The Packers knocked off their throne. Lions go rock-bottom.
Disclaimer: These are NOT professional opinions and just the
opinions of a jr. analyst that hopes to be a little more known later on in
life. If you wish to talk with me about my rankings, contact me on Twitter: @jcs436.
The NFL has a lot of turnaround. Just like I have a lot of
homework. Thus why I haven’t done a power rankings in two weeks which is a
shame. As for the first sentence, that’s probably why the Bengals, Jets, and
Falcons are actually now a threat in the football world and why the Ravens,
Eagles, Chiefs are not threats right now. Then there are the middle pack teams
that have a fighting chance still. We’ll get into those teams soon enough.
Simon says “On to the bloody rankings!” You thought I meant Simon says the game
when really I was referencing Simon Cowell. Tricked ya. Maybe…….
P.S. I took off the boost and drops in rankings because I
haven’t done them in two weeks so its unfair to teams to show dramatic drops or
boosts due to my inability to be able to write rankings every week.
1.
New England Patriots
The Patriots get a bump due to
their overall dominance of every team they play. Brady looks like a robot and
is playing like he is 28, not 39. The defense is doing well and nobody knows
what to do to beat the Pats yet. They’re starting to look like the Patriots
team who went undefeated in 2007. But, hey, its only week 6 and they are only
4-0 so let’s hold up on the comparisons.
2.
Green Bay Packers
The Packers get bumped down for two
reasons. 1. Giving the other team the ball 3 times is bad. 2. Their wins just
don’t look as dominant as the Pats’ wins do. Not all of this is the Packers
fault. They are still one of the best teams in the League but for now the Pats
just look like a superior force than the Packers. Also, between both teams, one
QB has thrown 2 INTS and the other one has 0 INTS. Take a guess at who.
3.
Cincinnati Bengals
I can’t believe I am putting them this high
but when I look at the rest of the upper level teams, no team looks better than
Cincy. The Dalton we know of is no longer here. He has confidence even after he
makes mistakes whereas when he made mistakes before; he used to falter in
games. This newfound confidence has surged the offense to its highest potential
and with the defense showing that they are a force to be reckoned with, this
Bengals team is a surefire top 5 team in 2015.
4.
Denver Broncos
Defense, defense, defense! Wow, what did I
say at the beginning of the year? The Broncos would be known for their defense
by the end of the year. Turns out its only week 6 and the Broncos are more
feared for their defense than offense. However, I wouldn’t ever discount an
offense with Manning under center. Yes, post-snap, he is looking like an
average QB but pre-snap, he is still probably the smartest QB in the NFL when
it comes to dissecting the opposing defense. That could be the difference
between winning or losing a game in the last two minutes of a game.
5.
Atlanta Falcons
I honestly don’t believe the Falcons are a
juggernaut. They shouldn’t be confused for one either simply because in three
of their five games, they were trailing in the 4th quarter and had
to rally to win their game. Why does that matter? A win is a win right? True,
but when you look at the juggernaut teams of the NFL, they are usually
dominating their opponent the entire game. As is right now, Dan Quinn is
cooking up something special in Atlanta but he has lots of room to improve if
he wants to stand toe to toe with Packers and Patriots of the league.
6.
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals are officially a top 3 team
in the NFC. They always were but you need to be into the season a bit before
you can make assumptions about teams that haven’t completely established
themselves. Well, here they are; the best team in their division and one of the
best in their conference. Bruce Arians and GM Steve Kiem have made a fine
contender in Arizona.
7.
Carolina Panthers
Defense looks tough. Running game is
alright. And oh boy does Cam Newton look amazing. Too bad his passing game doesn’t
and it’s not his fault. His receivers are mediocre at best yet he keeps
producing. If the coaching staff can figure out how to milk out the best
efforts from their receivers, then the Panthers have a shot of contending for
the NFC South with the Falcons.
8.
New York Jets
Jets had a bye week. For some reason, it
feels like the Jets are getting the attention they deserve but not the respect
they deserve. Fitzpatrick is playing some of his best ball right now and the
Jets have a dominant defense that can go toe to toe with top offenses. Why take
that away from them? Because they’re the Jets? #fansdontmoveonquickenough
9.
