2013 NFL Power Rankings

Oakland Raiders: 2013 Week 7 NFL Power Rankings (#30)

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Last week: 30 (+0)

Record: 2-4

The Raiders faced a 4th and 48 in their loss to the Chiefs this week, which is, unofficially I believe, an NFL record. It was so bad that even a solid punt, 46 yards, didn’t reach the chains. Negative plays were a theme of the day for the Raiders, as they were sacked 10 times. Terrelle Pryor is to blame for much of it, probably more than the offensive line. He held the ball way too long (2.94 seconds per throw, 4th longest of quarterbacks this week) and had a ton of trouble reading the toughest blitz he’s faced thus far in his career, taking a sack on 38.5% of his pressured snaps (2nd highest in the NFL this week). Still, this offensive line is in shambles thanks to injuries and their lack of baseline talent. Pryor was pressured on 55.3% of his snaps.

Week 6 Studs

RE Lamarr Houston

ROLB Sio Moore

CB Tracy Porter

Week 6 Duds

QB Terrelle Pryor

LT Khalif Barnes

RT Tony Pashos

RG Mike Brisiel

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 2013 Week 7 NFL Power Rankings (#31)

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Last week: 31 (+0)

Record: 0-5

Mike Glennon looked better in his second NFL start, completing 26 of 43 for 273 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception, but remember he had 2 weeks to prepare for this one and he was facing arguably the worst defense in the NFL in the Philadelphia Eagles. He still has 11 games to prove himself going forward, but if the Buccaneers finish with a top-5 pick and fire Greg Schiano, they’ll have a very tough choice between a top defensive player like Jadeveon Clowney and a 2nd tier quarterback like Tajh Boyd or, if they declare, Marcus Mariota or Brett Hundley. I’m not so sure they wouldn’t take the latter.

Week 6 Studs

LT Donald Penn

DT Gerald McCoy

CB Darrelle Revis

Week 6 Duds

LG Ted Larsen

RG Davin Joseph

C Jeremy Zuttah

LE Daniel Te’o-Nesheim

DT Akeem Spence

MLB Mason Foster

FS Mark Barron

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Jacksonville Jaguars: 2013 Week 7 NFL Power Rankings (#32)

stevenlourie 2013 NFL Power Rankings, 2013 Week 7 NFL Power Rankings, Jaguars, Uncategorized

Last week: 32 (+0)

Record: 0-6

The Jaguars are awful, but it’s way too early to start thinking about 0-16 for them, just like it’s way too soon to start thinking about 16-0 for Denver. As we’ve seen in recent years with teams like the 2007 Dolphins or the 2010 Colts, going 16 games without a victory in the NFL is really hard. They’ll probably pull off some random upset before the season is over. Candidates include home games against Arizona, Tennessee, and Buffalo, as well as a trip to Cleveland. I wouldn’t be shocked if they beat San Diego this week, if the Chargers turn in another road dud off of a home upset, like they did after beating the Cowboys a few weeks ago.

Week 6 Studs

WR Justin Blackmon

FS John Cyprien

Week 6 Duds

LG Will Rackley

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Denver Broncos: 2013 Week 6 NFL Power Rankings (#1)

stevenlourie 2013 NFL Power Rankings, 2013 Week 6 NFL Power Rankings, Broncos, Uncategorized

Last week: 2 (+1)

Record: 5-0

The Broncos proved themselves to be human in Dallas this week, even in a win. They probably won’t go 16-0. That’s just really, really hard to do. Someone will upset them once or twice at least this season. However, I’m moving them to the top spot because the Seahawks lost in Indianapolis this week. I still believe the Seahawks could easily beat the Broncos in a cold weather Super Bowl and that the gap between them is much more minimal than people think (throw New Orleans in there as well).

Week 5 Studs

QB Peyton Manning

Week 5 Duds

LE Derek Wolfe

DT Kevin Vickerson

CB Tony Carter

CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie

SS Duke Ihenacho

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Seattle Seahawks: 2013 Week 6 NFL Power Rankings (#2)

stevenlourie 2013 NFL Power Rankings, 2013 Week 6 NFL Power Rankings, Seahawks, Uncategorized

Last week: 1 (-1)

Record: 4-1

I thought when the Seahawks won in Carolina (after winning in Chicago, Washington, blowing out Buffalo, and almost winning in Atlanta late last year) that it meant the Seahawks had turned a corner on the road. However, they almost lost in Houston and then last week they did lose in Indianapolis. The Colts are a good team and there’s no shame in losing there, but I’m moving the Seahawks down, essentially from 1a to 1b to Denver’s 1a. That win in Carolina doesn’t look so impressive anymore either.

