2012 Week 3 NFL Power Rankings

St. Louis Rams: Week 3 NFL Power Rankings (#11)

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Last week: 11 (+1)

Record: 1-1

Every year, there is one team that goes from 5 wins or fewer to the playoffs. I have a feeling that it’s going to be an NFC team this year, either the Rams, Redskins, or Buccaneers. I’m sticking with my preseason prediction here and putting the Rams in. They’ve looked just as I’ve expected through the first 2 games, almost beating Detroit in Detroit and beating the Redskins at home in St. Louis.

Studs

QB Sam Bradford: 26 of 35 for 310 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception, 1 hit as thrown, 1 batted pass, 1 drop, 99.9 adjusted QB rating, pressured on 14 of 38 drop backs (2 sacks, 1 scramble, 6 of 11, 1 hit as thrown, 1 drop, 1 touchdown)

WR Danny Amendola: 15 catches for 160 yards and a touchdown on 16 attempts on 38 pass attempts, 5.5 YAC per catch 1 drop

LOLB JoLonn Dunbar: Allowed 2 catches for 2 yards on 3 attempts, 7 solo tackles, 1 assist, 6 stops

CB Cortland Finnegan: Allowed 2 catches for 7 yards on 3 attempts, 1 interception, 4 solo tackles, 4 stops, 1 missed tackle

LE Chris Long: 8 quarterback hurries on 29 pass rush snaps, 2 solo tackles, 1 assist, 1 stop

Duds

RG Harvey Dahl: Allowed 2 quarterback hurries on 41 pass block snaps, 1 penalty

CB Janoris Jenkins: Allowed 5 catches for 120 yards and a touchdown on 7 attempts, 1 pass deflection, 5 solo tackles, 3 stops, 1 missed tackle

DT Kendall Langford: 1 quarterback hit on 30 pass rush snaps, no tackles

RE Eugene Sims: Did not record a pressure on 27 pass rush snaps, 4 solo tackles, 3 stops, 1 missed tackle

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Buffalo Bills: Week 3 NFL Power Rankings (#12)

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Last week: 21 (+9)

Record: 1-1

This is why you don’t bail on predictions after one game. I had the Bills making it into the playoffs on the good defense, good running game, conservative offense, don’t make mistakes, easy schedule model, but after their week 1 loss, I overreacted and dropped them. However, the Bills bounced back big time this week and beat the Chiefs by 18 in a game that was 35-3 after the first 3 quarters before 2 garbage time scores. They looked exactly like what I envisioned they would and they can definitely continue to beat up on crappy competition like that. And for the record, no this is not an overreaction to one game. I’m simply undoing my previous overreaction.

Studs

RB CJ Spiller: Rushed for 123 yards (78 after contact) and 2 touchdowns on 15 carries, 2 broken tackles, 3 catches for 47 yards on 3 targets

RG Kraig Urbik: Did not allow a pressure on 22 pass block snaps, run blocked for 36 yards on 6 carries

C Eric Wood: Did not allow a pressure on 22 pass block snaps, run blocked for 19 yards on 4 carries

DT Kyle Williams: 2 sacks and 2 quarterback pressures on 34 pass rush snaps, 2 stops

FS Jairus Byrd: Didn’t allow a completion on 1 attempt, 1 interception, 5 solo tackles, 1 assist, 1 stop, 1 missed tackle

Duds

CB Aaron Williams: Allowed 6 catches for 65 yards and 2 touchdowns on 9 attempts, 1 pass deflection, 3 solo tackles, 1 stop, 2 missed tackles

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Baltimore Ravens: Week 2 NFL Power Rankings (#13)

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Last week: 14 (+1)

Record: 1-1

The Ravens are overrated. We’ll see it this weekend. They rank just 12th in yards per play differential, despite playing one of their games against a banged up Bengals team that I think is one of the worst in the league. They clearly miss Terrell Suggs and others defensively. Only 5 teams have given up more yards than they have. Joe Flacco had a good game against a Bengals defense that Brandon Weeden torched for 322 yards and 2 touchdowns last week, but fell flat against a much better Eagles defense, completing 22 of 42 for 232 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. They have a +4 turnover differential in 2 games and you can’t rely on winning the turnover battle every week, as it’s historically inconsistent on a week to week and year to year basis.

