Thursday 1 November 2012

NFL Power Rankings - Week 9

1 (2) Atlanta Falcons (7-0) - The Falcons stay perfect after a dominant display in Philadelphia over a terrible Eagles side.  Matt Ryan had a great game, completing 22 of his 29 passes for 262 yards and 3 touchdowns.  Julio Jones led the receivers, catching 5 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown.  The Falcons met little resistance from the Eagles and were able to do pretty much what they liked.  Having said that, they were impressive and deservedly go back to the top of my Power Rankings.

2 (1) Houston Texans (6-1) -
The Texans had a bye this week and will be feeling quite happy with their season so far.  This week they host the Buffalo Bills and must be favourites to reach 7-1. 

3 (3) New York Giants (6-2) -
The Giants are 6-2 after they were gift wrapped a victory in Dallas.  The Cowboys handed the Giants an early lead, which they tried to throw away but in the end the Giants were able to squeeze over the winning line.  Eli Manning had a bad game, throwing for 192 yards and an interception.  The Giants weren't much better on the ground and ran for 78 yards from 22 carries, at 3.5 yards per carry.  This Giants offense remind me a lot of the Eagles offense in Donavan McNabb's last season.  They rely a lot on the big play and when teams have as good a secondary as the Cowboys, it can shut the offense down.  Once the Giants get into a short field, the offense starts to stutter and it has led to them kicking 26 field goals, which is more than any NFL team.  The Giants are a good side but the Cowboys done a good job of exposing the few weaknesses they have and were unlucky not to win.

4 (4) New England Patriots (5-3) -
The Pats picked up their second regular season victory at Wembley Stadium with a dominant victory over the Rams.  The game was tight for the first quarter and then the Pats exploded into life and the Rams had no reply.  Tom Brady had a great game, throwing for 304 yards and 4 touchdowns.  His leading receiver was Rob Gronkowski, who caught 8 passes for 146 yards and 2 touchdowns.  Brandon Lloyd only caught 2 passes but both were touchdowns.  The Pats offensive dominance was completed by another strong running display from Stevan Ridley.  Ridley ran for 127 yards and a touchdown.  

5 (5) San Francisco 49ers (6-2) -
The 49ers made it to 6-2 after a big win over the Cardinals in Arizona.  Alex Smith had the best game of his career, completing 18 of his 19 passes for 232 yards and 3 touchdowns.  Michael Crabtree was the leading receiver, catching 5 passes for 72 yards and 2 touchdowns.  The 49ers had a respectable day on the ground too, picking up 113 yards from 29 carries.  At 6-2, the 49ers are one of the leading teams in the NFC and look to be in a battle for one of the top seeds in the playoffs. 

6 (7) Green Bay Packers (5-3) -
The Packers find themselves at 5-3 after an unimpressive win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.  The Packers were made to work for the victory and it took a Mason Crosby field goal with 28 seconds left to finally put the game out of the Jags reach.  Aaron Rodgers had a poor game by his high standards, completing just 22 of his 35 pass attempts for 186 yards and 2 touchdowns.  The running game was poor, with the Packers rushers combining for 2.5 yards per carry.  It's a big weakness and unless it is addressed, I think it will eventually be their downfall.  James Jones had a good day, catching 7 passes for 78 yards.  

7 (6) Chicago Bears (6-1) -
The bottom line is, the Bears won the game but it wasn't pretty.  The Panthers dominated and restricted the Bears to 210 offensive yards and put up 416 yards of total offensive yards against one of the best defenses in the league but it still wasn't enough.  The Bears came back from 12 behind in the last 7 minutes and ended up winning the game courtesy of a Robbie Gould field goal as time expired.  Jay Cutler threw for 186 yards, a touchdown and an interception.  Brandon Marshall was his leading receiver, catching 9 passes for 98 yards.  Matt Forte was the best rusher, picking up 70 yards and a touchdown from his 15 carries.

8 (8) Baltimore Ravens (5-2) -
The Ravens were on a bye week this week and at 5-2 are in poll position in the AFC North.  They can cement their position further by winning in Cleveland in a divisional clash they will be hot favourites to win.

