2012 NFL Power Rankings

Detroit Lions: Week 10 NFL Power Rankings (#16)

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Last week: 20 (+4)

Record: 4-4

With the NFC East struggling lately outside of the Giants and the NFC West struggling lately outside of San Francisco and Seattle (who the Lions beat), the Lions are suddenly right back in the thick of things after a disappointing 1-3 start. I think they rank firmly ahead of Philadelphia, Dallas, Minnesota, Arizona, St. Louis, and Washington right now and will be battling the Bears/Packers, Seahawks, and the upstart Buccaneers for the NFC’s 2 wild cards. The schedule won’t be easy, starting with a key game against a struggling and banged up but still 5-4 Minnesota this week in Minneapolis, a team that beat the Lions in Detroit earlier this season. That game could easily have playoff implications. They also face Green Bay twice, Chicago, Houston, and Atlanta and host the Colts in a game that won’t be easy either.

Studs

RB Joique Bell: Rushed for 73 yards (33 after contact) and a touchdown on 13 attempts, 2 broken tackles, caught 3 passes for 36 yards on 4 attempts

QB Matt Stafford: 22 of 33 for 285 yards, 2 throw aways, 2 drops, 100.9 adjusted QB rating, pressured on 9 of 34 drop backs (1 sack, 2 of 8, 2 throw aways)

WR Calvin Johnson: Caught 7 passes for 129 yards on 8 attempts on 33 pass snaps, 5.3 YAC per catch

WR Ryan Broyles: Caught 6 passes for 52 yards on 6 attempts on 17 pass snaps, 5.3 YAC per catch

LG Rob Sims: Allowed 1 quarterback hurry on 35 pass block snaps, run blocked for 10 yards on 2 attempts

C Dominic Raiola: Did not allow a pressure on 35 pass block snaps, run blocked for 32 yards on 8 attempts

RG Stephen Peterman: Did not allow a pressure on 35 pass block snaps, run blocked for 4 yards on 3 attempts

RT Gosder Cherilus: Did not allow a pressure on 35 pass block snaps, 1 penalty, run blocked for 21 yards on 4 attempts

SS Erik Coleman: Allowed 3 catches for 52 yards on 5 attempts, 1 pass deflection, 1 interception, 3 solo tackles, 1 assist, 1 stop

Duds

WR Titus Young: Caught 2 passes for 20 yards on 5 attempts on 34 pass snaps, 4.0 YAC per catch, 1 drop

TE Brandon Pettigrew: Caught 1 pass for 11 yards on 2 attempts on 27 pass snaps, 0.0 YAC per catch, 1 drop

LT Jeff Backus: Allowed 1 quarterback hit and 4 quarterback hurries on 35 pass block snaps, run blocked for 13 yards on 2 attempts

DT Ndamukong Suh: Didn’t allow a pressure on 28 pass rush snaps, 2 solo tackles

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Dallas Cowboys: Week 10 NFL Power Rankings (#17)

stevenlourie 2012 NFL Power Rankings, 2012 Week 10 NFL Power Rankings, Cowboys

Last week: 17 (+0)

Record: 3-5

The Cowboys will stop underachieving once they fire Wade Phillips…oh wait… they did that 2 years ago. In an interview shown before Sunday Night Football, Owner/GM Jerry Jones said that if the GM were anyone other than him, he as Owner would have fired him by now. However, the next day, he said he will never step down. In between, the Cowboys lost yet another winnable game, this time on the road against the undefeated Falcons thanks, in large part, to Orlando Scandrick making several terrible plays.

Scandrick is the cornerback that Jones signed to a 5 year, 26 million dollar contract with 10 million guaranteed in the 2011 offseason, despite only having 11 mediocre starts under his belt. I doubt any team would have given him 10 million total on the opening market the following offseason, let alone guaranteed. This year, he’s a reverse cornerback as the Cowboys brought in Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne to boot him from the starting lineup.

