NFL Power Rankings: Week 11

My good pal Jeremy Lambert is back with his weekly NFL Power Rankings. After you get done reading them, make sure you go on Twitter and tell him what a good job he's been doing. The guy really needs a hug lately.....



Welcome to the Ultimate Football Blog Week Eleven Power Rankings. Like most power rankings, this list is highly official and should never be doubted. If you disagree with it, you’re probably a moron.

The NFC South sucks. Right now the 4-6 Atlanta Falcons lead the division. Not because they are any good, but because they just happen to suck less than the Carolina Panthers this past weekend.

The NFC South shouldn’t get a playoff team.

If the season ended today, the Falcons would play the Green Bay Packers in Atlanta in the divisional round of the playoffs. That doesn’t seem very fair. Also, that game wouldn’t be competitive.

The ineptitude of the NFC South should benefit a more deserving team. San Francisco and Seattle, both at 6-4, wouldn’t make the playoffs because a NFC South team wins their division. Both teams are 1-0 against their NFC South opponents this year and would make for a far more competitive game. Green Bay vs. Atlanta or Green Bay vs. Seattle/ San Francisco. Which game sounds more competitive to you?

The NFC South are 6-20-1 against non-division opponents. The only team with a positive +/- in points are the New Orleans Saints. They are a +9. They are the only division in the league with three teams in the negative. Only two teams in the entire NFC who have a worse record than the division leading Falcons are the Washington Redskins and New York Giants.

You want to know why every team in the AFC North has a winning record? They play the NFC South this season and are 8-1-1 against them. Every team in the AFC North will probably end up with a better record than the NFC South division champion.

There’s an idea. Instead of a NFC team replace the NFC South division champion, how about the AFC North team with the best record against the NFC South gets into the playoffs in the NFC. If two teams have the same record, then it comes down to point margin.

The NFL needs some type of boost after the season they’ve had. Not only have they had a rough season off the field, but the primetime games haven’t exactly delivered this season either. Allowing a team that will likely finish .500 or worse to participate in a playoff game, where they will undoubtedly get blown out, won’t win the league anymore fans.

1. Jonas Gray

Prior to this past weekend, Jonas Gray had run for 131 yards and no touchdowns this season. So when he ran for 199 yards and four touchdowns on Sunday, it came as a surprise to just about everyone. Especially the Colts.

2. St. Louis Ram Defense

Not only did they defeat the Denver Broncos, they destroyed them. They picked off Manning twice and knocked out two of his receivers. You wanna slow down the Broncos offense? Just injure everyone.

3. The INT Battle

Blake Bortles had the week off and….BY GAWD THAT’S ELI MANNING’S MUSIC!!!!!

4. Rookie WR Race

Mike Evans made a big impact this week but Kelvin Benjamin caught another touchdown. Sammy Watkins was quiet.

5. J.J. Watt Still Scoring Touchdowns

That’s four touchdowns on the season for the defensive player of the year.

6. Green Bay Packers Offense

Back-to-back 50+ point games. Now they play the Vikings. I’d bet on three straight 50+ games.

7. Colt McCoy

I’m sorry, was Colt McCoy losing to the Buccaneers?

8. Kansas City Chiefs

Dustin James might fire me if I don’t mention the Chiefs this week since they just beat the Super Bowl Champs and are 7-3 after everyone predicted a down year for them.

9. The Bye Week

Jacksonville’s best friend.

10. My Girlfriend

She bought my Carolina Panthers tickets. I don’t even care that the Panthers suck this season, just the fact that she did this makes her the best girlfriend ever.

32. Eli Manning

Not one, not two, not three, not four, but FIVE INTERCEPTIONS!

175. Johnny Manziel

A bad loss to the Texans at home. MANZIEL TO START?!?!?!

263. Ben Tate: Cleveland Brown

Tate was a big signing for the Browns in the offseason, joining the team on a two-year $7 million deal. He ended up getting 106 carries before being released this past week.

500. Maurice Jones-Drew

Four carries. Six yards. Remember when he was good?

600. Sunday Night Football

I say flex into the Oakland game every week.

999. Ron Rivera and Graham Gano

As a Panthers fan, this ranking needs no explanation.

1000. The Adrian Peterson Mess

I’m not going to get into it too much. But it seems clear that the league is just making up the rules as they go when it comes to suspensions this year.