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1) SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (6-1): Change: +1 [1,3] They move up to #1 by virtue of the Broncos losing, but I've honestly wanted them to be in the #1 spot all along. They have been the best team in the NFL all season, with their only loss a hard-fought game against....
2) INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (5-2): Change: +9 [2,14] What an AMAZING victory against the Broncos last week - it was a true signature win if there ever was one.
3)
DENVER BRONCOS (6-1):
Change: -2 [1,3] The Broncos have been exposed a lot in the past few weeks, with a nailbiter against the Cowboys, a game against the Jags which was far closer than it should have been, and now a loss. They are still the best offensive team in the league.
4) GREEN BAY PACKERS (4-2): Change: +1 [2,5] Aaron Rodgers and the Pack have quietly moved into first place in the NFC North, but I've taken notice. Eddie Lacy is the real deal, and is finally giving Rodgers a formidable running game to take away some of the pressure. Look out.
5) NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (5-1): Change: -2 [3,6] The Saints have been outstanding this year, and there's no shame in having your only loss against the Pats. They should cruise to the NFC South title.
6) SAN FRANCSICO 49ERS (5-2): Change: -2 [2,6] After some early hiccups, the Niners have hit their stride again and will challenge Seattle for the division title. They won't win it, but they'll challenge for it.
7) NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (5-2): Change: 0 [5,7] They had a golden opportunity to seize control of their division; they squandered it, and now the Jets are alive and well in the AFC East.
8) CINCINNATI BENGALS (5-2): Change: +2 [8,10] The Bengals have put a nice winning streak together. Their kicker has been Mr. Clutch and keeps bailing them out, but good teams find ways to win games. Cincy now enjoys a 2-game cushion in the AFC North after the Ravens' loss this week.
9) KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (7-0): Change: +9 [9,22] Most of you will be shocked that I have the Chiefs so low, but I just don't think they can beat any of the teams ahead of them on this list. With the Browns and Bills ahead on their schedule, they won't have the opportunity to prove themselves to me until week 11 against the Broncos.
10) CHICAGO BEARS (4-3): Change: -1 [8,11]. There is a huge drop in quality after the top nine teams, but I guess I'll lead with the Bears. They have so many playmakers on defense that I don't see them faltering on that side of the ball for long. Cutler's injury will be a blow, but Matt Forte looked outstanding against Washington.
11) DETROIT LIONS (4-3): Change: +2 [11,13] This team is so inconsistent. Stafford is hot and cold, and you just know Reggie Bush is going to get injured. They've proven multiple times this year that they can't close out a game, and that is a horrible sign in an extremely competitive NFC.
12) DALLAS COWBOYS (4-3): Change: +4 [12,18] Tex has to be overjoyed with the way his Cowboys have played so far. They have a full game lead in the NFC East, and the division is seriously theirs of the taking since everyone else has been wildly underachieving.
13) NEW YORK JETS (4-3): Change: +17 [13,30] The Jets are one of the biggest surprises in the league this season. Geno has cleaned up his game after a few abysmal performances in the early season, and the defense has been very solid.
14) CAROLINA PANTHERS (3-3): Change: -2 [9,14] They've rallied together since their bye and are now winners of three of their last four. I don't want to get too excited, but they were my gutsy pick for the #6 seed in the NFC this year and they're finally looking like the team I've been talking them up to be the last two seasons.
15) ATLANTA FALCONS (2-4): Change: -7 [8,15] The Falcons are decimated by injuries, and weren't that great to begin with. There's still enough talent to keep them in the middle of the pack, but playoffs are not in the cards for them this season.
16) BALTIMORE RAVENS (3-4): Change: +3 [16,19] The Ravens have been so...bleh this year. They've won a few games I didn't think they'd win, but then they go and lose winnable contests like the Steelers game. They're on their way to an 8-8 finish.
17) CLEVELAND BROWNS (3-4): Change: +10 [17,27] Weeden has looked really bad, but the Browns defense is good enough to keep them in most games. If Weeden can just manage the game, the Browns will be able to contend for a playoff spot.
18) PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (3-4): Change: +4 [17,22] The Eagles have been so up-and-down all season long. They're more bad than good, so I'll put them just below average among all the teams.
19) TENNESSE TITANS (3-4): Change: +9 [19,30] The Titans have been surprisingly competitive and will continue to upset teams throughout the season.
20) MIAMI DOLPHINS (3-3): Change: +3 [20,28] Miami has been all over the map as well (it's a common team for teams in this range) they're approaching the do-or-die point in their season as they sit at 3-3. I don't think they have a playoff push in them this year, but we'll see what happens.
21) PITTSBURGH STEELERS (2-4): Change: +5 [21,26] Just like that, the Steelers have won two in a row and are only a game behind the Ravens and Browns. They're only a game and half away from the current #6 seed in the AFC (Jets), which is remarkable for how poorly their season started.
22) WASHINGTON REDSKINS (2-4): Change: -2 [17,22] What an impressive and unexpected win over the Bears. Let's see how they do this week.
23) SAN DIEGO CHARGERS (4-3): Change: -2 [21,25] The Chargers are 4-3, but it's one of the weakest 4-3s I've ever seen. I don't think it will last.
24) ARIZONA CARDINALS (3-4): Change: -7 [17,24] Arizona has the tools to succeed on paper, but it just hasn't translated to the field.
25) HOUSTON TEXANS (2-5):
Change: -19 [6,25] I feel dirty ranking them this high. There may be no other team in the NFL that I have less confidence in at this point in the season.