Studs

ROLB Albert McClellan: 2 quarterback pressures on 10 pass rush snaps, 8 solo tackles, 6 stops

RE Haloti Ngata: 3 quarterback hits on 32 pass rush snaps, 2 solo tackles, 1 stop

CB Lardarius Webb: Was not thrown on, 6 solo tackles, 2 assists, 2 missed tackles

K Justin Tucker: 6 kickoffs, 3 touchbacks, 62.2 yards per kickoff, 25.5 opponent’s average starting distance, 3/3 FG (48, 51, 56)

Duds

RT Kelechi Osemele: Allowed 1 quarterback hit and 4 quarterback pressures on 49 pass block snaps, run blocked for 10 yards on 2 attempts

QB Joe Flacco: 22 of 42 232 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception, 1 batted pass, 1 drop, 61.4 adjusted QB rating, pressured on 16 of 44 drop backs (2 sacks, 5 of 14, 1 touchdown)

WR Anquan Boldin: Caught 2 passes for 7 yards on 4 attempts on 46 pass snaps, 4.0 YAC per catch

CB Cary Williams: Allowed 4 catches for 55 yards and a touchdown on 4 attempts, 1 penalty, 3 solo tackles, 1 missed tackle

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Washington Redskins: Week 3 NFL Power Rankings (#14)

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Last week: 16 (+2)

Record: 1-1

There’s nothing wrong with losing by 3 to the Rams in St. Louis. I’ve said all along the Rams are underrated and the Rams and Redskins are pretty evenly matched. The bad news is on the injury front. The Rams lost three starters in the loss, including two for the season. Josh Wilson will miss at least a game, so Cedric Griffin will step into the starting lineup for him at cornerback. Brian Orakpo is done for the year, which is the bigger one because he’s their best pass rusher and they have no depth behind him. Adam Carriker is also done for the year, but they have a 2011 2nd rounder waiting in the wings behind him. This week for the Redskins is a matchup at home with the overrated Bengals, one of the worst teams in the league, in my opinion.

Studs

QB Robert Griffin: 20 of 29 for 209 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception, 2 throw aways, 1 hit as thrown, 1 drop, 98.0 adjusted QB rating, pressured on 12 of 34 drop backs (1 sack, 3 scrambles, 5 of 8, 1 throw away, 1 hit as thrown, 1 interception), 82 yards (21 after contact) and 2 touchdowns on 11 carries, 2 broken tackles

C Will Montgomery: Did not allow a pressure on 34 pass block snaps, run blocked for 62 yards on 7 attempts

LG Kory Lichtensteiger: Did not allow a pressure on 34 pass block snaps, 1 penalty, run blocked for 45 yards on 6 attempts

CB Josh Wilson: Allowed 1 catch for 1 yards on 3 attempts, 2 solo tackles, 1 stop, 1 missed tackle

RE Stephen Bowen: 1 sack, 1 quarterback pressure, and 3 quarterback hits on 37 pass rush snaps, 1 batted pass, 2 solo tackles, 2 stops

Duds

RT Tyler Polumbus: Allowed 7 quarterback hurries on 34 pass block snaps, run blocked for 6 yards on 1 attempt

TE Fred Davis: Caught 2 passes for 14 yards on 5 attempts on 30 pass plays, 3.0 YAC per catch, 1 interception when thrown to

SS DeJon Gomes: Allowed 6 catches for 106 yards on 7 attempts, 1 pass deflection, 7 solo tackles, 1 stop, 2 missed tackles, 1 quarterback hurry on 1 blitz

CB Cedric Griffin: Allowed 3 catches for 60 yards and a touchdown on 3 attempts, 4 solo tackles, 1 assist, 1 stop, 1 missed tackle

