My 2015 "Rankings"

[KCSLC2008 606]

Week Four “Rankings”

1.       New England Patriots: Bye weeks don’t move undefeated teams and Green Bay didn’t do enough against San Francisco to jump them.

2.       Green Bay Packers: Didn’t do enough to jump over the Patriots and I didn’t feel that they should drop any spots when they only allowed one field goal. It seems that the Niners’ D has some pride and figured something out or the Packers knew they were going to win and went, I don’t want to say vanilla, but the intensity wasn’t there.

3.       Cincinnati Bengals: They might drop a game here or there, but they’ve earned this spot for right now with Arizona’s loss and the Broncos close win. Offense didn’t seem to ever break a sweat against an overhyped defense that have given up TDs on opening drives. Defense got to the QB five times, where at least four of them were due to Chiefs oline, and not the QB.

4.       Denver Broncos: Keeping them up here until they lose a game, despite all these close calls. Holding on is better than not and though they probably should have one loss somewhere, they don’t. If they deserve to fall, they’ll lose somewhere.

5.       Atlanta Falcons: Big win over a bad team is more than what Carolina can say, with a harder schedule. Probably deserve being higher than Denver, but for now, here they’ll stay. Offense is clicking, defense showed up, good to go with new coach.

6.       Carolina Panthers: Alex Smith said it best in 2012 when he noted the Panthers weren’t winning with big yard numbers and stats. Now that Newton is putting in 125-200 yard games and are not pushing things, they are 4-0. Strength of schedule helps and their next four are a lot tougher. Generally, the longer the winning streak, the less SOS criticisms last.

7.       Arizona Cardinals: They got Ram’d – you know, beaten by Fisher because he wants to and knows how to beat you, having played you often. Otherwise, St. Louis is a gimme game. I think Palmer got off to a slow, bad start and couldn’t get it all back in time. Will bounce back and would be surprised for them to lose again soon.

8.       New York Jets: London was a good place to visit, sights to see, Dolphins to beat, firing opposing coaches. Never seemed at risk for losing, get to spend some of their bye week abroad.

9.       Pittsburgh Steelers: Kickers, kickers, kickers. Maybe they should have signed the Chiefs’ kicker? They had the game won and lost over and over, just like they beat Baltimore, traded spots. Anticipating a few more losses for a good team, so will give them the benefit of the doubt in competing.

10.   Dallas Cowboys: The game, with their backup QB, was close enough that I couldn’t drop them too far. Likely would have won against New Orleans had they had Romo or a better kicker, but since they didn’t, they aren’t the top of the 2-2 teams.

11.   Indianapolis Colts: Won without Luck and with a bit of kicking luck. Playing the Jaguars helped. If they had Andrew Luck, the game wouldn’t have gone into overtime, so all that’s important is they got the win.

12.   Seattle Seahawks: Would’ve put them on top of the 2-2 teams if they had either scored more than 13 points or had won without controversy. But having those two things and starting out so poorly, 12^th is pretty good.

13.   Buffalo Bills: Knew they would come out flat sometime and knew the Giants were bound to win two in a row somewhere. Lined up and the inexperienced QB let the Giants run away with the game. Defense still played pretty well.

14.   Minnesota Vikings: They were so close to being 3-1 and really wanted them to beat the Broncos, but fumbling the football in the last minute is a no-no, as we Chiefs can attest.

15.   Oakland Raiders: Barely beating the Browns and losing to the Bears doesn’t fare well in the early excitement of their turnaround. Definitely are still top half of the league team, but that drops them, just as the loss dropped them from 3-1 to 2-2.

16.   San Diego Chargers: Another close win against a bad team, still think they are better than the disappearing before upsetting Rams. Their QB is better, I like their coach more and he’s competent, and if their running game gets going, as they drafted a RB, they should do well, eventually.

17.   New York Giants: Bursting Buffalo’s bubble before facing the Niners is good for momentum before a pair of divisional games. Game was close until the defense pick sixed an inexperienced QB, but credit is deserved for that and the win over a good defense.

18.   St. Louis Rams: St. Louis is tanking, I think. They beat the good teams and lose the rest. So far, their division is also a common denominator, as in their wins are over familiar foes who’ve kept the same systems or QBs.

19.   Washington Redskins: Washington is getting better, but is not consistent nor good yet. Will see if they climb up this list, but the upcoming opponents make it difficult (Falcons, Jets… Patriots)

20.   Tennessee Titans: Tried to avoid byes affecting things, but 3 games is too early to give them a win (2-2) or loss (1-3) in its place. They are between the two categories.

21.   Baltimore Ravens: Their win finally allowed them to jump the list to closer to where I would rank them. Got a little lucky to win this one, but their losses involved luck, too. So they deserve to be the highest of 1-3 teams.

22.   Kansas City Chiefs: Played undefeated teams so far and I would have ranked them ahead of Baltimore because of it, had they been more competitive in doing it. Schedule is not easy per se, but easier going forward, there’s enough of a break before a more difficult opponent, so we will see if the Chiefs can fix some things and finally win a big game.

23.   Philadelphia Eagles: Their losses have dropped them enough and losing to Washington means you deserve a lower spot. Chip Kelly must love the media, but he’s got to win more before his smugness is justified. So far it’s just confidence to go with some WC games.

24.   New Orleans Saints: Getting their starting QB back and facing a backup helps, but winning barely in OT doesn’t do much for me. If they were a good unlucky team, they’d have won in regulation.

25.   Miami Dolphins: Here by default, definitely underachieving team. Good news is interim coaches have a pretty good record in first games. QB’s young but has an unhelpful attitude – attitude can be good, but in this case it hurts leadership without helping on the field competitively.

26.   Chicago Bears: Thanks for beating Oakland, Chicago, just roll over this game, please? Getting Cutler back is an improvement over Clausen. Overcame his lead-losing INT. Having a good kicker helps.

27.   San Francisco 49ers: Played pretty well defensively against the Packers. I might biasedly be putting them ahead of the Browns and Jaguars due to their reputations, but defense is a major unit in rebuilding. 27^th isn’t too high, but they might lose again this week.

28.    Cleveland Browns: Close loss to an improving team followed by a close loss to a middle team in San Diego. Are just barely missing out on wins, so if their QB, whoever he is, plays slightly better and they’d be a 3-1 team.

29.   Jacksonville Jaguars: Barely losing to the Colts is a good sign, though Andrew Luck wasn’t playing. Jaguars are better this year, though not good, yet.

30.   Houston Texans: Close losses and good win over last year’s worst record team with a rookie QB. Have to put them low on this list, but higher than the next two.

31.   Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Rookie QB getting better next year should help them next year. Haven’t really looked into it.

32.   Detroit Lions: Should be higher if not for a missed technicality, but only winning will pull them out of their last place spot. The Cardinals this week probably won’t help – if they do, Arizona’s dropping.

[KCSLC2008 606]

Again, the above Week 4 "Rankings" are not true rankings!

