2012 NFL Power Rankings

Indianapolis Colts: Week 11 NFL Power Rankings (#8)

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Last week: 9 (+1)

Record: 6-3

I’ve never seen anything like this ChuckStrong movement in the NFL. It’s spread from the team shaving their heads to citizens of the city of Indianapolis and the surrounding area shaving their heads to even one of the cheerleaders agreeing to shave her head if they can raise $10,000 for cancer research (ballsy girl). This thing has almost become on the level of Lance Armstrong and Jim Valvano. I wouldn’t want to bet against this bunch going forward. Practically speaking, they’re 2 games up on a playoff spot, having won 5 of their last 6 games, including 4 in a row. They have games against Tennessee, Buffalo, and Kansas City, and Houston might be resting starters week 17. Their other 3 games (@ New England, @ Detroit, @ Houston) aren’t impossible either.

Studs

QB Andrew Luck: 18 of 26 for 227 yards and an interception, 4 drops, 111.3 adjusted QB rating, pressured on 9 of 30 drop backs (2 sacks, 2 of 7, 2 drops, 1 interception)

RG Mike McGlynn: Allowed 1 quarterback hurry on 31 pass block snaps, run blocked for 4 yards on 1 attempt

CB Darius Butler: Allowed 6 catches for 65 yards on 12 attempts, 2 interceptions, 5 solo tackles

SS Antoine Bethea: Allowed 1 catch for 12 yards on 3 attempts, 6 solo tackles, 1 assist, 3 stops, 1 sack and 1 quarterback hurry on 2 blitzes

MLB Moise Fokou: Did not allow a catch on 1 attempt, 1 pass deflection, 1 solo tackle, 2 assists, 1 stop

P Pat McAfee: 6 kickoffs, 5 touchbacks, 67.7 yards per kickoff, 19.3 opponents average starting position, 3 punts for 135 yards, 2 inside 20, no returns, 45.0 net yards per punt

Duds

RB Donald Brown: Rushed for 42 yards (25 after contact) on 14 carries, 1 broken tackle, did not catch a pass on 1 attempt

LG Joe Reitz: Allowed 3 quarterback hits and 2 quarterback hurries on 31 pass block snaps, run blocked for 9 yards on 2 attempts

CB Cassius Vaughn: Allowed 9 catches for 117 yards and a touchdown on 16 attempts, 1 penalty, 7 solo tackles, 1 stop

ROLB Dwight Freeney: 1 quarterback hit and 2 quarterback hurries on 56 pass rush snaps, no tackles

LE Cory Redding: Did not record a pressure on 43 pass rush snaps, 1 penalty, 1 batted pass, 2 solo tackles, 2 stops

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Seattle Seahawks: Week 11 NFL Power Rankings (#9)

stevenlourie 2012 NFL Power Rankings, 2012 Week 11 NFL Power Rankings, Seahawks

Last week: 10 (+1)

Record: 6-4

Remember two weeks ago when everyone thought the sky was falling for them when they were 4-4 after losing to Detroit. And two weeks before that everyone thought they were great when they were 4-2 and coming off a win against New England. Well, now they’re 6-4 and everyone thinks they’re great following a blowout win over the Jets. What happened? They went home. This team, as always, is much better at home than on the road, going 5-0 at home with 3 upset wins and 1-4 on the road with 2 upset losses.

Now they go on the road to Miami and Chicago and could be 6-6 at the end of that and everyone will think the sky is falling for them again before they finish up by winning their last 4, beating Arizona, St. Louis, and San Francisco (in upset fashion) at home and taking care of business on the road against crappy Buffalo. 10 wins should get you a playoff spot in the NFC. The Seahawks already have the tiebreaker over the Packers. If they can win their last 3 home games and beat either Miami or Buffalo on the road, they should be on good position to win a wild card berth, go on the road in the first round, and then get sent home immediately.

Studs

QB Russell Wilson: 12 of 19 for 188 yards and 2 touchdowns, 1 throw away, 1 hit as thrown, 1 batted pass, 101.1 adjusted QB rating, pressured on 14 of 26 drop backs (4 sacks, 2 scrambles, 4 of 8, 1 hit as thrown, 1 throw away), rushed for 34 yards (19 yards after contact) on 7 attempts

CB Richard Sherman: Did not allow a completion on 4 attempts, 1 interception, 2 pass deflections, 1 sack on 1 blitz, 2 solo tackles, 1 assist, 1 stop

LOLB Leroy Hill: Allowed 3 catches for 10 yards on 4 attempts, 6 solo tackles, 1 assist, 4 stops

FS Earl Thomas: Allowed 3 catches for 11 yards on 3 attempts, 5 solo tackles, 1 assist, 2 stops, 1 quarterback hurry on 2 blitzes

