NFL Power Rankings: Which Teams Are Inexcusably Awful?

When Peyton Manning was all but ruled out for the entire 2011 season, expectations were unquestionably lowered for the Indianapolis Colts.

But even if the All-Pro signal-caller was in the lineup, would the Colts defense be this bad?

How about the St. Louis Rams, who were a game away from making the postseason last year?

I thought the Minnesota Vikings defense was their strong suit?

Where to start with the Miami Dolphins?

All of these teams have been inexcusably awful this season.

Let's break them down.

Indianapolis Colts

Maybe they are "tanking" for Andrew Luck.

OK, so apparently it's ridiculous to think a team would be "tanking" this early in the season, but boy do they look like it.

Curtis Painter actually isn't that horrendous.

It's the defense that cannot stop anyone.

I'm starting to think that even with Manning, the best the Colts could be this season is 8-8.

Maybe.

No team is allowing more yardage than Indianapolis, and their run defense is surrendering more than 150 yards a game.

Minnesota Vikings

Same goes for the Vikings.

I guess they're following the newest NFL trend of "optional defense."

Jared Allen leads the league in sacks, and that's really the only positive on the defensive side of the football.

Sure, they're allowing less than 90 yards on the ground per game, but it's because they're so susceptible to the pass.

Adrian Peterson can only do so much.

Miami Dolphins

Quarterbacking has been an issue, Mike Nolan's supposed "top 10" defense has been an issue, and the red-zone offense has been nothing short of a travesty.

Two rushing touchdowns on the season?

They went soft in the final six minutes against Tim Tebow on Sunday and totally collapsed against a very below-average Broncos team, making all the mistakes a winless team usually makes in defeat.

St. Louis Rams

Josh McDaniels was supposed to take Sam Bradford and the Rams to the next level in 2011. The offense actually hasn't been horrible—it's the defense that's been underwhelming.

As if their 32nd-ranked run defense wasn't embarrassing enough entering their game with the Cowboys, thanks to DeMarco Murray, they're allowing nearly 184 yards on the ground per contest. 

Last season, they finished the year ranked 17th against the run and gave up a respectable 113 yards a game.

Remember when defense was played in the NFL?

Week 8 Power Rankings

1. Green Bay Packers (7-0)	17. Philadelphia Eagles (2-4)
2. New England Patriots (5-1)	18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-3)
3. Baltimore Ravens (4-1)	19. Kansas City Chiefs (3-3)
4. New Orleans Saints (5-2)	20. Oakland Raiders (4-3)
5. San Francisco 49ers (5-1)	21. Tennessee Titans (3-3)
6. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2)	22. Washington Redskins (3-3)
7. Detroit Lions (5-2)	23. Carolina Panthers (2-5)
8. San Diego Chargers (4-2)	24. Cleveland Browns (3-3)
9. New York Giants (4-2)	25. Denver Broncos (2-4)
10. Houston Texans (4-3)	26. Seattle Seahawks (2-4)
11. Cincinnati Bengals (4-2)	27. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5)
12. Buffalo Bills (4-2)	28. Minnesota Vikings (1-6)
13. Atlanta Falcons (4-3)	29. Arizona Cardinals (1-5)
14. New York Jets (4-3)	30. Miami Dolphins (0-6)
15. Chicago Bears (4-3)	31. St. Louis Rams (0-6)
16. Dallas Cowboys (3-3)	32. Indianapolis Colts (0-6)