NFL Power 10: Steelers Leapfrog Panthers, Titans and Giants Remain on Top

Two weeks in a row with the same scoring system! It’s a boondoggle!

Similar to the BCS, the Power 10 doesn’t take kindly to teams getting blown out. If you’re the Redskins, that’s bad news. Unlike the BCS, the Power 10 doesn’t care how bad your opponent was, as long as you win. If you’re the Bears, that’s good news.

The AFC East lacks representation this week, but just barely. The Jets came in at 12, the Bills at 13, and the Patriots at 14. Coming into the season, people said the AFC East was one of the worst divisions in the NFL.

The Power 10 respectfully disagrees.

Here’s how the Power 10 scoring system ranks the divisions:

1)    NFC East: Power 10 Points: 391
2)    NFC South: Power 10 Points: 357
3)    AFC East: Power 10 Points: 276
4)    AFC South: Power 10 Points: 240
5)    AFC North: Power 10 Points: 155
6)    NFC North: Power 10 Points: 131
7)    NFC West: Power 10 Points: 28
8)    AFC West: Power 10 Points: 6

The NFC East is as good as we thought they were, the NFC South and AFC East are better than we thought they’d be, and outside of Arizona, there isn’t a good football team in the western United States.

1 (1) Tennessee Titans (8-0): Power 10 Points: 165

In the second half, it looked like having Kerry Collins as a quarterback was finally catching up to the Titans. Then he miraculously morphs into an all-pro and leads them on a game tying drive, what should have been a game winning drive in regulation, and the eventual game winning drive in overtime.

This just might be the Titans’ year…

2 (2) New York Giants (7-1): Power 10 Points: 152

The Giants beat the snot out of the Cowboys. No mercy. Absolutely destroyed them. It was a game that was far more devastating than the final score would indicate for the Cowboys. The Giants basically punched them in the face over and over again, and when the Cowboys refused to fight back, the Giants punched them harder.

Translation: The Giants are really, really good. The Cowboys lack any semblance of toughness, have no heart whatsoever, and should be ashamed of themselves.

3 (4) Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2): Power 10 Points: 117

It was only a matter of time before allowing other teams to use their starting quarterback as a tackling dummy was going to come back to haunt them. If he can’t play against the Colts, the Steelers may be in trouble next week.

4 (3) Carolina Panthers (6-2): Power 10 Points: 110

The Panthers rested up during the bye week and are ready to continue their surprising run of dominance over the second half of their season. They get to beat up on Oakland and Detroit before they have to play the tough part of their schedule.

The Panthers finish up with games against Green Bay, Tampa Bay, Denver, New York Giants, and New Orleans. Not what I would call an easy road to the playoffs.

5 (6) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-3): Power 10 Points: 107

Barely beating the Chiefs should disqualify you from the Power 10. The fact that they gave up 27 points to that offense is inexcusable. I need to find a way to add a “Chiefs” factor to the Power 10 formula…

6 (t7) Philadelphia Eagles (5-3): Power 10 Points: 105

The Eagles pounded the Seahawks, adding to their impressive Net Points score of +76. When they lose, they barely lose. When they win, they blow teams out. Their expected W/L based on their Net Points is 7-1.

What does all that mean? The Eagles are the second best team in the NFC.

7 (-) Arizona Cardinals (5-3): Power 10 Points: 94

The Cardinals schedule really isn’t fair. They get the 49ers twice, the Seahawks twice, and the Rams twice. That type of garbage should be reserved for college teams trying to pad their BCS numbers.

8 (10) Chicago Bears (5-3): Power 10 Points: 93

Kyle Orton’s injury isn’t as bad as they first thought, which is good. Instead of 4-6 weeks, it’s looking like 1-2 weeks. He’s almost certainly not playing this week, though he won’t admit to that fact. The question is, can the Bears survive 1-2 weeks of Rex Grossman?

9 (-) Baltimore Ravens (5-3): Power 10 Points: 84

I’m not sure how the Ravens beat the Browns last week. I swear, I had the game on in the background, the Browns were winning, I was pretty convinced they had won, then saw the final score later that night and was shocked.

How the heck did the Browns lose? Someone fill me in?

10 (-) Atlanta Falcons (5-3): Power 10 Points: 81

We knew the Falcons were going to crush the Raiders, but 24-0? A shutout? By the Falcons? The same team that was a complete laughing stock last season? Matt Ryan and Michael Turner are good, but seriously? The Raiders are AWFUL.

Dropped Out:

11 (5) Washington Redskins (6-3): Power 10 Points: 77

Just beaten down by the Steelers…

13 (t7) Buffalo Bills (5-3): Power 10 Points: 75

Two straight losses going into the most important game of their season…

14 (9) New England Patriots (5-3): Power 10 Points: 73

They lost to the Colts, and there are some serious injury concerns, but I’m more optimistic now than I have been since the Brady injury…

Bottom Three:

30 (30) Kansas City Chiefs (1-7): Power 10 Points: -47

Gunning for the Raiders in the AFC West…

31 (32) Cincinnati Bengals (1-8): Power 10 Points: -64

They won a game! They’re out of last place!

32 (31) Detroit Lions (0-8): Power 10 Points: -71

They’ll never win a game! They’re stuck in last place!

Sean Crowe is a Senior Writer and an NFL Community Leader at Bleacher Report. You can email him at [e-mail]. His archive can be found here. You can find everything he writes, including articles for other publications, here.

Crowe is also the New England Patriots Examiner at Examiner.com. Check it out for all the latest on the New England Patriots.