1st and 11 (weeks to go): NFC Power Rankings
Well, here we are. Six glorious weeks of football have passed us by, and fans everywhere are enjoying their Sundays by watching NFL Redzone, meticulously checking the state of their fantasy teams (of which 1st place belongs to the author of a certain article you are reading) and spending quality time “Oooooh”-ing and “Aaaaaah”-ing with friends and family. This time of year is always magical in the NFC, with Rob Ryan’s hair flowing in the autumn breeze, Pete Carroll emerging from the tunnel at CenturyLink Field and if he sees his shadow, the ‘Hawks have 6 more weeks of mediocrity, and Jerry Jones trying to find a way to coach the Dallas Cowboys without media scrutiny. In other words, everything that is great about the NFL has taken center stage in the American mind, and so let’s take a look at what the I see as the top teams in each division in the National Football Conference.
NFC North
1) Detroit Lions (4-2) This might just be the year the Lions throw away the shroud of losing, as no one in this division looks unbeatable, as every NFC North team except Green Bay has 1 division loss. The keys to this team having success are a consistent running game with the reemergence of Reggie Bush and Megatron being able to stay on the field and produce huge numbers while doing so. If they do this, Detroit fans may finally be able to throw away those paper bags…
2) Green Bay Packers (3-2) The Pack, while they may not be back just yet, have come out of their bye week with a strong showing in Baltimore against a very underrated Ravens team despite the cliché “injury bug” biting them hard, with the loss of LB Clay Matthews for 4-5 weeks, WR Randall Cobb for 6-8 weeks, and possibly WR James Jones as well. Another small concern I have is Aaron Rodgers’ underwhelming performances; he only has 1 TD pass in each of his last three games. Otherwise, Green Bay is looking playoff-bound as usual.
3) Chicago Bears (4-2) Da Bears, despite a win against the surprisingly awful Giants last Thursday, have lost 2 of their last 3 games after getting off to a 3-0 start. Their record may shield the fact that some of their play at times has been sluggish and sloppy, and Brandon Marshall has had to make a public statement at a press conference in order to get more targets. Now, Marc Trestman has done wonders for Jay Cutler as a QB guru and has given Lovie Smith’s old team a potent offense, but can it be sustained throughout the whole year?
4) Minnesota Vikings (1-4) Christian Ponder, Matt Cassell, and Josh Freeman aren’t NFL quarterbacks. This has been the problem with this team since Brett Favre retired for the umpteenth time in 2009. I get that A.D. (not AP, as some would believe) is hands-down the best halfback in the game, but with no consistent passing game to counter-balance, this team cannot win games, as they have shown this year. The only reason this team made the playoffs a year ago is because the super-motivation of Adrian Peterson carried the team to wins behind his 2,097 yards rushing. He is failing to affect games the same way as last year, and he shouldn’t have to.
NFC East
1) Dallas Cowboys (3-3) It is my belief no team in this division will finish over .500 this year. The ‘Boys happen to be the best of the worst crop in the NFL, and mistakes on both offense and defense have handed them 3 losses. Not much else to say except that Tony Romo has not been the problem, as the popular opinion may be. One interception along with 500-some yards passing is exemplary and if their defense forced just one punt against the Broncos two Sundays ago, the outcome might have been different. But I digress…
2) Philadelphia Eagles (3-3) Chip Kelly’s implementation of his spread offense has been stellar to this point, yet the defense of these Birds is atrocious. 31st in passing yards against and 16th in rushing yards against are not ingredients in a winning formula, as they have demonstrated in games against teams not named the Redskins, Giants, or Buccaneers. With Mike Vick possibly out next week, we shall see just what this team could potentially do against the aforementioned Cowboys.
3) Washington Redskins (1-4) The good news: Robert Griffin III has shown this past week that he isn’t being timid running on his surgically repaired knee. The bad news: everything else about this team. Alfred Morris has been okay at best after a breakout rookie season, RGIII has looked mortal after equaling his interception total from last year in 6 games and the defense is in the bottom 10 in the league in both pass yards against and rushing yards against…This team needs a spark, but if anyone can do that, it would be #10.
4) New York Giants (0-6) What a mess. This is hard to write, but I can’t envision this team winning 3 games this year. They have looked lackluster in every facet of the game. Eli Manning looks lost, the offensive line has been atrocious, the famed pass rush has been all but non-existent, and the decimated secondary is tough to watch. Well, this whole team is tough to watch. The only upside to this season is the possibility that the G-Men might wind up drafting Jadeveon Clowney. This being said, there is no possibility that Eli Manning is benched or Tom Coughlin gets fired.
