2012 NFL Power Rankings

New Orleans Saints: Week 5 NFL Power Rankings (#26)

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Last week: 26 (+0)

Record: 0-4

The bad news is the Saints are 0-4. The good news is that they looked a lot better last week, going into Lambeau Field and playing a solid game in a close loss to the Packers. There’s understandably adjustment period to live without your Head Coach, especially a Super Bowl winning one like Sean Payton, but it should get easier on a weekly basis. Plus, having Drew Brees doesn’t hurt. That’s why this team is ahead of several teams that have won games. Still, they are the favorite to be this year’s team to goes from in the playoffs to 5 or fewer wins.

Studs

C Brian La Puente: Did not allow a pressure on 58 pass rush snaps, run blocked for 17 yards on 4 attempts

QB Drew Brees: 35 of 54 for 446 yards and 3 touchdowns, 2 throw aways, 4 drops, 99.9 adjusted QB rating, pressured on 6 of 56 drop backs (2 sacks, 1 of 4, 1 throw away)

WR Marques Colston: Caught 9 passes for 153 yards and a touchdown on 13 attempts on 52 pass snaps, 4.0 YAC per catch, 1 penalty

Duds

RB Pierre Thomas: Rushed for 14 yards (12 after contact) on 9 attempts, 2 catches for -1 yards on 2 attempts

WR Devery Henderson: Caught 1 pass for 10 yards on 2 attempts on 38 pass snaps, 3.0 YAC per catch, 1 drop

LE Cameron Jordan: 1 quarterback hurry on 46 pass rush snaps, 1 penalty, 1 solo tackle, 1 assist

DT Sedrick Ellis: Did not record a pressure on 25 pass rush snaps, no tackles

LOLB Scott Shanle: 2 solo tackles, 1 assist, 1 missed tackle, allowed 4 catches for 49 yards and a touchdown on 5 attempts, 1 pass deflection

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Kansas City Chiefs: Week 5 NFL Power Rankings (#27)

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Last week: 27 (+0)

Record: 1-3

After a 37-20 home loss to the Chargers, the Chiefs have now lost 12 of their 19 losses by 16 or more points since 2010. When it rains, it pours for this team and it definitely poured this week as they turned the ball over 6 times en route to a blowout loss. At one point in the middle of the 2nd quarter, the Chiefs had 14 yards to the Chargers’ 20 points. Now there are calls for Matt Cassel’s job, though it’s not like Brady Quinn will be any better. They won’t be as bad as they were last week as that performance was skewed by 6 turnovers, which won’t happen every week, but it looks like another lost season for them. Hopefully they start over at the quarterback position this offseason.

Studs

C Ryan Lilja: Did not allow a pressure on 50 pass block snaps, run blocked for 29 yards on 8 attempts

LT Branden Albert: Did not allow a pressure on 50 pass block snaps, run blocked for -4 yards on 1 attempts

RG Jon Asamoah: Allowed 1 quarterback hurry on 50 pass block snaps, run blocked for 24 yards on 5 attempts

WR Dwayne Bowe: Caught 7 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown on 12 targets on 49 pass snaps, 2.7 YAC per catch, 1 interception when thrown to

CB Brandon Flowers: Allowed 1 catch for 2 yards on 3 attempts, 1 interception, 1 pass deflection, 4 solo tackle, 1 stop, 1 missed tackle

FS Abram Elam: Did not allow a completion on 1 attempt, 1 pass deflection, 3 solo tackles

MLB Jovan Belcher: 9 solo tackles, 1 assist, 6 stops, 1 quarterback hurry on 2 blitzes, was not thrown on

P Dustin Colquitt: 4 punts for 205 yards, 3 inside 20, 1 return for 0 yards, 51.3 net yards per punt

Duds

WR Dexter McCluster: Caught 2 passes for 6 yards on 3 targets on 37 pass plays, 1.5 YAC per catch, 1 drop, 1 interception when thrown to

TE Tony Moeaki: Caught 3 passes for 18 yards on 4 targets on 43 pass plays, 1.7 YAC per catch, 1 drop, 1 interception when thrown to, 2 penalties

SS Eric Berry: Allowed 7 catches for 97 yards on 7 attempts, 5 solo tackles, 3 stops, 1 missed tackle, 2 penalties

