NFL Power Rankings Week 12: Have the Eagles Officially Won Over America?
NFL Power Rankings Week 12 is here and after some shakeups last week, teams have been shaken up (or down) in the rankings for this week.
Michael Vick beat the New York Giants 27-17, demonstrating why he is a top MVP candidate.
Vince Young decided to launch his shoulder pads into the crowd after Tennessee's loss against Washington in Week 11. Bad idea. He has now been benched for the season by coach Jeff Fisher. Tennessee's outlook from here on out does not look good with rookie Rusty Smith leading the charge.
Minnesota proved it may be the most underachieving team in the NFL, after its 35-3 spanking at the hands of Green Bay. Coach Brad Childress has been fired, replaced by defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier.
Cincinnati is a mess.
And Pittsburgh proved they are an elite team. In the same breath, Oakland proved that it is not.
Here are my NFL Power Rankings for Week 12.
Bottom Of the Barrel
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32. Carolina Panthers: This team has the league's worst record at 1-9. Their only win is against San Francisco, who is a whopping 3-7. Brian St. Pierre started in place of concussed Jimmy Clausen last week against Baltimore. By the way he played, I thought he was Jimmy Clausen.
31. Cincinnati Bengals: The 2-8 Bengals were determined to be labeled a worse team than Buffalo in Week 11. They did not disappoint, losing 49-31. The "T.Ocho Show" makes me laugh and laugh.
On Top of the Bottom of the Barrel
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30. Detroit Lions: The 2-8 Lions have lost three in a row. One of these was against Buffalo. They scored 12 points. Against Buffalo.
29. Buffalo Bills: After going 0-8, the Bills have now won two straight games, leading wide receiver Stevie Johnson to declare, "Why so serious?" After winning these two games against Detroit and Cincinnati, they should be more serious against Pittsburgh this week. This game should be a JOKE.
Drinking From the Barrel
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28. Arizona Cardinals: QB Derek Anderson clearly can't save this team. They have lost five straight. Including twice against Seattle. No, this team's only chance is landing Michael Vick. And I don't see that happening through my crystal ball.
27. Denver Broncos: This team, at 3-7, has lost five of its last six. Its 35-14 loss against San Diego was proof that its win against KC was simply a mirage.
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Certainly Not Very Good
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26. San Francisco 49ers: Troy Smith came out and won his first two games with the Niners. Then he played a good team in Tampa Bay last week, and got shut out. Any dreams of him being the next Michael Vick for Niners fans came to a screeching halt.
25. Minnesota Vikings: At 3-7 and fresh off a 31-3 embarrassment, the Vikings fired coach Brad Childress and promoted defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier. Getting defensive, on the field that is, might be a good idea. The Vikings are 29th in the league in scoring, at just over 17 points per game.
Hey, We're Not at the Bottom of the Barrel
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24. Dallas Cowboys: Since Jason Garrett's promotion to head coach, Dallas has won two straight, including one against the Giants, and are now 3-7. Their offense looks much better and they are playing much better as a whole. Against New Orleans, however, I don't expect them to look very good.
23. St. Louis Rams: In their last four games, the 4-6 Rams have won one game...against Carolina. And they lost against San Francisco. Sam Bradford looks like he could lead this team down the line, but right now their entire team isn't very good. Good thing they have Denver next.
We're Still a Bad Team
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22. Seattle Seahawks: The Seattle Seahawks are in first place. That's the good news. The bad news is they're a first place team in the worst division in football, the NFC West. Their competition includes the 4-6 Rams, and the 3-7 49ers and Cardinals. Three of their five wins have come against the 49ers and the Cardinals. They are not a good football team.
21. Houston Texans: The Texans have had two brutal losses the last two weeks, losing in the final seconds. They could easily be 6-4 instead of 4-6. But then you think, wait, their secondary gave up a Hail Mary and a last-second touchdown. Maybe they are this bad because of their secondary. It certainly isn't their offense dragging them down. They've lost four straight now.
20. Miami Dolphins
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Whoever plays quarterback for this team is awful. The fact that they are 5-5 is amazing and is more a tribute to the coaching then anything.
Getting shut out 16-0 at home against Chicago last week may have been the final dagger.
I guess Tyler Thigpen wasn't the Hall of Famer we all thought he would be.
19. Cleveland Browns
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As bad as this team's record is, at 3-7, they sure haven't played like it.
Their seven losses have come against Tampa Bay, Kansas City, Baltimore, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, the Jets, and the underrated Jacksonville Jaguars.
They beat New England and New Orleans.
At least they have Carolina this week.
18. Tennessee Titans
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Vince Young is done for the season, and so is the season for the Titans.
Coach Jeff Fisher's beef with Vince appears to unmanageable, and the Titans are going to free fall with rookie Rusty Smith at the helm.
A team many liked going into the season, Tennessee is becoming one of those dreaded underachieving teams.
17. Washington Redskins
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The Redskins win against Tennessee was more a product of Vince Young leaving the game than anything. At 5-5, they are not a strong team, and coach Mike Shanahan glaring at his players doesn't exactly make them feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
The Redskins' move of giving Donovan McNabb an extension appears to be out of desperation, fearing he would leave before the end of the season (OK, that last part's a joke, but hey, it's possible).