Jones did a similar thing with safety Barry Church this season, signing him to a smaller deal, but still overpaying him after 3 career starts and while he was on IR. Meanwhile, Jones’ prized Head Coach Jason Garrett, who he paid big money to keep as the coach in waiting, is really struggling with play calling, which is why their offense looks so much better in the no huddle. Jones is very slowly becoming the next Al Davis, an ancient GM/Owner who should have stopped making football decisions years ago. It would be in his best interest to hire a real GM to assist with personnel moves. He could still have the final say if he wanted, but it’s becoming increasingly obvious that he’s in over his head.

Studs

LT Tyron Smith: Allowed 1 quarterback hurry on 39 pass block snaps, 1 penalty, run blocked for 3 yards on 2 attempts

QB Tony Romo: 25 of 35 for 321 yards and a touchdown, 1 thrown away, 1 batted pass, 2 drops, 109.7 adjusted QB rating, pressured on 8 of 36 drop backs (1 sack, 5 of 7, 1 touchdown)

ROLB DeMarcus Ware: 2 sacks, 1 quarterback hit, and 4 quarterback hurries on 33 pass rush snaps, 1 solo tackles, 1 assist, 3 stops, 1 missed tackle

RE Jason Hatcher: 5 quarterback hurries on 31 pass rush snaps, 2 solo tackles, 2 stops

NT Jay Ratliff: 1 quarterback hit and 2 quarterback hurries on 24 pass rush snaps, 1 solo tackle, 1 assist, 1 stop

P Brian Moorman: 4 punts for 182 yards, 3 inside 20, 2 returns for 6 yards, 44.0 net yards per punt

Duds

RT Doug Free: Allowed 4 quarterback hurries on 39 pass block snaps, run blocked for 0 yards on 2 attempts

LG Nate Livings: Allowed 1 sack and 1 quarterback hurry on 39 pass block snaps, 1 penalty, run blocked for -3 yards on 1 attempt

WR Dez Bryant: Caught 1 pass for 15 yards on 3 attempts, 0.0 YAC per catch

FS Gerald Sensabaugh: Allowed 3 catches for 36 yards on 3 attempts, 5 solo tackles, 1 assist

SS Danny McCray: 6 solo tackles, 2 assists, 1 stop, 2 missed tackles, allowed 3 catches for 51 yards on 5 attempts

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Philadelphia Eagles: Week 10 NFL Power Rankings (#18)

stevenlourie 2012 NFL Power Rankings, 2012 Week 10 NFL Power Rankings, Eagles

I think there are two ways Andy Reid can save his job. If he makes the playoffs or if Nick Foles shows some promise. The former isn’t happening most likely. At 3-5, they’d have to go 7-1 the rest of the way to make the playoffs most likely and while Reid is a great coach in the 2nd half of the season, I can’t see that happening. However, if he benches Vick for Foles and Foles shows some promise, maybe they go 4-4 or 5-3 the rest of the way, Reid will be able to blame his early season struggles on Vick and convince them to keep him around to do the one thing he’s great at, which is developing quarterbacks. Even behind this offensive line, Foles could succeed. Vick makes them look worse than they are as he holds the ball the longest from snap to throw out of any quarterback in the NFL and he has for 2 seasons.

Philadelphia Eagles

Studs

RB LeSean McCoy: Rushed for 119 yards (72 after contact) on 19 attempts, 6 broken tackles, caught 2 passes for 14 yards on 3 attempts, 1 drop

LE Brandon Graham: 1 sack and 1 quarterback hurry on 12 pass rush snaps, 1 solo tackles, 2 stops

RE Trent Cole: 1 quarterback hit and 2 quarterback hurries on 20 pass rush snaps, 5 solo tackles, 4 stops

Duds

LT King Dunlap: Allowed 1 sack, 2 quarterback hits, and 3 quarterback hurries on 54 pass block snaps

RT Demetress Bell: Allowed 1 sack, 1 quarterback hit, and 2 quarterback hurries on 42 pass block snaps, 2 penalties, run blocked for 6 yards on 3 attempts

RG Dennis Kelly: Allowed 1 sack, 1 quarterback hit, and 1 quarterback hurry on 54 pass block snaps, run blocked for 10 yards on 3 attempts

