NFL Week 11 Power Rankings

After a one week hiatus, my NFL Power Rankings are back. The top of the order has seen a major shift, with the Eagles falling from 3rd all the way to 12th, and the Jets making a run to the top with an impressive win in New England. 

Biggest Increase: Indianapolis Colts (From 14 to 7)

Biggest Drop: Philadelphia Eagles (From 3 to 12)

Here are my rankings after Week 11:

1) New York Giants (8-1)

2) Tennessee Titans (10-0)

3) Pittsburgh Steelers (7-3)

4) New York Jets (7-3)

5) Carolina Panthers (7-3)

6) New England Patriots (6-4)

7) Indianapolis Colts (6-4)

8) Washington Redskins (6-4)

9) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-3)

10) Arizona Cardinals (7-3)

11) Atlanta Hawks (6-4)

12) Philadelphia Eagles (5-4-1)

13) Green Pay Packers (5-5)

14) Chicago Bears (5-5)

15) Dallas Cowboys (6-4)

16) Baltimore Ravens (6-4)

17) Miami Dolphins (6-4)

18) Denver Broncos (6-4)

19) New Orleans Saints (5-5)

20) San Diego Chargers (4-6)

21) Jacksonville Jaguars (4-6)

22) Minnesota Vikings (5-5)

23) Cleveland Browns (3-6)

24) Buffalo Bills (5-4)

25) Houston Texans (3-7)

26) San Fransico 49ers (3-7)

27) Detroit Lions (0-10)

28) Cincinnati Bengals (1-8-1)

29) St Louis Rams (2-8)

30) Seattle Seahawks (2-8)

31) Kansas City Chiefs (1-9)

32) Oakland Raiders (2-8)

Sixers Coming On

While one Philadelphia team is falling from grace, another one has managed to save its season with a nice run of victiories.

I am talking of course about the 76ers, who after losing 3 straight to fall to 2-5, have bounced back in a major way. First, they went beyond the border to Canada to get revenege on the Raptors, who handed them a season opening loss. They managed to win that one by 10 points.

The next game was the big one. Facing the Pacers in Indiana, the Sixers came out flat, falling behind by 25 points in the opening fram. But they manged to make almost all of that up in the second quarter alone, outscoring the Pacers by 17 in the second quarter to enter half time down only 8. This one was a nail bitter down to the very end, but the Sixers, behind Thaddeus Young's 25 points, held on to get a key road win by 2 points, 94 to 92.

Feeding off the emotional come from behind win, the Sixers got the gift of facing the 1-8 Oklahoma City Thunder at the Wachovia Center for their next game. This one was never really a contest, and the Sixers cruised to a 110-85 win. This capped off a three game win streak, to bring the Sixers record back to .500, at 5-5.

The Sixers have been a team that has gotten their points from all around this season. Young leads them in scoring with an average of 16 points per game. But Elton Brand is right behind him with 15, and point guard Andre Miller has also contributed 15 per game.

An promising sign for the Sixers has been the play of Andre Iguodala. Even though he has scoring, he has found ways to contribute. He has season averages of 12 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists.

The Sixers should be able to continue their winning ways, with games agaisnt the lowley Minnestoa Timberwolves, Los Angeles Clipper and Charloette Bobcats on the horizon.

Why Can's Us?

Look, after Sundays debacle in Ohio, there is no reason for any body to be optimistic. All of the talk in Philadelphia has been anything but.

Andy Reid had to go. This is Donovan McNabbs last season. Westbrook isn't himself.

The season is over.

All of those arguments have merit. Reid probaly should be fired after how his team plays on Sunday. In all likely hood, these are the last 6 games of the McNabb era in Philadelphia. And as disscussed on this site earlier, Westbrook has not been the same Westbrook all year.