[KCSLC2008 606]

Not that anyone cares, but the way I weigh it at the end of the season is as follows:

 

Week 1: 1/216

Week 2: 2/216

Week 3: 3/216

Week 4: 4/216

Week 5: 5/216

Week 6: 6/216

Week 7: 7/216

Week 8: 8/216

Week 9: 9/216

Week 10: 10/216

Week 11: 11/216

Week 12: 12/216

Week 13: 13/216

Week 14: 14/216

Week 15: 15/216

Week 16: 16/216

Week 17: 17/216

 

Playoffs: Only playoff teams move around.

 

So far, these weeks only count 10/216ths of the total.

[KCSLC2008 606]

Week 5 "Rankings"

 

1. New England Patriots: Blowing out Dallas and everyone else is a good way to go into Indy to win again. I hope they do.

2. Green Bay Packers: INT-less streak over, but still undefeated. Seems to be winning through an offensive slump, but result never in doubt. Holding back or conservative against good defenses (Niners/Rams)?

3. Cincinnati Bengals: So close to their first loss/tie (banked FG in OT), but the comeback was impressive and the team's below (Denver/Atlanta) are either also winning in the last minute or OT by defensive plays.

4. Atlanta Falcons: Bad call prevented a win in regulation, but defense won it in OT. Wins will keep them up here, but Denver might pass them if they decide to actually win a game decidedly.

5. Denver Broncos: Dropped due to consistently squeezing games out at the last minute from the other teams mistakes, though defense deserves a lot of credit.

6. Carolina Panthers: Overcoming offense with defense is keeping them going, but deserve to win division easily.

7. Arizona Cardinals: Loss last week keeps them down here, but clearly the best one-loss teams. QB had off week last week.

8. New York Jets: Bye week helps them not drop, defense keeps them up here. If they don't deserve being up here, they'll lose a few.

9. Indianapolis Colts: Winning without their QB, even against bad teams, reflects some of their talent elsewhere. Expect a loss this week, but they play the games for a reason. Both teams have the motivation.

10. New York Giants: A three game winning streak plus close losses to good teams plus a few easier games coming up suggests they will be in the top ten for awhile win-wise.

11. Buffalo Bills: Close win, nice comeback, sore QB. Defense tightened it up late to hold off Titans.

12. Pittsburgh Steelers: Go for it! Seems like something we've all said for awhile. But one foot short and we preach the wisdom of playing it safe with no timeouts. One foot short and we'd be talking about controversy again.

13. Minnesota Vikings: Barely lost to the Broncos, as every team who has played the Broncos. Teams need to stop giving the Broncos a turnover in the last minute of every game. I know I am biased, but if those go the other way, the Broncos could be 2-3 or 1-4.

14. Seattle Seahawks: Seattle is another team who tends to be on the favorable side at the end of games, however, it's not usually because of the other teams mistakes but rather by referees. Still, they were winning before the controversial call.

15. Dallas Cowboys: This team would be a lot higher if Tony Romo were still playing. Even still, they've been in games until the fourth quarter. The quarterback change may not help them in the standings, but I believe the better quarterback is going to start.

16. Philadelphia Eagles: Blowing out the Saints has not been as impressive this year as past years, but things look like they are looking up. Only way to tell: beat the 3 game winning streak Giants on Monday Night Football.

17. St. Louis Rams: Defense got to Rodgers, but you're not going to beat the Packers with 10 points.

18. Chicago Bears: Game winning drives in back to back games for Cutler right before playing the Lions is a good thing for the previously win-less Bears.

19. Oakland Raiders: The last four games have been close wins or losses. Splitting them seems fair and an adequate representation of who they are. They got a bit ahead of themselves after their second win. Next year, they should be better at winning these close games.

20. San Diego Chargers: This team will still beat teams that they are predicted to lose, but they're not a good team. They are in up-and-down team who can beat anyone but also lose to anyone as well.

21. Cleveland Browns: Outside of the first game of the year, they have been in every game or have won. Beating the Ravens still mean something right now. The only thing better than getting production from your quarterback is winning with that production. Especially when your backup has got himself in trouble again.

22. Washington Redskins: they are who they are, but they are winning some games and deserve to be above the rest. A 19-19 OT game ending by your interception prone quarterback throwing a pick six in overtime. Kudos for keeping it close.

23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Winning a shootout against a bad team just gets you above the bad team. For the rookie Winston, it's good to get this win. The first year, you should beat the teams that you're supposed to beat and that's not very many. The next year, you steal some. And the next year, you're expected to win.

24. Tennessee Titans: Two close losses, both against good teams, should have you higher, especially with the blowout opener win and a close loss in week two, but with the bye week in there, it's hard to raise them too high.

25. Miami Dolphins: Having a bye so early was good for them to fire their coach. I feel that interim coaches have good records in their first week, especially after a bye. They might rally to just barely missed the playoffs.

26. Baltimore Ravens: I really want to rank them higher, but losing games prevents it. These games are close, but they should be winning. I put them at the top of the 1–4 teams. If they lose to the Niners, even on the road, I'd think that there are some bigger concerns.

27. Kansas City Chiefs: This past loss was the first loss to a bad team. They could've afforded that if they had beaten a good team, but instead have lost to all the good teams, too.

28. San Francisco 49ers: Close loss to a streaking team and losing at the last minute. That sounds very familiar to the Chiefs. They've had an easier schedule, have been at home more, and have been seriously blown out, so I rank the Chiefs a spot higher.

29. Houston Texans: I feel that this team is underachieving or there was too much hype in the off-season. I don't think all their troubles is from the quarterback, but the defense is the strength and they're not as good as last year. I could've written this about the Chiefs.

30. Jacksonville Jaguars: They are at least being competitive. Losing to last year's worst record team isn't good for a second year QB'd team but at least they are scoring with that QB. Defense is key.

31. New Orlean Saints: I wrote this after their Week 6 win, but losing 39-17 to Philadelphia puts them at the moment (before Week 6) last of the 1-4 teams.

32. Detroit Lions: Controversy or not, they weren't winning before and aren't a good team. They will remain in the last spot until they win.

[KCSLC2008 606]

Again, the above Week 5 "Rankings" are not true rankings!

[KCSLC2008 606]

