, and their 2 games against the 5 teams the Steelers and Cowboys. This season can't end soon enough for the Jets.
Da Raiders are tragic. As bad as they are, they can't start DeMarcus Russell and get him some much needed playing time, because Al Davis and the Raider organization couldn't get a deal done in time to get Russell into camp. That kind of business approach to football is why the Raiders are one of the worst franchises in sports.
6 losses in a row, a loss to the
LOWLY Falcons and now they get to embarrass themselves on Monday Night Football. Tragic that this team gets to play on the national stage of MNF. Head Coach Mike Nolan will be scrutinized by the national media and the like this week, lets see how he handles the heat.
The Dolphins off a bye week and get to play the Bills at home, this is a winnable game for a winless team.
Off a bye week and travel to New Orleans to play a very hot Saints team. Rams are totally banged up and hopefully healed some wounds during the time off.
