NFL Power Rankings 2016: Updated Standings, Super Bowl Odds for Week 11
For a while, it seemed that the New England Patriots and Minnesota Vikings were the two safest bets during the first half of the 2016 NFL season. Now? All bets are off.
The Vikings have fallen completely off track and are in a downward spiral with a four-game losing streak after starting the season 5-0.
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While the Patriots are still the cream of the crop in the AFC, their stock did take a hit after losing to the Seattle Seahawks Sunday night. It was a tough game for the Patriots, and losing at home is a bitter pill to swallow, but it doesn't define their makeup as a team.
The Patriots are still a great team to bet on, but before you assume that quarterback Tom Brady will save the day and win another Super Bowl, take a look at some other teams that are making noise in the league entering Week 11.
| 1 | Dallas Cowboys | 11-2 |
| 2 | Seattle Seahawks | 25-4 |
| 3 | New England Patriots | 23-10 |
| 4 | Oakland Raiders | 20-1 |
| 5 | Kansas City Chiefs | 16-1 |
| 6 | Denver Broncos | 16-1 |
| 7 | New York Giants | 28-1 |
| 8 | Atlanta Falcons | 18-1 |
| 9 | Washington Redskins | 50-1 |
| 10 | Detroit Lions | 40-1 |
| 11 | Houston Texans | 33-1 |
| 12 | Tennessee Titans | 66-1 |
| 13 | Baltimore Ravens | 28-1 |
| 14 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 20-1 |
| 15 | Miami Dolphins | 75-1 |
| 16 | Philadelphia Eagles | 66-1 |
| 17 | Arizona Cardinals | 22-1 |
| 18 | Minnesota Vikings | 40-1 |
| 19 | Green Bay Packers | 25-1 |
| 20 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 150-1 |
| 21 | New Orleans Saints | 100-1 |
| 22 | Indianapolis Colts | 40-1 |
| 23 | Buffalo Bills | 150-1 |
| 24 | Los Angeles Rams | 150-1 |
| 25 | San Diego Chargers | 150-1 |
| 26 | Cincinnati Bengals | 50-1 |
| 27 | New York Jets | 300-1 |
| 28 | Carolina Panthers | 50-1 |
| 29 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 1000-1 |
| 30 | Chicago Bears | 500-1 |
| 31 | San Francisco 49ers | 1000-1 |
| 32 | Cleveland Browns | 3000-1 |
| New England Patriots | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| Miami Dolphins | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| Buffalo Bills | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| New York Jets | 3 | 7 | 0 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Houston Texans | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| Tennessee Titans | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 2 | 7 | 0 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| Oakland Raiders | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| Denver Broncos | 7 | 3 | 0 |
| San Diego Chargers | 4 | 6 | 0 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| New York Giants | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| Washington Redskins | 5 | 3 | 1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| Detroit Lions | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| Green Bay Packers | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| Chicago Bears | 2 | 7 | 0 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 6 | 4 | 0 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| New Orleans Saints | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| Carolina Panthers | 3 | 6 | 0 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 6 | 2 | 1 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 4 | 4 | 1 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 1 | 8 | 0 |
Dark horse
The Oakland Raiders are back, ladies and gentlemen. And they've put the entire league on notice heading into Week 11.
Sure, the Raiders are still committing far too many penalties, and their defense hasn't been as dominant as one would like to see in a Super Bowl contender, but this Raiders team just has that X-factor. With Derek Carr, Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree becoming a lethal trio through the air, there are other parts of the offensive unit that don't get the recognition they deserve.
Take the offensive line, for example.
Carr has only been sacked 11 times so far this season through nine games, the lowest number in the NFL. To put that number in perspective, the Indianapolis Colts have allowed 33 sacks so far this season.
It's almost hard to consider the Raiders a dark horse with the way they've played this season. Standing at 7-2, Oakland is finally getting the national recognition it deserves.
With 20-1 odds entering Week 11, smart money is to put some faith into Raider Nation.
Falling off to the side
In the first quarter of the season, the Falcons stock couldn't have been any higher. Quarterback Matt Ryan was (and still is) playing at an MVP-caliber level, while Julio Jones has solidified himself as one of the top wideouts in the league.
So why shouldn't you bet on Atlanta, which is sitting atop the NFC South with a 6-4 record? Because the team is far too inconsistent. Its up-and-down play has confused SB Nation's Matt Chambers:
This team really doesn't make sense.
Averaging a league-high 32 points and 416.6 yards of offense per game, the Falcons came out flat against the Philadelphia Eagles last week. What should have been a blowout win turned out to be a bitter 24-15 loss.
Atlanta's defense is young, so it's not really fair to criticize a unit that has a lot of potential down the road. But if you're placing a bet on a team, that team has to have a competent defense that can win a football game when its offense stutters, and, unfortunately for Atlanta, its defense has a long, long way to go.
Favorite to watch
Buy, buy, buy.
The Cowboys stock hasn't been this high since the early 1990s when Troy Aikman was handing the ball off to Emmitt Smith, led by the NFL's best offensive line.
Sound familiar?
We all knew that Ezekiel Elliott was going to be good, but did anyone expect him to be this good so soon? He has the Rookie of the Year award in the bag, and along with Ryan, Brady, Carr and DeMarco Murray, Elliott has a case for the MVP award at the end of the season.
Having said that, Elliott won't win because it's not just his play that makes the Cowboys the best team in the NFC and possibly the best team in the NFL entering Week 11; it's the play of rookie quarterback Dak Prescott and the outstanding Cowboys offensive line.
It's not likely for the MVP to go to a unit, but if there was such an award, it would go to the Dallas linemen. Dieter Kurtenbach of Fox Sports made a case for the O-line:
The Cowboys are the safest bet in the NFL at the moment with 11-2 Super Bowl odds, which will only continue to rise as Dallas continues its eight-game win streak going into Week 11 against the Baltimore Ravens.
Stats courtesy of NFL.com. Odds courtesy of Odds Shark.
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