Week 6

1. New England Patriots: They are the consensus top ranked team, being well enough coached to have their special teams know not to jump on the Colts fake punt play. Brady is playing his best football, with his only interception being a tipped pass.
2. Green Bay Packers: People say that San Diego scared them, but I don't see it that way. At best, without a two-point conversion, they could only force overtime. Their defense isn't great, but this is what it looks like when the defense gets a stop at the end of a game. I still think that Green Bay is holding back.
3. Cincinnati Bengals: everyone else is buzzing about them, so I not me? I'm still waiting for a collapse later in the year, but it will be minor and they will win their division easily.
4: Carolina Panthers: Beating Seattle seems to be the stamp of approval on for moving up in the rankings. I'm starting to think that beating them isn't that much of a token. When you get a lot of personalities on your team, it works when it does and it hurts when it doesn't. I expect them to drop later, but they're playing pretty well.
5. Denver Broncos: After struggling to beat the Browns, had to put them on the bottom of the undefeated teams. Once again, their opponent loses the game by not just playing it safe. Throwing when pressure's big when near field-goal range and a tie game with a minute left is not smart.
6. Atlanta Falcons: They were bound to have a bad game at some point. Might as well have it now. Still, it seems that they could not drop further than sixth.
7. New York Jets: At some point people have to start taking them seriously. Of course, they might lose before then. With their bye week coming early, they are set here according to their record.
8. Pittsburgh Steelers: no Big Then? No problem. Whoever they put in there at quarterback is doing well. Their two losses could've turned out differently if they had a good kicker. I see them as a 5–1 team.
9. Arizona Cardinals: I don't know what's going on, the offense with Carson Palmer that was doing so well is suddenly not. I don't know if they're playing down to their opponent and not being able to turn it back on, but this team is a well coached team that has a good defense but have lost 2 of 3.
10. Minnesota Vikings: They had an early bye week as well and so they are slotted here by their record. It is too early in the season to assume a loss or a win to move them up or down. They beat who they should and lose barely to who they are underdogs.
11. Philadelphia Eagles: They seem to be hitting their stride right now in beating their teams handily. Still, they need their quarterback not to throw so many interceptions. It looked like Bradford was trying to lose the game but their defense wouldn't allow it. It could also be the receivers issues, as I saw them stop their route a couple times, resulting in an interception.
12. Indianapolis Colts: I put them as high as I could according to the record. I believe they are a better team than they are playing like. The right team won the Sunday night game, but they could've stolen it if not for some bad decisions
13. Buffalo Bills: Once their defense starts to get more aggressive, they should get even better. There have been grumblings out of some of their defensive players. Even with all that, their defense is good.
14. New York Giants: A terrible game to follow their three-game winning streak. They seemed to never be in it despite scoring first. They were outscored or 24 to 0 after their first touchdown.
15. Oakland Raiders: I think they will be a much better team next year. They are losing games close that they will probably win next year. The following year they should be winning.
16. Dallas Cowboys: They will be better when Romo comes back, but what am I going to do when they keep getting blown out? I should drop them more but they aren't as bad as it has been. A bye week is good, as well as their QB change.
17. Miami Dolphins: I knew that they were going to win this game big because they had an interim coach. These coaches typically do well their first game and I don't know if that's a sign of the team not trying with their old coach or trying hard for their new coach.
18. St. Louis Rams: Given their history of beating good teams and losing the rest, I expected a better showing from them. But they did get to Rodgers defensively.
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: A sign of improvement, beating one of the worst teams. Having it be a shoot out, a sign of a need for defensive progress.
20. San Diego Chargers: Always close and sometimes get them but always seem to be one step away from playoffs or contender, depending on the year. A big yards game for Rivers falls short.
21. Seattle Seahawks: Fourth quarter collapses stem from last year's Super Bowl. Same to use all their fourth quarter magic up in the NFC championship game.
22. New Orleans Saints: Beat the Falcons on Thursday night football. Seems like a long time ago. I don't know if it was a good game by the Saints or off game by the Falcons.
23. Cleveland Browns: Every game has been close or a win outside of the first game of the year. That should be a sign for improvement, but frustrating for fans. But then again, if you're Cleveland Browns fan, you're used to frustration.
24. San Francisco 49ers: I don't know if Niner fans are happy about a win right now. They probably want a good draft pick but also see how Seattle is struggling and want to stay ahead of them.
25. Chicago Bears: Almost won the third game in a row close after losing one close. The Lions benefitted from an iffy call, I wonder if they will remember the ones that go for them or just the ones that go against them?
26. Washington Redskins: Unlike some recent games, they weren't really in this one.
27. Houston Texans: At least they can be one of the worst teams. It would be disappointing for me if I were a Texans fan, but then again I'm disappointed as a Chiefs fan.
28. Tennessee Titans: A blowout to an underachieving team and your quarterback gets injured? Pretty bad week.
29. Baltimore Ravens: I really didn't think their season would keep falling, but it has. I do expect them to win some, maybe even one against the Cardinals on MNF who seem to be struggling.
31. Kansas City Chiefs: I couldn't put them last, but they may be after this week if they lose and don't put up a good show against the Steelers.
32. Jacksonville Jaguars: Losing big to last year's second worst team isn't a good sign, but maybe London helps them this coming week. It might be an audition if NFL does move then there.

[FANATIC 852]

Week 6

 

1. New England Patriots: They are the consensus top ranked team, being well enough coached to have their special teams know not to jump on the Colts fake punt play. Brady is playing his best football, with his only interception being a tipped pass.

2. Green Bay Packers: People say that San Diego scared them, but I don't see it that way. At best, without a two-point conversion, they could only force overtime. Their defense isn't great, but this is what it looks like when the defense gets a stop at the end of a game. I still think that Green Bay is holding back.

3. Cincinnati Bengals: everyone else is buzzing about them, so I not me? I'm still waiting for a collapse later in the year, but it will be minor and they will win their division easily.

4: Carolina Panthers: Beating Seattle seems to be the stamp of approval on for moving up in the rankings. I'm starting to think that beating them isn't that much of a token. When you get a lot of personalities on your team, it works when it does and it hurts when it doesn't. I expect them to drop later, but they're playing pretty well.

5. Denver Broncos: After struggling to beat the Browns, had to put them on the bottom of the undefeated teams. Once again, their opponent loses the game by not just playing it safe. Throwing when pressure's big when near field-goal range and a tie game with a minute left is not smart.

6. Atlanta Falcons: They were bound to have a bad game at some point. Might as well have it now. Still, it seems that they could not drop further than sixth.

7. New York Jets: At some point people have to start taking them seriously. Of course, they might lose before then. With their bye week coming early, they are set here according to their record.

8. Pittsburgh Steelers: no Big Then? No problem. Whoever they put in there at quarterback is doing well. Their two losses could've turned out differently if they had a good kicker. I see them as a 5–1 team.

9. Arizona Cardinals: I don't know what's going on, the offense with Carson Palmer that was doing so well is suddenly not. I don't know if they're playing down to their opponent and not being able to turn it back on, but this team is a well coached team that has a good defense but have lost 2 of 3.

10. Minnesota Vikings: They had an early bye week as well and so they are slotted here by their record. It is too early in the season to assume a loss or a win to move them up or down. They beat who they should and lose barely to who they are underdogs.

11. Philadelphia Eagles: They seem to be hitting their stride right now in beating their teams handily. Still, they need their quarterback not to throw so many interceptions. It looked like Bradford was trying to lose the game but their defense wouldn't allow it. It could also be the receivers issues, as I saw them stop their route a couple times, resulting in an interception.

12. Indianapolis Colts: I put them as high as I could according to the record. I believe they are a better team than they are playing like. The right team won the Sunday night game, but they could've stolen it if not for some bad decisions

13. Buffalo Bills: Once their defense starts to get more aggressive, they should get even better. There have been grumblings out of some of their defensive players. Even with all that, their defense is good.

14. New York Giants: A terrible game to follow their three-game winning streak. They seemed to never be in it despite scoring first. They were outscored or 24 to 0 after their first touchdown.

15. Oakland Raiders: I think they will be a much better team next year. They are losing games close that they will probably win next year. The following year they should be winning.