9 (11) Denver Broncos (4-3) -
The Broncos and Peyton Manning sent out a message to the NFL with a great display to blow out and effectively end the season of the New Orleans Saints.  Manning looked back to his best this week, throwing for 305 yards and 3 touchdowns.  His leading receiver was Demaryius Thomas who caught 7 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown.  The running game was every bit as good as the passing and the Broncos rushers ran for 225 yards, led by Willis McGahee with 122 yards and a touchdown and Ronnie Hillman with 86 yards. 

10 (10) Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3) -
The Steelers picked up a dominant win over the Washington Redskins on Sunday.  Their defense done a great job of stopping RG3 and their offense matched them with a strong display.  Ben Roethlisberger threw for 222 yards and 3 touchdowns.  His main target was Mike Wallace and he caught 7 passes for 62 yards.  Running-back, Jonathan Dwyer had another good game, running for 107 yards. 

11 (9) Minnesota Vikings (5-3) –
The Vikings suffered a heavy and quite surprising defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Minnesota.  The Bucs were dominant and were happy to put the ball in the hands of their rushers and ended up in possession for over 37 minutes.  The Vikings had 3 turnovers which led to 10 points for the Bucs.  Adrian Peterson had a good game, despite being limited to 15 carries.  He ran for 123 yards and a touchdown.  The Bucs took an early lead and the Vikings were unable to recover and had to try to chase the game.  Christian Ponder was unable to do enough, completing 19 of 35 passes for 251 yards, a touchdown and an interception.  The leading receiver was Percy Harvin who caught 7 passes for 90 yards and a touchdown.

12 (20) Miami Dolphins (4-3) -
The Dolphins picked up a win in New York over the Jets to go to 4-3 for the season.  The majority of the damage was done by half-time and the Dolphins led 20-0 at the break.  They consolidated their lead in the second half and won 30-9.  The Dolphins only managed 236 yards of offense but blocked a punt for a touchdown and got another touchdown on the back of a turnover.  The Dolphins best offensive player was Reggie Bush who picked up 65 yards from scrimmage.

13 (21) Indianapolis Colts (4-3) -
The Colts picked up a big win over divisional rivals, the Tennessee Titans.  The win keeps the Colts in the mix for a playoff place.  Andrew Luck had a decent game, throwing for 297 yards, a touchdown and an interception.  Reggie Wayne was once again the leading receiver, catching 7 passes for 91 yards.  The Colts done a good job of running the ball, picking up 171 yards from 34 carries.  The game was eventually won when Vick Ballard scored a touchdown in overtime, through an 18 yard catch. 

14 (12) Seattle Seahawks (4-4) –
The Seahawks lost again, this time in Detroit to the Lions.  The Seahawks had the lead right up until the last 20 seconds but conceded a late touchdown and were unable to recover.  Russell Wilson had a decent game, throwing for 236 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception.  Marshawn Lynch had another good day, running for 105 yards and a touchdown from 12 carries.  Lynch probably should have had more carries as he was hurting the Lions defense and ended up averaging 8.8 yards per carry.  

15 (17) Detroit Lions (3-4) -
The Lions are back to 3-4 after a tight win over the Seattle Seahawks.  The Lions spent much of the game behind but eventually won it when Matt Stafford found Titus Young in the end zone with just 20 seconds left.  The Lions were worthy winners in the end and at 3-4 are still, just about, alive in the NFC.  Matt Stafford led the Lions well, throwing for 352 yards, 3 touchdowns and an interception.  Titus Young was the leading receiver, catching 9 passes for 100 yards and 2 touchdowns.  Mikel LeShoure had a respectable day, running for 46 yards off 10 carries.

16 (16) Dallas Cowboys (3-4) -
The Cowboys lost to the Giants on Sunday but can consider themselves very unlucky.  They turned the ball over 6 times and found themselves 23-0 down.  In fairness to the Cowboys they showed a lot of heart and refused to lie down when many other teams would have gave up.  Instead, they battled back and led 24-23 but 2 Lawrence Tynes field goals sealed the victory for the Giants.  Tony Romo had a mixed game, throwing for 437 yards and a touchdown but he also threw 4 interceptions.  The Cowboys running game never got going at all and they only picked up 19 yards from 17 carries.  The Cowboys star was Jason Witten who set a team record, catching 18 passes for 167 yards.  Miles Austin and Dez Bryant also played well.  Austin caught 9 passes for 133 yards and Bryant caught 5 passes for 110 yards.

