The Cowboys stay on top the WEEI NFL Power Rankings until they lose a game, but the Seahawks jumped over the Patriots with both teams winning on Sunday. In retrospect, the top three should have looked like this LAST week, but with Rob Gronkowski out, Jabaal Sheard being a healthy scratch, Alan Branch suspended and a general uneasiness about whether the Patriots defense has the chops to win it all, I felt that the Seahawks are a slightly better team as it stands today. Rounding out the top five, the Raiders did their job and beat an inferior opponent on a neutral field, and the Giants made their first jump into the pool of elite teams as they extended their winning streak.
In the middle of the pack, the Dolphins, Vikings, Bills, Buccaneers and Panthers all made big leaps with wins in Week 11. It’s hard to imagine the Dolphins maintaining this level of success for much longer, but only because it’s been so long since they’ve done just that. The Panthers made the biggest jump of the week, vaulting seven spots, but the loss of Luke Kuechly is huge.
Bringing up the rear, the bottom six teams all lost. Only the Bears lost in such a fashion that they were demoted (to 29th). As a result, the Jets moved up a bit, but in no way, shape or form, does that mean Jets have actually improved on the field. The saddest surprise this year has to be the underperforming Bengals. Since Andy Dalton was drafted the Bengals have waiting until wild card weekend to collapse, but Marvin Lewis has decided to speed things up a bit in 2016.
1. (1 last week) Cowboys (9-1) — Dak Prescott’s remarkable run continued Sunday with a convincing win over the Ravens. While he’s been able to rely on fellow rookie Ezekiel Elliot to shoulder the offensive load early in the season, Prescott has shown in recent weeks that he can distribute the ball to Jason Witten and Dez Bryant as well. Even at 9-1, Dallas still has to play well down the stretch to win the NFC East, but it’s hard to find a flaw with this team.
2. (3) Seahawks (7-2-1) — Russell Wilson looks like he’s back to full strength after an ankle injury slowed him down for a few weeks earlier in the year. Wilson even caught a TD pass from Doug Baldwin in the third quarter on a WR reverse pass. Jimmy Graham is finally starting to heat up as well. The injury to promising RB C.J. Prosise has been about the only thing to go wrong for Seattle in the past month.
3. (2) Patriots (8-2) — Tom Brady continued his torrid pace with four more TDs on Sunday. Even with the game close at halftime, it never seemed in doubt for the Patriots. The return of Dion Lewis gives Brady yet another option to turn to, while Rob Gronkowski heals from a chest injury. The problems facing New England are on the defensive side of the ball. Through 10 games, the Pats have just nine takeaways, which puts them in a tie for 27th in the league. History has shown that at some point a championship team will have to rely on its defense to make some big plays.
4 (4) Raiders (8-2) — At 8-2, the Raiders are on top of the best division in football. Although he started slow, Derek Carr was spectacular on Monday Night Football. That Week 9 win over the Broncos will keep Oakland in front for the time being, but a Week 17 rematch likely will have massive implications on who gets a playoff bye.
5. (7) Giants (7-3) — The G-Men have won five in a row since OBJ threw a temper tantrum on the sideline in a loss to the Packers. That high-priced defense is starting to pay dividends. In those five wins they have 14 QB sacks, as opposed to just four in the first five games. They’ve also allowed just three passing TDs in that span, while picking off eight balls.
6. (6) Broncos (7-3) — The Broncos got healthy during the bye week, as evidenced by Derek Wolfe and Aqib Talib’s “full” participation in Monday’s practice. Talib’s presence solidifies the second-best passing defense in the league. The biggest question mark going forward will be the performance of the O-line, which has allowed Trevor Siemian to be sacked 19 times in 10 games. On the ground, Denver is averaging just 3.7 yards per carry, which is good for 26th in the NFL.
7. (11) Redskins (6-3-1) — Kirk Cousins and the Redskins are rolling right now. After starting the season 0-2, they were beginning to turn their back on Cousins. Coach Jay Gruden stuck by his QB’s side and now they have just one loss in their last eight games. Cousins ranks fourth in the NFL with 309 passing yards per game.
8. (5) Chiefs (7-3) — Jeremy Maclin is sorely missed. In the three games that he’s been out, the Chiefs have scored only three offensive touchdowns. On Sunday, Kansas City was inside the 10-yard line twice, and they came away with a field goal on one try and threw a pick in the end zone on the next. Only the Jets have a worse efficiency in the red zone.
