2012 Week 8 NFL Power Rankings

Chicago Bears: Week 8 NFL Power Rankings (#1)

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I’m keeping Chicago as my #1 team for all the reasons I listed last week. With the exception of the Thursday Night loss to Green Bay, the Bears have looked great this season, 4 of 5 games by 16 or more. While you can’t completely ignore what happened on Thursday Night Football, it’s unreasonable to put too much stock into one game when a team has had 3 days to prepare on the road.

In their other 4 games, with the exception of Jacksonville, who they destroyed in Jacksonville in a potential trap game, they’ve played good opponents. Dallas should be a playoff contender right until the very end. They beat them by 16 in Dallas. Blowout wins over Indianapolis and St. Louis didn’t look impressive at the time, but now they do. They also beat Detroit in a game that was a lot more lopsided than the 13-7 final score. Jay Cutler is now 10-1 in his last 11 games, including 22-10 dating back to 2010, including the 2 postseason games that year. They certainly didn’t do anything to lose this spot last week in a still wide open league.

Studs

LT J’Marcus Webb: Allowed 2 quarterback hurries on 42 pass block snaps, run blocked for 17 yards on 3 attempts

CB Charles Tillman: Allowed 7 catches for 50 yards on 12 attempts, 2 pass deflections, 7 solo tackles, 2 stops, 1 penalty

ROLB Lance Briggs: Allowed 1 catch for 2 yards on 4 attempts, 1 pass deflection, 3 solo tackles, 3 assists

SS Major Wright: Did not allow a catch on 3 attempts, 1 pass deflection, 2 solo tackles, 2 stops, 1 quarterback hurry on 3 blitzes

DT Henry Melton: 1 quarterback hit and 5 quarterback hurries on 37 pass rush snaps, 3 solo tackles, 1 assist, 3 stops

Studs

C Roberto Garza: Allowed 1 quarterback hurry on 42 pass block snaps, 2 penalties, run blocked for 3 yards on 2 attempts

RG Lance Louis: Allowed 1 sack and 1 quarterback hurry on 42 pass block snaps, 1 penalty, run blocked for 4 yards on 4 attempts

WR Devin Hester: Caught 3 passes for 38 yards on 6 attempts on 41 pass snaps, 11.3 YAC per catch, 1 drop, 1 punt return for 5 yards

TE Kellen Davis: Caught 1 pass for 3 yards on 2 attempts on 28 pass snaps, 4.0 YAC per catch, 1 drop

DT Amobi Okoye: Did not record a pressure on 22 pass rush snaps, no tackles

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Houston Texans: Week 8 NFL Power Rankings (#2)

stevenlourie 2012 NFL Power Rankings, 2012 Week 8 NFL Power Rankings, Texans

Last week: 2 (+0)

Record: 6-1

I thought about moving Houston back up into the #1 spot, but let’s see how good the Ravens actually are first. If they’re as bad as the Texans made them look, then that’s not as impressive of a win and the Texans’ struggles with the only good NFC team they’ve faced is troubling. The NFC is by far the better conference and while Houston looks to be by far the best team in the AFC, they’ll have to beat an NFC team to win the Super Bowl.

Studs

QB Matt Schaub: 23 of 37 for 256 yards and 2 touchdowns, 3 drops, 2 batted passes, 1 throw away, 99.3 adjusted QB rating, pressured on 15 of 39 drop backs (2 sacks, 7 of 13, 1 touchdown, 1 drop, 1 throw away)

WR Andre Johnson: Caught 9 passes for 86 yards on 9 attempts on 37 pass snaps, 2.1 YAC per catch

FS Glover Quin: 5 solo tackles, 1 assist, 2 batted passes, allowed 3 catches for 19 yards on 7 attempts, 1 pass deflection, 1 interception

LE JJ Watt: 1 quarterback hit and 1 quarterback hurry on 47 pass rush snaps, 2 batted passes, 4 solo tackles, 2 stops

ROLB Connor Barwin: 1 sack, 3 quarterback hits, and 3 quarterback hurries on 39 pass rush snaps, 1 batted pass, 2 solo tackles, 3 stops

