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[Dave]

from espn
2010 Power Rankings: Week 13
RK (LW) TEAM REC COMMENT

1 (1) Falcons 9-2 Another home game, another victory for the top team in our Power Rankings. (Sando)

2 (2) Patriots 9-2 The Patriots enter their game against the Jets playing their best football. (Clayton)

3 (4) Jets 9-2 Rex Ryan said the Jets were built to beat the Patriots. Even after doing it earlier this season, they must beat New England on Monday night to prove it. (Clayton)

4 (3) Ravens 8-3 The Ravens have a chance to sweep the rival Steelers for the first time since 2006. (Walker)

5 (5) Steelers 8-3 Sometimes the best defense is an opponent (Steve Johnson) who can't catch. (Walker)

6 (8) Saints 8-3 The Saints keep winning while searching for that championship formula. (Sando)

7 (12) Bears 8-3 Big win over Philadelphia proves Chicago is a legit threat in the NFC. (Walker)

8 (7) Packers 7-4 The Packers are very good, but they're not elite. (Walker)

9 (6) Eagles 7-4 Minus defensive backs Asante Samuel and Ellis Hobbs, the Eagles were vulnerable to Jay Cutler's Bears. (Clayton)

10 (10) Giants 7-4 Down five offensive starters and top offensive line backup Shawn Andrews, the Giants stood tall with their victory over the Jaguars on Sunday. (Clayton)

11 (14) Chargers 6-5 By beating the Colts, the Chargers made a strong move into the upper echelon. (Kuharsky)

12 (13) Chiefs 7-4 The Chiefs will play host to Denver, then travel to San Diego in the next two weeks in games that will shape the division. (Kuharsky)

13 (11) Buccaneers 7-4 There's no shame in losing a hard-fought game on the road against Baltimore. (Sando)

14 (9) Colts 6-5 The offensive line issues really showed in a bad loss to San Diego. When will the Colts fix this? (Kuharsky)

15 (19) Dolphins 6-5 Chad Henne had a courageous performance, coming back early from a knee injury to win for the coach who had benched him. (Clayton)

16 (15) Jaguars 6-5 The Jaguars fell apart at the very end against the host Giants, undoing a good effort. (Kuharsky)

17 (20) Texans 5-6 In blanking the Titans, the Texans did what a quality team should against a rookie quarterback. But Michael Vick awaits. (Kuharsky)

18 (22) Rams 5-6 The Rams have to like their chances with Sam Bradford going against Derek Anderson. (Sando)

19 (17) Titans 5-6 The Titans looked flat and uninspired, as they failed to move the ball or score against a Houston defense that has struggled.

20 (16) Raiders 5-6 The Raiders won some believers before two consecutive losses. The one at home to Miami was bad. (Kuharsky)

21 (18) Redskins 5-6 Now that the Redskins are reduced to Keiland Williams and James Davis as their only running backs, why don't they bring back Larry Johnson or some other veteran? (Clayton)

22 (21) Seahawks 5-6 The drop-off from surprisingly competitive to roadkill happens quickly for this rebuilding team. (Sando)

23 (25) Vikings 4-7 The "interim" coaching trend continues to be successful with Leslie Frazier. (Walker)

24 (23) Browns 4-7 Cleveland is developing a reputation as a team that plays down to its competition. (Walker)

25 (26) 49ers 4-7 The 49ers are one game off the division lead with three NFC West games remaining. (Sando)

26 (24) Cowboys 3-8 Roy Williams' fourth-quarter fumble, which cost the Cowboys a Thanksgiving Day game, will be the lasting memory of how this trade failed. (Clayton)

27 (28) Bills 2-9 Bills receiver Steve Johnson, a quiet success story, won more fans for how he handled his emotional five-drop game against the Steelers. (Clayton)

28 (27) Broncos 3-8 Which would be worse, Josh McDaniels knowing about the taped 49ers walk-through or not knowing about it? (Kuharsky)

29 (29) Cardinals 3-8 Six consecutive defeats leave the Cardinals reeling like never before under Ken Whisenhunt. (Sando)

30 (30) Bengals 2-9 The Bengals have been outscored 58-3 in the second half of the past two games. (Walker)

