NFL Power Poll
Week 11 Power Poll
Week 11 is done and in the books and there are no real surprises at the top of our poll this week as the Saints and the Colts remain at the top while the Broncos, Patriots and the Steelers slide a little thanks to losses this past weekend. There has been a decent bit of movement in the middle of the poll this week as some teams that were once at or near the bottom move up a little bit while others who continue to lose slide down a little bit this week. It’s been an interesting week especially with losses suffered by the Cowboys and the Patriots and that makes this week’s poll one of the more interesting polls of the season.
So here is the power poll for week 11:
1. New Orleans Saints-(LW 1, 9-0) The Saints barely escaped the St. Louis Rams this Sunday but still remain perfect and remain the best team in the NFC. Their defense was without safety Darren Sharper and while he was just one person Sharper means a lot to this defense and his absence could have had something to do with the Saints pass defense suffering in this game. The Saints schedule doesn’t get any easier but they are poised to make the playoffs and if they can get better on defense possibly run the tables all the way to the Super Bowl.
2. Indianapolis Colts-(LW 2, 9-0) Thanks to a mistake by the Patriots the Colts remain undefeated and the best team in the AFC right now. We did see some chinks in their armor in their game against the Patriots however and now know that they have some problems on defense that they need to work out of they plan to make the Super Bowl. They could also be challenged (in the playoffs) by the Bengals who are have become the second best team in the AFC.
3. Minnesota Vikings-(LW 3, 8-1) The Vikings got a solid win against the Lions and have improved their record in the NFC trailing Saints for the conference’s best record. This team is proving itself week in and week out and has shown that they have many weapons and almost too many weapons for a lot of teams to handle. It looks like they are poised to make some noise in the playoffs and could make a run for the Super Bowl this season.
4. Cincinnati Bengals-(LW 5, 7-2) A win is a win even if it’s an ugly one but the Bengals beat the Steelers for the second time this year and now sit firmly atop the AFC North poised for a trip to the playoffs. This team does it any way it can through the air, on the ground and on defense. Speaking of defense, their game against the Steelers showed us that they have one of the best defenses in the NFL and as long as they can stay healthy, this will be the team to beat in the AFC North.
5. Arizona Cardinals-(LW 9, 6-3) Although they struggled for a while in their game against the Seahawks, the Cardinals managed to pull out a win at home and keep a comfortable lead atop the NFC West. The passing game looked good as quarterback Kurt Warner was able to connect well with his receivers and the running game even got going thanks to a decent effort by running back Beanie Wells. While this team isn’t as good as they were last season they are picking up steam and getting stronger and should be able to win their division when it’s all said and done.
6. New England-(LW 4, 6-3) There are many people questioning why head coach Bill Belichick did what he did at the end of the game against the Colts but it clearly cost them a win and puts them well behind the Colts in the race for the playoffs. This is still a powerful team and one that could run the tables the rest of the way but they will have a tough time now that they have lost to the Colts who remain the best team in the AFC. If it comes down to home field advantage the Colts will have the advantage over the Patriots as a result of their win this past Sunday night.
7. San Diego Chargers-(LW 11, 6-3) Don’t look now but the Chargers are now tied with the Broncos for the lead in the AFC West and could overtake the Broncos with another win. San Diego is hitting their stride at the right time and look very good on both sides of the ball although their defense has allowed a decent amount of points in certain games. If they can continue to keep winning they could grab a hold of the lead in the AFC West and leave Denver in the dust.
8. Pittsburgh Steelers-(LW 6, 6-3) Losing to the Bengals hurt the Steeler’s chances of earning the AFC North title and barring any kind of unlikely collapse by the Bengals, it looks like the Steelers will have to earn a wild card berth to make the playoffs. Pittsburgh’s offense isn’t as good as it was last year as they lack a true playmaker at the wide receiver position and a powerful rushing attack. Some of their problems in the running game have to with problems on the offensive line so they will need to address that in the offseason.
9. Dallas Cowboys-(LW 7, 6-3) The Cowboys laid a big egg in Green Bay this past Sunday and failed to move the ball for most of the game. The play calling was a little less than desirable and the Cowboys just couldn’t find the answers to get the ball down the field. With a tough schedule remaining, Dallas had better find the answers to their problems or they will be on the outside looking in when the playoffs arrive.
