There’s a ton of buzz going around about who is atop the NFL’s new Power Rankings. Here’s how I view the Power Rankings for this week:
- Arizona Cardinals
With backup Drew Stanton running things in place of an injured Carson Palmer, the Cardinals impressed against the second-best Lions of the NFC. Taking it to their house, so to speak, the Cardinals made sure to take care of business and affirmed that even without their started QB they are a threat on all levels. - Green Bay Packers
After completely destroying both the Bears and the Eagles in the past two outings, Aaron Rodgers & Co. have left all but the Cardinals in the dust. With division rival Detroit close behind them for the second best division seed in the playoffs, the Packers still have some business to take care of. Next week, they take on the Vikings in Minnesota. Teddy Bridgewater has been promising, but expect a lot of TD’s for GB…maybe even another 50-spot. - New England Patriots
Tom Brady and his Patriots have looked nothing but sharp since getting destroyed in Kansas City. But that seems like old news now, and the boys in blue aren’t thinking about looking back. Now with the top spot in the AFC and home field advantage throughout the playoffs well in sight, we could see some serious fight between the Broncos and Patriots for top dog overall.Let the games begin. - Kansas City Chiefs
Coming off an impressive win against the Seahawks at home, Jamaal Charles and the Chiefs are now dead even with the Denver Broncos for the lead of the AFC West and are giving Peyton Manning and his squad a reason to be sweating. The Chiefs play the winless Raiders twice in the next four weeks, with games against the hated Broncos and the up and coming Cardinals in between. Don’t expect it to be pretty, but don’t expect the Chiefs to go down without swinging.
Oh yeah, and there still haven’t been any TDs thrown to a Chiefs’ wide receiver…not one. - Denver Broncos
Dropping what should have been a cake game in St. Louis to the Rams has suddenly put Denver in a position they don’t want to be. Not only do they have to worry about keeping pace with the Patriots for home field advantage, they have to keep tabs on the noteworthy Chiefs to make sure their division lead doesn’t drift away. Earth to Peyton, it’s go time. - Dallas Cowboys
Re-establishing who they are as a team and confirming their raw identity has been a huge positive for the Dallas Cowboys this season. Assuming that Tony Romo stays on his feet and DeMarco Murray keeps drilling opponents’ defenses, the Cowboys are in it for the long haul. Especially with Mark Sanchez, aka “Buttfumble”, now in charge of the Eagles and Chip Kelly’s speedy offense, the Cowboys have a golden opportunity at a division crown. Finally. - San Francisco 49ers
Some might argue that this is a little high for the 49ers to be ranked—trust me, I see your point—but in the past two weeks not only have they managed to salvage their season, they’ve done it heroically. First a late 4th-and-long rocket pass to stay alive, then strong defense getting them past Eli & the Giants in New York. Stay strong, San Fran. - Detroit Lions
Despite a loss to the Drew Stanton-led Cardinals, Megatron and Detroit still are on edge and on pace to make the end of this year interesting. Now tied with the hot-n-ready Packers for the top spot in the NFC North, it seems like anything can happen, especially the way this season’s been. Sidenote: who thought the Lions would still be relevant by Thanksgiving? Not me. - Pittsburgh Steelers
Although incredibly hard fought and sometimes hard to watch, Pittsburgh’s victory over the Titans in Tennessee on Monday night solidified their spot in the top ten for me. Yes, it came against a rookie QB but it was a much needed win for a team that underwent a surprising test from a 2-win team. On the road, might I add…Steel City lives on. - Seattle Seahawks
Yes, they lost to the Chiefs and have been on the decline in recent memory, the last time the Seahawks found themselves at 6-4 was two years ago. From that point on, Russell Wilson led them to a 5-1 finish and a playoff berth. They’re still in the hunt, don’t blink. - Philadelphia Eagles
Starting Mark Sanchez might not have been what Philly fans were hoping for, but if you think about it there is hope. Yes, you got blown out and destroyed by the Packers by 33 points, but keep in mind that it was Sanchez’s first start in over a year and it was a very ferocious opponent. Eagles play the Titans next in Philadelphia…so, ironically, in the words of Aaron Rodgers, the man that just whooped you..R-E-L-A-X. - Cincinnati Bengals
