Sportaholic NFL Power Rankings Week 13

The AFC playoff picture is about as cloudy as Lindsay Lohan’s caree path. It’s a train wreck but no one can stop watching. This much is clear in the AFC, someone has to win the conference. It’s just hard to tell who it will be at this point. If the season ended today the Houston Texans would be the AFC’s top seed sitting at 10-3 with two missing QBs and their best defensive player. Baltimore would be # 2 but they seem to save their worst games for their worst opponents with two of their three losses coming to cellar dweller Jacksonville and a Seattle team that scares no one. At # 3 would be the Patriots and its been well chronicled how woeful that defense can be at its worst moments. I always knew Tom Brady played with a chip on his shoulder but geez does he have to go in on his offensive coordinator with such fire? If you can read lips, well really when I think about it you don’t even have to know how to see the venom that Brady was spitting at offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien.


As a result of the shortcomings of the front-runners of the conference, in my opinion it makes for a wide open race. Any team that gets hot (Read: Denver Broncos) at that perfect moment can really steal the conference. That goes for all the bottom teams as well as all they have to do is ride their momentum and they could topple a Houston, Pittsburgh or whoever ends with the top seed in the conference.

In the NFC it’s a different story as the Packers continue their quest to go undefeated and clearly the best team in all of football. San Francisco and New Orleans each have a commanding lead in their respective divisions as well. The only division race that is up for grabs at this point is the NFC East or should I say the least with the way Dallas and New York are fumbling and bumbling all the way to the finish line. This is a role reversal as over the past decade its usually been the NFC that was scrambling to find the dominant team of the conference.

1. Green Bay Packers (12-0) – Their demolition of the Raiders couldn’t have gone better if it wasn’t for the loss of WR Greg Jennings. He was the team’s leader in recpetions with 67 and only second to Jordy Nelson in receving yards and touchdowns. This will slow down that vaunted passing attack and the you tell the Packers didn’t take any other risks after the Jennings as Rodgers and most of the other starters were taking out on the next series. That is the biggest unknown in Green Bay’s pursuit of perfection as injuries always play a role in a team’s season. The Pack has to make sure that their priorities are in order as they have to stay healthy more than they need to go undefeated. If another star player goes down look for the Packers to shut it down.

2. Baltimore Ravens (10-3) – I thought Indy might stand a chance against the Ravens as we all have seen how Baltimore seems to play down to their competition. But there was no let down this time for John Harbaugh’s team as they did what they were suppose. It was a nothing to see here victory that keeps them on top of the AFC North. Looking at their schedule they should at least win two out of three and take the division and se themselves up with a # 2 seed and a first round bye.

3. New Orleans Saints (10-3) – The Saints league leading offense looked downright pedestrian for 3 quarters against the Titans before finally waking up. It was a dog fight to the end as Jake Locker made some big plays but he couldn’t make the biggest one at the end of the game and spared them. You have to win games like that in this league. Winning ugly is better than losing pretty that much is for sure. Once the playoffs start games will slow down defenses will be ready so games like this are inevitable. I do still have my doubts about New Orleans secondary as they gave three big pass plays in this game. As long as Brees is standing upright though, this team has a chance at the Lombardi trophy.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3) – Was James Harrison’s hit on Colt McCoy worth a suspension? Considering it was Harrison, the NFL”s poster boy of big hits who has been fined over 100k since he began playing then I guess. But this is getting quite ridiculous that guys on defense can’t do what you pay them to do. It was a vicious hit I will agree to that but what was Harrison suppose to do? McCoy was ripe for a big hit and there is no way Harrison can just turn it off once he is in motion. The bigger problem I had in that game was the Browns training staff allowing McCoy to back into game when he clearly was concussed. The NFL may have a ticking time bomb on its hand as 5-10 years from now we will see a lot of guys who are not going to be in the best mind frame from all those concussions. Big Ben also suffered a bad ankle sprain in the game but he’s a gamer and I fully expect him to be in uniform for their big game against the 49ers.

5. New England Patriots (10-3) – The Pats have finally cracked the top 5 again on the strength of their 5 game winning streak. I wasn’t impressed with their victory over the Redskins as that defense again allowed to many points to Washington’s terrible offense. When Rex Grossman is looking good against your team then your team defense is a problem. And then we had the whole Tom Brady-Bill O’Brien shouting match on the sidelines. When it was all said and done the Pats took home the victory (Thanks to Grossman’s mistakes of course) and it puts them in the driver seat for the AFC East. They will have their hands full with the Denver Tebows especially with that league worst passing defense but more on that later.

News and Notes from the league:

Tebow and the Broncos do it yet again: Its so redundant at this point but I just have to ask the question once again? How in the hell are the Broncos able to do this week in and week out? Now granted they had a little help this time from Marion Barber as his two bonehead plays (Not staying inbounds on one play and fumbling on the next). Its just crazy how every week they seem to just hang around in the game and then just take the other team to the woodshed in the fourth quarter. Matt Prater deserves a lot of praise with his two +50 yard field goals as well. Now is this divine intervention as Tebow’s preacher is claiming in Denver? I don’t know and I don’t even want to speculate into something like that but you have to admit it does seem like Tebow is playing for a higher cause. We will really see what they are made of when they face New England this weekend’s premier game. Can’t wait to watch that one.

