2012 NFL Power Rankings

New Orleans Saints: Week 11 NFL Power Rankings (#18)

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Last week: 20 (+2)

Record: 4-5

They’re the least likely of the three 2011 playoff teams who are currently 4-5 to go 1-6 and be this year’s team that goes from the playoffs to 5 wins or fewer, but I guess we can’t rule them out. They probably won’t be that team, however. That being said, they’re overrated. Yes, they knocked off Atlanta, but Dallas, Carolina, Washington, and Oakland almost did so. They’re not nearly as good outside of their dome and their defense is still a joke. Because of their defense, they rank 28th in yards per play differential and 25th in rate of sustaining drives differential. They’re not a playoff contender. They’ll probably finish around .500 like they did in 2008, a very similar season (BountyGate scandal excluded).

Studs

RB Chris Ivory: Rushed for 72 yards (82 after contact) and a touchdown on 7 attempts, 5 broken tackles, caught 1 pass for 13 yards on 1 attempt

RT Charles Brown: Allowed 1 quarterback hurry on 33 pass block snaps, run blocked for 6 yards on 1 attempt

RG Jahri Evans: Did not allow a pressure on 33 pass block snaps, run blocked for 9 yards on 2 attempts

WR Lance Moore: Caught 7 passes for 91 yards on 9 attempts on 25 pass snaps, 3.1 YAC per catch

TE Jimmy Graham: Caught 7 passes for 146 yards and 2 touchdowns on 8 attempts on 24 pass snaps, 8.3 YAC per catch, 1 drop, 1 penalty

CB Corey White: Allowed 2 catches for 10 yards on 4 attempts, 1 pass deflection, 1 interception, 2 solo tackles, 1 stop, 1 missed tackle

P Thomas Morestead: 6 kickoffs, 6 touchbacks, 74.3 yards per kickoff, 20.0 opponent’s average starting distance, 5 punts for 250 yards, 1 inside 20, 3 return for 9 yards, 48.2 net yards per punt

Duds

LT Jermon Bushrod: Allowed 4 quarterback hurries on 33 pass block snaps, run blocked for 8 yards on 3 attempts

WR Devery Henderson: Did not catch a pass on 2 attempts on 25 pass snaps, 1 drop

SS Roman Harper: Allowed 6 catches for 81 yards and a touchdown on 10 attempts, 1 pass deflection, 5 solo tackles, 2 assists, 1 stop, 1 quarterback hurry on 4 blitzes

CB Jabari Greer: Allowed 4 catches for 117 yards on 5 attempts, 1 pass deflection, 4 solo tackles, 1 stop

CB Johnny Patrick: Allowed 5 catches for 57 yards on 6 attempts, 5 solo tackles

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Detroit Lions: Week 11 NFL Power Rankings (#19)

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

Last week: 19 (-3)

Record: 4-5

Every year one team goes from the playoffs to 5 wins or fewer. However, this year, 9 games in, all 12 of last year’s playoff teams have at least 4 wins. That means either this won’t happen this year (only one time in the past decade it didn’t happen) or either the Bengals, Lions, or Saints will go 1-6 in their final 7 games. I think the Bengals are the ones who are the most likely to do so because I think they’re the leat talented of the bunch. That being said, look at Detroit’s schedule the rest of the way: vs. Green Bay, vs. Houston, vs. Indianapolis, @ Green Bay, @ Arizona, vs. Atlanta, vs. Chicago. No easy home games. We can’t rule them out, however talented they are.

Studs

QB Matt Stafford: 28 of 42 for 329 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception, 1 batted pass, 1 hit as thrown, 3 drops, 98.6 adjusted QB rating, pressured on 10 of 46 drop backs (2 sacks, 5 of 8, 1 touchdown, 1 hit as thrown, 1 drop)

LG Rob Sims: Did not allow a pressure on 46 pass block snaps, run blocked for 2 yards on 1 attempt

WR Calvin Johnson: Caught 12 passes for 207 yards and a touchdown on 13 attempts on 46 pass snaps, 9.1 YAC per catch

CB Jacob Lacey: Allowed 4 catches for 11 yards on 6 attempts, 7 solo tackles, 1 assist, 5 stops, 1 missed tackle

ROLB Justin Durant: 9 solo tackles, 1 assist, 6 stops, 1 missed tackle, 1 quarterback hit on 3 blitzes, allowed 2 catches for 16 yards on 4 attempts