But all of that being said, despite how bleek it looks, the Eagles are still alive. There are 6 whole weeks left in the season. Thats almost 2 months. Alot can happen in 2 months. Look at all that has happened in the last 6 weeks:

1) Dallas Cowboys went from the NFC Favorite to border line playoff tea

2) The Miami Dolphins have won 4 in a row

3) The Tennesse Titans have still not lost

While non of this gives you any reason to hope that McNabb will all of the sudden remember how to throw, it does give you this reason to hope: anything can happen.

When Jeff Garcia led the Eagles into the playoffs, who saw that coming? That season, the Eagles were 5-4 when McNabb went down. There had already lost 3 games in a row that season after starting 4-1, and looked like a team going no where.

Then, behind Garica, they won their final 5 games of the season. They went into Dallas and beat a favored Cowboys team. They beat the Giants in New York and the Redskins in Washington two weeks in a row. But most importanlty, they rallied at the end of the season to advance into the playoffs.

Could that happen this year? Well, after the tie on Sunday, the Eagles stand at 5-4-1. They are gamd and a half back of the Buccaneers, who are 7-3. They are a half game behind the Cowboys, Redskins and Falcons, who are all 6-4. They are a game ahead of the Packers and Vikings at 5-5.

But that is not that bad of a position to be in. They own the tiebreaker over the Falcons, because they beat them previously. They get a chance to make up the half game on both the Redskins and the Cowboys, who they still have to play. There other remaining oppenents? The Ravens, Cardinals, and Browns. Those are all winnable games, with the trip to Baltimore next week being the hardest. It will require other teams to do their part and lose, but who would have thought the Cowboys would be 5-4 at this point? Or that the Eagles would tie the Bengals? Strange things happen in the NFL, and any given sunday means just that.

Like I said, this is an opptimistic view of the season. But who would have thought that the Phillies would be world series champions? Maybe the curse is finally broken, and William Penn will shine down some luck on Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb.

So while a playoff berth will require near perfection down the road, the question I ask you is:

Why Can't Us?

Eagles Blow It

Wow. 

If any game has ever summed up a season for a team, yesterday was it.

A week after losing a heartbreaker to the New York Giants, this game was a must win. at 5-4, the chance of getting in the playoffs was a long shot. The Eagles needed a win, and there couldnt have been a better set up. 

They were facing the 1-8 Cincinatti Bengals. Worst defense in the league. Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback. 

And they blew. 

Right off the bat, it was bad. The Eagles offense went three and out on their first three drives, not getting it until into the second quarter. They totaled -3 yards in the first quarter. While the defense played strong, the offense also managed to give the Bengals the ball on the 1 yard line after a fumble by McNabb. 

The defense was able to pull off a goal line stand, making the score 3-0. This was a big stop by the Eagles defense because after the awful play of the offense and that huge turnover, the stop was able to give the momentum back to the Birds.

On their next drive, the Eagles were able to answer, getting a 42 yard field goal after a 44 yard screen pass to Correll Buckhalter. But that tie would not last long, as 2 drives later, the Bengals finally broke thru, hitting T.J. Housmenzadah for a 26 year touchdown. It was a beautiful throw by Ryan Fitzpatrick. For some reason the Eagles had Joselio Hanson matched up with the Bengals best wide receiver on the play. 

The Eagles offense played bad all day, but down 13-3, McNabb managed to put together a nice drive. He hit Hank Baskett on a short route, who stiff armed a Bengal and shot up the field for a 51 yard gain. On the next play, McNabb found L.J. Smith for a touchdown to pull the Eagles to within 3. 

With 8 minutes to go in the 4th quarter, down 3, and their season on the line, the Eagles offense took the field for the 12th time, needing a field goal. The Eagles slowly moved the ball down the field, but on a key 3rd and 6 play near the Bengals endzone, the Birds came up 1 yard short. They had already converted a 4th down try earlier in the drive, but Reid decided to kick he field goal. 

In the next 20 minutes of football, including overtime, the Eagles managed to get nothing going. Even with the Bengals practically trying to give the game away, the Eagles couldn't take it. They coulnd't convert short yard plays. Rocca all of the sudden forgot how to punt. They had 3 penaltys on the offense in overtime- in 1 series.

