Pyper's Power Rankings - Week 6

[PYPER]

PYPER’S POWER RANKINGS


32) St. Louis Rams (0-5, Last Week: #32)
With Bulger back this team is capable of an upset or two. Without him, they’re not winning a game.
(Next Game: at Jacksonville)

31) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-5, Last Week: #30)
This is probably Tampa Bay’s best shot at a victory all season. Then again, they play the Jets in December and that team always chokes down the stretch.
(Next Game: Carolina)

30) Buffalo Bills (1-4, Last Week: #26)
People never pay attention to how injuries affect the fates of the bad teams. Then again, people never pay attention to the bad teams. Period.
(Next Game: at New York Jets)

29) Cleveland Browns (1-4, Last Week: #31)
Do I really have to comment?
(Next Game: at Pittsburgh)

28) Kansas City Chiefs (0-5, Last Week: #29)
This team is on the right track. I still can’t believe they lost to the Raiders in week 2. I bet they could have that one back.
(Next Game: at Washington)

27) Oakland Raiders (1-4, Last Week: #28)
The NFL should trade the Raiders for the champion of the new four-team UFL league. At the very least they should raid their roster for a QB and coaching staff.
(Next Game: Philadelphia)

26) Tennessee Titans (0-5, Last Week: #27)
Will we see Vince Young against the Patriots?
(Next Game: at New England)

25) Washington Redskins (2-3, Last Week: #25)
Things are about to go from bad to worse.
(Next Game: Kansas City)

24) Detroit Lions (1-4, Last Week: #24)
The Lions were competitive against the Steelers and remain on the right track.
(Next Game: at Green Bay)

23) Houston Texans (2-3, Last Week: #21)
The Texans are difficult to read. So far this year they’ve answered each defeat with a victory the following week. If that pattern continues then we’ll be talking about their upset win over the Bengals next week. Houston has the potential to score on anybody and that makes them capable of pulling off a few unlikely upsets. The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced that Houston will reduce the positive Cincinnati chatter to talk of “the same old Bengals” by Sunday afternoon.
(Next Game: at Cincinnati)

22) Jacksonville Jaguars (2-3, Last Week: #19)
The Jaguars are not a good football team. They’re basically a six-win type of team. However, due to their schedule they could easily end up with nine wins. Throw in an upset or two and suddenly the Jaguars could become a playoff team. I guess they’re the 2009 version of the Miami Dolphins. The Jaguars next three opponents have a combined record of 0-15 (Rams, Titans, Chiefs). I wonder if that’s every happened before? In any case, the team that just got shut out at Seattle 41-0 is probably going to find itself with a record of 5-3 in three weeks.
(Next Game: St. Louis)

21) Carolina Panthers (1-3, Last Week: #23)
The Panthers trailed 17-2 late in the third quarter and were on the verge of falling to 0-4 on the season when the Redskins special teams stepped in and allowed Carolina to steal a victory from the jaws of defeat. That’s the type of win that can turn a team’s season around. Suddenly, with winnable games against the lowly Bucs and Bills, the Panthers have a shot at entering November with a .500 record.
(Next Game: at Tampa Bay)

20) Seattle Seahawks (2-3, Last Week: #22)
So far the only thing we really know about the Seahawks is that they’re much better with QB Matt Hasselbeck on the field. This week Seattle hosts the Cardinals in a game that is absolutely pivotal for both teams. That makes for some great drama. This matchup doesn’t have the sex appeal as some of the other matchups of the week but its just as important as any of them. Two seasons ride in the balance.
(Next Game: Arizona)

19) Dallas Cowboys (3-2, Last Week: #17)
This team has 7-9 written all over them. Twice now we’ve seen Jerry’s ego push aside a championship caliber coach so that he could run the team his way. Twice now we’ve seen the team deteriorate in the aftermath. In two years this team will be 3-13 and Tony Romo will be the next Marc Bulger.
(Next Game: Bye)

18) Green Bay Packers (2-2, Last Week: #16)
With games against the Lions and Browns on tap the Packers have an excellent opportunity to position themselves for their November 1st rematch with Brett Favre and the Vikings.
(Next Game: Detroit)

17) Miami Dolphins (2-3, Last Week: #20)
Last week was a BIG one for Miami. Instead of falling to 1-4 and a full three games behind two division rivals, the Dolphins watched the Broncos erase a 10 point deficit to defeat New England and then went out and ran the ball down the Jets throat. Now, suddenly, Miami finds themselves with new life, just one game behind both teams in the standings. Chad Henne looks like a budding star and the Wildcat offense never looked better. This is a dangerous team.
(Next Game: Bye)