ROLB Whitney Mercilus: 1 sack and 4 quarterback hurries on 14 pass rush snaps, 1 batted pass, 1 stop

P Donnie Jones: 5 punts for 240 yards, 2 inside 20, 1 return for 1 yard, 47.8 net yards per punt

Duds

MLB Bradie James: 1 solo tackle, 1 missed tackle, allowed 2 catches for 12 yards on 3 attempts

LOLB Brooks Reed: 1 quarterback hurry on 28 pass rush snaps, 3 solo tackles, 1 stop

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New England Patriots: Week 8 NFL Power Rankings (#4)

stevenlourie 2012 NFL Power Rankings, 2012 Week 8 NFL Power Rankings, Patriots

Last week: 5 (+1)

Record: 4-3

The Patriots certainly aren’t playing like the 4th best team in the league right now, but they still should be able to get one of the 4 first round byes. Baltimore looked way worse than the Patriots did last week and that was really their only competition from the #2 seed because Houston because they’re one of just 3 teams in the whole AFC with more than 3 wins.

Besides, look at the Patriots’ schedule the rest of the way: St. Louis in London, vs. Buffalo, vs. Indianapolis, @ NY Jets, @ Miami, vs. Houston, vs. San Francisco, @ Jacksonville, vs. Miami. In the last 2 years, they’ve started slow before going on a run and ripping off wins (10 straight last year before the Super Bowl and 8 straight in 2011 before the loss to the Jets in the playoffs). That could definitely happen this year for a team that has finished the tough part of their schedule and still feels like they haven’t played their best football.

Studs

QB Tom Brady: 26 of 42 for 259 yards and 2 touchdowns, 5 drops, 2 throw aways, 99.8 adjusted QB rating, pressured on 12 of 43 drop backs (1 sack, 3 of 11, 1 touchdown, 2 throw aways, 2 drops)

LOLB Jerod Mayo: 12 solo tackles, 4 stops, 1 quarterback hurry on 4 blitzes, allowed 4 catches for 36 yards on 5 attempts

MLB Brandon Spikes: 11 solo tackles, 8 stops, 1 penalty, allowed 3 catches for 24 yards on 4 attempts

LE Jermaine Cunningham: 1 sack and 4 quarterback hurries on 30 pass rush snaps, 1 solo tackle, 1 stop

Duds

WR Brandon Lloyd: Caught 1 pass for 7 yards on 6 attempts on 41 pass snaps, 6.0 YAC per catch, 2 drops, 1 penalty

RE Chandler Jones: 2 quarterback hurries on 49 pass rush snaps, 2 solo tackles, 1 assist, 2 stops

DT Vince Wilfork: Did not record a pressure on 38 pass rush snaps, 3 solo tackles, 1 assist, 3 stops

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New York Giants: Week 8 NFL Power Rankings (#5)

stevenlourie 2012 NFL Power Rankings, 2012 Week 8 NFL Power Rankings, Giants

Last week: 6 (+1)

Record: 5-2

Under Tom Coughlin, the Giants are 52-19 in the first 8 games of a season and 27-37 in their final 8. Their schedule this year suggests a similar thing could happen this year. After going to Dallas this week, the Giants host Pittsburgh, go to Cincinnati, go on a bye, host Green Bay, go to Washington, host New Orleans, go to Atlanta, go to Baltimore, and host Philadelphia. That being said, the Giants seem to be at their best after a rough stretch so if they struggle down the stretch and still sneak into the playoffs, like last year and in 2007, look out.