TE Brent Celek: Caught 5 passes for 47 yards on 9 attempts on 39 pass snaps, 3.4 YAC per catch, 1 interception when thrown to, allowed 1 sack on 10 pass block snaps

WR Jeremy Maclin: Caught 2 passes for 28 yards on 4 attempts on 53 pass snaps, 0.5 YAC per catch, 1 penalty

ROLB Mychal Kendricks: 4 solo tackles, 1 stop, 1 missed tackle, 1 penalty, allowed 5 catches for 50 yards and a touchdown on 5 attempts

CB Nnamdi Asomugha: Allowed 3 catches for 35 yards and a touchdown on 4 attempts, 1 pass deflection, 1 solo tackle, 1 stop, 2 missed tackles

CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie: Allowed 2 catches for 31 yards on 3 attempts, 1 penalty, 3 solo tackles

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Minnesota Vikings: Week 10 NFL Power Rankings (#19)

stevenlourie 2012 NFL Power Rankings, 2012 Week 10 NFL Power Rankings, Vikings

Last week: 12 (-7)

Record: 5-4

In his last 4 games, Christian Ponder completed 73 of 126 (57.9%) for 724 yards (5.7 YPA), 4 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions, all less than stellar team performances (0-3-1 ATS, 1-3 SU). The only reason it was even close against Seattle was because Adrian Peterson went nuts, but as talented as he is, he can’t do it by himself. Even worse, their only other offensive playmaker Percy Harvin is likely to miss at least one game with an injury, if not more. They sit at 5-4 still, but they have a brutal schedule the rest of the way, including 5 divisional games against Green Bay, Detroit, and Chicago. Their other two games are in St. Louis and in Houston. That promising start 4-1 with wins over San Francisco and Detroit seems like a thing of the past.

Minnesota Vikings

Studs

RB Adrian Peterson: Rushed for 182 yards (126 after contact) and 2 touchdowns on 17 attempts, 8 broken tackles, allowed 1 sack on 6 pass block snaps, caught 3 passes for 11 yards on 3 attempts

LT Matt Kalil: Didn’t allow a pressure on 32 pass block snaps, run blocked for 43 yards on 2 attempts

K Blair Walsh: 5 punts, 4 kickoffs, 71.8 yards per kickoff, 19.0 opponent’s average starting distance, 2/2 FG (36, 55)

Duds

QB Christian Ponder: 11 of 22 for 63 yards and an interception, 1 throw away, 1 hit as thrown, 1 drop, 51.8 adjusted QB rating, pressured on 8 of 31 drop backs (2 scrambles, 4 sacks, 1 of 2, 1 hit as thrown), rushed for 23 yards on 5 attempts

WR Percy Harvin: Caught 2 passes for 10 yards on 6 attempts on 20 pass snaps, 6.5 YAC per catch, 1 interception when thrown to, rushed for 24 yards on 4 attempts, 1 fumble, 1 kickoff return for 39 yards

TE Kyle Rudolph: Didn’t catch a pass on 1 attempt on 26 pass snaps, 1 drop

MLB Jasper Brinkley: Allowed 6 catches for 55 yards and a touchdown on 6 attempts, 9 solo tackles, 3 assists, 2 stops, 1 missed tackle

DT Letroy Guion: 1 quarterback hurry on 17 pass rush snaps, 1 penalty, 1 solo tackles, 2 assists

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New Orleans Saints: Week 10 NFL Power Rankings (#20)

stevenlourie 2012 NFL Power Rankings, 2012 Week 10 NFL Power Rankings, Saints

Last week: 22 (+2)

Record: 3-5

The Saints held the Eagles to 13 points, but I still have no confidence in this defense. They surrendered 400 yards for the 8th straight game, an NFL record to start a season, but the Eagles’ dumb mistakes forced them to settle for 13 points. This was the 9th most in NFL history that a team has surrendered in NFL history and still held their opponent to 13 or less. They won’t be able to do that again. At 3-5, they need to go 7-1 in a loaded NFC to make the playoffs. I don’t think they nearly have the defense for that.

