Thursday, October 18, 2012

The NFL Blog: 2012 Power Rankings (After Week 6)



Power Rankings After Week 6

1. New York Giants 4-2 (3rd)
2. San Francisco 4-2 (1st)
3. Green Bay 3-3 (7th)
4. Houston 5-1 (2nd)
5. Baltimore 5-1 (4th)
6. New England 3-3 (5th)
7. Atlanta 6-0 (6th)
8. Chicago 4-1 (8th)
9. Denver 3-3 (11th)
10. Seattle 4-2 (12th)
11. Philadelphia 3-3 (9th)
12. Pittsburgh 2-3 (10th)
13. Washington 3-3 (17th)
14. Minnesota 4-2 (14th)
15. Dallas 2-3 (16th)
16. Tampa Bay 2-3 (18th)
17. Arizona 4-2 (13th)
18. New Orleans 1-4 (20th)
19. Detroit 2-3 (21st)
20. New York Jets 3-3 (22nd)
21. San Diego 3-3 (15th)
22. Miami 3-3 (23rd)
23. St. Louis 3-3 (24th)
24. Cincinnati 3-3 (19th)
25. Buffalo 3-3 (29th)
26. Carolina 1-4 (26th)
27. Indianapolis 2-3 (27th)
28. Oakland 1-4 (28th)
29. Kansas City 1-5 (25th)
30. Tennessee 2-4 (31st)
31. Cleveland 1-5 (32nd)
32. Jacksonville 1-4 (30th)

Comments: It was another week of chaos in my rankings. I feel less certain about the state of the league right now than I have at any point so far this year. 

27 of 32 spots in my rankings changed this week, with 15 teams moving up at least 1 spot in my rankings and 12 teams going down at least 1 spot. Of the 15 teams going up in the rankings, 10 moved up more than 1 spot. Of the 12 teams going down in the rankings, 8 fell more than 1 spot. 

3 different teams moved up 4 spots in the rankings this week. Green Bay climbed 4 spots from #7 to #3; Washington rose 4 spots from #17 to #13; and the Bills moved up 4 spots from #29 to #25. 

Not surprisingly, the team taking the biggest dive in my rankings this week was San Diego. Following their pathetic collapse against Denver on MNF I moved the Chargers down 6 spots from #15 to #21. 

The Niners fell out of the top spot in my rankings this week after taking over the #1 spot last week. I dropped SF 1 spot from #1 to #2. The team taking over the top position for the Niners is the same team that whipped them on Sunday, the New York Football Giants. NYG climbed 2 spots in my rankings this week, moving up from #3 to grab the #1 position. 

There is also a new team at the other end of my rankings this week. The Browns defeated Cincinnati on Sunday for their first victory of the year and they climbed 1 spot in my rankings this week, moving out of the #32 spot to #31. Jacksonville was on a bye, but they dropped 2 spots in my rankings this week, falling from #30 to the bottom position. 

With the Browns getting off the schnide there are no longer any winless teams left in the NFL.

The Falcons eked out a victory over the Raiders at home to remain undefeated at 6-0. My Dirty Birds come in at #7 this week, falling 1 spot from #6. The Falcons are now the only undefeated team in the NFL, as the Texans got hammered at home on Sunday night by Green Bay, suffering their first defeat of the season. The Texans are now 5-1 and they moved down 2 spots in my ranks this week from #2 to #4. 

One of the more interesting aspects of the league to this point in the season is the number of teams that are either at .500 or 1 game below .500. 16 teams—exactly half of the teams in the NFL—are either 2-3 or 3-3. 11 different teams are currently at .500. The Packers are my highest ranked .500 team at #3, while the Bills are my lowest ranked .500 team at #25.

While Atlanta is the only team left without a loss on the year, there are just 3 teams left with only 1 loss (Houston, Baltimore, and Chicago). Chicago is my lowest ranked 1-loss team at #8, while the Texans are my highest ranked 1-loss team at #4. Baltimore is at #5. 

With a 2-3 record, the Steelers are my highest ranked team with a losing record, coming in at #12 this week. Arizona (4-2 on the year) comes in at #17 and the Cards are my lowest ranked team with a winning record.

The New Orleans Saints were idle last week but they are my highest ranked 1-win team, coming in at #18 in this week’s rankings.

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