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Nfl Schedule 2011

November 9, 2011 by · Comments Off on Nfl Schedule 2011 

Nfl Schedule 2011, Here is an updated version of my NFL Power Rankings as we get ready for Week 10. I’ll update them every Tuesday throughout the season. Previous rankings in parenthesis:

32. (32) Indianapolis Colts: They’ve been outscored by a staggering 155 points during their agonizing 0-9 start. But guess what? I’ve got them beating the Jaguars at home this week to finally end the misery. No way do the Colts go 0-16.

31. (29) St. Louis Rams: Steven Jackson has put together consecutive solid rushing performances and another win this week at Cleveland will be enough to give the Rams their second win of the year. I don’t know who will be watching, though.

30. (31) Miami Dolphins: Miami was overdue for a win and finally got its first of the season last week against Kansas City. Let’s roll the dice here and say they make it two in a row when the lowly Redskins come to town.

29. (28) Seattle Seahawks: The losing streak hits four this week when the Ravens pay Seattle a visit. It won’t be a kind one, either. Even an average effort by Baltimore should be enough for a comfortable win against a very bad Seahawks team.

28. (30) Arizona Cardinals: Pulled out a clutch win against St. Louis in overtime to snap a six-game slide. Unfortunately for them, they have to travel to Philadelphia this week to face an angry and mean Eagles team that may have just watched its season go down the drain following that loss to the Bears on Monday night. The Eagles can be exploited, but I doubt the Cardinals will figure out how to do it.

27. (27) Jacksonville Jaguars: They’ve scored an NFL-low 98 points and I won’t be shocked if they fall to 0-5 on the road this week when they visit the winless Colts. Indianapolis has got to win a game at some point. I’ll say it happens this week.

26. (25) Washington Redskins: How bad will it get in D.C. if the Redskins lose on the road this week to the Dolphins? Hey, it could happen. Miami trounced the Chiefs in Week 9.

25. (24) Cleveland Browns: The offense abandoned them in a loss to Houston. They won’t need a whole lot to beat the Rams, though. If the defense can contain Steven Jackson, the Browns will win to move to 4-5. If Jackson goes for 100 or more, the Browns lose.

24. (23) Carolina Panthers: They could easily have two to three more wins at the very least. That’s an encouraging sign for a team with a rookie quarterback and new coaching staff. We’ll say they go ahead and beat the Titans this week at home.

23. (22) Minnesota Vikings: Good thing they were off last week. They needed it just to rest up for the Packers on Monday night in a game that could get out of hand very early. Minnesota needs to play a little nasty to have a chance and they have some nasty players to lead the charge.

22. (26) Denver Broncos: I’ll go ahead and move them up four spot this week after the nice comeback win over Oakland. They gave a gutsy effort in that one, but will have to play a more complete game this week to beat the Chargers this week.

21. (20) Buccaneers: Coming off two straight losses, the Buccaneers host the Texans and can stay relevant in the NFC South with a win. I’m not expecting it. Houston is prone to collapses, but they’re hungrier than the Bucs.

20. (19) San Diego Chargers: I wish I could drop them further, but just can’t do it. Three straight losses have hurt their chance at winning the AFC West, although at least they put up a tangible fight against the Packers. It’s time for San Diego to get on a roll, like Thursday night when they meet the Raiders.

19. (18) Kansas City Chiefs: I called these guys a tease last week and I wasn’t wrong, because they got steamrolled by a previously winless Dolphins team 31-3. Now they get the Broncos in a game I’m not so sure they can win, either.

18. (16) Oakland Raiders: Blew a 10-point lead to lose to the Broncos. It was their second straight defeat. The Raiders are 4-4 and play Thursday night against the 4-4 Chargers in a pivotal AFC West matchup. One of those teams will win the division.

17. (13) Philadelphia Eagles: Gave away another big win, this time to the Bears on Monday night, and at 3-5, I think it’s fair to finally write the Eagles off. They are the biggest disappointment in the league this season. Their defense is vastly overrated and Michael Vick seems to have taken a step back.

16. (17) Tennessee Titans: They’re 4-4 and have let a good start fall to the wayside. Suddenly, they’re not such a trendy pick anymore. In fact, I can see them losing to Cam Newton and the Panthers this week. By the way, there was a Chris Johnson sighting. He didn’t do much of anything last week against the Bengals, but I did watch him play. What a total bust.