16) Arizona Cardinals (2-2, Last Week: #18)
The Cardinals held on for what was probably a season-saving victory over Houston last week but they’re not out of the woods just yet. With back-to-back road games against the Seahawks and Giants on tap, the Cardinals could quickly see their chances of defending their NFC Championship slip from their grasp. Arizona starts a pivotal five game stretch this week and likely needs to win at least three games to position themselves as realistic playoff contenders. In the short NFL season, mediocre teams like this don’t have much room for lost opportunities.
(Next Game: at Seattle)

15) San Diego Chargers (2-2, Last Week: #15)
Thanks to Denver’s surprising win over the Patriots, the Chargers return from their bye desperately needing a victory to stay in the race for AFC West supremacy. A loss at home to the undefeated Broncos would likely create a deficit too large for the Chargers to overcome.
(Next Game: Denver)

14) San Francisco 49ers (3-2, Last Week: #9)
One week after climbing to #9 in these rankings the 49ers put forth their worst effort of the season and got blown out at home by the Falcons. Suddenly the team finds itself surrounded by question marks on both sides of the ball. With that being the case the bye week comes at the perfect time for San Francisco. Hopefully RB Frank Gore will be ready to return when the 49ers resume their season week 7 at Houston.
(Next Game: Bye)

13) Baltimore Ravens (3-2, Last Week: #8)
For the second week in a row the Ravens lack of discipline on defense cost them a shot at victory. It was a lesson they should have learned in Foxboro against the Patriots but instead they chose to invest their energies crying about the officiating and making excuses. That’s not how legitimate contenders do business. This team needs to play smarter football.
(Next Game: at Minnesota)

 

[PYPER]

12) Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2, Last Week: #13)
Although it was closer than they would have liked, the Steelers claimed their first road victory of the season in Detroit and are now poised to make their move back up these rankings. Following what should be an easy victory over the Browns this week, the Steelers will begin a five game stretch in which they play Minnesota, Denver, Cincinnati, and Baltimore. Fortunately, SS Troy Polamalu is close to returning and should be available for that pivotal season-defining stretch of games.
(Next Game: Cleveland)

11) Chicago Bears (3-1, Last Week: #11)
The Bears return from their bye week seeking their fourth victory in a row. A win in Atlanta would validate their week 2 victory over the defending champion Steelers and launch the Bears into the Top 10 for the first time this season.
(Next Game: at Atlanta)

10) Atlanta Falcons (3-1, Last Week: #14)
Returning from their bye week, the rested Falcons rebounded from their week 3 loss at Foxboro to crush the 49ers in San Francisco 45 to 10. WR Roddy White exploded for 210 yards on eight catches with two touchdowns and RB Michael Turned chipped in 97 yards on the ground with three more scores as the Falcons put up 35 first half points on their way to the lopsided victory. This week they host a Bears team riding a three game winning streak on Sunday Night Football.
(Next Game: Chicago)

9) New England Patriots (3-2, Last Week: #7)
Yet another heartbreaking loss for the Patriots at Denver. For some reason the Broncos just seem to own New England, especially in the Mile High atmosphere of their home stadium. The bigger concern for the Pats, however, revolve around their inability to make adjustments in the second half of games. In both their losses, the Patriots moved the ball effectively in the first half and then got completely shut out after halftime. QB Tom Brady continues to struggle with his accuracy, especially on passes over 10 yards, and New England desperately needs someone to step up in the third WR role. WR Joey Galloway appeared to be the perfect addition in the offseason but has struggled mightily in both picking up the offense and catching the football. Surprisingly, the 15-year veteran’s struggles have not been physical issues, but rather mental ones. Galloway is still capable of running extremely fast but his deficiency in running the proper routes and catching the football have caused him to be a healthy scratch in each of the past two weeks. Of all the things that could have gone wrong with the Galloway signing, I never would have thought it would be his inability to learn the Patriots offense.
(Next Game: Tennessee)

8) New York Jets (3-2, Last Week: #6)
For the second game in a row, the Jets came up short on the road. And for the second game in a row, the Jets impressed me in defeat. Their defensive struggles in Miami had more to do with the Miami’s near-flawless execution of their quirky “Wildcat” offense than on any chink in the Jets armor. Despite what the box score may say, the Jets do indeed sport a very good defense. They’ll get back on track and prove that against the lowly Bills this week.
(Next Game: Buffalo)

