NFL Power Rankings Week 11: How Low Can the AFC South Go?

The AFC South is horrible, like worst-division-in-football horrible.

The clear-cut best team in the division just lost their QB for possibly the entire season, and another team is in great shape to finish 0-16.

Woof.

The Houston Texans are 7-3 and sitting pretty on paper, but with the Lisfranc (foot) injury of Matt Schaub, this team is getting depleted quickly. LB Mario Williams is out for the year, S Danieal Manning has a broken leg and both RB Arian Foster and WR Andre Johnson are dealing with nagging hamstring injuries.

With backup Matt Leinart—a failed QB who hasn’t thrown a regular season pass in two years—the Texans' only hope…this team is in big trouble.

Yet, they will still win the division by default.

The 5-4 Tennessee Titans are still waiting to get a return on the ridiculous contract Chris Johnson received in training camp as the Titans currently have the worst running game in the league, averaging a laughable 81.3 yards per game.

QB Matt Hasselbeck is the best signal-caller in the division, but at the age 36, that tells you way more about the division than Hasselbeck.

The Jags aren’t dead at 3-6, but they are barely breathing with rookie QB Blaine Gabbert continuing to progress at a snail's pace. The defense is quietly one of the best 10 units in the league, which keeps them in almost every game they play in, but with the lack of any sort of playmaker aside from Maurice Jones-Drew on the field—it’s not going to happen.

As for the 0-10 Colts, what can I say that hasn’t already been said? Curtis Painter is their QB and they have already officially been eliminated from contention to win the division. They are sucking for a guy that plays all the way across the country.

Summary: There is no way in hell this division is getting a win in the playoffs.

Eric Ball's Week 11 NFL Power Rankings

    1. Green Bay Packers     
    2. San Francisco 49ers     
    3. Pittsburgh Steelers
    4. New Orleans Saints    
    5. New England Patriots     
    6. New York Giants     
    7. Houston Texans

    8. Baltimore Ravens 

    9. Cincinnati Bengals     
    10. Chicago Bears       
    11. Atlanta Falcons     
    12. Detroit Lions 
    13. Dallas Cowboys     
    14. New York Jets
    15. Buffalo Bills
    16. Oakland Raiders     
    17. Philadelphia Eagles
    18. San Diego Chargers
    19. Tennessee Titans     
    20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers     
    21. Denver Broncos     
    22. Miami Dolphins     
    23. Minnesota Vikings     
    24.  Carolina Panthers     
    25. Jacksonville Jaguars     
    26. Arizona Cardinals
    27. St. Louis Rams     
    28. Kansas City Chiefs     
    29. Seattle Seahawks     
    30. Cleveland Browns     
    31. Washington Redskins     
    32. Indianapolis Colts