DT Nick Fairley: 1 sack, 1 quarterback hit, and 3 quarterback hurries on 22 pass rush snaps, 2 solo tackles, 3 stops, 1 penalty

Duds

RB Mikel Leshoure: Rushed for 43 yards (34 after contact) on 13 attempts, 2 broken tackles, caught 1 pass for 5 yards on 3 attempts, 1 drop

SS Erik Coleman: Allowed 4 catches for 71 yards on 5 attempts, 8 solo tackles, 1 assist, 3 stops

LOLB DeAndre Levy: Allowed 5 catches for 58 yards and a touchdown on 5 attempts, 7 solo tackles, 4 stops, 2 missed tackles, 1 quarterback hurry on 5 blitzes

FS Ricardo Silva: Allowed 1 catch for 31 yards on 1 attempt, 5 solo tackles, 1 assist, 1 stop, 2 missed tackles

RE Kyle Vanden Bosch: 1 quarterback hurry on 25 pass rush snaps, 1 solo tackles, 1 assist, 1 stop, 1 missed tackle

LE Willie Young: Did not record a pressure on 14 pass rush snaps, no tackles

RE Lawrence Jackson: Did not record a pressure on 16 pass rush snaps, 1 assist

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St. Louis Rams: Week 11 NFL Power Rankings (#20)

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

Last week: 20 (+1)

Record: 3-5-1

On a bye…oh wait…the Rams played last week? But their record didn’t change, so they couldn’t have played right? It wouldn’t be worth busting your ass for 75 minutes if your record didn’t change afterwards right? Fuck ties.

Studs

QB Sam Bradford: 26 of 39 for 275 yards and 2 touchdowns, 3 throw aways, 3 batted passes, 2 spikes, 1 hit as thrown, 2 drops, 103.2 adjusted QB rating, pressured on 16 of 41 drop backs (2 sacks, 8 of 14, 3 throw aways, 1 hit as thrown, 1 drop)

WR Danny Amendola: Allowed 11 catches for 102 yards on 12 attempts on 39 pass snaps, 5.5 YAC per catch, 1 kickoff return for 4 yards, 3 punt returns for 14 yards

LT Rodger Saffold: Did not allow a pressure on 45 pass block snaps, run blocked for 27 yards on 6 attempts

LE Chris Long: 1 sack, 1 quarterback hit, and 8 quarterback hurries on 33 pass rush snaps, 3 solo tackles, 1 assist, 3 stops

DT Michael Brockers: 2 sacks and 3 quarterback hurries on 27 pass rush snaps, 2 solo tackles, 1 assist, 2 stops

DT Kendall Langford: 2 quarterback hits and 1 quarterback hurry on 24 pass rush snaps, 1 penalty, 4 solo tackles, 1 assist, 2 stops

RE Robert Quinn: 2 sacks and 3 quarterback hurries on 35 pass rush snaps, 1 solo tackle, 2 stops

Duds

WR Brandon Gibson: Caught 3 passes for 47 yards on 5 attempts on 41 pass snaps, 1.7 YAC per catch, 1 drop, 1 penalty

LG Shelley Smith: Allowed 2 sacks, 3 quarterback hits, and 2 quarterback hurries on 45 pass block snaps, 1 penalty, run blocked for 16 yards on 4 attempts

CB Trumaine Johnson: Allowed 5 catches for 59 yards on 7 attempts, 4 solo tackles, 1 stop, 2 missed tackles

RB Isaiah Pead: 4 kickoff returns for 80 yards, 1 fumble, caught 1 pass for 9 yards on 1 attempt on 5 pass snaps

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Philadelphia Eagles: Week 11 NFL Power Rankings (#21)

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

Last week: 18 (-3)

Record: 3-6

It was a very smart of Andy Reid to “rest” Michael Vick the rest of the way. He’s not making the playoffs, but he can still save his job if Nick Foles goes say 4-3. He can blame their slow start on Vick and his history developing quarterbacks will probably convince management to let Reid stick around and develop the promising young quarterback he drafted. If he Foles can’t show anything, Reid will probably be gone and a new coach will come in and probably bring in his own quarterback.

Given the history of non-1st round pick quarterbacks in the NFL (only 9 of 32 week 1 starting quarterbacks this year weren’t drafted in the first round), I say it’s more likely that Foles flops and Reid goes. It’ll be a shame. I’ve always said that for all of Reid’s faults, his work his quarterbacks outweighs them. He’s almost always fielded competitive teams. That being said, eventually a change just needs to be made, so I can understand letting him so, and if Reid decides he wants to continue coaching, he’ll get another job really quickly.