New York Giants
Eli Manning looks like the Eli of old. He
isn’t playing like a game manager and is performing like he did during his
Super Bowl days. As long as Coughlin keeps the defense disciplined, the Giants
can win the NFC East without any questions asked.
10. Buffalo
Bills
That win was awful and to be quite frank,
rather bland, ugly, and boring. But, a win is a win and you take what you can
get when you play in a division with the Patriots. Considering how the Patriots
will probably win their division, the fight the Bills will make to try and get
a wild card spot will be fun to watch.
11. Seattle
Seahawks
Gut check loss to Cincy. The offense looks
muddy and isn’t performing very well to win games. These type of things tend to
happen when you have a terrible O-line. I know I keep bashing their O-line but
until it improves, it will be the reason this offense doesn’t run as well as it
did before.
12. Pittsburgh
Steelers
Impressive final drive to take the win. It
feels like the biggest reason that game was won, was because of Big Ben. He
wasn’t even on the field but his coaching and guidance are what sparked Vick
and the Steelers offense to get going and start scoring points. Without him on
the sidelines, I think the Chargers win the game which speaks volumes of the
both the importance of Roethlisberger and the leadership he can display on or
off the field.
13. Indianapolis
Colts
Give a lot of credit to Matt Hasselback for
their win in the Houston game. Not only was he playing with a bacterial
infection at age 40, but he did it with precision and played some good mistake
free football. The Colts are in good hands if Luck remains injured or goes down
again.
14. Minnesota
Vikings
Vikes had a bye weak but the notable
weakness on this team is the passing game. Bridgewater isn’t playing up to
expectations and needs to step it up if this team wants to contend for an NFC
wildcard. Tough playing in the same division as the Packers.
15. San
Diego Chargers
Gates came out of the gates of exploding
onto the field for 93 yards and a TD. It’s unfortunate that a player who gave
more life to an already good Chargers offense lost his first game. The Chargers
had no reason to lose and this loss might hurt later when the wild card ties
come up at the end of the season.
16. St.
Louis Rams
The game the Rams had against the Packers
will be the epitome of the Rams 2015 season. The Rams have a defense that is so
good, it can force 3 turnovers from the best QB in the League but their offense
is so terrible that it will never be able to take advantage of all the
turnovers in the world that the defense can provide. Amazing defense + terrible
offense = below-average team. Unfortunate.
17. Oakland
Raiders
The Raiders are this high simply because
they are better than every team listed below. In addition, they gave what could
be the #1 defense in the league everything they had and still almost came out
with a W. This Raiders team has shown lots of growth since last year despite a
2-3 start. Get excited Raiders fans. Your time is closer than you think.
18. Dallas
Cowboys
Life is rough if you’re a Dallas Cowboy
fan….or a Brandon Weeden. Come on, the guy had 3 TDs and 2 picks with a
completion rate greater than 70% (FYI That completion rate is WAY above the
average and better than QBs like Rodgers.) and now you want to bench him for
Matt Cassel? Yes he hasn’t won either start but it’s pretty risky to turn to
Matt Cassel so soon. It seems as if the Cowboys are desperate for a win. I
don’t blame them for being desperate but I don’t know if Cassel is the answer.
We’ll see this Sunday, won’t we.
19. Washington
Redskins
Cousins. Oh Cousins. You just can’t make
that kind of throw especially in overtime. The game was given to the Redskins
but Cousins is the Achilles heal to this Redskins team. They aren’t a bad team
but up and down quarterback play is going to determine the games that the team
wins and loses.
20. Philadelphia
Eagles
Some solid play from the Eagles on both sides
of the ball. Too bad they don’t play this consistently. This game shows the
team all analysts expected. I even expected them to be like this. The problem
isn’t roster talent. The problem is the synergy that the team has and they need
to get it together. I’m also almost positive that Bradford isn’t the answer for
the Eagles. But hey, he could prove me wrong.
21. Cleveland
Browns
What a game from Josh McCown! If someone
would have told me before the season started that Josh McCown would lead the
Browns to a win at Baltimore while throwing for a franchise record 457 yards, I
would have laughed and thrown my drink in their face so that their head could
be cleared. Yet here we are and it happened. I’m pretty sure this was McCown’s
secret middle finger game to all of his critics that said he would be useless
to the browns.
