NFL Power Rankings Week 7: Ravens Fall, Steelers, Giants Climb
NFL Power Rankings Week 7 aren't any easier to determine than they were last time.
The return of missing pieces had noticeable impacts for a few teams; and the new-found absence of players on a few other teams had a equally noticeable impact as well.
After six weeks plenty has changed: just because a team beat another team in Week 2 doesn't mean they deserve a higher ranking in Week 7.
Similarly, just because at team's record isn't as good as another team's record doesn't mean they belong lower on the power rankings totem pole.
So let the debate/complaints/endorsements begin!
Numbers 32-21
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No. 32: Buffalo Bills (0-5): They bye week gave the Bills and their fans a merciful break from the increasingly poor play.
No. 31: Carolina Panthers (0-5): Turning back to Matt Moore, in place of Jimmy Clausen, is not going to solve even one of the Panthers many problems on offense.
No. 30: San Francisco 49ers (1-5): A victory over the Raiders gets them out of the winless brigade but that doesn't mean they aren't still a major disappointment....and a pretty bad team.
No. 29: Detroit Lions (1-5): As sad as it is to see Matthew Stafford sidelined again, it's pretty remarkable to discover that—in light of Drew Stanton's sub-job for Shaun Hill—the Lions have three competent quarterbacks.
No. 28: Cleveland Browns (1-5): The Browns put up a good fight in Pittsburgh and Colt McCoy gives them hope that, maybe, they have a quarterback for the future.
No. 27: Oakland Raiders (2-4): The absence of Darren McFadden and Bruce Gradkowski didn't cost Oakland a win Oakland against San Diego, but it finally caught up with them against the 49ers.
No. 26: Cincinnati Bengals (2-3): Hopefully a week off will cure some of the Bengals problems: a trip to Atlanta is not what the doctor ordered, however.
No. 25: San Diego Chargers (2-4): The Chargers are a mess; without Phillip Rivers, this could be the worst team in the AFC.
No. 24: Dallas Cowboys (1-4): Give the Cowboys one more week. If they are this bad next Monday, at home against the hated Giants, then declare them dead.
No. 23: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2): Yes they're over .500, but to play so poorly at home in consecutive appearances at Raymond James—no matter how good your opponent might be—is the sign of a mediocre team.
No. 22: Jacksonville Jaguars (3-3) Even before David Garrard was injured, the Jaguars were on their way to a horrific display at home on the national stage. And if the Jags offensive line is so good, why does Maurice Jones-Drew have one rushing touchdown in six games?
No. 21: Minnesota Vikings (2-3): They stepped up when their back was against the wall. Now they've got to do that eight or nine more times.
No. 20: Denver Broncos (2-4)
2 of 21
Last Week: 24-20 loss vs. New York Jets
This Week: Vs. 2-4 Oakland
Denver is not one of the elite teams in the AFC; they're not even elite in the mediocre AFC West. But their schedule has not been easy the past month: in the past four weeks they've played Tennessee, Indianapolis, Baltimore, and the Jets, four of the best teams in the Conference.
The Broncos are still a work in progress, but they deserve higher marks for taking the Jets to the wire on Sunday.
No. 19: St. Louis Rams (3-3)
3 of 21
Last Week: 20-17 win vs. San Diego
This Week: At 3-2 Tampa Bay
The Rams continue to do more with less and Head Coach Steve Spagnuolo has to be considered an early Coach of the Year favorite.
To shut down the vaunted San Diego passing game (with or without Antonio Gates) is a considerable achievement. Danario Alexander is a pleasant surprise replacement for Mark Clayton—the Rams offense made enough plays to win the game.
Only a handful of teams in the NFL have won three of four consecutive games and the Rams are one of those teams. Now they need to go on the road and win order to climb the power rankings.
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No. 18: Seattle Seahawks (3-2)
4 of 21
Last Week: 23-20 win at Chicago
This Week: At 3-2 Arizona
Going on the road and defeating the NFC North leading Bears is a big time achievement. But the Seahawks have yet to play back-to-back good games.
The bowled over San Francisco, then were thumped by Denver; they stunned the Chargers only to lay an egg the next week against St. Louis.
Another sub-par followup against the Cardinals would have this team headed for a fitting 8-8 season.
No. 17: Kansas City Chiefs (3-2)
5 of 21
Last Week: 35-31 loss at Houston
This Week: Vs. 3-3 Jacksonville
They've lost two straight, but both to quality teams on the road and by narrow margins. And Matt Cassel looked very good in the near-comeback against Houston, completing 20 of 29 passes for 3 touchdowns.
Still, the Chiefs have a lot to prove. If they want to contend in the AFC West—against quarterbacks like Manning, Rivers, and stat-heavy Orton—their 27th ranked pass defense must improve.