As for potential Reid replacements, look no further than Jon Gruden, who is rumored to be interested in returning to coaching. He has ties to the Eagles, having served there as an assistant in the 90s. He also might have done a little bit of foreshadowing on Monday Night Football during the Eagles/Saints, before the rumors broke. Gruden said something along the lines of “boy I tell ya if the eagles fire Andy Reid they better have someone good lined up to replace him.” If that happens, let’s just hope that ESPN doesn’t hire Andy Reid to replace Gruden on MNF.

Studs

RB LeSean McCoy: Rushed for 82 yards (48 after contact) on 16 carries, 2 broken tackles, caught 4 passes for 14 yards on 5 attempts

CB Nnamdi Asomugha: Did not allow a completion on 1 attempt, 1 pass deflection, 2 solo tackles, 2 stops, 1 missed tackle

ROLB Mychal Kendricks: Allowed 5 catches for 22 yards on 7 attempts, 1 sack on 3 blitzes, 5 solo tackles, 5 stops, 1 missed tackle

LG Evan Mathis: Allowed 2 quarterback hits on 53 pass block snaps, run blocked for 27 yards on 6 attempts

RE Trent Cole: 1 quarterback hit and 4 quarterback hurries on 22 pass rush snaps, 3 solo tackles, 1 stop

DT Cullen Jenkins: 2 sacks and 2 quarterback hurries on 19 pass rush snaps, 2 stops

DT Fletcher Cox: 2 quarterback hits and 4 quarterback hurries on 22 pass rush snaps, 1 missed tackle

C Dallas Reynolds: Allowed 1 quarterback hurry on 53 pass block snaps, run blocked for 39 yards and a touchdown on 7 attempts

Duds

RG Dennis Kelly: Allowed 1 sack, 1 quarterback hit, and 3 quarterback hurries on 53 pass block snaps, run blocked for 15 yards on 4 attempts

LT Demetress Bell: Allowed 2 sacks, 1 quarterback hit, and 2 quarterback hurries on 53 pass block snaps, 2 penalties

SS Nate Allen: Allowed 5 catches for 60 yards and a touchdown on 5 attempts, 6 solo tackles, 1 missed tackle

CB Dominique Rodgers Cromartie: Allowed 3 catches for 87 yards and a touchdown on 5 attempts, 1 penalty, 1 solo tackle, 1 assist, 1 missed tackle

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Tennessee Titans: Week 11 NFL Power Rankings (#24)

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

Last week: 27 (+3)

Record: 4-6

What a weird two weeks for the Titans. First they get blown out in a game that wasn’t as bad as the final score. Then they blown out the Dolphins in a game that wasn’t as bad as the final score. Much like the Bears did to them, they were able to blow on the Dolphins thanks to dominating the turnover battle and were able to put up 37 points despite just 9 completions. That’s the just 18th time a team has had that few completions while putting up that many points since 1989. Meanwhile, teams they score 28 or more points as dogs despite 300 or fewer yards, like the Titans last week, go 43-64 ATS in their next game. The Titans better watch out after the bye.

Studs

QB Jake Locker: 9 of 21 for 122 yards and 2 touchdowns, 4 throw aways, 2 drops, 99.9 adjusted QB rating, pressured on 7 of 26 drop backs (1 sack, 1 scramble, 1 of 5, 1 touchdown, 1 throw away), rushed for 36 yards on 4 attempts

RB Chris Johnson: Rushed for 126 yards (50 after contact) and a touchdown on 23 attempts, 1 broken tackle, caught 1 pass for 8 yards on 1 attempt

LT Michael Roos: Allowed 1 quarterback hurry on 28 pass block snaps, 1 penalty, run blocked for 12 yards on 2 attempts

LG Steve Hutchinson: Allowed 1 quarterback hurry on 27 pass block snaps, run blocked for 34 yards on 7 attempts

MLB Colin McCarthy: 3 solo tackles, 2 stops, allowed 3 catches for 15 yards on 5 attempts, 1 interception

CB Alterraun Verner: Allowed 1 catch for 11 yards on 2 attempts, 1 pass deflection, 4 solo tackles, 1 stop

LE Derrick Morgan: 4 quarterback hurries on 30 pass rush snaps, 1 batted pass, 4 solo tackles, 3 stops, 1 missed tackle

K Rob Bironas: 8 kickoffs, 5 touchbacks, 71.8 yards per kickoff, 20.0 opponent’s average starting distance, 3/3 FG (37, 38, 53)