31 (31) Lions 2-9 It's never good when players inside the Lions' locker room begin questioning their teammates' effort. (Walker)

32 (32) Panthers 1-10 Expect the Panthers to run, run, run the ball against Seattle's struggling defense. (Sando)

[Dave]

2010 Power Rankings: Week 14
RK (LW) TEAM REC COMMENT

1 (1) Falcons 10-2 The 10-2 Falcons have to like their chances with two of their final four games against Carolina. (Sando)

2 (2) Patriots 10-2 The Patriots look unbeatable at home, which bodes well for the playoffs. (Clayton)

3 (5) Steelers 9-3 There's not a better defensive closer in the NFL right now than safety Troy Polamalu. (Walker)

4 (4) Ravens 8-4 Despite big names, the offense needs to score more consistently to win down the stretch. (Walker)

5 (6) Saints 9-3 The Saints have scored at least 30 points in their past four games after hitting that mark just once in their first eight. (Sando)

6 (3) Jets 9-3 The Jets talked a great game. Too bad they couldn't play one against the Patriots. (Clayton)

7 (8) Packers 8-4 WR Donald Driver is still breaking 49ers' tackles. (Walker)

8 (7) Bears 9-3 QB Jay Cutler is shaking his "loser" label with a 9-3 start. (Walker)

9 (9) Eagles 8-4 With as many hits as Michael Vick takes, it's good that he trains at the NovaCare Complex. (Clayton)

10 (10) Giants 8-4 Injuries have forced Tom Coughlin to add more blockers and gain more yards on the ground. (Clayton)

11 (12) Chiefs 8-4 Who among us didn't predict that the Chiefs would have the biggest division lead in the league through 12 games? (Kuharsky)

12 (16) Jaguars 7-5 The Jaguars are neck and neck with the Chiefs as the most improbable division leaders, and they're just fine with that. (Kuharsky)

13 (13) Buccaneers 7-5 The Bucs' next three opponents have a combined four victories in the past six weeks. (Sando)

14 (11) Chargers 6-6 Just when it seemed as though they had a handle on things, they got handled by the Raiders. (Kuharsky)

15 (14) Colts 6-6 The Colts take their three-game losing streak to Tennessee; the Titans have a five-game losing streak. (Kuharsky)

16 (20) Raiders 6-6 The Raiders rushed for 230 more yards than San Diego en route to an upset that kept them undefeated in the AFC West. (Kuharsky)

17 (18) Rams 6-6 Like the 49ers, the Rams own no victories over teams that currently have winning records. (Sando)

18 (15) Dolphins 6-6 Could the Chad Henne era really be coming to an end this quickly? (Clayton)

19 (17) Texans 5-7 The Texans still have a chance at the playoffs, but Baltimore probably will kill it Monday night. (Kuharsky)

20 (22) Seahawks 6-6 The only injury break banged-up receiver Mike Williams has gotten was a compound fracture to one of his fingers. (Sando)

21 (24) Browns 5-7 The Browns are fighting hard to get closer to .500. (Walker)

22 (19) Titans 5-7 In the Titans' five-game losing streak, they've allowed opponents a time-of-possession advantage of almost 75 minutes. (Kuharsky)

23 (23) Vikings 5-7 The Brett Favre drama never ends. Only the angles change. (Walker)

24 (26) Cowboys 4-8 Have you noticed that the Cowboys are averaging 33 points since Jason Garrett took over? (Clayton)

25 (21) Redskins 5-7 Only a fast-food restaurant has as many minimum-salary skilled co-workers as Donovan McNabb. (Clayton)

26 (25) 49ers 4-8 Facing an elimination game, the 49ers appear ready to go down swinging with Alex Smith at quarterback. (Sando)

27 (27) Bills 2-10 The injuries along the offensive line and to the defensive front seven finally caught up to the Bills. (Clayton)

28 (28) Broncos 3-9 Goodbye, Josh McDaniels. Hello, Eric Studesville. Can he do as well as the other interim coaches? (Kuharsky)

29 (29) Cardinals 3-9 The Cardinals have one touchdown in their past three games, a garbage-time score against Kansas City. (Sando)

30 (30) Bengals 2-10 Pat Sims jumping offside on fourth down is further proof that the "Bungles" are back. (Walker)

31 (31) Lions 2-10 The Lions will have 10 or more losses for the ninth time in 10 seasons. (Walker)

32 (32) Panthers 1-11 Jumping to a 14-0 lead and dominating early only made the Panthers' most recent defeat hurt more. (Sando)


I had to tape the Jets game on Monday and avoid all news of the score for several days. What a letdown. This season, they have only beaten one team with a winning record. That same team just handed them a 45-3 loss.

