NFL Power Rankings: Initial Post-Sunday Breakdown Ahead of Week 12
Football fans tend to use the phrase “statement game” more in college football, where subjective polls alter the perception of teams every week, than the NFL, but Week 11 was something of a statement week for a number of squads at the professional level.
The New England Patriots announced to the AFC that they are clearly the ones to beat, the Green Bay Packers proved that they are going to be an incredibly difficult out in the postseason and the Arizona Cardinals may have finally garnered some more respect from around the country.
With all that in mind, read on to see what the latest power rankings look like after Week 11.
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32. Oakland Raiders (0-10)
It was another week and another loss for the winless Oakland Raiders, even if they did keep it close against the San Diego Chargers.
Until this team gets a win, it will find itself on the bottom of these rankings.
31. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-9)
The Jacksonville Jaguars had a bye in Week 11, and the rest of this year will be all about picking up crucial experience for the youngsters. If and when they add another top-notch draft pick to this group next season, quarterback Blake Bortles and the Jaguars could be in business with a bright future.
30. Tennessee Titans (2-7)
The Tennessee Titans play on Monday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but there is not a lot of reason for optimism for the rest of this season. Going with the young Zach Mettenberger for development purposes at quarterback is at least the right call.
29. Washington (3-7)
Robert Griffin III did not look worthy of the Subway sandwich ads that are plastered across televisions everywhere during Washington’s terrible loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
It would be easy to completely blame Griffin’s two interceptions and his failure to put up more than seven points for this loss, but the defense deserves some blame too. The secondary made the Buccaneers look like an aerial-assault team that is difficult to stop.
28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-8)
Sure, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost five straight games heading into their showdown with Washington on Sunday, but NFL on ESPN noted that hope is not lost in the abysmal NFC South after Sunday’s win:
Josh McCown and rookie wide receiver Mike Evans were certainly on the same page in the win, as Washington’s secondary never had a chance. A couple more victories for the Bucs, and people will have to start paying attention.
27. New York Jets (2-8)
The New York Jets had a bye in Week 11, but it will be interesting to follow the quarterback situation as the rest of the year unfolds. It is Michael Vick’s job to lose now after an impressive showing against the Pittsburgh Steelers last time out.
26. Carolina Panthers (3-7-1)
Cam Newton looks like a shell of himself on the field, and part of that is because of injury. However, the offensive line is a mess heading into Week 12, and there aren’t really any difference-makers on offense for opposing defenses to worry about.
Kelvin Benjamin is turning in a solid rookie campaign, but the Panthers are a few more pieces away on offense and in the secondary from competing for the playoffs once again.
25. New York Giants (3-7)
Eli Manning will probably burn the game tape from Sunday after he threw five interceptions in a home loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
Perhaps the worst part about that was that Manning’s performance overshadowed an impressive day from the Giants defense. Despite the ridiculous interception total, the Giants had every chance to win right up to the end because the defense held San Francisco in check.
24. Minnesota Vikings (4-6)
Considering how bad the Chicago Bears looked the past two games, the Minnesota Vikings were one of the big losers from Week 11.
Rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater simply didn’t get enough time to throw the football, and his team was outplayed in a must-win game if it wanted any hope of making the postseason.
23. Chicago Bears (4-6)
The Vikings will not be mistaken for a good football team, but the Bears looked like a junior varsity squad in embarrassing losses to the New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers the last two games. They at least deserve some credit for bouncing back in front of a disgruntled fanbase and city that was ready to abandon ship for the season with another loss.
Chicago used the talented triumvirate of Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery and Matt Forte to do its damage on offense, and the defense pressured Bridgewater into too many mistakes.
Defensive end Jared Allen commented on the performance, according to The Associated Press, via ESPN.com: "I think we kind of rallied around each other. I think the sense of urgency was there. You can only get beat up so many times before you fight back. People questioned the character of the locker room. We know what we have."
22. Buffalo Bills (5-5)
The defense is good enough to win for the Buffalo Bills, but they struggled to move the ball on offense against the Miami Dolphins without a healthy stable of running backs.
Unfortunately, neither Kyle Orton nor EJ Manuel appear to be the long-term answer at quarterback for a team that is desperately searching for stability at the position.
