NFL Power Rankings, Are We Really a Top 10 Team?

[Pantha-kun]

NFL.com : #8

ESPN : #8

Yahoo : #7 

Bleeding Green Nation : #8

CBS Sports : #7

Bleacher Report : #5 

Walterfootball : #7

You think these rankings are justified? The last poll we averaged around the 10 spot and now we are averaging around the 7 spot , after a week where we didn't even play a game lol. I think its mostly because the Cheifs lost. The way things are trending if we manage to beat the Jets on Sunday and the Saints on Dec. 3rd, we should be a top 5 team no questions. 

As of right now though? I'm not sure. At least our victory against the Falcons is looking a bit more credible now that they're starting to string together wins .And the Lions are also starting to find a groove so they're both increasing our strength of schedule.  I'm not sure how much stock to take from beating the Dolphins, or even if we simularly blow out the Jets. I'd still have kept us around the 10 spot honestly, unless we beat the Saints and/or Vikings. If we win the next 3 games, then we should probably be right in line for the #2 seed and right below the Eagles in the power rankings. .But of course that's looking fairly far into the future . 

I guess looking at it from a positive light, we lost to Saints (top 5 team) , Eagles (Top 2 team) , and the Bears. So the only bad loss we had the entire season was against the Bears , and I'm willing to give pretty much every team not named the 07 Patriots or 72 Dolphins at least 1 game where they either have an off day, some weird poo happens , or they run into a team late in the season whos out of contention and treating the game like their super bowl.  

I'd say things are trending up but we've yet to face true tests in the 2nd half of the season. I think the Saints and Vikings are on a whole nother level. But at least the Redskins showed the Saints aren't immortal, and the Rams were doing pretty well against the Vikings until that Cooper Kupp fumble on the 1. And the Giants showed anything is possible with a hellacious defense .

[Borat]

I think it’s fair. Newton has been good, if streaky, and the defense is lights-out.

[FuFuLamePoo]

Yeah the AFC is terrible, only teams in AFC that may be better than us are NE (who we beat) and PIT. NFC is stacked though.  I don't think we are as good as PHI or NO, MIN and LAR would be toss ups.  I think somewhere around 7 sounds right.  Two of our 3 losses were to the best teams in the NFL

[jfra78]

looks about right

[bigdog10]

I’d put the following teams in front of us:

philly, New Orleans, Minnesota, Pittsburgh and New England. 

I’d have us at six, with the Falcons, Rams and Lions all right there with us.  I’d have the jags there too, but I can’t put a team with Blake Bortles as their qb in the same class as the other teams listed. 

[Cary Kollins]

We're one season out from 15-1 with the number one ranked defense and an offense that is getting healthier by the day.

No one wants to see Carolina in the playoffs, home or away.

[t96]

20 minutes ago, Cary Kollins said:

We're one season out from 15-1 with the number one ranked defense and an offense that is getting healthier by the day.

No one wants to see Carolina in the playoffs, home or away.

Agree. I expect us to win the division and go for the 2 seed with a bye but I think we'd be a good bet to win any playoff game regardless of what seed we are. Most of the NFC playoff teams don't have the recent playoff experience we have... I see these 6 teams making the playoffs, no seeding order:

Panthers, Aints, Eagles, Vikings, Rams, Lions.

Brees and Payton obviously have playoff experience but the rest of the team hasn't been there in 4 years. Eagles have none. Vikings have essentially none--just the one Seattle game--and Keenum in particular if he's still playing will get rattled in the playoffs. Rams have none. Lions have just one game 3 years ago. 

 

Falcons or Seahawks could creep in there but I don't see it happening. Falcons' schedule is tough while the Lions' is a joke after this Vikings game (and they already beat them once in MN, could see them winning again at home). Seahawks are terrible without Sherman and Chancellor and aren't making it.

 

EDIT: Forgot the Lions made the playoffs last year... Got smoked by Seattle. So they're the most experience of the bunch with just 2 first round games in the past 4 years, both losses. 

[Camp Fodder]

My whole issue is our starting receivers are funchess and shepherd. Along with clay and bersin. 3 of those would never see the field on most teams

[Pantha-kun]

2 minutes ago, Camp Fodder said:

My whole issue is our starting receivers are funchess and shepherd. Along with clay and bersin. 3 of those would never see the field on most teams

If Shepard has another multi drop game I'll say we have the worst WR core in the league

[pantherclaw]

1 hour ago, Pantha-kun said:

If Shepard has another multi drop game I'll say we have the worst WR core in the league

So that means would just have to triple cover Funchess and they'd win, right? 

 

[pantherphan96]

1 hour ago, Camp Fodder said:

My whole issue is our starting receivers are funchess and shepherd. Along with clay and bersin. 3 of those would never see the field on most teams

True but getting back a healthy Olsen and keeping CMC and even Dickson involved in the passing game should provide some options as long as we can reestablish the run with CMC and Stew/CAP

[stirs]

Wild card is an apt name for us this season

[Panthers8969]

we're the best team in the nfl

[Snake]

We're just as good as any team in the NFC and that was with a QB with a bad shoulder learning a new system. With what Cam and McCaffrey can do, getting back Olsen, and solid D play, barring any injuries we are just as good as any team in the NFL. The only way we lose is making mental mistakes.