9. (9) Lions (6-4) — It’s bizarre seeing the Lions in first place. It’s even more bizarre considering they’re 6-4 despite trailing at some point in the fourth quarter in EVERY game this season. Matt Stafford doesn’t have the stats to be the league MVP, but he’s been crucial and clutch down the stretch in each of the wins.
10. (15) Dolphins (6-4) — Miami looked dead in the water after starting the season 1-4. Since then, Ryan Tannehill has led the team to a five-game winning streak. Granted, none of the those teams have a winning record. Fortunately for Miami, that trend continues. Of the six remaining games, only ONE is against a winning team — New England in Week 17. It’s likely the Patriots will have wrapped up a No. 1 seed at that point and could be resting their starters.
11. (8) Falcons (6-4) — The Falcons are averaging 32 points per game, which is tops in the league, but before their bye they managed just 15 points against the Eagles. Right now Atlanta’s defense is ranked 27th in the league. Teams have won with great offenses and poor defenses, but rarely do they win it all.
12. (16) Vikings (6-4) — In addition to Minnesota snapping its four-game losing streak, ESPN is reporting that Adrian Peterson could return to action by mid-December. The defense was the reason the Vikings started the season 5-0. On Sunday, Xavier Rhodes had a 100-yard pick-six, which could help give the defense its swagger back.
13. (10) Ravens (5-5) — I won’t mark down the Ravens too much for Sunday’s loss on the road vs. the best team in the league. They need CB Jimmy Smith to return to the lineup, as the defense has been torched by the likes of Odell Beckham Jr. and Dez Bryant in his absence. Luckily for the Ravens, next week they play a beat-up Bengals team that likely will be missing A.J. Green.
14. (12) Eagles (5-5) — Philly is 1-3 in its last four games. All three loses came on the road, which gives the Eagles a 1-5 road record. Those struggles away from home, combined with a strong NFC East, all but eliminate their chances of making the postseason.
15. (13) Texans (6-4) — Houston fell victim to some questionable officiating to take the loss on Monday night. (Also, some fans in Mexico were shining laser pointers in the eyes of Brock Osweiler, but he seemed to overcome it.) The Texans defense held the Raiders offense to just 10 points in the first half but had no answers for the Oakland receivers down the stretch.
16. (17) Steelers (5-5) — It’s a down year for the AFC North, so at 5-5 the Steelers are right in the thick of it. They coasted to an easy win on Sunday over the hapless Browns. Now they can coast to an easy win over the Andrew Luck-less Colts on Thursday night.
17. (23) Bills (5-5) — Buffalo still is waiting for the return of Sammy Watkins, who was placed on IR after Week 2 with a foot injury. As of Monday night, Watkins had not been cleared by the team, but the Bills need him. Robert Woods left the locker room on crutches after Sunday’s win, and LeSean McCoy had surgery on his injured thumb, although he is expected to play in Week 12. Even if the Bills don’t make the playoffs, the front office still will be evaluating Tyrod Taylor for the last five games of the season, to decide if he’s a franchise QB.
18. (14) Titans (5-6) — Obviously when I predicted last week that the Titans would make the AFCCG, they were doomed to lose. They’ve been alternating wins and losses for six weeks, and although Marcus Mariota has improved in his sophomore season, the team will need some help from Indy and Houston to win the AFC South.
19. (24) Buccaneers (5-5) — The QB for the division-leading Falcons has garnered national attention for an MVP bid, but Jameis Winston has quietly led the Bucs to a 5-5 record and they now stand just one game behind Atlanta for the NFC South lead. Sunday’s road win over the Chiefs should give Tampa Bay a little confidence heading into a Week 12 matchup with the Seahawks.
20. (27) Panthers (4-6) — When the Panthers started the season 1-5 they faced long odds to make the playoffs. After missing three games in 2015 with a concussion, Luke Kuechly now is back in the concussion protocol after a jarring scene on Thursday night. The Panthers have set no timetable for his return. Fortunately for the Panthers, they beat the Saints and now are just two games behind the Falcons in the NFC South. However, up next they play back-to-back road games vs. the Raiders and Seahawks.
