Week 11: NFL Power Rankings
Yet another week of quality football in the National Football League. With six games this weekend being decided by 4 points or less, there was certainly no shortage of excitement.
The Carolina Panthers continued their win streak against the San Francisco 49’ers. The Panthers have won five straight games. In that span, their defense is allowing only 11.4 points per game. It is crazy to think that the Panthers lost their first two games by a total of five points to the Seahawks and one point to the Buffalo Bills. This is a team that could very easily be 8-1, however, there is no category for could be in the NFL. If they can continue this type of play, the Saints might want to watch themselves.
Also, Peyton Manning suffered a lower body injury against the San Diego Chargers. His status is uncertain for Sunday night’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Knowing Peyton Manning, he will only miss the game if he was in a wheelchair. Even then he still might give it a go.
Here are my Power Rankings for week 11. Feel free to leave your comments and opinions below. Also, make sure you check back every Tuesday morning as I will continue to post my Power Rankings throughout the season.
Number 1: Kansas City Chiefs (9-0) – Last Week 1
Despite having their bye week the Kansas City Chiefs remain a top of my Power Rankings. They will take on the Denver Broncos in a battle for first place this Sunday night.
Number 2: Denver Broncos (8-1) – Last Week 2
It will be interesting to see what is going to happen this Sunday night when the Broncos take on the Kansas City Chiefs. Peyton Manning was impressive against the Chargers, however, he suffered a lower body injury.
Number 3: Seattle Seahawks (9-1) – Last Week 3
The Seahawks completely dominated the Atlanta Falcons this past Sunday. Russell Wilson continues to stay hot with nearly 300 yards passing and 2 touchdowns. This was also the second straight game in which Marshawn Lynch had ran for 125 yards or more. That is the first time he has ever done that. Five game win streak for Seattle. Should continue next week against Minnesota.
Number 4: New England Patriots (7-2) – Last Week 5
Even with a bye week the Patriots move up one spot by default. I wonder if their offense can continue to put up big numbers like they did against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Number 5: New Orleans Saints (7-2) – Last Week 7
What an impressive win at home for the Saints this past Sunday night. They completely destroyed the Dallas Cowboys in every phase of the game. They also set the NFL record for most 1st downs in a single game. If they can keep this up, don’t be surprised to see them in this year’s Super Bowl.
Number 6: Detroit Lions (6-3) – Last Week 9
The Detroit Lions continue to roar on. Matthew Stafford has been playing exceptional football this year and it is clearly showing by their record. The defense made a big time stop late in the game. It’s good to see Detroit having success yet again.
Number 7: Indianapolis Colts (6-3) – Last Week 4
Nothing seemed to go right for the Colts on Sunday. They came out as flat as can be. Andrew Luck had arguably one of his worst performances of his career. I think this was just a fluke game in which the offense failed to show up. I’m anticipating a big performance out of this team next week as they will take on the Tennessee Titans.
Number 8: Carolina Panthers (6-3) – Last Week 11
The Panther are in the midst of a five game winning streak with their most impressive win coming this past Sunday against the San Francisco 49’ers. Although he didn’t play great, Cam Newton stepped up late in the game and made a big play when he needed to. But, hats off to this defense. They really are something else.
Number 9: San Francisco 49’ers (6-3) – Last Week 6
The 49’ers dropped a close game against a really good team. Unfortunately, Kaepernick has not made the necessary steps in his second season as the starting quarterback that was expected of him. It doesn’t get better for San Francisco as they have to travel to New Orleans to take on the red hot Saints.
Number 10: Cincinnati Bengals (6-4) – Last Week 8
The Bengals have now dropped two straight games on the road in overtime. They are putting an enormous amount of pressure on Dalton to take this team to the next level. He’s good, however, right now he cannot lead this team by himself. He needs some more help.
Number 11: Green Bay Packers (5-4) – Last Week 10
Number 12: New York Jets (5-4) – Last Week 14
The Jets moved up two spots in this week’s Power Rankings by default. Despite the fact that they have been one of the most inconsistent teams in the NFL this season, the Jets have surprised a lot of people as they are right in the mix for a Wild Card spot. They have a very favorable schedule coming up to close out the season. It will be interesting to see if they can continue to play good football coming out of their bye week.
Number 13: Philadelphia Eagles (5-5) – Last Week 18
It looks like the QB controversy in Philadelphia is over. Over the past two games Nick Foles has thrown for 634 yards, 10 touchdowns and no interceptions. Foles is playing great football and has brought the Eagles right back into the hunt for the division lead.
Number 14: Chicago Bears (5-4) – Last Week 15
Even with the return of Jay Cutler, the Chicago Bears were unable to get a win against a very good Detroit Lions team. Cutler didn’t appear to be healthy, as he struggled to make the throws that he needed to make, completing just 52 percent of his passes.
Number 15: Dallas Cowboys (5-5) – Last week 12
With the Philadelphia Eagles making a push for the division lead, this is very Dallas like to go and get blown out by the New Orleans Saints on national television. They did not play a good game at all. The Cowboys get a bye this weekend, which means they must fix what went wrong against the Saints. The Eagles don’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon. Will Dallas choke and fail to make the playoffs yet again?
Number 16: Arizona Cardinals (5-4) – Last Week 17
The Cardinals continue to play great football under head coach Bruce Arians. Sitting at 5-4, they are just one game behind the San Francisco 49’ers for second place in the NFC West. Can we see three playoff teams come out of one division this season? It is very possible.