Week 5 Studs

None

Week 5 Duds

LT Paul McQuistan

RG JR Sweezy

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New Orleans Saints: 2013 Week 6 NFL Power Rankings (#3)

stevenlourie 2013 NFL Power Rankings, 2013 Week 6 NFL Power Rankings, Saints, Uncategorized

Last week: 3 (+0)

Record: 5-0

I honestly feel like this team is as good as the Seahawks and Broncos. They are deadly at home and they proved last week they can play well on the road as well. They move the chains on 81% of opportunities and opponents move the chains on 68% of opportunities, a league leading differential. This week is their biggest test of the season in New England. It’ll be a benchmark game for both teams.

Week 5 Studs

QB Drew Brees

RE Cameron Jordan

Week 5 Duds

CB Jabari Greer

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New England Patriots: 2013 Week 6 NFL Power Rankings (#4)

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Last week: 4 (+0)

Record: 4-1

The Patriots are moving the chains on 70% of chances this season. For a team that was moving the balls at about an 85% rate in 2012, that’s unheard of. Things will get better as Danny Amendola gets healthier and Rob Gronkowski returns and eventually Shane Vereen returns. However, there’s no guarantee they will get significantly better. Tom Brady needs to take some of the blame. He hasn’t played well this season. Discomfort with new receivers is a factor, but he has a negative passing grade on ProFootballFocus, who usually does a good job of determining who is at fault. It’s possible he’s turning into late career Dan Marino. He definitely has diminished arm strength, but that alone wouldn’t hold him back. Peyton Manning has diminished arm strength, but that doesn’t seem to affect him. It’s something to watch goes forward. The good news is the defense has been incredibly, as opponents have moved the chains on 67% of chances this season. Even without Vince Wilfork, they played great defense against the Bengals. They haven’t played a tough schedule, but they get their first huge test this week when New Orleans comes to town.

Week 5 Studs

MLB Brandon Spikes

Week 5 Duds

QB Tom Brady

LG Logan Mankins

RG Dan Connolly

DT Joe Vellano

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San Francisco 49ers: 2013 Week 6 NFL Power Rankings (#5)

stevenlourie 2013 NFL Power Rankings, 2013 Week 6 NFL Power Rankings, 49ers, Uncategorized

Last week: 5 (+0)

Record 3-2

Remember when everyone freaked out just because they lost 2 of 3 games. Good times. Losing 2 of 3 games isn’t a big deal. It’s just more noticeable at the start of the season. They’ve won the last two games by a combined score of 69-14. However, there are still concerns about Colin Kaepernick, who completed just 6 passes in the 49ers’ 34-3 win over the Texans last week. They won’t be able to win the turnover battle by 4 every week. Kaepernick has clearly not been the same quarterback this year without Michael Crabtree and with defenses taking away his ability to run the football effectively.

Week 5 Studs

LT Joe Staley

CB Tarell Brown

CB Tramaine Brock

SS Donte Shitner

Week 5 Duds

None

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Green Bay Packers: 2013 Week 6 NFL Power Rankings (#6)

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Last week: 6 (+0)

Record: 2-2

The Packers seem to have disproportionally more injuries than most teams. They had the most injuries in the NFL last year in terms of adjusted games lost. Usually that type of thing usually doesn’t predict future injuries, but so far this year Casey Hayward has yet to play a game, Morgan Burnett and Eddie Lacy have both missed games, Bryan Bulaga is out for the season, Derek Sherrod remains out indefinitely, and now Clay Matthews is out for at least a month and Brad Jones is week-to-week. Even when they won the Super Bowl in 2010, they had a ton of injuries.

Week 5 Studs

QB Aaron Rodgers

LOLB Mike Neal

LOLB Nick Perry

Week 5 Duds

RT Don Barclay

MLB AJ Hawk

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Kansas City Chiefs: 2013 Week 6 NFL Power Rankings (#7)

stevenlourie 2013 NFL Power Rankings, 2013 Week 6 NFL Power Rankings, Chiefs, Uncategorized

Last week: 7 (+0)

Record: 5-0

The Titans were the best team the Chiefs had played thus far this season. Their first 4 opponents had a combined record of 4-16. However, they could have easily lost in Tennessee (without Jake Locker) if it weren’t for some fluky turnovers, including a blocked punt for touchdown and an interception off of a receiver’s hands. The yardage, first down, and punt totals were essentially even. The Chiefs will win a bunch of games, but I don’t see them making a ton of noise in the post-season.

Week 5 Studs

LE Allen Bailey

DT Dontari Poe

CB Brandon Flowers

SS Eric Berry

Week 5 Duds

RT Donald Stephenson

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