Cowobys lose again on last second FG miss: To be Cowboys fan these days has to be torture. You have your team up by 12 points with less than six minutes to play and somehow, someway they find a way to lose the game. While a friend and I were watching the game, we could just sense that Dallas letting the game slip away. After Miles Austin short-armed Tony Romo’s deep pass it was all but over for the Cowboys psyche. When a team is use to losing close games as Dallas is, all it takes is for one thing to go wrong in crunch time and all those doubts and fear begin to reappear. The game shouldn’t even have been in question by the time Giants stud linemen Jason Pierre-Paul blocked the game tying field goal. The Cowboys have to find a way to finish games and it may be too late this season to figure it out. The Giants on the other hand ended a four game losing streak and took control of the NFC East.

Sportaholic best games of the weekend:

New England Patriots (10-3) vs. Denver Broncos (8-5) – Tebow’s magic versus Brady’s golden arm in what should be an epic showdown. Brady and Belichek will surely say all the right things this week but come Sunday they will be ready to shatter the white Broncos Tebow aura. Tebow should actually have a lot of success against the Pats awful pass defense but more than likely he will struggle until the fourth and then go bonkers like he always does.

Detroit Lions (8-5) vs. Oakland Raiders (7-6) – Something has to give with the Raiders and Carson Palmer. He looked flat out horrible against the Packers last week and if he is to prove Hue Jackson and the organization right about the trade they pulled he has to at least put competitive performances. For the Lions they basically have to win out to secure a playoff spot with Dallas now breathing down their neck

San Francisco 49ers (10-3) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3) – This one just has playoffs oozing out of it. Two post season bound teams meeting in San Fran for a Monday night tile so of course you can count me in for this one. The niners are coming off an embarssing lost to the Cardinals so they should be ready to come out and raise hell. Will Big Ben play? Of course he will because like he earlier he is a gamer.

Sportaholic NFL Power Rankings Week 13

The Sportaholic NFL power rankings showed about as much movement as a Best Buy Black Friday pre-sale line as all of the top 5 teams won their games. The Green Bay Packers, Baltimore Ravens, New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers and the San Francisco 49ers all came away with victories with the Packers the only team not winning by at least 14 points. Green Bay took a few body blows and head shots from the New York Giants and their relentless pass rush that left the future MVP Aaron Rodgers (Yeah I said it) on the ground more than any Packers fan would like to see. I tweeted how that game eerily reminded me of the 2009 battle between the undefeated New England Patriots and the desperately needing a victory just to make the playoffs Giants. New York lost that game 17-14 but it lit a fire under them that saw them become the first NFC wild card team win a Super Bowl. Now I’m not saying that is what’s going to happen to this 2011 version of the Giants but rather the flow of the game had that kind of feel to it. I still fully expect the Packers win every game this year with only Oakland, Kansas City, Chicago and Detroit. Everyone of those teams will give the Pack their best shot but with Rodgers covering up all of inefficiencies (Horrible pass defense, no run game, etc.) they should at least make to it to the playoffs unscathed if they want to.

The other top 4 teams flexed their muscle by blowing out their opponents.

Outside of the top 5 week 13 produced the usual drama that NFL fans crave.  Tim Tebow did what Tim Tebow does as he helped the Broncos pull out another squeaker over Minnesota. That’s 5-1 as a starter for you keeping stats on him. The New England Patriots played a head scratcher of a game against the winless Colts. Hard to justify a top 5 spot when you allow Dan Orvlosky (Remember he is the guy who didn’t know he stepped out of the end zone in game against the Minnesota Vikings a few years back) to pile up 353 yards of passing on you. The Patriots defense just isn’t good enough to make the team viable in the playoffs.  Houston looked surprisingly well without either of the Matt’s at QB as young T.J. Yates was decent in his first start. The best thing about the Texans horrible situation is that two fundamental things that do in running the ball and playing good defense hasn’t changed even with all of their injuries. They beat a good Atlanta Falcon team and would have beaten a lot of good teams with their performance. How bout them Cowboys? Last I check Jason Garrett had an Ivy League education but you wouldn’t know it by the end of their with the Arizona Cardinals. He iced his own kicker, rookie Dan Bailey at the end of regulation as Dallas eventually lost to the Cards on a walk-off screen pass from Kevin Kolb to LaRod Stephens-Howling. The reaction form Cowboys defensive coordinator Rex Ryan pretty much summed it up. Dallas can never seem to find its identity on offense and Romo could beginning his annual December to never remember slide again.

Fun week in the league as the regular season is culminating into what should be an exciting finish. The obvious question of if the Packers can go all the way with more than enough other storylines. Can Tebow take the Broncos all the way to the playoffs? What will become of the once dominant NFC East as Dallas and New York take on each other this weekend and determine the division’s fate.