Studs

WR Victor Cruz: Caught 7 passes for 131 yards and a touchdown on 11 attempts on 44 pass snaps, 9.0 YAC per catch, 1 interception when thrown to

TE Martellus Bennett: Caught 5 passes for 79 yards on 7 attempts on 39 pass snaps, 3.4 YAC per catch

Duds

C David Baas: Allowed 1 sack, 1 quarterback hit, and 1 quarterback hurry on 45 pass block snaps, run blocked for 24 yards on 4 attempts

MLB Chase Blackburn: Allowed 4 catches for 65 yards on 4 attempts, 7 solo tackles, 1 assist, 3 stops

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San Francisco 49ers: Week 8 NFL Power Rankings (#6)

stevenlourie 2012 NFL Power Rankings, 2012 Week 8 NFL Power Rankings, 49ers

Last week: 7 (+1)

Record: 5-2

San Francisco would be lower if there were more good teams this year. I don’t trust Alex Smith and apparently neither does his coaching staff right now because all he’s doing is checking down. I also don’t expect this running game to continue to average 5.9 yards per carry because, you know, no one does that. That being said, if they were in the AFC, they’d probably be the 2nd best team in there. It’s not a very good conference. Unfortunately, since they’re in the NFC, we rule them out to be this year’s team to goes from a 1st round bye to out of the playoffs.

Studs

RB Frank Gore: Rushed for 131 yards (42 after contact) on 16 carries, 2 broken tackles, caught 5 passes for 51 yards on 5 attempts

LG Mike Iupati: Did not allow a pressure on 27 pass block snaps, run blocked for 9 yards on 2 attempts

C Jonathan Goodwin: Did not allow a pressure on 27 pass block snaps, run blocked for 98 yards on 8 attempts

RG Alex Boone: Did not allow a pressure on 27 pass block snaps, run blocked for 16 yards on 2 attempts

CB Carlos Rogers: Allowed 2 catches for 5 yards on 3 attempts, 3 solo tackles, 1 assist, 1 stop

CB Chris Culliver: Allowed 2 catches for 13 yards on 6 attempts, 2 pass deflections, 2 solo tackles

K David Akers: 4 kickoffs, 4 touchbacks, 74.5 yards per kickoff, 20.0 opponent’s average starting distance, 2/2 FG (28, 38)

P Andy Lee: 5 punts for 228 yards, 4 inside 20, 2 returns for 5 yards, 44.6 net yards per punt

Duds

QB Alex Smith: 14 of 23 for 140 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception, 1 hit as thrown, 2 throw aways, 66.0 adjusted QB rating, pressured on 5 of 26 drop backs (2 sacks, 0-3, 2 throw aways, 1 hit as thrown)

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Baltimore Ravens: Week 8 NFL Power Rankings (#7)

stevenlourie 2012 NFL Power Rankings, 2012 Week 8 NFL Power Rankings, Ravens

Last week: 4 (-3)

Record: 5-2

Not ready to completely drop the Ravens yet. We all saw the Jets suffer a major injury, have a terrible game, and then exceed expectations by covering in 3 straight games. The AFC is still a joke and the Ravens already have 5 wins. As much as injuries to Lardarius Webb and Ray Lewis hurt, their defense wasn’t playing well to begin with. Their offense was actually what was carrying the team. Flacco is too inconsistent to consistently win games without a good defense, which is why they were struggling to win games even when they were winning (4 straight by a touchdown or less), but he’s also likely to bounce back from a horrific showing in Houston. After all, he hasn’t lost back-to-back games since week 6 of 2009, 14 straight. I have a feeling they bounce back after the bye in Cleveland.

Studs

RG Marshal Yanda: Did not allow a pressure on 49 pass block snaps, run blocked for 17 yards on 1 attempt

MLB Dannell Ellerbe: Allowed 4 catches for 32 yards on 9 attempts, 9 solo tackles, 3 assists, 5 stops, 1 quarterback hurry on 4 blitzes

Duds

QB Joe Flacco: 21 of 43 for 147 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions, 2 drops, 3 batted passes, 1 throw away, 2 hit as thrown, 50.4 adjusted QB rating, pressured on 16 of 47 drop backs (4 sacks, 4 of 12, 1 throw away, 2 hit as thrown, 1 interception)

LG Bobbie Williams: 2 sacks and 2 quarterback hurries on 49 pass block snaps, run blocked for 0 yards on 1 attempt

WR Torrey Smith: Caught 4 passes for 41 yards on 12 attempts on 49 pass snaps, 3.5 YAC per catch, 2 drops, 2 interceptions when thrown to

