NFL Power Rankings Week 11: 2015 Standings, Reaction for All Teams Post-MNF

Week 11 of the National Football League provided drama (New England Patriots walking off against the New York Giants), some surprise (Peyton Manning playing like Ryan Leaf) and some comedy (refs botching a call that gave the Jacksonville Jaguars a win over the hapless Baltimore Ravens).

A few teams are separating themselves from a crowded middle of the pack in a season that shouldn't have every playoff spot wrapped up until the final snap of the regular season.

Here's a look at the latest power rankings and the three biggest games of Week 11:

Rank	Team	Record	Reaction
1	New England Patriots	9-0	1972 Dolphins are probably getting worried
2	Carolina Panthers	9-0	Superman doesn't lose (at least so far)
3	Cincinnati Bengals	8-1	The Texans?
4	Arizona Cardinals	7-2	Carson Palmer is Comeback Player of the Year at worst
5	Minnesota Vikings	7-2	It helps to have the best running back in the NFL
6	Pittsburgh Steelers	6-4	Big Ben is kind of important to this team
7	Green Bay Packers	6-3	What Aaron Rodgers would give to have Jordy Nelson right about now
8	New York Giants	5-5	At least the Giants only lose to the Patriots in the regular season
9	Buffalo Bills	5-4	Rex Ryan beat his old team and everyone got to hear about it
10	New York Jets	5-4	The Jets lost to their old coach and everyone got to hear about it
11	Denver Broncos	7-2	Currently closer to a 2-7 team than 7-2 team
12	Miami Dolphins	4-5	Could make the playoffs with a losing record
13	Atlanta Falcons	6-3	Atlanta might be the worst 6-3 team ever
14	Oakland Raiders	4-5	Oakland won four games then looked like it didn't know how to react to such a feat in a loss to Minnesota
15	Kansas City Chiefs	4-5	Pro Bowl running back goes down; win three of four
16	Seattle Seahawks	4-5	The 12th Man must have taken a night off against the Cardinals
17	Washington	4-5	Kirk Cousins
18	Philadelphia Eagles	4-5	There's more drama at quarterback in Philadelphia than a high school play
19	St. Louis Rams	4-5	We're still waiting for St. Louis to turn in to a playoff team, but not happening
20	Indianapolis Colts	4-5	Andrew Luck's lacerated kidney is not worth risking for this team
21	Chicago Bears	4-5	Jeremy Langford might be better than Matt Forte
22	Houston Texans	4-5	Maybe J.J. Watt could play quarterback
23	Tampa Bay Bucs	4-5	Jameis Winston has won four more games than many people thought
24	New Orleans Saints	4-6	Saints holding open defensive tryouts for anyone under 40 years old
25	San Diego Chargers	2-7	Too much talent to be 2-7, but the Chargers do what the Chargers do
26	San Francisco 49ers	3-6	In a normal year the 49ers might be the worst team in the league
27	Dallas Cowboys	2-7	With Romo back, look for the Cowboys to shoot up the rankings to at least 25
28	Detroit Lions	2-7	Beat the Packers in Green Bay for the first time since before the Internet became mainstream
29	Jacksonville Jaguars	3-6	Lucky to be 3-6
30	Tennessee Titans	2-7	Marcus Mariota good; rest of team bad
31	Baltimore Ravens	2-7	You shouldn't have to rely on the refs getting a call right to beat the Jags at home
32	Cleveland Browns	2-8	This is where you remind Cleveland it took Johnny Manziel over Teddy Bridgewater

Broncos to Play First Game Without Peyton Manning

A week after Peyton Manning set the all-time passing yards mark, and subsequently had one of this worst games ever, he finds himself on the bench for the first time since coming to Denver in 2012 as he deals with multiple injuries.

Backup Brock Osweiler will take the reigns against the Chicago Bears in Week 11. It's a game the 7-2 Broncos need to win to keep separation from the 4-5 Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs.

The Bears may be just 4-5, but they've won two in a row, and Jay Cutler has thrown for 603 yards and five touchdowns in those wins.

Osweiler, on the other hand, has thrown a grand total of 54 passes in his four-year career, and Denver will not add another quarterback to its roster for the game, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

It was just two weeks ago that Manning and the Broncos embarrassed the previously unbeaten Green Bay Packers, 29-10, and had a three-game division lead.

Now, analysts such as Cris Carter of ESPN are wondering if there is anything left in Manning's tank:

This looks to be the beginning of the end for Manning and the Broncos' season. Until Osweiler, who did throw for 146 yards, one touchdown and one interception in Manning's stead, proves he can be a solid NFL quarterback, there is no reason to trust the Broncos.

Bears win 24-16. 

Vikings, Packers Vie for Top NFC North Spot

The Minnesota Vikings were supposed to be a surprise team with second-year quarterback Teddy Bridgewater settling in to his position. They stumbled out of the gates 2-2, and after Week 7, they trailed the undefeated Green Bay Packers by two games.

Fast forward three weeks, and the Vikings have gone 3-0 while the Packers are suddenly in a tailspin with three straight losses.

It's been so bad for Green Bay that in Week 10, it lost to a Detroit Lions team at home for the first time since quarterback Aaron Rodgers was a youth soccer player, per Yahoo Sports' Kevin Kaduk:

Rodgers has thrown six touchdowns the past two weeks, but he threw zero in a Week 8 loss to Denver, and Green Bay is averaging just 18.3 points per game during its losing streak.

Bridgewater is coming off a 30-14 road win against the Oakland Raiders, although he let Adrian Peterson and his 203 yards do most of the work. The NFL's leading rusher will pose problems for the 24th-ranked Green Bay rush defense.

The Vikings have actually been outscored by the Bears this season, but that doesn't matter to Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer:

It won't be pretty again, but the Vikings are hot and the Packers are reeling. They also are on the road for the third time in four weeks, which will contribute to a fourth-straight loss.

Vikings win, 22-20.

Palmer Gets Shot at Former Team

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer threw 154 touchdowns for the Cincinnati Bengals from 2004-10, but he never replicated his 32-touchdown performance in 2005.

After a two-year stint with the Raiders, Palmer came to Arizona in 2013. He led the Cardinals to a 6-0 start last year before tearing his ACL for the second time.

Now he has a chance for the first time with the Cardinals to knock off the team he left under not-so-great circumstances.

Almost one year to the day of his awful injury, Palmer's 23 touchdowns are only one fewer than NFL leader Tom Brady. 

He led the 7-2 Cardinals to 39 points in a Week 10 win at Seattle, but the 8-1 Bengals pose a stiff challenge.

Despite a loss to the Houston Texans in Week 10, they allow the fewest points in the NFL at 16.8 and are fifth in scoring at 26.1.

That's a tough situation for Palmer, but the Cardinals are playing at home and are actually one of a few teams that score at a higher rate than Cincinnati, at 33.6 points per game.

Arizona has an extra day of preparation since the Bengals played on Monday Night Football in Week 10 and won't have to travel like Cincinnati does.

In an evenly matched game, every little advantage helps, and the Cardinals will use them to hand Cincinnati a second straight loss.

Cardinals win 31-27.