Week 10 Power Rankings: the Top 9 from each conference

[gettlemanjack]

CBS-Prisco (Cardinals #1)

CBS-Kirwan (Cardinals #1)

NBC Sports (Cardinals #1)

ESPN (Patriots #1)

NFL.com (Patriots #1)

Fox Sports (Patriots #1)

The AP Pro32 (Patriots #1)

Yahoo Shutdown Corner (Patriots #1)

AFC

1/1/1/1/1/1/1/1 Patriots - #1 East

2/2/2/2/2/2/2/2 Broncos - #1 West

3/3/3/3/4/4/4/4 Colts - #1 South

3/3/3/4/4/6/6/7 Steelers - #1 North

3/4/5/5/5/6/6/8 Bengals - WC?

5/5/5/5/5/6/6/7 Chiefs - WC?

4/7/7/7/7/7/8/9 Dolphins - WC?

6/7/8/8/9/9 Ravens

6/8/8/8/8/9 Bills

9/9/9 Chargers

9 Browns

NFC

1/1/1/1/1/1/1/1 Cardinals - #1 West

2/2/2/2/2/2/3/4 Eagles - #1 East

2/2/3/3/3/4/5/6 Lions - #1 North

3/3/4/4/4/5/5/6 Cowboys - WC?

3/4/4/5/5/6/6/7 Packers - WC?

3/4/5/5/5/6/6/6 Seahawks - WC?

6/7/7/7/7/7/8/8 Saints - #1 South

7/7/8/8/8/8/8/8 49ers

9/9/9 Panthers

9/9/9 Vikings

9 Bears

9 Giants

NBC Sports: "The Panthers could still win the division."

[BuffaloBills62]

A Cardinals/Patriots Super Bowl  =  Yawn.

[PandaPancake]

A Cardinals/Patriots Super Bowl = Yawn.

It would be like that year that I had that nightmare of a 49ers/Ravens SB.

Glad that didn't happen

[gettlemanjack]

A Cardinals/Patriots Super Bowl = Yawn.

Cardinals host the Super Bowl this year, so that would be a blast to see them make it. It's unlikely, however. Cards have been beating the odds week after week...It's going to catch up to them at some point. If it somehow doesn't, they will make them a thrilling team to watch by the end

Patriots likely won't make the Super Bowl, as they have a tougher remaining schedule than Denver and will likely lose homefield advantage to them, making Broncos still the favorite to go to the SB

both have remaining:

@San Diego and the Dolphins and Bills at home

Denver has:

@Oakland

@St Louis

Chiefs

@Cincinnati

Raiders

Patriots have:

-bye-

@Indianapolis

Lions

@Green Bay

@Jets

[gettlemanjack]

Mile High Report:

"The New England Patriots need to win out ... because something tells me Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos will not be losing another regular season game."

[BuffaloBills62]

Cardinals host the Super Bowl this year, so that would be a blast to see them make it. It's unlikely, however. Cards have been beating the odds week after week...It's going to catch up to them at some point. If it somehow doesn't, they will make them a thrilling team to watch by the end

Patriots likely won't make the Super Bowl, as they have a tougher remaining schedule than Denver and will likely lose homefield advantage to them, making Broncos still the favorite to go to the SB

both have remaining:

@San Diego and the Dolphins and Bills at home

Denver has:

@Oakland

@St Louis

Chiefs

@Cincinnati

Raiders

Patriots have:

-bye-

@Indianapolis

Lions

@Green Bay

@Jets

 

Miami already beat NE.  NE already beat Buffalo.  Buffalo already beat Miami.  (Buffalo @ Miami Thursday).

 

Miami has an extra few days to prep to go to Denver.  They then travel to New Jersey to play the Jests and go back home for a very important game against Baltimore.  Miami has a rough spot right now and may be lucky to be 1-3 in the next 4.  After that they play @NE and finish off home with the Vikes and Jests.  Both of those teams will be ready to end their season at that point and likely just enjoy the warm Miami Winter.

 

Denver at the Raiders isn't much to think about but stranger things have happened and the Raiders are going to win a game at some point (likely week 14 D'oh).

They then travel to St Louis to face a stingy but young and inconsistent team - this completes a 3 game streak of playing away.  They then travel back home after Thanksgiving to play the mysterious Dolphins.  By Thanksgiving they should be 9-2 ready to travel to KC.  Lets just say by their bye week, week 12, lets just imagine they do lose one of the next four games: 9-3.

After the bye the bring Buffalo in to town then travel to San Diego.  Being Buffalo's D is good and san Diego isn't as bad as their record I'd say we can call them 1-1 in this two game stretch.  Overall 10-4.

The last two weeks they end up @ Cinci and home to the Raiders.  Cinci may be playing for a playoff spot and will be tough at home and it is very cold in that town.  If Denver loses to Cinci then the Oakland game might be very important for homefield advantage.  I see Denver winning both - they would be 12-4.

The Pats, they're on a bye week this week and come back @ the Colts.  I can't see them losing this game.  Luck and Co. just aren't firing like they were, they're sputtering.  I'd love a Colts win, but it's not happening.  8-2 NE.

They then play a stout Det D then travel to GB.  I think they'll lose one of those, which won't matter much out of the division.  9-3.

Week 14 - @ SD, 15 - Miami... They should win both of those.  11-3

Week 15 @ the Jets, the Jets love to beat the Patriots at home and be spoilers.  11-4.

