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.

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 ;   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.

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    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.

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    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 NFL Power Rankings Week 12

As we enter the home stretch of the NFL season it appears that change is on the horizon for a few underreporting teams. The first move was made by Jacksonville as they fired long time coach Jack Del Rio. He was 69-73 over nine years and goes down as the first NFL coach to coach that many seasons with one team and not to win a division title. Del Rio had his moments with the Jags as they upset the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2007 playoffs but it was mostly a mediocre run for him as the Jacksonville coach. The Jaguars don’t sell tickets and are always on blackout watch in their own local market as it is anyway. Another firing took place in the league as with the Colts relieving defensive coordinator Larry Coyer of his duties for the 0-11 Colts. They also replaced QBs with Curtis Painter out and Dan Orlovsky in. It has just been a disaster in Indy this year every since Peyton went down. Speaking of Manning, there is a whisper floating around that he isn’t healing as fast as he should for this type of procedure. Hopefully it’s just a rumor but you never know.

This is just the beginning in a league that is built on change. The bottom dwelling teams have to at least make a push to look competitive. There is no way that Jacksonville or Indy could be content with getting blown out week in and week out. The hot seat remains hot for a few coaches as we now can officially add Tom Coughin to the list. The Giants have fallen off the radar in November as they were thoroughly dominated by the New Orleans Saints this past Monday. The seat is also simmering under Eagles coach Andy Reid, which is really remarkable when you think about it in Philadelphia. Reid has been the steady hands in charge for the last 12 years in Philly and, this was suppose to be his best team but we all witnessing how this season has turned out for him.

Coaching changes are inevitable in every sport. It’s just part of the business. Even if a guy was less than successful (See: Jack Del Rio) or a long tenured and outstanding coach (See: Andy Reid and Tom Couglin), one day soon or later that your day is coming.

Time for the Power Rankings:

1. Green Bay Packers (11-0) – The Pack just keep rolling with the hot hand as Aaron Rodgers continues to make it look easy. He is on pace for the single best season for a QB ever as he would finish with 5100 total yards passing and an unheard of 130.7 QB rating. He is doing all of this while leading the Packers to a possible undefeated season. Green Bay’s defense showed some teeth as well in their victory over the Detroit Lions causing Matt Stafford to throw three interceptions. We have every reason to believe that this team can and will be undefeated going into the playoffs.

2. Baltimore Ravens (8-3) – The Ravens roughed up the 49ers to move to 8-3 and remain in first place in the rough and tough AFC North division. This is a team that is remarkably up and down as they have beaten some of the best teams in the league in Pittsburgh (Twice), San Francisco, and Houston and loss a couple of the worse in Jacksonville and Seattle. Ray Lewis should be back for their next game after missing the Harbaugh bowl much to his chagrin. Pittsburgh and Baltimore will battle to the end for the division title but looking at the schedule and it appears the Ravens had the easier path especially after beating the Steelers twice to own all the tie-breakers.

3. New Orleans Saints (8-3) – Looking at the Saints offense against the Giants a few things stood out to me. First, the play of Jimmy Graham at tight end has given Brees yet another explosive weapon. The 6’7 former Miami (FL) power forward is really coming on and seems to catch everything thrown his way. Second, Drew Brees doesn’t get enough credit as crazy as it sounds. He is also on pace to surpass Dan Marino’s all time passing yards record but its not the yards that impress me. It just his command of the offense and his leadership skills. Brees, Brady, and Rodgers are in the top echelon of QBs and their teams will always be great as long as these great QBs are leading them. The Saints are dangerous and appear to be even better than their 2009 Super Bowl winning team.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3) – Even though a win is a win in this league, the Steelers couldn’t have played an uglier game this past week. Their narrow 13-9 win over a reeling under manned Kansas City squad was a disturbing look for Pittsburgh. Troy Polamalu took a knee from the Chiefs tight end Steve Maneri and never returned which led to some holes in their vaunted defense. The offense wasn’t able to muster much of anything as well with Big Ben content on throwing dink and dunk passes that amounted to 21 completions for only 193 yards. This wasn’t a pretty game but the Steelers won and they should get Polamalu back for next game. So maybe this was just one of those weeks to forget for Steelers nation. But again, a win is a win.

