NFL Power Rankings Week 10: Teams That Will Stay Stuck in the Shadows

Certain NFL teams get more media coverage than their counterparts, leaving some of the league’s squads buried in the shadows.

The Philadelphia Eagles are the most publicized team in the league this season, and the divisional foe Dallas Cowboys also garner a lot of attention from the press. Success on the field does not directly result in multiple outlets of coverage.

I was once told, “It’s easy to cover a great team or terrible team. It’s tough to cover mediocrity.”

Don’t believe me?

Here are three teams you won’t see extensive coverage on unless you live in the city.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Buccaneers are the definition of mediocrity. Sitting squarely at 4-4, their offense is right around the middle of the league in yards gained.

The Bucs defense is one of the worst in the league after having a promising season in 2010. Three straight wins are overshadowed by losing three of four.

Tampa Bay has to beat the Houston Texans this week to get some coverage, but they’ll get torched by Arian Foster and Matt Schaub.

Cincinnati Bengals

It’s very upsetting how little I hear about the Bengals—they are the current No. 1 seed in the AFC.

I’m in the northeast region, so I expect to hear more about Cincinnati, but they’re the Redskins of the AFC North. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens hog the spotlight because of past performance and big names.

Even the Cleveland Browns get more attention because of the Peyton Hillis situation. The Bengals are winning, keeping their mouths shut and not going to jail. It’s a recipe for wins, but also one to bury a team in the national media.

The Bengals welcome the Pittsburgh Steelers this week, but a loss won’t help their quest for respect.

Atlanta Falcons

Who was the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs last season?

That’s right, it wasn’t the Eagles or the Green Bay Packers, it was the Falcons. However, the Packers annihilation of the Falcons in the second round of the postseason took the wind from the wings of the Falcons.

Early losses to the Chicago Bears and Bucs were cause for concern, but the Falcons have won three straight to rebound.

Having Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints in your division doesn’t help. This guy has stolen some TV time from the Falcons too.

The Falcons need to post a big win over the Saints to get back into the spotlight, but I don’t see it happening.

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