10. Denver Broncos-(LW 8, 6-3) The Broncos lost their third game in a row to the Washington Redskins and now have to wonder what has happened to this once powerful team that started the season on a six game winning streak. Quarterback Kyle Orton has been ineffective as of late and if he remains the starter head coach Josh McDaniels has to figure out how to get him to play better. If he doesn’t, we may see more of Chris Simms as the season goes on.
11. Baltimore Ravens-(LW 14, 5-4) The Ravens beat division rival Cleveland in a Monday night game that featured very little offense and the game showed us that the Raven’s offense isn’t working quite as well as it did in 2008. They need to get their passing game moving better and this starts with their quarterback, Joe Flacco who has done well this season as a game manager but isn’t quite a game winner yet. Perhaps he is still learning but the Ravens have to get him to win more games through the air or they won’t win too many more games this season.
12. Atlanta Falcons-(LW 10, 5-4) Losing to the Carolina Panthers didn’t help the Falcons big to get into the playoffs or even catch the Saints (who are leading their division) and there are some questions about this team that need to be answered. What is much more of a concern right now is the health of their running back Michael Turner who left the game with an ankle injury and may or may not be available next week. Having Turner available is vital to the success of this team and without him they may struggle greatly
13. Houston Texans-(LW 13, 5-4) Houston had a bye this past week and will use the time to heal up and get ready for the rest of their season. This team is good, especially on offense and can do some damage in the second half but won’t get past the Indianapolis Colts and so they will have to fight for a wild card spot. Not only have injuries hurt this team but their defense has also let them down and hopefully they will have fixed that side ball going into the remainder of the season.
14. Green Bay Packers-(LW 16, 5-4) The Packers got a win against the Cowboys but it wasn’t a pretty win and we saw that the Packers still have problems protecting quarterback Aaron Rodgers. There are also some who feel that Rodgers can be blamed for some of the sacks that he takes but he is playing behind a shoddy offensive line that may end up getting him hurt before the season is over. Green Bay may not be able to do anything about it this season but needs to work on it during the upcoming offseason.
15. New York Giants-(LW 15, 5-4) The Giants had a bye week this past week and hopefully they spent the time trying to figure out what has gone wrong after such a hot start to the season. The team is suffering on both sides of the ball and need to rediscover what it was that they did right at the beginning of the season. The lack of a true good number one wide receiver has hurt this team and that is obvious but the defense, with all of that talent, seems to be the biggest problem on this team.
16. Philadelphia Eagles-(LW 12, 5-4) The Eagles had defensive problems in their game against the San Diego Chargers and also started slow on offense and this slow start led to their loss this past Sunday. The defense played one of its worst games of the year and need to get better at holding opponents back especially on the ground. They could get a boost going against a Chicago team that has been weak on both sides of the ball recently and if they can come out with a win they will be in a position to keep pace with the Cowboys for the NFC East lead.
17. Jacksonville Jaguars-(LW 21, 5-4) Jacksonville beat the New York Jets last week to put them over .500 and help them keep pace with the Houston Texans for the second spot in the AFC Central behind the Colts. This team is doing it on the ground and running back Maurice Jones-Drew is tearing things up for them positing himself for a Pro Bowl berth. However, the Jags can’t be one dimensional and have to do something about getting their passing game going more.
18. San Francisco 49ers-(LW 25, 4-5) The 49ers defense stepped up and held a bad Bears offense back enough to win their game on Thursday night and move close to getting to .500. This team has many more problems than it appears that they have, especially at quarterback but the more quarterback Alex Smith gets comfortable the better this offense will be. Michael Crabtree is also starting to look better and could become an All-Pro in the future.
19. Chicago Bears-(LW 17, 4-5) The Bears played another horrible game but instead of failing on defense they failed on offense and their quarterback, Jay Cutler, gave the game away with five interceptions. This team has also had problems with penalties and looks like a very undisciplined and somewhat confused team. While they still may have some slim playoff hopes they face some of the toughest teams in the NFC (Philadelphia and Minnesota) in the coming weeks and just aren’t that well put together. It looks like another year of missing the playoffs for the Bears.
20. Tennessee Titans-(LW 23, 3-6) The Titans beat the Bills this past Sunday and are on a three game winning streak after starting the season with six straight losses. Vince Young looks like the quarterback they hoped that they got when they drafted him a few seasons ago and running back Chris Johnson, who started out the season poorly, has torn things up in three games. It’s like someone turned on a switch and this team got back to its 2008 form and is playing even better than they did last season. While they will probably miss the playoffs, this team looks poised to be one of the best in 2010 and could reach the Super Bowl next year.
