Watching the NFL season is sometimes like waiting for the turn and river cards to come in a game of Texas Hold em poker . Truth is it’s hard to know where any team will be in a few short weeks. One week can change everything. Putting your finger on the pulse of a team now, is almost pointless because it might not be there tomorrow, and teams left for dead may have startling rises from the ashes.
Two weeks ago, teams like Kansas City and Tennessee were rolling. 5-2 seemed to foretell stellar records maybe 11-5 or 10-6. Back to reality, as both teams dropped two straight and look shells of their former selves. Speaking of shells, it was a bad week for Indians, as the Chiefs got shelled when Denver ran over them this week but as bad as their loss was it was not as bad as the Redskins’. A few weeks ago the Washington Redskins looked competitive, then Michael Vick did his best Cam Newton imitation and ran and threw all over them in blitzkrieg like statement game.
How long does the statement last? The Eagles now look like the best team in the NFC, but this is the same team that lost at home to a team that gave up 59 points this past week. That would be those same Washington Redskins.
Back to Kansas City and Tennessee a couple of weeks ago they were worried about playoff seeding, now they find themselves, for the moment, on the outside looking in. At 5-4 they are joined in the peanut gallery by all three Florida teams. Miami and Jacksonville scream mediocrity, and now Tampa Bay who is one win better (but in the NFC) at 6-3, is only third best in their division.
Instead of doing a straight forward power rankings this week, let’s look at the temporary seedings (with our overall power rank in parentheses) but this bunch is as tightly grouped as any in recent memory:
AFC
1. New York Jets (2) - The Jets have a stout defense and a 7-2 record. Their qb showed grit in an overtime win on Sunday, but why did they need overtime?
2. Baltimore Ravens (5) – The Ravens almost held on to win one on the road against one of the NFC’s best, only a small deduction for that.
3. Indianapolis Colts (6) – Peyton Manning is still winning despite the injuries. Come playoff time, If healthier the Colts will be the same old Colts of the last five years.
4. Oakland Raiders (n/r) – Just like the NFC somebody has to win the West, and that team isn’t in the top 10 teams in the NFL.
5. New England Patriots (1) – Yep, they are a wildcard but they just had one of the most impressive wins this year at Pittsburgh. Like the Colts progression, it’s only a matter of time before the only people that remember that Cleveland loss are Clevelanders.
6. Pittsburgh (9) – Dropped two straight and were dismantled by New England and New Orleans.
NFC
1. Atlanta Falcons (3) – At 7-2 the Falcons have the best record in the NFC. But considering two teams one loss behind them are not in the playoff picture illustrates just how early it is.
2. Philadelphia Eagles (4) – Impossible to watch Philadelphia and wonder if Mike Vick is the guy to finally get dogged Andy Reid his Super bowl.
3. Chicago Bears (n/r) – For now they have a slight edge in the standings on Green Bay. Still they are just outside the top 10 teams.
4. Seattle Seahawks (n/r) – Somebody will win the NFC West by default.
5. New York Giants (8) – Dallas decimated them at home. Cowboys had won one game before that.
6. New Orleans Saints (7) – The Saints seem to be figuring out how to win without their starting running backs. Was only a matter of time before they got back on track.
*10th best team in the power rankings Tampa Bay Buccaneers who despite being 6-3 are looking up at the Saints and Falcons in the standings. The Falcons escaped with a win that should have been Tampa Bay’s and is the difference right now.