What this all adds up to is an embarrising 13-13 tie. This moved the Eagles record to 5-4-1. With the Cowboys winning last night, this dropped them to last place in the division. 

McNabb played his worst game as a pro. He threw 3 interceptions and lost a fumbel. He threw the ball 50 times and completed only 20. He didn't hurry up the offense at all towards the end of the game, leading to a delay of game penalty. For all of the times I defend him on this blog, he lost the game for the Eagles yesterday. 

This game was a picture of what the season for the Eagles has been like. Close, but not close enough. Could have won, but didn't. Played bad, they were still in it. All season, Eagles fans have pointed to close losses by the team, saying they can play with teams like the Giants. But at what point do we just say the Eagles are not a good team? They are talented, but there just not good. They can't win close games, don't make big plays, and can't convert simple plays. Their poorly coached and can't run. 

And watching yesterdays game, it was hard to tell who was 5-4 and who was 1-8.

Eagles v Bengals Preview

Simply put, if the Eagles have any hope or prayer of making a success out of this season, it has to start tommorw. The Eagles have an up hill battle as it is to make the playoffs, so these are the type of games that must go down in the win column. 

Why The Eagles Will Win:

1) There the Bengals Again: After a few years of being a playoff team, an offensive force, and a team that was no longer an automatic win, the Bengals are back. A combination of injuries and bad play have led the Bengals to a  1-8 record. In almost every statistical category on offense, they are in the bottom 3 of the league. After facing a great running team last week in the Giants, the Eagles defense should excel this week agaisnt a Bengals team that averages only 86 rushing yards a game. The misery dosn't end there. They average only 13 points a game, 151 passing yards, and are last in total yards a game. 

2) Ryan Fitzpatrick: When the Bengals offense take the field on Sunday, Carson Palmer will not be under center for them. That is good news for the Eagles, who should feast on backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. In his 5 games played since Palmer got hurt, Fitzpatrick only have 4 touchdowns. His longest pass has been for only 22 yards. He has never thrown for over 200 yards in a game, and has 6 interceptions. Him being at quarterback negates the two pro bowl wide receivers that the Bengals have in Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmanzada. Asante Samuel, Sheldon Brown and Lito Shepppard should have a field day with this guy under center.

3) Just Loss: The Eagles are coming off a huge loss to the Giants, and will be ready to get back in the win column. There season is still very much alive, but a loss here would probaly be the end of any playoff hopes. Simply put, the Eagles are the better team, need it more, and the pressure is on them to win. If they don't, there is no need to be excited about the rest of the season.

Why The Eagles Will Lose: 

1) Bengals Defense: Nothing on the Bengals is good. You don't get to be 1-8 by excelling in something. But if you had to pick a strength, it would be the defense. And the best part of the defense is the secondary. They are 10th in the league in passing yards allowed. That could be a jaded statistic, as most teams have been up on the Bengals and run the ball. But still, the strength of the Eagles offense is the running game, and if somehow the Bengals an hold the Eagles to 151 yards passing (what they average allowed), then this game could be a lot harder.

2) Close Loses: While they are 1-8, and Bengals have played teams close. They brought the Giants to overtime in New York, and almost beat the Cowboys in Dallas. Granted, that was with Carson Palmer at quarterback, but it still shows that this team might be better then its record shows. The Bengals are also coming off a Bye Week, and won their last game played against a good Jacksonville Jaguars team. 

3) Nothing to Lose: At 1-8, the Bengals season is over. Their head coach, Marvin Lewis, probaly won't be back next year. They have nothing to lose, and no pressure is on them. Also, coming off of  a win, their confidence could be coming back. If there was one week to not want to play the Bengals, this is it. 

Prediction: Despite that fact that Bengals did just win a game, and are coming off a bye, I don't see Ryan Fitzpatrick beating the Eagles. Hopefully, the Eagles put this one away early, play hard, and don't look ahead till next week. 

