Week 6 NFL Power Rankings

Week 6 NFL Power Rankings

The Worst

32. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-5), No Move

Last week I said the Jaguars were going to go 0-16. My mind hasn’t changed.

The Winless Wonders

31. New York Giants (0-5), Down 2

30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-4), Up 1

29. Pittsburgh Steelers (0-4), Down 1

I mean, what can you say about the Giants at this point. They are really terrible. They could be “top two draft pick” terrible.

The Buccaneers and Steelers both got a much needed bye last week so they haven’t done anything particularly awful of late. I could still see these teams getting up to four, five, or six wins on the season, with all the talent they have on the roster. But until they get a notch in that win column, they have to stew down here in the bottom five.

The Suspicion Proved False

28. Carolina Panthers (1-3), Down 9

Last week, I revealed that I had a suspicion that the Panthers might be “under-the-radar” good. That was probably one of the dumbest things I have ever said in my life. They were abysmal on Sunday against Arizona. Cam Newton looked completely incompetent, and the offense flailed around him all day. Carolina is in real trouble going forward. Coach Ron Rivera is likely to be canned soon, and there are whispers of a quarterback replacement creeping up on Newton. It could be another long year.

The New Home of Josh Freeman

27. Minnesota Vikings (1-3), No Move

Do I think the acquisition of cast-off quarterback Josh Freeman will help the Minnesota Vikings? No, I do not. Let’s move on.

The Shams

26. Oakland Raiders (2-3), Up 4

25. St. Louis Rams (2-3), No Move

24. Buffalo Bills (2-3), Down 4

Don’t get excited, Raiders and Rams fans. The Raiders played a fluky game in the dead of the night, and it took five turnovers from the Chargers for them to sew up the victory. Terrelle Pryor looked like an MVP candidate against the weak San Diego defense, but I wouldn’t expect that trend to continue. As for St. Louis, well they played the Jaguars. Both teams are lucky to have two wins on the season.

The reason Buffalo is a sham is because they are going to be atrocious without E.J. Manuel under center. Their defense is being held together with glue and band-aids, and with the injury to Manuel, they are missing a few of their offensive playmakers. Add in Jeff Tuel as the starting QB for the next month, and it all equals a tough stretch ahead for the Bills.

The Meat of the NFC East Sandwich

23. Washington Redskins (1-3), Down 1

22. Philadelphia Eagles (2-3), Down 1

And what an unappetizing sandwich it is. The funny thing is that either of these teams could still win this decrepit division, although it is most likely that the Cowboys fall backward into the crown. I don’t think that the Redskins or Giants are good, but I don’t think they are awful either. I could see a run from either of them down the stretch, should Dallas stumble.

The Fall From Grace

21. Atlanta Falcons (1-4), Down 9

A home loss to the New York Jets seems to have sealed the Falcons fate for 2013. Already four games behind New Orleans, a comeback feels unlikely. To add insult to injury (or rather, injury to insult), star wide-out Julio Jones is out for the year with a foot fracture. There are simply too many injuries piling up for Atlanta. Their 2013 campaign has been effectively ruined.

The Surprising 3-2’s

20. Arizona Cardinals (3-2), Up 6

19. Cleveland Browns (3-2), Up 4

18. New York Jets (3-2), Up 6

I don’t like the Cardinals. I think their wins have come from an easy early schedule. I still don’t believe in Cleveland, despite three straight victories. Brian Hoyer, the man responsible to the team’s rejuvenation, is gone for the season, and much-maligned Brandon Weeden reclaims the reigns.

But I can’t help but like the New York Jets. Now, I don’t mean that I like them in an emotional way, because I irrevocably hate the Jets from an emotional standpoint. I mean that I like them from an objective, analytical view. The defense is really solid. Bilal Powell has stepped up in the running game. And boy, Geno Smith is exciting to watch. He’s just a playmaker. And as much as it hurts to admit it, Rex Ryan has done an unbelievable job with the cards he was given.

The Consistency Issues

17. San Diego Chargers (2-3), Down 4

16. Tennessee Titans (2-3), Up 2

15. Houston Texans (2-3), Up 1

It’s not time to give up on the Chargers entirely, but they playing inconsistent football just as I had feared they would. One week they look great, Philip Rivers looks poised, the defense makes big plays. Next week, Rivers throws three interceptions, the defense can’t stop anyone (read: Terrelle Pryor), and the whole team falls flat on its face. The Chargers are a middling team that I just can’t trust from week to week.