WR Anquan Boldin: Caught 3 passes for 24 yards on 7 attempts on 48 pass snaps, 4.7 YAC per catch

TE Ed Dickson: Caught 1 pass for 5 yards on 3 attempts on 17 pass snaps, 2.0 YAC per catch, allowed 2 quarterback hurries on 6 pass block snaps

CB Cary Williams: Allowed 7 catches for 74 yards and a touchdown on 8 attempts, 6 solo tackles, 2 stops, 1 sack on 1 blitz

NT Terrence Cody: Did not record a pressure on 21 pass rush snaps, 2 solo tackles, 1 stop

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Minnesota Vikings: Week 8 NFL Power Rankings (#10)

stevenlourie 2012 NFL Power Rankings, 2012 Week 8 NFL Power Rankings, Vikings

Last week: 11 (+1)

Record: 5-2

The Vikings’ game last week was pretty boring, but since they’re playing tomorrow night in this week’s Thursday Night game, I’d like to take this opportunity to rant about Thursday Night Football. I hate it. One, it screws up my whole schedule. I like football and writing about football because I can spend the whole week preparing for one day. This whole Thursday thing just screws with everything.

Two, it’s unsafe and Roger Goodell is a huge hypocrite. Players simply can’t be expected to play on 3 days rest like that. The players recently overwhelmingly voted against it and that reason probably had a lot to do with it, but Goodell is intent on squeezing every cent of out of players no matter the cost, whether it’s Thursday Night Football (which increases the NFL’s revenue by 1 billion yearly) or an 18 game schedule. That is unless, you know, they start suing him for concussions and then he has to start pretending he gives a damn. This is the problem with having someone who never played professional football running the show.

Three, it’s crappy football. This is for two reasons. One, on short weeks teams are totally unprepared. The under hits about 60% of the time on Thursday Nights and this year scoring is down 8 points per game on Thursday Nights. If it’s a good matchup, it cheats us out of the opportunity to watch them at 100%. If it’s a bad matchup, it’s even worse and no one wants to see that on National TV anyway. More often than not, it’s the latter because of the NFL’s new “everyone gets a national televised game” thing, which is also ridiculous. If you want a nationally televised game, don’t suck, and if you suck, chances are being on national television for everyone to laugh at is not what you want.

Studs

RB Adrian Peterson: Rushed for 153 yards (104 after contact) and a touchdown on 23 carries, 5 broken tackles, allowed 1 sack on 5 pass block snaps, 2 catches for 6 yards on 4 attempts, 1 drop, 1 interception when thrown to

LT Matt Kalil: Did not allow a pressure on 25 pass block snaps, run blocked for 40 yards on 6 attempts

CB Chris Cook: Allowed 2 catches for 20 yards on 3 attempts, 1 solo tackle, 1 assist

RE Jared Allen: 2 sacks, 1 quarterback hit, and 4 quarterback hurries on 39 pass rush snaps, 1 penalty, 2 solo tackles, 1 assist, 3 stops, 1 missed tackle

LE Brian Robison: 3 sacks, 1 quarterback hit, and 6 quarterback hurries on 37 pass rush snaps, 4 solo tackles, 5 stops

CB Antoine Winfield: 1 sack on 1 blitz, 10 solo tackles, 7 stops, 1 missed tackle, allowed 9 catches for 90 yards on 11 attempts

Duds

QB Christian Ponder: 8 of 17 for 58 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions, 2 drops, 1 throw away, 45.8 adjusted QB rating, pressured on 10 of 21 drop backs (3 sacks, 1 scramble, 1 of 6, 1 throw away, 2 interceptions)

LOLB Chad Greenway: Allowed 7 catches for 92 yards on 7 attempts, 4 solo tackles, 3 stops, 3 missed tackles

MLB Jasper Brinkley: Allowed 3 catches for 19 yards on 3 attempts, 5 solo tackles, 2 assists, 4 stops, 5 missed tackles

ROLB Erin Henderson: 1 solo tackle, 1 stop, 1 missed tackle, allowed 2 catches for 29 yards on 4 attempts, 1 pass deflection

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