LE Jarvis Jenkins: Did not record a pressure on 21 pass rush snaps, no tackles

RE Kedric Golston: Did not record a pressure on 13 pass rush snaps, no tackles

NT Barry Cofield: Did not record a pressure on 24 pass rush snaps, no tackles

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Dallas Cowboys: Week 3 NFL Power Rankings (#15)

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Last week: 15 (+0)

Record: 1-1

Coming off an emotional week 1 win, it was reasonable and predictable that the Cowboys would be flat in Seattle. However, they wouldn’t have even won week 1 if it wasn’t for Tony Romo bailing them out time after time, in spite of all the penalties. This team needs to clean up the stupid mistakes that they’ve made in each of the first 2 games if they want to make the playoffs. The good news is, the Cowboys rank 4th in the league in yards per play differential.

Studs

C Ryan Cook: Did not allow a pressure on 41 pass block snaps

MLB Sean Lee: Allowed 5 catches for 34 yards on 5 attempts, 14 tackles, 1 assist, 8 stops, 1 missed tackle

CB Brandon Carr: Did not allow a completion on 2 attempts, 2 solo tackles, 1 stop, 2 missed tackles

Duds

RB DeMarco Murray: Run blocked for 44 yards (21 after contact) on 12 carries, 2 broken tackles, allowed 1 quarterback hit and 1 quarterback hurry on 10 pass block snaps, caught 4 passes for 31 yards on 4 targets

LT Tyron Smith: Allowed 1 quarterback hit and 3 quarterback hurries on 41 pass block snaps, 1 penalty, run blocked for 10 yards on 3 attempts

RT Doug Free: Allowed 1 sack, 1 quarterback hit, and 3 quarterback hurries on 41 pass block snaps, run blocked for 4 yards on 2 carries

TE Jason Witten: Caught 4 passes for 58 yards on 11 attempts on 36 pass snaps, 6.0 YAC per catch, 3 drops, 1 interception when thrown to

WR Dez Bryant: Caught 3 passes for 18 yards on 7 attempts on 41 pass snaps, 0.0 YAC per catch, 1 drop

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New Orleans Saints: Week 3 NFL Power Rankings (#16)

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Last week: 7 (-9)

Record: 0-2

Now it’s time to start pressing the button panic. The Saints haven’t been eliminated or anything, but they’re 0-2 and only 12% of teams that start 0-2 make the playoffs. They’ll get better as the season goes on as they get used to not having Sean Payton around, but right now they lack cohesion, particularly on defense, and they rank 28th in points per play differential. The good news, they head home now, where they were 9-0 SU and ATS last year, and are 9 point favorites against a Chiefs team that’s also 0-2. Since 2003, teams that miss the playoffs and go 0-2 the following year are 16-7 ATS week 3. I think 3rd time will be the charm for the Saints this week.

Studs

RB Pierre Thomas: Rushed for 110 yards (70 after contact) on 9 carries, 7 broken tackles, allowed 1 quarterback hit on 2 pass block snaps, caught 4 passes for 33 yards on 4 targets

RB Darren Sproles: Caught 13 passes for 128 yards on 14 attempts, 1 drop, no carries

RE Will Smith: 2 quarterback pressures on 22 pass rush snaps, 5 solo tackles, 3 assists, 4 stops

Duds

LT Jermon Bushrod: Allowed 3 quarterback hits and 7 quarterback pressures on 51 pass block snaps, run blocked for 50 yards on 2 attempts

WR Lance Moore: Caught 2 passes for 30 yards on 3 targets on 49 pass snaps, 4.5 YAC per catch, 1 drop

CB Corey White: Allowed 5 catches for 120 yards on 6 attempts, 6 solo tackles, 1 assist, 2 stops

DT Sedrick Ellis: Did not record a pressure on 15 pass snaps, 3 solo tackles, 1 assist, 1 stop, 1 missed tackle

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New York Giants: Week 3 NFL Power Rankings (#17)

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Last week: 18 (+1)

Record: 1-1

I already talked about how much of a disadvantage the Giants have this week as a road team on Thursday Night football, so I’ll say something about the Buccaneers/Giants game that I didn’t have room to say in the Buccaneers’ section. I agree with Greg Schiano on going all out against a victory formation. The Buccaneers went 4-12 last year and lost 10 straight games because they gave up on their coach. They fired Raheem Morris and brought in the more intense, more disciplinarian Greg Schiano and he’s got these guys playing football the right way, through the whistle, until the clock strikes 0:00. I love the culture change in Tampa Bay.