Tennessee is getting inconsistent play from the QB spot. It isn’t really fair because Jake Locker went down to injury and no one wanted Ryan Fitzpatrick to be taking the snaps. That being said, they had a real chance to win against undefeated Kansas City, but the offense just couldn’t muster enough to get over the hump.

And Houston, well, Houston needs a new quarterback. I’m sorry, but Matt Schaub has completely lost it. He laid an egg in Week 3 against Baltimore. He gave the game away in Week 4 hosting Seattle. And he played horrifically against San Francisco. Tough defense, I understand. But when you get that kind of production out of Arian Foster, and you wind up 0-3 with two blowout losses, you’ve got issues. Honorable mention to the defense, which has also been pretty bad.

The High Flyers

14. Detroit Lions (3-2), No Move

13. Dallas Cowboys (2-3), Up 4

These teams lost to Green Bay and Denver respectively last week, which is nothing to be ashamed of. The Lions, without Calvin Johnson were shut down in Lambeau, but that is an awfully tough place to play, and the Packers absolutely had to have that one. I wouldn’t read too much into that loss, they will still put up points with Megatron back in the line up.

And if we know anything, we know that the Cowboys can score. They went toe to toe with Denver and simply ended up on the wrong side of the ball at the end of the game. Yes, Tony Romo threw an interception with just two minutes on the clock, but Peyton Manning threw one as well, his just happened to come earlier in the game. The Cowboys had to play great on every play to knock off Denver, and they were great on all except for one.

The Stalwarts

12. Baltimore Ravens (3-2), Up 3

11. Chicago Bears (3-2), No Move

On the other end of the spectrum, you have the teams that are struggling to find a steady rhythm on offense, but have excelled on defense. The Ravens have crawled back into hunt after being embarrassed the first week of the season. They beat up on Houston’s offense, held Buffalo to 23 points despite FIVE Joe Flacco interceptions and stopped the Dolphins with the game on the line in Week 5. With all the changes that have happened on the defensive side of the ball, it is encouraging to see that unit playing well.

The Bears were even more impressive in a loss to New Orleans. The defense stood its ground through the most of the first half, holding the Saints to two field goals and a touchdown. They kept the offense in the game as long as they could. The only bad drive they allowed on the day came just before halftime, as they allowed the Saints to march 71 yards in two minutes and score before the break to make it 20-7. After that, the defense only gave up two more field goals, for a total of 26 points. I’ll take that in a heartbeat against the Saints. Unfortunately, the Saints defense was up to the task as well, and the Bears fell one score short.

The “I Need to See More”s

10. Miami Dolphins (3-2), Down 3

9. Cincinnati Bengals (3-2), Up 1

8. Kansas City (5-0), Up 1

The Dolphins looked great at 3-0 a couple weeks ago. Now they don’t look so hot after being blasted by New Orleans and losing a home game to Baltimore. I still believe, but I need to see more.

The Bengals redeemed themselves for losing to the Browns by turning around and beating the Patriots on Sunday. The defense was fantastic. The offense was not. And Tom Brady’s come back attempt was foiled, not by the Cincinnati Bengals, but by a timely, diluvial downpour that made it nearly impossible for the ball to come out clean. It was a massive win indeed, but I need to see more.  

The Chiefs have played the consensus worst team in football, three teams that play in the consensus worst division in football, and the Titans without their starting quarterback. I need to see more. Scratch that, I need to see anything.

The “I’ve Seen More Than Enough”

7. Indianapolis Colts (4-1), Up 1

A beat down of San Francisco AT San Francisco, a dismantling of Jacksonville, and a toe-to-toe win over the Seahawks. I am all in on Indy. I love the offense. I love the way the defense has showed up so far. They have already gained a stranglehold on the division, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them crack the top five soon.

The Locks

6. New England Patriots (4-1), Down 2

5. San Francisco 49ers (3-2), Up 1

4. Green Bay Packers (2-2), Up 1

3. Seattle Seahawks (4-1), No Move

2. New Orleans Saints (5-0), No Move

I’m locking these teams in today. It doesn’t matter if they won or lost last week, or if they don’t have a winning record at this point in time. It’s all the usual suspects anyways. They will all be in the playoffs in one form or another.

The Best

1. Denver Broncos (5-0), No Move

Obviously, the Broncos are locked in as well. They have been locked in since July. But they are still a cut above the rest, ergo their own category. They remain unbeaten, but they no longer appear untouchable. Dallas showed us the blueprint on how to score on them. Spread the field and air it out. We are still waiting on the blueprint for stopping Peyton Manning, but they do play better defenses later in the season. All in all, 16-0 looks a lot less likely now.