LE Tyson Jackson: Did not record a pressure on 16 pass rush snaps, 1 solo tackle

NT Dontari Poe: Did not record a pressure on 24 pass rush snaps, 1 solo tackle, 1 assist, 1 stop

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New York Jets: Week 5 NFL Power Rankings (#28)

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Last week: 25 (-3)

Record: 2-2

Prior to the Jets’ 34-0 home loss to the 49ers last week, one NFL executive compared the Revis injury to any other team losing it’s starting quarterback and he was so right. Without Revis, they can’t do any of the things to normally make them good defensively and it certainly looked like it on the field last week. They turned the ball over 4 times and didn’t force a turnover and averaged just 2.9 yards per play, as opposed to 5.6 yards per play for their opponent’s, the 49ers. You could have given them 10 quarters and they wouldn’t have been able to score. They have 2 wins, but if you started the season over today, they’d probably finish with the worst record in the NFL. There isn’t a single thing they do well without Revis. They rank 30th in the league in yards per play differential and expect that to continue to fall in future weeks.

New York Jets

Studs

CB Antonio Cromartie: Did not allow a completion on 4 attempts, 2 pass deflections, 3 solo tackles, 1 penalty

Duds

QB Mark Sanchez: 13 of 29 for 103 yards and an interception, 1 hit as thrown, 1 throw away, 1 batted pass, 1 drop, 48.7 adjusted QB rating, pressured on 10 of 32 drop backs (1 scramble, 2 sacks, 1 of 7, 1 throw away, 1 hit as thrown)

C Nick Mangold: Allowed 1 sack and 2 quarterback hurries on 36 pass block snaps, 1 penalty, run blocked for 22 yards on 8 attempts

LG Matt Slauson: Allowed 3 quarterback hurries on 22 pass block snaps, run blocked for 3 yards on 1 carry

RB Shonn Greene: Rushed for 34 yards (18 after contact) on 11 carries, no catches on 1 target, 1 drop

WR Santonio Holmes: Caught 4 passes for 29 yards on 8 targets on 25 pass plays, 8.5 YAC per catch

MLB David Harris: 9 solo tackles, 1 assist, 2 stops, 5 missed tackles, allowed 3 catches for 26 yards on 3 attempts, 1 quarterback hurry on 3 blitzes

LE Mike DeVito: Did not record a pressure on 15 pass rush snaps, 1 assist

NT Kenrick Ellis: Did not record a pressure on 10 pass rush snaps, 1 solo tackle, 1 stop

RE Muhammad Wilkerson: Did not record a pressure on 24 pass rush snaps, 4 solo tackles, 3 stops

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Week 5 NFL Power Rankings (#29)

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Last week: 28 (-1)

Record: 1-3

The Buccaneers rank dead last in the league in yards per play differential and a home loss to Washington, even with their kicker imploding, solidifies them as that. Before last week’s game, Washington ranked 31st in that category. They really don’t seem improved over last season and they look headed for yet another 4 win or fewer season and I say this as someone who was a big believer in them and that they would improve before the season.

If that happens, they’ll be in an interesting position with Josh Freeman. 2013 is his contract year and he’s only really had 1 good season out of 4. I’m not saying he’s a full on bust, but he’s at least in that Jason Campbell class and they might want to invest in someone better for the future, like Washington did when Campbell’s contract was expiring (they traded for Donovan McNabb, who they cut a season later, and then eventually took Robert Griffin).

Studs

LG Carl Nicks: Did not allow a pressure on 42 pass block snaps, run blocked for 2 yards on 1 attempt

WR Vincent Jackson: Caught 6 passes for 100 yards and a touchdown on 11 targets on 42 pass snaps, 1.0 YAC per catch, 1 interception when thrown to

WR Mike Williams: Caught 4 passes for 115 yards on 8 targets on 40 pass snaps, 11.0 YAC per catch

LOLB Lavonte David: 12 solo tackles, 2 assists, 8 stops, 1 missed tackle, allowed 4 catches for 47 yards on 4 attempts, 1 quarterback hurry on 6 blitzes

LE Michael Bennett: 1 sack, 1 quarterback hit, and 5 quarterback hurries on 28 pass rush snaps, 1 solo tackle, 1 missed tackle, 2 stops

K Connor Barth: 3/3 FG (47, 50, 57)

