NFL Power Rankings: 5 Teams Vegas Likes Too Much

If there is one city that will ensure the NFL never goes away, it's Las Vegas. The gambling interest people have in the NFL tends to get downplayed, but I'd wager the NFL wouldn't be nearly as popular as it is if people weren't allowed to gamble on the games.

Vegas has all sorts of interpretations of the NFL's 32 teams, which it uses to come up with point spreads and the like. Believe it or not, Vegas even has its own power rankings, appropriately called the "Vegas Rankings."

I stumbled across the latest Vegas Rankings on ESPN Insider (must have Insider to access), and I have to say they don't resemble your typical power rankings. In terms of criteria and where each team is ranked, these are much different.

To give you an idea just how unusual the Vegas Rankings are, I'd like to discuss five teams that they have a bit over-ranked.

New York Giants (t-9)

The Giants have been much better than the sum of their parts this season, but I don't think they're fooling anyone into thinking they're one of the NFL's elite teams.

Vegas disagrees, as the Vegas Rankings have the Giants as part of a four-way tie for ninth with a "True Power" rating of 93.

This rating is just as good as the Detroit Lions' rating, and one point better than the Houston Texans' rating of 92. It is two points better than the Chicago Bears' rating of 91.

All three of these teams have better records than the Giants, and I'll wager that all three are better teams, even if two of them are missing their quarterbacks.

New York Jets (t-9)

The Jets are in the same boat in the Giants, as they have a True Power rating of 93. The big difference is that the Jets have an even worse record at 5-5, and most non-delusional NFL fans will tell you that the Jets just aren't as good as they have been in recent years.

Of course, these same non-delusional fans will tell you that the Jets are overrated to begin with. Vegas is not exactly helping matters by putting them in the same company as teams like the Lions and ahead of teams like the Texans and Bears.

Dallas Cowboys (No. 8)

Sure, the Cowboys have won three games in a row and have surged to a tie atop the NFC East, but No. 8?

My own subjective interpretation tells me that the Cowboys are slightly more mediocre. All you have to do is use your eyes. You'll realize that the Cowboys are probably lucky to be 6-4 right now, as they managed to win a couple of games here and there that they probably should have lost.

That point is debatable, but most of us should be able to agree that the Cowboys are not the No. 8 team in the league.

Philadelphia Eagles (No. 7)

If the Cowboys being No. 8 is foolish, I don't know what to call the Eagles being No. 7.

"Baffling" is as good a word as any, I guess.

I just don't know how you elevate a 4-6 team above a handful of teams that are .500 or better, much less to the same level as some of the NFL's best teams. The Eagles were supposed to be one of the NFL's best teams, but they're not.

Vegas must really like Vince Young.

New England Patriots (No. 2)

I have the Patriots at No. 4, and even I think I might be overrating them a little. Vegas has them at No. 2, ahead of the 9-1 San Francisco 49ers and all the other 7-3 teams.

For lack of a better explanation, I guess Vegas really likes New England's makeshift defense. Or maybe Vegas really likes Rob Gronkowski.

Or maybe Vegas is just plain wrong about this one.

I'll go with that last option.

Zachary D. Rymer's Week 12 Power Rankings

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