No. 16: Arizona Cardinals (3-2)
6 of 21
Last Week: Bye
This Week: at 3-2 Seattle
The Cardinals bye week came at a pretty good time. Max Hall has an extra week to prepare for what should be a pretty intricate defensive scheme crafted by the Seahawks and Pete Carroll.
And since the defense cannot bank on the opposition gift wrapping turnovers again this week, it would be a great help for the running game to do better than their usual sub-100-yard effort.
No. 15: Green Bay Packers (3-3)
7 of 21
Last Week: 23-20 (OT) loss vs. Miami
This Week: Vs. 2-3 Minnesota
The Packers really cannot catch a break. They've endured a full season's worth of injuries in less than two months and have dropped consecutive games via overtime field goals.
With a healthy roster, Green Bay is easily a Top 10 team and a contender for the NFC title. But without Clay Matthews, Brady Poppinga, Jermichael Finley, possibly Donald Driver, and no running game in sight, they look like an average team.
No. 14: Washington Redskins (3-3)
8 of 21
Last Week: 27-24 loss vs. Indianapolis
This Week: at 4-2 Chicago
Ryan Torain did an admirable job filling in for Clinton Portis, and the defense did a fairly decent job against Peyton Manning.
But Donovan McNabb's two interceptions and serious holes in the Washington run defense were enough to drop the Redskins to .500.
It's not a ground breaking discovery but when Washington limits their mistakes—like they did against Green Bay and Philadelphia—they can make a run at one of the Wild Card spots. Anytime they commit multiple turnovers and surrender big plays in the passing game, they are toast.
No. 13: Chicago Bears (4-2)
9 of 21
Last Week: 23-20 loss vs. Seattle
This Week: Vs. 3-3 Washington
They may lead the NFC North and be over .500, but the Bears have not looked like a playoff team the past month.
Even if Jay Cutler's injury greatly set them back in the passing game—which it shouldn't—then why are they so deficient on the ground.
Matt Forte scores a touchdown on the opening drive then barely touches the ball again. It's no mystery why the Bears were 0-for-12 on third down against Seattle: they faced too many third-and-unmanageables.
Defense has carried the Bears through the past month; if they are expected to do that throughout the rest of the season, they will lose control of the division.
No. 12: Houston Texans (4-2)
10 of 21
Last Week: 35-31 win vs. Kansas City
This Week: Bye
They trailed by ten heading into the fourth quarter against Kansas City and nearly fell to 1-3 at home before a great comeback. So credit the Texans for pulling out the win.
More importantly, however, the Texans seemed to have regained their offensive genius that had them the darlings of the NFL early in the season.
Matt Schaub was in sync with Andre Johnson, and Arian Foster made some key runs.
Now, allowing the Chiefs to score four touchdowns at home—that raises some questions about the Texans defense.
No. 11: Miami Dolphins (3-2)
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Last Week: 23-20 (OT) win at Green Bay
This Week: Vs. 4-1 Pittsburgh
The win at Lambeau would have been a bit more impressive had they Packers been at full strength. Still, it was a huge victory for the Dolphins.
Despite blowing a fourth quarter lead, Miami didn't fold in overtime and they deserve to be considered one of the better teams in the AFC.
Now, with the Steelers heading to South Florida the Dolphins have another huge test: they have gone on the road for two fairly stunning wins. And they've been beaten twice at home by good teams.
It's not terribly fair that the Dolphins first three home games are against New England, the Jets, and Pittsburgh, but playoff teams don't fall to 0-3 at home—no matter who they play.
No. 10: New Orleans Saints
12 of 21
Last Week: 31-6 win at Tampa Bay
This Week: Vs. 1-5 Cleveland
After a tune-up against the Bucs, the Saints get another fairly soft test this week with Cleveland coming to the Superdome.
Last week was a big win for New Orleans: the "What's Wrong With the Champs" talk quiets down for a while. That should continue on into next week.
And since they seem to have found a nice running game with Chris Ivory, all seems to be right with the Saints offense.
No. 9: Indianapolis Colts (4-2)
13 of 21
Last Week: 27-24 win at Washington
This Week: Bye
The bye comes at a great time for the Colts. All three of their running backs are banged up, as is vital defensive cog, linebacker Gary Brackett.
For the Colts to weather a fairly tough storm during the season's first six weeks and go 4-2, is worrisome to the rest of the conference.
They proved last week, they can win on the road against a tough opponent. The win over Kansas City proved they can win when they aren't nearly at their best, and the wins over Denver and the Giants proved they can dominate quality opponents.
No. 8: Atlanta Falcons (4-2)
14 of 21
Last Week: 31-17 loss at Philadelphia
This Week: Vs. 2-3 Cincinnati
Atlanta had very little answers for the Philadelphia passing game last week. They are going to have to do better next time they face a team with a potent air attack.