Week 16 they might be a little fired up and wanting to secure a second seed - maybe first.  Buffalo stands in their way.  That could be a huge game coming up!  Tom Brady is not one to stand in the way of... NE 12-4

 

NE owns the tiebreaker.  NE 1st seed in AFC

[gettlemanjack]

CBS-Prisco (Cardinals #1)

CBS-Kirwan (Cardinals #1)

NBC Sports (Cardinals #1)

ESPN (Patriots #1)

NFL.com (Patriots #1)

Fox Sports (Patriots #1)

The AP Pro32 (Patriots #1)

Yahoo Shutdown Corner (Patriots #1)

here are who other power rankings have as the current #1 in the NFL:

Cardinals #1 in NFL: USA Today, Washington Post, New York Post, New York Daily News, Detroit News, Tampa Tribune, Florida Times-Union, SB Nation, Arizona Republic, Michigan newspaper conglomerate MLive

Patriots #1 in NFL: Newsday, Business Insider, Walter Football, New Orleans Times Picayune, Houston Chronicle

[gettlemanjack]

ESPN:

"Carson Palmer: 6th straight game with multiple TD passes (longest streak by Cardinals QB since Kurt Warner, 8 in 2008)"

Seahawks blog:

"The Arizona Cardinals now own the best record in the NFL, have an elite defense, an explosive offense and most importantly, have proven this against several high-quality teams along the way, including the Eagles, Niners, Giants, Chargers and the Cowboys on Sunday... Arizona runs the ball, stops the run, can throw it deep and has a ballhawking secondary -- and the Cardinals are proving they're the real deal."

Deion Sanders:

"The Cardinals have the best secondary in the NFL"

Cardinals running back Andre Ellington spikes the ball after

scoring a touchdown in Dallas

[gettlemanjack]

Business Insider:

"(for the Eagles), The loss off DeMeco Ryans is going

to be harder to handle than the loss of Nick Foles."

Rotoworld:

"Eagles placed ILB DeMeco Ryans on injured reserve with a torn Achilles' tendon, ending his season. ... The unquestioned leader of the Eagles, it will be a big blow to a defense that is already of the "bend but don't break" variety. ... The loss is a big one ... Through eight starts, Ryans had 45 tackles, four pass breakups, and an interception."

[gettlemanjack]

Washington Post:

The Lions have been one of the league’s top teams without two of their most dynamic offensive players, WR Calvin Johnson and RB Reggie Bush returned to practice Monday following the Lions’ bye week. With Johnson and Bush back in the lineup after being hampered by ankle injuries, is it possible that Detroit will emerge as the team to beat in the entire NFC? A Cardinals-Lions matchup in the NFC championship game is a very realistic possibility

Seahawks blog:

Already owners of the best defense in football thus far, if Detroit's offense can get rolling again with Megatron's return, look out.

[gettlemanjack]

AFC

4/7/7/7/7/7/8/9 Dolphins - WC?

NFC

2/2/3/3/3/4/5/6 Lions - #1 North

Miami at Detroit 1:00 PM ET Sunday on CBS

[gettlemanjack]

ESPN:

Dolphins are 5-3 ... their best record through 8 games since they were 5-3 in 2003

Washington Post:

It is time to take the Dolphins seriously. They shut out the Chargers 37-0 and boast one of the best defenses in the league ... According to the game charters at Pro Football Focus, the Dolphins have the highest rated overall defense and the third best pass-rushing unit in the NFL, which is led by defensive end Cameron Wake (who is #2 of all 4-3 DEs with 37 combined Sacks, Hits and Hurries)

CBS Sports:

Ryan Tannehill is really starting to play well.

Newsday:

The light has come on and is staying on for quarterback Ryan Tannehill

[gettlemanjack]

AFC

5/5/5/5/5/6/6/7 Chiefs - WC?

...

6/8/8/8/8/9 Bills

Kansas City at Buffalo 1:00 PM ET Sunday on CBS

New Orleans Times Picayune:

Buffalo Bills 5-3 -- It's early but this game against Kansas City is really big.

Newsday:

Bills return from the bye to host the Chiefs in a game that could be critical to both teams’ wild card chances.

Washington Post:

the Bills are only a game behind the Patriots in the AFC East and in the thick of the wild-card chase. It will be a time to begin separating contenders from pretenders. Their next two games are against the Chiefs and Dolphins.

from the comments section:

The Bills are New York’s best team for the first time in about twenty years.

the Chiefs' Dwayne Bowe has recorded his 500th reception. He's just the 2nd Chief to reach that mark, the other being Tony Gonzalez

The Chiefs' Justin Houston is on pace for 24 sacks, which would be the all-time NFL single season sack record

[gettlemanjack]

Yahoo Sports:

The Seahawks haven't looked like a title contender since Week 1. It's in there somewhere, but it would be nice to see it soon.

NBC Sports:

Close wins over winless teams won’t do much to change the perception that the Seahawks aren’t who we thought they were.

Washington Post:

Maybe this is all that the Seahawks will be this season, a good but far-from-great team that struggles to get by even against poor competition

Walter Football:

The Seahawks are winning, but they're barely squeaking by bottom-10 teams, and that's not a good sign.

Mile High Report:

Since the Broncos pushed them into overtime, the Seahawks just haven't been right on defense or on offense