22. Baltimore
Ravens
Many are asking if Baltimore’s season is
already over at 1-4. If you look at their remaining schedule, it’s actually
reasonable to see them go 5-5 after their next 5 games. However, after that, it
becomes very hard to decide whether Baltimore has it in them to beat the
tougher opponents they have in their last 4 games. Balitmore is riddled with injuries and trying
to win with 3rd and 4th stringers starting the games for
them will be tough.With the Bengals nearly a lock to win the AFC North, all
Baltimore can hope for is a wildcard and the wild card teams all have 3 wins
already to just their 1 win. It won’t be a miracle if Baltimore can get a
wildcard, but it won’t be a very feasible task either.
23. Chicago
Bears
Give Jay Cutler some credit. He is the one
who has led his team to comeback wins in their last two games to give them a
two game streak. While I don’t see the Bears making a huge comeback and
sneaking into the playoffs, it’s a good sign that a team is able to bounce back
after an 0-3 start when nobody gave them a chance. In fact, they have a chance
to go 3-3 after this week. They play the Lions on Sunday.
24. Tennessee
Titans
This is how you know Mariota still has room
to grow. The Titans had 1:41 left on the clock to drive the ball down the field
and kick in the game winning field goal. Instead of that happening, Mariota
throws an interception on the first play of the drive thus ending the hopes of
the Titans winning the game. It’s ok Mariota. Live and learn buddy. Live and
learn.
25. Kansas
City Chiefs
The Chiefs would be higher but it looks
like their season is possibly over with Jamaal Charles taking an ACL tear. The
injury is a huge blow to an offense that relied on Charles at so many times to
move the chains for them. At this point, the Chiefs need to utilize Alex Smith
more to see if he really is the QB the team needs, especially in desperate
times like this.
26. Tampa
Bay Buccaneers
This game showed the type of gameplan that
the Bucs will be using throughout their season. They are going to want to pound
the ball and make defensive stops while letting Jameis Winston slowly mold into
an NFL QB. It’s not what you expected when you drafted Winston but it’s better
than nothing and may be the best thing for him to be able to grow as a QB in
the NFL.
27. San
Francisco 49ers
The 49ers came to play ball and play ball
they did. Unfortunately, a better Giants team outclassed them. It was nice to
see flashes of the old Kaepernick that used to excite us but he still showed
the mistakes he’s been making the past two years. His performance was an
improvement from previous games but it’s not enough. Not yet anyways.
28. Jacksonville
Jaguars
Bortles is playing amazing football. He is
growing to be a fine QB and is starting to get the gears rotating on an offense
that’s finally hitting it’s stride. Believe it or not, the Jags offense will
keep this team in games. Now…..about that Jaguars defense…..
29. Miami
Dolphins
The Dolphins are this low for two reasons.
Reason No. 1 Their head coach was fired. This is actually a good thing for the
team long term because the Dolphins needed a different style of coaching.
However, short term wise, it may take the Dolphins some time to get used to
their new interim head coach. Reason No. 2 This team has so much talent but
can’t find a way to use it to win. They’re like the AFC version of the Eagles.
And that’s scary
30. New
Orleans Saints
Drew Brees is again in another year where
he plays well but the rest of his team doesn’t. The running game won’t get
going and his best WR is a previous unknown that was signed off the practice
squad of the Panthers. To put the cherry on top, the Saints defense is flat out
awful right now and needs to figure out how to turn their unit around before
they become a laughingstock. Poor Drew Brees
31. Houstan
Texans
There isn’t much to say about this Texans
team other than another year is going to be wasted of J.J. Watt’s prime and
that the merry go round at the quarterback position is going to win the Texans
any games. O’Brien just needs to pick a QB and stick with them. Cycling through
QBs each week doesn’t frustrate just the fans, but it also probably frustrates
the wide receivers on the Houston offense as well
32. Detroit
Lions
It’s tough watching your franchise QB getting
benched for your backup in the middle of the 3rd quarter. In fact,
it’s tough as a player when you watch your fans leave the game in the middle of
the second quarter. Must be hard to play in a city where your fans give up on
the game before the game is even out of reach. Tough break Lions. Tough break.
Keep your chins up though. You’ll get a game eventually. Hopefully.
