B&T Power Rankings Week 15
By Luke Sims
Welcome to the B&T Power Rankings. The place where we rank the teams on their record, front office actions, and overall craziness. Expect some arbitrary explanations, some in-depth analysis, and your fair share of surprises.
The Patriots make a statement, the Browns continue to over-perform, and the Chiefs remain the Chiefs.
Hate ‘em? Love ‘em? Agree? Disagree? Leave it in the comments.
#1 [4]. New England Patriots, 10-3: What the Patriots did to the Texans is pure embarrassment. New England was making an early statement. We got it.
#2 [2]. Denver Broncos, 10-3: John Fox does wonders with his teams. Keep in mind this is the same team that made the playoffs with Tim Tebow at quarterback. Give Fox a weapon like Manning and 10+ wins is more than a mere possibility every year.
#3 [1] . Houston Texans, 11-2: If the Texans make it to the AFC Championship game against the Patriots, I doubt it will be much of a contest…again.
#4 [3]. Atlanta Falcons, 11-2: I have never been so uncertain of an 11-2 team’s stability nearing the playoffs than I have been about the Falcons. Until they show they don’t implode in the playoffs I will continue to question it.
#5 [5]. Green Bay Packers, 9-4: Aaron Rodgers wasn’t so mighty against the Lions, but the team got it done in the end.
#6 [6]. New York Giants, 8-5: The Giants continue to do what they do best around this time of year: win.
#7 [8]. San Francisco 49ers, 9-3-1: As much as I like the play of the Niners, I worry that some other teams can still figure out a way to hang with and beat them.
#8 [12]. Indianapolis Colts, 9-4: The Colts could win the division title if they win out. Think about that a minute.
#9 [15]. Seattle Seahawks, 8-5: WOW. I would be shocked and pleased to see the Seahawks make a statement in the playoffs.
#10 [10]. Baltimore Ravens, 9-4: The division title is still vulnerable and the new offensive coordinator may be a problem. I don’t know if it is the right time to be making changes, but what do I know? You only got to 9-4 this way…
#11 [9]. Chicago Bears, 8-5: That’s two in a row for the Bears. They need Jay Cutler to be a gunslinger, but one with more accuracy.
#12 [14]. Washington Redskins, 7-6: If the Redskins win out to end the season then this season will have been one wild roller coaster.
#13 [7]. Cincinnati Bengals, 7-6: In order to win a championship you have to be able to beat the best teams in the league. The Bengals haven’t been able to beat some of the average teams in the league.
#14 [11]. Pittsburgh Steelers, 7-6: I’m not certain they get into the playoffs, but they aren’t just going to fade away.
#15 [17]. Minnesota Vikings, 7-6: Christian Ponder is a liability, but Adrain Peterson can carry the team so it goes overlooked a bit.
#16 [13]. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 6-7: This team needs to stop losing, now. This is not a good time to continue sliding.
#17 [19]. St. Louis Rams, 6-6-1: The Rams are a developing team that is doing quite well. Sam Bradford isn’t all he was cracked up to be coming out of college, but he may be coming into his own.
#18 [20]. Dallas Cowboys, 7-6: The Cowboys continue to hang with the rest of the NFC East teams. It would be impressive to see them sneak into the playoffs.
#19 [16]. New Orleans Saints, 5-8: The playoffs continue to get more and more unlikely for the Saints. They’ll be a tough out for any team heading into the final weeks, but the the cinderella story is over this season.
#20 [18]. Miami Dolphins, 5-8: Ryan Tannehill could be something special, but it won’t be this year.
#21 [21]. Cleveland Browns, 5-8: The Browns are playing their best ball right now. It just took them a few games to do it.
#22 [24]. San Diego Chargers, 5-8: Good job by the Chargers to get a win against Pittsburgh. Historically significant or not, I don’t think it matters for the Bolts any more.
#23 [26]. New York Jets, 6-7: The Jets didn’t look bad on Sunday…they didn’t look good either though.
#24 [28]. Carolina Panthers, 4-9: Two words: Cam Newton.
#25 [22]. Detroit Lions, 4-9: Detroit is really struggling to win even when they beat their opponents in most statistical categories.
#26 [30]. Philadelphia Eagles, 4-9: At least this team can respond when changes are made.
#27 [23]. Buffalo Bills, 5-8: I would be shocked to see Chan Gailey retain his position for another year. It’s too bad because the talent on the Bills could really do something special with a mastermind on the sidelines.
#28 [25]. Arizona Cardinals, 4-9: Ken Whisenhunt must be reeling after each game. It is tough to begint to fix problems when the task is near impossible.
#29 [27]. Tennessee Titans, 4-9: Mike Munchak’s team just isn’t good enough, even with a “talent” influx this season.
#30 [29]. Jacksonville Jaguars, 2-11: This team needs to learn how to play a full four quarters. Also, the run defense is horrendous.
#31 [31]. Oakland Raiders, 3-10: The Raiders are…well they are the Raiders.
#32 [32]. Kansas City Chiefs, 2-11: Without another emotional stimuli, I doubt the Chiefs win another game. The first pick in the draft can’t come soon enough.