2012 Week 10 NFL Power Rankings

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Week 10 NFL Power Rankings (#11)

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Last week: 11 (+8)

Record: 4-4

The Buccaneers are surging thanks to Doug Martin’s improved play and the improved chemistry between Josh Freeman and new free agent acquisition Vincent Jackson. They’ve won 3 of 4 and sit at 4-4 with a +41 points differential that ranks 6th in the loaded NFC (for reference, it’d be 4th in the AFC). They rank 12th in yards per play differential and 14th in rate of sustaining drives differential. If history is any indication, they’re more likely to make it than some other borderline playoff teams in the NFC right now. Every year, 5 new playoff teams make the playoffs that didn’t make it the year before, dating back 17 straight years. I use this in my Power Rankings every week.

Right now, Chicago, who didn’t make the playoffs last year, looks like a lock to make it this year. Meanwhile, Cincinnati and New Orleans, two playoff teams from a year ago, look very unlikely to make it this year. Indianapolis, sitting at 5-3, is another solid bet to make the playoffs after missing it last year. Detroit, at 4-4, probably has to go 6-2 the rest of the way to make the playoffs, against a brutal schedule, so they’re probably out. Other than that, not much is set in stone.

Miami, San Diego, Minnesota, Seattle, and Tampa Bay are the serious candidates for the other 3 spots in the 5 in category, while, in my opinion, Green Bay and Baltimore, thanks to injury, seem to be in the strongest (weakest?) position to be the other 2 out. Philadelphia and Dallas were candidates to be in the 5 in group before losses last week and that pretty much locked the Giants, another 5 out candidate, into a playoff spot.

Pittsburgh is another 5 out candidate, but I think they’re a better team than Baltimore right now and will sweep the two games against them, but we’ll know more in the next few weeks. With New Orleans, Detroit, and Green Bay out, that opens two more spots in the AFC, with Chicago already pretty safely locked into taking New Orleans’s vacated spot. I think Tampa Bay and Seattle have the edge over Detroit and Minnesota because those two teams have brutal schedules going forward. Tampa Bay, meanwhile, has some easier games against New Orleans, Carolina, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and San Diego, with only a trip to Denver and two games against Atlanta as games against likely playoff teams.

Studs

RB Doug Martin: Rushed for 251 yards (171 after contact) and 4 touchdowns on 25 carries, 12 broken tackles, allowed 1 quarterback hurry on 3 pass block snaps, caught 4 passes for 21 yards on 5 attempts

RG Jamon Meredith: Allowed 1 quarterback hurry on 35 pass block snaps, run blocked for 19 yards on 3 attempts

LG Jeremy Zuttah: Allowed 1 quarterback hit on 35 pass block snaps, run blocked for 44 yards and a touchdown on 2 attempts

C Ted Larsen: Didn’t allow a pressure on 35 pass block snaps, 1 penalty, run blocked for 70 yards and a touchdown on 1 attempt

QB Josh Freeman: 18 of 30 for 247 yards and 2 touchdowns, 3 throw aways, 1 drop, 99.9 adjusted QB rating, pressured on 14 of 34 drop backs (1 sack, 5 of 13, 3 throw aways)

CB Leonard Johnson: 5 solo tackles, 1 quarterback hurry on 1 blitz, allowed 6 catches for 72 yards on 13 attempts, 1 interception, 1 pass deflection, 1 penalty

FS Ronde Barber: Allowed 3 catches for 19 yards on 4 attempts, 2 pass deflections, 5 solo tackles, 5 stops, 1 missed tackle, 1 penalty, 1 quarterback hurry on 7 blitzes

LE Michael Bennett: 1 sack, 1 quarterback hit, and 5 quarterback hurries on 52 pass rush snaps, 1 penalty, 1 stop

Duds

ROLB Quincy Black: Allowed 6 catches for 74 yards on 6 attempts, 1 penalty, 5 solo tackles, 1 stop, 2 missed tackles

DT Gerald McCoy: 1 quarterback hurry on 58 pass rush snaps, 1 assist, 2 penalties

RE Daniel Te’o Nesheim: 2 quarterback hurries on 55 pass rush snaps, 2 solo tackles, 1 stop

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Miami Dolphins: Week 10 NFL Power Rankings (#12)

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Last week: 12 (-2)

Record: 4-4

In spite of a close road loss in a previously underrated Colts team, the Dolphins are still legitimate playoff contenders and if history is any indication, they’re more likely to make it than some other borderline playoff teams in the AFC right now, other than San Diego. Every year, 5 new playoff teams make the playoffs that didn’t make it the year before, dating back 17 straight years. I use this in my Power Rankings every week.

Right now, Chicago, who didn’t make the playoffs last year, looks like a lock to make it this year. Meanwhile, Cincinnati and New Orleans, two playoff teams from a year ago, look very unlikely to make it this year. Indianapolis, sitting at 5-3, is another solid bet to make the playoffs after missing it last year. Detroit, at 4-4, probably has to go 6-2 the rest of the way to make the playoffs, against a brutal schedule, so they’re probably out. Other than that, not much is set in stone.

