My NFL Week 15 Powre Rankings

My NFL Week 15 Powre Rankings
M.D. Wright
12.9.08

I don't care what you think.

1. Tennessee Titans. I put them here because they didn't stink last week. The Giants did.

2. New York Football Giants. They better stop the bleeding ASAP, because a loss to the Cowboys will have Serby, Schwartz and the rest all over them in the Post next week. Still better than CAR, TB, MIN, ARZ and DAL. Oh. And PHI.

3. Carolina Panthers. More than the 300 yard rushing performance split between D. Williams and J. Stewart (BTW, I'm sick of the "J. Stew" and "D. Will" crap -- come up with nicknames or use the government one, sheesh), the Panthers controlled this game start to finish. They're only mere steps from the Giants' level right now.

4. Indianapolis Colts. I am putting them ahead of PIT, because 1) they beat them head to head, 2) they're the hottest team in the NFL and 3) they're really not far behind TEN at all -- especially if they beat them in a couple of weeks. They will have surpassed them, IMO, despite W/L stats.

5. Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsbugg (as John Facenda, NFL Films, used to say it) controls their destiny and has the stingiest defense in the NFL. However, they seem to have a couple of fatal flaws that have not been exposed yet. I will not say "told you so" when the playoffs get here and they are exposed. However, for now, they appear to be World Beaters.

6. Baltimore Ravens. Good lord Ed Reed is a ball hawk. If you looked up what a Raven is in the dictionary, he's the epitome of what a real Raven bird does.

7. Arizona Cardinals. People can say what they want about their defense. It will probably be what kills them in the playoffs (if Kurt doesn't with sacks/INTs) but they are fun to watch and hard to stop.

8. Miami Dolphins. Yeah I said it. Another thing I'm saying? THEY WILL WIN THE AFC EAST.

9. Atlanta Falcons. The Fulcons have a pretty light sked the rest of the way. They could potentially be the road block to Dallas making the playoffs. Hence...

10. Dallas Cowboys. Dallas played very well defensively Sunday. However, PIT isn't exactly scoring 29.2 PPG like another team I know. Not having Marion Barber was likely the difference.

11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I never have taken them seriously this year. Even harder to watch my boy Derrick Brooks look like one of my uncles trying to tackle the Panthers' RBs last night. Same for Ronde Barber making like the guy on the other end of John Heisman's stiffarm.

12. New York Football Jets. Two straight BAD losses and the December swoon is on. I think they'll win one of their last two, but that might land them outside of the playoff picture. For some Jets fans, that might mean the end of the Mangione Reign. Mike Tannenbaum brought him in, but how long can the Jets wallow in mediocrity with very good (and highly paid, I might add) players?

13. Minnesota Vikings. The Vikes are going to be dangerous from here on in, and a tough out in the playoffs.

14. Philadelphia Eagles. The Iggles were desperate, the Jints weren't. Let's not make more of it than it is.

15. Denver Broncos. They're Fool's Gold. If you are a bettor, stay away from them at ALL costs. Including Fantasy Football.

16. New England Patriots. Please.

17. New Orleans Saints. Two straight wins at home have them back in the hunt. They are huge Dallas fans from here on in.

18. Washington Redskins. The Jim Zorn Era is hitting a major bump in the road. Portis is wearing down like I thought he was (mind you, he's my boy, but I saw this coming) and Campbell looks like his thought process has retarded of late. Warshington is in trouble.

19. Chicago Bears. The Bears are done. I'm going to go ahead and say it now.

20. Houston Texans. Another strong finish to sucker in chumps like me into thinking they'll be 11-5 next year...

21. San Diego Chargers. Norv better hope and pray Merriman, Gates and Tomlinson are healthy next year -- for the ENTIRE year. He's gone next year for sure, if not. He may be gone after this season if they don't finish strong. A loss vs. Denver in Week 17 could can Norv.

22. San Francisco 49ers. They're about where I envisioned them as they progress under Singletary. They might win 8 or 9 next year.

23. Buffalo Bills. The Bills are done, too. They mailed it in two weeks ago, and definitely don't want to win; not giving the ball to Lynch more.

24. Green Bay Packers. Sakes, the bottom fell out quickly. As long as Rodgers continues getting points for my fantasy squad, I couldn't care less. I hate Green Bay.

25. Kansas City Chiefs. Mark my words, healthy and a couple of solid draft picks in 2009 and the Chiefs will be a 9 or 10 win team next year.

26. Cleveland Browns. What a waste of talent. Romeo's gone. Savage SHOULD BE following him.

27. Jacksonville Jaguars. Yikes. What a mess. How does Del Rio still have a job?

28. Oakland Raiders. I still think Russell sucks and I don't think McFadden will be anything more than a poor man's Curtis Martin, but without an offensive line, I can't draw those conclusions yet. Their defense is solid, but my eyes bleed watching their "offence".