16. Dallas Cowboys: They will be better when Romo comes back, but what am I going to do when they keep getting blown out? I should drop them more but they aren't as bad as it has been. A bye week is good, as well as their QB change.

17. Miami Dolphins: I knew that they were going to win this game big because they had an interim coach. These coaches typically do well their first game and I don't know if that's a sign of the team not trying with their old coach or trying hard for their new coach.

18. St. Louis Rams: Given their history of beating good teams and losing the rest, I expected a better showing from them. But they did get to Rodgers defensively.

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: A sign of improvement, beating one of the worst teams. Having it be a shoot out, a sign of a need for defensive progress.

20. San Diego Chargers: Always close and sometimes get them but always seem to be one step away from playoffs or contender, depending on the year. A big yards game for Rivers falls short.

21. Seattle Seahawks: Fourth quarter collapses stem from last year's Super Bowl. Same to use all their fourth quarter magic up in the NFC championship game.

22. New Orleans Saints: Beat the Falcons on Thursday night football. Seems like a long time ago. I don't know if it was a good game by the Saints or off game by the Falcons.

23. Cleveland Browns: Every game has been close or a win outside of the first game of the year. That should be a sign for improvement, but frustrating for fans. But then again, if you're Cleveland Browns fan, you're used to frustration.

24. San Francisco 49ers: I don't know if Niner fans are happy about a win right now. They probably want a good draft pick but also see how Seattle is struggling and want to stay ahead of them.

25. Chicago Bears: Almost won the third game in a row close after losing one close. The Lions benefitted from an iffy call, I wonder if they will remember the ones that go for them or just the ones that go against them?

26. Washington Redskins: Unlike some recent games, they weren't really in this one.

27. Houston Texans: At least they can be one of the worst teams. It would be disappointing for me if I were a Texans fan, but then again I'm disappointed as a Chiefs fan.

28. Tennessee Titans: A blowout to an underachieving team and your quarterback gets injured? Pretty bad week.

29. Baltimore Ravens: I really didn't think their season would keep falling, but it has. I do expect them to win some, maybe even one against the Cardinals on MNF who seem to be struggling.

31. Kansas City Chiefs: I couldn't put them last, but they may be after this week if they lose and don't put up a good show against the Steelers.

32. Jacksonville Jaguars: Losing big to last year's second worst team isn't a good sign, but maybe London helps them this coming week. It might be an audition if NFL does move then there.

So you enjoy reading your own dribble? Why not just blog this to yourself? 

[KCSLC2008 606]

Again, the above Week 5 "Rankings" are not true rankings! 

[KCSLC2008 606]

So you enjoy reading your own dribble? Why not just blog this to yourself? 

 

Ehh, KCCrow and a few others said they enjoyed reading them and I don't care if that was just being nice. It's a hobby and I obviously don't post them for you if you don't like them.

 

Besides, I don't read the dribble, I just write them.

[FANATIC 852]

Ehh, KCCrow and a few others said they enjoyed reading them and I don't care if that was just being nice. It's a hobby and I obviously don't post them for you if you don't like them.

 

Besides, I don't read the dribble, I just write them.

My apologies. Honestly I think you have some writing talent. My comment was written poorly. I was trying to be sarcastic about the rest of us not really responding. I am not a good writer. 

[KCSLC2008 606]

My apologies. Honestly I think you have some writing talent. My comment was written poorly. I was trying to be sarcastic about the rest of us not really responding. I am not a good writer.

Ok, the dribble part fooled me, because a lot, if not all, is dribble. I suspect I would get more responses if I made a true ranking of every team every week. There would bound to be a lot of disagreement (unless no one cared what I think, which probably is true).

 

My ranking style is handcuffed to the W/L records adjusted within those groups by strength of schedule and how teams play in those wins or losses. It's weighted so that the end of the year means more, but not everything. (The 2013 Chiefs 9–0 record helped that year, but ultimately they didn't end up that high because of the finish. And the finish meant more. I don't think I posted those here (since the board crashed) and I didn't comment on those I just had numbers.)

 

If the end record meant everything, and not just most, then I would just wait until the end of the year and do one at the end.

[KCSLC2008 606]

Week 7 "Rankings

 

1. New England Patriots:

2. Green Bay Packers:

3. Cincinnati Bengals:

4. Carolina Panthers:

5. Denver Broncos:

6. Atlanta Falcons:

7. Arizona Cardinals:

8. New York Jets:

9. Minnesota Vikings:

10. New York Giants:

11. Pittsburgh Steelers:

12. Oakland Raiders:

13. Miami Dolphins:

14. St. Louis Rams:

15. Seattle Seahawks:

16. Indianapolis Colts:

17. Buffalo Bills:

18. New Orleans Saints:

19. Philadelphia Eagles:

20. Washington Redskins:

21. Dallas Cowboys:

22. Chicago Bears:

23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers:

24. Kansas City Chiefs:

25. San Diego Chargers:

26. Houston Texans:

27. Jacksonville Jaguars:

28. Cleveland Browns:

29. San Francisco 49ers:

30. Tennessee Titans:

31. Baltimore Ravens:

32. Detroit Lions:

[KCSLC2008 606]

I didn't have time to add my dribble (drivel) this week and I didn't want to do some after the fact comments for the week prior.

[KCSLC2008 606]

Week 8 "Rankings"

 

1. New England Patriots

2. Cincinnati Bengals

3. Denver Broncos

4. Carolina Panthers

5. Green Bay Packers

6. Arizona Cardinals

7. Atlanta Falcons

8. Minnesota Vikings

9. New York Jets

10. Oakland Raiders

11. St. Louis Rams

12. Seattle Seahawks

13. Pittsburgh Steelers

14. New York Giants

15. New Orleans Saints

16. Buffalo Bills

17. Philadelphia Eagles

18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

19. WashingtonRedskins

20. Miami Dolphins

21. Kansas City Chiefs

22. Indianapolis Colts

23. Houston Texans

24. Dallas Cowboys

25. Chicago Bears

26. Jacksonville Jaguars

27. Baltimore Ravens

28. San Diego Chargers

29. Cleveland Browns

30. San Francisco 49ers

31. Tennessee Titans

32. Detroit Lions

[KCSLC2008 606]

Week 9 "Rankings"

 

1. New England Patriots: Their schedule hasn't been as hard as Carolina's, but they have beaten everyone they played pretty handedly. Until they lose, the defending champion has to be given the benefit of the doubt.

2. Carolina Panthers: After beating Seattle and Green Bay, it would be silly for me to put them any farther then behind New England. I did say earlier in my rankings that they hadn't played anyone. Now they have and have beaten them.

3. Cincinnati Bengals: Felt bad dropping them down despite a 31-10 victory, but as I explained above, it was by default.

4. Denver Broncos: I hope to be able to drop them some more spots after this week, but I'm not confident. I wanted them to win last week.

5. Green Bay Packers: "Experts" are saying that the slide may look little but it is a sign of a weaker team that people thought.

6. Arizona Cardinals: They haven't really hit their stride the past few weeks, but they accumulated enough early to remain up here.