Duds

RE Chris Clemons: 1 quarterback hit on 30 pass rush snaps, 1 assist

DT Brandon Mebane: Did not record a pressure on 21 pass rush snaps, 1 solo tackle, 1 stop

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Pittsburgh Steelers: Week 11 NFL Power Rankings (#10)

stevenlourie 2012 NFL Power Rankings, 2012 Week 11 NFL Power Rankings, Steelers

Last week: 7 (-3)

Record: 6-3

Ben Roethlisberger’s injury hurts, but the sky isn’t falling. In Roethlisberger’s career, they are 8-5 when he doesn’t play, starting with his first start week 3 of 2004. They have a 2 game lead over the rest of the AFC for a playoff spot. 9-7 should get you a playoff spot in the AFC and the Steelers just have to go 3-4 to do that against a schedule that isn’t very hard. This really hurts their chances of taking the division (which was up for the taking with 2 games in 3 weeks against an overrated division leading Baltimore squad), but they should still be able to make the playoffs and if they can get everyone healthy for the playoffs (including Troy Polamalu), they’ll still be dangerous.

Studs

RE Brett Keisel: 2 sacks, 2 quarterback hits, and 3 quarterback hurries on 31 pass rush snaps, 1 batted pass, 3 solo tackles, 5 stops

LOLB LaMarr Woodley: 2 quarterback hurries on 19 pass rush snaps, 7 solo tackles, 1 assist, 4 stops, 1 missed tackle

MLB Lawrence Timmons: Allowed 2 catches for 14 yards on 4 attempts, 1 interception, 5 solo tackles, 4 stops, 1 quarterback hit and 1 quarterback hurry on 7 blitzes

Duds

RB Isaac Redman: Rushed for 21 yards (11 after contact) on 8 attempts, 1 fumble, caught 2 passes for 18 yards on 3 attempts, 1 drop

FB Will Johnson: Caught 1 passes for 7 yards on 2 attempts, 1 drop, run blocked for 9 yards on 3 attempts

ROLB James Harrison: Did not record a pressure on 19 pass rush snaps, 3 solo tackles, 2 assists, 2 stops

NT Casey Hampton: Did not record a pressure on 12 pass rush snaps, 1 solo tackle, 1 assist, 1 stop

RB Chris Rainey: 1 punt return for 0 yards, 1 fumble, was not thrown to on 2 pass snaps

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Week 11 NFL Power Rankings (#11)

stevenlourie 2012 NFL Power Rankings, 2012 Week 11 NFL Power Rankings, Buccaneers

Last week: 11 (+0)

Record: 5-4

If you showed me tape of this team before the bye, I wouldn’t recognize them. Josh Freeman is 90 of 154 for 1467 yards, 13 touchdowns, and an interception in his last 5 games, going 4-1, with the only loss being a winnable one that went down to the last play. Their makeshift offensive line is run blocking and pass protecting well. The Freeman to Vincent Jackson combo is deadly and opening thinks up for Mike Williams and Doug Martin, who is running much better since the bye thanks to improved blocking and the defense fearing the pass. Defensively, as bad as their secondary is, they have a great front 7 led by the finally healthy Gerald McCoy and rookie of the year candidate Lavonte David.

I had this as a sleeper team before the season, but I didn’t have them in the playoffs. By the way, look at my preseason overrated and underrated teams. Underrated: St. Louis Rams, Indianapolis Colts, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Overrated: San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders, Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions. I messed up on a few, but I’ll take 6 or 7 out of 10 every year.

Studs

QB Josh Freeman: 14 of 20 for 210 yards and 2 touchdowns, 1 throw away, 110.0 adjusted QB rating, pressured on 11 of 21 drop backs (1 sack, 7 of 10, 1 touchdown)

RT Demar Dotson: Did not allow a pressure on 21 pass block snaps, run blocked for 7 yards on 2 attempts

WR Vincent Jackson: Caught 5 passes for 59 yards on 7 attempts on 19 pass snaps, 2.4 YAC per catch

LOLB Lavonte David: 13 solo tackles, 1 assist, 8 stops, 1 missed tackle, 3 quarterback hurries on 9 blitzes, allowed 6 catches for 36 yards on 6 attempts

RE Daniel Te’o Nesheim: 1 sack and 7 quarterback hurries on 35 pass rush snaps, 3 solo tackles, 1 assist, 3 stops

DT Gerald McCoy: 2 quarterback hits and 4 quarterback hurries on 38 pass rush snaps, 1 assist, 1 missed tackle

LE Michael Bennett: 2 quarterback hits and 3 quarterback hurries on 32 pass rush snaps, 3 solo tackles, 2 stops

P Michael Koenen: 7 kickoffs, 5 touchbacks, 73.3 yards per kickoff, 20.3 opponents average starting distance, 3 punts for 134 yards, 1 inside 20, 1 return for 11 yards, 41.0 net yards per punt

