Sunday, December 28, 2008

The NFL Blog: Power Rankings (After Week 17)

Power Rankings After Week 17

1. New York Giants 12-4 (1st)
2. Tennessee 13-3 (2nd)
3. Pittsburgh 12-4 (3rd)
4. Indianapolis 12-4 (4th)
5. Baltimore 11-5 (5th)
6. Carolina 12-4 (6th)
7. Atlanta 11-5 (7th)
8. New England 11-5 (8th)

-Previous week’s ranking in parenthesis;

Out: none;


Explanation: For the first time all year there were no changes to my top 8 in the final power rankings of the season. It’s not too surprising since many of the top teams have everything sewed up and are resting starters in week 17. This was actually only the 3rd time all year that no team fell out of my top 8. For the 2nd week in a row and the 5th time in the last 6 weeks, the New York Football Giants held the top spot in my rankings. The G-Men finish the year as my #1 team despite blowing a lead and losing by a point at home to the Vikings to finish the year 12-4. The Giants were ranked 13th in my preseason rankings but they broke into my week 2 power rankings at number 7 and they were in my top 8 for the final 16 rankings. They were ranked in my top 5 in the final 13 rankings and in my top 2 in the final 10 rankings. The team that held the top spot in my rankings for the most weeks this year was the Tennessee Titans, and they finished 2nd in my power rankings after losing to the Colts in week 17 to finish 13-3. Tennessee got beat 23-0 in their final game but they had nothing left to play for. The Titans were ranked 21st in my preseason rankings but they broke into my top 8 for good at #1 in week 4 and they spent 8 weeks of the season in the top spot in my rankings. Tennessee was ranked in my top 3 for the final 13 weeks. The Pittsburgh Steelers held the top spot in my rankings for 1 week this year but they finished the season in the #3 spot after blanking the Browns 31-0 to end the year 12-4. The Steelers were ranked 11th in my preseason rankings but they broke into my top 8 at number 4 in week 1. They were in my top 8 in 16 of the 17 rankings, including each of the last 13 weeks. Pittsburgh was ranked in my top 5 in the final 12 rankings and in my top 4 in the final 9 rankings. They were ranked in my top 3 in each of the 5 final rankings. The Indianapolis Colts were again 4th in my rankings this week after they beat Tennessee 23-0 in the final week of the season to finish the year 12-4. The Colts were ranked 3rd in my preseason rankings but they fell out of my top 8 twice during the season. The Colts were in my top 8 in 13 of the 18 rankings, including the last 8. The Colts were 4th in my final 4 rankings. At number 5 in my final rankings are the Baltimore Ravens, who whipped the Jaguars, 27-7, at home in week 17 to finish the year 11-5. The Ravens were ranked 18th in my preseason rankings and they didn’t break into my top 8 until week 9 when they debuted at #7. However, they would be in my rankings for good, as they were in my top 8 for the final 9 weeks. The Ravens were 5th in my final 4 rankings. The Carolina Panthers ended the year in the #6 spot in my rankings after eking out a 2 point win on the road over the Saints to finish the season 12-4. The Panthers were ranked 19th in my preseason rankings and they didn’t break into my top 8 until week 5 when they debuted at #6. The Panthers fell out of my top 8 twice during the season but they were in 10 of my final 13 rankings. Carolina was ranked 6th in my final 4 rankings. The team in the #7 slot in my final power rankings is the only NFL team near and dear to my heart, the Atlanta Falcons. I can’t say that I was completely unaffected by personal bias when it comes to ranking the Atlanta Falcons. I can absolutely say that I did not overrate the Falcons based on personal attachment, but I may have underrated them based on my personal attachment. The Falcons were ranked 32nd—dead last—in my preseason rankings and they did not break into my top 8 until the 2nd to last week of the season when they debuted at #7. The Falcons were ranked 7th in each my final 2 power rankings. The New England Patriots held the last spot in my final power rankings after they shutout the Bills on the road to finish the season 11-5. The Pats were ranked 2nd in my preseason rankings but they fell out of my top 8 in week 1 after Tom Brady went down with a season ending knee injury. They got back in my top 8 in week 8 but they fell out a week later and didn’t get back to the top 8 until week 16. The Patriots were 8th in each of my final 2 power rankings. Of the teams ranked in the top 8 in my preseason rankings, only 2 (New England and Indianapolis) were in my final top 8 of the year and no team remained in my top 8 all the way through from preseason to the end of the regular season. The Titans spent the most weeks at #1 in my rankings (8) and they had the longest continuous stay in my top 8 (final 13 rankings). The Steelers spent the most weeks in my top 8 (16).

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