NFL Power Rankings Week 11: Initial Standings Post Thursday Night Football

The NFL week of reckoning is upon us.

During this crazy season where the hierarchy alters every week, this weekend's batch of games offers a litmus test for several top squads. Starting with the Miami Dolphins' victory over the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night, Week 11 will script new perceptions for many upper-echelon squads.

The Detroit Lions can feast on the Arizona Cardinals without Carson Palmer to take control of the NFC. With a monumental Sunday night victory, the Indianapolis Colts can escalate up the food chain by besting the New England Patriots.

Until then, let's take a snapshot of the NFL's current pecking order entering the weekend.

32. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-9)

Since stunning the Cleveland Browns in Week 7, the Jacksonville Jaguars have lost three games, all by double digits. Ranked No. 28 in total offense and No. 27 in total defense, there's little redeeming value in the squad holstering the NFL's worst point differential (-124).

31. Oakland Raiders (0-9)

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Not that the Oakland Raiders are any good, but facing both reigning Super Bowl representatives in consecutive weeks sure hindered their quest for victory No. 1. When they met the San Diego Chargers—their Week 11 opponent—earlier this year, they held a seven-point lead with 10 minutes remaining before squandering the late edge.

30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-8)

While Josh McCown threw for 301 yards in his first start replacing Mike Glennon, he did so against the Atlanta Falcons' NFL-worst passing defense. It makes little sense for Lovie Smith to ride with the 35-year-old journeyman over a 24-year-old who put together some solid outings.

29. Tennessee Titans (2-7)

Before overreacting to a Week 1 outcome next season, remember that the Tennessee Titans beat the Kansas City Chiefs by 16 to start the 2014 campaign. They've since gone 1-7 with a two-point win over the Jaguars.

28. New York Jets (2-8)

Entering Week 10 with three takeaways, the New York Jets recorded four against the red-hot Pittsburgh Steelers. The law of averages won, but don't get too used to victories on the tail end of Gang Green's bye.

27. Chicago Bears (3-6)

Look, everyone knows Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers are awesome, but allowing 11 passing touchdowns and 106 points is not an ideal two-game stretch. According to ESPN Stats & Info, no existing NFL team has allowed 50 or more points in back-to-back contests.

But it's totally all Jay Cutler's fault. It's like he's not even trying to make any plays in the secondary.

26. St. Louis Rams (3-6)

Midway through the fourth quarter last weekend, the St. Louis Rams threatened to upset the Cardinals. That 14-10 lead and the chance to beat every team in the stacked NFC West quickly turned into a 31-14 loss.

Cue the overused "Boy, that escalated quickly" reference. Wait, now it's even more overused. Meanwhile, starting Shaun Hill over Austin Davis is a worse choice than milk. 

25. Carolina Panthers (3-5-1)

Somebody block for poor Cam Newton. He has been sacked 31 times after getting taken down nine times on Monday night. ESPN's Adam Schefter showed how much more punishment the 25-year-old takes compared to his peers.

24. Washington Redskins (3-6)

Washington is sixth in both passing offense and defense. Wait, how did that happen? Against Tampa Bay this Sunday, the club can pad those stats even more.

23. Atlanta Falcons (3-6)

If they're not in the NFC South, the Falcons are even more buried down these rankings. They've benefited from two victories over the Buccaneers since topping the New Orleans Saints in a Week 1 overtime bout.

Sadly, the 3-6 Falcons are very much alive in a sorry division.

22. New York Giants (3-6)

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In their latest double-digit defeat, the New York Giants surrendered 350 rushing yards and five touchdowns to the Seattle Seahawks. That plummets them to last in the league with 144.7 yards surrendered per game through the ground.

21. Minnesota Vikings (4-5)

With another winnable game on the docket against the Bears, the Minnesota Vikings can become the most deceiving 5-5 squad in quite some time. Despite their passable record, they place 25th in Football Outsiders' DVOA. 

20. Houston Texans (4-5)

After dropping four of five entering their Week 10 bye, the Houston Texans will replace Ryan Fitzpatrick with Ryan Mallett. The fourth-year pro has thrown four passes over his career, and he must find a way to nullify Houston's No. 29 passing defense.

19. Buffalo Bills (5-5)

In his ugliest start since supplanting E.J. Manuel, Kyle Orton generated 193 passing yards on 39 throws, giving him an average of 4.9 yards per attempt. The past two losses have exposed the Bills as the average team that they are.

18. Cincinnati Bengals (5-3-1)

In one of the worst quarterback performances in recent history, Andy Dalton went 10 of 33 with 86 passing yards, three interceptions and a 2.0 quarterback rating during Week 10's Thursday night embarrassment.

How bad does that rank historically? Grantland's Bill Barnwell helps answer that question.

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Among NFL games since 1960 in which a quarterback threw 30 passes or more, that 2.0 passer rating is the fourth-worst, and the worst since 1983, when Giants passer Scott Brunner posted a 0.3 passer rating during a loss to the Cardinals, a game that got him benched on a permanent basis. The only zero-point-zero over that many attempts belongs to Bills quarterback Gary Marangi in 1976; in seven games as a starter during that 1976 season, he completed 36.2 percent of his throws and threw 15 interceptions. His career was done after that season, too. And there’s Norm Snead, who posted a 0.5 rating on 32 attempts in 1961, one of four single-digit passer ratings he would post during his rookie season in Washington. Unlike the others, though, Snead had 15 more NFL seasons left in him.

