My NFL Week 11 Power Rankings

My NFL Week 11 Power Rankings
M.D. Wright
11.11.08

1. New York Football Giants. Yes, the Titans are undefeated, but they are reading their own press clippings and teams are gunning for them. They have come close to losing (but haven't, so give them credit). The Giants have the best rushing attack and no one can touch that, along with the best offensive line in the NFL. They are also the most well-rounded/complete team in the NFL. The Titans are not going to be able to pass the ball when they need to in the playoffs with Collins. The Giants have proven they can (seek 2007 Playoffs).

2. Tennessee Titans. They are 9-0. But this isn't New England 9-0 (neither because they aren't cheaters but it is an uninspiring 9-0, they're not destroying anyone, and they've eeked out their last three wins). They run the ball nearly as well as the Giants and Falcons, and have an EXCELLENT defense, but Collins is STILL their QB. He's going to kill them like he killed us in 2000 in the Super Bowl.

3. Atlanta Falcons. They go this high because they are consistent. Yes, they have three losses, but one of them was directly attributed to the refs (vs. PHI). They don't make mistakes and Michael Turner and Roddy White are playing out of their minds. I thought Ryan was NFL-ready because of the pro-style offense he ran at BC. Trust me, as an FSU fan, I saw it first-hand. The Falcons are no fluke. Mike Vick just did 10 more sets as I typed this paragraph.

4. Carolina Panthers. Jake Delhomme was due for that stinker of a performance vs. OAK (7-27, 72 yds, 4 INT). Although I didn't think he would play THAT bad, he's got one of those in him every 4-5 games. This is why people are not completely sold on them... yet.

5. New York Football Jets. Hey, I'm playing Cee-Lo here. Part of this ranking is banking on their momentum carrying them to a win over New England and sole possession of the AFC East, 10 games into the season. Who saw that coming? The Jets are like a wave in Hawaii in regards to their yearly records. Go back and look at their records from 1995-present.

6. Arizona Cardinals. I don't care if they didn't blow out the 49ers like Vegas wanted (or myself) but they won, and that's all that matters. They have a 4-game lead in the NFC West and are very good. If they win consistently on the road, then you can be convinced.

7. Washington Redskins. Campbell is looking shaky, and I think Portis has peaked for the season.

8. Pittsburgh Steelers. I am reaching by even putting them this high. They stink when they play good defensive teams. All three of their losses came against fast defenses. Doesn't that spell doom for them?

9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ... but you can't discard them.

10. Indianapolis Colts.

11. New England Patriots. You cannot put New England ahead of Indianapolis just based off records. The Colts beat the Patriots head to head and the Patriots are doing it with smoke and mirrors. Smoke and mirror teams don't win. Ask Green Bay last year.

12. Baltimore Ravens. I was tempted to put them at 7, but that will depend upon how they play vs. the Giants this Sunday.

13. Miami Dolphins. WILDCAT OFFENSE!!!

14. Chicago Bears. Hey, even Rex Grossman is playing well right now. The Bears very well could have beaten Tennessee last week.

15. Philadelphia Eagles. They better find out who they are ASAP, because finesse football never wins in the NFC East.

16. Buffalo Bills. They stink right now. Dick Jauron blew the game early on by not challenging a play that would have at least held the Patriots to a FG on their opening drive. It's the little things like that which have kept Jauron from winning and the Bills from getting over the 7-9/8-8 hump.

17. San Diego Chargers. You keep waiting for them to go on a run, but until they play better defensively (obviously NOT Ted Cottrell's fault, but none of his defenses have ever been great, now that I think of it), they aren't going to do anything but win the AFC West with an 8-8 record.

18. Minnesota Vikings. They are always alive with Adrian Peterson and always on the verge of being KILLED by Gus Frerotte's age and INTs/fumbles.

19. Dallas Cowboys. Hard to justify putting them any higher than this. If they lose to Washington on Monday Night they are DONE.

20. Denver Broncos. Their defense is a SIEVE. That, plus Cutler will have off days and they are not going to win more than 7 games. I had them at 6 preseason, so they are overachieving.

21. Green Bay Packers. They score on defense more than on offense it seems. That's not good in the NFL and it's not good as I have Aaron Rodgers in Fantasy Football.

22. New Orleans Saints. The Saints are like the 2003 Rams or something.

23. Jacksonville Jaguars. They finally came back to life after a bizarre week where the best LB on the team gets sent home over nonsense and then brought back before the game. ???

24. Houston Texans. I have given up on them.

25. San Francisco 49ers. Hey, Singletary has them fighting. Just last week he said "you can't play with 'em, can't coach with 'em, can't win with 'em... CAN'T DO IT!"

26. Cleveland Browns. What can Brown do for Romeo Crennel? Ship his boxes back to Richmond or East Rutherford, or wherever he plans to go after getting fired at the end of this season.

27. Cincinnati Bengals. *Hocks and spits on logo*

28. St. Louis Rams. Right when you think they are building, they get smacked by the other New York team. They have given up 88 points to the Giants and JETS in two games.

29. Seattle Seahawks. Sorry to see you go out like this, Mike (not really, I hate Green Bay).

30. Kansas City Chiefs. You go for 2 at the end of the game when you're down 1 because YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME!!! HELLO!!!

31. Oakland Raiders. They showed a pulse this week, hanging with the Panthers whose quarterback actually looked worse than JaMarcus Russell did the previous week (which is VERY HARD TO DO IN THE NFL).

32. Detroit Lions. 0-16 and drafting... you guessed it, ANOTHER WR #1 overall in the 2009 Draft -- Michael Crabtree. Who could make this up???