NFL Power Rankings Week 7: Big Ben Powers Steelers to No. 1, Bears Fall
NFL Power Rankings for Week 7 are out as we're nearing the halfway point of the season and with all of Week 6's action in the books, a shakeup is in order.
There were a couple big games out there this week and a couple shocking losses that will change the rankings around and this may be one of the closest years in terms of competition that I can remember in some time.
If you agree or disagree with the rankings, make sure to leave it in the comments.
Nos. 32-21: Bottom of The Barrel
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32: Buffalo—Well the Bills didn't lose this week, only because they didn't play.
31: Carolina—Matt Moore will be back under center this week. That should be fun.
30: Detroit—Matthew Stafford's return should help stabilize the Lions going forward.
29: Oakland—Both quarterbacks are banged up for the Raiders. Too bad neither of them are good.
28: Cleveland—Colt McCoy didn't get killed against Pittsburgh on Sunday. That's almost as good as a win.
27: Dallas—Sorry Dallas, but until you stop committing dumb penalties, you won't win games.
26: San Francisco—It had to feel good to finally get on the board with a win against the Raiders.
25: Tampa Bay—The Bucs simply looked bad against the Saints this week.
24: Denver—Kyle Orton's having a great year. Too bad it's not enough to put wins on the board.
23: Seattle—The Seahawks roughed Jay Cutler up last week. He never had a chance.
22: St. Louis—The Rams just keep finding ways to win and are at 3-3. Who would have thought?
21: Arizona—We'll see if Max Hall can make it two-in-a-row this week against Seattle.
No. 20: San Diego
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What in the world is wrong in San Diego? They just keep losing these ball games that are so winnable and that they would have won last year and in other years prior.
Philip Rivers is doing all he can to keep this team competitive but it's just not enough. When you lose games to Kansas City, Oakland, Seattle and St. Louis, you don't deserve to be a playoff team and the Chargers don't look like they're going to be a playoff team.
The Chargers have rallied before so don't give up yet, but they have one foot in the grave.
No. 19: Cincinnati
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The Bengals are coming off the bye week and we'll see if that changes the fortunes of this team.
Cincinnati has struggled this year and a lot of it has to do with Carson Palmer. He's struggled to protect the ball and hasn't fully utilized all of his weapons on the offense. Terrell Owens has been huge in a Bengals uniform and Palmer loves throwing to him.
Cincy plays Atlanta and it's not a great matchup for the Bengals but we'll see if they can steal a win this week.
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No. 18: Jacksonville
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The Jaguars get the spotlight on the national stage and laid a total egg in front of everyone.
Jacksonville got dominated by the Titans' defense and turned the ball over numerous times. David Garrard got blasted back there by Tennessee's defensive line and left with an injury before Trent Edwards came in and didn't do much better.
The Jaguars looked uninspired and that's a product of the coach. Jack Del Rio was running the ball down 20 when if they hurried, they had a chance to get back in it. Brilliant coaching.
No. 17: Washington
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The Redskins finally lost their grip on the NFC East lead last week as they lost to Indianapolis in a close game.
Washington is better than we thought coming into the season, and the Redskins draw Chicago this week and with the way the Bears have been protecting Jay Cutler under center, it could be a major week for Washington's defense.
Donovan McNabb has slowly started to settle into the offense, but has still struggled at times. We'll see if the Redskins can continue to see success but I don't think we'll be talking about Washington being in the hunt by the end of the year.
No. 16: Minnesota
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The Vikings won the Panic Bowl and keep the hopes alive that Minnesota could make it back to the playoffs this season.
It wasn't a pretty win, but a win's a win and when you avoid going 1-4, you'll take it. Brett Favre wasn't entirely terrible and really after the season he's had, you'll take a mediocre performance. Minnesota gets Green Bay next week and we'll see if the inspiration of playing his former team is enough to give Favre the extra spark.
Minnesota's still alive but I'd hold my breath if I'm a Vikings fan.
No. 15: Chicago
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When are the Bears going to man up and protect the quarterback?
Jay Cutler is going to get killed back there if this keeps up. The line can't block and Cutler can't pick up the blitz before the snap. It's a total mess and somehow, Chicago is 4-2 this year and it's an ugly 4-2.
The Bears have Washington next week and I think it's going to be another ugly day for Chicago's offensive line. I'm not sold on the Bears at all and I think they're way worse than their record.
No. 14: NY Giants
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The Giants had a quiet win over Detroit on Sunday and it wasn't impressive, but it was a win nonetheless.
New York has been solid in recent weeks and has looked much better than the team that looks like it was melting down a couple of weeks ago. Ahmad Bradshaw has really stepped up in the running game and Brandon Jacobs has taken a back seat.
Eli Manning is cruising along and while he's not playing at an All Pro level, you can do much worse than Manning at the quarterback position.
No. 13: Kansas City
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After starting the year undefeated at 3-0, the Chiefs have now lost two in a row.
You have to feel for Kansas City, who were the victims of a really bad pass interference call against Brandon Flowers. Andre Johnson clearly pushed off but the call went against the Chiefs and turned the entire game around.
It was one of those games for Kansas City and its fans and it'll be interesting to see how the Chiefs rebound from this.
No. 12: Green Bay
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I think it's officially time to worry about the Packers and their chances this season.
