NFL Awesome Rankings: No. 9

1. Atlanta Falcons (9-2) (No. 2 last week): A new No. 1. The Falcons have been very impressive week to week. With a win over last week’s No. 7 team, the Falcons are now on top of the NFL rankings. Matt Ryan and the well balanced offense are fun to watch and continue to put up great numbers. The bandwagon is filling up quickly.

2. New England Patriots (9-2) (No. 1 last week): Started off slow against a feisty Detroit team, but then turned on the jets. Wait, what? Anyway, this team continues to impress with a bunch of “no name” guys led by Brady. Next week’s game is going to be huge (They play the Jets..).

3. New York Jets (9-2) (No. 4 last week): Have won four games in a row, but the most important one is coming up. The No. 2 Patriots await. Will we get superstar Sanchez or second year Sanchez this week?

4. Baltimore Ravens (8-3) (No. 5 last week): Kind of like the Falcons, this team is great at home. 5-0 this season. Won a tough game over Tampa this past week, but they proved once again that the “D” is legit.

5. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3) (No. 6 last week): It took a Steve Johnson drop to get the win, but the Steelers will take it. Injuries are a concern, but this team still has a great defense.

6. New Orleans Saints (8-3) (No. 9 last week): The Saints move up three spots this week after their “crazy” win over Dallas on Thanksgiving Day. Honestly, if Roy Williams hangs on to the ball the Cowboys probably would have won, but that’s the way football goes.

7. Chicago Bears (8-3) (not ranked): The first appearance for the Bears this season on the JWSBAR. Thanks to their aggressive D and “safe” offense, the Bears are one of the surprise teams so far this season. Can they keep it up? Great win last week over Philly.

8. Green Bay Packers (7-4) (No. 7 last week): Dropped a spot after losing to No. 1 Atlanta, but don’t let that fool you. Many believe this team is still the best in the NFC. The run game is very “iffy” though.

9. Philadelphia Eagles (7-4) (No. 3 last week): This week’s biggest drop. The Eagles had a chance to stake claim to the top spot in the NFC, but were unable to beat the Bears. Michael Vick is still the Comeback Player of the Year.

10. San Diego Chargers (6-5) (No. 8 last week): While their win over Indy was great, other teams were more impressive, so they fell. Not their fault, they are still a very dangerous team.

Just Missed the Cut: New York Giants, Kansas City Chiefs