What a topsy-turvy season we've seen so far in the NFL. Rookie QBs are thriving, top players are getting injured, the Rams recently beat the Saints, and the Colts are threatening to go winless after numerous seasons threatening to go undefeated.
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| He's the best Panthers QB since Steve 'Borderline Starter' Beuerlein! |
I'm pleased to present updated Power Rankings for the halfway mark of the season. **Spoiler Alert** - The Bengals aren't bad!
NFL Power Rankings
- Green Bay Packers (no change) - I definitely got this one right. Aaron Rodgers is looking nearly infallible right now, and I'd even make the easy argument that he's the best QB in the league. That's right, better than Tom Brady, I admit it.
- Pittsburgh Steelers (+1) - After the Pack Attack, the rankings immediately get more murky. The Steelers D appears to be clicking again as they sit atop the AFC, but they possess nowhere near the level of consistency of Green Bay.
- New England Patriots (-1) - Every once in a while the Patriots will fart and you get a stinker like last Sunday. However, it's important to look at the first 7 games as a whole. Oh wait, I'm still getting a bad smell from their secondary. Ewww.
- San Francisco 49ers (+22) - This is the defense many expected to see last year. They've allowed an NFL low 107 points to opposing teams, and while I wouldn't say Alex Smith is playing well, he's playing mistake-free football, which is more than I can say for most QBs.
- New Orleans Saints (+3) - Despite a shocking loss to the winless Rams last Sunday, the Saints still have to be considered one of the elite teams in the league. Their Tecmo Super Bowl offense will carry them most weeks, and their defense, while average, is good enough to keep them in games.
- Buffalo Bills (+24) - Oh, that beef on weck is tasting extra good this year! This is one of the most balanced teams in the league. They will rarely overwhelm opponents with any one aspect of their attack or defense, but the sum of the parts looks awfully good.
- Baltimore Ravens (-1) - Without Ray Rice this team's offense would be unspeakably bad (indeed, a Joe Flacco burn), but their defense remains beastly. I just worry that some of their vets on defense will get injured as the year rolls on.
- Detroit Lions (+5) - This team is not without its faults (3rd to last in run defense), but what a show they've put on so far. Those who drafted Megatron in the first round of their fantasy drafts are feeling smart right now.
- Cincinnati Bengals (+23) - Not only did I underestimate Andy Dalton's ability to be a league-average QB directly out of college, I also seriously underestimated this team's defense. The unit ranks 4th in the league for both yards allowed and points allowed per game. Look for them to drop back as they have four games against the Ravens and Steelers over the remainder of the season. Those defenses are licking their chops over a chance to devour a rookie QB.
- New York Giants (+7) - It wouldn't be a typical Giants season without at least one left-handed pass by Eli Manning, so we're good there. If Hakeem Nicks is overly hindered by his bad hammy, this team drops to the middle of the pack.
- Houston Texans (+7) - Houston has one of the easiest schedules in the league for the rest of the season, so I'd be shocked if they didn't reach double digits for wins and cracked the top 10 with ease. My bold prediction for this team: Arian Foster will get injured if he keeps carrying the ball 30+ times each week.
- Philadelphia Eagles (-7) - Some may accuse me of short-term memory for this rank, but I see the Eagles as being better than some of the remaining winning teams. Their running game is tops in the league, and Andy Reid teams tend to perform better as the year goes on (last 5 years: 20-16 in weeks 1-8, 28-15-1 in weeks 9-17).
- Chicago Bears (-2)- What a boring team. They've beaten the teams they were better than, and lost to the teams that were better than them. Fun fact: Matt Forte has more touches (162) than the rest of his team combined (143). I can't imagine what that offense would look like if he got injured. It'd probably have a lot of 1 yd rushes by Marion Barber mixed with some wild, running Jay Cutler throws. I'd watch that.
- New York Jets (-10) - What happened to their run defense? If they can't play solid defense, they end up relying on the ghastly duo of Shonn Greene and Mark Sanchez. I'd pity them if I wasn't celebrating their mediocrity.
