NFL Power Rankings: Playoff Contenders That Have Peaked

There are no shortage of playoff contenders in the NFL this season, though that does not mean that there are a lot of great teams. 

In fact, the majority of teams are hovering around the 5-3 or 4-4 range right now. That makes for exciting races, but it does speak to the mediocrity that is in the NFL right now. 

A few teams have performed far better than anyone expected and they have very real playoff aspirations.

The problem is that these teams have benefited from a soft schedule in the first half of the season and players overachieving who are likely to hit a wall over the final eight weeks. 

Here are three playoff contenders that have nowhere to go but down as we hit the home stretch of the 2011 NFL season. 

 

San Francisco 49ers

Head coach Jim Harbaugh has done a fantastic job with this team, no one would deny that. However, the praise that they have gotten is being overstated quite a bit.

Look at the teams the 49ers have beaten en route to starting 7-1. Their best win is over Detroit, but they have just two wins against teams that have winning records and the offense is not capable of coming back if and when they get down by more than one score.

The next six weeks are really going to tell us how good this team is with games against the New York Giants, Baltimore and Pittsburgh.

 

Buffalo Bills

The Bills were the talk of the NFL after their 3-0 start, but since then they are 2-3 and Ryan Fitzpatrick has thrown six of his nine interceptions in that span.

The offense was the only thing keeping this team going in the early games. Since teams have figured out how to stop Fitzpatrick, it has made them much easier to defend.

The defense has been terrible all year long, but they were able to create turnovers to mask their deficiencies. Now that they aren’t getting those turnovers opposing teams are scoring on them at will.

As sad as it is to say because the Bills fans are so great and passionate, this team has nowhere to go but down.

 

Cincinnati Bengals

When almost every analyst predicts you to finish near the bottom of the league and you win six of your first eight games, you know something is up.

The Bengals have gotten far better performances from rookies Andy Dalton and A.J. Green than was initially expected, as well as a nice bounce-back year from Cedric Benson on offense. The defense has exceeded all expectations to become one of the best in the NFL.

At some point, though, the bottom is going to drop out for this team. They are nowhere near as strong as the Ravens and Steelers in the AFC North, nor are they one of the six best teams in the conference.

They will have a chance to prove their worth over the next five weeks with two games against Pittsburgh, a road game against Baltimore and home tilt against Houston. 

 

 

 

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