21. Atlanta Falcons (4-6)
Somehow, the 4-6 Atlanta Falcons are in first place in the NFC South. That is just unfair for the rest of the league.
The Falcons are undefeated against their own division and still have plenty of talent on paper to make some type of run. It should be a scary proposition for the rest of the division that the Falcons are in first place with a 4-6 record. Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and Co. could make some noise down the stretch.
20. New Orleans Saints (4-6)
ESPN Stats & Info pointed out a disappointing reality for the 2014 New Orleans Saints:
So much for the Superdome magic.
The defense once again looked lost at times in Week 11, and Drew Brees failed to make many plays at quarterback. Fantasy owners and Saints fans alike may hope New Orleans targets Jimmy Graham more down the stretch of the year because something has to change.
19. St. Louis Rams (4-6)
ESPN Stats & Info noted that the St. Louis Rams can certainly be dangerous against top-notch competition:
Sunday showed what the defense was supposed to look like all season, with a pressuring defensive line and physical brand of football. Peyton Manning never looked comfortable, and the game was in hand in the middle of the fourth quarter.
What’s more, veteran Shaun Hill rewarded the coaching staff for its trust, and he seemed to have a rapport with Kenny Britt.
18. Cleveland Browns (6-4)
Sunday’s home loss by the Cleveland Browns to the Houston Texans is just not the type of loss you can afford to have in a crowded division race, especially since Houston’s best offensive weapon missed the game.
Cleveland’s resurgence has been an impressive story all season, but it really needs Josh Gordon back at this point. The offense will look much better with a playmaker like him lining up on the outside.
17. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4)
The Pittsburgh Steelers play on Monday night against the Titans. Pittsburgh has some bad losses already this year and needs a win considering that every team in the AFC North is right in the thick of the playoff race.
16. Houston Texans (5-5)
NFL on ESPN highlighted JJ Watt’s incredible day:
Watt is simply ridiculous, but this entire team deserves plenty of credit for going into Cleveland and winning without Arian Foster. What’s more, Houston finally made the switch to Ryan Mallett over Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback, and it paid off with a victory.
15. San Diego Chargers (6-4)
Sure, the San Diego Chargers got the narrow 13-6 win against the Raiders in Week 11, but how many fans are feeling good about the team after that one?
San Diego looks like a shell of the team we saw jump out to a hot start, and it still has games against the New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos on the remaining schedule.
The playoffs may not be happening in the 2014 season for the Chargers.
14. Cincinnati Bengals (6-3-1)
As long as this Cincinnati Bengals team isn’t playing under the lights in prime time, it appears to be a serious AFC playoff contender.
A week after getting their doors blown off at home by the Browns, the Bengals walked into the Superdome and handed it to the Saints. Jeremy Hill gave the offense some balance, and A.J. Green proved why he is still one of the game’s best wide receivers.
Cincinnati simply won’t go away in the AFC North.
13. Miami Dolphins (6-4)
The Miami Dolphins picked up a huge win Thursday night over the Bills, and Ryan Tannehill is still playing good football to go along with a solid defense and running game.
The playoffs should be the end goal for this squad, especially since the AFC North will likely beat itself up down the stretch. The team needs Lamar Miller to be fully healthy, though, if it is going to seize one of those wild-card spots.
12. Baltimore Ravens (6-4)
The Baltimore Ravens had a bye in Week 11, but the AFC North race is about to heat up. It could be the most exciting division in all of football from top to bottom once December arrives.
11. Seattle Seahawks (6-4)
Opponents are starting to figure out that if you contain the Seattle Seahawks rushing attack, winning becomes part of the equation.
While that is easier said than done, the Kansas City Chiefs did just that Sunday, and the defending champions are in danger of missing the playoffs this year. Given the talent still in place, Seattle could win the Lombardi Trophy again this season, but it has to reach the postseason first.
It wouldn’t be part of the field if the season ended today.
10. San Francisco 49ers (6-4)
The San Francisco 49ers offense should be writing plenty of thank you letters to the defense on the cross-country flight back home from New York.