7) Philadelphia Eagles (3-1, Last Week: #10)
The Eagles are dead smack in the middle of a four game stretch against opponents with a combined record of just 3-17. That gives them an excellent opportunity to go into their week 8 game against the Giants with a record of 5-1. We’ll have to wait until then to get a better idea of what kind of team Philly has this year.
(Next Game: at Oakland)

6) Cincinnati Bengals (4-1, Last Week: #12)
Outside of perhaps Denver, no team has been more surprising than the Bengals. Five weeks into the season and Cincinnati can already claim victories over the Steelers, Ravens, and Packers, the latter two coming on the road. Only a miracle 87 yard tipped-ball touchdown with 11 seconds left in the game stands between the Bengals and a perfect 5-0 record. The question now is whether this team has the maturity to handle their newfound prosperity and take care of business against the weaker teams on their schedule. All too often, young teams follow up surprising wins as the underdog with equally surprising losses as the favorite. It nearly happened at Cleveland in week 4 and I won’t be at all surprised to see it happen this weak against the Texans.
(Next Game: Houston)

5) Minnesota Vikings (5-0, Last Week: #4)
Brett Favre and the Vikings couldn’t have hoped for a better start to their inaugural season together. Of course it doesn’t hurt when your first three road games are against three teams with a combined record of 2-13 (Browns, Lions, Rams). The Vikings face a far greater challenge this week against a talented Ravens squad coming off back-to-back losses against the Patriots and Bengals.
(Next Game: Baltimore)

4) Indianapolis Colts (5-0, Last Week: #3)
Peyton Manning and the Colts have never looked better. The question is whether that’s because of the quality of their team or the product of one of the league’s easiest schedules. Indy has not played a single game versus a team with a winning record and it appears that there may only be four or five such games on their schedule all season. Through five weeks the combined record of Indy’s opponents is 8-16 and their next opponent after their bye is the dreadful and winless St. Louis Rams.
(Next Game: Bye)

3) Denver Broncos (5-0, Last Week: #5)
How quickly things can change. A few weeks ago this team looked like a fluke benefiting from an easy early season schedule. Believe it or not but the Broncos have now beaten more teams with winning records (three) than any of the other unbeaten squads. The Broncos are for real and now they get to prove it on Monday Night Football against their AFC West rivals. A victory here would give them a commanding 3 ½ game lead over 2nd place San Diego.
(Next Game: at San Diego)

2) New York Giants (5-0, Last Week: #2)
With the cupcake portion of their schedule behind them (last three opponents are a combined 1-14), we should finally learn exactly how good this Giants team is over their next eight games. It all starts this week, as the G-men will finally face a worthy adversary as they travel to the Superdome to take on the top-ranked Saints.
(Next Game: at New Orleans)

1) New Orleans Saints (4-0, Last Week: #1)
Déjà vu anyone? The last time we saw the Saints they played host to New York in an early season battle between the two top-ranked teams in these rankings. This week they’ll attempt to pull off the sweep over Gotham’s finest as they host the 2nd ranked Giants.
(Next Game: New York Giants)

 

[Rob0729]

8) New York Jets (3-2, Last Week: #6)
For the second game in a row, the Jets came up short on the road. And for the second game in a row, the Jets impressed me in defeat. Their defensive struggles in Miami had more to do with the Miami’s near-flawless execution of their quirky “Wildcat” offense than on any chink in the Jets armor. Despite what the box score may say, the Jets do indeed sport a very good defense. They’ll get back on track and prove that against the lowly Bills this week.
(Next Game: Buffalo)

I am beginning to think you may be a Jets homer (actually I thought that when you had the Jets ranked #1 a few weeks ago). You think the Jets impressed you giving up 31 points? It was just because the Dolphins near flawless execution of the Wildcat? The Dolphins weren't in a Wildcat when Henne threw a 53 yard TD pass to Ted Ginn. Besides, Wildcat is just another formation and the Dolphins don't run a lot of deception plays from the Wildcat.

Personally, I think the Dolphins did expose a chink in the armor in the Jets' defense. They used the Jets' overagressiveness to screen them to death. That is what the Pats should have done in week 2 and will most likely do in the next match up with Welker playing. That is a weekness of a blitizing defense no matter who's defense it is.

