NFL Power Rankings: Initial Post-Sunday Breakdown Ahead of Week 11

Perhaps the most important lesson from Week 10 of the NFL season is that the rest of the nation finally learned what Chicago fans have known for weeks—the Bears are terrible this year.

However, that team you watched lose 55-14 in absolutely embarrassing fashion on national television on Sunday night is not the worst team in the NFL. What’s more, the Green Bay Packers team that won the contest is not the best team in the NFL either.

To find out where those NFC North rivals and the rest of the league stands, read on to see the latest power rankings.

32. Oakland Raiders (0-9)

It is really as simple as this—until the Oakland Raiders actually get a win and prove to the league that they will not finish 0-16, they are going to stay in the bottom spot of these power rankings. 

Rookie quarterback Derek Carr has gotten little help from Darren McFadden, Maurice Jones-Drew and the offensive line, which makes winning at the NFL level very difficult.

31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-8) 

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost at home to the disappointing Atlanta Falcons in Week 10 to continue a miserable season. It is certainly ironic that one of the few teams having a worse go of things in 2014 than the Bears is Lovie Smith and Josh McCown’s Bucs.

30. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-9)

The Jacksonville Jaguars have kept things competitive at times this year with rookie Blake Bortles and a young receiving cast, but they were beaten soundly by the Dallas Cowboys in London on Sunday. 

That marks three straight losses for the Jags, and they are well on their way to another double-digit loss campaign.

29. Tennessee Titans (2-7)

At least the Tennessee Titans kept things close against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, even if the offense only managed seven points. 

Frankly speaking, Zach Mettenberger was lucky to get out of that game relatively unscathed considering how often he was hit and under duress. Tennessee has some solid pieces, but the entire package is just lackluster at best.

28. Chicago Bears (3-6)

Morry Gash/Associated Press

The 42-0 deficit at halftime wasn’t even the worst of it for the Bears in Week 10. It was the fact that a beatdown like that came after a bye week against their archrivals.

So much for the concept of preparation.

The sad thing is there were probably way more people who started Chicago Bears players in their fantasy lineups than Seattle Seahawks in Week 10. 

Dan Dakich of ESPN and Matt Miller of Bleacher Report had appropriate responses to the situation, while ESPN Stats & Info painted a rather ugly picture:

27. Atlanta Falcons (3-6)

Remember, this Atlanta Falcons team lost to that very same Bears squad that looked so listless on Sunday, so let’s not get too excited about a win over Tampa Bay. 

The Falcons are actually very similar to the Bears this season in that both teams are incredibly talented on paper but have simply not found a way to get consistent results on the field.

26. New York Jets (2-8)

Who saw the New York Jets victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers coming? Did Rex Ryan even envision it? 

The offense and defense both clicked for the Jets in Week 10, and the quarterback job is Michael Vick’s to lose. The rest of the league will certainly want to see what he can do with it over the course of the stretch run of the season.

25. Washington (3-6)

Jim Mone/Associated Press

Washington had a bye in Week 10, but one of the league's main storylines next week will be how Robert Griffin III responds after an extra week of practice preparing for the lowly Buccaneers.

24. St. Louis Rams (3-6)

The St. Louis Rams are the NFL equivalent of that dangerous team that lurks near the middle of a college football conference—the one that isn’t actually that good but that nobody wants to play. They are talented enough to spring an upset at any time, but not consistent enough to serve as a serious threat.

A team like Texas A&M would fit that bill, as Auburn found out the hard way on Saturday.

As for the Rams, the not so good side showed up in Week 10, as the Arizona Cardinals receivers ran circles around the St. Louis secondary and Patrick Peterson and Antonio Cromartie secured critical turnovers for the Arizona defense.

23. New York Giants (3-6) 

ESPN Stats & Info had some unfortunate news for football fans in the Big Apple:

The New York Giants never really had a chance against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, as Marshawn Lynch made mincemeat of the defense. The Seahawks racked up more than 300 yards on the ground, and Eli Manning never really had an opportunity to get going because the Seahawks kept the New York defense out there with a consistent running attack.

22. Carolina Panthers (3-5-1) 

The Carolina Panthers play on Monday night against the Philadelphia Eagles. The question now is whether Cam Newton can outmatch Mark Sanchez and take advantage of the Saints’ loss in the wide-open NFC South.

