Each week here at GuysNation the schedules and outcomes of each of the games on the NFL schedule are analyzed, and after comparing records, strength of schedule, quality wins and acceptibility of losses, these are the Power Rankings as we see it:
32 – Buffalo Bills (0-5) No Change from Week 5 Rank
No game, no possibility to move up the ranks.
31 – Carolina Panthers (0-5) No Change from Week 5 Rank
No game, no possibility to move up the ranks.
30 – Dallas Cowboys (1-4) Dropped 3 from Week 5 Rank
Losing to a team which only had 1 win at the time should make Cowboys fans sad. Chicago and Washington losing doesn’t help Dallas’ strength of schedule for some of their other losses, either.
29 – Cleveland Browns (1-5) Climbed 1 from Week 5 Rank
Losing to the Steelers IN Pittsburgh isn’t a problem. They move up because Dallas moves back, and because of strength of schedule.
28 – Detroit Lions (1-5) Dropped 4 from Week 5 Rank
Lost to the Giants in a game which was closer than odds-makers set it up to be. They still move back because others moved forwards. Keep your eye on them after the bye week though.
27 – Oakland Raiders (2-4) Dropped 1 from Week 5 Rank
A loss to the 49’ers automatically drops them by their geographic / power rankings neighbor.
27 – San Francisco 49ers (1-5) Climbed 3 from Week 5 Rank
A win over Oakland isn’t a huge victory, but it puts a notch in the column. Close losses in the Atlanta and Philly games could’ve had them much higher than this. Keep your eye on them.
25 – Minnesota Vikings (2-3) Dropped 2 from Week 5 Rank
Sure they got a win, but it was only against the 1-win Cowboys. They move back as others move forward. Still keep your eyes on them, but beware if Favre starts texting.
24 – St. Louis Rams (3-3) Climbed 1 from Week 5 Rank
Good win against San Diego puts the Rams at an even record. They’d be better off if they hadn’t been blown out by Detroit in Week 5.
23 – Cincinnati Bengals (2-3) Dropped 4 from Week 5 Rank
This is why I don’t put too much stock in victories at home against divisional opponents. The Bengals beat Baltimore? Riiiight. They move back as others move forward.
22 – San Diego Chargers (2-4) No Change from Week 5 Rank
Two straight road-trip losses, though the Rams only beat them by 3. They’re starting to put more pieces in place, and as injuries heal and suspensions end, this could be a totally different team.
21 – Jacksonville Jaguars (3-3) Dropped 3 from Week 5 Rank
A huge loss while hosting a divisional opponent on a prime time stage is not good.
20 – Miami Dolphins (3-2) Climbed 1 from Week 5 Rank
Close win on the road by 3 points against a good Packers team should’ve had them move up the ranks, but other teams showed more to make a bigger move.
19 – Seattle Seahawks (3-2) Climbed 9 from Week 5 Rank
Tough win on the road against a fairly high quality opponent speaks well to me.
18 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2) Dropped 10 from Week 5 Rank
Teams shouldn’t get blown out at home by an opponent in their division. I’m starting to think the loss at Cinci really shows what Tampa Bay is made of. Three unimpressive wins to their credit don’t speak highly of the Bucs.
17 – Denver Broncos (2-4) Climbed 3 from Week 5 Rank
I have very little issue with a close loss to the Jets, even if it was in Colorado, especially following a loss to the Ravens on a road trip.
16 – Arizona Cardinals (3-2) Dropped 2 from Week 5 Rank
Some think the Cards should’ve fallen further in the rankings as other teams show what they’ve got. We’ll see what happens Week 7.
15 – Kansas City Chiefs (3-2) Dropped 8 from Week 5 Rank
A close loss on the road doesn’t bother me too much, especially when the lead changed hands late. They lost their Top 10 spot because others proved more worthy.
14 – Green Bay Packers (3-3) Dropped 8 from Week 5 Rank
Yikes, a loss at home to a team coming all the way up from Southern Florida? This doesn’t play well, especially when other teams are looking good.
13 – Chicago Bears (4-2) Dropped 4 from Week 5 Rank
Seattle is NOT a high quality opponent, and the Bears should’ve done better while playing in Chicago. So very close to being a 3-3 team… or even 2-4.
12 – Washington Redskins (3-3) Climbed 1 from Week 5 Rank
A very close game against Indianapolis at home ends up in a loss, but it shows that the Redskins can put themselves into a position to win against high quality opponents.
11 – Houston Texans (4-2) Climbed 6 from Week 5 Rank
Kansas City was the last of the unbeatens for a reason, so a victory over them certainly adds a nice notch in the Texans’ belt, especially after the big loss to the Giants prior to that.
10 – Philadelphia Eagles (4-2) Climbed 6 from Week 5 Rank
Impressive win against a high quality Falcons team, though their CLOSE margin of victory against San Francisco and their otherwise poor play at home still doesn’t make me a believer.
9 – New Orleans Saints (4-2) Climbed 6 from Week 5 Rank
Huge win on the road in a divisional game shows me that the Saints might very well be getting back on track, if the injuries don’t start slowing them down again.