Rankings time:

1. Green Bay Packers (12-0) – Funny how this whole rankings thing has become Green Bay # 1 and everybody else for themselves. Since the start of the season the Packers have owned this spot. Green Bay has continued to look vulnerable throughout this entire season but no one can seem to crack them. The Giants did a lot of good things that game including pounding them on the ground and apply pressure on Rodgers with the pass rush. They also controlled the clock but even with them doing all of the above they still fell short. That all goes on the Packers offense. They don’t need a lot of time to be effective. Rodgers gets a lot of praise but the entire offense deserves it. Yeah the receivers dropped more than enough passes but they caught the ones they needed. You will have games likes this during the season but it’s all about how you perform in the clutch and we see how the Packers find a way week in and week out.

     

    2. Baltimore Ravens (9-3) – I have been clamoring for the emergence of Ray Rice in the Ravens offense (As I seem to do every year) and finally Baltimore got him the ball. Rice had 204 yards toting the rock and looked even stronger as the game went on. That’s the formula that works for them even if they don’t like it. When Rice and that offensive line gets to impose their will on an offense then it becomes a game much of favor of the Ravens. Their defense can take over from there. Now will the Ravens follow this blueprint into the playoffs we shall see but it would benefit them in the best of ways if they did.

&  

 ;   3. New Orleans Saints (9-3) – Some teams do it with defense and some do it with offense but none may do it better on that side of the ball then New Orleans. It gets repetitive but Drew Brees control over that system is amazing. He controls it with such precision and finesse it’s as if he could do this in his sleep. The Saints are hot and they shut down an above average but out of control Lions team. Their run defense will get a stiff test against Chris Johnson and the Titans this weekend but they look to be up to the task. That offense has given many a defensive coordinator nightmares and now its Jerry Gray’s turn at no sleep for Tennessee.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->4.      

    4. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3) – The emergence of Antonio Brown has allowed to Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh offense to become one of the more potent passing attacks in the league. When you have the speedster Mike Wallace and the athletic Brown on the outside coupled with Ben’s escape ability then you have a chance for big plays. The Steelers still play good defense of course but they can hang a quick 30 on you if you don’t pay attention. Can that defense hold up with its age is the question we will have to find out.

.    

    5. San Francisco 49ers (10-2) – If there was ever a reason to jump on the San Fran bandwagon, then it would be now. Their defense is just suffocating as proved wby their shutout 26-0 victory over the St. Louis Rams. Yeah it was just the Rams but a shutout on ahy NFL team is impressive. This team seems to always have an edge and that’s mostly because they have crazy in a good way coach, Jim Harbaugh. He never lets his team feel like they have arrived and it has paid off in a big way this year. They have to keep that edge going into the playoffs as they are staring down the # 2 seed and an bye for the first round. Is this team ready for all this success?

Other news and notes:

    Tim Tebow goes to 5-1 as starter, Broncos in first place at 7=5 – Now I won’t get any Tebowe (Not a real word I just made it up) on you and give him all the credit for their victory. The defense stepped when it needed to as Andre Goodman picked off Christian Ponder to seal the game but it’s still Tebow’s influence on the locker room. They have really all brought in to his mind frame and look like they could find a way to steal their division. They play with heart and never give up (Who does that sound like?) which is a credit to each and everyone of them. Don’t be surprised if they sneak into the playoffs and maybe even win a game once there.

 

    Philadelphia implodes, loses to Seattle: The season started off with so much hope in the city of brotherly love but nothing has been brotherly about this season for the Eagles. They allowed RB Marshawn Lynch to just go beast mode as he says and run all over them. There was no effort to stop it on defense and on offense they looked dismal as former Tennessee Titans Vince Young had four interceptions. Desean Jackson just about sums up the Eagles season as he didn’t even pay attention to an animated Young on the sidelines. After the game Jackson was short and rude with reporters as he described the game. If I were Michael Vick I would just put the ribs on ice for the rest of the season as they are going nowhere but home after week 16.

 

      Local Flavor:

    Tennessee 24 Buffalo 17 – Chris Johnson seems to have finally found his way as the Titans RB ran over, around and through the Bills defense. Johnson was game from the beginning as he busted a 48-yard TD in the first and never looked back from there. The Bills made it interesting as Ryan Fitzpatrick was able to find his receivers and put up points but in the end Johnson and the Titans were just too much. The Titans are in the thick of the playoff race and still mathematically have a chance win the AFC south. They will face # 3 in the Sportaholic NFL Power rankings as New Orleans will put pressure on the Titans defense from every angle. I am interested to see if Johnson and Tennessee can keep it going on the ground and try to control to clock against the quick strike offense of the Saints.

Key Games for next week:

    Houston Texans (8-3) vs. Cincinnati Bengals (7-5) – If the Bengals are some way to make a playoff push then they have to find a way to win this game. The Texans just keep rolling QBs be damned and look to keep winning with the Tennessee Titans breathing down their neck.

    Chicago Bears (7-5) vs. Denver Broncos (7-5) – The Bears are just hanging on any way they can at this point and couldn’t have got worse news than Matt Forte knee injury. His MCL sprain means that now they are without their heart (Jay Cutler) and now their soul without Forte. The fighting Tebow’s look to keep rolling and have a good chance to go 8-5 against the injury riddled Bears.

