stormtrooper8
- Joined
- May 30, 2022
- Messages
- 11,155
Here are the rankings. Last week's rankings in parentheses
1. Eagles (3) - I’ve been hesitant to put this team up here all season long, and I still think they will be flakey come playoff time, but with injury concerns with SF as well as their continued ability to both run-block and pass-protect for Hurts and Co., I have to put this team at #1 for now. They visit the Meadowlands to try and rack up a division win against the Giants, and keep distance from Dallas.
2. Chiefs (1) - I’m not going to dock them too many points for losing a competitive road game in Cincinnati. They were thoroughly outplayed, but they made some great plays to keep drives going and were able to move the ball against a solid defense. They have an easy upcoming schedule, starting with a trip to Denver this weekend.
3. Cowboys (4) - This team is going to be very hard for anyone to beat if they keep rolling like this. They have talent across the roster, and Dak has been very solid and enough of a spark to make their offense not too run-dependent. They essentially get a bye week with the Texans coming to town.
4. Bengals (6) - Great win for the AFC Champs, as Burrow outplays Mahomes yet again. The Bengals are rolling right now. As great as Burrow and the pass game looks, it’s been the offensive line and run game that has really opened up things for this offense. They have to avoid a letdown against the Browns to be able to move further up.
5. Bills (5) - Much better performance from Buffalo on the road in Foxboro. They looked in control the whole game, and were able to run the ball effectively while not over-relying on Josh Allen. That’s a formula that can win games in January. The plucky Jets come to Orchard Park for a divisional showdown this Sunday.
6. 49ers (2) - Tough loss for the 49ers by losing Jimmy for the year. The injury took away from a dominant performance that was not as close as the 16-point margin indicated. They have the best defense in the league and a great running game, so the question will be if Purdy can steady the ship. They dip in the rankings for those reasons. They will have a hungry Bucs team and a solid defense visiting Levi’s this weekend. Good test for Purdy.
7. Ravens (8) - The Lamar situation looks a little dicey. The team as a whole seems to be kinda just floating a lot and not playing very well. The bright side for them has been the emergence and growth of their defense, though maybe playing Denver isn’t a great gauge. They will visit Pittsburgh this weekend in what could be a tough game for them, assuming Huntley starts.
8. Vikings (10) - The boys up north finding ways to win close games. They got thoroughly outplayed for the majority of this game, but they made the plays when it mattered most and they deserve credit for that. They visit Ford Field to take on a Lions team that has been playing a lot better as of late.
9. Bucs (12) -The GOAT did GOAT things again. This team can suck for long stretches of games but pull 'em out because of their defense and GOAT QB. Now Tampa hits the road to take on Purdy and the 49ers. Interesting game
10. Titans (9) - Rough game for Tennessee. They usually play well as dogs under Vrabel, but the trips to Buffalo and Philadelphia this year have been pretty dreadful and concerning enough to the point where we probably can’t take this team too seriously. Having said that, they bounced back from that Buffalo game and won 7 of 8. I think they can get this thing running again with the Jags at home this weekend.
11. Patriots (10) - A couple tough losses in a row for the Patriots, who look like they are going to be a team scraping to get into the playoffs. Losses for other teams in the race helped them immensely though. The good news is they get to visit an Arizona team that doesn’t have much to play for.
12. Seahawks (15) - Good win for Seattle, though it proved to be a little more challenging than many thought it would be. Team continues to really struggle defensively, which doesn’t bode well for them down the stretch. Getting Carolina at home this weekend though should give them a nice opportunity to right some wrongs on that end, though.
13. Commanders (13) - Kind of a mucky game in New York. Washington missed an opportunity to get an 8th win and have some positive momentum. This felt like a game they finally had expectations in, and they couldn’t quite live up to them. Still, they have a shot at a playoff berth. They need to come out of the bye firing.
14. Jets (14) - Tough loss on the road for the Jets, even though they appeared to control much of the game. Their defense continues to play pretty well, especially in the pass game. Despite quarterback questions, their defense is plucky enough for them to remain in the playoff hunt I think. They have a tough task visiting Orchard Park this weekend though.
15. Giants (16) - They tied in a game that they likely felt they should have won. Hard to not get a result despite being the better team, at least in my opinion. They haven’t faded as much as I thought they would, and look bound to be in the wild card hunt all the way until the end. They have the Eagles coming to town this weekend.