5. San Francisco 49ers (9-2) – Maybe the Harbaugh bowl was a little much for this team as the hype and historical part seemed to do more harm then good to this young team. Alex Smith looked like his previous 2011 self as he and the 49er offense couldn’t get anything going against the ferocious Ravens defense. Terrell Suggs was able to get to Smith three times. San Francisco still has a more than comfortable lead in the NFC West so that is really nothing to worry about their. They did however lose a game in the home field advantage race as they are now two behind Green Bay. Catching the Packers was probably a lost cause anyway.

Other League News and Notes:

Ndamakong Suh suspended for 2 games: The Lions brutal DT was handed down a two game suspension for his pushing of the helmet and stepping on the arm of the Packers Evan Dietrich-Smith. Everyone is aware of the big mans merciless history as he has racked up over $42,000 dollars in fines in his short career. He didn’t seem apologetic initially at the press conference after the game but he later changed his tone after the media jumped all over him. Hopefully Suh learns his lesson here and is able to play in his usual relentless manner but is able to stop the uncontrollable acts that have marked his career to this point.

Tim Tebow just keeps leading his teams to wins: Tebow haters (I’m talking to you Merril Hodge) really don’t have any ground to stand on at this point on Tebow. The Broncos latest victory over the San Diego Chargers pushed his starting record to 5-1 and has Denver in the thick of the playoff race. Tebow isn’t doing it all by himself as the defense has really come on for them led by sensational rookie LB Von Miller but its Tebow that has inspirited this team to become all that it can be. He just has the “IT” factor and wills his team each week to a victory. It’s becoming to a point that other teams are drinking the Tebow Kool-Aid and believing that if the game is close in the 4th quarter then it is all but a lost. San Diego folded in the 4th against the Broncos and it seemed to have something to do with the Tebow effect as I like to call it. Tebow will never be the prototypical QB but he will always give his team a chance to win. He just finds a way and will continue to do no matter what his critics say. And this is coming from a University of Tennessee fan who was tormented by him at Florida.

Texans sign Jake Delhomme: Sometimes you just have to make the best out of what is available and that’s what this signing appears to be. The Texans plucked the former Panther and Browns QB out of retirement to help bolster their depleted QB front. We all know the story with both of the Matt’s Schaub and Leinart going down with season ending injuries. The Texans were down to rookie T.J. Yates in their last game and signed veteran journey man Kellen Clemens as well. This is mostly just an insurance policy as the Texans have found out you can never have to many QBs in the NFL. Rather Delhomme competes for playing time is yet to be seen.

Best Games of Week 13:



Atlanta (7-4) vs. Houston (8-3) – Déjà vu for the Texans as they start a new QB for the 3rd time this season. Can they find a way to keep winning or will the Falcons and Matt Ryan be too much for them to overcome



Green Bay Packers (11-0) vs. NY Giants (6-5) - So lets see here, Drew Brees carved up the Giants D for 363 yards and 4 touchdowns and now they welcome Aaron Rodgers and the Pack attack to town. Sounds like a problem for the reeling New York.



Detroit Lions (7-4) vs. New Orleans Saints (8-3) – The time has come for this Lions team to make a stand as they are fighting for their playoff lives. The feel good story of the year won’t feel so good if they are sitting at home watching. Drew Brees and the Saints are rolling right now and with Detroit missing Suh in the middle, it could be a long game for them.

Sportaholic NFL Power Rankings Week 11 Thanksgiving Edition

It appears the NFL was is a giving spirit as the Thanksgiving slate of NFL games is one of the best ever. We will witness an epic three game schedule that includes the highly anticipated Packers vs. Lions game, Cowboys vs. the all of a sudden hot Dolphins, and the Brothers Harbaugh bowl with the 49ers vs. Ravens. This is the best gift you can give us football fans as every one of these games should be exciting and competitive. The storylines for the Packers and Lions couldn’t get any juicer as Green Bay tries to continue their undefeated season against the up and coming Detroit. Matt Stafford is coming off the best game of his career with 5 touchdown passes and depending on how you look at it Aaron Rodgers is coming off his worst of the season after ‘Only” throwing for 299 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception. The Cowboys had to go to overtime to take down the swooning Redskins but more importantly Tony Romo continued his hot streak adding another 3 touchdown passes to his season total. No one thought that the Miami Dolphins would be riding a 3-game winning streak heading into this one but they have pull it all together behind QB Matt Moore and have looked impressive lately beating their last three teams by a combined score of 86-20. The San Fran-Baltimore tilt is made for Thanksgiving as the brothers Harbaugh will get it on get it on in Charm city. Their mother Jackie won’t attend because reportedly the brothers have decided that the day is about the 49ers and Ravens. In other words Mom doesn’t want to choose sides, which is respectable. Turkey day will be at its best this year with a big helping of NFL action.

