NFL Power Rankings: Pittsburgh Steelers or New England Patriots? Who's No. 1?
It was another crazy week in the NFL, with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots completely dismantling Mark Sanchez and the New York Jets last night.
Ben Roethlisberger played a very gutsy game and led the Pittsburgh Steelers to a close victory over Ray Lewis and the Baltimore Ravens.
Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints and Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons both had impressive come-from-behind wins over the Cincinnati Bengals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, respectively.
So, how did this weekend affect the NFL power rankings? Find out here.
32. Carolina Panthers (1-11)
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The Panthers are looking like they will get the first overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.
So, there are two questions that must be answered in Carolina. Will Andrew Luck enter the draft or return to school? And, should the Panthers draft another QB or give Jimmy Clausen a chance?
31. Cincinnati Bengals (2-10)
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The Cincinnati Bengals have lost nine straight games. Terrell Owens, who is having a good year despite the mess in Cincy, recently spoke out on the team's struggles.
When T.O. gets angry, things go from bad to worse in a hurry wherever he's at.
30. Detroit Lions (2-10)
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The Lions are one of the best first half teams in the league, but they just fall apart under the pressure of the second half.
Another questionable call by the officiating crew doomed them this week. The unnecessary roughness call against Ndamukong Suh on Jay Cutler was ridiculous.
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29. Denver Broncos (3-9)
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A series of questionable events surrounding head coach Josh McDaniels led to his firing on Monday.
Now the team has no leader on the sidelines and will scramble to find a head coach before their next game.
28. Buffalo Bills (2-10)
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The Bills should absolutely draft a quarterback in April, but Ryan Fitzpatrick deserves to be the starter next year at least.
He keeps the team in ballgames and puts points on the scoreboard. It's not his fault the defense gives up so many points to the Buffalo opponents.
27. Arizona Cardinals (3-9)
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Poor Derek Anderson. The Arizona Cardinals are a mess this year, but it's not entirely Anderson's fault.
Yes, he is making Larry Fitzgerald absolutely miserable this year, but the defense has serious question marks too.
This whole team needs a makeover, not just the quarterback position.
26. Tennessee Titans (5-7)
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Didn't Chris Johnson promise 2,500 rushing yards this year?
He's not going to come anywhere near that with the way the Titans have fallen apart lately.
Without a decent quarterback, defenses are focusing all their attention on Johnson, stopping him at the line of scrimmage.
25. San Francisco 49ers (4-8)
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Frank Gore's season-ending injury was basically the dagger in the 49ers season.
Without him running and catching passes out of the backfield, there is no way the 49ers can compete, even in a division as weak as the NFC West.
24. Cleveland Browns (5-7)
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Peyton Hillis is a machine. He definitely deserves to represent the AFC in the Pro Bowl this year.
The Browns have been surprisingly competitive this season and seem to be heading in the right direction under Mike Holmgren.
They'll be a force in the future, just not this year.
23. Washington Redskins (5-7)
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The Albert Haynesworth saga continues.
After sitting out with an illness this week, the team has now suspended him for four games, or the remainder of the season.
But, this team won't truly recover until they completely cut ties with the big defensive tackle.
22. Dallas Cowboys (4-8)
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The Cowboys are 3-1 under Jason Garrett.
He's coaching like a guy who really wants the head coaching gig in the offseason, and he'll probably get it if the Cowboys keep playing like this.
21. Houston Texans (5-7)
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The Texans are still alive in the playoff race, but they'll need to play some of their best football in franchise history in order to make it.
What happened to the team we saw at the beginning of the year that looked like a force to be reckoned with?
20. Minnesota Vikings (5-7)
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The Vikings are now 2-0 under interim coach Leslie Frazier. Where would they be if Brad Childress had been fired earlier.
Also, it looks like the Brett Favre era might come to an end if he can't play this week.
19. San Diego Chargers (6-6)
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A win against the Raiders would have put the Chargers in a good position to overtake the Chiefs as the leaders of the AFC West.
But the Raiders were having none of that, blowing out San Diego and running all over the Chargers' top ranked defense.
18. Miami Dolphins (6-6)
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It might be time for a new running back in Miami.
Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams simply aren't striking fear in opposing defenses anymore.
17. Seattle Seahawks (6-6)
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The Seahawks are much better when Matt Hasselbeck is healthy.
But, can they hold off the Rams in the NFC West?
Don't look now, but the race in the west is actually starting to get pretty good.
