2013 Week 6 NFL Power Rankings

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

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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)

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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)

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

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)

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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)

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

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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Indianapolis Colts: 2013 Week 6 NFL Power Rankings (#8)

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Last week: 14 (+6)

Record: 4-1

Either the Colts are a legitimate Super Bowl contender this season or the Seahawks still struggle on the road like last season (when they lost in Miami, St. Louis, Arizona, and Detroit). I think it’s a little bit of both. The Colts are a completely different team from last year. They didn’t deserve to win 11 games last year, but I was dead wrong about their 2013 prospects. They’ve added talent this off-season and the coaching has actually been a lot better. Andrew Luck has been a much better fit for Pep Hamilton’s system than Bruce Arians’ and Chuck Pagano’s return has done great things for this defense.

Week 5 Studs

QB Andrew Luck

WR TY Hilton

LE Lawrence Guy

LE Cory Redding

ROLB Robert Mathis

Week 5 Duds

WR Darrius Heyward-Bey

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Detroit Lions: 2013 Week 6 NFL Power Rankings (#9)

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Last week: 8 (-1)

Record: 3-2

It’s amazing how powerless the Lions’ offense is without Calvin Johnson, but it’s understandable considering he’s the best receiver in the NFL and everyone else is a bunch of scrubs. Whether or not they can win in Cleveland this week probably depends on his availability. He’s one of the most valuable non-quarterbacks in the NFL, after guys like JJ Watt and Adrian Peterson.

Week 5 Studs

None

Week 5 Duds

LG Rob Sims

LE Willie Young

DT Nick Fairley

MLB Stephen Tulloch

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Dallas Cowboys: 2013 Week 6 NFL Power Rankings (#10)

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Last week: 10 (+0)

Record: 2-3

The Cowboys may be tied for the division lead, but they almost beat the Broncos and they are easily the best team in the division. With 5 games left against the worst division in football, starting with a home game against the Redskins this week, they could easily win 10 games. There will be a home playoff game in Dallas this year. The defense is not nearly as good as I thought it would be as the defensive scheme change really seems to have hurt promising youngsters like Bruce Carter and Morris Claiborne. However, their offense is one of the best in the NFL with Tony Romo throwing to a bunch of weapons and finally protected by a great offensive line. Doug Free has bounced back in a huge way and Brian Waters and Travis Frederick have been huge additions.

Week 5 Studs

QB Tony Romo

WR Terrance Williams

LT Tyron Smith

TE Jason Witten

Week 5 Duds

RE Kyle Wilbur

LOLB Ernie Sims

CB Orlando Scandrick

CB Brandon Carr

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