2011 NFL Power Rankings: Week 9
From Tim Tebow’s poor performance against the Detroit Lions to the Eagles impressive win over the Cowboys, there was plenty to talk about after Week 8 of the 2011 season. Here’s a look at the 2011 NFL Power Rankings for Week 9 with the team’s previous rank listed in parenthesis.
1. (1) Green Bay Packers 7-0: The defending Super Bowl champions should be well rested coming off the bye with a key matchup against the San Diego Chargers in Week 9. As the only remaining unbeaten team, there’s no question the Packers should be considered the favorites–especially with the way Aaron Rodgers has played so far this season. It’s hard to believe Rodgers is already 11 touchdowns away from setting a new career high for the regular season and Green Bay still has nine games remaining on the season.
2. (4) Pittsburgh Steelers 6-2: How good have the Steelers looked over the last few weeks? Well, on top of their win over Tom Brady and company in Week 8, Pittsburgh has now won four-straight games and the defense has held their opponents to 20 points or less over the last seven games. This team finally looks like the defending AFC champions again and seems to be the favorite not only in the division, but the conference as well. Expect a battle next Sunday when they look for revenge against the Ravens after they were embarrassed in Week 1.
3. (5) San Francisco 49ers 6-1: Even if it was against the Browns, the 49ers continued to roll and pick up their fifth-straight win while increasing their lead on top of the NFC West to four games. The defense continues to play well, but one of the main reasons behind this team’s success is because of Frank Gore–who has recorded at least 125 rushing yards and one touchdown in each of his last four games. As crazy as it sounds, San Francisco may wrap up the division before December–which would be very impressive.
4. (2) New England Patriots 5-2: Give the Patriots some credit considering this was a very tough road matchup against one of the hottest teams in the NFL. If there’s anything to take away from the last few weeks, it’s New England’s high-powered offense can be contained as they’ve scored just 37 points over their last two games–which is actually disappointing for them. Not only has Brady been slowed down, but Wes Welker–who recorded 45 catches for 740 yards over the first five games–has been held to just 12 catches for 84 yards over the last two weeks.
5. (8) Detroit Lions 6-2: After a disastrous two-game losing skid, the Lions returned to their dominant selves from the first five weeks with a big win over the Broncos. While Matthew Stafford (21 of 30 for 267 yards with three touchdowns) and Calvin Johnson (six catches for 125 yards with one touchdown) shined like they usually do, it was the defense that was the key factor against the Broncos. Anytime a defense can record seven sacks on Tim Tebow to go along with two defensive touchdowns from turnovers should be considered a good game.
6. (7) Buffalo Bills 5-2: Nobody could have predicted the Bills would surpass their win total from 2010 before the official halfway mark of the regular season–but they did. Fred Jackson continues to come up big for Buffalo after recording 194 yards from the line of scrimmage against the Redskins–officially putting him over the 1,000-yard mark for the season.
7. (6) Baltimore Ravens 5-2: Despite their win over the Cardinals, this was a terrible performance by the Ravens and the last two weeks have made them look like anything but contenders in the AFC. They should consider themselves lucky that Arizona blew such a huge lead and it’s hard to believe how poorly Baltimore has looked over the last two weeks against teams they should have no trouble against. Not to mention Joe Flacco’s poor play is starting to become a factor as he’s thrown just one touchdown over his last four games.
8. (3) New Orleans Saints 5-3: The Saints were lucky enough to play two winless teams in back-to-back weeks, but it backfired against them after they were embarrassed by the Rams on the road. How does one team manage to put up 62 points one week against the Colts only to come back the following week and lose by 10 to the Rams? It’s rare to see Drew Brees struggle and he had no answers on Sunday as he was sacked five times by St. Louis while throwing for less than 325 yards for only the second time this season.
9. (9) Houston Texans 5-3: After two-straight losses, the Texans enter Week 9 coming off of back-to-back key wins within the division. There’s no question the AFC South is theirs to lose, but it’s important for Houston to win every game as Tennessee remains close in the hunt. Just imagine what level this team will be playing on when Andre Johnson becomes healthy again.
10. (12) New York Giants 5-2: Good teams find ways to win football games–no matter how ugly it may be. As for the Giants, that’s exactly what happened against the Dolphins on Sunday after struggling the first three quarters only to get it together in the fourth quarter when it mattered the most to pull off the win. New York still has plenty of questions considering how inconsistent they’ve been throughout the season, but the division is theirs to lose with a two-game lead over the Eagles.
11. (14) Cincinnati Bengals 5-2: By far the best performance of the season for the Bengals–even if it was against a team like the Seahawks. Even without Cedric Benson, Cincinnati played phenomenal thanks to another impressive outing from rookies Andy Dalton (18 of 29 for 168 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions) and A.J. Green (four catches for 63 yards with one touchdown). This team continues to be one of the biggest surprises this year and it’s amazing to see them pass their win total from 2010 before the halfway point of the season.