NFC South
1) New Orleans Saints (5-1) This team has essentially won their division already, with the incompetence of Atlanta and Carolina and the sheer awfulness of Tampa Bay, and with Drew Brees putting up monster numbers every week, there isn’t any stopping this team in-division. Not including last Sunday’s tilt against the Pats, Jimmy Graham has been the NFL’s leading receiver, which just adds to the powerful offense of the Saints. This team is a sure-fire Super Bowl contender and the class of the NFC.
2) Carolina Panthers (2-3) Cam Newton…Where do I begin? The 3rd year QB has shown signs of brilliance, but not consistently enough to be a solid NFL starter. Stats are important to an extent, but in this league, you have to win, and Newton hasn’t done that. On the other side of the coin, Luke Keuchly has been the anchor to a defense that is top-10 in pass yards allowed and the top-5 in rush yards allowed. He has been a bright spot for an otherwise painfully mediocre team.
3) Atlanta Falcons (1-4) I picked this team to disappoint beyond imagination this year, and the Dirty Birds are making me look like a prophet. Despite the injuries to RB Steven Jackson and WR Julio Jones, obviously having an impact on morale, they have not looked like a committed football team otherwise. A team that is 2nd in the league in passing offense should not have lost 4 of their first 5 games. Just as they blew a 20-some point lead in the NFC Championship last year, this Atlanta team has shown that they don’t have the chutzpah under Mike Smith that any team needs, the “step on their throats” mentality, if you will. There is a storm brewing in Atlanta.
4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-5) Teddy Bridgewater, here come the Bucs! This team has underperformed exponentially, with their improved secondary and their already decent showing last year. Doug Martin has been the lone bright spot for this team, as he is 9th in the league in rushing yards. Now that the team has expelled Josh Freeman from their sight, let’s see if Mike Glennon can contribute any to the league’s worst passing offense. I mean, they could only get better, right? Right….?
NFC West
1) Seattle Seahawks (5-1) My pick to come out of the NFC to go to the Super Bowl before the season, the Hawks have improved on both sides of the ball en route to a 5-1 start. They have both the 2nd best running game in the league as well as the 2nd best pass defense, statistically, and recently, there has been no stopping Marshawn Lynch, as evident in last week’s contest: 21 carries for 77 yards and 2 TDs, as well as 4 receptions for 78 yards. The one loss served to this team was by Andrew Luck’s Colts, who beat them by a deep TD pass to T.Y. Hilton, which the Seattle secondary seldom gives up. All in all, this team might just be the 2nd best team in this conference. I’m expecting more big things from Russell Wilson, and he never seems to disappoint.
2) San Francisco 49ers (4-2) I haven’t been impressed with San Fran as of yet. Frank Gore, having a spectacular year so far, has provided much of this team’s offense, with the read-option that Colin Kaepernick ran last year becoming more expected by defenses. After Week 1 against the Packers, in which WR Anquan Boldin had perhaps the game of his career, the Niners haven’t really beaten anyone, with losses to quality opponents (SEA, IND) and wins against the underperforming Rams and Texans and the mediocre Cardinals. This all ties into the 49ers being a Wild-Card team at best, not a lock for the big dance.
3) Arizona Cardinals (3-3) This team has a classic case of Goldilocks syndrome; not good enough for the playoffs, but not bad enough for a top-5 pick in the draft. Carson Palmer has given them somewhat of an improvement in the QB department, and Larry Fitzgerald is back scoring touchdowns again which is good to see. I’m a Bruce Arians fan, but a coach can’t win the game, that’s the job of players, and this team, despite a decent secondary and the 5th rated rushing defense statistically, doesn’t have the players to contend.
4) Saint Louis Rams (3-3) I liked this team a lot last year, and it was generally expected that things in the Arch City would be good, with Sam Bradford developing for another year and the selection of WR Tavon Austin, but things haven’t panned out for this team yet. Their resume isn’t impressive; their crowning win, if you will, was against the aforementioned Cardinals. In brief, it may be time to shake this team up, as most of their offensive and defensive stats are of the bottom half of the NFL. Last week’s victory against the Texans, who have their own major problems, highlighted the positives of this team, and if they keep it up, they’ll move up in these rankings.
NFC Rankings
1) New Orleans Saints
2) Seattle Seahawks
3) Detroit Lions
4) Green Bay Packers
5) Chicago Bears
6) San Francisco 49ers
7) Dallas Cowboys
8) Arizona Cardinals
9) Philadelphia Eagles
10) Carolina Panthers
11) Saint Louis Rams
12) Atlanta Falcons
13) Minnesota Vikings
14) Washington Redskins
15) New York Giants
16) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
*Bold denotes division leader
*Editor’s Note: This article was completed before weeks 7 and 8, the rankings may have been affected since then.