16. Lions (20) - Detroit is playing a lot better and would be back to .500 if not for a crazy ending on Thanksgiving. They are looking better on both sides of the ball. They are a hard team to stop when they get their weapons involved and the line is playing well. Big game at home against the division-leading Vikings.
17. Chargers (16) - This team continues to be kind of a puzzle, though the results have basically stayed the same. They have done better in close games, but overall they have not been able to solve their defense in terms of stopping/slowing down the run, and Herbert hasn’t been as great as we thought he’d be. They have the Dolphins coming to town on prime time this week.
18. Steelers (19) - Slowly but surely Pittsburgh is playing a little bit better each week. Watt coming back really provided a lift. They lack talent, and sure their wins haven’t been against the best teams, but they will not be a gimme for the rest of the year. They always play Baltimore tough, and they get them sans Lamar this week.
19. Raiders (23) - Las Vegas continues to play better and better, and is making that loss to Indy feel like a distant memory. The offense continues to roll, but it was the defense that made some nice plays to preserve a win over the Chargers. They are kind of lingering in the playoff hunt thanks to miscues from other contenders. Now they get to play the hapless Rams on the road.
20. Falcons (18) - Atlanta again blunders a late opportunity to win a game. They have continued to fight, but the lack of talent on this roster is hindering them and I think will be tough to overcome down the stretch. The playoffs are on the table in a sorry division, and they will have their shot after the bye.
21. Packers (21) - Green Bay continues its dominance over Chicago. Rodgers continued to look very pedestrian, but the defense finally showed up. And that Watson guy might be pretty good. Bye week upcoming before the final stretch of this sorry season.
22. Cardinals (22) - We’ll see if this team can at least get something going after a bye week, though they don’t have much reason to fight. Will they show up against a desperate Patriots team?
23. Browns (25) - They get credit for showing up defensively (finally), but man did DeShaun Watson look bad. That was a pretty unique game in terms of defense/special teams problems. This team has a lot of issues, and this game in Cincinnati against a hot team may not be a good spot for them.
24. Bears (27) - They move up a bit sorta by default, though it’s obvious that they are a much better team with Fields in there despite the loss. They don’t have much to play for, but I don’t think this team will throw in the towel – and I do think they’re better than their record. Bye week is coming.
25. Jaguars (24) - Wow, what a bad performance. Seems like they came crashing back down to earth after a dramatic win against the Ravens. They almost got the basement treatment, but it is reserved for another squad. They now go on the road to play an angry Tennessee team. Good luck
26. Colts (26) - They seemed competitive until the 4th quarter, which may have been the worst 4th quarter in franchise history and probably the worst one we’ve seen across the league this year. 33-0 is pretty incredible. This team doesn’t seem to have much to play for at this point. Their fans should be happy to not have to watch them this week as they are on a bye.
27. Saints (28) - They obviously should have closed the door, but not much you can do when Brady activates GOAT mode. Dalton actually looked pretty good, and the defense finally seems to be playing well, but god their coach is awful. Enjoy the bye week, Saints fans. Their long shot odds to win the division are now gone.
28. Rams (29) - They finally showed some signs of having a competent NFL offense on Sunday. Unfortunately it was not enough to beat a pretty respectable Seattle squad. That’s just kind of the year it’s been – lost for the Super Bowl champs. Let’s see how motivated they are to play the Raiders on Sunday.
29. Panthers (30) - The Panthers are technically still in the mix as they are only 2 behind in the loss column against the Bucs and get to play them again, while Tampa has a tough schedule. Can they pull off some magic with Darnold at the helm? They start their “playoff push” (lol) on the road against the Seahawks.
30. Broncos (32) - They were in yet another game because of its defense, yet the offense couldn’t muster many points once again. I knew this year would be a struggle for them, but my god has this been worse than expected. They get a Chiefs team coming to town off a loss. Good luck with that.
31. Texans (31) - Wow. This team looked atrocious in a fairly emotional game with Watson back in the building. The defense looked ready to play, but holy shit what a disaster otherwise. The tanking campaign continues. They gotta go to Dallas this weekend. Yikes.
32. Dolphins (7) - They get the basement treatment this week. I’m sorry, but this team was exposed this weekend. The score and stat sheet frankly don’t indicate how ugly this was. They got dominated on both lines of scrimmage, and we all got a good look at what Tua really is when he has to actually play against a top level defense. To make matters worse, they got dominated against a rookie QB getting his first real action. Yikes. They can plop themselves back into the top 10 with a nice performance this week, but man was that game a reality check. I hope they aren’t the Vikings of the AFC, but that’s kinda what it feels like right now.