21. Miami Dolphins-(LW 19, 4-5) The Dolphins pulled out a win against Tampa Bay and thanks to a loss by the Patriots are a little bit closer to keeping pace with them for the AFC East. Ronnie Brown was injured in the game and it’s not known how long he will be out but if he is out for any long length of time this will hurt the Dolphins. A healthy Brown goes a long way in their wildcat offense. Perhaps we will see more of Pat White as the season goes on.
22. Seattle Seahawks-(LW 18, 3-6) Losing to the Cardinals sets the Seahawks back further in their bid to challenge them for the NFC West and this team can almost classify their 2009 NFL season as a rebuilding year. Add in an injury to Julius Jones and there is trouble in Seattle. This team has suffered a lot of injuries this season and should look towards 2010 as the year that they will be better and be able to make a run at the division title.
23. New York Jets-(LW 20, 4-5) The Jets lost their game against the Jacksonville Jaguars and while their offense didn’t do too bad, their defense wasn’t able to stop the Jaguars rushing attack and isn’t doing as well as it did when they started the season. One thing that has gotten lost in the Jet season is the play of their rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez. Sanchez has done pretty well for being a rookie (and one who didn’t start too many games in college) and will get better as the season goes on and could be very good in his second season next year.
24. Carolina Panthers-(LW 24, 4-5) The Panthers, despite injuries at the running back position, beat division rival Atlanta this past Sunday and are starting to prove that their poor start to the season was a fluke. Even quarterback Jake Delhomme is playing better and this team is starting to look like the team they were in 2008. They have a slim chance at making the playoffs and will most likely miss them but they have a good base for next season and should do much better then.
25. Washington Redskins-(LW 27, 3-6) The Redskins got their third win of the season in decent fashion and at least gave themselves some hope for the future. Despite the fact running back Clinton Portis was out with a concussion the still ran the ball well with Ladell Betts and know that they have a quality backup as needed. Jason Campbell looked ok but still looked a little uncomfortable and confused at times out there.
26. Kansas City Chiefs-(LW 26, 2-7) The Chiefs got their second win of the season against the lowly Oakland Raiders and their offense is come along pretty well in the last few weeks. However, there has been a pretty serious hit to this offense recently as wide receiver Dwayne Bowe will be out for four games thanks to a violation of the NFL’s drug policy so now this offense will be set back a little bit. It’s a rebuilding year anyway so it won’t affect any kind of run to the playoffs (which they won’t be making).
27. Buffalo Bills-(LW 22, 3-6) The Bills fell to the Tennessee Titans this past Sunday and it cost their head coach Dick Jauron his job. This team will be in a state of disarray for the remainder of the season, as they have been pretty much all season and it’s hard to tell who might be in the lead for the head coaching job. It will be interesting to see how the Bills handle this the rest of the way and who becomes their head coach in 2010.
28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers-(LW 29, 1-8) The Bucs jumped back on losing bandwagon this past weekend but played pretty well in the loss and could give their next opponent, the New Orleans Saints, some problems this coming weekend. Another win or two would help quiet any rumors that first year head coach Raheem Morris may get fired and would help him have something to build on for next season.
29. St. Louis Rams-(LW 28, 1-8) The Rams played the Saints pretty tough but came out on the short end once again and now look forward to the 2010 season. There is some speculation that the team will look for another quarterback this coming offseason either through free agency or the draft and will also need some upgrades at the wide receiver position. The group that they currently have is just too young and not that productive.
30. Detroit Lions-(LW 31, 1-8) This team isn’t as bad as their record might indicate and they played the Vikings pretty tough at least for one half. There is a ton of talent on the Lion’s roster and all they have to do is get some experience behind some of their younger players and keep putting it together and big things will happen in the future. They should even get their second win of the season against the Browns this weekend and that will help out a lot.
31. Oakland Raiders-(LW 30, 2-7) The schizophrenic Raiders continue to play bad at times and good at times but their loss to the Chiefs just shows how far this team has to go before they can win consistently. It’s possible that quarterback JaMarcus Russell is a dud and will be replaced next season but he hasn’t had the supporting cast that most teams have around their quarterback to be effective. Their defense isn’t bad and there is much more to build on there than there is on offense.
32. Cleveland Browns-(LW 32, 1-8) What more can you say about this team. They were unable to move the ball much on Monday night and quarterback Brady Quinn doesn’t look like he’s the answer at quarterback. The only thing that they really have going for them is their defense which isn’t that bad but definitely not the greatest. There will be wholesale changes this offseason for sure.