[Dave]

Good teams bounce back after a tough loss by beating a mediocre opponent. The Jets turn that loss into a two-game streak. The Jets still haven't beaten a team with a winning record. Now they're losing to teams with losing records too.

Jets playoff picture? They are two games up in the 6th seed. Sounds cozy. But they will likely finish 10-6 with two road games against the Steelers and Bears. Chargers have three games against pushovers. Colts have two home games and an easy road game. If Matt Cassel returns, the Chiefs have 3 winnable games. Jaguars play at the Colts. So even 2 games up with 3 to play, Jets can still find a way to lose. It's fun being a Jets fan.

And nice job by the Jets douchebag strength and conditioning coach by tripping the Dolphins punt cover guy. Totally need extra embarrassment on top of a two-game losing streak.

Brett Favre, shut up already. You're only making more Tavaris Jackson fans.

Packers probably cost themselves a wildcard spot by losing to the Lions. If Rodgers can't play, then the division is probably out of reach too.

[Dave]

What a crushing defeat for the Giants. It's a collapse I'm normally used to seeing with the Jets logo on the helmets of the losing side. I saw most of the second half. 24-3 then 31-10 and they still lost. The DeSean Jackson return to end the game was pretty amazing considering he dropped the ball. He's an ass, but he's an ass with crazy speed.

I couldn't tell if the coverage guys slowed down when they saw he dropped the ball. It also didn't seem like the punt was angled well at all. I could be wrong; I only saw the play once live and once on replay.

[monogodo]

From what I heard, the kicker had to deal with a bad (high?) snap, so it would have been difficult to kick it out of bounds.

The Packers played a great game against the Patriots. Flynn did a great job, up until the last 20-30 seconds or so. The game could have been so much better for Green Bay, but it could have been so much worse.

The Cowboys had a 20 point lead at one point, yet needed their kicker to bail them out in the end. Typical.

[monogodo]

Just read a great quote about the current NFL season in The Onion:

Quote

"You know it's an interesting season when announcers go from sucking Brett Favre's dick to sucking Michael Vick's dick."

[monogodo]

Watched the Saints/Cowboys, Jets/Bears, & Giants/Packers. Was happy with the outcomes of 2 of the 3.

It makes me smile when the Cowboys lose. I love that the Saints QB used to root for whoever was playing the Cowboys. He got to beat them himself.
I was pulling for the Jets the entire game. Sucks that they lost.
I feel bad for the Giants. Having blown a 21pt lead last week, then getting spanked as badly as they did this week, and to top it off, they were stuck in Green Bay overnight.

[Dave]

Quote

"You know it's an interesting season when announcers go from sucking Brett Favre's dick to sucking Michael Vick's dick."

Ain't that the truth. And boy do I feel bad for McNabb. That guy can't catch a break.

Jets won one last week they probably shouldn't have to offset the Miami game they had no business losing. I was shocked how bad both defenses were in the Jets/Bears game. It's strange that the Jets lost but still got the playoff spot AND don't have to play their starters against the Bills next week.

Conflicting rumors about Jason Garret coaching the Cowboys next year versus Jerry Jones wanting a bigger name. Jason Garret needs to be a head coach somewhere. Cowboys wasted a lot of years with Wade Phillips, so my vote is Garret. (Not that I want Jerry Jones to win anything.)

The fans have turned against Coughlin in NY. Sounds like they all want him out for Cowher. But I still think Cowher is going to Carolina. I don't know who the Giants think they will get. Gruden won't come. Cowher won't. Urban Meyer won't.