7. Minnesota Vikings: It seems that they quietly built the same record as Green Bay, even though I feel Green Bay will win their division. As much as people want to crown Bridgewater, they're doing it with their defense.

8. Atlanta Falcons: It seems like every year that they are good, they start off really well and then have a dip. They have won a lot of close games.

9. New York Jets

10. Pittsburgh Steelers

11. New York Giants

12. Seattle Seahawks

13. Buffalo Bills

14. Philadelphia Eagles

15. Oakland Raiders

16. St. Louis Rams

17. Indianapolis Colts

18. New Orleans Saints

19. Chicago Bears

20. Kansas City Chiefs

21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

22. Washington Redskins

23. Miami Dolphins

24. Houston Texans

25. San Francisco 49ers

26. Dallas Cowboys

27. Baltimore Ravens

28. Tennessee Titans

29. Jacksonville Jaguars

30. San Diego Chargers

31. Cleveland Browns

32. Detroit Lions

[eraser 722]

Since Chicago beat KC at KC, I have a hard time putting them below the Chiefs. I am OK with the rest of it. 

[KCSLC2008 606]

Since Chicago beat KC at KC, I have a hard time putting them below the Chiefs. I am OK with the rest of it.

Sound reasoning. I changed it. I would also say the way that their offense has shown they can respond in the last minute is a plus for them. Of course, other games they will throw a win away. But I will let them do that before I demote them.

 

By the way, thanks for reading and commenting. I have to have some in-season hobbies.

[KCSLC2008 606]

Week 10 "Rankings"

 

1. New England Patriots: A scare is a scare, but shouldn’t drop them. Winning at the last minute is a strength and being behind may have broken a tie if the next team were tied. Still think New England is stronger than Carolina.

2. Carolina Panthers: Took care of business by beating Tennessee. Good to soundly beat an inferior opponent after beating good teams the previous two weeks. No letdown.

3. Cincinnati Bengals: Ranking doesn’t change thanks to the cushion they created by starting 8-0. Offense should have produced at least 14 against Houston to win it. Touchdown to lose it was just a great play against that defense….

4. Arizona Cardinals: Almost gave it away, but almost doesn’t count. They stand in great position for the division crown, if not a playoffs bye week.

5. Denver Broncos: Even after the blowout, putting them ahead of Minnesota, as the Vikings should have put the Raiders away earlier. Manning may come back, but it’s only going to get harder for him.

6. Minnesota Vikings: Should have beat Oakland by more, a garbage time TD run by AD and a kickoff return helped an otherwise 17-14 game. Dropped TD in first quarter.

7. Green Bay Packers: Something’s wrong in Green Bay and while I won’t say it is Aaron Rodgers, he hasn’t been saving them despite the late comebacks. I’ll blame the kicker for this one, but even 19 points (hypothetical made kick) at home is bad.

8. Atlanta Falcons: Losing to the Bucanneers and Niners in back to back weeks before your bye and then facing the Colts after they might have figured some things out? Not good for them despite their superior overall record.

9. Pittsburgh Steelers: With or without Big Ben, they are winning just enough with their coaching. Would be even better (7-2 maybe) if they had a kicker.

10. Buffalo Bills: What bigger game to follow after his win over the Jets than the Patriots. Pats are still the favorite, but after their bye and after the Pats close win over the Giants, this would be the best time to play the Patriots.

11. New York Jets: Tie between Jets and Bills goes to the most recent head to head winner.

12. New York Giants: Would have been above the Steelers if they had held off New England. Coughlin is the best coach to go against Belichick.

13. Chicago Bears: Finally, a blowout win for the Bears. Their close wins/losses rivaled only the Ravens in games decided by 8 or less.

14. Kansas City Chiefs: Two blowout wins after beating the Steelers, a defense coming back to preseason hype, and facing a 5 losses in a row Chargers team. One hopes not for a letdown.

15. Indianapolis Colts: The first to beat Manning, seems to have Manning’s number. Too emotional perhaps for Peyton, but it seemed to be mental, not physical, despite all the injury talk.

16. Seattle Seahawks: Tempted to put them above the Chiefs, but too many times have I given them the benefit of the doubt. Should be able to move them up overall next week.

17. Oakland Raiders: Looked to be taking over against the Vikings before allowing a ~ 99 yard kickoff return. Still an improving team capable of beating division rivals, but they were crowned a bit early.

18. Miami Dolphins: Still don’t believe in them as a consistent good team, but have to give them the tie-breaker over the Eagles, even if they had to knock out Philadelphia’s QB to do so.

19. Philadelphia Eagles: Shouldn’t have been in position to lose to Miami, even without their starting QB.

20. Houston Texans: A win over Cincinnati seems to be commonplace for them, as they are 4-1 against them in their last five games. Win jumped them above the 3-5 teams and a few 4-5 teams, seems too early to go above that.

21. Washington Redskins: A feel good victory over a confusingly poorly coached team.

22. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: I probably should have them higher but their record has already raised them higher than I thought they’d be. Still 10 points in a game and -46 points for the season isn’t something to get excited about. Maybe they can better those against Philadelphia.

23. St. Louis Rams: Only scored above 18 four times, three times against their division and against the Browns. Seems to only show up for big games or the division.

24. New Orleans Saints: Is Payton this bad or is there something going on behind the scenes like there was with Harbaugh in SF?

25. San Francisco 49ers: They probably will lose this week, but getting Seattle to point fingers would help. Gabbert has to win this in order to extend his starting days, as I feel, they might just wait to get Seattle over with before putting Kaepernick back in the starting lineup.

26. Jacksonville Jaguars: Won by a referee mistake as well as a dumb play by Dumervill setting them up in FG range.

27. Baltimore Ravens: 9 games in a row decided by 8 or fewer points. Surely a whatif season. Coached well enough that I still expect them to get 8 wins or so.

28. Dallas Cowboys: Biggest losing streak while Romo was out. Coming back this week, hopefully they can beat the Dolphins, Jets, and Bills to help out the Chiefs.

29. San Diego Chargers: I hope they stay down here and remain beaten, but you never know. They have had some close losses and they have the capability of beating anybody. I don’t but into passing yards for losing team’s QBs, but Rivers can produce in and out of garbage time.

30. Detroit Lions: So low in the win total that they can’t jump too high by winning, but they might be saying goodbye to the Number One overall pick with their remaining schedule. (Saints, Rams, Niners, maybe even Raiders or Bears on bad nights.)

31. Tennessee Titans: Up, down x 2, down. Up, down x 3. The season is a lost one, just getting Mariota experience and trying to keep him healthy before finding a new coach.

32. Cleveland Browns: Manziel played well despite only 9 points. Some of it was garbage time, but he stayed in the pocket and produced early in the game, too. Nothing to get excited about for Browns fans, but good game. Now, they have their starter to find out whether he can progress next year.

[KCSLC2008 606]

Had time for my dribble (drivel) this week, but as always, not a true ranking.

[azchief21 5,278]

I agree with this. I think the Donkeys and Falcons are gonna drop like Kim Kardashian's pants though.