Studs

WR Hakeem Nicks: Caught 10 passes for 199 yards and 1 touchdown on 15 attempts on 52 pass plays, 7.6 YAC per catch

WR Victor Cruz: Caught 11 catches for 179 yards and a touchdown on 15 attempts on 53 pass plays, 6.8 YAC per catch, 2 interceptions when thrown to

RE Jason Pierre-Paul: 1 sack and 3 quarterback hurries on 28 pass rush snaps, 5 solo tackles, 2 assists, 4 stops

DT Linval Joseph: 3 quarterback hits on 16 pass rush snaps, 1 solo tackle, 1 assist, 1 stop

Duds

C David Baas: Allowed 1 quarterback hit and 2 quarterback hurries on 54 pass block snaps, 1 penalty, run blocked for 30 yards on 5 attempts

LE Justin Tuck: Did not record a pressure on 25 pass rush snaps, 3 solo tackles, 3 stops

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Week 3 NFL Power Rankings (#18)

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Last week: 17 (-1)

Record: 1-1

The Buccaneers have the league’s worst 2.2 yards per differential, allowing 7.2 yards per play and gaining 5.0 yards per play. So how are they 1-1 with a close loss to the Giants? Well, having the 2nd best turnover differential in the NFC, +3, has something to do with it, as do 124 yards and a touchdown on 5 interception returns. Another part of it is just that opponents have passed 84 times, to 38 runs against them and passes tend to average more per attempt, though it’s less consistent yardage than run plays. The Buccaneers have run 58 times to 52 passes. Typically, it’s very tough to continue to win on a regular basis if you lose the yardage battle, but it’s only 2 games so I’m not putting too much stock into yards per play yet and a lot of it does can be explained by play selection. Next up for the Buccaneers is a game in Dallas that will give us some insight on what to expect from this team going forward.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Studs

WR Vincent Jackson: 5 catches for 128 yards and a touchdown on 9 attempts, 3.0 YAC per catch

SS Mark Barron: Allowed 2 catches for 16 yards on 6 attempts, 6 solo tackles, 2 assists, 1 quarterback hurry on 3 blitzes

LE Michael Bennett: 1 quarterback hit and 8 quarterback pressures on 50 pass rush snaps, 1 assist and 1 missed tackle

Duds

RB Doug Martin: Rushed for 66 yards (43 after contact) and a touchdown on 20 carries, broke 1 tackle, allowed 1 quarterback hurry on 4 pass block snaps, did not catch a pass on 1 target, 1 drop

FS Ronde Barber: Allowed 4 catches for 115 yards and a touchdown on 7 attempts, 1 pass deflection, 2 solo tackles, 2 assists, 1 stop

RE Adrian Clayborn: 2 quarterback pressures on 52 pass rush snaps, no tackles

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New York Jets: Week 3 NFL Power Rankings (#19)

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Last week: 19 (+0)

Record: 1-1

Yeah, how’s that Jets’ offense doing now? After scoring 48 in the opener in a heavily defense and special teams aided effort, the Jets scored just 10 points last week and Mark Sanchez, who was 19 of 27 for 266 yards, 3 touchdowns, and a pick in the opener, completed just 10 of 27 for 138 yards and a touchdown against a Steeler defense missing Troy Polamalu and James Harrison. In actuality, Sanchez is probably not as bad as he looked last week, but he’s not as good as he looked week 1 either. The Jets, meanwhile, rank 26th in the league in yards per play differential.