Studs

QB Drew Brees: 21 of 27 for 239 yards and 2 touchdowns, 2 hit as thrown, 1 drop, 111.0 adjusted QB rating

RB Mark Ingram: Rushed for 44 yards (47 after contact) on 7 attempts, 4 broken tackles, caught 2 passes for 23 yards on 2 attempts

C Brian De La Puente: Did not allow a pressure on 31 pass block snaps, run blocked for 21 yards on 4 attempts

RG Jahri Evans: Allowed 1 quarterback hurry on 30 pass block snaps, run blocked for 10 yards on 2 attempts

CB Jabari Greer: Allowed 2 catches for 10 yards on 6 attempts, 1 pass deflection, 4 solo tackles, 1 assist, 1 stop

LE Cameron Jordan: 3 sacks, 2 quarterback hits, and 4 quarterback hurries on 54 pass rush snaps, 4 solo tackles, 6 stops, 1 missed tackle

P Thomas Morestead: 3 punts for 149 yards, 0 inside 20, 1 return for 20 yards, 43.0 net yards per punt, 5 kickoffs, 4 touchbacks, 70.6 yards per kickoff, 16.6 opponent’s average starting distance

Duds

SS Roman Harper: 4 solo tackles, 2 missed tackles, allowed 4 catches for 66 yards on 5 attempts

DT Sedrick Ellis: 2 quarterback hurries on 40 pass rush snaps, 1 solo tackle, 1 stop, 1 missed tackle

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Washington Redskins: Week 10 NFL Power Rankings (#22)

stevenlourie 2012 NFL Power Rankings, 2012 Week 10 NFL Power Rankings, Commanders

Last week: 22 (-4)

Record: 3-6

The Redskins lost on the Sunday before the election. That means Mitt Romney will be out next president. Before the last 17 of the last 18 elections, when the Redskins win on the Sunday before the election, the incumbent party wins. When the Redskins lose, the incumbent party loses. Oh…you mean Romney lost anyway…oh.

Studs

LT Trent Williams: Didn’t allow a pressure on 53 pass block snaps, 1 penalty, run blocked for 5 yards on 2 attempts

LG Kory Lichtensteiger: Didn’t allow a pressure on 53 pass block snaps, 1 penalty, run blocked for -4 yards on 4 attempts

QB Robert Griffin: 23 of 39 for 215 yards, 1 hit as thrown, 6 drops, 92.9 adjusted QB rating, pressured on 17 of 50 drop backs (4 sacks, 4 scrambles, 5 of 9, 1 hit as thrown, 2 drops), rushed for 53 yards on 11 attempts, 1 broken tackle

CB DeAngelo Hall: Did not allow a catch on 4 attempts, 2 pass deflections, 1 solo tackle, 1 assist, 1 stop, 1 missed tackle

Duds

RT Tyler Polumbus: Allowed 3 sacks and 8 quarterback hurries on 53 pass block snaps, run blocked for 34 yards on 2 attempts

WR Josh Morgan: Caught 6 passes for 46 yards on 11 attempts on 48 pass snaps, 1.0 YAC per catch, 3 drops

WR Santana Moss: Caught 1 pass for 2 yards on 2 attempts on 31 pass snaps, 8.0 YAC per catch

WR Aldrick Robinson: Caught 1 pass for 6 yards on 2 attempts on 22 pass snaps, 1.0 YAC per catch, 1 drop

RB Evan Royster: Rushed for 6 yards (7 after contact) and a touchdown on 4 carries, 1 broken tackle, 1 quarterback hit and 1 quarterback hurry on 4 pass block snaps, caught 3 passes for 30 yards on 4 attempts, 1 drop

MLB London Fletcher: Allowed 4 catches for 36 yards on 4 attempts, 1 penalty, 5 solo tackles, 1 assist

CB Josh Wilson: Allowed 3 catches for 109 yards and a touchdown on 4 attempts, 2 penalties, 1 solo tackle, 1 assist

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Arizona Cardinals: Week 10 NFL Power Rankings (#23)

stevenlourie 2012 NFL Power Rankings, 2012 Week 10 NFL Power Rankings, Cardinals

Last week: 23 (+0)

Record: 4-5

Well, at least they’ll always have the memory of being 4-0 right. Well, unless someone tries to delete the history of it. Michael Silver proclaimed them the best team in the league after their 3-0 start and I wrote about how he was an idiot for doing so because Buffalo and Washington did similar things last year. 3 game winning streaks are not special, but when they happen at the beginning of the season, they’re more noticeable. Well, I went to find that Michael Silver article this week and it had been deleted. Awesome idea. Maybe I should delete every instance where I said the 49ers would miss the playoffs this year.