On the contrary to the greatness of the Thanksgiving game slate, week 10 in the NFL is usually when the injury bug begins to rear its ugly head and it couldn’t be even more evident then this past weekend. The big one was Chicago Bears QB Jay Cutler going down with a broken thumb on his throwing finger. This is the ultimate disaster for the Bears in multiple ways. Even though Cutler can be sometime erratic, he is still the heart of their offense. He has a hand in just about everything they do with his 2,319 yards passing, 13 touchdown passes to 7 interceptions, and his 85.7 QB rating. These are not eye-popping numbers but as anyone with knowledge of the Bears futile QB history, these numbers are more than enough for Chicago. There are a couple of silver linings for the Bears in that they are a team that scores in multiple ways and not just with there offense. KR/PR Devin Hester is as explosive as they come as he recently broke the all-time record for most punts returns for touchdowns and Chicago will need him more than ever with Cutler going down. Their defense also is known for takeaways turned touchdowns as they are aggressive as they come in making something happen after they recover a fumble or get an interception. The second part is that backup Caleb Haynie had a chance to get his feet wet in last year’s NFC Championship game against Green Bay, and didn’t look half bad.

Haynie was 13/20 for 153 yards but had two interceptions in the Bears lost to the Packers. He wasn’t great but he was far from terrible as the Bears had a chance to defeat the Pakcers in that game. He will have the added benefit that Chicago plays four games against fair to mediocre pass defenses before he gets another crack at the Packers in week 16. The Packers aren’t scaring anyone with their next to last ranked pass defense anyway. Chicago’s soul on offense Matt Forte will have to carry even more of the load now that Haynie will be in place of Cutler. Another possibility is that the Bears could re-sign their former QB Kyle Orton now that he was placed on waivers in Denver. He could come in and play immediately to solidify the position until Cutler returns.

Cutler’s injury news comes on the heels of franchise QBs Matt Schaub being out possibly for the rest of the season with a foot twinge and Michael Vick’s ribs keeping him out of the last game. Nothing worst can happen to your seasons hopes and dreams than your QB going down.

1. Green Bay Packers (10-0) – What do you say about a QB who had has worst statistical day of the year and he says that he is disappointed in his performance? Most any other QBs you would think of a terrible stat line but Rodgers was 23/34 for 299 yards and 3 TDs. He also threw an interception but if that is considered a bad day at the office for him then how can we not crown this guy the best QB in the league? He carries his team week in and week out because lets face it, that defense stinks and isn’t anywhere close to being as dominant as it has been over the last few years. Josh Freeman was able to put up a career high 342 yards passing last week on the porous Packer pass defense. It will come a point and time when their defense will have to rise up and play better because every team is giving them their best shot. Matt Stafford is coming off his best game ever and now Green Bay has to travel to Detroit to take him on. Sounds like it could be fireworks in Ford Field tomorrow. If the Packers are going undefeated then they undoubtedly have to shore up that defense.

2. San Francisco 49ers (9-1) – The 9ers shellacked the Cardinals and just keep rolling with only one loss, they are keeping the pressure on the Packers for home field advantage. This team plays good fundamental football especially on defense. They don’t beat themselves like they use to and they have a knack now for pulling out close games. The Harbaugh bowl could turn out to be the best game of the week with two stout defenses on display. Look for Jim to pull a few new wrinkles out of his pocket as he knows the Ravens defense will make life miserable for his offense. The next two games will tell us everything think we need to know about this team heading into the playoffs as they take on Pittsburgh after the Baltimore game.

3. Houston Texans (7-3) – Even though there is a glut of 7-3 teams and the Texans lost starting QB Matt Schaub possibly for the season, I will stay with Houston at the three spot for now. The best thing they could have had happen was that bye week, as it should give Matt Leinart a chance to acclimate himself with the offense even more. After the Leinart led Texans take on Atlanta and Cincinnati the next couple of week, they should be in good shape as they won’t face another opponent with a winning record from there. The question is can Leinart keep them afloat? We will find out if he is ready for his close up.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-3) – Bye. Can’t penalize them for not playing, so they reaming at four for now.