1. Eagles (3) - I’ve been hesitant to put this team up here all season long, and I still think they will be flakey come playoff time, but with injury concerns with SF as well as their continued ability to both run-block and pass-protect for Hurts and Co., I have to put this team at #1 for now. They visit the Meadowlands to try and rack up a division win against the Giants, and keep distance from Dallas.
2. Chiefs (1) - I’m not going to dock them too many points for losing a competitive road game in Cincinnati. They were thoroughly outplayed, but they made some great plays to keep drives going and were able to move the ball against a solid defense. They have an easy upcoming schedule, starting with a trip to Denver this weekend.
3. Cowboys (4) - This team is going to be very hard for anyone to beat if they keep rolling like this. They have talent across the roster, and Dak has been very solid and enough of a spark to make their offense not too run-dependent. They essentially get a bye week with the Texans coming to town.
4. Bengals (6) - Great win for the AFC Champs, as Burrow outplays Mahomes yet again. The Bengals are rolling right now. As great as Burrow and the pass game looks, it’s been the offensive line and run game that has really opened up things for this offense. They have to avoid a letdown against the Browns to be able to move further up.
5. Bills (5) - Much better performance from Buffalo on the road in Foxboro. They looked in control the whole game, and were able to run the ball effectively while not over-relying on Josh Allen. That’s a formula that can win games in January. The plucky Jets come to Orchard Park for a divisional showdown this Sunday.
6. 49ers (2) - Tough loss for the 49ers by losing Jimmy for the year. The injury took away from a dominant performance that was not as close as the 16-point margin indicated. They have the best defense in the league and a great running game, so the question will be if Purdy can steady the ship. They dip in the rankings for those reasons. They will have a hungry Bucs team and a solid defense visiting Levi’s this weekend. Good test for Purdy.
7. Ravens (8) - The Lamar situation looks a little dicey. The team as a whole seems to be kinda just floating a lot and not playing very well. The bright side for them has been the emergence and growth of their defense, though maybe playing Denver isn’t a great gauge. They will visit Pittsburgh this weekend in what could be a tough game for them, assuming Huntley starts.
8. Vikings (10) - The boys up north finding ways to win close games. They got thoroughly outplayed for the majority of this game, but they made the plays when it mattered most and they deserve credit for that. They visit Ford Field to take on a Lions team that has been playing a lot better as of late.
9. Bucs (12) -The GOAT did GOAT things again. This team can suck for long stretches of games but pull 'em out because of their defense and GOAT QB. Now Tampa hits the road to take on Purdy and the 49ers. Interesting game
10. Titans (9) - Rough game for Tennessee. They usually play well as dogs under Vrabel, but the trips to Buffalo and Philadelphia this year have been pretty dreadful and concerning enough to the point where we probably can’t take this team too seriously. Having said that, they bounced back from that Buffalo game and won 7 of 8. I think they can get this thing running again with the Jags at home this weekend.
11. Patriots (10) - A couple tough losses in a row for the Patriots, who look like they are going to be a team scraping to get into the playoffs. Losses for other teams in the race helped them immensely though. The good news is they get to visit an Arizona team that doesn’t have much to play for.
12. Seahawks (15) - Good win for Seattle, though it proved to be a little more challenging than many thought it would be. Team continues to really struggle defensively, which doesn’t bode well for them down the stretch. Getting Carolina at home this weekend though should give them a nice opportunity to right some wrongs on that end, though.
13. Commanders (13) - Kind of a mucky game in New York. Washington missed an opportunity to get an 8th win and have some positive momentum. This felt like a game they finally had expectations in, and they couldn’t quite live up to them. Still, they have a shot at a playoff berth. They need to come out of the bye firing.
14. Jets (14) - Tough loss on the road for the Jets, even though they appeared to control much of the game. Their defense continues to play pretty well, especially in the pass game. Despite quarterback questions, their defense is plucky enough for them to remain in the playoff hunt I think. They have a tough task visiting Orchard Park this weekend though.
15. Giants (16) - They tied in a game that they likely felt they should have won. Hard to not get a result despite being the better team, at least in my opinion. They haven’t faded as much as I thought they would, and look bound to be in the wild card hunt all the way until the end. They have the Eagles coming to town this weekend.
16. Lions (20) - Detroit is playing a lot better and would be back to .500 if not for a crazy ending on Thanksgiving. They are looking better on both sides of the ball. They are a hard team to stop when they get their weapons involved and the line is playing well. Big game at home against the division-leading Vikings.
