With only four weeks left in the season, I thought I'd break down the teams in a power ranking way (from the bottom up):
Septic Tankers:
32: Browns (1-11) - You have to wonder if they'd have just settled on Quinn from the beginning, maybe they'd be a more respectable 1-11... maybe 2-10... at least ahead of the Rams.
31: Rams (1-11) - Proof positive that an elite running back is only one piece of the puzzle.
Bad with a Hint of Promise:
30: Buccaneers (1-11) - At least they've settled on a quarterback and are working in some young talent, they only need a couple wily veteran free agents and they'll be better than the Panthers.
29: Chiefs (3-9) - Only in this spot because of their coach is okay with losing, despite the volume of his voice. They were resilient in their 3 wins.
28: Redskins (3-9) - Speaking of coaches okay with losing... they should have gone for the jugular when they were inside the 10 with a 7-point lead on the highest scoring team in the league. 30 points is not enough against a team that averages 31.
27: Lions (2-10) - While Stafford may never be an elite quarterback, and he can never erase the memory of 0-16, but he might eventually make them forget about this 2-14 season.
Bad-Luck Bad:
26: Bills (4-8) - You have to think they'd have beaten the Jets if they were not distracted by the bustling Toronto night life.
25: Bears (5-7) - Everybody gets injuries, but only the Bears get Mr. Grumpyface.
24: Raiders (4-8) - Another case of "if we'd have only gone with this back-up quarterback who hasn't proved anything yet sooner, we'd have a few more wins."
23: 49ers (5-7) - If it wasn't for the Crabtree Curse, that 3-1 start would have translated to a 10-6 season.
Who Are We?:
22: Seahawks (5-7) - All I know about the 'Hawks is that they've worn some bright green jerseys at some point this year.
21: Panthers (5-7) - So, Jake Delhomme throws 45 interceptions in the first couple of games, then torches the Cardinals for 4 touchdowns, who is this guy??
20: Texans (5-7) - We are the Texans. We can beat the Colts, maybe... sometimes... if we play a perfect game... hell, who are we kidding, we probably couldn't beat the Longhorns.
Falling From Grace (FAST!):
19: Jets (6-6) - Great defense, new coach, first-round-pretty-boy quarterback, and the relief of not having to pay Brett Favre's healthcare bills... sounds like a formula for winning. Except they're the Jets.
18: Falcons (6-6) - My how the mighty first-round-quarterback-playoff-team has fallen.
17: Ravens (6-6) - My how the mighty first-round-quarterback-playoff-team has fallen.
16: Steelers (6-6) - Big Ben gets big knee to head... seems like the whole team took a knee to the head in Kansas City.
In the Chase for No Reason:
15: Jaguars (7-5) - Is it an easy schedule? Is it the lack of pressure from the empty home stadium? Is it the turqoise jerseys?
14: Dolphins (6-6) - No Wildcat. No gimmicks. 8-8 seems very possible.
13: Titans (5-7) - Risen from the dead at 0-6, only to play the Colts like zombies in pads.
NFC (L)easters:
12: Cowboys (8-4) - It's December. If they didn't have this reputation, they'd be top 8.
11: Giants (7-5) - Their sevens wins are over the 'Skins, Chiefs, Raiders, Buccaneers, Falcons, and the Cowboys twice. So they are the Kings of Crap.
Leaders of the Bad Pack:
10: Cardinals (8-4) - That freakish loss to the Panthers is keeping them from being for real.
9: Patriots (7-5) - Trouble brewing in Boston. But playoffs are still in their future.
8: Eagles (8-4) - Nothing like a young, fast receiving core to rejuvenate Donovan's chances. Unfortunately they aren't as consistant as they need to be (see loss to Raiders).
Fringe Contenders
7: Broncos (8-4) - Who'd have thought Kyle Orton, a rookie head coach, a pieced together defense, and last season's collapse could lead to this?
6: Packers (8-4) - Monday's game showed us the evolution of the defense and the best fantasy quarterback is about to blow up (statistically).
5: Bengals (9-3) - They deserve their own category of "Contenders with no identity." Just goes to show you what a group of athletes can do when they stay out of jail.
4: Chargers (9-3) - If Norv Turner wasn't their coach, they'd be the favorites in the AFC.
Great, but Figured Out
3: Vikings (10-2) - Teams know how to beat the Vikings. If they run into the Saints or Colts, expect the opposition to stack the box, run up the score, and force Favre into a marathon. He's great, but he's a amateur jogger, not a Olympic distance runner.
Toss Up Champs
1b: Saints (12-0) - That crowd. That defense. That quarterback. It's like Revenge of the Rejected and Ignored. Only not the true number one because of last week. They are more likely to try hard for 16-0 and thusly slip up and they have less room to mess around with.
1a: Colts (12-0) - I can't crown Peyton and the boys yet, but he's sure trying to convince me.
Picks:
Steelers over Browns
Saints over Falcons
Packers over Bears
Colts over Broncos
Bills over Chiefs
Jets over Buccaneers
Dolphins over Jaguars
Ravens over Lions
Texans over Seahawks
Vikings over Bengals
Patriots over Panthers
Titans over Rams
Raiders over Redskins
Chargers over Cowboys
Eagles over Giants
Cardinals over 49ers
Last Week: 9-7
Season: 129-63
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