29. Seattle Seahawks. This team is a muttled mess. Watch Mora win 10 games with them next year and get all the credit.

30. St. Louis Rams. The Rams suck. I would put them at the absolute bottom, because I can at least NAME one of the Lions' or Bengals' WRs. APBs for Torry Holt. His hairline is completely gone after these past two years. Is he Carolina bound? He probably wishes he was back in the Greensboro area.

31. Cincinnati Bengals. Buh-bye Marv!

32. Detroit Lions. (with JA accent) Lawd'amerrrrcy...

ESPN's Week 15 Power Rankings

ESPN's Week 15 Power Rankings
12.9.08

1 (2) Titans 12-1-0 They outscored the Lions and the Browns in the past two weeks by a cumulative score of 75-19. (PK)
2 (1) Giants 11-2-0 Tom Coughlin is great in these situations. Domenik Hixon will bounce back with big game against the Cowboys. (MM)
3 (3) Steelers 10-3-0 The Steelers are 16-5 in December games since 2004. That's why they're perennial threats come January. (JW)
4 (5) Panthers 10-3-0 The Panthers' Monday night victory over Tampa Bay was huge for their NFC South title chances. The Panthers have a difficult schedule remaining, but also have the incentive of running the table to perhaps earn the No. 1 seed in the NFC. (PY)
5 (6) Colts 9-4-0 The Colts should remain in blowout mode for the next two weeks. (PK)
6 (4) Buccaneers 9-4-0 The loss to Carolina knocked the Bucs out of first place in the division and exposed their defensive flaws. Even a loss to Atlanta keeps the Bucs in the race because they finish with home games against San Diego and Oakland. (PY)
7 (10) Ravens 9-4-0 The Ravens aren't asking for respect. As winners of seven of eight, they're taking it. (JW)
8 (8) Cowboys 8-5-0 The defense was great, but the collapse could cause a hangover. Tony Romo wasn't himself. He needs to have a strong game against the Giants. (MM)
9 (12) Cardinals 8-5-0 The Cardinals are in position to pass the Vikings for the third seed in NFC. (MS)
10 (11) Patriots 8-5-0 The Patriots don't control their own destiny, but as long as they keep winning they have a shot at the playoffs. (TG)
11 (9) Falcons 8-5-0 The loss to New Orleans hurts, but the Falcons still have a very real chance to get to 10-6. (PY)
12 (16) Dolphins 8-5-0 The Dolphins keep winning the games they're supposed to -- not beautifully, but they're winning. (TG)
13 (7) Jets 8-5-0 They still control their destiny, but not as sure-handedly as two weeks ago. (TG)
14 (17) Eagles 7-5-1 They're back in the thick of things after a huge win over the Giants. This team is scary. (MM)
15 (15) Vikings 8-5-0 The Vikings could clinch the division title as early as this weekend at Arizona. (KS)
16 (14) Broncos 8-5-0 Are the up-and-down Broncos finally showing consistency as they close in on the AFC West crown? (BW)
17 (18) Saints 7-6-0 Once again, the Saints are still alive. They played perhaps their best game of the season against Atlanta. But their only real chance at a playoff spot is to run the table at Chicago, at Detroit and home with Carolina. (PY)
18 (13) Redskins 7-6-0 The dream is over. This team's in a huge slump and it has too much ground to make up. (MM)
19 (19) Bears 7-6-0 The Bears will play in a quick turnaround game Thursday night, but it's against a New Orleans team that struggles away from the Superdome. (KS)
20 (22) Texans 6-7-0 The Texans are coming off of what felt like a landmark win at Lambeau Field. (PK)
21 (23) Chargers 5-8-0 The Chargers are coming off of their best win of the season. Is it too late? (BW)
22 (21) Bills 6-7-0 They're a lot closer to Lions-caliber than they are Giants-caliber. (TG)
23 (20) Packers 5-8-0 Will the defending NFC North champs win again this year? (KS)
24 (25) 49ers 5-8-0 The Niners are wondering what might have been with Shaun Hill starting all season. (MS)
25 (24) Jaguars 4-9-0 Even Jack Del Rio is calling the offense inept. (PK)
26 (26) Browns 4-9-0 The Romeo Crennel job watch starts in three weeks. (JW)
27 (27) Chiefs 2-11-0 The Chiefs are doing everything but closing out games with victories. (BW)
28 (29) Seahawks 2-11-0 Trip to St. Louis gives Seahawks chance to snap skid. (MS)
29 (28) Raiders 3-10-0 Can the Raiders spoil Randy Moss' return to Oakland? If they do, it'll be a bright spot in another bleak season. (BW)
30 (30) Rams 2-11-0 How bad are the Rams? Even Josh Brown and Steven Jackson faltered Sunday. (MS)
31 (31) Bengals 1-11-1 There is no fight left in these Bengals. They've been outscored 69-6 the past two games. (JW)
32 (32) Lions 0-13-0 If you want to play quarterback for the Lions this week, just give 'em a call. They're running out. (KS)