Pick: Eagles 28 Bengals 13

Who Won Favre Circus?

This offseason for the NFL was a wild one, all because of one man. First he retired. Then he was thinking about coming back. Then he wasn't wanted back. Then he was, but not as a starter. Then he wasn't going to come back. And then he did. And then Brett Favre, an NFL icon and Green Bay hero, got traded to the New York Jets.

This started a string of things around the league.

First, the trade of Favre put Aaron Rodgers into the driver seat for the first time in his career. Rodgers, who slid all the way from a projected number 2 selection to the Packers at number 24, was drafted 3 years ago to eventually take over for Favre. Despite webpages and marches held in Green Bay to keep Brett Favre, the Packers decided it was time to pass the tourch to Rodgers.

The question then was, who to trade Favre to? The Buccaneers and Jets were interested, and Farve eventually ended up being a New York Jet. Now all of the sudden the Jets, who had Chad Pennington and Kelly Clemens on their roster, had a first ballot hall of famer under center for them.

This led to the release of Chad Pennington, who had spent his whole career as a quarterback in New York. On the free marker for the first time, Pennington decided to sign with the Miami Dolphins, who promised him an open competion with second year quarterback John Beck, who general manager Bill Parcells was not pleased with.

So after all was said and done, this left three teams with new quarterbacks. The Packers with Aaron Rodgers, the Jets with Brett Favre and the Dolphins with Chad Pennington. So the question is, after 10 weeks, who got the best deal of the quarterback swaping?

Aaron Rodgers has played well for the Packers in his first year on the job. He has thrown for 2,124 yards, 13 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Despite a shoulder injury that led to a slump for a couple of weeks, Rodgers has come back strong in his last 3 games. He has led the Packers to a 4-5 marks, which is dissapointing after their success last season.

Brett Favre, in his first season ever with a team other then the Packers, has been typical Favre, with alot of good and alot of bad. He has thrown 18 touchdowns and led the Jets to the top of the AFC East. But those numbers, and the teams standings, are a bit jaded. He also has thrown 12 interceptions. 1/4 of those touchdowns game in one game. And the only reason the Jets are winning the AFC East is because Tom Brady is out for the year. But still, Favre has led them to the top in his first season there.

Chad Pennington, considered the worst of the 3 at the beginning of the season, has been the surprise of the bunch. He has helped the Miami Dolphins to a surprising 5-4 record. He has season stats of 2,200 yards, 8 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. But unlike Rodgers and Farve, he is not asked to win the game for the Dolphins. In fact, you could argue that the Dolphins have had their most sucess with running back Ronnie Brown under center.

So who got the best of the deal? You could make a case for all three. The Jets have the best record of the three, and look like the most likely to make the playoffs. The Packers sucessfully transitioned to the post Favre era, which has been looming over their franchise for the last few years. The Dolphins, who no one expected anything out of , are a surprising 5-4 and will compete for a playoff berth.

Now the cases agaisnt them. The Packers could have been the top team in the NFC this year with Favre under the helm. They were close last year, and their only competion would have been the New York Giants this year. But with Rodgers, they are below .500 and will struggle to even get in the playoffs. The Jets morgaged there future for one, maybe two years of Brett Favre. Their is really no case agaisnt the Dolphins, other then that at his age, Pennington is probaly not the answer at quaterback for the future.

So the winner? I have to go with the Jets. The Packers took a major PR hit by the way they handled the situation. The Jets on the other hand, commited to winning now, and got lucky that Brady went down, leaving the door wide open for them. Without Favre, they would be last in their division. Now they are first. And in the NFL, the Not For Long league, you need to win when you can. The Jets made that commitment, while the Packers took last seasons success and delayed it, instead of build upon it. The Dolphins would come in second place, because they gave up nothing and had Pennington dropped in their lap.

But the Jets get the edge because they went out and made the move, showing their dedication to winning.

