NFL Power Rankings – Week 11, John Crowe
John Crowe, Sports Contributor
NFL Power Rankings – Week 11, John Crowe
That may be the quote of the year right there from Patriots QB Cam Newton after Thursday’s practice, according to the Patriots website.
Now, while New England is still a good distance and some divine intervention away from cracking our top 10 NFL Power Rankings, they are now winners of two in a row heading into Houston this Sunday. A victory there puts them at 5-5, back at .500 for the first time since week 4 and back in the chase for the wild card playoff chase.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTAs for our vaunted rankings, there’s not a lot of movement at the top, but lots of change from teams five through ten. Also, we now have the Saints dealing with a serious injury to quarterback Drew Brees. He’s dealing with five cracked ribs and a punctured lung that leaves him out for the indefinite future as he continues to get more tests and opinions on the injury.
Plus, we’ve got some tasty top 10 matchups as the Colts host the Packers, the Bucs host the Rams and the Seahawks have already beaten the Cardinals on Thursday in their NFC West rematch. Don’t forget, after week 11, we’ve got Thanksgiving Day football with a trio of games to be thankful for on Thursday.
So, let’s buckle up and tackle this week’s top 10!
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Best of Rest: Los Angeles Rams (6-3, Last week: not ranked), Baltimore Ravens (6-3, Last week: ranked 5th)
Suddenly, the Rams have gone from an afterthought to being tied for the top of the NFC West heading into week 11 although Seattle technically grabbed a half-game lead with the Thursday night win over Arizona. The question for the Rams is how good are they? Their wins are over the Cowboys, Eagles, Washington, Giants, Bears and Seahawks.
The Ravens have got to be kicking themselves after a Sunday night misfire in Foxboro. Losing to the Patriots leaves Baltimore three full games behind Pittsburgh in the AFC North and now looking to fight for the wild card.
10. Arizona Cardinals (6-4, Last week: ranked Best of Rest / * - already played in week 11)
Talk about your range of emotions for the Cardinals. They go from winning on a Hail Murray pass from Kyler Murray to DeAndre Hopkins on Sunday against the Bills to not being able to complete a final-minute game-tying drive, losing in Seattle Thursday night. The Cards go from first to third in five days.
9. Indianapolis Colts (6-3, Last week: ranked 9th)
The Colts have to be feeling good about themselves. 10 days off after a road win in Tennessee finds the Colts with an opportunity to knock off the 7-2 Packers at home this Sunday in the marquee match-up of the weekend. If anyone can slow down Aaron Rodgers and friends, it’s the NFL’s top ranked defense. Then, it’s a rematch with the Titans in week 12 in Indy, A two-game home winning streak is just what Frank Reich’s team needs to solidify a home game in January.
8. Miami Dolphins (6-3, Last week: ranked 10th)
Don’t look know, but not only is Miami the hottest team not named Pittsburgh these days, but things could get much better in the near future too. Up ahead after the Broncos this week in Denver is the winless Jets and then the last-place Bengals before hitting the iron of the Chiefs, Patriots, Raiders and Bills to close out the season. The Dolphins could be 9-3 heading into week 14.
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-3, Last week: ranked 7th)
Will this be the week the Bucs end their rollercoaster ride and put two back-to-back good games together? It’ll be tough against the Rams, ranked 2nd in total defense. But then again, the Buccaneers are ranked 3rd in total defense too. A home win over the Rams Monday night would do wonders as they battle the Saints, who are now facing question marks without Drew Brees, for the NFC South Division title. Next week, it’s the Chiefs before a much-needed week 13 bye.
6. Seattle Seahawks (7-3, Last week: ranked 8th / * - already played in week 11)
Russell Wilson and the Seahawks got off the two-game losing snide Thursday night with a much more balanced 28-21 win over the Cardinals. It was the first time Wilson threw for under 200 yards all season as Carlos Hyde returned to lead a ground attach that was good for 165 yards. Up ahead, the road gets easier with the Eagles, Giants, Jets and Washington over the next four weeks.
5. Buffalo Bills (7-3, Last week: ranked 6th)
Such heartbreak for the Bills. Quarterback Josh Allen leads his team to a season-defining drive, culminated with a terrific touchdown toss to Stefon Diggs to put Buffalo on top, only to see a Hail Murray snap the victory away. Fear not Buffalo. A last-second road loss to the Cards is nothing to hang your heads on. The AFC East Division title is still yours for the taking. Plus, the Dolphins still must come to Orchard Park in week 17.
4. Green Bay Packers (7-2, Last week: ranked 4th)
After this week’s game in Indianapolis, the Packers have the easiest road to the playoffs. Green Bay faces the Bears (twice) , Eagles, Lions, Panthers and Titans. The Packers can’t afford any more lackluster performances though like last week at home against Jacksonville. The Jaguars nearly pulled a monumental upset.
3. New Orleans Saints (7-2, Last week: ranked 3rd)
With Drew Brees out for at least three weeks now that he’s on injured reserve according to NFL.com, it’ll be Taysom Hill or Jameis Winston leading the way for the Saints. Hill is the expected starter per ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Friday, but look for Winston to get some reps as well. Just as they did last season when Teddy Bridgewater went 5-0 in Brees’ absence, New Orleans will need to stay on track if they want to hold off Tampa in the NFC South.
2. Kansas City Chiefs (8-1, Last week: ranked 2nd)
Can you say revenge week? The Chiefs head to Las Vegas Sunday night to try and avenge the Raiders 40-32 win back in week 5, KC”s only loss of the season. As if Kansas City needed any help, most of the Raiders starting defense isn’t practicing this week due to close contacts with COVID-19. YIKES! After this one, it’s a tasty treat against Tom Brady and the Bucs in week 12.
1. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-0, Last week: ranked 1st)
Week 11 is the pure definition of a trap game for the Steelers. They play in Jacksonville Sunday against a bad Jaguars team while a Thanksgiving Day game against hated rival Baltimore lays straight ahead on Thursday. To stay on top, they’ll have to avoid the turkey trap! The Steelers continue to get it done on defense, leading the NFL with an average of four quarterback sacks per game.
Last week:
Best of Rest: Cardinals
10. Dolphins
9. Colts
8. Seahawks
7. Buccaneers
6. Bills
5. Ravens
4. Packers
3. Saints
2. Chiefs
1. Steelers