Miami, San Diego, Minnesota, Seattle, and Tampa Bay are the serious candidates for the other 3 spots in the 5 in category, while, in my opinion, Green Bay and Baltimore, thanks to injury, seem to be in the strongest (weakest?) position to be the other 2 out. Philadelphia and Dallas were candidates to be in the 5 in group before losses last week and that pretty much locked the Giants, another 5 out candidate, into a playoff spot.

Pittsburgh is another 5 out candidate, but I think they’re a better team than Baltimore right now and will sweep the two games against them, but we’ll know more in the next few weeks. With Baltimore out, that opens one more spot in the AFC, with Indianapolis already pretty safely locked into taking Cincinnati’s vacated spot. I think it will come down to either Miami or San Diego and I’m giving Miami the slight edge right now as San Diego has really not impressed me lately. With 4 games against Buffalo, Tennessee, and Jacksonville (3 out of 4 at home), as well as a home game against Seattle, who is notoriously poor on the road, the schedule is in Miami’s favor.

Studs

LG Richie Incognito: Did not allow a pressure on 42 pass block snaps, run blocked for 30 yards and a touchdown on 5 attempts, 1 penalty

RG John Jerry: Did not allow a pressure on 42 pass block snaps, run blocked for 6 yards on 3 attempts

WR Brian Hartline: Caught 8 passes for 107 yards on 9 attempts on 40 pass snaps, 2.8 YAC per catch

LOLB Kevin Burnett: 5 solo tackles, 3 assists, 4 stops, 1 missed tackle, 1 quarterback hit on 9 blitzes, allowed 3 catches for 31 yards on 4 attempts

SS Reshad Jones: Didn’t allow a catch on 1 attempt, 1 pass deflection, 3 solo tackles, 1 quarterback hit on 6 blitzes

LE Cameron Wake: 1 sack, 3 quarterback hits, and 3 quarterback hurries on 45 pass rush snaps, 2 solo tackles, 1 assist, 2 stops

LE Derrick Shelby: 1 quarterback hit and 3 quarterback hurries on 7 pass rush snaps, 1 solo tackle, 1 stop, 1 missed tackle

P Brandon Fields: 4 punts for 213 yards, 2 inside 20, 4 returns for 29 yards, 46.0 net yards per punt

Duds

LT Jake Long: Allowed 1 sack, 3 quarterback hits, and 2 quarterback hurries on 42 pass block snaps, 2 penalties

TE Anthony Fasano: 1 catch for 8 yards on 3 attempts on 27 pass snaps, 2.0 YAC per catch, 1 penalty

CB Jimmy Wilson: 4 solo tackles, 1 batted pass, allowed 8 catches for 99 yards on 10 attempts

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Green Bay Packers: Week 10 NFL Power Rankings (#13)

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Last week: 13 (-5)

Record: 6-3

The Packers are 6-3 after a 2-3 start, but since their Houston blowout win, all 3 of their games have been very easy, against St. Louis, Jacksonville, and Arizona and I haven’t been impressed with their performance overall. Defensively, they’re about as banged up as you can get. Already missing Charles Woodson and Nick Perry for an extended period of time and middle linebackers DJ Smith and Desmond Bishop for the year, the Packers have now lost their one irreplaceable defensive player, Clay Matthews for an extended period of time. Meanwhile, Erik Walden, who has been playing well at linebacker in Perry’s absence, is also out.

Offensively, already missing top receiver Greg Jennings with other starting receiver Jordy Nelson banged up and starting running back Cedric Benson out for a while, they may now be without right tackle Bryan Bulaga for an extended period of time on an already struggling offensive line. The timing could not be worse because their post bye schedule is brutal with 5 divisional games against Minnesota, Detroit, and Chicago, as well as a trip to New York to play the Giants, making up 6 of their 7 games.

I think they lose to the Bears in Chicago, who might be the best team in football, essentially forcing them to compete with Detroit, Minnesota, Tampa Bay, Seattle among others for the 2 wild cards in a loaded NFC. I’m putting them right outside of the playoffs for now because the NFL is a parity league and I like to get 5 new playoff teams in my top-12 weekly (something that’s happened in each of the last 17 years). They’re also a candidate, obviously, to be this year’s team to goes from a first round bye to out of the playoffs.