- San Diego Chargers (-6) - If this team wasn't completely dumb/unlucky/cursed, they'd be a top 10 team. Unfortunately, that's not the case. Even though they lost to the Chiefs, they still have a better scoring differential and team stats (not to mention talent) compared to the other 4-3 teams in their division.
- Atlanta Falcons (-9) - I predicted in my last power rankings that Matt Ryan would have to step up for this team to duplicate last season's success. That hasn't happened.
- Oakland Raiders (+3) - The Mac Truck hit a speed bump in the form of a foot sprain, and now they're assimilating a new QB and his old sidekick into the lineup. Resistance will not be futile.
- Kansas City Chiefs (-4) - They lost stud RB Jamaal Charles for the year in Week 2, and a host of other players, but coach Todd Haley must be working some voodoo because they've just rolled off 4 wins in a row to tie for first in their division. Look for them to get smacked back down as they play NE, PIT, CHI (away), NYJ (away), and GB in consecutive weeks later on.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3) - The Bucs had a cupcake schedule last year, so it's not surprising that they're less impressive this year. It's incredible that they're over .500 given their -38 point differential and lame offense.
- Tennessee Titans (+1) - This team should be about 4 spots higher at least, but Chris Johnson has been the biggest bust of the year as his team is worst in the league with 68.9 yards rushing per game. With Kenny Britt lost for the season, the Titans are running out of options offensively.
- Dallas Cowboys (-9) - The only thing exceeding their level of ability is their ability to lose in spectacular fashion. And the only thing I enjoy more than seeing DeMarco Murray run wild is running wild with chiasmus in my blog posts.
- Carolina Panthers (+5) - Even though they only have 2 wins, they've always played competitively (5 losses by one score or less), and they're not bad by the numbers (5th in offensive yards per game).
- Washington Redskins (+2) - Just when I thought this team couldn't get any more boring, they start John Beck at QB. He's like the Toby Flenderson of the NFL. Do you even want to win?! Play Rex Grossman!
- Cleveland Browns (no change) - Just when you thought they had an offense emerging - bam! - they're the Cleveland Browns again. Their wins are against the Colts, Dolphins, and Seahawks, so consider me unimpressed.
- Minnesota Vikings (-6) - Someone greatly underestimated how far Donovan McNabb's skills had deteriorated, and by "someone" I mean me. Fortunately the Christian Ponder era is off to a surprisingly good start. His next start, however, will be on MNF at Green Bay after a bye week. Good luck with that one, newbie.
- Jacksonville Jaguars (+5) - This defense can hold its own against anyone, which makes me wonder what their record would be if they had a decent QB, like, oh I dunno, David Garrard.
- St. Louis Rams (-12) - Talk about regressing defensively, but holding the Saints to 21 points is a great starting point for this team to rebound. Sam Bradford should also be back in the saddle to wrangle up some wins, gunslinger style. Next 4: ARZ, CLE, SEA, and ARZ.
- Arizona Cardinals (-6) - Well, the obvious kick in the nuts is that Kevin Kolb is their QB, and he's averaging over 2 turnovers a game. Then you realize their defense is 29th in the league... how about those Coyotes!
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| Why waste your time on the Cardinals when you can embrace the leadership and steady competence of Shane Doan! |
- Denver Broncos (no change) - Oh yeah, totally nailed this ranking. Starting Tim Tebow on a weekly basis could make this team the biggest joke since the Raiders trotted out JaMarcus Russell on a weekly basis.
- Seattle Seahawks (-2) - Their QB woes have led to being 31st in the league in offensive yards per game. They do rank 1st, however, in being the most boring team in the league (edging out Washington).
- Miami Dolphins (-8) - This team will threaten to go winless with Matt Moore at QB and Reggie Bush starting at RB, but their defense isn't as bad as some of these other cellar dwellers.
- Indianapolis Colts (-22) - I always dreamed this day would come, when the Colts were the worst team in the league. It just doesn't give me quite the satisfaction I had hoped for since it happened without Peyton Manning under center, but it's still nice. Ahhh.
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