But the Falcons remain one of the NFC's better teams, despite the loss. In addition to the road win over the Saints, they have won both games a the Georgia Dome, a good sign considering their next three games are at home.
The return of Michael Jenkins makes the Falcons passing game even better. Now if they can put more pressure on the opposing team's passer, they should bounce back.
No. 7: Baltimore Ravens (4-2)
15 of 21
Last Week: 23-20 (OT) loss at New England
This Week: Vs. 0-5 Buffalo
An overtime road loss to the Patriots is nothing to be ashamed of. And, there is little question that the Ravens are one of the premier teams in all of football.
But the way in which Tom Brady carved up the Ravens secondary in the fourth quarter is something to keep an eye on.
All in all, the Ravens still looked impressive, despite the loss to New England. And they should hit the second-half of the season in full stride with Buffalo on the schedule next followed by a week off.
No. 6: Philadelphia Eagles (4-2)
16 of 21
Last Week: 31-17 win vs. Atlanta
This Week: at 4-2 Tennessee
The likely loss of DeSean Jackson—even for a game—is a serious problem for the Eagles. But if Jeremy Maclin has another huge game like he did against Atlanta, they can hold it together in Jackson's absence.
And while Kevin Kolb and LeSean McCoy deserve kudos for what they've done in the past two weeks, it's the Eagles defense that has them in contention for the NFC East.
Last week, the unit did a masterful job against the better offensive teams in the NFC. They face a much different test this week against Tennessee.
Limiting Chris Johnson to less than 100 yards not only puts them in position for a win, it would establish them as maybe the best team in the conference.
No. 5: Tennessee Titans (4-2)
17 of 21
Last Week: 30-3 win at Jacksonville
This Week: vs. 4-2 Philadelphia
Back-to-back road wins over Dallas and Jacksonville has the Titans shooting up the power rankings.
And although Chris Johnson is their one true stud, the defense deserves equal credit for their current position. They came up with a handful of clutch plays to surprise the Cowboys two weeks ago, and they embarrassed the Jaguars on Monday night.
Vince Young should be back for the big showdown with Philadelphia, but even if he isn't Kerry Collins can get the job done. In the past few weeks, the Titans receivers have really stepped up their play.
No. 4: New York Giants (4-2)
18 of 21
Last Week: 28-20 win vs. Detroit
This Week: At 1-4 Dallas
Someone has to be the best team in the NFC. Philadelphia, New Orleans, and Atlanta are all worthy contenders for that mantle but the Giants might be the most consistent in all three phases of the game.
There pass rush is the best in the Conference and the duo of Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs looked very good last week against a solid Detroit front-seven.
Eli Manning also has more weapons in the passing game than he's ever had. Once he limits the interceptions (several of which were the result of bad-luck-tipped-balls), the Giants offense will be one of the most efficient on the NFC.
No. 3: New England Patriots (4-1)
19 of 21
Last Week: 23-20 (OT) win vs. Baltimore
This Week: At San Diego
The Patriots win over Baltimore was a trademark display of Tom Brady's clutch play and the defense's ability to get stops whenever they need to.
But the fact that the Patriots played pretty average through the first 50 minutes of the game cannot be overlooked. Ray Rice gained nearly 100 yards and Joe Flacco completed almost 80 percent of his passes for nearly 300 yards.
The tandem of Benjarvis Green and Danny Woodhead make for good stories, but they might not be the type of backs that can consistently gain yards on first down. Then again, the Brady-led Patriots have never really had that type of runner and are always a playoff contender.
No. 2: Pittsburgh Steelers (4-1)
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Last Week: 28-10 win vs. Cleveland
This Week: At 3-2 Miami
Understandably Ben Roethlisberger didn't look terribly sharp, missing a few open receivers. But the Steelers passing game was light years ahead of what it was just two weeks ago.
With Rashard Mendenhall blossoming into a pro bowl caliber player and Mike Wallace and Hines Ward benefitting from Roethlisberger's return, Pittsburgh's offense should be able to score enough points to win each week. Protecting the passer is their only true flaw.
On defense, they Steelers might be the best unit in the NFL. Still, they could use defensive end Brett Kiesel back ASAP, starting with the trip to South Florida.
No. 1: New York Jets (5-1)
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Last Week: 24-20 win at Denver
This Week: Vs. 3-3 Washington
Since Week 2, the Jets have been the most consistent team in football: they are the only team to win every game since then.
And just because the Broncos slipped to 2-4 afterwards doesn't diminish the importance of the Jets win Sunday. Winning a game in Denver is always a big deal.
Mark Sanchez came back to earth a bit after being turnover-less through the first five weeks, but any drop off at the quarterback position would go unnoticed if LaDanian Tomlinson continues to run like its 2006.
The Jets defense might not be quite as good as the Steelers (and that's debatable) but they have a few more weapons on offense. That gives them a slight edge over Pittsburgh.
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