Well, how prophetic was my decision to reduce Pittsburgh in the Power Rankings? After struggling to beat a ragtag Baltimore Ravens team the offense again struggled, this time against an NFL East team, and suffered their first loss! The Steelers are DEFINITELY no longer the best team in the league, and they'd better figure out to reverse this slide or they won't make the AFC Championship Game.
Team Power Rankings [Last week's position]
1. Kansas City Chiefs (11-1) [1] : Truthfully, all three of the top power teams struggled this week, but at least the Chiefs pulled off a victory, and this time Denver had a quarterback under center.
2. New Orleans Saints (10-2) [2] : The Saints floundered a bit, too, but they, like KC, faced a divisional rival, so it is a bit more understandable.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (11-1) [3] : They now make it harder for them to be the top seed, especially with the way the Chiefs play. Even the defense, the strong suit of the Steelers, allowed a late-game field goal by Washington. Something is off with this team, and this is a lousy time of the season for it to appear.
4. Green Bay Packers (9-3) [4] : Now this is a team who looked good this week. They are bridging the gap between them and the top three.
5. Miami Dolphins (8-4) [6] : The AFC team with the best performances in recent weeks, momentum is on their side. They play KC this week, and that should be quite interesting!
6. Baltimore Ravens (7-5) [5] : The return of Lamar Jackson and other players allowed the Ravens to rebound on Tuesday night.
7. Indianapolis Colts (8-4) [7] : Nice "bounce back" game for the Colts, although they did allow the Texans to get more yardage than average.
8. Los Angeles Rams (8-4) [11] : Big win against Arizona, and the only NFC West team to win this week
9. Tampa Bay Bucs (7-5) [8]
10. Buffalo Bills (9-3) [13] : They had a nice win over the 49ers, but were helped by losses by the teams around them on the Power Rankings.
11. Tennessee Titans (8-4) [9] : They gained the lead in the division and promptly get spanked by the Browns
12. Seattle Seahawks (8-4) [10] : The NFC East beat two Power teams this week! They are going to feed on that for weeks!
13. Arizona Cardinals (6-6) [12]
14. Cleveland Browns (9-3) [14] : Beating the Titans might have been one of their best victories of the season
15. New England Patriots (6-6) [20] : Look at who returns to the Power Rankings! After blasting any team 45-0, even the Chargers, will get you Power-ful attention!
16. Washington (5-7) [18] : And for the first time all season, an NFC East team reaches the Power Rankings! Congratulations on your defeat of Pittsburgh!
Divisional Power Rankings [Last week's position]
1. AFC North [2] : Despite Pittsburgh's loss, the division leaped over the NFC West (who had an even worse week!) to take the lead for the first time all season.
2. NFC West [1] : Not a great showing this week, but all four teams are still a fearsome force each week
3. NFC South [3] : The Saints are the best team in the conference and the Bucs are a threat, albeit an inconsistent one
4. AFC East [4] : Miami and Buffalo still excel, and the Patriots really poured it on this week. Even the Jets nearly gained their first win
5. NFC North [4] : Detroit's win puts everyone within range of the division title, but they face the Packers this week
6. AFC South [4] : Houston keeps trying, but it's basically a two-team division
7. AFC West [7] : The Raiders can make things exciting, but this is basically the Chiefs division. They will capture the title with one more win.
8. NFC East [8] : Even their spectacular week this week couldn't get them out of the cellar
Week 14 picks
Thursday night
New England Patriots at Los Angeles Rams : After their game against the Chargers, I wouldn't count out the Patriots, but I think the Rams offense will be a bit too much. I hope the Pats enjoy their week in LA, because I don't think they'll be leaving it a winner. RAMS, 30-26
Sunday early games
Arizona Cardinals at New York Giants : The Giants would like to make it five in a row, but their defense hasn't faced an offense as unpredictable as the Cardinals. I think they'll be confused and allow the Cards take a large early lead, one the Giants won't quite be able to bridge. CARDINALS, 30-23
Dallas Cowboys at Cincinnati Bengals : Ezekial Elliot returned this week, and gave the 'Boys a great spark. While they could not beat the Ravens, the Bengals have a much weaker defense. COWBOYS, 24-20
Denver Broncos at Carolina Panthers : The Broncos defense held back the Chiefs last week, but it cost them a couple of players. That should give the Panthers a chance to sneak in a victory. PANTHERS, 30-26
Houston Texans at Chicago Bears : Two teams with strong defenses and struggling offenses face each other. If QB Mitch Trubisky can prevent turning the ball over late in the game, as he did against Detroit, they could win this one. I'm a bit worried, though. BEARS, 27-20
Kansas City Chiefs at Miami Dolphins : It might be an advantage that the Chiefs offense struggled against the Broncos. They will take a serious look at the offense and come up with a new game plan. That can only benefit them as they face the 2nd stingiest defense in the league this week. Miami could pull off the upset, but I'll give a nod to the Chiefs. CHIEFS, 26-24
Minnesota Vikings at Tampa Bay Bucs : The Bucs have been hard to predict this season, as they have great talent that doesn't always show it on the field. They'll be helped by their defense, as Kurt Cousins will take a couple of risky throws that turn into interceptions, sparking the Bucs. BUCS, 34-27
Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars : The one-win Jags have been a tough opponent the past couple of weeks, but the Titans come off a tough loss. They want to bounce back, and the Jags make an excellent foil. TITANS, 31-23
Sunday late games
Atlanta Falcons at Los Angeles Chargers : The Chargers collapse last week has not yet been fully diagnosed, so their struggles will continue. The Falcons are better than their record reflects, a fact the Chargers will discover. FALCONS, 31-26
Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions : The Lions beat the Bears thanks to a late fumble by Mitch Trubisky. The Lions won't get that help in this game. PACKERS, 34-23
Indianapolis Colts at Las Vegas Raiders : The Raiders are a tough team to figure out, which might make things hard for the Colts. However, they also have a tendency to shoot themselves in the foot, and the Colts are one of the fewest penalized teams in the league. COLTS, 31-27
New Orleans Saints at Philadelphia Eagles : You have to pity the Eagles defense. They just finish dusting themselves off from facing a rampaging Packers offense, and they have to slow a strong Saints offense. Good luck! SAINTS, 34-23
New York Jets at Seattle Seahawks : The Seahawks will be livid after their loss to the Giants last week, and you can beat they'll want to take it out on a New York team. Enter the Jets, the worst offense in the league. SEAHAWKS, 24-10
Washington [space intentionally left blank] at San Francisco 49ers : Washington has come alive, now that Alex Smith seems to have found his groove again. This could be a very interesting game. Mullens doesn't quite have the right rhythm, so I have to favor the NFC East team (wait, did I just say that?) WASHINGTON, 24-23
Sunday night
Pittsburgh Steelers at Buffalo Bills : If the Steelers don't right their ship, they may find themselves at the tail end of a two-game losing streak. Somehow I think they'll realize that they need to run the ball a bit more, and present a more balanced attack to the Bills. It will still be a close game that could go either way. STEELERS, 24-23
Monday Night Football
Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns : The Ravens have owned the Browns in these matchups, but the Browns are looking sharp this season! The Ravens have gained back some key players, though, and I think the incentive to beat the Browns will be enough to propel them in this game. RAVENS, 30-23
No comments:
Post a Comment