After a red-hot start from the “Red Rocket”, as Andy Dalton is known, the Bengals got cooled off for a couple weeks but bounced back with a huge 17-point win against the Saints in the Superdome. Revenge is bittersweet, and for the rest of the AFC North, Cincy’s ready to take back the throne. - Indianapolis Colts
If you thought 50 Shades of Grey was highly sexual and not appropriate for small children, the shades of Gray that the Colts received from the Patriots and their running game Sunday night were a sight for sore eyes. The Colts should feel very lucky for being in the AFC South of all divisions. - Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins dominated the Bills late in a crunch time division matchup on Sunday night. Ryan Tannehill is finally starting to look like what was promised and Dolphins fans, dare I say it, rejoice. You may have the Broncos up next in Denver, but two games against the Jets and a home game versus Minnesota will help your case for seed number six. - San Diego Chargers
Phillip Rivers need to step up to catch the Chiefs and Broncos or else his team is heading where the sun don’t shine. - Baltimore Ravens
Going against the Saints this coming Monday night, the Ravens have a lot to prove to stay in the playoff picture. Very well could be win or bust for Baltimore. - Cleveland Browns
From first to worst in a single Sunday. The Browns & Brian Hoyer are glad to be getting Josh Gordon back. Wheels, wheels, wheels! - Buffalo Bills
Third in the AFC East at this point in the season is a good point to start trying to develop your team for next season because chances are, at this point, that the odds won’t be in your favor come January. - Atlanta Falcons
Ever seen a division leader at almost #20 on the power rankings? Me either. Guess there’s a first time for everything. The 4-6 division leading Falcons make me wonder if there will ever be an aspect to the game I will never get to see. Thought I’d seen it all…nope. - St. Louis Rams
They may be 4-6, but three of those four wins are against the teams that made it to their respective conference title games. Two of those wins coming against the teams that played each other in the most recent Super Bowl. - New Orleans Saints
Talk about falling off the map. Drew Brees and Sean Payton did not expect this. But hey, they’re still in the race for the playoffs two games below .500…yes, their division is that bad. - Minnesota Vikings
Teddy Bridgewater is showing great strides for being a rookie, but with that comes an even longer developmental path that only come with experience. Look for leaps and bounds next season, depending on what talent the coaching and owning staff surround their QB with. The best craftsman has the best tools at his disposal. - Tennessee Titans
Who would’ve thought their rookie QB Mettenberger would’ve brought them that close to knocking off Pittsburgh? Oh yeah, nobody. Same goes for the Titans as it does for the Vikings…next season, my friends. - Chicago Bears
Plague. Apocalypse. Sound familiar Chicago? - New York Giants
They had the 49ers on the ropes this past Sunday and found a way to blow that game too. Stop throwing INT’s, Eli! No Bueno! - New York Jets
The only thing the Jets can even remotely think about is playing spoiler for the rest of the AFC East teams trying to get into the post season besides the lovely Patriots who are light years ahead of the others. - Carolina Panthers
Cam Newton gave another “eh” kind of performance. He needs to up his game if he wants to stay a starter. - Tampa Bay Bucs
At 2-8, if you can still WIN YOUR DIVISION and enter the playoffs as a TOP FOUR seed, I’d say your year’s going pretty good. And I’ll say it again…your division is THAT bad. More power to ya, matey! - Washington Redskins
RG III and his teammates really, really don’t like each other. Not looking good in our nation’s capital…at all. - Houston Texans
They’re 5-5 right now, but have looked like one of the weaker teams lately. They’ll only make the playoffs if Luck and the Colts miraculously fall from grace. - Jacksonville Jaguars
Don’t worry, y’all, Blake Bortles IS the answer. Stay true to your team, and expect a bagillion band wagon fans really soon! - Oakland Raiders
Happy One Year Anniversary to the Raiders…it’s been almost 400 flippin’ days since you could say “victory!” I need not say anything else.