The 49ers picked Eli Manning off five times, but they still were one play away from losing the game in the fourth quarter. Colin Kaepernick simply didn’t make enough plays to put the game away, and the Giants hung around until the end.
Would it be too simple to just stick to the running game and see what happens?
9. Dallas Cowboys (7-3)
The Dallas Cowboys had a bye in Week 11, but it couldn’t have gone much better for them.
The Philadelphia Eagles were destroyed by the red-hot Green Bay Packers, and now we have a tie atop the NFC East. Dallas and Philadelphia play each other twice this year still, so fans are in for a treat down the stretch.
8. Indianapolis Colts (6-4)
It is hard to punish the Indianapolis Colts too severely considering how dominant the New England Patriots have looked recently.
Andrew Luck is still on the short list of MVP candidates, but the Colts defense struggled for a third straight game. Eli Manning threw for 359 yards against it, and the Steelers eviscerated the Colts before that.
If Indianapolis wants to compete for a Super Bowl with one of the game’s most dynamic players under center, it needs to find some consistency on the other side of the ball.
7. Philadelphia Eagles (7-3)
Better teams than the Eagles have walked into Lambeau Field and gotten crushed, so don’t jump to conclusions just yet with Philadelphia based on a single loss.
Offensive weapons in LeSean McCoy, Jordan Matthews and Jeremy Maclin, among others, are still in place to do plenty of damage, and Chip Kelly will find a way to utilize them in space. No games will be more important for the Eagles than the two remaining ones with fellow division leader Dallas.
6. Detroit Lions (7-3)
Much like the losses from the Colts and Eagles, don’t put too much stock in Detroit’s loss Sunday, because that was more about the Arizona Cardinals than the Lions.
Arizona’s defense is just suffocating, and Matt Stafford, Calvin Johnson and the Lions rushing attack never really got going. Fortunately for Detroit, it still has one of the league’s best defenses on its side, so it was in the game all the way to the end.
Eventually, though, the offense needs to catch up to that defense if the Lions want to win meaningful games down the stretch.
5. Kansas City Chiefs (7-3)
The Chiefs' win over the Patriots earlier in the season looks better each week. Now, Kansas City can add Seattle to the list of impressive wins.
That is five straight victories for the Chiefs. Jamaal Charles and the defense are a tough combination to beat. Eventually, be it in the playoffs or before, some team is going to force Kansas City to throw to win, but this looks like a postseason-ready bunch after Week 11.
4. Denver Broncos (7-3)
Peyton Manning is human, and the St. Louis Rams controlled the entire game against the mighty Broncos on Sunday.
Emmanuel Sanders and Julius Thomas both went down with injuries, and the offense couldn’t find the end zone after that. The defense also struggled to keep Hill and Britt off the scoreboard.
Denver is still one of the most talented teams in the league, but it did not look the part in Week 11.
3. Green Bay Packers (7-3)
ESPN Stats & Info noted that the Packers made some history Sunday, and Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller seemed to understand the reason why that was the case:
Green Bay is simply unstoppable on offense when everything is clicking. Aaron Rodgers is a machine, and the Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb combination at receiver is just too much for the opposition.
Throw in Eddie Lacy, and it almost isn’t fair. The Packers look like the team nobody wants to play heading into the stretch run of the season.
2. Arizona Cardinals (9-1)
Miller dished out some well-deserved praise for the Arizona Cardinals head man after yet another victory Sunday:
Arizona has yet to lose at home and has an absolutely daunting defense. As long as quarterback fill-in Drew Stanton limits his mistakes (which he really didn’t do Sunday with two interceptions), the Cardinals will be very tough to beat down the stretch.
If they can clinch home-field advantage for the playoffs, it will be a major problem for the rest of the NFC.
1. New England Patriots (8-2)
ESPN Stats & Info pointed out that the Patriots made some history Sunday night:
The surrounding faces may change (hello, Jonas Gray), but the combination of Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and Rob Gronkowski appears to be nearly unbeatable yet again.
New England added a dominating win over Luck and the Colts in Indianapolis to a resume that already includes a win over Manning and the Broncos and six straight victories.
Perhaps we shouldn’t have written the Patriots off after that early loss to the Chiefs.
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