NFL Week 11 Picks

Here are my picks for Week 11:

Record Picking: 8-5

Broncos at Falcons: Maybe it is time we take the Falcons seriously. They are unstoppable at home, and on the turf, I don't see the Broncos defense doing enough to keep them in the game. It will be high scoring, but in the end, Matt Ryan gets it done. Pick: Falcons

Bears at Packers: Coming off a crushing lost last week, the Packers look to rebound agaisnt their divion rival. Kyle Orton could play, but won't be at 100 percent. The Bears played well last week vs the Titans, but home field advantage will be the decider in this one. Pick: Packers

Texans at Colts: In his NFL preview, Bill Simmons wrote that the Colts would start out slow, be unimpressive, and then by the end be the "team no one wants to play" come playoff time. Theres a reason hes my favorite writer. Pick: Colts

Saints at Chiefs: The Chiefs lost a close one last week, opting to go for 2 on the game tying touchdown, but missed it. They have played better as the season has gone on. My gut wants to take the Chiefs. But after getting burned by the Lions last week, I'll go with the Saints. Pick: Saints

Raiders at Miami: Miami eeked out a close one last week agaisnt the struggling Seattle Seahawks, but good teams win games agaisnt bad ones when they don't play well. And after 10 weeks, like the Falcons, it's time to give the Dolphins there due. Pick: Miami

Ravens at Giants: After steam rolling the Eagles last week with an unstoppable run game, the Giants look to keep it going agaisnt the Ravens. But the Ravens allow only 65 yards per game on the ground, and have the second overall defense in the league. They also have the best rushing offense, which is key to winning on the road. Without the running game, Eli Manning will have to beat the Ravens. This is my upset pick of the week. Pick: Ravens

Chargers at Steelers: The Chargers have been dissapointing this season, and have lost two in a row to drop there record to 4-5. This is not the week to be desperate for a win. The Steelers will be ready to play after losing a nail biter to the Colts last weekend. Pick: Steelers

Rams at 49ers: Its safe to say this game will not be one of the most watched this weekend. The 49ers almost stole one in Arizona on Monday night. The Rams meanwhile, are fading after an impressive two game winning streak. Mike Singletary has the 49ers playing hard, and I think they will win easy this week. Pick: 49ers

Cardinals at Seahawks: Matt Hasselback returns this week for the Seahawks as they look to knock off the division leading Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals have struggled on the road, and struggled last week agaisnt a much weaker 49ers team. All signs point to a Seattle win. But I think the Cardinals have made the next step, and are now able to win a game like this.
Pick: Cardinals

Vikings at Bucs: Huge win for the Vikings last week. They knocked off the Packers to pull 1 game above .500, and now face a Bucs team who had a bye week. The Vikings rely on the ground game and Adrian Peterson, but the Bucs have had a full week to prepare. Pick: Bucs

Cowboys at Redskins: Everybody is excited for the return of Tony Romo, thinking he will save the sinking Cowboys. But the Redskins beat the Cowboys in Week 4 when they were playing their best football of the season. And that game was in Dallas. Clinton Portis might not play, and that will hurt the Redkins. But I still think the Redskins pull this one out. Pick: Redskins

Lions at Carolina: I got on the Lions bandwagon last week, thinking that Daunte Culpepper could have a big game. But after being burned by him and the Lions, I can't pick them again. The Panthers win this one easily. Pick: Panthers

Titans at Jacksonville: The Jags crushed the Lions last week, while the Titans won a tough one in Jacksonville. Im torn on this one. Part of me thinks the Titans will lose, because it is a back to back road game that is coming off a tough physical game in Chicago. But the Titans have answered every challenge so far this season. Pick: Titans

Browns at Bills: My how the Bills have fallen. They are now last in the their division, after being ontop of it for most of the season. The Browns gave one away last week, as their defense could not stop the high powered Broncos offense. The Bills are no Broncos on offense, but their also no Broncos on defense. Pick: Bills