Studs

RG Josh Sitton: Didn’t allow a pressure on 36 pass block snaps, run blocked for 26 yards on 6 attempts

FS MD Jennings: Allowed 1 catch for 9 yards on 5 attempts, 1 pass deflection, 1 solo tackle, 1 assist, 1 stop, 1 missed tackle

CB Tramon Williams: Allowed 2 catches for 13 yards on 5 attempts, 1 solo tackles, 1 assist, 1 missed tackle

Duds

RB James Starks: Rushed for 61 yards (41 after contact) on 17 carries, 3 broken tackles, 1 fumble, allowed 2 quarterback hurries on 4 pass block snaps

TE Jermichael Finley: Caught 1 pass for 6 yards on 2 attempts on 21 pass snaps, 3.0 YAC per catch, 1 penalty

CB Casey Hayward: Allowed 6 catches for 99 yards on 10 attempts, 1 pass deflection, 8 solo tackles, 1 missed tackle

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Baltimore Ravens: Week 10 NFL Power Rankings (#14)

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Last week: 13 (-1)

Record: 6-2

They may be 6-2, but dating back to week 1, this team has not won a single game by 10 or more and only one was decided by more than a touchdown, last week at Cleveland, a game in which the lowly Browns actually scored more frequently than the Ravens, but frequently imploded in field goal range and had to settle for 5 field goals. On that stretch, they’ve had two less than stellar performances against the Browns, a 3 point road win against the lowly Chiefs, a near home loss to the Cowboys, and a blowout loss in Houston. This team hasn’t done anything remotely impressive since a 31-30 home win against the Patriots week 3.

Now they have a much tougher schedule as they play the surging Steelers 2 times in 4 weeks after an easier performance this week against Oakland. They also have to play Denver and the New York Giants and got to San Diego, a team that always surges late and one who crushed them in a similar situation last season. Their defense has been destroyed by injuries and ranks 26th in yards per game allowed, while the offense ranks just 19th, producing more than 40 yards per game less than their defense allows and because of Joe Flacco’s inconsistencies, they remain a unit that cannot be relied on weekly to win the game for them if the defense isn’t playing well. They rank just 9th in yards per play differential and 19th in rate of sustaining drives differential. Every year one team goes from a first round bye to out of the playoffs. This team looks like the favorite right now.

Studs

QB Joe Flacco: 15 of 24 for 153 yards and a touchdown, 1 throw away, 2 drops, 102.5 adjusted QB rating, pressured on 4 of 25 drop backs (1 sack, 2 of 3, 1 throw away)

LG Bobbie Williams: Did not allow a pressure on 26 pass block snaps, run blocked for 28 yards on 5 attempts

WR Anquan Boldin: Caught 5 passes for 57 yards on 5 attempts on 23 pass snaps, 1.4 YAC per catch

FS Ed Reed: Allowed 1 catch for 3 yards on 2 attempts, 1 interception, 2 pass deflections, 4 solo tackles, 2 assists, 2 stops, 1 missed tackle

MLB Dannell Ellerbe: 5 solo tackles, 1 assist, 5 stops, 1 missed tackle, 1 sack, 2 quarterback hits, and 2 quarterback hurries on 7 blitzes, 1 penalty, didn’t allow a completion on 2 attempts

MLB Jameel McClain: 4 solo tackles, 5 assists, 2 stops, 1 penalty, allowed 1 catch for 11 yards on 4 attempts

Duds

WR Torrey Smith: Caught 4 passes for 46 yards and a touchdown on 9 attempts on 25 pass snaps, 5.8 YAC per catch, 2 drops

CB Jimmy Smith: Allowed 4 catches for 37 yards on 5 attempts, 1 penalty, 7 solo tackles, 2 stops, 2 missed tackles

LOLB Courtney Upshaw: Didn’t record a pressure on 29 pass rush snaps, 2 solo tackles, 2 stops, 1 missed tackle

RE Haloti Ngata: 2 quarterback hurries on 36 pass rush snaps, 1 solo tackle

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San Diego Chargers: Week 10 NFL Power Rankings (#15)

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Last week: 15 (+0)

Record: 4-4

I was not impressed with their showing at home against the crappy Chiefs last week. If not for two defensive touchdowns, that could have easily been at the very least an embarrassingly close win to an inferior opponent for a team that held a 3 game losing streak coming in. They can’t keep relying on their defense to score like that every week. I am, however, ranking them about 4 or 5 spots higher than I otherwise would have because I like the combination of their weak conference and the fact that they always go on a late season run. They need to play better though, starting this week on the road in Tampa Bay against the upstart Buccaneers.

Studs

QB Philip Rivers: 18 of 20 for 220 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception, 1 throw away, 122.8 adjusted QB rating, pressured on 6 of 21 drop backs (1 sack, 4 of 5, 1 interception)

RG Louis Vasquez: Did not allow a pressure on 22 pass block snaps, run blocked for 8 yards on 1 attempt

LG Tyronne Green: Did not allow a pressure on 22 pass block snaps, run blocked for 17 yards on 3 attempts

MLB Donald Butler: 10 solo tackles, 1 assist, 6 stops, allowed 2 catches for 29 yards on 2 attempts

Duds

LT Jared Gaither: Allowed 1 sack and 1 quarterback hurry on 22 pass block snaps, 3 penalties, run blocked for 21 yards on 3 attempts

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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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