Duds

LT Donald Penn: Allowed 3 quarterback hurries on 21 pass block snaps, run blocked for 5 yards on 4 attempts

C Ted Larsen: Allowed 2 quarterback hurries on 21 pass block snaps, run blocked for 3 yards on 2 attempts

RG Jamon Meredith: Allowed 4 quarterback hurries on 21 pass block snaps, run blocked for 3 yards on 1 attempt

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Dallas Cowboys: Week 11 NFL Power Rankings (#12)

stevenlourie 2012 NFL Power Rankings, 2012 Week 11 NFL Power Rankings, Cowboys

Last week: 17 (-5)

Record: 4-5

I said anything could happen in the Dallas/Philadelphia game. Apparently me believing in the Cowboys again qualifies. They play 5 of their last 7 at home. After having the league’s toughest schedule through 8 games, they have the league’s 2nd easiest over their final 7 and that includes Pittsburgh, who just lost their starting quarterback and might be the only above average team left on their schedule. They don’t have to play the Giants like they did last year. They rank 10th in yards per play differential and 12th in rate of sustaining drives differential. They haven’t turned the ball over in the last 2 weeks and their turnover differential is improving, something I said would probably happen. If they can go +0 in turnovers or better the rest of the way, they can win 9 or 10 games and the division.

Studs

QB Tony Romo: 19 of 26 for 209 yards and 2 touchdowns, 1 throw away, 1 batted pass, 101.9 adjusted QB rating, pressured on 12 of 29 drop backs (3 sacks, 7 of 9, 1 throw away)

CB Orlando Scandrick: Allowed 5 catches for 31 yards on 9 attempts, 1 pass deflection, 1 penalty, 6 solo tackles, 2 stops

CB Brandon Carr: Allowed 4 catches for 56 yards on 7 attempts, 1 interception, 1 pass deflection, 3 solo tackles, 1 stop, 1 missed tackle

LOLB Anthony Spencer: 1 sack, 1 quarterback hit, and 2 quarterback hurries on 29 pass rush snaps, 1 penalty, 2 solo tackles, 3 stops

WR Dwayne Harris: 4 punt returns for 97 yards and a touchdown

Duds

LT Tyron Smith: 1 quarterback hit and 5 quarterback hurries on 29 pass block snaps

C Ryan Cook: Allowed 1 quarterback hit and 2 quarterback hurries on 29 pass block snaps, run blocked for 10 yards on 6 attempts

CB Morris Claiborne: 5 penalties, allowed 4 catches for 44 yards and a touchdown on 5 attempts, 5 solo tackles, 1 assist, 1 stop

RE Jason Hatcher: 1 quarterback hit and 1 quarterback hurry on 41 pass rush snaps, 2 penalties, 1 solo tackle, 1 stop

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New York Giants: Week 11 NFL Power Rankings (#14)

stevenlourie 2012 NFL Power Rankings, 2012 Week 11 NFL Power Rankings, Giants

Last week: 8 (-6)

Record: 6-4

Under Tom Coughlin, they are 53-19 in the first 8 games of a season and 27-39 in the final 8. They have a brutal schedule upcoming, as they host Green Bay, New Orleans, and Philadelphia and go to Washington, Atlanta, and Baltimore. They’ll probably end up somewhere around the 9-7 they were last year. However, that might not cut it this year. Look at Dallas’ schedule: they host Cleveland, Washington, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and New Orleans and they go to Cincinnati and Washington. There’s no reason they can’t go 5-2 and also win 9 games. They rank 10th in yards per play differential and 12th in rate of sustaining drives differential. If they can go +0 or better in turnovers from here on out, they can definitely win this division. I’d be nervous if I was a Giants fan.

Studs

C David Baas: Didn’t allow a pressure on 54 pass block snaps, run blocked for 50 yards and a touchdown on 7 attempts

Duds

LG Kevin Boothe: Allowed 2 sacks, 2 quarterback hits, and 1 quarterback hurry on 54 pass block snaps, run blocked for 21 yards on 4 attempts

WR Victor Cruz: Caught 3 passes for 26 yards on 4 attempts on 53 pass snaps, 0.3 YAC per catch, 1 drop

TE Martellus Bennett: Caught 4 passes for 37 yards on 9 attempts on 40 pass snaps, 2.8 YAC per catch, 1 drop, 1 interception when thrown to

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Minnesota Vikings: Week 11 NFL Power Rankings (#15)

stevenlourie 2012 NFL Power Rankings, 2012 Week 11 NFL Power Rankings, Vikings

Last week: 19 (+4)

Record: 5-4

Their schedule is still brutal from this point out (as is the case with pretty much the whole NFC North) as they head to Chicago, Green Bay, St. Louis, and Houston, while hosting Chicago and Green Bay. How would you like to play Chicago, Green Bay, and Houston in 5 of 6 weeks? However, it’s good they were able to get back in the win column and break Christian Ponder out of his funk. Percy Harvin is due back after the break and they still have the talent to compete if Ponder can continue to play well.