 

    New York Giants (7-5) vs. Dallas Cowboys (7-5) - Remember when the NFC East could do no wrong a few years ago and was agreed upon as the toughest division in the league? Boy has times changed as it appears 10-6 or even 9-7 may take the East this year. This is a must win for both teams naturally as whoever wins this one controls their own destiny. Can Tony Romo reverse the trend of his bad play in December play and the same can be asked about the as they are notoriously known for their late season swoons under Tom Coughlin. 

  

Sportaholic Week 9 NFL Power Rankings

At the start of the NFL season it appeared as if the storyline of the year would become the anecdote of the underdog. The seemingly cursed franchises of Detroit, Cleveland, and Buffalo have finally risen from their cold frosty graves to give us reason to believe. Despite the fact that the combined records of these forgotten franchises in 2010 was a dismal 16-33, the trio put together a nice 14-8 record through week 9. The Browns have tailed off after starting the season 2-1 but their three wins are just one away from matching last year’s total. Detroit and Buffalo are now legit playoff contenders with each near the top of their division. The Lions have taken on role of the villain as they have made their marks on opponents with their nasty defensive style and trash talk (Just ask Matt Ryan and Tim Tebow). Head Coach Jim Schwartz has gotten in on the act as he and 49ers coach got testy after the game. Buffalo has did it with their multi faceted offensive attack. Ryan Fitzpatrick was awarded for his play and received a new 6 year $59 million dollar contract. He has led the Bills back into relevancy with a head coach everyone thought was over the hill and over his head in Chan Gailey. These two teams have every reason to believe they can make a run this year.

This may be the season of the upstarts but it appears that the perennial powers have finally raised their level of play. The Pittsburgh Steelers have settled in well after 2-2 and after whispers of the team being old. The Packers are undefeated at 7-0 and haven’t even played as complete a game as they can. Baltimore has fell victim to two let down games against divisional rivals Tennessee and Jacksonville and almost another one this past weekend against Arizona before waking up and stealing that one. You know they will focused and ready when they take on the Steelers this weekend. The Ravens-Steelers rivalry is always fun to watch as they two teams are known as the most physical teams in football.

So as we enter week 9, we have the upstarts in Buffalo, Detroit, and a few teams I didn’t mention but are also near top in San Francisco Cincinnati, and Oakland, the perennial powers of Green Bay, Pittsburgh, New England, and Baltimore. In addition to those teams you have the middle of the pack jam logged with teams that are Dr.Jeykll-Mr.Hyde in Dallas, Washington, and the New York Jets. Teams that have failed to live up to expectations but appear to but getting there in Philadelphia, Chicago, Kansas City, Tampa Bay and Atlanta. And last but not least the teams in the Andrew Luck sweepstakes for various reason with the likes of Indianapolis, Miami, and Arizona. As the season continues all those teams will muddle together and provide us unlimited entertainment as they battle for eight playoff spots in each conference.

1. Green Bay Packers (7-0) Bye Week. The Packers in my opinion are not even close to being a finished product. Granted they are undefeated, they have even tapped into the level of potential they can become. Their top 5 ranked defense from a year ago is currently ranked 25th and has lost key piece from last years run in Nick Collins at safety. Of course this is a team that lost numerous pieces last year on both sides of the ball and all they did was win a Super Bowl. The Packers will get even better as scary as that sounds as they become more consistent of defense. Clay Matthews are bit down from last years monsters stats but he will get his eventually. Charles Woodson remains one of the elite corners and Tramon Williams on the other side isn’t too shabby either. The Pack have to be considered the favorite to win the Super Bowl until further notice.

2. San Francisco 49ers (6-1) – The 49ers are the most interesting team in the league to me. Here you have a first year head coach in Jim Harbargh comes in and totally changes the face of the franchise in less than 8 months. He has brought a swagger back the bay an has this team doing what they had been predicted to do in the last few seasons, winning the division. They will have a good metric test in a couple weeks against the physical but sometimes underachieving New York Football Giants. I think that’s when we will see what we really have in San Fran.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) – In the surprise entry slot this week, we have none other then those pesky Steelers. It seems every season at one point or another everyone will count these guys out and they promptly go out and prove us wrong. Just when it seemed the league had caught up and passed Pittsburgh, Big Ben and Mike Tomlin decided that had enough of that talk. They went and dominated New England by giving them nothing on the ground and making Tom Brady even more than what he is capable of doing. The defense is always solid and with James Harrison and Hines coming back this week you know that they will be throwing everything they have at the hated Ravens. Can’t wait to watch that heavyweight tussle.

4. New England Patriots (5-2) – If they don’t come up with: A. Defensive secondary stops and B. a consistent run game, then how can we just throw all our faith in Tom Brady to carry them to a Super Bowl? Brady is great of course but anyone with football knowledge could tell against the Steelers he did everything he could and its wasn’t even close enough to get the Pats the victory in that one. The running back by committee thing needs to be revitalized in Boston as BenJarvas Green-Ellis has been the only consistent one of the bunch. Speaking of RBs in New England, where in the hell is Danny Woodhead? Last I checked he wasn’t injured but he still isn’t hurt and the Pats could definitely use in speed in space as so brilliantly did last season. Just a thought.