21. Houston Texans (4-5)

The Houston Texans, who have gotten incredible seasons from Arian Foster and J.J. Watt, are finally switching quarterbacks from Ryan Fitzpatrick to Ryan Mallett. 

They picked the perfect time to do it also, as the team enjoyed a bye week and an extra few days of practice in Week 10. Next up is a date with the resurgent Cleveland Browns in Week 11.

20. Minnesota Vikings (4-5)

The Minnesota Vikings probably didn’t want a bye week considering they've won their last two games, but next up for Teddy Bridgewater is a matchup with the reeling Bears. 

Perhaps it will be three consecutive wins in Minnesota?

19. New Orleans Saints (4-5)

It may not seem fair to other divisions, but the New Orleans Saints are in first place in the lowly NFC South with a losing record.

They would have a winning record if Jimmy Graham’s Hail Mary catch in the final seconds of regulation against the San Francisco 49ers counted. Instead, the referees called offensive pass interference on him for pushing off, which inspired these comments from Graham himself, according to The Associated Press (via ESPN.com):

"

Definitely not a push off. I'm running down the field and I'm telling myself not to push off. Whatever you do, don't push off. Just go up and get it. It's interesting, you know, how guys grab me everywhere on the field and I put literally two fingers on somebody and you make that kind of call. That's why I switched. That's why I left basketball, so I could stop being penalized for hitting people. 

"

It was just a heartbreaking way to lose, but some of that Superdome mystique was chipped away by an impressive performance from the 49ers.

18. Buffalo Bills (5-4)

The Buffalo Bills had the lead and a chance to win against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, but they lost it in the second half. 

The defense was still excellent, though, and Jamaal Charles never really got going. If the Bills had a fully healthy backfield to work on that clock more after they grabbed the lead, it may have been a different story.

17. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4)

The Pittsburgh Steelers pulled the rug out from underneath us again. 

They are perhaps the league’s most inconsistent team, with blowout wins over Baltimore and Indianapolis but inexplicable losses to Tampa Bay and the Jets. What made Sunday’s performance even more confusing was the fact that Ben Roethlisberger had been so dominant the past couple of games and was going up against a lackluster New York secondary.

16. Cincinnati Bengals (5-3-1)

The Cincinnati Bengals may as well burn the tape from Thursday’s loss to the Cleveland Browns. 

They were absolutely terrible in all facets of the game, and Andy Dalton was a nightmare on the field. Fantasy owners relying on A.J. Green and Mohamed Sanu were probably cursing at their television screens all game long.

15. San Diego Chargers (5-4)

Which team is the real San Diego Chargers?

They entered their Week 10 bye with three straight losses after a dominating 5-1 start. They were once talked about as an AFC contender in the same breath as the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots, but now they are in a fight for their football lives just to make the postseason. 

It will be interesting to see how the Chargers play after the extended rest.

14. Miami Dolphins (5-4)

The Miami Dolphins experienced Heartbreak Hotel in the final seconds of their loss to the Detroit Lions when Matthew Stafford threw a game-winning touchdown pass, but it is hard to punish Miami too severely here considering it came against one of the league’s best teams on the road. 

The solid defense will have to carry the weight moving forward if running back Lamar Miller struggles to produce as he deals with nagging injuries.

13. Cleveland Browns (6-3)

That’s right, the Cleveland Browns are in first place in the daunting AFC North, where every team in the division is at least two games above .500.

Brian Hoyer has done more than enough to win under center all year, and the running game and defense have both been strong as well. What’s even more exciting for Cleveland fans is the prospect of getting superstar wide receiver Josh Gordon back in Week 12 for the stretch run. 

Anthony Lima of 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland is certainly a supporter of the work Hoyer has done in division games this season:

The Browns could make Cleveland fans temporarily forget about LeBron James’ return with a trip to the playoffs this season.

12. Kansas City Chiefs (6-3)

The Chiefs notched an impressive comeback win against the Bills and didn’t even get a vintage performance from Charles. 

There may not be a dynamic playmaker on this team outside of Charles, but the Chiefs will likely continue to do what is necessary with strong defense and their superstar running back. It got them into the playoffs last season, and it may just do it again this time around.

11. Baltimore Ravens (6-4)

The Baltimore Ravens simply outlasted the Titans at home in Week 10 and are starting to look like the best team in a solid division. The problem is Baltimore can’t seem to play consistent football within that division. 