15. (21) Dallas Cowboys: OK, so they only beat the Seahawks last week, but it was a must-win for a Dallas team that has been pretty beat up lately. At 4-4, they aren’t out of it. A victory at home against the Bills will keep them in the race for a wild card spot at the very least.

14. (15) Cincinnati Bengals: The winning streak is at five and if they beat the Steelers this week, I’ll finally give the Bengals their due. At 6-2, you have to take them seriously, but again, I haven’t been sold on them from the start. They’ll have to beat Pittsburgh to prove to me they are legit.

13. (14) Chicago Bears: They’ve won three straight games to quickly get back into the playoff conversation, but it will be a week-to-week proposition for the Bears. The offensive line is playing much better and Matt Forte has been a beast. If they keep cutting back on the mistakes, they could overtake the Lions to perhaps snag a wild card berth. Something tells me the Bears will muck it up.

12. (12) Houston Texans: Aiming for their fourth straight win in Week 10 when they face the Buccaneers. This is a game the Texans truly need to pull away from Tennessee in the AFC South. If the offense plays up to form, it won’t be a problem. They can outscore most teams.

11. (7) Buffalo Bills: Hate to drop them four pretty big spots, but let’s face it, nobody thought the Bills were going to win the Super Bowl right? They’re a great story and a very good, young team. But they aren’t unbeatable and I can see them losing this week to the Cowboys, too.

10. (10) Atlanta Falcons: Rolled all over the Colts and now they get to host New Orleans in what should be an epic offensive display. I’m really starting to believe in the Falcons, although I had my doubts after that slow start to the season. Good to see rookie wide receiver Julio Jones finally get into the end zone.

9. (11) Detroit Lions: I know I have the Lions ranked ahead of one of the two teams that beat them, but that’s because I still think the Lions are better than the Falcons. They might prove me wrong, though. We’ll see how they do this week on the road against a Bears team that’s won three in a row.

8. (8) New York Jets: The defense looked awesome against Buffalo last week. It has to be that good or even better this week to bring down Tom Brady and the Patriots. I’ll say the winner ends up with the AFC East title. I’ll also say it’s been a long time since a Bill Belichick team has lost three straight games.

7. (4) New England Patriots: Have no choice but to drop them this far after consecutive defeats. At 5-3, they’re still in the thick of the AFC East race, but they’ll have to beat the rival Jets on the road this week to get back into the driver’s seat. The Patriots need a deep-threat receiver in the worst way and their defense is way too soft.

6. (9) New York Giants: They move up three spots after sending the Patriots to their second straight loss. At 6-2, the NFC East looks like it runs through New York. Now they travel to San Francisco to face a 49ers team that has feasted on an easy schedule to go 7-1. If the Giants are for real, they’ll beat the 49ers on the road.

5. (2) Pittsburgh Steelers: The four-game winning streak got snapped by rival Baltimore and now the Steelers play at the Bengals in a game they can’t really afford to lose if they want to win the division. We’ll see just how good the Bengals are this week. I won’t pick against Pittsburgh, though.

4. (6) New Orleans Saints: The offense struggled for a second straight week, but at least New Orleans got by the Buccaneers. This week, it’s a quick trip to Atlanta to face a surging Falcons team than can put up some points. It seems like the Saints play up the level of their competition, so expect the offense to sizzle this time.

3. (5) San Francisco 49ers: The 49ers face their biggest test since the Lions when they host the 6-2 New York Giants. San Francisco has been solid this year and is off to a 7-1 start. But this is the week I think they’ll have a setback and start to slide a little. I’ll give the 49ers credit, but I still think they’re playing over their heads.

2. (3) Baltimore Ravens: Won the grudge match with Pittsburgh for a season sweep of the series. That makes two comeback wins in a row authored by Joe Flacco, who might finally start getting some credit in Baltimore. You know, unless he really screws up this week at Seattle. I’m still not sure who the best team is in the AFC, but the Ravens might be it at the moment.

1.(1) Green Bay Packers: The No. 1 team from the start of the year just keeps rolling. The Packers won their fifth game on the road, beating the Chargers behind four touchdown passes from Aaron Rodgers. The defense, though, allowed nearly 400 passing yards and four scores by Philip Rivers. Up next for 8-0 Green Bay is the visiting Vikings on Monday night.

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