Last week: 17 (+3)
Record: 4-3
On bye.
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2013 NFL Power Rankings
Tennessee Titans: 2013 Week 9 NFL Power Rankings (#15)
Last week: 14 (-1)
Record: 3-4
On bye.
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Chicago Bears: 2013 Week 9 NFL Power Rankings (#16)
Last week: 15 (-1)
Record: 4-3
On bye.
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Houston Texans: 2013 Week 9 NFL Power Rankings (#17)
Last week: 16 (-1)
Record: 2-5
On bye.
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Pittsburgh Steelers: 2013 Week 9 NFL Power Rankings (#18)
Last week: 21 (+3)
Record: 2-5
The Steelers once again came up flat as non-divisional road favorites this week, a situation they are now 6-18 ATS since Mike Tomlin took over in 2007. However, I was actually impressed with them. Another loss on their record doesn’t help their playoff chances, but, result aside, they were easily the better team in that matchup. If it wasn’t for a breakdown on a fluke touchdown run by Terrelle Pryor (the longest in NFL history) and two missed field goals that easily could have been made, they might have won that game by 7-10 points. They had more first downs (20 to 13), fewer punts (8 to 7), and fewer turnovers (3 to 2). They’re moving the chains at a 73% rate, as opposed to 72% for their opponents and they’ve been even better since the bye. Over the past three weeks they have 53 first downs to 14 punts and 3 turnovers (a 76% rate), as opposed to 50 first downs, 18 punts, and 5 turnovers for their opponents (a 68% rate). They’ll be underrated going forward.
Week 8 Studs
RT Marcus Gilbert
RG David DeCastro
RE Brett Keisel
Week 8 Duds
LT Kelvin Beachum
LG Guy Whimper
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New York Jets: 2013 Week 9 NFL Power Rankings (#19)
Last week: 18 (-1)
Record: 4-4
I am somehow predicting games against the spread at a 66% this season, including 10-3 this week, but I’ll admit it was really ill advised picking the Jets to cover the 6.5 points in Cincinnati this week. I had reasons for doing so, but I should have shown how flat the Jets would be after beating New England, especially in the fashion they did. The Jets have been alternating wins and losses this season and could represent a trap game this week for the New Orleans Saints.
Week 8 Studs
RT Austin Howard
LE Muhammad Wilkerson
DT Damon Harrison
Week 8 Duds
QB Geno Smith
LG Brian Winters
CB Dee Milliner
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Arizona Cardinals: 2013 Week 9 NFL Power Rankings (#20)
Last week: 23 (+3)
Record: 4-4
Bruce Arians may have won Coach of the Year in Indianapolis last year, but the Colts have been much better without him this season (they’re actually beating good teams and winning by large margins, something they rarely did last season) and he has made some questionable decisions with the Cardinals in his first year there. Perhaps none is more questionable than his infatuation with Rashard Mendenhall. I can understand not wanting to give Andre Ellington a larger role earlier in the season because he hadn’t proven himself yet, but giving the plodding Mendenhall and his 3.1 YPC his starting job back after the bye, after Ellington rushed for 154 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries in place of an injured Mendenhall this week, is inexcusable. It sounds like that is what’s going to happen in a move that rivals Todd Haley keeping Thomas Jones as the starter over Jamaal Charles when Charles was averaging over 2.5 yards per carry more than Jones.
Week 8 Studs
RE Calais Campbell
MLB Daryl Washington
FS Rashad Johnson
Week 8 Duds
RG Paul Fanaika
C Lyle Sendlein
CB Jerraud Powers
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Atlanta Falcons: 2013 Week 9 NFL Power Rankings (#21)
Last week: 20 (-1)
Record: 2-5
Tony Gonzalez changed his mind about his openness to a trade this week and, while one didn’t happen because the Falcons management is not ready to give up on the season, it’s a sign that perhaps internally the team no longer believes they can be a playoff team. They certainly didn’t look like one in Arizona and they have arguably one of the worst defenses in the NFL. Their opponent’s rate of moving the chains is at 79%, 3rd worst in the NFL, as they have forced 27 punts, 6 turnovers, and 2 failures on 4th down all season in 7 games.
Week 8 Studs
RT Jeremy Trueblood
DT Jonathan Babineaux
CB Asante Samuel
Week 8 Duds
QB Matt Ryan
LT Lamar Holmes
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Miami Dolphins: 2013 Week 9 NFL Power Rankings (#22)
Last week: 19 (-3)
Record: 3-4
The Patriots, by no means, played a good football game this week, but they still were able to beat the Dolphins, who lost by 10 and look nothing like the team that was supposed to compete for the division after a 3-0 start. They still might not even be as good as their 3-4 record would suggest, as they allow opponents to move the chains at a 71% rate, as opposed to 76% for their defense, a differential that is 27th in the NFL. I don’t know if they’ll finish quite as bad as the 2011 Bills or the 2012 Cardinals, who both collapsed after strong starts, but they could be close.
Week 8 Studs
C Mike Pouncey
Week 8 Duds
RT Jonathan Martin
DT Paul Soliai
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Philadelphia Eagles: 2013 Week 9 NFL Power Rankings (#23)
Last week: 22 (-1)
Record: 3-5
The Eagles split the season series with the Giants and they really aren’t much better than them, if they are at all. They are 4 spots higher than them in these Power Rankings and even that might be too high. The Eagles do have 3 wins, but they were against teams who have a combined 4-18 record and the 2-6 Giants, one of the teams they beat, got revenge last week in what was the Eagles’ 10th straight home loss. The Eagles are within range of the record for most consecutive home losses (14), set by the 2008-2010 Rams and the 1988-1989 Cowboys.
Week 8 Studs
LG Evan Mathis
RE Fletcher Cox
Week 8 Duds
QB Michael Vick
QB Matt Barkley
RT Lane Johnson
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