5. New Orleans Saints (7-3) – Bye. The Saints look to be in good position to take the AFC South but they still have three tough games on the schedule with the NY Giants, Detroit Lions, and a game that could decide the division with Atlanta on the second to last week of the season.

Sportaholic NFL Power Rankings Week 10

The news coming out of Houston has to be deflating for any Texans fan. Charm City were the owners of a shiny 7-3 record sitting atop the AFC South and just came off an annihilation of a good Tampa Bay team 37-9. Everything was good until the news broke that Matt Schaub was injured on a QB sneak coming out of the end zone in the second quarter. The injury very likely will end the season for the Texans QB and leader. That brings the toll to three of Houston’s top players that have all missed significant time due to injury with Andre Johnson still nursing his hamstring, Mario Williams out the remainder of the year with a torn pectoral, and now the latest victim Schaub.




It’s a debilitating blow to a team that thought it had finally made its way over the hump. The defensive issues that had plagued this team under Gary Kubiak had convincingly been solved as Wade Phillips brought a new attitude on the side of the ball resulting in a top 10 ranked total defense. The run game was sound with Arian Foster and Ben Tate shredding teams week in and week out. Now they turn to pretty boy Matt Leinart in hopes they he can just keep the team afloat.

The ramifications of Schuab’s injury will reverberate throughout the entire AFC. ESPN was touting the Texans as maybe the team to beat to get to the Super Bowl in the conference but that much is in doubt now. The Tennessee Titans, thought dead in the water for the division now have a second life. Schuab was the conductor of the Texans smooth locomotive 8th ranked offense and without him they could be in trouble.

The NFL is entering the portion of the schedule where injuries begin to rear their ugly head. Philadelphia’s Michael Vick has two broken ribs to add to litany of problems in the land of the birds. It seems Philly has had every conceivable problem you can have this season and that defense flat out stinks. Andy Reid hired Juan Castillo who never was a defensive coordinator and I hate to say it but its showing now as the season chugs along. There is just no way a team with that talent should lose to the John Skelton led Cardinals and be sitting at 3-6. There is just no way.

How about that Tim Tebow? He was 2/8 yeah but who cares when you win the game. He made the most of passes as he dropped a dime to Eric Decker for the game winner. Matt Stafford probably would like a do over against the Bears. Four interceptions and numerous comments by the announcers about how the glove he was wearing would make anyone beg to start over. The Lions had better get that act together quickly to make sure they don’t’ go from a feel good story to a get lost story.



One team I just can’t (And I don’t know anyone who can) put my finger on are the Baltimore Ravens. Just take a look at their losses to Tennessee, Jacksonville, and now Seattle who have a combined juggernaut record of 11-16. If I ever had to play the Ravens I would most definitely want to play them the game after they face Pittsburgh as they have turned in two flat line performances after beating their arch rivals. Speaking of rivals that Jets vs. Pats game was a snoozer. You here about it all week as the world wide leader and every other channel hype’s and hype’s the game and then New York (Or should I say Sanchez) goes out and lays a dud. It could have been a lot worse for them as Mark Sanchez just hasn’t progressed to the point most of us thought he would.



Tony Romo’s got the mojo as he obliterated all the remaining buffaloes in the Dallas-Ft.Worth area. 23-26 for 270 yards and 3 TDs! If the Cowboys got that consistently out of him they would be a year in year out Super Bowl contender. And last but not least on the list is Mike Smith of the Falcons. Yeah you should know the story by now as Smith went for it on 4th down and inches in overtime only to have Michael Turner get stuffed and turnover the ball to a ready Drew Brees. Brees needed just four plays to get the Saints in field goal range as the ancient one John Kasay booted a game winning 26-yard kick. I understand Smith’s reasoning behind the idea but I just don’t agree with it. It means he basically decided that his defense wasn’t good enough to stop New Orleans offense. That decision may come back to haunt him in the last weeks of the season.



Now with that all out of the way, lets unveil the rankings.

1. Green Bay Packers (9-0) – Lets be honest how many people watched the game past the first quarter last night? I’ll wait…… So yeah I didn’t either. Randall Cobb’s opening kick off return took any of the spirit that Minnesota had at the beginning of the game. Just like that game was over in my mind. Aaron Rodgers got cooking as always and put up usual numbers with 4 TD passes in the game. Who can stop this team, I don’t know as the undefeated whispers grow louder. I do know that Aaron Rodgers is the best player in the league right now. He handles that offense with such precision it’s not even fair. The Packers are the undisputed number one team in league right now.