5. Baltimore Ravens (6-2) – The Ravens have been “King of the Letdown” this year as they lost a couple of lackluster effort games to divisional opponents. And yet there they were again dead in the water against a 1-5 Arizona Cardinals team. Joe Flacco finally woke up and Ray Rice cleaned up nicely as they came from 24-6 down to beat Arizona. Flacco has been rather flaccid this season after making his bold statements of being an elite QB. His off and on play has to be mind boggling for his team as rather they like it or not their season rides on Flacco’s right arm. Ray Lewis and the defense will always be there and always seems that they could get Ray Rice more involved. As I mentioned above, the heavyweight show down between the Ravens and the Steelers is one you will not want to miss this weekend.

So there you have it this weeks Top 5. Make sure to tune in to “The Sportaholic Radio Show” this Saturday as I interview Gerald McGrath of the Tennessee Titans. He will answer the questions most Titan fans are wondering: What wrong with Chris Johnson? Check us out on Beatknockin.com from 10 A.M to 12 P.M. and if you want to chat with us, call in at 615-260-7177.

Sportaholic NFL Power Rankings Week 7

Another week in the books for the NFL and a few things are starting to be clear about this season. QBs rule the NFL universe as this week saw multiple QB changes, some good (Tebow’s last 5 minutes, Christian Ponder) and some not so good (Tebow’s first 3 ½ quarters, John Beck, Carson Palmer’s debut with the Raiders). This is a QB driven league so we all know that you only can go as far as your QB can lead you. Speaking of QBs, Ndaumkong Suh continues his assault on QBs The way he and Cliff Avril of the Lions twisted up Matt Ryan should have put him out the game. The Lions are fast becoming the nastiest team in the league.

Tough day for Palmer and Boller

How about that 2 minute drill by San Diego against the Jets? I will never understand what was going on in Norv Turner’s mind with that one. Plaxico finally annoucned that he out of the pen and ready for some football with his 3 TD standout game on the Chargers. I will Carson Palmer a pass on that terrible display of football we seen against the Chiefs. He was thrown out way to early but the Raiders with Kyle Boller playing so bad. What did Tim Tebow have to wait until the last minutes of the game before he found his rhythm? I mean he had everything he needed and more that game with the Dolphins holding a Florida Gator tribute. That has to be the stupidest scheduling of an event in recent memory but that’s Miami for you. I have never heard Reggie Bush get mad except for that time he found out Kim Kardishian was dating Miles Austin, but he was plenty angry with his team after that fiasco against the Broncos and Tebow.

Murray just shed the St.Louis D to pieces

How bad are things in Indianapolis right now? Peyton Manning should win MVP for NOT PLAYING at this point. Get shell-shocked 62-7 on a primetime Sunday night against the Saints. I know the offense should suffer but when Drew Brees throws more TDs then incompletions than something is terribly amiss here. I remember watching this weekend and saying to myself what wrong with Chris Johnson? The newly minted $53.5 million dollar man just can’t kick it into high gear and for intensive purposes looks like he is stuck in a rut. He picked a bad time for his game to go down as the Titans got it handed it to them by the Texans. While CJ was laying an egg in Nashville, Demarco Murray was running like his hair was on fire in Dallas. 253 is 253 yards I don't care if the Rams have the worst run defense in the league. And to think that the Dallas coaching staff is still saying that its Felix Jones job when he gets back from injury, my question is why? He is explosive when healthy but thats the thing with him, he is never healthy. If Murray follows up his record breaking game with at least half of those yards agaisnt Philly, I say he has earned a starting role.

This guy is not human.

 I am fully convinced now that Cam Newton just isn’t human. That amazing run he had against the Redskins confirmed it for me. Christian Ponder looked way better in his first start then Donovan McNabb did in his previous 6 starts so that means the writing is on the wall for McNabb. It’s sad to see his career fade out the way is. Aaron Rodgers as always was money in that game and I just can’t see him not winning the MVP this year with the way he is playing.

Now time for the rankings:

1. Green Bay Packers (7-0) – Consistency is one of the greatest attributes a QB can have and right now Aaron Rodgers in the most consistent QB in the league. Each week he seems to out do himself from the last and he is the main reason there is talk of an undefeated season in Green Bay. Now I don’t believe it will happen but that doesn’t stop the chatter. Minnesota showed some fight in this game with Ponder starting instead of McNabb but they let Rodgers and that deadly offense have the ball last in hope of stopping them and that’s just something you don’t want to count in against the Pack. Green Bay will continue to roll but someone will eventually beat them. We shall see who that team is but until further notice they remain at the top spot.

2. New Orleans Saints (5-2) – As I stated above, I understand that the absence of Peyton to Indy puts the offense at a disadvantage, everyone knows that but what is the defenses excuse? New Orleans made this a laugher early and NBC probably wouldn’t have cared if they called a mercy rule on this one. Drew Brees just keeps rolling although he wasn’t able to get over the 350 yards passing for the first time in awhile. The Saints are playing defense again with crazy man Gregg Williams mixing and matching his blitz schemes. Sean Payton didn’t even high to be in the booth for this one. I have to put the Saints at # 2 for their thrashing of the Colts.

