NFL Power Rankings Week 12; Bengals Move Up A Spot After Win in Kansas City
By Mel Payne
Nov 18, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton (14) celebrates a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs in the first half at Arrowhead Stadium. Cincinnati won the game 28-6. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-US PRESSWIRE
What was going in week 11? The Jaguars played out of their league and took the game to overtime against the Texans. The Browns managed to stifle Romo, but couldn’t hold on after the tie game went into extra minutes. Then the Patriots capped off an exciting slate of Sunday afternoon games with an absolute whipping of the Colts.
Needless to say, after everything I have seen, many are arguing over the top spot teams after these tight games in week 11. Here is where the NFL power rankings sit in my opinion.
#32 Kansas City Chiefs – The 1-9 Chiefs took a beating by the Bengals last week. Two different quarterbacks couldn’t get anything going in Arrowhead Stadium. Fans were seen in the crowd with paper bags over their heads and are threatening to black out Arrowhead. Even talking about them makes me want to put a bag over my head. Chiefs get the last spot this week.
#31 Jacksonville Jaguars – They had a great game last week and made the Houston Texans sweat it out well into overtime. They matched them score for score and held the lead for while in the game. The Jags are still 1-9, though, and need to get a win to prove they are anything more than the bottom of the barrel.
#30 Carolina Panthers – Carolina is 2-8 with a man that was, quite possibly, the most talked about quarterback last season. Their running game cannot get anything going. Unfortunately, that is a spot that just two years ago they were dominant in with the same players. Now they are just hitting brick walls.
#29 Oakland Raiders – At 3-7 the Raiders have a better record than some of the teams down here at the bottom, but they have looked horrible in the scoring department. Carson Palmer has been getting decent fantasy numbers, but his team has been outscored 93-37 in just two weeks.
#28 Cleveland Browns – The Browns are 2-8, but have been playing opponents like a team that has a lot better record. They lost a close one in overtime to the Cowboys last week, but Dallas didn’t beat them. The Browns beat themselves with sloppy play and penalties. If they can clean it up, this team would have some hope, but time is running out.
#27 Philadelphia Eagles – Michael Vick was out last week with a concussion and the rookie Nick Foles filled in. This is what Philly fans have been begging for right? Guess not. The 3-7 Eagles dropped their sixth straight game. Andy Reid is just waiting out his time at this point.
#26 St. Louis Rams – With a 3-6-1 record, the Rams are heading into a tough stretch of their schedule. The team hasn’t won a game since the beginning of October.
#25 Arizona Cardinals – You almost feel sorry for the Cards. They are a 4-6 team and in this crazy season that isn’t horrible, but those four wins came all together to start the season for Arizona. They lost again last week and just can’t seem to generate much offense.
#24 New York Jets – The Jets finally got a win on Sunday, bringing their record to 4-6. Mark Sanchez finally played well against the Rams. New York even utilized their running game. This game further cemented that Tebow is not the man in New York.
#23 San Diego Chargers – At 4-6, the Chargers have found a way to please us on paper and disappoint us on the field. It’s the same story, different season.
#22 Tennessee Titans – The Titans at 4-6 were on a bye last week.
#21 Miami Dolphins – The Dolphins only scored twice in last week’s Thursday night loss to the Bills and one of the scores was on a run back. The offense couldn’t get it done and the team fell to 4-6.
#20 Buffalo Bills – The Bills, at 4-6, had been on a tough losing streak through the middle of the season. They were able to get break out of it, though, in a divisional matchup on Thursday night against the Dolphins. It came mostly on the foot of their field goal kicker McKelvin, but a win is a win in this league.
#19 Detroit Lions – The 4-6 Lions lost a tough divisional matchup against the Packers who are gaining momentum as the season goes on.
#18 Washington Redskins – The Redskins got a huge win over the struggling Eagles on Sunday. Their record now stands at 4-6. RGIII threw for four touchdowns in the win, making the game even more fun for fans.
#17 Dallas Cowboys – The Cowboys almost a blew it in the game last week against Cleveland. In fact, they pretty much did. The Browns beat themselves, giving Dallas the overtime win.
#16 Cincinnati Bengals – Look at these Bengals climbing the charts. They got a huge win last week over the Chiefs and look to be playing their best ball of the season. The Bengals are now 5-5 and the playoff talk is heating up again in Cincinnati.
#15 Indianapolis Colts – They lost very decisively in New England. Tom Brady and the Patriot defense made a mockery out of Luck and Colts. The Colts are 6-4, but if they get another beat down like that, they will be making a fall through the rankings.
#14 Pittsburgh Steelers – A lot of people have the 6-4 Steelers ranked higher in the power rankings. There is nothing powerful about the Steelers right now though. Their starting quarterback is out, their second string quarterback is out, and now their third string QB is getting called up. They lost last week and are in danger of losing position in the division. They face an unpredictable Browns team in week 12. Their rise depends on a lot of unanswered questions.
#13 New Orleans Saints – The 5-5 Saints look like they got their groove back, but they will have to keep it up if they want to stick a playoff spot at this point in the game.
#12 Minnesota Vikings – The Vikes are 6-4 and were on a bye last week.
# 11 Seattle Seahawks – With a bye week last week, the 6-4 Seahawks will be well-rested to take on the rest of the season.
#10 New York Giants – Also on a bye in week 11 after a big loss in Cincinnati that jump started the Bengals dying season. Hopefully Manning’s arm got some rest.
#9 Tampa Bay Buccaneers – The Bucs are 6-4 and on a roll. Josh Freeman is playing the best ball of his career and the whole team is playing as a cohesive unit. These guys are going to be tough to stop moving forward.
#8 Chicago Bears – Jay Cutler was out last week for the 7-3 bears with a concussion. Jason Campbell stepped in but couldn’t peel himself off the ground for long enough to get anything going for the Bears. The offensive line has got to protect these quarterbacks. The Bears are doing well, but could be phenomenal with a little help from their line.
#7 San Francisco 49ers – The Niners are 7-2-1 and started the rookie Colin Kapernick at quarterback. He was a natural and led the team to a big victory over the Bears. The team will get their starter back this week, but will he start?
#6 Denver Broncos – The Broncos are on a roll and Peyton Manning is back to Hall of Fame form. Denver is 7-3 and the rest of the season looks really good for the organization.
#5 Green Bay Packers – The Pack is back. They have won five straight games and looking like a powerhouse once again at 7-3.
#4 New England Patriots – The Pats are looking like Super Bowl contenders again and just in the right time in the season. Their defense stepped up big last week against the Colts and Brady and the offense shredded the scoreboard. New England is 7-3 and is set to face the Jets on Thursday night.
#3 Baltimore Ravens – Baltimore is 8-2 and leading the AFC North. The team is finding ways to get wins, whether it is on defense, offense, or in the case of last week’s game, special teams. They are playing as a complete unit and ready to vie for a championship.
#2 Atlanta Falcons – Atlanta has only lost one game, which is the only reason why they are up here. Their play, as of late, hasn’t been stellar. However, they get the job done.
#1 Houston Texans – The Texans were almost upset against a one-win Jacksonville team last week. The team fought their way back and managed to pull out an overtime win, but they can’t play teams of the Jag’s caliber that closely if they are going to hold on to their storybook season. I hate to have them up here, but the record doesn’t lie.