Archive for the ‘Power Rankings’ Category
NFL Power Rankings: Week 15
FOX SPORTS NFL POWER RANKINGS presented by VISA
| RK | Team | REC | PRV | High/Low | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giants | 11-2-0 | - | 1/7 |
Throw out the Eagles loss, for now at least. Read my fingers: The Giants will be fine. Most Super Bowl champions lose multiple games in a long NFL season, and every team puts up a stinker of a game sometimes. |
| 2 | Titans | 12-1-0 | - | 1/12 |
Unless the Giants fall apart again this week without Plaxico Burress, the Titans should get used to the idea that they are the second-best team in football. They are definitely back to their grinding ways, winning two straight by a combined score of 75-19 — but over two teams (DET and CLE) with a combined record of 4-22). |
| 3 | Steelers | 10-3-0 | - | 2/6 |
There’s no question why the Steelers are 10-3 against the NFL’s most brutal schedule — their potentially historic defense, which is trying to become the first unit since the 1991 Eagles to finish ranked No. |
| 4 | Panthers | 10-3-0 | 1 | 4/13 |
Though the pass defense still showed some holes, that was quite a statement by the Panthers Monday night against Tampa Bay. After running for just 40 yards in their first meeting, the Panthers set a team record with 299 yards on the ground. |
| 5 | Buccaneers | 9-4-0 | 1 | 4/17 |
After getting shredded in Carolina, defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin must pick up the shrapnel in time for another huge NFC South roadie this weekend in Atlanta. A loss lumps the Bucs back to the pack of wild-card contenders after Tampa Bay led the division for the previous two weeks. |
| 6 | Colts | 9-4-0 | 3 | 3/18 |
Quietly, the Colts have found their way and Peyton Manning is looking just fine, with 14 TD passes over his last seven games. With the AFC South title out of reach, Indy must keep flooring the gas pedal to at least get one home game in their dome and avoid too many outdoor dates in January. |
| 7 | Ravens | 9-4-0 | 3 | 7/29 |
How sick is Ed Reed, a guy 99.999999 percent of Americans wouldn’t recognize if he knocked on your door and shook your hand? He racked up two more interceptions and another defensive score on a fumble return against Washington, yet to most of us he’s just another faceless Pro Bowl defender on another dominant Ravens defense. |
| 8 | Eagles | 7-5-1 | 9 | 3/19 |
The Eagles make a huge leap, especially this late in the season, for just one reason — Brian Westbrook is finally healthy. When the multi-purpose running back is his normal self (6 TDs in last two games), the Eagles become a dynamic team capable of great things. |
| 9 | Falcons | 8-5-0 | 2 | 7/31 |
Matt Ryan’s on-field education continues. Despite losing in New Orleans, Ryan played very well with his second career 300-yard game and first career touchdown run, which temporarily gave the Falcons a late lead. |
| 10 | Cardinals | 8-5-0 | 2 | 8/23 |
Sure, it’s come against one of the worst divisions in recent memory. But winning a division, even if it’s in Division III of the NFL, is a huge accomplishment for this franchise. Starving Cardinal fans get to paint their faces for a home playoff game for the first time since the late 1940s, when the team was in Chicago and the world was still black and white. |
| 11 | Cowboys | 8-5-0 | 3 | 2/15 |
The team with the NFL’s toughest schedule in the season’s final quarter could not afford to give one away, and certainly not in such excruciating fashion — blowing a 10-point lead by allowing 17 points in the last 7:15 in Pittsburgh. |
| 12 | Jets | 8-5-0 | 6 | 4/23 |
Jets fan Fireman Ed must be beside himself as his team has followed a dominating win in Tennessee with two lifeless efforts against Denver and San Francisco. Where’s that exciting offense? What happened to Kris Jenkins and the suffocating rush defense? Suddenly, the Jets could miss the playoffs and become a league punchline if they don’t respond ASAP. |
| 13 | Patriots | 8-5-0 | - | 2/20 |
Yet again, the Pats have rebounded and positioned themselves in a first-place tie in the AFC East with three games left. Don’t you think Bill Belichick would covet a division title without Tom Brady as much as winning any of his three Super Bowls? COOL STAT: New England is 18-1 overall following losses and has had just one 2-game losing streak since the beginning of 2003. |
| 14 | Vikings | 8-5-0 | - | 10/23 |
WHEW!!! The Vikings played on eggshells against a desperate Lions team last week, and with the world consensus that it was Detroit’s best shot at an upset win, the Vikes seemed up to fulfill the prophecy — QB Gus Frerotte got hurt after throwing two picks against a horrible secondary, and Adrian Peterson fumbled three times. |
| 15 | Redskins | 7-6-0 | 4 | 2/19 |
Maybe this Washington team can get a bailout, because its stock is dropping furiously. The offense, built around banged-up RB Clinton Portis, has been held under 100 yards rushing in four of the past five games. |