Studs

RB Adrian Peterson: Rushed for 171 yards (62 after contact) and a touchdown on 27 attempts, 4 broken tackles, caught 3 passes for 5 yards on 4 attempts, 1 drop

LT Matt Kalil: Allowed 1 quarterback hurry on 36 pass block snaps, run blocked for 3 yards on 3 attempts

RT Phil Loadholt: Allowed 1 quarterback hurry on 36 pass block snaps, run blocked for 15 yards on 1 attempt

ROLB Chad Greenway: 4 solo tackles, 1 assist, 1 stop, 1 missed tackle, allowed 5 catches for 37 yards on 7 attempts, 1 interception

K Blair Walsh: 8 kickoffs, 6 touchbacks, 70.3 yards per punt, 19.1 opponents average starting distance, 4/4 FG (23, 23, 33, 48)

Duds

LG Charlie Johnson: Allowed 5 quarterback hurries on 36 pass block snaps, run blocked for 19 yards on 4 attempts

RE Jared Allen: 1 quarterback hurry on 41 pass rush snaps, 1 solo tackle, 1 stop

SS Harrison Smith: Allowed 3 catches for 58 yards and a touchdown on 3 attempts, 3 solo tackles, 1 assist, 1 stop

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Miami Dolphins: Week 11 NFL Power Rankings (#16)

stevenlourie 2012 NFL Power Rankings, 2012 Week 11 NFL Power Rankings, Dolphins

Last week: 12 (-4)

Record: 4-5

They haven’t had a very good two weeks. Two weeks ago, they were in a playoff spot, 4-3, and road favorites heading to Indianapolis. Now they are 4-5 and dogs in Buffalo. Andrew Luck and taken back the title of best AFC rookie quarterback from Ryan Tannehill (did he ever really have it?) and at the same time they have taken the Dolphins’ former playoff spot. Fortunately they should be able to get back in the win column this week in Buffalo.

Studs

LT Jake Long: Allowed 1 quarterback hurry on 43 pass block snaps, 1 penalty

C Mike Pouncey: Did not allow a pressure on 43 pass block snaps, run blocked for 28 yards on 5 attempts, 1 penalty

RG John Jerry: Did not allow a pressure on 43 pass block snaps, run blocked for 0 yards on 1 attempt

Duds

QB Ryan Tannehill: 23 of 39 for 217 yards, 2 thrown away, 1 batted pass, 3 drops, 65.1 adjusted QB rating, pressured on 8 of 40 drop backs (1 sack, 3 of 7, 2 throw aways)

RT Jonathan Martin: Allowed 1 sack and 5 quarterback hurries on 43 pass block snaps

DT Randy Starks: Allowed 1 quarterback hurry on 19 pass rush snaps, no tackles

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San Diego Chargers: Week 11 NFL Power Rankings (#17)

stevenlourie 2012 NFL Power Rankings, 2012 Week 11 NFL Power Rankings, Chargers

Last week: 15 (-2)

Record: 4-5

Why does it feel like the Chargers are going to lose to Denver, fall to 4-6, and then go on their annual late season run, finish 8-8 or 9-7, miss the playoffs barely, and save Norv Turner’s and AJ Smith’s jobs? Oh, that’s right, that happens every year. The Chargers should just fire that duo on the spot if they lose to the Broncos. It’s long overdue. More cheery news for Chargers fans: The least time they beat a team other than the Chiefs was week 2, when they beat the Titans. Their only other win was against Oakland in a game they could have lost if the Raiders’ didn’t botch 3 snaps after their long snapper got hurt.

Studs

WR Danario Alexander: Caught 5 passes for 134 yards and a touchdown on 7 attempts on 42 pass snaps, 16.8 YAC per catch, 1 interception when thrown to

MLB Donald Butler: 4 solo tackles, 3 assists, 5 stops, allowed 1 catch for 3 yards and a touchdown on 1 attempt, 1 sack on 6 blitzes

Duds

LT Michael Harris: 1 sack, 2 quarterback hits, and 6 quarterback hurries on 42 pass block snaps, run blocked for 14 yards on 3 attempts

LG Tyronne Green: Allowed 5 quarterback hurries on 42 pass block snaps, run blocked for 0 yards on 1 attempt

C Nick Hardwick: Allowed 4 quarterback hurries on 42 pass block snaps, run blocked for 40 yards on 8 attempts

RG Louis Vasquez: Allowed 1 quarterback hit and 4 quarterback hurries on 42 pass block snaps, run blocked for 10 yards on 1 attempt

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