[KCSLC2008 606]

Week 11 “Rankings”

 

1.       New England: Nothing to say here, just glad they beat they Bills. I like Rex after losses because I feel bad for him and think he’s not all to blame, but I don’t like him after wins, because it’s all about him and showing others that they were wrong.

2.       Carolina Panthers: They have built themselves a bit of a buffer over the 2-loss teams, so they will remain the second “ranked” team on this list next week, unless the Patriots somehow lose to the Broncos in a blowout. A Patriots loss to a good defense in Denver wouldn’t be enough to drop them.

3.       Arizona Cardinals: Beating the next team on this list gave us a good tie-breaker. Felt it was good that Palmer didn’t pretend like this was just another game to him.

4.       Cincinnati Bengals: Could have dropped them below Denver and was going to until they caught up in the 4^th quarter. Felt that Denver was a bit too high earlier before anyway.

5.       Denver Broncos: Bad coaching decision by John Fox, the newest thing to win them a game they were going to lose. Deserve to be in top 5 due to their record, but thought this was a good spot for them.

6.       Green Bay Packers: Didn’t see anything too impressive outside of a few Rodgers’ passes. Didn’t really ever face real chance of losing.

7.       Minnesota Vikings: Felt they would end up second in the division and it looks like Green Bay has already had their yearly slump early.

8.       Pittsburgh Steelers: Bye week prevented them from jumping up the list but also gave Big Ben some time to heal. Not sure which is more important, my “rankings” or real life game winning.

9.       Atlanta Falcons: Is Mike Smith still there? No? Seems like it. Well, I guess, Matt Ryan has turned into the old Romo? I don’t know, I just see a few close losses coming at the end of the game recently.

10.   Buffalo Bills: Losing close to the defending champions who are still undefeated isn’t a terrible thing. In my mind they are tied with the Chiefs and face them this week.

11.   Kansas City Chiefs: No matter the blowouts, cannot put the Chiefs ahead of their next week’s opponent if they have the same record. It’s bad luck. Besides, if Kansas City takes care of business, the record will do the moving.

12.   New York Giants: This next week should provide an opportunity to move up, as their bye effected their chances of moving up this week. Don’t think they should drop either so I placed them at the same spot as last week.

13.   Seattle Seahawks: Me, a victim again, of giving the Super Bowl runnerup the benefit of the doubt in the remaining 5-5 tiebreaker. The Niners game, as it’s been for a few years, was never in doubt.

14.   Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Team has turned around, and if not for early start, they’d have a positive point differential. They were right to tank the last game of last year when they had the lead over New Orleans.

15.   Indianapolis Colts: Didn’t feel the need to move them up or down this week, as their record and 40 year old QB is keeping them from falling despite close games that a good team should win by more. Yes, Luck was out, but they weren’t winning with Luck often early anyway.

16.   Houston Texans: They’ve only lost to teams that they “should” lose to and beat the Bengals and a Wil Card contender in the New York Jets. Thanks, Houston.

17.   New York Jets: This next week is an opportunity to sweep the Dolphins, the team they pushed to fire their coach last time they met. Should be the favorite to win and move back up the list.

18.   Chicago Bears: Really wanted them to win this past week, but was a FG decision and a lame 2-pt conversion attempt from a better chance. Still, should be at the top of the 4-6 teams.

19.   Oakland Raiders: This losing streak has made it difficult to keep them as high as they are in the tie-breaking of 4-6 teams, but with their QB and WR tandem, this benefit of the doubt remains for one more week.

20.   Miami Dolphins: Jekyl and Hyde team that probably should have lost the week prior. Playing the Jets used to be a cure-all, but now, aren’t the Dolphins the cure-all?

21.   Washington Redskins: Both the Eagles and Redskins suffered big losses this week, but in the head to head, Washington came out on top. Stays true for the tiebreaker.

22.   Philadelphia Eagles: What the… ok, I’ll skip that, but this should have been the Eagles year to show something, but injuries and coaching seem to be an issue.

23.   New Orleans Saints: Drew Brees vs. Nick Foles/Keenum, really what it unfairly came down to in determining who was worse between the 4-6 teams. St. Louis has beat a few good teams and their division, but that just keeps them from being further down this list.

24.   St. Louis Rams: Despite the Jaguars “challenging” for the AFC South, can’t put the Rams below them, now can I?

25.   Jacksonville Jaguars: They don’t like to be here; they’d prefer being in the second to last spot, but c’est la vie.

26.   Baltimore Ravens: Feel bad for Flacco’s injury and for them, that he helped worsen their draft pick by winning a meaningless game. It’s in part meaningless because of him not being there for the rest of the season.

27.   Dallas Cowboys: Perhaps I could have put them ahead of the Ravens, seeing that they aren’t vying for anything, but I kept Dallas too high earlier in the season because I felt that they were a better team without their QB. Shouldn’t I give the Ravens the same benefit?

28.   Detroit Lions: A big blowout gave way to a little winning streak that may continue if Philadelphia really does not have it.

29.   San Francisco 49ers: Different QB, same result, though I do hear Gabbert outplayed Kaepernick’s past Seattle games. Can’t tell for sure as I haven’t seen all the games.

30.   San Diego Chargers: Injuries, coaching, and morale, doesn’t seem like anything is working; still, better than the next two teams.

31.   Tennessee Titans: Here by default until Manziel wins a game.

32.   Cleveland Browns: Just like the Patriots, not much to say about them. History has created some of the bias I have.

[KCSLC2008 606]

Week 12 “Rankings”

 

1.       Carolina Panthers: They finally have claimed the top ranking due to their undefeated status. I would take New England over the Panthers in a head to head, but the Panthers deserve this spot and I am not going to discount their offense or schedule.

2.       New England: Injuries and referees and the weather, things that New England must overcome to win out the rest of the way including playoffs. Coaching and quarterbacking not an issue to fix. A little upset that they just added to the Osweiller hype.

3.       Arizona Cardinals: Previous win over Cincinnati holds the tiebreaker here, but Arizona coasted this past game and benefitted from questionable roughing the passer penalty to win earlier than they would have had it been called correctly. Refs were demoted after the game.

4.       Cincinnati Bengals: Fixed their slide and blew out who they should beat. Would be higher on this list if not taking the past three games into account for each 9-2 team.

5.       Denver Broncos: Being a little bit healthier, a little better in the snow, and a little more favored from the refs proved to be the difference. Had they won without controversy, I would have placed them above Arizona.

6.       Minnesota Vikings: Everyone is beating Atlanta, but it shouldn’t be used against them. They are the only 8-3 team so they are stuck here.

7.       Green Bay Packers: Losing 4 out of 5 games usually would drop a team by a lot, but the parity in this league and the hot start keeps them high on this list.

8.       Seattle Seahawks: Part of this ranking is due to me being happy that the Seahawks pegged another loss onto the Steelers, but part is the fact that beating an offensive team with usually good quarterbacking and coaching is a pretty good feat.

9.       Pittsburgh Steelers: Overall team and coaching breaks the tie between the Chiefs and Steelers, but the coaching aggressiveness cost them the game, not just in the 4^th quarter. Risks early on a fake field goal coupled with a conservative field goal late when down with little time wasn’t a good combination. Interceptions didn’t help.

