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NFL Week Six Power Rankings
A Look Back to Week 5
The NFL Season has been filled with surprises, none bigger than the undefeated Detroit Lions and the 4-1 AFC East front runner Buffalo Bills. Under new head coach Jim Harbaugh the Niners have been very impressive. Harbaugh has the much maligned quarterback Alex Smith playing inspired football and has one of the best quarterback ratings in the game right now. Two of the top teams from last season continue to falter in the Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons. Things don't look to be getting better in Atlanta as rookie phenom Julio Jones is injured with a bad hamstring and will sit out in a divisional clash against the Carolina Panthers.
Trades?
The Eagles continue to shoot themselves in the foot with penalties and unfortunate turnovers, however fans of the Eagles should rejoice as the trade rumor mill is churning and talk of Brian Dawkins returning to the Eagles have come about. Dawkins would provide the Eagles with what Cullen Jenkins says the defensive lacks, a leader. The Eagles would send draft picks to acquire both Brian Dawkins and linebacker D.J Williams. I have a hard time seeing the Eagles acquiring both players, as it is incredibly rare for a team to trade away two players during a season, much less to one team. There could be other trades to happen, but I wouldn't count on it. Acclimating new players to new schemes has been tough enough on teams due to the shortened off-season, so don't count on too many moves happening.
Divisional Matchups
The Atlanta Falcons are desperate for a win, and this week they will be playing the surprisingly decent Carolina Panthers. The Falcons will be without Julio Jones, which could be a blessing in disguise. To frequently the Falcons have gone to Jones, granted he has delivered, the offense hasn't been as effective as it was last season. The offense is at its best when it features Michael Turner, then Roddy White, then Tony Gonzalez. Against the Panthers the Falcons will have to run the ball seeing how the Panthers run defense can't stop anyone right now.
The Eagles also have a tough divisional matchup against the Washington Redskins who are coming off their bye week. It was said last week, but this is plain and simple the season for the Eagles. Things won't look as bad going into the bye week at 2-4 with a favorable set of games following the bye week. The Redskins will not roll over and the game will likely hinge on how well Rex Grossman plays. If Grossman turns the ball over, that could very well be the difference in the game.
The Vikings are also visiting their rivals, the Chicago Bears for a NFC North duel on Sunday Night Football. The Vikings on both sides of the ball have been terrible. To frequently the offense becomes stagnant in the second half, and the defense looks lethargic late in games. The same can be side for the Bears offensive line as they can't seem to block anyone. Cutler has played through a good amount of punishment, and no one should question his heart anymore.
The Dolphins and Jets face off on Monday Night Football in a game that not many people will watch. Both teams have issues on both sides of the ball, but the Jets are a better team and should come out with the win to even the record out at 3-3.
Rank
| Team
| Comments
|
|---|---|---|
1.
| Green Bay Packers (5-0)
| The Packers didn't have their best game against Atlanta on Sunday night, but they did enough to come away with the win.
|
2.
| New England Patriots (4-1)
| The Patriots were able to do something that no one would expect. They bullied their opponent.
|
3.
| New Orleans Saints (4-1)
| Drew Brees and Jimmy Graham have been quite the dynamic duo
|
4.
| Detroit Lions (5-0)
| The Lions front four is dominant and can generate quite the pass rush without even having to send any extra blitzers which helps their suspect secondary.
|
5.
| Baltimore Ravens (3-1)
| The Ravens got a bye week as they head into a match with the Houston Texans. Expect them to come out firing on all cylinders.
|
6.
| San Diego Chargers (4-1)
| The Chargers are notorious for being slow starters and finishing the seasons strong. If they keep at it with this pace they could possibly get a first round bye.
|
7.
| San Francisco 49ers (4-1)
| Jim Harbaugh has his team playing smart. Losing Josh Morgan will hurt them as he seemed to be working very well with Smith, but this is Crabtree's time to rise to the occasion.
|
8.
| Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2)
| Roethlisberger had a good game, but his offensive line still needs to play better and keep Ben standing upright.
|
9.
| Washington Redskins (3-1)
| The Redskins have a great shot at winning the division and if they can defeat the Eagles this week their chances will look much better.
|
10.
| Buffalo Bills (4-1)
| The Bills won against the Eagles, but if it wasn't for some fortunate bounces then the game would have turned out differently for them.
|
11.
| Houston Texans (3-2)
| Losing Mario Williams certainly hurts the Texans defense but they still have other pieces on the roster that can play at a high level..
|
12.
| Oakland Raiders (3-2)
| At some point they will fall back down to reality, but with the passing of Al Davis don't expect it to be soon.
|
13.
| Tennessee Titans (3-2)
| The Titans get a much needed bye to rest after getting beat badly by Pittsburgh
|
14.
| New York Giants (3-2)
| Victor Cruz has been impressive and has made flashy plays but he did also cost them the game by trying to one hand catch a ball that ended up being a pick six.
|
15.
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2)
| The Buccaneers played very flat against the Niners and will look to come back strong against the Saints. Only question is, do they have enough to keep up?
|
16.
| New York Jets (2-3)
| The Jets continue to struggle with stopping the run. Even the Patriots were able to gash them on the ground
|
17.
| Dallas Cowboys (2-2)
| Coming off a bye week usually increases your chances of winning the next game seeing how you get an extra week to prepare, but the Cowboys are going to Foxboro.
|
18.
| Philadelphia Eagles (1-4)
| Despite their record, everything that has gone wrong can be fixed and they are only a game and half out of first place.
|
19.
| Atlanta Falcons (2-3)
| Julio Jones going down to injury may help the Falcons offense return to form.
|
20.
| Chicago Bears (2-3)
| Jay Cutler has played tough and shouldn't be questioned by the fans or his teammates anymore.
|
21.
| Cincinnati Bengals (3-2)
| They have been one of the more surprising teams, but eventually the age and lack of experience will catch up.
|
22.
| Carolina Panthers (1-4)
| Cam Newton has been a great surprise to everyone. No one could have expected him to play this well so quickly.
|
23.
| Seattle Seahawks (2-3)
| LeBron could help them...maybe
|
24.
| Cleveland Browns (2-2)
| Peyton Hillis shouldn't have told the media his reasons for not playing this past week. It won't help his chances to get that new contract.
|
25.
| Kansas City Chiefs (2-3)
| Surprisingly the Chiefs have managed to pull out two straight wins.
|
26.
| Minnesota Vikings (1-4)
| The Vikings were able to get a victory as Adrian Peterson carried them the entire game.
|
27.
| Arizona Cardinals (1-4)
| A lack of talent at offensive line is putting even more pressure on newcomer Kevin Kolb
|
28.
| Jacksonville Jaguars (1-4)
| The defense has been impressive, while the offense continues to struggle
|
29.
| Denver Broncos (1-4)
| Tebow time has arrived, but is that a good thing?
|
30.
| St. Louis Rams (0-4)
| Life has been tough on sophomore quarterback Sam Bradford, and his offensive line isn't make anything easier on him.
|
31.
| Indianapolis Colts (0-5)
| Curtis Painter has been solid in his first two starts, but this could still be a very long season
|
32.
| Miami Dolphins (0-5)
| And again...Maybe a little bit of Luck?
|