2. San Francisco 49ers (8-1) – Never would I have thought the 9ers would be one loss to Dallas from being undefeated. They took down a damn good Giants team and did it in a way that makes me believe they are true contenders this year. They play with a hard nosed edge on defense that is fun to watch with Patrick Willis and Navarro Bowman roaming around. Carlos Rogers has provided them with top notch corner play after coming over from Washington and to top every thing off they beat the Giants without their best offensive weapon in Frank Gore. I’m very impressed with these guys and they are all but assured a playoff victory with a five game buffer to their nearest division team. Hopefully complacency won’t ruin them down the stretch.

3. Houston Texans (7-3) – How can not a small portion of you feel bad for these guys? Just when you thought they had it all together and man handled the Bucs, Matt Schaub goes down. They will have to rely on that potent run game more than ever now as Matt Leinart enters the fray. He will have lean on Foster and Tate to carry them for the rest of the season. Andre Johnson is coming back as well so that should give “Limp arm Leinart” a boost. It’s a shame that Houston’s best season so far to date now all relies on the right arm of Matt Leinart. If he plays well and leads them to the playoffs, he could possibly land a starting job somewhere next season, so there is motivation for him to play well. I’m intrigued to see what becomes of this team for the rest of the season.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers ( 7-3) – The Steelers toyed around with the Bengals before they put them in their place. Rook Qb Andy Dalton is the real deal though as he continued his impressive play. Pittsburgh will just keep chugging along but they won’t win this division thanks to those two losses to Baltimore. That means they have no choice but go the wild card route and they will have to fight it out with a number of teams for the playoffs. Just another year of football in the city of steel.

5. New Orleans Saints (7-3) – The Saints got lucky as Mike Smith’s bone-headed play doomed the Falcons and basically gave New Orleans the win. On another note, who knew Jimmy Graham had the power to shift the goal post? I was impressed by his hops as his thunderous two-handed football slam slanted the goal post side ways and delaying the game. The funniest part of the whole thing was stadium officials coming and trying to fix the thing only to have it still leaning. The Saints win gave them a commanding lead in the NFC South and Drew Brees continues his hot play.\

Offensive Player of the Week: Tony Romo 23-26 270 yards and 4 TDs - As a Dallas fan I was actually upset about this. I had two reasons behind being upset with the first being that it wasn’t on my cable T.V. I mean come on Comcast, this was the best game ever by Romo as he was tossing lasers all over and this is the one game I can’t see? They show every other Dallas game when Romo is choking away a game to Darrelle Revis and the Jets or when they played Tom Brady and the Pats but when Tony does his thing I can’t watch? Ugh. My second reason is that if Romo could just play like that every week, no excuses, no girlfriend talk, no new baby talk, no aw shucks attitude, then this is what he could do. He would be one the best QBs in the league. So with all that said congrats to you Tony, you played one hell of a game but just keep it up.

Defensive Player of the Week: Andre Carter 4.5 Sacks – There is no way you let a guy get that many sacks on your QB. There are guys who go an entire career not amassing that many sacks in a season much less one game. I have to give Carter credit because he continued to bring the heat and the Jets offensive line had no answer for him.

Sportaholic NFL Power Rankings Week 9

How underrated are the Chicago Bears? They are an old school physical team that doesn’t get much appreciation because of their style. Their almost polar opposite of the team they beat last night in the Philadelphia Eagles who of course are more style than substance. I remember watching last night and saying that this is just like that Bears team from last year that went all the way to the NFC Championship game and might even be better. Jay “Cut Dog” Cutler has cut down on the mistakes which has plagued his career, Matt Forte is running like he never has before which has a lot to do with this being his contract year and the defense lead by Urlacher and Briggs is always there. I like this team but they just happen to be in a tough division this year with Green Bay and Detroit. After seeing Philly hand it to Dallas, we all thought that it was time for them to get rolling. But after last nights game it still hard to put your finger on what kind of team identity they have. Lesean McCoy was held to just 71 yards and Mike Vick had 34 but I just can’t imagine Andy Reid coaching a run first team. Philly has to find a way to win games no matter how they do it from here on out. Just when you think you know what the Eagles are about, they go out and don’t live up to your expectations.