21. (18) Cardinals (4-5-1) — Sunday’s loss to the Vikings included a KO return for a TD, an INT return for a TD, and eight penalties, including some costly personal fouls. David Johnson remains the lone bright spot in a letdown of a season. The trendy preseason pick to at least get to the NFCCG is just about done, with four of its last six games on the road.
22. (19) Packers (4-6) — Green Bay is in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in seven years. Aaron Rodgers is still pretty good, but he’s obviously no longer good enough to make up for his team’s shortcomings. The window is just about shut on the 2016 season.
23. (21) Colts (5-5) — Indy has won three of its last four, including a pair of division wins over the surging Titans. However, Andrew Luck suffered a concussion at some point in the fourth quarter and is not expected to play Thursday night vs. the Steelers. Luck has been the only reason the Colts have been able to stay relatively afloat. They now turn to a guy named Scott Tolzien, who has made six appearances in his career and last played meaningful snaps in 2013.
24. (20) Saints (4-6) — With Thursday Night’s loss to Carolina, the Saints lost back-to-back games by a combined five points. Drew Brees is averaging 316 passing yards per game, good for first in the league, but the problems on defense and special teams have been to much to overcome.
25. (22) Chargers (4-6) — San Diego spent the bye week licking its wounds after 31-24 loss to the Dolphins in Week 10. Philip Rivers threw four picks in the loss. The Chargers likely are the best 4-6 team in football, but they play in the best division in the league and lost too many close games to make a run. (Their six losses were by an average of 4.8 points.) Like last year, many fans are starting to turn their attention OFF the field, as owner Dean Spanos looks to either move the team or upgrade his stadium.
26. (26) Rams (4-6) — With the Rams 4-6, Jeff Fisher has officially flipped the script on all of us. In case you didn’t know, Fisher keeps his teams at .500 better than any other coach, so by losing on Sunday to the Dolphins he proved that just when you think he’s going to zig, the man with the finest mustache in football will zag. Fisher has 162 career losses, tying him with with Tom Landry for the most all-time. (Landry took 82 more games to attain this dubious record.)
27. (25) Bengals (3-6-1) — Marvin Lewis and the Bengals are in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in five years. If they’re going to make a push, they’ll do it without Giovanni Bernard, who is lost for the year with a torn ACL. Pro Bowl WR A.J. Green has been diagnosed with a hamstring strain and will miss this week’s divisional matchup with the Ravens. Unless a chance to make the postseason falls into their lap, it would be shortsighted to rush Green back from that type of injury.
28. (29) Jets (3-7) — Sunday’s 9-6 loss to the Rams marked the third time this year the Jets were held to UNDER seven points. The Bryce Petty experiment apparently is over. On Monday, Jets coach Todd Bowles said that Ryan Fitzpatrick would start in the Week 12 matchup with the Patriots. With the Jets at 3-7, it’s stupid to spend any more time trying to win games in 2016. They need to see what they have in Petty so they can make better decisions in the offseason.
29. (28) Bears (2-8) — Sunday’s loss to the Giants involved a lot of injuries. Jay Cutler suffered a shoulder injury that could end his season. Zach Miller broke his foot. LB Leonard Floyd suffered a neck injury and had to be immobilized as he was carted off the field and taken to the hospital. If they’re not getting hurt, the Bears are getting caught with their hands in the cookie jar. A week after Alshon Jeffery was suspended four games for PEDs, LB Jerrell Freeman was popped for the same thing.
30. (30) Jaguars (2-8) — Blake Bortles continues to be the problem for Jacksonville. He threw two more picks in a loss to the Lions and now is tied with Ryan Fitzpatrick for the most in the league with 13. As a team, Jacksonville has a minus-15 turnover ratio, which is good for dead last in the NFL.
31. (31) 49ers (1-9) — A pummeling at the hands of the Patriots gives San Francisco its ninth straight loss. Colin Kaepernick has been under center for five of those losses, and his struggles in the second half continued on Sunday. He went into the locker room with a perfect passer rating at halftime, then converted just 8-of-21 passes in the second half, with just 90 yards and a garbage-time touchdown.
32. (32) Browns (0-11) — At 0-11, the Browns are the first team officially eliminated from playoff contention. They really, really should have won that game a few weeks ago against the Jets. Cody Kessler suffered his second concussion of the year, so it looks like they’ll turn back to Josh McCown (again) as they wait for RGIII to get healthy. It’s unlikely they’ll win any of their five remaining games.