17 (13) Arizona Cardinals (4-4) -
The Cardinals have now lost four in a row since their 4-0 start and their season is slowing crumbling.  They were well beat on Monday by a strong 49ers team and unless they can rediscover that winning formula, it looks as though they will miss the playoffs.  John Skelton threw for 290 yards and an interception.  The main target was once again, Andre Roberts, who caught 7 passes for 65 yards.  The running game was very poor and managed just 7 yards from 9 attempts.

18 (14) San Diego Chargers (3-4) - The Chargers were beat 7-6 by the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.  The Chargers couldn't get firing at all and they look very much the second best team in the AFC West behind the Denver Broncos.  In this game, Philip Rivers threw for just 154 yards.  Ronnie Brown caught 7 passes for 85 yards.  Ryan Matthews had a good day for the Chargers, running for 95 yards.  The Chargers could have done with winning this game but it wasn't to be and they have now dropped to 3-4.

19 (15) Philadelphia Eagles (3-4) - Sunday was the worst performance I have saw in ten years of being a Philadelphia Eagles fan.  There is absolutely nothing good to say about that display.  I've had a few rants this year about the Eagles and it has been fully justified.  They have a lot of talent but it looks like they have give up on the coach.  I don't blame them to be honest as I gave up on Reid myself but I'm not getting paid millions of dollars to play for a football team.  Our offense has been horrible all year but nothing has changed it's still as it was.  Our special teams has been bad, it's much the same.  The one unit that was performing was the defense and we changed the coordinator.  Nice move Andy Reid.  The game was deep in the fourth quarter and over as a contest before we made the Falcons punt the ball.  It is completely unacceptable and Andy Reid's time is up. 

20 (19) Cincinnati Bengals (3-4) - The Bengals had their bye week this week and it came at a good time for them.  After a 3-1 start, they have slipped up badly losing three in a row.  This week they face a tough battle when they host the Denver Broncos.

21 (18) Washington Redskins (3-5) -
The Redskins were well beaten in Pittsburgh by the Steelers and are now 3-5 for the season.  The Steelers done a great job on RG3 and he completed just 16 of 34 passes for 177 yards and a touchdown.  They were even better at stopping him running and he picked up just 8 yards from 6 carries.  Alfred Morris had more success, running for 59 yards from 13 carries but it wasn't enough to stop the Steelers and the Redskins will need to start winning if they have ambitions of a playoff place.

22 (28) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-4) -
The Bucs had a great win in Minnesota over the Vikings.  The Bucs were dominant and their offense is really beginning to click.  They had over 400 yards of offense and Josh Freeman had another good game.  Freeman threw for 262 yards and 3 touchdowns.  He was supported by an excellent display from running-back, Doug Martin.  He ran for 135 yards and a touchdown.  Martin also caught 3 passes for 79 yards and a touchdown.  Mike Williams also had a good day, catching 6 passes for 68 yards and a touchdown.

23 (27) Oakland Raiders (3-4) -
Oakland kept themselves alive with a win over the Kansas City Chiefs.  Carson Palmer completed 50% of his passes for 209 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception.  Denarius Moore was the leading receiver, catching 5 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown.  Raiders running-back, Darren McFadden had a good game and picked up 137 yards from scrimmage. 

24 (22) St Louis Rams (3-5) -
This years "home" team at Wembley Stadium, the St Louis Rams were completely blew apart by the New England Patriots.  Home teams are now 2-4 at Wembley but I'd say the more popular teams, in terms of UK fan bases, are now 6-0 in these games.  The Jags wouldn't be the most popular team over here so they may regret signing that 3 year deal.  In this game, Sam Bradford had a disappointing day, throwing for 205 yards, a touchdown and an interception.  Most disappointing, however, was Steven Jackson who picked up 23 yards from his 7 carries.  

