2011 NFL Football Power Ratings
Each week during the heart of the NFL season, and once or twice during the NFL Preseason, we’ll gather the troops around the roundtable and hash out the NFL Power rankings. We check out the stats, looks at the records, and, most importantly, we take a close, close look at the heart of each team.
Best performance Week 5: 49ers over the Buccaneers. This defense is seriously tough and Jim Harbaugh has turned Alex Smith into a fine game manager.
Worst performance Week 5: It’s obviously the Bucs but, since I’ve already covered them, I’ll say Atlanta. The Falcons are supposed to be unbeatable at home and had major hype entering the season but continue to underachieve, especially on offense.
Best game Week 6: Buffalo (4-1) at New York Giants (3-2). Yep, I went there. This game will be a wild shootout and tons of fun, trust me.
Worst game Week 6: Jacksonville (1-4) at Pittsburgh (3-2). You’d think I’d pick Bengals/Colts but that game might at least be close. Blaine Gabbert trying to survive at Heinz Field will be a disaster.
1. Green Bay Packers (5-0): Aaron Rodgers shook off some first-half jitters, trusted his line, and turned in another MVP-caliber performance against Atlanta.
2. Detroit Lions (5-0): Monday-night win over Chicago showcased a scary interior defense to match the high-octane offense.
3. New England Patriots (4-1): Tom Brady took a backseat to Benjarvus Green-Ellis, a.k.a. the Law Firm, in win over Jets.
4. Buffalo Bills (4-1): Their defense remains a problem but the Eagles are just the latest team not to slow down Buffalo’s offense.
5. New Orleans Saints (4-1): No one is talking about them this season but they’re quietly working their way toward a first-round playoff bye.
6. San Francisco 49ers (4-1): No longer under the radar after trouncing Tampa 48-3. Jim Harbaugh for Coach of the Year?
7. San Diego Chargers (4-1): San Diego has to be happy with the 4-1 record considering Phil Rivers hasn’t even gotten hot yet.
8. Baltimore Ravens (3-1): Hopefully the bye will get their offense back on track versus Houston.
9. Cincinnati Bengals (3-2): That Buffalo moved the ball on Philly further proves that the Bengals’ “D” is legit; they’re the only team to slow down the Bills.
10. Oakland Raiders (3-2) Darrius Heyward-Bey sighting! Maybe the Raiders are buoyed by “Win one for Al” mentality.
11. Washington Redskins (3-1): A win over Eagles this week could make believers out of us.
12. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2): Breezed past Tennessee and the road gets even smoother against Jacksonville this week.
13. New York Giants (3-2): Game-ending INT wasn’t Eli Manning’s fault; the Giants’ luck should improve.
14. Kansas City Chiefs (2-3): Controversial ranking but their victory after trailing 17-0 deserves recognition.
15. Houston Texans (3-2): With Mario Williams out for the year, we’ll find out just how impactful Wade Phillips’ defensive system is.
16. Dallas Cowboys (2-2): No team needed the bye last week more; will a healthier team mean a better effort versus New England this week? [soliloquy id=”82219″]
17. Tennessee Titans (3-2): Humbling loss to Pittsburgh reminds us that labelling Tennessee a contender was premature.
18. Atlanta Falcons (2-3) Suffocating feeling watching them lose to Green Bay. What happened to their supposedly aggressive attack?
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2): Only two NFC teams have scored fewer points – and they were on the bye last week.
20. Seattle Seahawks (2-3): Run defense looks legit. But is their offense the real deal? We need to see Charlie Whitehurst play well for full game before deciding that he deserves the starting QB reins permanently.
21. Cleveland Browns (2-2): Strep throat, contract dispute, rumored trade requests for Peyton Hillis. Say it with me now: MADDEN COVER CURSE!
22. New York Jets (2-3): They believe their offense will bounce back but it’s possible that Mark Sanchez just isn’t getting any better.
23. Chicago Bears (2-3): Arguably, no team would benefit more by acquiring or drafting a true No. 1 receiver.
24. Carolina Panthers (1-4): Cam Newton continues to dazzle. Eventually, all those narrow defeats will start turning into wins.
25. Minnesota Vikings (1-4): Now that they’ve smartened up and forced Donovan McNabb to just hand the rock off to Adrian Peterson, why not have Christian Ponder do it instead?
26. Arizona Cardinals (1-4): Even with Beanie Wells’ emergence, this team remains in rebuild mode. Kevin Kolb may not be the long-term answer at quarterback after all.
27. Philadelphia Eagles (1-4): On paper, they still have the talent to turn things around, but something about their defensive scheme needs to change.
28. Denver Broncos (1-4): At least Tim Tebow as a starter will make them interesting to watch.
29. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-4): Pray for Blaine Gabber’s soul in Pittsburgh this week.
30. St. Louis Rams (0-4): Trip to Green Bay not exactly the remedy for an 0-4 start.
31. Miami Dolphins (0-4): Maybe a clash with vulnerable Jets will bring out the best in Miami.
32. Indianapolis Colts (0-5): So bad that they can’t even hold a 17-0 lead.
The 2011 NFL Season is finally here. Welcome to the CappersPicks.com NFL football weekly predictions pages! We KNOW you will find our FREE weekly NFL football picks, tips, betting advice, strategies, NFL gambling articles and more to help you become the best NFL football bettor on your block!!