3. New England (5-1) – The team that everyone loves to hate had a bye week so we don’t get to talk about some super human type of performance from Tom Brady and Wes Welker. Don’t you Pats haters worry to much they take on Pittsburgh this weekend which is sure to be one of the weekends top match ups

4. San Francisco (5-1) – It stills feels funny writing about the Alex Smith led 49ers. They are 5-1 and they have a chance to win their next three games against Cleveland, Washington, and the New York Giants. This team has luxury of playing in the worst division in the NFC West so they have every reason to run away with this thing. Alex Smith leading a team to a division title, that’s just a funny sentence.

5. Baltimore Ravens (5-2) – That had to be one of the worst MNF games in recent memory. The Ravens not getting a first down until the 3rd quarter was get atrocious. There is no way you can defend yourself for that kind of offensive performance. Joe Flacco has looked great in some games this year and flat out horrible in others. Ray Rice couldn’t find any running lanes and none of the Baltimore receivers could get open. Just an ugly display of football but the Ravens are known to have a let down game or two in them a year. So I will keep them in the top for now but if we get anymore performances like Monday, then there out.

Sportaholic Power Rankings Week 6

You can tell the season is getting intense just from all of the off field drama. Of course you have to be a caveman not to know what happened in the San Fran-Detroit game between coaches Jim Schwartz and Jim Harbaugh. I like both by the way, as both are two feisty guys with chips on their shoulder. You can play the blame game all you want but that was just emotions in its rawest forms. Harbaugh did get a little sensitive and could have received Schwartz well and Schwartz could have just shrugged it off and kept it moving but there was no way he was going to let Harbaugh show him up. That was machismo at its best, Schwartz and Harbaugh didn’t make it through the ranks to become NFL coaches by making friends. Those guys have the same mentality as their players so I really don’t blame either for their mini skirmish. I like to see the coaches go at it, makes for good T.V. I will say that it did take away from an otherwise great game. San Francisco is a contender if they play like this for the entire season. Alex Smith has confidence which is dangerous and he has always had Frank Gore in the backfield doing damage on the ground. I was most impressed however with their defense. How about the rook Aldon Smith? Two sacks, four tackles and a forced fumble. That’s getting it done. And with Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman manning the LBs position these guys have all the makings of a great defense. The Lions are back to reality for the moment. They have to develop a run game to take some pressure off of Matt Stafford and Calvin Johnson but more on that later.

How about Jay Cutler dropping the F-bomb during the Bears game? Apparently the play calls are not getting in fast enough to Jay’s liking and he let someone know about it. The Bears did spend multiple unnecessary timeouts just to have extra time for a few calls. I was waiting on Brandon Marshall to do something outlandish or for his head to pop off the entire night yesterday but to no avail. After all those bold statements, Marshall had a rather decent game with 6 catches for 109 yards but he allowed Darrelle Revis to have a 100-yards interception return for a TD that turned the momentum of the game in favor of the Jets.

Speaking of coaches, Sean Payton got banged up pretty bad against the Bucs. Who knew it would the coach who would get the most serious injury of the game. Payton must have been channeling his inner Joe Pa as he couldn’t dodge the players stumbling into him on the sidelines. There are rumors that Carson Palmer could land in Raider land this week after the broken collarbone sustained to Oakland starting QB Jason Campbell. Good luck with that Raiders as Mike Brown is as stubborn as they come on trading players who holdout. Brandon Lloyd is out of Denver and should instantly help the Rams hap hazard passing game. He will become Sam Bradford’s favorite target in a short amount of time. All in the week of the soap opera known as the NFL, now let’s get to the Sportaholic power rankings.

1. Green Bay Packers (6-0) – The Pack just toyed with the lousy Rams eventually beating them by three scores. Aaron Rodgers did what he always does throwing for over 300 yards 3 TDs and (Gasp!) 1 interception. The only thing that concerns me is the defenses penchant for allowing yards. They gave up 424 yards of offense to St. Louis and of course it only led to 3 points for them but against the better teams in the league that is going to get you in trouble. They just have too many talented guys to continue to allow teams to roll up the yards on offense. That is the only bone I can pick with this team other than that they are the most complete team in the league. They are the last of the unbeaten teams so life isn’t bad in land of cheese.

2. Baltimore Ravens (4-1) – The Ravens are crowned the most physical team in the league in my opinion, after their dominating performance over the Texans. They just manhandled Houston over the last 15 minutes of the game and outscored them 13-0 in that span. As I always say with the Ravens just get Ray Rice the ball and let him do work and they actually did this game as he rushed for 101 yards and another 90 in receiving yards. When the Ravens feature more of Rice instead of Flacco on offense I think it makes them a better team. Rice is more than capable of handing the load and Flacco at best should be used when he has to and definitely not more than Rice. The meat and potatoes of Baltimore schedule is coming up so we will see if this team can hold up as the early AFC favorites.