17. Chargers (16) - This team continues to be kind of a puzzle, though the results have basically stayed the same. They have done better in close games, but overall they have not been able to solve their defense in terms of stopping/slowing down the run, and Herbert hasn’t been as great as we thought he’d be. They have the Dolphins coming to town on prime time this week.
18. Steelers (19) - Slowly but surely Pittsburgh is playing a little bit better each week. Watt coming back really provided a lift. They lack talent, and sure their wins haven’t been against the best teams, but they will not be a gimme for the rest of the year. They always play Baltimore tough, and they get them sans Lamar this week.
19. Raiders (23) - Las Vegas continues to play better and better, and is making that loss to Indy feel like a distant memory. The offense continues to roll, but it was the defense that made some nice plays to preserve a win over the Chargers. They are kind of lingering in the playoff hunt thanks to miscues from other contenders. Now they get to play the hapless Rams on the road.
20. Falcons (18) - Atlanta again blunders a late opportunity to win a game. They have continued to fight, but the lack of talent on this roster is hindering them and I think will be tough to overcome down the stretch. The playoffs are on the table in a sorry division, and they will have their shot after the bye.
21. Packers (21) - Green Bay continues its dominance over Chicago. Rodgers continued to look very pedestrian, but the defense finally showed up. And that Watson guy might be pretty good. Bye week upcoming before the final stretch of this sorry season.
22. Cardinals (22) - We’ll see if this team can at least get something going after a bye week, though they don’t have much reason to fight. Will they show up against a desperate Patriots team?
23. Browns (25) - They get credit for showing up defensively (finally), but man did DeShaun Watson look bad. That was a pretty unique game in terms of defense/special teams problems. This team has a lot of issues, and this game in Cincinnati against a hot team may not be a good spot for them.
24. Bears (27) - They move up a bit sorta by default, though it’s obvious that they are a much better team with Fields in there despite the loss. They don’t have much to play for, but I don’t think this team will throw in the towel – and I do think they’re better than their record. Bye week is coming.
25. Jaguars (24) - Wow, what a bad performance. Seems like they came crashing back down to earth after a dramatic win against the Ravens. They almost got the basement treatment, but it is reserved for another squad. They now go on the road to play an angry Tennessee team. Good luck
26. Colts (26) - They seemed competitive until the 4th quarter, which may have been the worst 4th quarter in franchise history and probably the worst one we’ve seen across the league this year. 33-0 is pretty incredible. This team doesn’t seem to have much to play for at this point. Their fans should be happy to not have to watch them this week as they are on a bye.
27. Saints (28) - They obviously should have closed the door, but not much you can do when Brady activates GOAT mode. Dalton actually looked pretty good, and the defense finally seems to be playing well, but god their coach is awful. Enjoy the bye week, Saints fans. Their long shot odds to win the division are now gone.
28. Rams (29) - They finally showed some signs of having a competent NFL offense on Sunday. Unfortunately it was not enough to beat a pretty respectable Seattle squad. That’s just kind of the year it’s been – lost for the Super Bowl champs. Let’s see how motivated they are to play the Raiders on Sunday.
29. Panthers (30) - The Panthers are technically still in the mix as they are only 2 behind in the loss column against the Bucs and get to play them again, while Tampa has a tough schedule. Can they pull off some magic with Darnold at the helm? They start their “playoff push” (lol) on the road against the Seahawks.
30. Broncos (32) - They were in yet another game because of its defense, yet the offense couldn’t muster many points once again. I knew this year would be a struggle for them, but my god has this been worse than expected. They get a Chiefs team coming to town off a loss. Good luck with that.
31. Texans (31) - Wow. This team looked atrocious in a fairly emotional game with Watson back in the building. The defense looked ready to play, but holy shit what a disaster otherwise. The tanking campaign continues. They gotta go to Dallas this weekend. Yikes.
32. Dolphins (7) - They get the basement treatment this week. I’m sorry, but this team was exposed this weekend. The score and stat sheet frankly don’t indicate how ugly this was. They got dominated on both lines of scrimmage, and we all got a good look at what Tua really is when he has to actually play against a top level defense. To make matters worse, they got dominated against a rookie QB getting his first real action. Yikes. They can plop themselves back into the top 10 with a nice performance this week, but man was that game a reality check. I hope they aren’t the Vikings of the AFC, but that’s kinda what it feels like right now.