12. (10) New York Jets 4-3: The Jets are tough to figure out at this point in the season. They should be well rested coming off the bye, but they’ll be heavily tested over the next two weeks with key division matchups against the Bills and Patriots. For an offense that has been heavily criticized so far this season, the Jets find themselves in the perfect situation to turn that around by playing against two defenses that rank near the bottom of the NFL overall.
13. (13) Chicago Bears 4-3: For another team that is difficult to figure out whether or not they are contenders, the Bears will certainly be tested over the next four weeks with tough matchups against the Eagles, Lions, Chargers, and Raiders. Chicago looked impressive in their two games before the bye against Minnesota and Tampa Bay, but their Monday night game against Philadelphia should be considered a must win to stay in the Wild Card hunt–especially since it seems highly unlikely they catch Green Bay or Detroit for the NFC North title.
14. (21) Kansas City Chiefs 4-3: Todd Haley was pretty close to shaving that beard he’s been growing over the last few weeks, but the Chiefs managed to pull off their fourth-straight win for a three-way tie in the AFC West. As big of a win as Monday night’s game was, Kansas City should consider themselves lucky after a costly fumble by Philip Rivers late in the fourth quarter changed the entire outcome of the game. Still, a win is a win no matter what and give the Chiefs credit for turning their season around after an 0-3 start.
15. (19) Tennessee Titans 4-3: After losing two-straight games, the Titans needed a game against a team like the winless Colts to get back on the right track and it certainly paid off. However, Chris Johnson continues to be a concern in Tennessee after rushing for less than 60 yards for the sixth time in seven games this season and his poor performance against Indianapolis was enough to get him bench by Mike Munchak. If the Titans have any chance at taking the AFC South from the Texans, Johnson needs to get his act together fast.
16. (15) Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4-3: The Buccaneers should be very thankful for the Rams upsetting the Saints to stay close in the NFC South hunt. Tampa Bay may be one of the most inconsistent teams in football considering they look impressive one week and terrible the next. If this team has any chance at winning the division, they’ll need better performances from Josh Freeman–who has thrown for just seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions this season. These next three weeks will determine how much of a contender the Buccaneers are with tough matchups against the Saints, Texans, and Packers.
17. (16) Atlanta Falcons 4-3: After a shaky start, the Falcons looked like the 2010 team that won 13 games during the regular season–especially after their impressive win on the road against the Lions before the bye. The Colts should be no problem for this team in Week 9 and Michael Turner should have another big game against the league’s 31st ranked rushing defense.
18. (11) San Diego Chargers 5-3: The Chargers will look back to their game against the Chiefs and kick themselves for missing out on what should have been another win in the books. This game was in their control late in the fourth quarter as they seemed to be on the verge of kicking the game-winning field goal before Philip Rivers pulled the unthinkable and fumbled the ball with less than a minute left while Kansas City had no timeouts remaining. This loss hurts and one of the most questionable teams in football showed why they’re not as much of a contender as they seem to be at times throughout the season.
19. (23) Philadelphia Eagles 3-4: It took them a little longer than expected, but the Eagles finally appear ready to play at the high level they should be after a huge blowout win over the Cowboys to stay in the NFC East. For a guy that has taken plenty of heat this season, Andy Reid deserves a ton of credit for preparing his troops during the bye week and don’t be surprised if Philadelphia makes a strong run at the playoffs now. Speaking of Reid, how about the head coach being 13-0 following the bye in his career?
20. (17) Oakland Raiders 4-3: There’s no excuse for a poor performance from Carson Palmer this week after having the bye to learn the Raiders playbook. Oakland was considered one of the hottest teams in football prior to their embarrassing Week 7 loss to Kansas City and they are certainly talented enough to win the AFC West this season considering the talent they have on both sides of the ball.
21. (18) Dallas Cowboys 3-4: What kind of performance was that? Two weeks ago, the Cowboys looked like one of the most dangerous teams in the NFL after Rob Ryan figured out a way to contain Tom Brady and the rest of the Patriots offense. On Sunday, the league’s top rushing defense allowed LeSean McCoy to break loose for 185 and two rushing touchdowns as Dallas was embarrassed by their NFC East rivals. However, the Cowboys have a favorable schedule over the next five weeks as four of their opponents have losing records–so let’s not rule them out of contention just yet.
22. (22) Cleveland Browns 3-4: It’s hard to believe the Browns have three wins this season, yet they’ve been held to 17 points or less in six of their seven games. Despite Sunday’s loss to San Francisco, give Cleveland some credit considering how many players they were missing on offense. Still, there’s no excuse for the Browns to be playing as poorly as they have in the first half of the season and they need to figure out a way to get out of their offensive funk before it’s too late.