8 – Indianapolis Colts (4-2) Climbed 2 from Week 5 Rank
A victory against a good opponent on the road, despite being a close game, is a good thing. They’re not Top 5 material yet, but with Garcon looking good in his return, they probably will be.
7 – Atlanta Falcons (4-2) Dropped 4 from Week 5 Rank
They suffered a setback against the Eagles, but I’m still a believer, though they’re starting to show signs that maybe the 7 spot is too high.
6 – New England Patriots (4-1) Dropped 1 from Week 5 Rank
How did they drop a spot even though they beat Baltimore? It was a close game, and it was in Massachusetts. On a neutral field they probably would’ve lost.
5 – New York Giants (4-2) Climbed 7 from Week 5 Rank
This is probably the least accurate spot in my rankings, as the Giants are probably considerably lower. The Lions are a quality team (though their record doesn’t show it), and the Giants pulled out a victory against them. Add that to a big win IN Texas against Houston the week before that and a decent win prior to that against the Bears and you can see that the Giants are really starting to build a decent resume.
4 – Tennessee Titans (4-2) Climbed 7 from Week 5 Rank
The win at Jacksonville by a big margin was a statement game. Take notice… though it could hinge on Vince Young’s health.
3 – Baltimore Ravens (4-2) Dropped 2 from Week 5 Rank
A close loss on the road to a very good opponent doesn’t have me too worried. They certainly can’t keep the top spot, though.
2 – Pittsburgh Steelers (4-1) Climbed 2 from Week 5 Rank
A win at home against the divisional opponent Browns doesn’t speak highly, but it does allow them to hop over the Ravens, and Ben Roethlisberger making a quality return gives the Terrible Towel Wavers some legit hope.
1 – New York Jets (5-1) Climbed 1 from Week 5 Rank
Though the margin of victory was small, it was a win on the road against a decent team who is not in their division, and so the Jets manage to hop up one spot as the Ravens relinquish the number one ranking. Though they’re not in my top 3 favorite teams, I will give a shout-out to their fans: J-E-T-S! JETS! JETS! JETS!
You have the Jets AHEAD of the Steelers? And the Titans, Giants and Ravens ahead of the Patriots? You sir are truly a moron. You win the games that are on your schedule, wherever they are or who they are against.
So you wouldn’t factor in the strength of schedule? You wouldn’t say that one win is better than another based on how the other team has fared in other games?
I’m not a moron just because I disagree with how you might do things, but thanks for giving the article SOME thought.
You know what stinks about Power Ratings? They are difficult to come up and no matter how you do it, you end up peeing in someones cherios. Sooooo….
It is hard to understand how the Patriots can defeat your previously ranked #1 team in the league and drop 1 spot instead of advancing while the Giants defeat the Lions, the freaking Lions!?!?!, and advance 7 spots.
DEN climbing 3 spots by LOSING to the Jets? Sooooo… If you lose to the previously ranked #2 team, you advance so long as you do it with style, but if you win a squeaker vs. the previously #1 ranked team, you drop 1 spot? Perplexing.
Are your ratings based W-L and strength of schedule or personal preference? If the latter, then I guess we are just of differing opinions. If this is supposed to be somewhat scientific, then I just don’t understand.
I’m trying my best to be scientific with it, and you definitely bring up a valid point with the Jets and Giants and Patriots and Ravens.
Part of the problem is how I’ve got my information organized.
I’m certainly going to be taking those things into account next week, because it really does look like I treated the Patriots win different than the Denver loss.
Anyone that doesn’t have more to offer than calling the author a moron isn’t someone to take much stock in.
That said, I have some fundamental disagreements here:
Atlanta/Philly discrepancy – Philly annihilated Atlanta. Matt Ryan is not good on the road and despite the QB situation in Philly, it doesn’t seem like a bad thing because both can play. Kolb is the future.
Dallas – They aren’t the preseason NFC Championship contender like I thought. Not yet at least… But they are much better than some of the teams in front of them – the Cowboys have played tough opponents every week: @Washington, Tennessee, @Houston, @Minnesota, Chicago. A loss is a loss and they don’t deserve a high ranking but below the Browns/Raiders/Lions? C’mon man!
Washington – Moved up despite a loss? You make other cases for teams losing at home and dropping and you dropped the Pats despite a win at home vs. the previous #1! This and the Dallas one rank of a Skins homer 🙂
Broncos ahead of Fins? – Broncos are bad man. Orton is doing well, but they have 0 running game and that defense isn’t anything special. The Fins have lost to the Jets and Pats which is nothing to be ashamed of and have won 3 games on the road already – Pack/Vikes/Bills. I think they are a legit 10 win team.
All in all, well done taking the time to do these. I’ll post my Week 7 preview tonight and will include my rankings.
Peace
Nice list, I agree with the top 10. I’m not completely sold on the Titans yet though, but their win over Jax was a romping. Glad to see the Cowboys at the bottom where they belong. HAIL
Looks good, but no chance the Cardinals finish in the top 25. I also expect the Saints the finish in the top 5. That game was a total twilight zone of turnovers and has skewed their rankings.