Evermore, just when you think you have it all figured out in the NFL, everything changes on you within the blink of an eye. New England was lighting up the league through the first quarter of the season, as Tom Brady and Wes Welker looked on their way to historic seasons putting up bountiful numbers each game. Now the Patriots have been exposed as a team that can only rely on Brady and nothing from their run game. The Buffalo Bills were the feel good story of the league as they were in the midst of a football revival and undefeated in upper New York as they upset the Pats and received more than enough accolades. Now the Bills are 5-3 and in a dog fight in a crowded and competitive AFC East division The Kansas City Chiefs were left for dead after pulling an 0-fer in the first month of the season. They lost their best offensive player in Jamal Charles and their best defensive players in Eric Berry. But now the Chiefs are getting the last laugh as they have forced their way back into the playoff picture (Even though they took an ugly loss to previous winless Miami).

Only a few teams have showed the mark of consistency. Green Bay of course, Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers surprisingly the New York Giants, equally stunning San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions and the New Orleans Saints. Those teams in my opinion have shown that they are the best teams in the NFL. Although those teams named are not prone to lapses every once in awhile as well. The Saints bombed against the Rams just a couple of weeks ago, The Ravens did the same against Jacksonville, and Detroit loss two in a row before righting the ship against the Denver Tebow’s, I mean Broncos.

Now for the rankings:

1. Green Bay Packers (8-0) – This is almost becoming redundant as the Packers continue to beat teams with their latest victim being the Chargers. I really thought San Diego would give them a good game which they did, but Aaron Rodgers just performed surgery on that defense going 21/26 for 247 yards and 4 Td passes. The only bad thing you can really say about the Packers is that their defense seems to rely too much on the fact that Rodgers will always bail them out. This was a top 10 ranked defense over the last past two season and now they seem to become a bend but the don’t break bunch as they know their offense will put up prolific numbers. Everything is good when your undefeated but a loss or two will shine the light on that defense. Mark my words.

2. Baltimore Ravens (6-2) – What a game they played against Pittsburgh as they always do. Joe Flacco finally stood up and made some plays at the end of a game. His 26-yard hookup with Torrey Smith with 8 seconds remaining was a thing of beauty. You can’t ask for more from the Ravens offense as they marched 92 yards on 13 plays, something that looked impossible to do at the time for Smith with all the problems he had in the game. This was the type of game that could get the Ravens on a roll and now they have won both games against their hated rival meaning they have no reason to worry about them for the rest of the year. Cincinnati on the other hand still surprisingly in the mix for the AFC North but come on now who do you really think is going to win that division?

3. New York Giants (6-2) – Facebook message I received after the game: Eli Manning owns Tom Brady! It was hilarious to think one of my buddies thought that Eli is better than Brady. Now I know Manning has beat Brady twice on game-winning 4th quarter drives, with one coming in the Super Bowl but really there is comparison in terms of overall numbers. Eli is having one of his best years in the league and that bodes well for the Giants as they usually play as good as Eli does. The thing that most impressed me was the Giants offense ability to overcome Ahmad Bradshaw’s injury as big Brandon Jacobs. With both Dallas and Philadelphia’s inconsistent play this year, the Giants could sneak up and take the division. They are in the midst of a grueling schedule as they face San Francisco, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Green Bay and Dallas all in consecutive weeks.

4. New Orleans Saints (6-3) – The Saints are another team who goes as their QB goes and luckily for them they have one of the best in Drew Brees. Its to the point that I’m surprised when he throws a pick nowadays. The Saints defense has really picked up its game as well. I was impressed with the way they are flying to the ball. They held LaGarrette Blount in check with just 72 yards and Josh Freeman as well. The Bucs always give New Orleans a good game but it wasn’t to be this time for them and probably for the division this year either.

5. Houston Texans (6-3)- Flying under the radar are the Texans, as they are just beating up teams with their running back duo of Arian Foster and Ben Tate. The combo combined for 239 yards on 31 carries. Matt Schaub job has been easy and it will continue to be as long as Gary Kubiak’s zone blocking scheme is so effective. The Texans are clearly the best team in the AFC South at this point.

Yeah I know i didn't include Detroti or San Francisco but in my opinion, I have to see more work from those two teams.

Make sure to check out the Sportaholic Radio Show this Saturday from 10 A.M. to 12 P.M. as we run down the best football teams and much more on beatknockin.com.