25 (23) New Orleans Saints (2-5) -
The Saints two game winning run came to a crashing end on Sunday when they suffered a heavy defeat to the Denver Broncos.  Drew Brees wasn't at his usual high standards and completed just over 50% of his passes for 213 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception.  Pierre Thomas was having some success running the ball but he only had 8 carries at 5.4 yards per run.  When Thomas was picking up the yards, the Saints should have gave him more carries.  The Saints receivers were led by Jimmy Graham who caught 5 passes for 63 yards and a touchdown. 

26 (25) Tennessee Titans (3-5) -
The Titans recent good run ended on Sunday in a home loss to the Colts.  A win would have got the Titans back to .500 but it wasn't to be and the Colts eventually won in overtime.  Matt Hasselbeck had a good day, completing 22 of his 29 passes for 236 yards and a touchdown.  Chris Johnson had another good day on the ground and ran for 99 yards.  Nate Washington was the leading receiver, catching 5 passes for 69 yards. 

27 (24) New York Jets (3-5) -
The Jets are now 3-5 after picking up a loss to divisional rivals, thr Miami Dolphins.  The Jets were the better side for much of the game but a mixture of bad special teams play, turnovers and penalties led them to a heavy defeat.  Mark Sanchez threw for  283 yards, a touchdown and an interception.  Shonn Greene was the leading rusher, running for 77 yards.  The best receiver was Clyde Gates, who caught 7 passes for 82 yards.

28 (26) Buffalo Bills (3-4) -
The Bills were on their bye week and will have been glad to get the extra week to prepare for the Houston Texans who look like the best team in the AFC at the moment.

29 (30) Cleveland Browns (2-6) –
The Browns picked up their second win of the season in a horrible game against the San Diego Chargers.  The final score was 7-6 and I imagine defensive enthusiasts will have loved it but it's not what the majority of fans are paying the money for.  The Browns won the game through a touchdown from Trent Richardson.  Richardson had a good game, running for 122 yards and the touchdown from 24 carries.  Brandon Weeden completed just 11 of his 27 passes for 129 yards but the Browns picked up the win despite his poor display. 

30 (29) Carolina Panthers (1-6) – The Panthers will be gutted to have lost on Sunday to the Chicago Bears.  They were in control for much of the game and midway through the fourth quarter, they were leading by 12 points.  They conceded a touchdown with 6:52 left and then on the first play of the next drive, Cam Newton was intercepted and Tim Jennings returned it for a touchdown.  The Panthers recovered enough to lead again through a field goal with 2:27 left but it wasn't to be and Robbie Gould kicked the game-winning field goal for the Bears as time expired.  The Panthers had almost double the offensive yards, that the Bears had and the loss will be hard to take.  Cam Newton had a mixed day, throwing for 314 yards and 2 interceptions.  The receivers were led by Steve Smith, who caught 7 passes for 118 yards.  Once again, the running game was disappointing and ran for just 119 yards from 36 attempts.

31 (31) Jacksonville Jaguars (1-6) - The Jags are now 1-6 after another loss on Sunday, this time to the Green Bay Packers.  The Jags kept the game closer than many expected but fell short in the end.  Blaine Gabbert had a good game, throwing for 303 yards and a touchdown.  His leading receiver was Cecil Shorts III who caught 8 passes for 116 yards.  With Maurice Jones-Drew injured, Rashad Jennings became the teams first choice rusher but was only able to pick up 59 yards from 17 carries.  At 1-6 the Jags look done for the year and are looking likely to have at least a top 5 pick in the 2013 draft.

32 (32) Kansas City Chiefs (1-6) - The Chiefs are 1-6 now after a bad display at home to their divisional rivals, the Oakland Raiders.  The Chiefs had another 4 turnovers and it is absolutely killing this football team.  Matt Cassell completed 20 of 30 passes for 218 yards, a touchdown and an interception.  He also led the rushers with just 35 yards.  The receivers were led by Dwyane Bowe, who had 3 catches for 65 yards

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