Even with the addition of Braylon Edwards, I think the Jets' offense is suspect. The Dolphins have a horrible secondary with very little pass rush and other than a handful of plays and still Sanchez was not very good. Sanchez only completed 50% of his passes in the game. I still don't think their offense is good enough to get into a shootout if a team figures out how to exploit their defense.

I still think there is a good chance that teams will take things from Miami to exploit the Jets' defense. I still think the Jets have a good defense, but I am still not impressed as much as you.

I personally felt at time that the Dolphins were trying to lose this game and the Jets couldn't take it away. The Dolphins were smoked by a fake punt TWICE turning two punts (one was on a 4 and 6th on the Jets''own 34) into 10 points. Without those two gimmick plays, the Dolphins win big. The Jets also got a very, very questionable 49 yard pass interference call that put them on the three yard line in the fourth (the Jets scored a TD on the next play). I watched this game and wondered why the Dolphins didn't win by three TDs because that is how much they outplayed the Jets.

 

[PYPER]

I am beginning to think you may be a Jets homer (actually I thought that when you had the Jets ranked #1 a few weeks ago). You think the Jets impressed you giving up 31 points? It was just because the Dolphins near flawless execution of the Wildcat? The Dolphins weren't in a Wildcat when Henne threw a 53 yard TD pass to Ted Ginn. Besides, Wildcat is just another formation and the Dolphins don't run a lot of deception plays from the Wildcat.

Some schemes just match up better or worse vs one another. The Dolphin scheme had the Jets off balance all game long. Don't underestimate Chad Henne's performance either. He played a great game and showed arm strength the Dolphins haven't had at their disposal for quite some time.

I still think there is a good chance that teams will take things from Miami to exploit the Jets' defense. I still think the Jets have a good defense, but I am still not impressed as much as you.

Keep in mind that power rankings are not intended to be interpreted as predictions. They're designed to evaluate teams based on what they've achieved up to that point. In other words, they only look backwards, not forward. The Jets rose to #1 because at that point in time, their victory over the Patriots was the most impressive victory of the season. Even now, weeks later, they remain ahead of us because of that victory. I have a personal policy that I try to adhere to where if you have identical records and one team beat the other, that winning team is always listed ahead of the losing team. Sometimes there are situations where that becomes impossible but for the most part I try to adhere to that rule, especially when we're only a few weeks removed from the game in question.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

thanks, a perilous and thankless task (thus, the "thanks")

i think except for the giants and saints, which show no sign of dropping out of the top three or four, we could probably take the other ten names on your second page, throw them up in the air and see where they land if we're trying to predict what this list will look like in December.

 

[Rob0729]

Some schemes just match up better or worse vs one another. The Dolphin scheme had the Jets off balance all game long. Don't underestimate Chad Henne's performance either. He played a great game and showed arm strength the Dolphins haven't had at their disposal for quite some time.

I agree some schemes match up better than others, but let's not confuse the Dolphins' offense with a great offense or that no team can take anything from what they did vs. the Jets and use it to exploit the Jets' defense. The Jets got burnt a lot of screen passes in that game due to their overpursuit and agressiveness. That is something that can easily be translated into other offenses like the Pats.

Keep in mind that power rankings are not intended to be interpreted as predictions. They're designed to evaluate teams based on what they've achieved up to that point. In other words, they only look backwards, not forward. The Jets rose to #1 because at that point in time, their victory over the Patriots was the most impressive victory of the season. Even now, weeks later, they remain ahead of us because of that victory. I have a personal policy that I try to adhere to where if you have identical records and one team beat the other, that winning team is always listed ahead of the losing team. Sometimes there are situations where that becomes impossible but for the most part I try to adhere to that rule, especially when we're only a few weeks removed from the game in question.

I didn't think the Jets victory against the Pats was nearly as impressive as you do. The Pats left a lot of points on the field that game (some due to good Jets defense, but a lot were due to miscues from Brady and his receivers). If the Pats fired on all cylanders in the first half of that game (deja vu to last weekend in Denver), the Jets wouldn't have won that game.

You go to Jets boards and even many of the homers are admitting the play by the Jets has been getting progressively worse each week with this past Monday being their worst performance by far.

I have no problem with the Jets being ranked over the Patriots. I did have an issue with the comments on the Jets and the Jets ever being ranked #1 this season.