26) NEW YORK GIANTS (1-6): Change: -11 [12,26] The Giants finally got a W, and they just have so many weapons in the passing game that I can't rank them below any of the teams that follow. Also, they have PEYTON HILLIS. How can your root against PEYTON HILLIS?!
27) BUFFALO BILLS (3-4): Change: +2 [27,29] The Bills have played remarkably well since EJ Manuel went down, but I just don't see it lasting. And what on earth is going on with CJ Spiller?
28) OAKLAND RAIDERS (2-4): Change: +3 [28,32] Oakland has already surpassed the expectations I had for them all season. Pryor is serviceable, and Denarius Moore actually looks like a legitimate WR.
29) ST. LOUIS RAMS (3-4): Change: -15 [14,29] The injury to Bradford will hurt them more than most realize. They only rank this high because their pass rush has been amazing this year.
30) MINNESOTA VIKINGS (1-5): Change: -5 [23, 30] Josh Freeman looked horrible on MNF, and it just speaks to how bad Cassell and Ponder are. AP's talent is wasted on this team.
31) TAMPA BAY BUCS (0-6): Change: -7 [19,31] If things couldn't get any worse, now Doug Martin is out for the season...
32) JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (0-7): Change: 0 [31,32] My team is the worst in the NFL this year, and there's no argument to make to the contrary. I was hoping the Raiders would be worse at the beginning of the season, but that has been far from the case. It's a tough time to be a fan.
You have GOT to be joking! The only undefeated team is below some 2-loss teams? Dude, I could see the Seahawks who, except against the Colts, have been solid, but the Colts lost to the CHARGERS, the Pat's can't mount an offense, and the Bengals lost to the freakin BROWNS! This is ridiculous. I demand a recount! I demand justice!
ReplyDeleteThe Chiefs just haven't done anything for me yet, and I still see them losing to all eight teams that I ranked ahead of them. The Colts deserve a high ranking as they've beaten the 49ers, Seahawks, and Broncos...do you really think they'd lose to KC? The Pats aren't their usual selves, but have shown some grit this season, particularly in their win over the Saints. The Bengals have big wins over the Packers and now the Lions. While 7-0, the Chiefs don't have any significant wins, and most recently only beat the decimated Texans by only a point!
ReplyDeleteOffensively, I'd agree that the Chiefs haven't hit that next level. Defensively, however, they have shut down several very good offenses. The Eagles may not be revolutionizing football, but they have a good offense that was held to 16 points. The Cowboys have a fantastic offense, much better than I expected, and the Chiefs held them to 16 points. Further, while the Texans' OFFENSE has been decimated, their DEFENSE is stellar i.e. best in the league against the pass.
ReplyDeleteNow, you wanna argue strength of schedule? The 9ers have 1 significant win in Week 1. The Packers haven't beaten anyone unless you want to count the Lions. The Patriots, while they beat the Saints, have struggled against the Jets twice and the Bills. No key wins there outside of New Orleans. Now, i will grant you that, outside of the Browns loss, the Bengals have a decent resume, but the bottom line is wins not talent. What makes the Chiefs better than all the other teams right now is that they LIVED the all-talent, no-wins scenario and have gotten stronger from it.
Right now, as they stand, the Chiefs belong no lower than 4th behind MAYBE, and I disagree they're behind any of these, but for the sake of argument, the Seahawks, the Saints, and the Broncos.
The Chiefs have a good defense, but they are no '85 Bears or 2000 Ravens by any stretch of the imagination, and that's the kind of defense you need to be a real contender if your offense isn't top-tier. This is especially true in today's game, which puts more emphasis on the pass than ever before. The Chiefs have a QB who is average at best and simply manages the game. That's not a recipe for success, and I think the Chiefs will struggle to go deeper than the divisional round of the playoffs in the AFC.
ReplyDeleteThis is a balanced team, and that is their greatest strength, but look for them to falter as their schedule stiffens later this season. They've had some close calls with one-point wins over the Cowboys and Texans that could have gone either way....I know that good teams find ways to win, but where would you rank this team if they were 5-2 at this point? My rankings take quality of wins rather than strict record into account, which causes me to hesitate putting KC in the top 5 just yet. We'll see how they play Denver, then we'll have a much better indication of where they stand.
Also, I don't know how you can exclude the Colts from your teams that are better than the Chiefs?! They have more impressive wins than anyone else.
The Colts absolutely have more impressive wins with the 9ers and the Broncos. No denying that at all. However, while you take into account quality of wins, as well you should, I also take into account ridiculousness of losses. While I can look past the Dolphins loss seeing as they are playing tougher than most anyone thought, I cannot look past the Chargers.
ReplyDeleteNow, while the Chargers are 4-3, for a 4 win teams at this point, they have some stupid losses. The Texans loss seemed ok at the time, but now look at it. The Raiders one is ridiculous, and won't be changing. The jury is still out about the loss to the Titans, but that also means that it wasn't an ok loss. It's the same reason I'm not clamoring for the Cowboys to be higher. The Chargers are way overachieving and are lucky to have 2 wins, even more to have 4 wins.
All that being said, the Chiefs are 3rd in the league against the pass. Since that is the strength of teams like the Colts and Broncos, I tend to think they stack well against them and thus could beat them. In truth, the only team I could see ranked higher, as I said earlier, is the Seahawks. The reason for that is their stout running game, which the Chiefs have been struggling against all year. Who's gonna run against them from Denver? Hillman? He'll just drop the ball. What about the Colts? Richardson? He better get 50 touches seeing as he's around 2 yards a carry.