Studs

RT Bobby Massie: Allowed 1 quarterback hit on 48 pass block snaps, run blocked for 3 yards on 2 attempts

C Lyle Sendlein: Did not allow a pressure on 48 pass block snaps, run blocked for 7 yards on 2 attempts

WR Larry Fitzgerald: Caught 6 passes for 74 yards and a touchdown on 12 attempts on 48 pass snaps, 6.5 YAC per catch

Duds

LT Nate Potter: Allowed 1 quarterback hit and 5 quarterback hurries on 38 pass block snaps

LG Daryn Colledge: Allowed 2 sacks and 1 quarterback hurry on 48 pass block snaps, run blocked for 3 yards on 2 attempts

RG Rich Ohrnberger: Allowed 2 quarterback hits on 48 pass block snaps, 2 penalties, run blocked for 3 yards on 2 attempts

WR Early Doucet: Did not catch a pass on 4 attempts on 17 pass snaps, 3 drops

TE Rob Housler: Caught 5 passes for 55 yards on 9 attempts on 35 pass snaps, 4.2 YAC per catch, 2 drops, 1 interception when thrown to

LOLB Quentin Groves: 1 quarterback hit on 9 pass rush snaps, 3 penalties, 1 solo tackles, 1 stop, 1 missed tackle

LOLB O’Brien Schofield: Did not record a pressure on 19 pass rush snaps, 2 solo tackles, 2 stops

ROLB Sam Acho: 1 quarterback hurry on 27 pass rush snaps, 1 penalty, 2 solo tackles, 1 stop

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Buffalo Bills: Week 10 NFL Power Rankings (#25)

stevenlourie 2012 NFL Power Rankings, 2012 Week 10 NFL Power Rankings, Bills

Last week: 26 (+1)

Record: 3-6

The Bills actually move up a spot despite a 12 point loss to the Texans because I felt the Titans, who have the league’s worst points differential, were way less impressive (despite their head-to-head win over the Bills) and dropped the Titans 2 spots. The Bills were slightly more competitive with the Texans than the final score would have suggested, but the Texans were probably just sleepwalking with the Chicago game next on schedule. One interesting fact: reserve defensive end Kyle Moore got the first sack against Houston Texans’ left tackle Duane Brown since week 15 of 2010, 28 straight games without allowing a sack, including playoffs, almost 2 full seasons.

Studs

RT Chris Hairston: Didn’t allow a pressure on 44 pass block snaps, run blocked for 5 yards on 2 attempts

FS Jairus Byrd: 4 solo tackles, 1 assist, 3 stops, was not thrown on

Duds

LT Cordy Glenn: Allowed 3 quarterback hit and 1 quarterback hurry on 44 pass block snaps, 1 penalty, run blocked for 4 yards on 2 attempts

RG Kraig Urbik: Allowed 1 sack, 1 quarterback hit, and 2 quarterback hurries on 44 pass block snaps, run blocked for 22 yards on 1 attempt

WR TJ Graham: Allowed 2 catches for 4 yards on 3 attempts on 28 pass snaps, 1.0 YAC, 1 drop

CB Aaron Williams: Allowed 4 catches for 99 yards and a touchdown on 4 attempts, 3 solo tackles, 1 assist

CB Stephon Gilmore: Allowed 4 catches for 49 yards on 6 attempts, 3 solo tackles, 1 missed tackle

RE Chris Kelsay: Did not record a pressure on 11 pass rush snaps, 1 solo tackle, 1 assist

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