Our NFP experts rank the 32 NFL teams heading into Week 11. National Football Post
Every Tuesday, the National Football Post brings you our weekly power rankings: a breakdown of how we stack up the league.
Week 11 (previous rankings included)
APWill the Saints have to rely on the arm of Drew Brees in the wake of a rash of injuries on defense?
1. (1) New Orleans Saints: 9-0
The Saints keep winning, but injuries in the secondary are starting to catch up with our top team.
2. (2) Indianapolis Colts: 9-0
Would you give the ball to Peyton Manning at the 28-yard line? That was too easy for the league’s best QB.
3. (3) Minnesota Vikings: 8-1
Sidney Rice is becoming Favre’s deep-ball threat for the Vikings, who are still rolling.
4. (6) Cincinnati Bengals: 7-2
Mike Zimmer’s defense is just one of the reasons why the Bengals are dominating the AFC North.
5. (4) New England Patriots: 6-3
The “call” by Belichick will be questioned all season long—until the Pats meet the Colts again in January.
6. (5) Pittsburgh Steelers: 6-3
The Bengals looked more physical than the Steelers, and that isn’t said too often.
7. (11) Arizona Cardinals: 6-3
Warner is still putting up numbers, but Beanie Wells is giving this club another dimension to an already loaded offense.
8. (12) San Diego Chargers: 6-3
The Bolts have won four straight and could take control of the AFC West this weekend in Denver.
APTony Romo and the 'Boys had their four-game win streak snapped at Lambeau.
9. (7) Dallas Cowboys: 6-3
The ‘Boys couldn’t handle Lambeau Field or the Packers’ pressure, halting the winning streak at four.
10. (13) Baltimore Ravens: 5-4
The Ravens had it easy last night, and showed the Browns how far they have to go.
11. (8) Denver Broncos: 6-3
Three straight losses and a defense that has vanished have the Broncos sliding fast.
12. (10) Philadelphia Eagles: 5-4
McNabb threw for 455 yards but the red zone is still an issue for Philly.
13. (9) Atlanta Falcons: 5-4
The injury to RB Michael Turner will give QB Matt Ryan more stress than he needs at this point in the season.
14. (14) Houston Texans: 5-4
The Texans get back to work with a Monday night game against the red-hot Titans and Chris Johnson.
15. (18) Green Bay Packers: 5-4
The Pack will need to continue to play defensive football if they want a shot at the wild card.
APOsi and the Giants square off against the Falcons this week.
16. (16) NY Giants: 5-4
Did the Giants make the right adjustments during the bye week? We will see in a big game this weekend against Atlanta.
17. (17) Miami Dolphins: 4-5
The Dolphins will have to find a replacement in the Wildcat if Ronnie Brown is out for Thursday night against Carolina.
18. (20) Carolina Panthers: 4-5
The Panthers can run the ball on anyone, and Jake Delhomme is starting to protect the football.
19. (21) Jacksonville Jaguars: 5-4
Maurice Jones-Drew is still producing, and he doesn’t look to be slowing down at all.
20. (22) Tennessee Titans: 3-6
Chris Johnson is the best RB in the NFL right now, and the defense is making plays.
21. (15) NY Jets: 4-5
The Jets have lost five of six, and the team looks like paper tigers on defense under Rex Ryan.
22. (23) San Francisco 49ers: 4-5
The Niners played their best game of the season on defense against Chicago to stay alive for now.
APBears QB Jay Cutler leads the league in interceptions.
23. (19) Chicago Bears: 4-5
Jay Cutler leads the league in INTs—not what the Bears had in mind for the 2009 season.
24. (28) Washington Redskins: 3-6
The ‘Skins played with some passion on Sunday and ran the ball down the Broncos’ throats.
25. (24) Seattle Seahawks: 3-6
Is Matt Hasselbeck’s run in Seattle coming to a close? Lots of changes coming this offseason in Seattle.
26. (25) Buffalo Bills: 3-6
Trent Edwards isn’t the answer and the Bills will have to find a starting quarterback this offseason.
27. (27) Kansas City Chiefs: 2-7
Despite the win, Matt Cassel still looks uncomfortable in the pocket.
28. (27) Oakland Raiders: 2-7
Benching JaMarcus Russell is a start for an organization that is once again going nowhere.
29. (29) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 1-8
Why wasn’t Josh Freeman starting last month? This kid can play.
30. (30) St. Louis Rams: 1-8
Steven Jackson continues to impress for the Rams, who hung with the Saints on Sunday.
31. (31) Detroit Lions: 1-8
Calvin Johnson is starting to build a relationship with Matthew Stafford, which is good for the future in Detroit.
32. (32) Cleveland Browns: 1-8
If Brady Quinn isn’t the answer, then who is for this franchise?
Check out the NFP Team Pages—where your opinions are heard.
This isn't college football B Roo. 8-0 to 9-0 shouldn't drop you at all. Could say the same about the Colts. They were outplayed by the Pats.
Not as bad as being outplayed by the Rams.
Despite the loss, Pats are ranked too low. Although they looked like the better team Sunday, I understand the Colts being ranked higher, but I'd have Pats ranked no lower than three.
Confusing sentence above. I meant the Pats looked like the better team.
I agree with b roo. In a head to head match-up I'd bet the Colts regardless where they were playing. We'll get a better sense on that when the Saints play the Pats and It's close so I don't mind NFP picking the Saints #1 for the Drew Brees...it only makes sense.
I disagree quite strongly with both Who Dat and jgc, the Pats may have outplayed the Colts for three quarters, but it takes four quarters to win a football game...if you can't close the deal it means the defense can't hold their end of the bargain.
@ jgc, How would you be able to rationalize the Pats at #3 with a 6-3 record? I realize those three road losses were against decent squads, but they also had that stinker game vs. the Bills in week one...they need some more consistency to get into the top 4.
Prior, these rankings should reflect where a team is now. The Pats are clearly much improved since losing to Jets and Broncs and barely surviving the Bills. At the time, their quarterback was playing his first games after a big injury and you had a young defense trying to come together. They are much, much better now than they were at beginning of season.
The loss to the Colts means they cannot be ranked ahead of Indy for now, I admit, but the loss was undeniably a weird one. I'm not sure how conclusive it was. Guess we'll find out in the inevitable rematch.
jgc wrote:
>Despite the loss, Pats are ranked too low. Although they looked like the better team Sunday, I understand the Colts being ranked higher, but I'd have Pats ranked no lower than three.
You lost me. The Pats looking like the better team tahn Indy Sunday means they should be ranked one spot below the Colts, not three spots below?!?
The only thing your observation about Sunda's game is relevant to is how you rank Colts vs Pats. But then you proceed to say that it isn't a good enough reason to put the Pats ahead of Colts anyway, but THEN you say the Pats being better than the Colts ***is*** justification for ranking them higher than thwo other teams that had nothing to do with the outcome of Sunday night's game.
Say WHA?
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Nov 17, 2009
01:31 PM
After this week, Colts should be ahead of the Saints.