16. Indianapolis Colts (6-6)
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Peyton Manning is playing some of the worst football he's ever played, and it's costing the Colts dearly.
But, he'll snap out of it, and when he does, watch out.
The Colts are still going to make the playoffs, somehow, some way.
15. St. Louis Rams (6-6)
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The Rams are starting to heat up a little bit.
Can this young team make the playoffs?
It'll likely come down to the last game of the year against the Seattle Seahawks to determine the winner of the NFC West.
14. Oakland Raiders (6-6)
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As Darren McFadden goes, so go the Raiders.
When he runs well, the Raiders win more often than not. If he stays healthy for the rest of the year, the Raiders could challenge the Chiefs in the AFC West.
13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-5)
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Even if the Buccaneers make it to the playoffs somehow, they still haven't beaten a team with a winning record.
When it comes to the playoffs, every team will hopefully at least have an 8-8 record.
So, while the Bucs are beating who they are supposed to beat, they still need to continue growing. That will take at least one more season.
12. Jacksonville Jaguars (7-5)
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The Jacksonville Jaguars are the unlikely leaders of the AFC South after Week 13.
I can safely say no one saw this coming.
The AFC South race will come down to the last meeting of the Jags and the Colts. If the Jags can pull off the win, it'll be one of the bigger division upsets of 2010.
11. New York Giants (8-4)
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The New York Giants lead the league in turnovers this season.
If they make the playoffs, they'll need to fix that problem if they want to advance.
Teams that make it far in the playoffs don't make silly turnovers.
10. Kansas City Chiefs (8-4)
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The Chiefs have two good things going for them heading into the playoffs.
One, they have a really, really good running game.
Two, they are nearly unbeatable at home.
That combination looks favorable if the Chiefs make it to the playoffs as the No. 3 or No. 4 seed in the AFC.
9. Green Bay Packers (8-4)
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The problem with the Packers is that they can't win close games consistently.
All four of their losses have come by three points, two of those being overtime losses to the Redskins and Dolphins.
They need to start closing out games if they are going to make the playoffs.
8. Chicago Bears (9-3)
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Jay Cutler and the Bears seem to have figured things out.
They are playing their best football of the year, holding off the Packers in the NFC North. The division will most likely come down to the last game of the year, when the Bears travel to Lambeau Field.
7. Philadelphia Eagles (8-4)
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The Eagles rely too much on Michael Vick.
If he can stay healthy, the Eagles will probably win the NFC East. But, with all the hits he takes every week, the Eagles need to find a way to focus the offense on other players.
LeSean McCoy needs to step up if the Eagles are going to advance in the playoffs.
6. New York Jets (9-3)
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Wow. The Jets looked absolutely horrible against the Patriots on Monday night.
Any team that is capable of having a game like that can't be considered legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
Rex Ryan will need to teach his team something positive from that loss in case the Pats and Jets meet again in the playoffs.
5. New Orleans Saints (8-4)
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Drew Brees and the Saints find ways to win games.
They have flown under the radar this year after dominating all of last year and winning the Super Bowl, but don't fall asleep on the Saints.
They will be a force to be reckoned with in January.
4. Baltimore Ravens (8-4)
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Yes, the Ravens lost to the Steelers on Sunday night.
But, the game came down to one bad play call, so it wasn't a devastating loss for the Ravens.
Plus, they've already beaten the Steelers in Pittsburgh and have played well on the road all year, so being a wild card won't hurt them too much.
3. Atlanta Falcons (10-2)
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If the Falcons can hold on to the top seed in the NFC, they will almost certainly make the Super Bowl.
Matt Ryan simply does not lose at the Georgia Dome.
Of course, they'll need to hold off the Saints if they want that No. 1 seed.
2. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3)
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Yes, the offensive line is a mess and Ben Roethlisberger is banged up.
But, anytime a team has a defense as good as the Steelers' defense, they have the potential to win any game they are playing.
Troy Polamalu is the defensive MVP of the NFL this year.
1. New England Patriots (10-2)
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Tom Brady and the Patriots put their stamp on the No. 1 slot in this week's rankings by completely tearing apart the Jets on Monday Night Football.
By winning 45-3 against a team some considered to be the best team in the AFC, the Patriots have shown that they are the Super Bowl favorites this year.
They are 6-0 at home this year and now have the inside track on the No. 1 seed in the AFC. I like their chances to sweep through the playoffs the same way they swept through the Jets Monday night.
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