in NFL Articles

Week 9 was entertaining. We saw the Vikings resurrected, the Colts stay on track and the Bucs continue to tumble. After some of your complaining, we have finally put the Panthers where they belong, with their biggest jump in the short history of the rankings. Jacksonville and the Eagles had the biggest drops of the week.

Yes, teams that win can still be dropped. We look for dominance and quality of opponent as some of the determining ranking factors. Even if you don’t like it, you have to admit we’re still better than the BCS.

All comments concerning the rankings can be sent to FaceOff@BetUS.com and we’ll post them in the Face Off section.

Rank   (LW)                           Team & Reason

32        (32)                              Green Bay Packers

Another game and another way to lose. Green Bay hangs in games long enough to tease bettors and fans, and then snatches a certain cover or win away from the hands of victory.

31        (28)                              Tennessee Titans

This team is searching for an identity. With a patchwork defense and an inconsistent offense, they are bad. The running game has been a major disappointment.

30        (29)                              San Francisco 49ers

They may have tons of injuries, they have no QB, they may not even have a lot of talent. But, coach Mike Nolan has this team playing hard, particularly the defense. They are still a squad that will cover on occasion.    

29        (30)                              Houston Texans

They scared Jacksonville to death, but in the end they succumbed to logic. Houston is one of those rare teams that begin the season playing out the string. 

28        (27)                              Arizona Cardinals

Pathetic. Ridiculous. Nothing else to say about a team that’s clearly going to end up last on these rankings at some point.

27        (31)                              Cleveland Browns

Now this is more like it. Their running game was stellar, Trent Dilfer pretended he still has what it takes and Cleveland wins a road game!

26        (26)                              New Orleans Saints

Hello? Aaron Brooks: do you remember Joe Horn? He’s that all-pro who has to be thrown the ball more than twice a game. How this team gets a 100-yard rusher and still manages not to be able to move the ball consistently, I’ll never know.

25        (24)                              Miami Dolphins

Another valiant effort and another game in which their quarterback was the reason they lost. Poor Nick Saban. He had a playoff caliber team on his hands, just forgot to get a QB.

24        (22)                              New York Jets

Musical quarterbacks is not working and everyone knows it. Write off the season, draft a QB high and contend next season. This should be the plan for Herm, that is if he returns in ‘06.

23        (23)                              Baltimore Ravens

Kyle Boller is now back as the starter. Wow, so we go from a bad quarterback, to another bad quarterback. It’s this obsession with Boller that will get Billick fired.

22        (20)                              Oakland Raiders

They had a big test in KC and they failed. One gamble by Dick Vermeil probably ended their season. No matter, they are slowly getting better, just not fast enough to avoid last place in the AFC West.

21        (21)                              Detroit Lions

The return of Joey Harrington went as expected- miserably! Mariucchi would have been better off dusting off Scott Mitchell for this one. There just doesn’t seem to be any leaders on this football team to take charge and whip everyone into shape.

20        (25)                              Minnesota Vikings

Brad Johnson was the right straw to stir this drink. The talent on this roster could make things interested in the NFC North. I like Minnesota to keep up this inspired play behind a QB who simply doesn’t make mistakes.

19        (18)                              Buffalo Bills

A bye week did them some good. A win over KC this week would do them even better. Their season hangs in the balance in this contest. Kelly Holcomb has got to put up big numbers and make a statement this week in order for his teammates to believe they can go on a run.

18        (13)                              Jacksonville Jaguars

I do not like what is happening here. The Jags are nowhere near the dominant defense of 2004 and their offense can’t complete more than a 10-yard pass. Fred Taylor is doubtful this week, so don’t expect this ranking to go in a positive direction.

17        (19)                              Washington Redskins

Finally, a win over a quality opponent, albeit a distracted one. Nevertheless, Brunell is the man right now in DC and LaVar is back to dominating on defense. We might be ready to take the fraud tag off of them, provided they win in Tampa Bay this week.

16        (16)                              Kansas City Chiefs

Losing Priest Holmes for the season is devastating, particularly when things were really starting to click on offense. Larry Johnson is good, but no one can come through in the clutch like Holmes. Only one game out of first place is a decent spot to be in right now.

15        (15)                              St. Louis Rams

A week off helped to heal the insane amount of offensive injuries this club has suffered. But the key will be defense. Can their D shut down other units? Can the Rams really win without the razzle-dazzle? At least they are better coached now.

14        (17)                              Chicago Bears

It’s hard not to like the hardnosed Bears. Their defense makes play after play. Offensively, they are really starting to assert the ground game, and Kyle Orton is learning to be efficient if nothing else.

13        (9)                                Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Kiss the season goodbye. Unless some QB guru is brought in and shows Chris Simms how to be a top flight NFL field general ASAP, Tampa Bay will fall right out of the playoff picture. The already sleepless coach John Gruden is a bonafide zombie these days.

12        (14)                              Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys are at a crossroads. Either they can continue to play good football and finish off opponents, or they can regress to giving up fourth quarter leads and struggle in the second half. We believe we’ll see a combination of the two.

11        (6)                                Philadelphia Eagles

All is not right in Philly. Without Owens, McNabb has to rely on rookie wideout Reggie Brown. They have got to run the ball more effectively, or this is the last time they will see .500. How the mighty have fallen.

10        (12)                              Cincinnati Bengals

A quality win on the road in Week 9, one that will help them build some confidence for December. At 7-2, Cincinnati is in unchartered waters and they are too good to go back. A tough schedule lies ahead, so this bye week is the last rest they will get.

9          (5)                                New England Patriots

Something just isn’t right in Patriot Land. The swagger and ridiculous efficiency are gone. The stigma and confidence are waning. They need a win- and bad!

8          (10)                              San Diego Chargers

A big win in New York kept their rocky season alive. So take it easy on the bye week boys, because it’s back to playing with your backs against the wall in Week 11.

7          (7)                                Seattle Seahawks

Seattle throttled a bad team? What a surprise. The Seahawks face an old foe in St. Louis this week. Should the Rams win, Seattle might not crack the top 10 again all season.

6          (8)                                New York Giants

The G-Men finally got a road victory with Eli Manning behind center. Sure, they took a while to get going versus the 49ers, but it was smooth sailing in the second half. This team is getting better and better by the week.

5          (4)                                Pittsburgh Steelers

Another so-so performance and another week in which the Steelers do enough to win. Pittsburgh is biding their time until the tough Bengals schedule kicks in, before they assume first place in the AFC North.  

4          (2)                                Atlanta Falcons

The win in Miami was encouraging when you consider Atlanta didn’t have to run the ball extremely well to win. However, it was a one-possession game throughout, not you what wanted to see from a top five- ranked team.

3          (3)                                Denver Broncos

A bye week to refresh at the halfway point and now a tough test in Raiderland, where Mike Shanahan has been impressive lifetime. The Broncos have to keep the heat on with KC only one game back.

2          (11)                              Carolina Panthers

Forget where we had them foolishly ranked last week. The Panthers are for real and everyone knows it now. The early season mistakes by Delhomme appear to be a thing of the past. While the Falcons are tied with them, it’s Carolina’s division to lose.

1          (1)                                Indianapolis Colts

The Colts now have the league’s top offense and a middle-of-the-pack defense, something they have been clamoring for since Manning/James/Harrison went on their run. An undefeated season is unlikely, but anything is possible.