10.   Kansas City Chiefs: Slowly rising on this list and despite the 5 game winning streak, cannot climb higher until they make it 6, knock on wood.

11.   Houston Texans: Beating New Orleans is not why they break the tie between them and the Colts; holding the Saints to zero touchdowns, does. This coming up matchup with the Bills are huge for WC reasons, but maybe, just maybe, the division.

12.   Indianapolis Colts: More consistent than the Jets and hotter than the Falcons, even without their starting quarterback. 4-0 with Hasselbeck and 2-5 with Luck, schedule helped them a bit.

13.   New York Jets: This team is what is expected, hot and cold, just like Ryan Fitzpatrick from pass to pass. Good game this week jumped them from the bottom half of the league to here.

14.   Atlanta Falcons: Talent doesn’t lead to wins in Atlanta. Lost to a good team, but that’s little consolation when the game wasn’t close and they’ve lost to bad teams in this 4 game losing streak.

15.   Buffalo Bills: If they stick to their strengths, they should justify this ranking. If they either get a better quarterback or Taylor improves, they will climb next year. Coaching, too. Hard choice but putting them tops of the 5-6 teams.

16.   Chicago Bears: Their past five games have been good, win or lose, for justifying them as as at least in the middle of the league. Beating Green Bay is always a good thing, especially in Lambeau on Thanksgiving.

17.   Washington Redskins: I have no idea where to put them. They can be hot or blown out, but since the teams blowing them out are the good teams and the teams they win aren’t. That suggests they aren’t on the good side of middle. Beat the Buccaneers head to head, so they win that tiebreaker.

18.   Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Started well, but couldn’t keep going in the Colts game. If they played a bit better they could have lost at the buzzer. Colts don’t typically lose in the last minute.

19.   New York Giants: They are on a two-game losing streak, but one was by 1 point against the Patriots following a three game winning streak. Do not have much of a lead over the Raiders.

20.   Oakland Raiders: Sneaking by Tennessee on a controversial penalty after a three game losing streak is not a good thing. Let’s hope the losing continues.

21.   Baltimore Ravens: I have consistently put them atops of their win/loss record categories and lately they have been rising. Special teams is part of the the team and so while rare and against a bad team, their win is legitimate. If losing their QB is bad for their team, it’ll show up in their record going forward.

22.   Detroit Lions: Writing this after I saw Week 13’s game, but this should be based upon blowing out Philadelphia. Can’t help over-rank them in anticipation of the Hail Mary loss knocking them down a loss.

23.   Miami Dolphins: The defense is no good, the offense produces irrelevantly, and the coaching staff is interim quality. Their QB has been up and down and given some stories, not much of a leader. But they are above the Jaguars.

24.   Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jaguars consistently compete as much as consistently lose, but with close losses, they remain low but above the teams being blown out in the Eagles and Saints.

25.   Philadelphia Eagles: Picked the worst year to be bad and are losing by impressive numbers. Allowing 40+ points in back to back games may suggest it’s the defense, but the offense isn’t doing anything in its limited time on the field.

26.   New Orleans Saints: Three straight losses following their three game winning streak after a 1-4 start. Something has to change this offseason after the past few years of struggle. Someone said that Denver had been winning despite Manning for awhile, it seems that the Saints might be doing whatever they are doing despite Drew Brees.

27.   St. Louis Rams: Can’t play against anyone outside their division or the Browns it seems. They are not even competitive. I always thought Fisher’s teams were competitive losers. Still don’t have their QB.

28.   San Diego Chargers: Barely beat an improved Jaguars team, I guess that’s progress. Just hope they can beat the Broncos before losing their next game.

29.   San Francisco 49ers: Gabbert is playing better than Kaepernick was according to stats and All-22. It came out that Kaepernick watched film 20% as much as Gabbert has. Some say people learn differently, some say people don’t learn. We’ll see at Kaepernick’s next stop.

30.   Dallas Cowboys: Losing bad while Romo was in and now Romo is gone and with no carrot (playoffs) at the end of the stick and playing the Packers, Jets, and Bills, teams with playoff implications. Seems safe to be ranked here.

31.   Tennessee Titans: Losing streak is shorter than the Browns despite the instinct to feel bad for the Browns kick-six,

32.   Cleveland Browns: Manziel should be learning by now that he is benched for Austin Davis after McCown no longer is a threat to start over him. Lying to your coaching staff is never a good thing, especially about timing after knowing there was video of you doing what you weren’t supposed to.

[KCSLC2008 606]

Week 13 “Rankings”

 

1. Carolina Panthers: No defense for either team makes for a fun game. Carolina has repeatedly proven able to win in the clutch. They would've like to have blown out a bad team, but winning is the goal.

2. Cincinnati Bengals: There have been too many blow outs to not put them here. Their defense is noted and they're scoring.

3. Arizona Cardinals: I haven't been as impressed by the scores, but they do have a really long streak going. This last game seems to have gotten them out of their slump, despite winning.

4. Denver Broncos: Regardless of how bad the Chargers season has gone, you can only beat who is on your schedule. Their defense and their opponent made sure that the offense was hidden for another week. They also sat on the ball in the second half.

5. New England Patriots: A lot of people will blame the injuries, but New England is well enough coached that they shouldn't have lost to Philadelphia.

6. Green Bay Packers: I was going to rank Minnesota ahead of them to make the Hail Mary less of a jump, but then Minnesota played really poorly against Seattle.

7. Minnesota Vikings: I get that Seattle is on your own, but you have to put up with that if your playoff bound. Based on the response to the Hail Mary, maybe they got some wind knocked out of them? Shows a lack of confidence.

8. Seattle Seahawks: Yes, they just beat the team ahead of them, but they have more losses for the year and that's how this ranking system is slotted.

9. Pittsburgh Steelers: They might miss the playoffs due to tie breakers, but they sure know how to blow out the Colts, like they did last year.

10. Kansas City Chiefs: I really wanted to move them up, but the way the teams ahead of them blew out their opponents, I couldn't. If the Chiefs had beaten the Steelers with Big Ben, I would've made the jump. Real standings are more important, of course, than these rankings, so I was glad he was out.

11. New York Jets: It seems that the Jets are Coughlin fans. While everyone is focusing on the Giants' bad decision, the Jets did need to make the comeback. Props to them.

12. Buffalo Bills. There win was not that convincing, but they seem to be the strongest team of the rest.

13. Houston Texans: In the year where the Colts are down, it would've been nice to show they can beat a team like the Bills.

14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: While they may not make the playoffs, this has been a positive year for them. They still have a chance to sneak in. Perhaps they tanked last year to get Winston, as they don't seem to be as bad overall as Tennessee outside of quarterback.

15. Indianapolis Colts: It wasn't reasonable to expect Hasselbeck to win all the games for Andrew Luck. No matter how big they lost by, it doesn't seem that they should be below the Falcons. They did have their four-game winning streak before that.

16. Atlanta Falcons. It just shows how hot their start was and how much parity in the league that they can still be in the middle after losing 5 in a row.