Studs

LG Matt Slauson: Did not allow a pressure on 29 pass block plays, run blocked for 37 yards on 3 attempts

LT D’Brickashaw Ferguson: Allowed 1 quarterback hurry on 35 pass block plays, run blocked for 4 yards on 1 carry

RE Muhammad Wilkerson: Allowed 3 quarterback pressures on 28 pass rush snaps, 2 solo tackles, 2 assists, 2 stops, 1 missed tackle

Duds

QB Mark Sanchez: 10 of 27 for 138 yards and 1 touchdown, 1 drop, 1 throw away, 61.9 adjusted QB rating, pressured on 11 of 29 drop backs (2 sacks, 3 of 9)

RT Austin Howard: Allowed 1 sack, 1 quarterback hit, and 4 quarterback pressures on 35 pass block snaps, run blocked 9 yards on 2 attempts

WR Santonio Holmes: Caught 3 passes for 28 yards and a touchdown on 9 targets on 34 pass plays, 3.0 YAC per catch

RB Shonn Greene: Rushed for 23 yards (11 after contact) on 11 carries, allowed 1 quarterback hurry on 9 pass block snaps

WR Stephen Hill: Didn’t catch a pass on 2 attempts on 29 pass snaps

CB Antonio Cromartie: Allowed 5 catches for 77 yards and a touchdown on 5 attempts, 3 solo tackles

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Indianapolis Colts: Week 3 NFL Power Rankings (#20)

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Last week: 20 (+0)

Record: 1-1

That’s the reason they drafted him #1. After a rough opener against a strong Chicago defense, Luck was incredibly impressive in his 2nd start, passing for 224 yards on 20 of 31, despite minimal help from his supporting cast. Under pressure on 15 of 37 drop backs, he took just 2 sacks, scrambled 4 times for 21 yards, and completed 6 of 9 for a touchdown and of the 3 incompletions, 1 was dropped, and on 1 he was hit as he threw. In fact, if you take non-targets out of the equation and add in drops (accuracy percentage), he would have been 24 of 29. Luck doesn’t have a ton of help, but he has a very easy schedule, so expect this team to at least win the 6 games Cam Newton did last year, with a 7 or 8 win season being more likely.

QB Andrew Luck: 20 of 31 for 224 yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 spikes, 1 hit as thrown, 1 batted pass, 2 drops, 105.2 adjusted QB rating, pressured on 15 of 37 drop backs (2 sacks, 4 scrambles, 6 of 9, 1 touchdown, 1 drop, 1 hit as thrown)

WR Donnie Avery: 9 catches for 111 yards on 10 attempts on 38 pass snaps, 3.3 YAC per catch

CB Jerraud Powers: Allowed 7 catches for 66 yards on 10 attempts, 2 pass deflections, 9 solo tackles, 1 assist, 1 missed tackle, 4 stops

MLB Kavell Conner: Allowed 1 catch for 15 yards on 2 attempts, 1 pass deflection, 4 solo tackles, 1 assist, 2 stops, 1 sack and 1 quarterback hurry on 3 blitzes

LE Cory Redding: 2 quarterback pressures on 37 pass rush snaps, 2 batted passes, 4 solo tackles, 1 assist, 3 stops

LOLB Jerry Hughes: 1 sack and 2 quarterback hurries on 18 pass rush snaps, 2 solo tackles and 2 stops

K Adam Vinatieri: 3/3 FG (26, 45, 53)

Duds

LG Seth Olsen: Allowed 3 quarterback hurries on 40 pass block snaps, 1 penalty, 2 yards on 3 attempts

RG Trai Essex: Allowed 1 quarterback hurry on 26 pass block snaps, 2 penalties, run blocked for 0 yards on 2 attempts

LT Jeff Linkenbach: Allowed 4 quarterback hurries on 40 pass block snaps, 1 penalty, run blocked for 8 yards on 2 attempts

RB Mewelde Moore: -2 yards (0 yards after contact) on 1 carry, allowed 1 sack and 1 quarterback hurry on 4 pass block snaps, 1 catch for 8 yards on 2 attempts, 1 drop.

WR Kris Adams: No catches on 2 attempts on 26 pass snaps

NT Antonio Johnson: Did not record a pressure on 11 pass rush snaps, no tackles

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