P Brett Kern: 4 punts for 208 yards, 3 inside 20, 2 returns for 16 yards, 48.0 net yards per punt

Duds

RE Kamerion Wimbley: Allowed 1 quarterback hurry on 29 pass rush snaps, 1 penalty, no tackles

DT Jurrell Casey: Did not record a pressure on 30 pass rush snaps, 1 solo tackle

LOLB Zach Brown: 2 solo tackles, 2 assists, 2 stops, 3 missed tackles, allowed 6 catches for 51 yards on 7 attempts, 1 interception

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Buffalo Bills: Week 11 NFL Power Rankings (#25)

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Last week: 25 (+0)

Record: 3-6

CJ Spiller is having a ridiculous year. He leads all eligible running backs in YPC by a yard and a half over Adrian Peterson, who is 2nd. Spiller is at 7.3. Peterson is at 5.8 He’s at 4.3 yards per carry after contact, which is about an average total yards per carry. Doug Martin is next at 3.7. He ranks 14th in the league in rushing yards despite having just 87 carries. No one else who has fewer than 100 carries ranks higher than 25th. If you add in his receiving yardage, he has 929 yards on just 115 touches. They have to find someone to get him the ball more. Fred Jackson is out this week, so expect a huge game from him. It’s a shame the Bills two best offensive players play the same position. That would be the Bills’ luck.

Studs

RB CJ Spiller: Rushed for 70 yards (35 after contact) on 9 attempts, 2 broken tackles, allowed 4 catches for 61 yards on 4 attempts

LG Andy Levitre: Allowed 1 quarterback hurry on 49 pass block snaps, run blocked for 34 yards on 4 attempts

RG Kraig Urbik: Allowed 1 quarterback hurry on 49 pass block snaps, run blocked for 11 yards on 2 attempts, 1 penalty

RT Chris Hairston: Allowed 1 quarterback hurry on 49 pass block snaps, run blocked for 13 yards on 1 attempts, 1 penalty

CB Leodis McKelvin: Allowed 3 catches for 17 yards on 6 attempts, 5 solo tackles

DT Kyle Williams: 1 sack, 2 quarterback hits, and 2 quarterback hurries on 33 pass rush snaps, 1 solo tackle, 2 stops

DT Marcell Dareus: 1 sack on 31 pass rush snaps, 2 batted passes, 4 solo tackles, 1 stop

RE Mario Williams: Allowed 3 quarterback hurries on 36 pass rush snaps, 3 solo tackles, 3 stops

Duds

C Eric Wood: Allowed 2 sacks on 49 pass block snaps, 1 penalty, run blocked for 24 yards on 7 attempts

LOLB Nick Barnett: Allowed 8 catches for 102 yards and a touchdown on 9 attempts, 5 solo tackles, 1 assist, 2 stops, 1 missed tackle

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Cincinnati Bengals: Week 11 NFL Power Rankings (#26)

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

Last week: 26 (+0)

Record: 4-5

Did Andy Dalton beat his first playoff team last week? He might have, but I don’t think the Giants are going to be a playoff team when it’s all said and done (more on that later). If that doesn’t piss Bengals fans off enough, they’re still down here and my pick to be this year’s team that goes from the playoffs to 5 wins or fewer. Right now, every playoff team from last year has at least 4 wins. That means one of two things. We’re not going to have a team like that this year (only happened 1 other time in the last decade) or either Detroit, New Orleans, or Cincinnati is about to go 1-6 in their next 7 games.

I’m sticking with the latter for now. The Bengals still do not impress me, ranking just 20th in rate of sustaining drives differential, with an even yards per play differential. They’ll probably only be favored in 2 of their remaining 7 games, so it’s possible. That would mean that the Bengals will have to get upset by either the Chiefs or the Raiders in the next 2 weeks. Stay tuned for my week 11 NFL Picks later this week.