The Ravens have already lost to the Bengals twice and the Steelers once, which could be a problem for Joe Flacco and company if tiebreakers come into play.

10. San Francisco 49ers (5-4)

The collective breath of every 49ers fan in the country was held for a dramatic few seconds after Graham caught that Hail Mary at the end of the game, but a flag and impressive defense in overtime carried the day for San Francisco. 

Credit the 49ers for walking into arguably the most difficult place to play in the entire NFL and coming away with a win. It was a crucial game considering what lies ahead in the race for the playoffs, via Miller:

9. Seattle Seahawks (6-3)

The Seahawks dominated the New York Giants on Sunday, and it really wouldn’t be a surprise to see this season go either way.

On one side, Seattle is not that different personnel-wise from the Super Bowl-winning group last season. However, the NFC is loaded with playoff contenders, and another slip or two could remove them from the postseason picture entirely.

Jerry Brewer of The Seattle Times passed along a rather discouraging statistic, although one could argue that Seattle deserves credit for winning when Russell Wilson struggled:

Seattle’s impending rise or fall is one of the most interesting subplots in the entire NFL for the next few weeks.

8. Dallas Cowboys (7-3)

The victory over the Jaguars was an absolute monster win for the Cowboys.

Yes, it was only against the lowly Jaguars, but the season may have started to unravel had they lost. 

Tony Romo, DeMarco Murray and Dez Bryant is as good of an offensive threesome as you will find in the entire league, and things started to click again after a two-game losing streak. Now Cowboys fans can enjoy the bye week before they battle with Philadelphia the rest of the way for the NFC East crown.

7. Philadelphia Eagles (6-2)

The Philadelphia Eagles play on Monday night in the first big test for Mark Sanchez in an Eagles uniform. 

It will be interesting to see how much more effective Sanchez is in Chip Kelly’s system than he was in his final couple of seasons in New York. He certainly has the offensive playmakers around him in Philly.

6. Detroit Lions (7-2)

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

Calvin Johnson is back, and the rest of the NFC is officially on notice. 

While the Detroit Lions struggled to move the ball at times in his absence, they are still an impressive 7-2 because the defense was so stout early in the year. If Detroit continues to play defense like it has and Johnson is fully recovered and back to his typical self, the Lions could be serious Super Bowl threats.

5. Indianapolis Colts (6-3)

The Indianapolis Colts had a bye in Week 10, but they have still only lost once since their difficult 0-2 start.

They pace the league in points per game and have MVP candidate Andrew Luck leading the way. This team will rack up plenty of wins in the AFC South down the stretch run and challenge the Patriots and Broncos for a first-round bye and home-field advantage in the playoffs.

4. Green Bay Packers (6-3)

On the flip side of the lackluster showing for the Bears was the dominance shown by the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night.

Aaron Rodgers is a machine built to throw deep passes to Jordy Nelson, and Randall Cobb and Eddie Lacy round out arguably the league’s scariest offense—or at least the scariest one that doesn’t include Peyton Manning or Luck.

ESPN Stats & Info passed along some encouraging facts for Packers fans:

3. Arizona Cardinals (8-1)

You could make the argument that the Arizona Cardinals belong in the top two spots, but the loss of Carson Palmer to injury is a monumental blow, even if Drew Stanton has been fine in replacement duty this season.

SI NFL pointed out how resilient the Cardinals were on Sunday, and they certainly deserve some credit for that:

"

Cardinals' starting QB gets carted to the locker room and they respond by scoring 14 points in less than three minutes.

— SI NFL (@si_nfl) November 10, 2014"

Unfortunately for the Cardinals, they still have four games remaining in the daunting NFC West, including one against the 49ers and two against the Seahawks. Arizona is certainly going to have to earn a division crown with its strong defense and aversion to turnovers.

2. Denver Broncos (7-2)

As if there was any doubt that the Denver Broncos were going to beat the Raiders. 

Manning, Julius Thomas, Demaryius Thomas and Ronnie Hillman once again spearheaded the efficient, machine-like creature that is Denver’s offense and kept the Broncos in the race for home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.

1. New England Patriots (7-2)

Elise Amendola/Associated Press

The New England Patriots hold onto the top spot after a bye week, especially considering the fact that they just beat a Broncos team that looked so impressive against Oakland. 

Tom Brady and company have certainly come a long way from the blowout loss to the Chiefs earlier in the season.

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