AP NFL Rankings 2012: Most Overrated and Underrated NFL Teams

Who are the most overrated and underrated teams in the 2012 AP NFL preseason rankings?

Every offseason you follow your favorite team and see the progress you hope they are making. Then the time comes for the festivities to begin. All of the hard work and preparation you’ve put in this offseason has prepared you for the preseason, the time when your team is going to shine, prove all of the pundits and analysts wrong.

But first, there are the preseason rankings releases which infuriate you to no end. You take one look at them and feel sick.

“No, not us. Not MY team. We got Player A in the draft and signed Player B in free agency. There’s no way we’re that bad again!”

For league bottom feeders like the Cleveland Browns, St. Louis Rams and Indianapolis Colts, it seems there is no end in sight to the madness.

At the same time, these rankings also set people up for failure and disappointment by setting overinflated projections that teams just will not live up to.

Let me take a few minutes to go over a few of what I think are some of the most overrated and underrated teams from AP’s 2012 edition of their preseason NFL power rankings.

Overrated:

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles have some of the biggest and best offensive talents in the league. After a huge 2011 free agency period, they assembled a team they thought would compete for the Super Bowl. After an 8-8 finish in 2011, they fell significant short of those lofty goals.

The fact remains the Michael Vick has been unable to play an entire season since 2006 (before the jail term), and when he has played, he’s been running for his life. If the Eagles offense is going to soar in 2012, it’s going to need a tremendously better effort from its offensive line. Philly has the firepower, but they need the foundation to really let it shine.

On defense, the Eagles are not the elite group they appear to be on paper. At cornerback, sure, they have what looks to be the ability to shut down opposing offenses’ passing attacks. However, they displayed several weaknesses throughout the rest of the defense. Those weaknesses were amplified because of the struggles of their offense.

For starters, their rush defense is average at best. The team allowed a middle-of-the-road 116 YPG on the ground in 2011. Hopefully the additions of rookies Fletcher Cox and Mychal Kendricks can help bolster the front seven quickly, or the team may again struggle up the middle against opposing rushing attacks.

Their projected impenetrable pass defense was good, 10th best in the league (212 YPG), but that’s not nearly as dominant as was predicted after the additions of Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Nnamdi Asomugha. With Asante Samuel now in an Atlanta Falcons uniform, the duo will be relied on more heavily as their safety position is a big question mark heading into the season. Quintin Mikell, the team’s leading tackler, left for the St. Louis Rams in free agency.

The Eagles may not end up having a poor season, but I think jumping the gun and crowning them anything better than what they were a season ago (8-8) is a bad move. As good as they are, they have some significant question marks along the trenches and in their defensive backfield.

Current Ranking: 8th

My Ranking: 16th

Underrated:

Kansas City Chiefs

Everything that could go wrong did for the 2011 Kansas City Chiefs.

The Chiefs have been on the rise over the last two seasons. A year ago, injuries crippled some of their most potent offensive weapons and hampered what could have been a breakout season by coach Romeo Crennel’s squad.

They lost electric running back Jamaal Charles and solid tight end Tony Moeaki early on and never really recovered offensively. The Chiefs finished even worse offensively as both Matt Cassel and Kyle Orton were lost to injuries. Tyler Palko stepped in to lead the team through its final five games of the season. They fell to a dismal 1-4 during that stretch.

Key offseason additions on offense include OT Eric Winston and rookies OG Jeff Allen and WR Devon Wylie.

With Wylie, Dexter McCluster and Charles in the game at the same time, the Chiefs will potentially field one of the quickest and most explosive trios in the game.

On defense, the team put up a fight as it watched its offense crumble to pieces. Anchored by a solid pass rush, the team’s pass defense stifled opposing aerial games, resulting in the sixth-best pass defense in the league.

Its defense wasn’t immune from the injury bug, either; it hit all aspects of the Chiefs organization. Pro Bowl safety Eric Berry returns after being sidelined with a torn ACL suffered in Week 1 of the 2011 campaign. Berry’s presence immediately strengthens an already impressive and developing young Chiefs defense.

The AFC West is going to come down to the Chiefs and Broncos. This is the year the KC Chiefs finally break out.  

Current Ranking: 18th

My Ranking: 9th

I’m sure we’ll all eventually realize the futility in preseason rankings.

Until then, the best we can do is use logic as an ally in these uncertain and murky preseason waters.

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