P Michael Koenen: 6 kickoffs, 4 touchbacks, 71.7 yards per kickoff, 19.3 opponent’s average starting distance, 6 punts for 277 yards, 4 inside 20, 3 returns for 17 yards, 43.3 net yards per punt

Duds

RB Doug Martin: Rushed for 33 yards (18 after contact) on 8 carries, 1 broken tackle, caught 2 passes for 9 yards on 4 attempts, 2 drops

C Jeremy Zuttah: Allowed 2 quarterback hurries on 42 pass block snaps, 1 penalty, run blocked for 0 yards on 1 attempt

ROLB Quincy Black: 1 solo tackle, 1 assist, 1 missed tackle, allowed 3 catches for 38 yards on 3 attempts

DT Roy Miller: Did not record a pressure on 28 pass rush snaps, 1 solo tackle, 1 stop

RE Daniel Te’o-Nesheim: 1 quarterback hurry on 29 pass rush snaps, 1 solo tackle, 1 stop, 1 missed tackle

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Oakland Raiders: Week 5 NFL Power Rankings (#30)

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Last week: 31 (+1)

Record: 1-3

I knew that win over the Steelers was a fluke. The Raiders looked awful in all facets of the game last week and once again look like the worst team in the league as they did two weeks ago. They rank 27th in the league in yards per play differential. Their defense is a mess and they just don’t have the offensive talent to keep up. I’ve said all along this will be one of the worst teams in the league this year. I’m standing by it.

Studs

RG Mike Brisiel: Did not allow a pressure on 38 pass block snaps, run blocked for 12 yards on 3 attempts

Duds

RB Darren McFadden: Rushed for 34 yards (13 after contact) on 13 carries, allowed 1 quarterback hit on 6 pass block snaps, 1 catch for 4 yards on 1 target

RT Willie Smith: Allowed 2 sacks, 2 quarterback hits, and 5 quarterback hurries on 38 pass rush snaps, run blocked for 5 yards on 1 attempt

FS Matt Giordano: Allowed 5 catches for 32 yards on 6 attempts, 9 solo tackles, 1 assist, 2 missed tackles

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Jacksonville Jaguars: Week 5 NFL Power Rankings (#31)

stevenlourie 2012 NFL Power Rankings, 2012 Week 5 NFL Power Rankings, Jaguars

Last week: 30 (-1)

Record: 1-3

I almost put them last even though they had a win because they really haven’t looked good in any week, while Cleveland has hung with some playoff teams. They rank 31st in the league in yards per play differential. Blaine Gabbert doesn’t seem noticeably improved over last year. Since a solid showing in the opener, he’s 40 of 74 for 394 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception. He’s protecting the ball, but this offense simply has no explosion to it unless Maurice Jones-Drew is breaking off a bunch of big runs.

His last 3 games have been especially poor. Against Houston, he had as many attempts as yards midway through the 3rd quarter and finished 7-19 for 53 yards. In a win in Indianapolis, he was 9 of 20 for 75 yards, up until an 80 yard touchdown to Cecil Shorts, in which the receiver did most of the work. Shorts and a huge day by Maurice Jones-Drew are the two reasons they won that game against the lowly Colts. Not Gabbert. Last week, Cincinnati was missing their top 4 cornerbacks with injuries and using Terence Newman, Adam Jones, and Chris Crocker at cornerback. They stacked the box to stop MJD and Gabbert still went just 23 of 34 for 186 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. If this team ends up with a top-3 pick, GM Gene Smith could easily be fired and the Jaguars could look to take either Geno Smith or Matt Barkley to replace Gabbert.

Studs

CB Derek Cox: Allowed 2 catches for 13 yards on 6 attempts, 1 pass deflection, 4 tackles, 1 assist

LE Jeremy Mincey: 1 quarterback hurry on 33 pass rush snaps, 1 batted pass, 5 solo tackles, 4 stops

MLB Paul Posluszny: 10 solo tackles, 3 assists, 4 stops, 1 missed tackle, was not thrown on

Duds

LG Eben Britton: Allowed 2 sacks, 1 quarterback hit, and 5 quarterback hurries on 22 pass block snaps

LG Mike Brewster: Allowed 2 sacks and 1 quarterback hurry on 22 pass block snaps, run blocked for 6 yards on 1 attempt