17. Chicago Bears: Despite losing to a bad Niners team, they seem to be the strongest of the 5-7 teams. Most of their games have been close outside of one blowout loss.

18. Philadelphia Eagles: Their season hasn't been very good and they lost head to head to the Redskins below them, but you have to move them up when they beat the defending champions. Overcoming their 14 to 0 deficit was a good sign.

19. Washington Redskins: Their offense to failed to come to the Dallas game. They are too inconsistent. It must be coaching and quarterbacking when you can blow someone out one week, then lose by a lot the next, and then lose a low-scoring game the next to a team without their quarterback.

20. New York Giants: Reality gave them a loss for their decision to go for it on 4^th down instead of kicking the field goal. I will give them a boost by keeping them ahead of the Raiders and Dolphins since they did lead a current playoff team by 10 points in the 4^th.

21. Miami Dolphins: They must be frustrating to watch for their fans, up and down. At least their down included a win this week. Are the coaches trying to outsmart others by failing to do what they’ve done in wins? That’s called an identity and sticking to one helps more than it hurts in predictability.

22. Oakland Raiders: They have lost four of the last five games with the one win being from an NFL-admitted bad call and their next two games are favorites against them. Looks like a sub-500 year for them again. As much as I want to pin a loss on the Broncos, I wouldn’t mind another Raiders’ loss.

23. Detroit Lions: Was waiting to put them up on this list, but a stupid job of tackling a QB who couldn’t throw (beyond the line of scrimmage) led to the facemask penalty, right or wrong. That was followed by a stupid Hail Mary defense that just assumed a hook and ladder play. A hail mary was not too far after that 15 yard penalty. Put them ahead of the rest because I felt bad for how many close losses they’ve had.

24. Jacksonville Jaguars: Leaving them at 24 this week despite losing because they did show some good things against a bad team. Only three of their games were not close, pretty good for a team with 8 losses.

25. San Francisco 49ers: It seems like they have figured out somethings on defense and the offense did nothing until doing everything they could at the end, a 44 yard QB TD followed by a 71 yard overtime TD.

26. Baltimore Ravens: Stayed competitive without Flacco, a well coached team, but not a good team this year. Close games have seemingly gone against them to the tune of their record. Scoring only 13 points? Yes, that’s why the Jaguars jumped them. Good showing by the defense, but that’s more of a Miami issue.

27. New Orleans Saints: Have to give them credit for scoring against Carolina’s defense. They still have to drop a spot for having no defense themselves.

28. Dallas Cowboys: A win is a win is a win. Jerry Jones is now going to become even more annoying to those who despise him. That division is keeping it all alive. Not rewarding the division in this ranking system.

29. St. Louis Rams: Yes, they are bad. Just bad. Nothing else to say. Could finally be Fisher’s last year? Probably not. Wait for them to move first.

30. Tennessee Titans: Good offensive showing from their rookie quarterback. Broke some rookie records in this past game and played well in general.

31. San Diego Chargers: Saying anything bad about the Chargers is bad luck in the week we play them. So, they have nice weather in San Diego?

32. Cleveland Browns: Looks like they are going back to Manziel. Yes, that’ll teach him!

[KCSLC2008 606]

Week 14 “Rankings”

 

1. Carolina Panthers: They have clinched their division and a playoff bye. They’ve nearly clinched the top spot in these rankings.

2. New England Patriots: Feel good win after their two game drop. Houston's defense has disappointed this year, but it wouldn't have mattered if they had held New England to 7.

3. Arizona Cardinals: They seem to alternate from impressive wins to so what wins, but as long as they are winning, they'll be up here and in the real world.

4. Cincinnati Bengals: They probably don't drop this week, but likely will next week. One can always hope they do the reverse.

5. Denver Broncos: The Chiefs get to say two things they haven't been able to say for awhile - they didn't get swept by Denver and they didn't lose to the Raiders. Denver's offense was missing something this week right before they face the Steelers. Not good.

6. Green Bay Packers: Finally, a solid win from start to finish and they seemingly have put their division worries behind them.

7. Seattle Seahawks: Dominant offense plus dominant defense will go a long way... so will playing bad teams. Everyone seems clicking.

8. Pittsburgh Steelers: Offense has been great, let's just hope that offense doesn't win championships this year. Or that someone can knock the Steelers out.

9. Kansas City Chiefs: A win is a win is a win. Last year or early this year, this game would have been a loss. Great defensive stand at the end; hopefully, we'll keep teams away from the 1-yardline next time.

10. New York Jets: Playing well but really couldn't put them any higher than this right now. Hoping for a Dallas win this week.

11. Minnesota Vikings: Two big tests in a row, two losses. Improved team with upside but not quite there yet. Unfortunately, this might have been their year with the Packers' struggles. Playoffs should be a good compensation award.

12. Houston Texans: Yes, they lost, by a lot, but their up and down season has a few more ups than downs despite their record. Once they figure out their QB issues, they'll be alright.

13. Philadelphia Eagles: Didn't want to put them this high after being so inconsistent, but faced with the other inconsistent teams with the same record, I had little choice.

14. Washington Redskins: This is how it goes for Redskins fans this year. I expect them to be a spot or two below average next week. Who knows?

15. Buffalo Bills: Giving them a bit of the benefit of the doubt here, I see them as above average and this is the last spot before the middle.

16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Rising team, but young. Not there yet and they are no longer in their once-winnable division,

17. New York Giants: Monday Night makes everything look great, but it still was just the Dolphins. Must feel good for Coughlin not to lose to these guys.

18. Oakland Raiders: Much thanks goes to the Raiders for the past two games, particularly the fourth quarters. Much appreciate.

19. Indianapolis Colts: No matter how they try, they will be ranked ahead of the Falcons so long as they have the same record, unless the Falcons take their frustrations out on somebody.

20. Atlanta Falcons: They are the anti-Chiefs this year. Feel bad for their fans this year, as their hope has dissipated. Hope it doesn't happen to the Chiefs.

21. Jacksonville Jaguars: Blowouts are great, especially in the division, but they can only rise as far as their record.

22. Chicago Bears: Close games every time, keeps them high in their win category, but these losses keep them down. This could have been a very different season, either way.

23. New Orleans Saints: Good in-division win, Could finish the season on 4 game winning streak.

24. St. Louis Rams: Good win, but this year, they are still out of it and Fisher's job is in question.

25. Miami Dolphins:

26. Detroit Lions:

27. Dallas Cowboys:

28. San Francisco 49ers:

29. Baltimore Ravens:

30. San Diego Chargers:

31. Cleveland Browns:

32. Tennessee Titans:

[Chiefsfan1963 1,101]

I understand that being undefeated means something and is very hard to do, butttt when you have played only 2 teams with winning records I would think it would water down the power ranking.

 

Carolina's opponent's combined record is 70-86, the Chief's opponent's combined record is 75-68.

 

KC has played the same opponent twice which accounts for the lack of games compared to Carolina who has only played 1 team twice and I did not count twams records twice.

 

Carolina is 2-0 against teams with winning record.

 

KC is 2-4 against teams with winning records.