16. Oakland Raiders
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Oakland's win against KC appeared to be a turning point for the team in Week 9.
Well, it was and it wasn't.
Oakland is indeed a solid team, but the 35-3 thrashing the Raiders had at the hands of Pittsburgh confirms they are not yet ready to join the elite.
At 5-5, they still have a long way to go.
But this team has clearly turned the corner from 2009.
15. San Diego Chargers
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The Chargers, as is their creed, are storming out of the gates in the second half. After going 2-5, they've won their last three games to pull to a 5-5 record.
I expect this team to win the AFC West when it's all said and done.
However, I don't expect them to win against Indianapolis this week.
14. Kansas City Chiefs
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Sure this team scored 31 against Arizona last week, but they've also lost to Oakland and Denver the last three weeks. They are still a solid football team and could still win the AFC West with their remaining schedule, but I think San Diego will eclipse them when the two have their showdown on Dec. 12.
Stay tuned.
13. Jacksonville Jaguars
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The main difference between the Chiefs and the Jaguars for me right now is the way they are trending. The Jaguars have won three straight and appear to be getting stronger as the season goes on.
I expect the Chiefs to wear down, especially against San Diego, in the second half.
David Garrard and Maurice Jones-Drew are steady presences for this team.
12. Chicago Bears
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What has gotten this team to a 7-3 record is in large part due to its defense.
I still don't trust Jay Cutler against strong competition.
The Bears won three straight, but they've been against Buffalo, Minnesota, and Miami.
Not exactly Super Bowl contenders.
Their game against Philadelphia this week will be a better indicator of this team's direction.
11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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The turnaround this team has made this year has been one of the stories of the season. They sit at 7-3 and are on the edge of being with the elite.
But they are not there yet. They've lost to Pittsburgh, New Orleans, and Atlanta this year and haven't beaten anyone that good.
But they win the games that they are supposed to win, and that's a mark of a good team. Great though? Not yet.
10. New York Giants
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The New York Giants haven't beaten anyone among the elite this year, and won against mediocre teams.
They lost against Dallas two weeks ago.
In their true test, Philadelphia showed they were the superior team.
The Giants have been sliding lately and need to pick it up.
9. New Orleans Saints
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Don't look now, but the Saints (7-3) are marching back into the picture after a ho-hum start. They've won three straight and four of the last five, including wins over Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh.
We all know what this offense can do when clicking, and the defense has been playing better in recent weeks.
8. Green Bay Packers
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Beating the Vikings isn't all that impressive, but this team is indeed a scary one. With a defense that is collectively storming through the NFL (evidenced by the Packers 9-0 shut out of the Jets), this is starting to resemble a very dangerous team.
A win against Atlanta this week would thrust them up the rankings.
But their losses against Chicago, Washington, and Miami are concerning.
7. Pittsburgh Steelers
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This team flexed its muscles against Oakland, showing they had no business in the same class, but being beaten handily by New England two weeks ago still lingers for me.
Nonetheless, a top team in the league that always seems to be.
6. Indianapolis Colts
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The Colts don't have a great record at 6-4, but their last two losses have been against Philadelphia and New England, and there's nothing to be ashamed of there.
Their near comeback against the Patriots last week was impressive, yet not surprising, given they have Peyton Manning leading the team. He always seems to keep them atop the rankings.
5. Baltimore Ravens
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Baltimore's loss to Atlanta was by razor-thin margins, and it had to take a last second touchdown for Atlanta to escape a loss.
But the loss did raise some concerns about this team's secondary. There is no question it is not the same as previous years.
Good thing they have players like Ray Rice, Anquan Boldin, and Ed Reed on their side to balance out the discrepancy.
4. New York Jets
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There are two ways to look at the Jets' last three wins: they know how to win or they aren't as strong as they seem.
With a three-point win over Detroit, a six-point win over Cleveland, and a three-point win over Houston, the Jets are now 8-2.
But the 9-0 shut out against Green Bay before these close games concerns me, and Mark Sanchez concerns me more than any of the quarterbacks on the elite teams. He's a steady quarterback, but he is by no means a star yet.
Having Santonio Holmes helps though.
3. Atlanta Falcons
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The Atlanta Falcons are on a roll. There's no question about that.
Their defense finds ways to keep the opponent's offense from exploding. Then the Atlanta offense explodes. In their four straight wins, they haven't scored less than 26 points.
Their only two losses came against Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in the first game of the season.
This team is extremely dangerous, and capable of shifting the balance in the NFL.
2. New England Patriots
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We always seem to find the Patriots up here toward the end of the season, don't we?
This season isn't any different. They have an 8-2 record and just beat the Steelers and Colts back-to-back.
Nothing new here, move along.
1. Philadelphia Eagles
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Michael Vick is playing out of this world, their defense is ferocious, and in the last three weeks they've beaten the Colts and Giants, and scored 59 points against Washington.
Michael Vick has turned the world on its head, and every team in the NFL is just trying to catch up.
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