Studs

QB Andy Dalton: 21 of 30 for 199 yards and 4 touchdowns, 1 drop, 2 batted passes, 103.3 adjusted QB rating, pressured on 6 of 30 drop backs (2 of 6, 1 drop)

LT Andrew Whitworth: Allowed 1 quarterback hurry on 30 pass block snaps, run blocked for 5 yards on 1 attempt

RG Kevin Zeitler: Did not allow a pressure on 30 pass block snaps, run blocked for 19 yards on 5 attempts

RT Andre Smith: Allowed 1 quarterback hurry on 30 pass block snaps, run blocked for 2 yards on 2 attempts

WR AJ Green: Allowed 7 catches for 85 yards and a touchdown on 9 attempts on 29 pass snaps, 4.4 YAC per catch, 1 drop

CB Adam Jones: Allowed 6 catches for 53 yards on 10 attempts, 3 pass deflections, 5 solo tackles, 1 stop, 2 punt returns for 77 yards

SS Nate Clements: Allowed 1 catch for 1 yard on 3 attempts, 1 interception, 1 pass deflection, 1 solo tackle

DT Geno Atkins: 4 quarterback hits and 5 quarterback hurries on 40 pass rush snaps, 1 penalty, 1 solo tackle

LE Carlos Dunlap: 1 sack, 1 quarterback hit, and 2 quarterback hurries on 38 pass rush snaps, 4 solo tackles, 5 stops

P Kevin Huber: 4 punts for 193 yards, 2 inside 20, 2 returns for 28 yards, 41.3 net yards per punt

Duds

RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis: Rushed for 50 yards (29 after contact) on 15 attempts, 1 broken tackle, caught 2 passes for 8 yards on 2 attempts

TE Jermaine Gresham: Caught 3 passes for 15 yards and a touchdown on 4 attempts on 23 pass snaps, 1.7 YAC per catch, 1 penalty

WR Brandon Tate: Did not catch a pass on 1 attempt on 15 pass snaps, 2 kickoff returns for 24 yards, 1 punt return for 7 yards, 2 fumbles

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New York Jets: Week 11 NFL Power Rankings (#27)

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Last week: 27 (-2)

Record: 3-6

I’ve been wondering for a few weeks, at least, why Rex Ryan hadn’t benched Mark Sanchez for Tim Tebow. It didn’t make any sense to me why (assuming he had brought Tebow in to be an alternative to Mark Sanchez) he hadn’t swapped out Sanchez, who is completing 52% of his passes for a 3-6 team, for his alternative. Well, he answered that question this week by saying, “we never brought him on here to be the starting quarterback.”

I used to just think he was stubborn, but now it appears he is a full on moron. You spent a 4th round pick and you’re paying 2.5 million dollars to someone to protect the punter and get 3-5 random touches per game? What? Even the biggest Tebow hater would have to agree that investing all of those resources in him just for this purpose is pretty moronic. It appears Rex Ryan is sticking with Mark Sanchez as first mate on this sinking ship the rest of the way and the captain should go down with the ship as well. Rex Ryan deserves what’s probably coming to him at the end of the season. Hopefully they replace him with someone who will give Tebow a shot (or trade him someone like Jacksonville). Jon Gruden is rumored to be interested in returning to coaching and he might have the biggest Tebowner of all time.

Studs

LT D’Brickashaw Ferguson: Did not allow a pressure on 31 pass block snaps, run blocked for 4 yards on 2 attempts

LG Matt Slauson: Did not allow a pressure on 31 pass block snaps, run blocked for 16 yards on 4 attempts

RG Brandon Moore: Did not allow a pressure on 31 pass block snaps, run blocked for 13 yards on 2 attempts

RE Muhammad Wilkerson: 1 quarterback hit and 1 quarterback hurry on 22 pass rush snaps, 5 solo tackles, 3 assists, 4 stops

LE Mike DeVito: 1 sack and 1 quarterback hurry on 19 pass rush snaps, 4 solo tackles, 4 stops

ROLB Bryan Thomas: 2 quarterback hits and 1 quarterback hurry on 16 pass rush snaps, 5 solo tackles, 1 assist, 3 stops

Duds

QB Mark Sanchez: 9 of 22 for 124 yards and an interception, 2 drops, 2 batted passes, 1 hit as thrown, 53.5 adjusted QB rating, pressured on 5 of 25 drop backs (3 sacks, 1 of 2, 1 hit as thrown)

RB Shonn Greene: Rushed for 58 yards (28 after contact) on 15 attempts, caught 1 pass for 5 yards on 1 attempt

FB Lex Hilliard: Caught 1 pass for 9 yards on 2 attempts, 1 drop, run blocked for 26 yards on 5 attempts, allowed 1 sack and 1 quarterback hurry on 2 pass block snaps, rushed for 0 yards (1 after contact) on 1 attempt

TE Dustin Keller: Caught 3 passes for 47 yards on 5 attempts on 23 pass snaps, 5.0 YAC per catch, 1 drop, 1 interception when thrown to, 2 penalties

WR Stephen Hill: Did not catch a pass on 2 attempts on 25 pass snaps

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