C Brad Meester: Allowed 1 sack and 1 quarterback hurry on 44 pass block snaps, run blocked for 11 yards on 6 attempts

WR Cecil Shorts: Caught 1 pass for 8 yards on 5 attempts on 23 pass snaps, 3.0 YAC per catch, 1 drop

LOLB Russell Allen: Allowed 6 catches for 48 yards and a touchdown on 6 attempts, 7 solo tackles, 1 assist, 3 stops, 1 missed tackle

CB Rashean Mathis: Allowed 5 catches for 109 yards and a touchdown on 8 attempts, 1 pass deflection, 1 solo tackle, 1 assist

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Cleveland Browns: Week 5 NFL Power Rankings (#32)

stevenlourie 2012 NFL Power Rankings, 2012 Week 5 NFL Power Rankings, Browns

Last week: 32

Record: 0-4

The Browns are the worst team in the league, but they’re not awful. They haven’t lost a single one of their games by more than 10 points. They rank 23rd in the league in yards per play differential, bad but not awful. They’ve done this mostly with their best player being suspended. There just really isn’t a truly awful team in the NFL, at least one that has revealed itself yet. I almost put Jacksonville here because they haven’t been impressive in any of their games, even their win, but for another week Cleveland is this spot.

Studs

CB Buster Skrine: Allowed 3 catches for 38 yards on 7 attempts, 2 pass deflections, 2 solo tackles

FS Usama Young: Was not thrown on, 1 sack and 1 quarterback hurry on 3 blitzes, 1 solo tackles, 2 assists, 1 stop

LE Jabaal Sheard: 1 sack and 2 quarterback hurries on 35 pass rush snaps, 5 solo tackles, 1 assist, 6 stops

K Phil Dawson: 5 kickoffs, 2 touchbacks, 71.0 yards per kickoff, 18.6 opponent’s average starting distance, 3/3 FG (50, 51, 52)

Duds

WR Greg Little: 4 catches for 77 yards on 9 targets on 52 pass plays, 3.3 YAC per catch, 3 drops

TE Jordan Cameron: 1 catch for 15 yards on 6 targets on 18 pass plays, 7.0 YAC per catch, 2 drops

CB Dmitri Patterson: Allowed 10 catches for 136 yards on 13 attempts, 2 pass deflections, 11 solo tackles, 2 stops

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Houston Texans: Week 4 NFL Power Rankings (#1)

stevenlourie 2012 NFL Power Rankings, 2012 Week 4 NFL Power Rankings, Texans

Last week: 2 (+1)

Record: 3-0

I’ve poked holes in pretty much every other team in the league. I can’t do that with this team. They are without a flaw. Winning in Denver in the high altitude against a talented team and a no huddle offense is damn impressive and 3 games into the season, this is the Super Bowl favorite and the most complete team in the league. Actually, I kind of lied. You can poke two holes in this team. Can they stay healthy? And can Matt Schaub win it all on his first career trip to the postseason? That’s still better than everyone else, however, though there’s a lot left to be determined.

Studs

QB Matt Schaub: 17 of 30 for 290 yards, 4 touchdowns and 1 interception, 2 throw aways, 2 hit as throwns, 1 batted pass, 2 drops, 102.0 adjusted QB rating, pressured on 17 of 31 drop backs (1 sack, 9 of 16, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception, 1 throw away, 2 hit as throwns)

C Chris Myers: Did not allow a pressure on 33 pass block snaps, run blocked for 56 yards on 15 attempts

LT Duane Brown: Allowed 1 quarterback hit on 33 pass block snaps, 1 penalty, run blocked for 18 yards on 3 attempts

CB Johnathan Joseph: Allowed 3 catches for 30 yards on 9 attempts, 2 pass deflections, 4 solo tackles, 1 assist, 2 stops

FS Glover Quin: Allowed 1 catch for 6 yards on 5 attempts, 2 pass deflections, 4 solo tackles, 1 stop, 1 quarterback hurry on 5 blitzes

LOLB Brooks Reed: 1 sack and 5 quarterback hits on 41 pass rush snaps, 2 solo tackles, 1 stop

LE JJ Watt: 3 sacks and 3 quarterback hits on 46 pass rush snaps, 4 solo tackles, 7 stops, 1 missed tackle

Duds

RT Derek Newton: Allowed 1 sack, 1 quarterback hit, and 2 quarterback hurries on 25 pass block snaps, 3 penalties, run blocked for 10 yards on 3 attempts