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Given new rules and offensive schemes designed to embed the passing game, it's right up there as one of the worst performances ever. If he doesn't quickly prove that as an anomaly, the Bengals are in trouble competing in a crowded AFC North.

17. New Orleans Saints (4-5)

Add another overtime loss to the Saints' list of crushingly close defeats. Aside from their 21-point defeat over the Dallas Cowboys, they've suffered four losses by a combined nine points. Both three-point shortcomings came in overtime.

Perrish Cox may have embellished the contact on the regulation-ending Hail Mary touchdown that was negated due to offensive pass interference, but Jimmy Graham still pushed off.

16. San Diego Chargers (5-4)

The Chargers have had two weeks to stew over a 37-0 shutout against the Dolphins, marking their third straight loss. It's imperative for them to take care of business against the Raiders and Rams these next two games, as a slate of five playoff contenders awaits to conclude the season. 

15. San Francisco 49ers (5-4)

A week after a controversial goal-line fumble cost the 49ers a victory, a controversial penalty helped them cement a win. The wounded G-Men and Washington presents them with a paved road to 7-4, prompting them firmly back into the playoff picture.

14. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4)

Remember the blurb from the Jets section—What's that? You just skim the list without reading the text? Well go back and read it—about the law of averages repairing their microscopic turnover margin? In the same game, regression hit Pittsburgh hard after a pair of consecutive six-touchdown outings from Ben Roethlisberger.

The Steelers aren't going to score 40 or 50 points every week, but Antonio Brown also isn't going to cough up two fumbles on a regular basis.

13. Cleveland Browns (6-3)

Isaiah Crowell leads Cleveland with 4.6 yards per carry, but Terrance West received 26 carries last week despite his 3.7 season average. The wrong rookie is getting the featured role over struggling signee Ben Tate.

12. Miami Dolphins (6-4)

For all the talk of how Ryan Tannehill turned the corner after the first few weeks, Miami's defense has also flourished. After surrendering 83 points during their 1-2 start, the Dolphins have since allowed a mere 97 points in their past seven bouts.

11. Baltimore Ravens (6-4)

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Guess who leads all running backs in rushing yards? DeMarco Murray. But what about yards per carry? That belongs to Justin Forsett, who has amassed 5.4 yards per rush for the Baltimore Ravens, who rank second behind the Denver Broncos in DVOA.

10. Dallas Cowboys (7-3)

Based on the record, Dallas certainly warrants a seat higher up the top 10. Its No. 14 DVOA and No. 10 point differential, however, justifies this spot for a squad that is 1-2 against fellow winning clubs.

9. Kansas City Chiefs (6-3)

If winning six of their last seven didn't get everyone's attention, the Chiefs would vault into the Super Bowl discussion with a victory over the Seahawks. With a star running back and stout defense, they're built similarly to last year's champion.

8. Detroit Lions (7-2)

Remember when the Lions didn't have what it took to win close games? Now they're 7-2 after claiming three straight victories by a combined six points. Success in tight contests often boils down to random variance, so Detroit can't keep counting on pulling Houdini acts in the final quarter.

7. Seattle Seahawks (6-3)

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Marshawn Lynch has fended off fears of regression, averaging 4.5 yards per carry with nine rushing touchdowns. The balanced defense rates eighth against the pass and fourth against the run.

In order to defend their title, the Seahawks need better quarterback play from Russell Wilson. He's thrown for fewer than 200 yards in four of his last five games, averaging a career-low 7.11 yards per attempt this season.

6. Green Bay Packers (6-3)

Rodgers had such an easy time decimating the Bears on Sunday night that he said he endured more pain standing on the sidelines. Per SportsNation's Twitter page:

If 26 touchdowns and three interceptions weren't enough, he also produces jokes at a high rate.

5. Indianapolis Colts (6-3)

No team is a safer bet to conquer its division than the Colts, the AFC South's only winning franchise. Getting another turn against Houston, Tennessee and Jacksonville also puts Andrew Luck and Co. on a clear path to at least nine wins this season.

4. Philadelphia Eagles (7-2)

The Eagles have an affinity for the national spotlight. In their past two prime-time night games, they've outscored the Giants and Panthers 72-21, accumulating 17 sacks in the process.

3. Arizona Cardinals (8-1)

Carson Palmer's ACL tear changes everything, as the Cardinals must defend their NFC West lead with a pair of clashes against the Seahawks. Drew Stanton's career 53.6 completion percentage and 6.33 yards per attempts likely won't help them maintain their spot atop the NFC.

2. Denver Broncos (7-2)

The Broncos are virtually impossible to run against, leading the NFL with 67 rushing yards allowed per contest. That Peyton Manning guy is also really good.

They'll have little trouble coasting to an AFC West crown and first-round bye. Of course, anything short of a Super Bowl victory will leave an unsatisfying taste in Denver's mouth.

1. New England Patriots (7-2)

Not given the opportunity to defend their crown, the Patriots maintain their No. 1 spot during an inactive week. They certainly made a statement by trouncing the Broncos, but the road remains rocky with the Colts, Lions and Packers waiting.