Tuesday, December 1, 2009

LRN Power Rankings: Week 13

It was going to be hard to upstage Vince Young's late game heroics. Not to mention Peyton Manning leading the Colts back from down 13 on the road. Somehow the New Orleans Saints did all of that. Week 12 has done it's best to set up the most exciting five weeks in football. Without further adieu:

Get After It, The LynchyRightNow Power Rankings . . .

1. New Orleans Saints (2) 38 Points on Monday night, they could have scored 58. The Saints offense exploded on New England, then their defense turned around and broke down Brady & Co. With injuries to their secondary the Saints didn't miss a beat and have made one thing very clear: No one is better.

2. Indianapolis Colts (1) I'm very aware that the Colts are undefeated and just recorded another come from behind victory. Yet Peyton said it best, spotting another team 17-points is no way to prove how good you are in the NFL.

3. Minnesota Vikings (3) After slamming down Jay Cutler and the Bears, we've got to understand one thing. Favre's Vikes aren't Favre's Jets, they've got loads more talent. Two running backs, four receivers, and a quarterback who isn't getting sacked!

4. San Diego Chargers (5) 42 days removed from their last loss, the Chargers have won six straight including four division wins. The Chargers can taste it at this point, they know that no team is playing better in the AFC.

5. New England Patriots (4) There isn't a game remaining on their schedule they shouldn't win. However, they do have three remaining road games and after a 1-4 start on the road maybe doubt starts to enter their mind as they travel away from Foxborough. Outcoached by both the Colts & Saints has got to be a tough pill to swallow.

6. Cincinnati Bengals (6) They were only able to manage 16 points against the NFL's 31st ranked defense this weekend, on that same note they completed a sweep of their division opponents. After they play Detroit next weekend they face real tests against both Minnesota and San Diego on the road.

7. Dallas Cowboys (9) This may just be too high for the 8-3 Cowboys but hear me out. While their offense has struggled, the defense has allowed just 16.5 points per game this season. You may not like Wade Phillips, but his defense is pretty nasty and the Raiders got a piece of that on Turkey Day.

8. Philadelphia Eagles (10) When Andy Reid asked his kicker to open with an onside kick against the Redskins this weekend, I became convinced: No coach is more detrimental to his team winning than Reid is to the Eagles. Why have the Eagles never won a Super Bowl under Reid? You answer that!

9. Baltimore Ravens (8) Yes, they move down after that victory against Pittsburgh. It's pretty simple, they had a home game against the 3rd string Pittsburgh quarterback with just 1-snap under center in his professional career and needed overtime to win it. Much like Atlanta, at some point you have to start showing people just how good you are.

10. Pittsburgh Steelers (7) Now the Steelers are going to have to fight to get into the postseason. At 6-5 the Steelers play five very winnable games but are going to need a healthy Ben Roethlisberger to get by those. Without Big Ben, they aren't getting to the playoffs.

11. Tennessee Titans (15) A last second win to give the Titans their 5th straight victory is impressive. Vince Young dropped the game manager from his title this weekend, putting 387 yards passing on the Arizona secondary. Wow! Could they really beat Indianapolis?

12. Denver Broncos (17) After four straight losses the Broncos rebounded in great fashion. A 26-6 thrashing of the New York Giants on Thanksgiving night is just what Denver needed. At 7-4, three of their next five games are very winnable and 10-6 should get them a Wild Card.

13. Arizona Cardinals (12) If Kurt Warner can't come back soon, the Cardinals are in trouble. Backup quarterback Matt Leinart and the Cardinal offense had a tough time getting in the endzone this weekend.

14. Green Bay Packers (14) What? You think you should get style points for beating up the Lions on Thanksgiving? However, hat goes off to Charles Woodson who just donated $2 million dollars a University of Michigan children's hospital.

15. Houston Texans (11) You are exactly what you've always been Houston. Not good enough! A huge opportunity with a 13-point lead against an undefeated Colts team and you folded up like a chair. That is a season changing loss right there.

16. New York Giants (16) After a Turkey Day loss to the Broncos, the Giants are learning Eli may be playing injured and they play three straight division games. To make matters worse, they'll be traveling to Minnesota to wrap up the season, the Giants may have to win out.

17. Atlanta Falcons (20) The Falcons avoid going 5-6 with their late comeback win this weekend. Quick celebration before realizing quarterback Matt Ryan & running back Michael Turner will both be week-to-week after suffering injuries.

18. Miami (13) The 'Fins aren't as good as I thought, and losing by giving up a 24-point fourth quarter to the Buffalo Bills shows that. Not having Ronnie Brown is a bigger problem than anticipated. The Dolphins have to finish with five teams looking to make the postseason; Patriots, Jaguars, Titans, Texans, and Steelers.

19. San Francisco 49ers (21) The 49ers are still alive at 5-6. They'll have to win out but they can do that. Against Arizona and then @ Philadelphia will be their toughest games, but win and the 'Niners could sneak in this thing.

20. Jacksonville Jaguars (19) The Jaguars had an opportunity this week to really make a move and put distance between themselves and the others competing for a Wild Card spot in the AFC. After their loss to the 49ers, they are back to square one.

21. New York Jets (24) For a team that began the season with such promise, it must feel good to get their first win since October 25th. While the Jets offense continues to struggle, their defense forced Jake Delhomme into four interceptions.

22. Washington Redskins (27) For the past three weeks the 'Skins have played their tails off. Washington missed opportunities to win in Dallas and in Philadelphia but came out fighting. They know their head coach will be changing next season, they know they started off 2-6, but they are far from quitting.

23. Carolina Panthers (18) It's a disappointing team. On November 15th the Panthers had played their way back into beating Atlanta and sitting 4-5 with plenty of time left. Fifteen days later they've lost two straight and played their way right back out of it.

24. Chicago Bears (22) How much worse does it get for Jay Cutler and the Bears? Not only did Cutler throw his 19th and 20th interceptions this past Sunday, his defense gave up 537 total yards. Eeek!

25. Kansas City Chiefs (23) You knew the Chiefs would have a let down after their big overtime win over Pittsburgh, but to get blown out 43-14? That's just embarrassing.

26. Buffalo Bills (28) Brought in Terrell Owens, fired their offensive coordinator before the season opened, and then fired their head coach after a terrible start. Ho hum, somehow the Bills are 4-7?!?!?!

27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (25) Sure, they've played well against Atlanta, Miami, & Carolina in the past six weeks. Oh, and I can't forget their upset win against Green Bay. But how high can you possibly rank a 1-10 team?

28. Seattle Seahawks (30) It's been established, the Seahawks are better than the St. Louis Rams . . . but that's about it. On a positive note Justin Forsett has rushed for over 100 yards in two of the last three weeks, something to build on.

29. Oakland Raiders (26) Watching them play on Thanksgiving was eye opening; They've managed to compile more one-dimensional players than any team in the history of the NFL. Good luck with that.

30. St. Louis Rams (29) It's bad enough Kyle Boller has to start, but asking him to throw the ball 46 times and your asking for trouble.

31. Detroit Lions (31) Matt Stafford has left an impression on his teammates and Lions fans alike this season, now get healthy and come back strong in your second NFL season.

32. Cleveland (32) The Browns managed just 169 yards of total offense this week, shocking that they're the 32nd ranked offense in the NFL.

New podcast out tommorow on TheRightNowPodcast, as always you can follow me on Twitter Thank You for reading!

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