NFL Power Rankings: Which ESPN Analysts Got It Right?
The ESPN NFL Power Rankings are out, and there are several analysts who completely botched their rankings. The Power Rankings are comprised of votes by five bloggers, who rank all 32 teams in order from least to greatest.
Though, overall, the list is good, some bloggers either grossly overrated teams or didn't give them nearly enough credit.
Let's look at the rankings by grouping teams in groups of four to see where voters fell short.
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There aren't any huge discrepancies here. All voters had the Packers at No. 1 and the Patriots at No. 2. The Ravens were almost a consensus No. 3. Ashley Fox isn't buying into the 49ers as a top five team. She's the only ESPN analyst who ranked them outside the top five. It seems unfair to put them below the Saints and even the Chargers, given their signature win over the Lions.
5. Saints, 6. Lions, 7. Chargers, 8. Steelers
John Clayton has the Saints at No. 8, while Fox has them at No. 3. Somewhere in the middle is where they belong, which is where the other bloggers had them. Fox also puts the Lions lower than any other analyst, perhaps because she sees the 49ers as worse than any blogger and sees their loss to SF as a bad loss. The Steelers were ranked 7th or 8th by all bloggers.
San Diego is where it gets interesting. The analysts all ranked the Chargers between No. 4 and No. 6, except Paul Kuharsky. Kuharsky has them at 16, and he could have the best grasp over where they actually stack up. They've beaten the Vikings, Dolphins, Chiefs and Broncos. Big deal.
9. Raiders, 10. Bills, 11. Giants, 12. Buccaneers
The Raiders and Bills were rightfully ranked 9-11 by all voters. Both teams are being written off by many, but they're both worthy of hovering around the top 10 after their unexpected quick starts.
Mike Sando ranks the Giants 14 and James Walker has them at No. 16. While they show promise, it's hard to buy into the Giants as a contender after losing at home to the lowly Seahawks. Kuharsky's No. 8 ranking is too generous.
The Titans have fallen off a bit, but all voters still have them in the top 15, as they should. They've impressed in a manageable AFC South division and should continue to do so.
Sando has faith in the Bears, putting them in the top 10, but given their lackluster start and inability to keep Jay Cutler upright, John Clayton and Kuharsky's rankings of 17 and 18 seem more appropriate.
Fox doesn't see the Redskins not having a set starting QB as an issue, as she has them at No. 12. Sando apparently does, ranking them 20th. It's impossible to count them out after they came out of nowhere to make a push for the top of the NFC East. Clayton's No. 14 rankings seems correct.
As for the Jets? All voters but Sando see them as a top 20 team. Even though their 3-3 record is unimpressive and their win over the Dolphins proved zilch, the voters were right to not place too much stock into their identity crisis.
The Texans are right where they should be. Andre Johnson and Mario Williams falling hurt, but Kuharsky's No. 14 ranking is much more accurate than Walker's No. 21.
The Bengals were ranked outside the top 15 by all analysts except Kuharsky. Andy Dalton to A.J. Green is a legitimate connection, but the real story is the Bengals defense, who has faced lackluster offenses, but has dominated in nearly every game they've been in.
The Falcons don't belong in the top 20. No blogger agrees with that statement, but the Falcons can't succeed with the so-so offense they are putting forth. Until they get back to the dominant run team they can be, they're impossible to put in the top 20.
The Eagles are right where they should be and all voters have them between No. 18 and 20. Another win provides hope, but it's too early to say the Eagles are back.
Walker has the Cowboys at 15, while Fox and Kuharsky have them at 21. Walker is closer to what they should actually be, but he's not quite there either. We all know Tony Romo is inconsistent, but Rob Ryan is putting forth the No. 1 run defense in the league, and the Cowboys have one of the best group of targets in the league. Their last two losses came at the hands of the Lions and the Patriots, two of the best teams in the league.
The Seahawks are more confusing, though the analysts all voted them right around where they are ranked. A win vs. the Giants, a 2-3 record and a QB controversy make it impossible to put them in the top 20.
The Browns and Chiefs were also voted upon fairly uniformly. The Chiefs are still one of the scarier teams in the NFL, but Kuharsky's No. 27 ranking may be more accurate than the other analysts, who voted them higher.
Fox either isn't drinking the Newton Kool-aid or she's not sold on the rest of the team. She's got the Panthers at No. 28, which is far too low given the competitiveness they've put on display. The other analysts are on the right track as far as the Panthers are concerned, with Clayton's 26th ranking being the second worst.
The Cardinals should be far lower than 26th. Walker has them at 29th. Somehow all other bloggers failed to notice their blowout loss to the Vikings and 1-4 record.
The Broncos and Vikings both belong in this tier of teams. They aren't one of the worst four teams in the league, but they're in the next group. All voters agreed and ranked both teams in this grouping.
These are obviously the worst four teams in the league, but they're stacked up wrong. The Jaguars are the best of the worst, so to speak. No analyst voted them any lower than 29th, but what about the other three teams?
The Dolphins are the worst team in the league. Matt Moore is the worst starting quarterback in the league and every time we see them, they look worse. Fox is in agreement. She has them ranked dead last, right where they belong.
The Rams are downright awful as well, but as long as Bradford is healthy (which he isn't right now) they aren't the worst team in the league. They've had a nightmare schedule thus far, and while Sando and Clayton undervalue their heinous schedule, the Rams have been, and will continue to be, beaten down by upper-echelon teams. Such will not be the case past Week 8.
Curtis Painter hasn't looked as bad as it seemed he would. Kuharsky and Walker have them as the worst team in the league, but the Colts have remained competitive in most of their games this season, despite their overwhelming adversity.
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