| 16 | Saints | 7-6-0 | - | 11/23 |
‘Dem Saints just marched back into the playoff chase. And for a change, Drew Brees didn’t have to fly solo on offense all day long. A shot of Reggie Bush may be just what this team needs to get over the hump. |
| 17 | Bears | 7-6-0 | 1 | 7/23 |
Kyle Orton and the Bears got back on track against a finished Jaguars team, but this week poses sort of an elimination game as the Saints come marching in to Soldier Field with both teams hoping to make a late postseason charge. |
| 18 | Dolphins | 8-5-0 | 3 | 14/27 |
Somehow, some way the Dolphins are 8-5 and tied for first here in December. While the sky is falling in New York with the Jets’ fade under Brett Favre, the man he replaced, Chad Pennington, is playing mistake-free football while also putting up excellent passing numbers. |
| 19 | Broncos | 8-5-0 | - | 6/22 |
Although two-win Kansas City came a half yard from tying the game in the final minutes, the Broncos survived and are a breath away from securing an AFC West division crown, despite a shockingly injury-riddled backfield that lost another weapon in Peyton Hillis. |
| 20 | Texans | 6-7-0 | 3 | 18/28 |
The Texans might be the streakiest team in the league, having done the following this season — lost four straight games, then won three straight, then lost three straight, then won three straight. |
| 21 | Packers | 5-8-0 | 1 | 7/21 |
Another week, another bile-tasting defeat for Green Bay. Let’s go out on a limb and say that the year 2008 will not be among the historical favorites for Packer fans. Other than one snowy divisional playoff win way back in January against Seattle, this year has been a disaster for Mike McCarthy and Ted Thompson. |
| 22 | Bills | 6-7-0 | 1 | 5/24 |
As if Bills fans needed more poured onto their pile of “why us?” — of course, NFL schedule-makers set aside the new annual Toronto “home” game in December against warm-weather rival Miami. |
| 23 | Chargers | 5-8-0 | 1 | 1/23 |
Too little, too late for the Lightning Bolts after they crushed the Raiders in the kind of dominating performance most expected of the one-time Super Bowl preseason favorites. With the season likely lost, at this point Norv Turner is coaching to solidify his voice in the locker room and within the mind of general manager A.J. |
| 24 | 49ers | 5-8-0 | - | 21/29 |
Mike Singletary made his first roster decision also his first correct one after becoming 49ers interim coach. New starting QB Shaun Hill has thrown two or more TD passes in four of six games and comes off a strong 289-yard effort against the Jets. |
| 25 | Jaguars | 4-9-0 | - | 5/25 |
What a mess — can Jack Del Rio keep his job after such a collapse both on and off the field? The Jags quit weeks ago and are just playing out the string. COOL STAT: The Jaguars have turned the ball over 10 times during their current 4-game losing streak after having just nine giveaways in its first nine games of 2008. |
| 26 | Browns | 4-9-0 | - | 15/26 |
Classy Romeo Crennel joins Rod Marinelli in Detroit as the two leading men in the NFL’s “Dead Men Coaching” category. The Browns appear poised for a major overhaul, and Crennel figures to be one of the first to go. |
| 27 | Seahawks | 2-11-0 | - | 8/29 |
Another week, another close loss and yet another near-tearful breakdown for coach Mike Holmgren — this time after a hard-to-stomach loss to New England. For one of the most well-respected coaches of his era, this is a tough way to exit. |
| 28 | Chiefs | 2-11-0 | - | 27/32 |
Tyler Thigpen came a half yard from his second straight win, and despite his promise the last few weeks sentiment seems to be that GM Carl Petrson and coach Herman Edwards will get one more season to spark a turnaround for this sunken franchise. |
| 29 | Raiders | 3-10-0 | - | 28/32 |
For those looking for JaMarcus Russell to show improvement, this is a sobering stat: Russell now has a completion percentage of 51.4 percent this season — lowest among all Raider starting QBs since Jay Schroeder’s 48.6 percent in 1992. |
| 30 | Rams | 2-11-0 | - | 25/31 |
With the final three games left in the season, the Rams are on a path to becoming the lowest-scoring team since the franchise moved to St. Louis in 1995. Will they remain in St. Louis in this economy? COOL STAT: During their 7-game losing streak the Rams have been outscored in the first half of every game by a combined score of 166-39. |
| 31 | Bengals | 1-11-1 | - | 24/31 |
A measure of how poor a season this has been for Cincinnati: Did anyone realize that Chad Ocho Cinco got benched this week? In a normal season, certain four-letter networks would have donated several time slots to C.O.C. |
| 32 | Lions | 0-13-0 | - | 21/32 |
Despite such a sad state of affairs, has there ever been a more likable, respectable figure in charge of such a sorry football team than Rod Marinelli and these winless Lions? We’re rooting for ya, Rod! COOL STAT: Courtesy of our own John Czarnecki: The Lions are 0-14 in games in which Daunte Culpepper is the starting QB. |