3. San Francisco 49ers (5-1) – It was only so long I could avoid the 49ners in the power rankings. As I stated above these guys are playing some good football as evident by their victory over the previously undefeated Lions. It’s amazing what a coach can do for a team as Harbaugh has come in and changed the culture in just a matter of weeks. They have an above average offense with the likes of Frank Gore, Michael Crabtree, Vernon Davis and Braylon Edwards when he comes back from his injury. Their defense gets it done as well with the LB core and some talented defensive linemen up front. They should run away with this division because lets face it there is no one to really challenge them in the lowly NFC West. The 49ners have a chance at a special year if they could just keep that crazy coach of theirs under control.

4. New England Patriots (5-1) – As everyone knows, I am a staunch Dallas Cowboys fan. Always have been and always will be. So just imagine my face when my Boys punted to Tom Brady with three minutes remaining on the clock. It was like watching a horror film where you knew what was about to unfold. Imagine Jason chasing a young hot teen girl and she falls down while running away or Freddy Kruger entering a room full of children while they were all sleeping. That is exactly what I was feeling watching Brady calmly jog onto the field. A lot of people are ripping Jason Garrett for his conservative play calling at the end for the Cowboys but how could you blame him? Obviously he doesn’t trust Romo in the situation after his roller coaster year. But back to Brady and the Pats, as soon as they got the ball they promptly moved it down the field. It was if the defense wasn’t even there. Quick pass to Aaron Hernandez for 16 yards, quick screen pass to Rob Gronkowski another 11 yards it was just a clinic all the way to the last play when Brady had it seemed like he had a quarter century to find Hernandez again over the middle for the 8 yard game winning TD strike. It was just another bloody gory horror scene for us Cowboy fans.

5. Detorit Lions (5-1) – The Lions have got to get a run game to accommodate what they do in their passing game, there is just no way around it. There is no way they can get away with Stafford throwing the ball 50 times a game and the rushing attack only producing 66 yards on the ground. The Lions came out with all the fire and passion you can ask for as they took an early 10 point lead over San Fran but the lack of the run game doomed them. Yeah, Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman had a lot to do with stuffing the Lions but they have got to do better in that department. The Lions still have to be happy with everything else this season. No one had this team at 5-1 and as the primary challenger to Green Bay for the NFC North crown.

Offensive Player Of The Week: Frank Gore 15 carries 141 yards 1 TD 9.4 YPC – Gore was the difference in my opinion in their game against the Lions. He ran with power and showed the speed as well. He gave the 49ners what Jahvid Best couldn’t give the Lions as in a running game that was able to control time of possession. You have to give a lot of credit to that offensive line as well with Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati up front creating the holes for Gore to bore through. As long as he can stay healthy, which isn’t always a given with Gore, he can be one of the best RBs in the NFL.

Defensive Player Of The Week: Ray Lewis 12 tackles 1 sack – Now I was really leaning towards Aldon Smith of San Fran but I don’t want to show them all the love so we will go with the ageless Ray Lewis. His handprint was all over the game against Houston as he made stop after stop on defense. He doesn’t have that sideline to sideline speed anymore but he more than makes up with that with his knowledge of the game. His instincts are still bar none as you won’t fool him but once or twice at the most during a game. This guy just seems like he will play forever.

Sportaholic NFL Power Rankings Week 5

The motor city was rocking last night with Detroit’s demolishing of Chicago, and just like that week 5 officially in the books and what a week it was in the NFL. Al Davis’s death sparked the Raiders back to their glory days as they took down the Texans. It was such an emotional victory for them and to be honest I didn’t know that his players felt that way about him. I always thought they despised Davis but you could tell that this game really meant something to them. Davis was one of the greatest pioneers to ever grace the NFL. His style and swagger could never be duplicated. Who else held so many titles (player, scout, GM, owner, commissioner) as he did? Who else had the balls to move his team back and forth to L.A., thumbing his nose at anyone who tried to stop him? RIP Al Davis, the things he has done good and bad for the NFL should never go unnoticed. Tebow mania is here for the masses as he nearly brought back the lowly Broncos against the Chargers. San Diego with the win is now 4-1 so you can throw out all of the slow start talk this year. San Francisco just pummeled Tampa Bay as Jim Harbaugh’s boys have the people of San Fran feeling likes it’s the late 80’s again. I don’t know what Harbaugh has done with Alex Smith but the renowned QB coach has got him playing the best ball of his career. What can you say about the Eagles? They are now 1-4 and fighting just to stay relevant. I just don’t understand why they are so bad on defense. You know besides the point of them running a lot of zone coverage schemes although they have three of the best corners in the league. Andy Reid has to figure things out because time is almost up for them to turn it around. Pittsburgh looked like they would score 70 points on the Titans # 1 ranked defense in the first quarter. I told all my people here in Tennessee don’t let Big Ben’s injury fool you, he will be ready and boy was he ever. The Steelers were a desperate team and played like it, Tennessee on the other hand played like a team that was just happy to be 3-1 and didn’t mind being 3-2 because they were not suppose to even be 3-1 at this point. Chris Johnson where are you my friend? A week after Arian Foster rushed for 155 yards on the Steelers D, Johnson was held to 59 yards. Johnson just can’t seem to get it into gear this year.