23. (20) Washington Redskins 3-4: So much for the Rex Grossman’s prediction about the Redskins being the best team in the NFC East considering how pathetic this team has looked over the last two weeks. After a 3-1 start, Washington has lost their last three games and continue to have issues on offense–especially when it comes to quarterback. It doesn’t matter whether Grossman or John Beck is playing quarterback because neither of these guys seem to be the answer for the Redskins.
24. (29) Minnesota Vikings: This may be the perfect example of too little, too late as the Vikings displayed the type of performance everybody has been waiting for all season. Adrian Peterson led the team 166 yards from the line of scrimmage to go along with two touchdowns, but it was Christian Ponder that was the main story from this game. Not only did the former Florida State star pick up his first career win, but Ponder looked like a veteran instead of a rookie against the Panthers and the unexpected experience this season will certainly benefit him in the future.
25. (24) Carolina Panthers 2-6: Cam Newton is starting to express his frustration more as another impressive performance went to waste (22 of 35 for 290 yards with three touchdowns and 53 rushing yards) after falling just short to the Vikings. What’s even more frustrating is Carolina could have easily won this game in overtime, but they were denied that chance when Olindo Mare missed a chip shot from 31 yards out as time expired to tie the game. Still, this young Panthers team continues to exceed expectations, but they need to figure out a way to close out games considering five of their six losses have come by seven points or less.
26. (25) Jacksonville Jaguars 2-6: The defense played well for most of the game, but the Texans were just too much for the Jaguars to handle in the end. Even though it’s easy to understand the struggles of a rookie, it’s difficult not to be concerned about Blaine Gabbert considering how much he’s struggled lately. Jacksonville may not have the best receiving corps, but it’s never a good sign when a team’s quarterback throws for less than 100 yards two games in a row.
27. (31) St. Louis Rams 1-6: No Sam Bradford–yet the Rams somehow managed to pull off the biggest shock of Week 8 with an upset over Drew Brees and the Saints. Steven Jackson rushed for 159 yards and two touchdowns. The defense shutout New Orleans in the first half. This was the type of performance fans were expecting from St. Louis all season and it’s a shame to see them take this long to play this well. On the bright side, at least they don’t have to worry about going winless in 2011.
28. (26) Seattle Seahawks 2-5: For a team that already struggled on offense, the Seahawks have hit rock bottom over the last two weeks by scoring a combined 15 points between the Browns and Bengals. It’s never easy to deal with losing at home, but this game was nothing short of embarrassing for Seattle as they had no answers on all sides of the ball. The sad thing is, the Seahawks still remain in second place behind the 49ers in the NFC West–which shows how weak the division really is.
29. (27) Denver Broncos 2-5: After all of the hype surrounding Tim Tebow finally receiving the chance to start over Kyle Orton, it appears the former Heisman Trophy winner’s starting job is in jeopardy following a horrendous performance against the Lions. Not only was Tebow held to just 18 of 39 passes for 172 yards, but he was sacked seven times by Detroit’s defense in the loss. Everybody knew Tebow was a work in progress, but how long will it take for him to live up to all of the hype?
30. (28) Arizona Cardinals 1-6: For a team that has struggled to gain wins and momentum this season, Sunday’s loss to the Ravens has to hurt–mainly because the Cardinals beat themselves in this one. There’s no excuse for any team to blow a 24-6 lead in the second half and it’s safe to say Arizona is one of the worst teams in the NFL. Too bad they invested so much money in Kevin Kolb after acquiring him from the Eagles since there’s a good chance they’ll most likely be one of the strong contenders in the “Suck For Luck” sweepstakes.
31. (30) Miami Dolphins 0-7: For the second-straight week, the Dolphins appeared to be on the verge of picking up their first win of the season before giving the game away in the fourth quarter. This team played well in the first half against the Giants, but the defense struggled to contain Eli Manning and the passing game in the second half. How hard is to believe this way only Reggie Bush’s second career game where he broke the 100-yard mark? Talk about being overrated as a running back.
32. (32) Indianapolis Colts 0-8: Another week, another tough loss for the Colts as they fell behind early against the Titans and they never stood a chance. Peyton Manning may not want to admit it, but there’s a good chance this team will be strongly considering Andrew Luck with the way things are going this season. The problems for this team go beyond Manning as the defense and special teams are playing just as bad as the offense and it’s depressing to see a team like Indianapolis hit rock bottom this early in the season.
Dan Parzych is the Lead NFL Content Editor for www.RantSports.com/NFL, where he writes and edits NFL content for www.RantSports.com.
Be sure to follow Dan on Twitter @DanParzych
Email Dan: [email protected]
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