Green Bay is 3-3 right now and have lost two in a row to Washington and Miami. The Packers have been ravaged by injuries and the injury to Ryan Grant hurts the most. Green Bay cannot run the ball with Brandon Jackson and the Packers need to make a move to get someone.
It's a disaster right now in the backfield and Aaron Rodgers is getting dinged up because of it. It's almost panic time in Green Bay.
No. 11: Miami
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Miami pulled out a close win in Green Bay this week and have started to trust Chad Henne more in the passing game.
He's not making great decisions but with some of the weapons he has at his disposal, you have to try and make plays down the field. The novelty of the Wildcat is gone and now teams have figured out how to stop it. Henne may not be the guy for the Dolphins, but this is the only way to find out for sure.
I'm not sold on the Dolphins, but they are a dangerous team.
No. 10: Atlanta
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For a team that looked like possibly the class of the NFC, this game was a rude awakening for the Falcons.
Atlanta was just picked apart by the Eagles on Sunday. Philly just ran by the Falcons time and time again and lit the scoreboard up. The Eagles got on them early and didn't let up until the final whistle. It was Atlanta's worst game since the opener against Pittsburgh and has a lot of people scratching their heads.
Can anyone separate themselves in the NFC?
No. 9: Philadelphia
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This week was by far Kevin Kolb's best as a pro quarterback. Kolb threw for 326 yards and three touchdowns as Philly routed the Falcons on Sunday.
Kolb has been more than serviceable as the starter after Michael Vick went down with an injury. Vick is not expected to start next week at Tennessee but after the bye week will be another story. If Kolb plays well against the Titans next week, we'll have two weeks to speculate on who will be the starter.
Andy Reid says he's in a great situation with these two, but I couldn't disagree more.
No. 8: Tennessee
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It was a big win for Tennessee on Monday Night Football, stomping division rival Jacksonville on the road and keeping pace in the AFC South.
Vince Young went down with a knee injury but it seemed like he'll be good to go on Sunday against Philadelphia and with the way that game was going, there was no need to try and rush him back into the game.
There are some concerns on the offensive line in terms of run blocking and pass protection, but for now, the Titans are well within the playoff hunt.
No. 7: Houston
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It was a good bounce back win for the Texans, who looked much better than the team that got throttled by the Giants last week.
Houston protected Matt Schaub and he put up one of his best performances of the season. The Texans are in a three-way tie for first place with Tennessee and Indianapolis and Houston needs to keep pace and if they can keep playing like that, there's no reason the Texans won't.
I'm not sold on Houston, but it's hard to knock the results the Texans have had so far.
No. 6: New Orleans
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After the way the Saints have been playing as of late, they needed a win where they just dominated an opponent from start to finish and they got it against Tampa Bay on Sunday.
New Orleans imposed its will on the Bucs, ran the ball up and down the field and it opened everything up for Drew Brees and company. That's the type of performances we are used to seeing from the defending champs and it should give Saints' fans hope for the rest of the season.
Don't bury New Orleans just yet.
No. 5: Baltimore
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That was a tough loss for the Ravens and their fans as Baltimore let a game it should have won slip through its fingers.
The Ravens were playing not to lose that game instead of trying to win it outright and it came back and haunted them. It's a lesson every team has to learn sooner or later and it's better that Baltimore learned it now than when the games mattered even more.
I'm still on the Ravens' wagon though. Keep the faith.
No. 4: New England
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No Randy Moss, no problem for the Patriots on Sunday.
Deion Branch comes in and in one game he gets as many receptions as Randy Moss had for New England all season. That's only something the Patriots could pull off and you have to wonder if this whole thing with Moss leaving and Branch returning will rally the team.
I wouldn't be shocked to see the Patriots make a run now with the squad that they have.
No. 3: Indianapolis
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This may be the most flawed Colts team in recent memory but it's just a testament to how good Peyton Manning is that Indianapolis has not skipped a beat.
Sure, the defense is shoddy at best and he doesn't have a ton of memorable guys around him on offense, but he finds a way to make these players excel and succeed in the system. How many other quarterbacks could make Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie productive players?
That's going to be one of the great things about Manning that no one ever talks about when he's retired.
No. 2: NY Jets
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Okay Jets fans. You all know you got a gift on Sunday against Denver and as long as we can all accept that and move on, we'll be fine.
That was a pretty crummy way to win a game and I guess it's karma for how the Broncos beat Tennessee three weeks ago. However, the Jets were bailed out on a pass interference call on a pass that I'm not sure was catchable.
The ball was clearly under-thrown and while Holmes did get his hands on it, I think the refs bailed out the Jets on that play. Either way, a win is a win and you move on.
No. 1: Pittsburgh
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Well Ben Roethlisberger is back and the Steelers kept on rolling with a win against Cleveland on Sunday.
It wasn't a dominating performance but it was a win and that's all that matters after the fact. On an unrelated note, I'm sure this won't make Steelers fans happy, but when do we start hearing about Pittsburgh being a dirty team?
You've got James Harrison headhunting, saying he's out to hurt people. The Steelers dumped Vince Young on his head with a piledriver and Hines Ward is always up for taking out a defenseless player with a block.
I'm not saying, I'm just saying. There's a difference between physical and dirty and the Steelers are really flirting with that line.
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