RG Antoine Caldwell: Allowed 3 quarterback hurries on 18 pass block snaps, run blocked for 3 yards on 1 attempt

CB Kareem Jackson: Allowed 7 catches for 107 yards and a touchdown on 10 attempts, 6 solo tackles, 1 assist

CB Brice McCain: 5 catches for 84 yards and a touchdown on 6 attempts, 1 pass deflection, 2 penalties, 2 solo tackles

ROLB Connor Barwin: Did not record a pressure on 51 pass rush snaps, 1 solo tackle, 1 assist, 1 stop, 1 missed tackle

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Atlanta Falcons: Week 4 NFL Power Rankings (#2)

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Last week: 5 (+3)

Record: 3-0

As many good teams as there are in the NFC, there isn’t a clear favorite. Maybe I just like poking holes in teams. Atlanta, however, is the best the NFC has right now and the favorite to represent them in the Super Bowl. The hole you can poke in them is that they rank just 10th in yards per play differential and they’re dominating the turnover battle with a whopping +10. However, they can’t continue to count on that going forward. Eventually, they’ll have to beat a team when they don’t dominate or win the turnover battle. They haven’t done that yet, though they’ve looked awfully good.

Atlanta Falcons

Studs

C Todd McClure: Didn’t allow a pressure on 46 pass block snaps, run blocked for 56 yards on 12 attempts

RT Tyson Clabo: Allowed 1 quarterback hurry on 43 pass block snaps, run blocked for 17 yards on 5 attempts

TE Tony Gonzalez: Caught 9 passes for 91 yards and a touchdown on 11 attempts on 45 pass snaps, 2.1 YAC per catch 1 interception when thrown to

CB Asante Samuel: Allowed 4 catches for 31 yards on 7 attempts, 5 solo tackles, 1 assist, 2 stops, 1 missed tackle

FS Thomas DeCoud: Did not allow a completion on 4 attempts, 2 interceptions, 1 pass deflection, 4 solo tackles, 2 stops, 1 missed tackle

Duds

LG Justin Blalock: Allowed 4 quarterback hurries on 47 pass block snaps, run blocked for 1 yard on 1 attempt

LE Ray Edwards: Did not record a pressure on 20 pass rush snaps, 1 solo tackle, 1 assist, 1 stop

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Baltimore Ravens: Week 4 NFL Power Rankings (#3)

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Last week: 13 (+10)

Record: 2-1

The Ravens rank 1st in the league in yards per play differential, though you need to add a human element to stats sometimes. Their defense is not what it normally is and they’re clearly missing Terrell Suggs and others. The reason they rank so highly is because their offense leads the league in yards per play. If the defense continues like this, they’ll need to offense to continue that and I don’t know if they can. Whether or not they can has a lot to do with whether or not Joe Flacco has taken that next step. He’s torched two bad defenses and struggled against a good one, so the jury is still out on that one.

Baltimore Ravens

Studs

QB Joe Flacco: 28 of 39 for 382 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception, 1 throw away, 1 drop, 101.7 adjusted QB rating, pressured on 11 of 40 drop backs (no sacks, 1 scramble, 7 of 10, 1 touchdown, 1 throw away, 1 drop)

RB Ray Rice: Rushed for 101 yards (28 after contact) and a touchdown on 20 carries, caught 5 passes for 49 yards on 5 attempts

C Matt Birk: Did not allow a pressure on 47 pass block snaps, run blocked for 64 yards and a touchdown on 13 attempts

RT Kelechi Osemele: Allowed 1 quarterback hurry on 47 pass block snaps, run blocked for 19 yards on 3 attempts

WR Torrey Smith: Caught 6 passes for 127 yards and a 2 touchdown on 9 attempts on 46 pass snaps, 1 penalty, 4.0 YAC per catch

RE Haloti Ngata: 1 sack and 2 quarterback hits on 44 pass rush snaps, 1 penalty, 7 solo tackles and 6 stops

Duds

LT Michael Oher: Allowed 1 quarterback hit and 4 quarterback hurries on 47 pass block snaps, run blocked for 6 yards on 2 attempts

CB Cary Williams: Allowed 8 catches for 98 yards on 12 attempts, 1 penalty, 10 solo tackles

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