The Colts just can’t get on the board as they loss yet again to Kansas City.
Here is a suggestion for the Colts from my buddy Bart, why don’t they just put Peyton in the ears of whoever the QB is and let him breakdown what he sees from the opposing defense? Indianapolis offense is predicated on pre-snap reads thanks to Manning who has basically been his own offensive coordinator for the last decade. Who is the Colts offensive coordinator? I’m waiting….. Yeah that’s what I thought. He could give Painter or Collins everything they need to know as he would have a direct line to their helmet. Just a thought I suppose. Peyton’s little brother doesn’t quite have his decision making skills as he racked up another 3 picks in a loss against Seattle. If it wasn’t for Eli winning the Super Bowl, Giant’s fan would have ran him out of town by now. The Patriots finally decided to show up on defense as they beat their hated rival the New York Jets. BenJarvas Green-Ellis showed off some moves I didn’t know he had in that game. And of course the defending Super Bowl champs moved to 5-0 with their victory over struggling Atlanta.

1. Green Bay Packers (5-0) – The Pack just keep rolling and have figured out how to beat teams even when they don’t have their A game. Atlanta effectively played ball control and put 14 points on the Packers on their first two possessions. On top of that Green Bay lost their top OL Chad Clifton to protect Aaron Rodgers blindside. Mike McCarthy realized what was happening and made a few adjustments because Rodgers was feeling the heat and didn’t resemble his usual smooth as silk self. Once the offensive line was shored up, Rodgers and that vaunted Packer passing attack got into gear and the rest is history. Until this team is beat they will remain at the top spot.

2. Baltimore Ravens (3-1) – Bye week. I had an interesting conversation with someone on Ray Lewis last night at my Monday night football party. It was a woman who thought that Ray was the most pompous and arrogant player in the league. It really threw me off because I’ve always thought that he was just a passionate player that wore his emotions on his sleeve. After a few beers and some banter back and forth I finally got her to realize this was a man who has done a lot of good things off the field and you can’t let his demeanor and pre game dancing fool you. I think most great athletes or in anyone for that matter that are good at what they do have a certain level of cockiness to them. It was great talking with an intelligent lady on a sports topic I had never gave much thought.

3. New England Patriots (4-1) – Last week I said I just couldn’t peg New England as a real Super Bowl contender until their defense showed some teeth. The guys in Boston must have heard me as they only allowed 255 yards to the Jets that are after averaging 477.5 yards a game on defense. I like the fact that they also did this without their defensive leader Jared Mayo as he was out because of a knee sprain. Tom Brady is and will always be Tom Brady as he threw for 351 yards and 1 TD. I was excited and intrigued to see how the Revis-Welker match up would develop as well. I know Revis wouldn’t be covering him the entire game but the Jets would put him on Welker when they needed to at critical stretches in the game. Welker still had 5 catches for 124 yards but it wasn’t those crazy numbers he was posting in the previous weeks. The Jets just don’t have that same resiliency they have had in recent years and this could be a down year for sexy Rexy’s bunch.

4. Detroit Lions (5-0) – Who knew right? The Lions are roaring right now and their victory over Chicago cemented my thoughts on them. I love the fact that the defense plays with such a nasty streak, led by that ferocious defensive line. The addition of Nick Fairley only strengthens what they already do with all of the rotating linemen Jim Schwartz likes to keep fresh. Matt Stafford and Calvin Johnson will be one of the top QB-WR duos for year to come and the emergence of Jahvid Best (12 carries 163 yards 1 TD) is just another thing to worry about in that offense. They will be tested against San Francisco this Sunday as all of sudden that will be one of the top games of the week. The Lions also will give everyone a reason to watch the Thanksgiving game against the Packers as that is shaping up to be a monster game and could determine who wins the NFC north. Wow what a turnaround for this once morbid franchise.

5. New Orleans Saints (4-1) – Could have gone in so many different directions here with Buffalo, San Diego, and San Francisco all being 4-1 but I will give it to the Saints. New Orleans is kind of flying under the radar at this point but they clearly are the best team in the tough NFC South. Tampa just got blown out by San Fran, Atlanta is too inconsistent and Carolina is too young and inexperienced to pose a threat. So the Saints are all but a shoo in to make the playoffs by winning that division. They haven’t lost a game since the opening weekend against Green Bay and they could have won that one as well. Drew Brees remains on the pantheon of great QBs right now as he continues to get it done no matter what comes his way. The Saints will keep on marching as they should beat their next four opponents (Tampa Bay twice, Indianapolis, and St. Louis) before taking on ATL for what could be for the division on Nov 13.

Offensive player of the week: Drew Brees – When your stat line reads 32/45 for 359 yards and 2 TD passes, then you did everything and more that is expected from you as a QB. Brees is becoming another version Peyton Manning because I really believe that if you take him out of that offense than it would sputter to a halt. He does so much and has such chemistry with coach Sean Payton that its like those guys are one. Brees also stayed on pace to break Dan Marino’s all-time passing yards record but who isn’t on pace to break that record at this point. Just another day at the office for Mr.Brees.

Defensive player of the week: Jared Allen – Allen was his usual mad man self as he took down Arizona QB Kevin Kolb twice and was pretty much in his face all day. Minny needed someone to step up rather it be on defense or offense to get them off the skid and Allen was the man who set the tone for them. Good to see them finally finish a game and not give it up in the second half.