Tag: NFL power rankings

Seahawks don’t budge in Touchdown Wire’s Week 11 power rankings

Despite an overtime victory Monday night against the 49ers, the Seattle Seahawks stand pat at No. 6 in the Week 11 NFL power rankings.

The Seattle Seahawks emerged victorious over the San Francisco 49ers Monday night to advance to 8-2 on the season and close the gap on control of the NFC West.

Despite their efforts and overtime win Week 10, the Seahawks stand pat at No. 6 in Touchdown Wire’s latest NFL power rankings.

“Through most of the 2019 season, Seattle’s defense has been an absolute liability, while Russell Wilson has had to take every game into his command,” writes Doug Farrar. “Against the 49ers in a brutally-fought game, that defense finally stepped up, led by edge-rusher Jadeveon Clowney, who finally put together the game he’s been waiting for since the Seahawks traded for him on Sept. 1. The Seahawks had 15 sacks and 29 QB hits coming into this game, and they turned it all around with five sacks and 10 quarterback hits in a 27-24 battle that went to the end of overtime.”

“Clowney ruled the day with five tackles, a strip-sack, five quarterback hits, and a fumble return for a touchdown,” Farrar continued. “So, on a night when Wilson threw his second interception of the season to keep the 49ers alive, it was atypically that Seattle defense that ended up slamming the door.”

Regardless of the slopiness of the play and the mistakes on both sides of the ball, Seattle did what it needed to do against a previously-unbeaten 49ers squad. Beating the unbeaten should account for a boost in the power rankings at least, but the Seahawks remain stuck at No. 6 for now.

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Panthers drop to No. 10 in Week 11 power rankings

Panthers drop to No. 10 in Week 11 power rankings

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The Panthers had a chance to take down one of the NFC’s top contenders on Sunday, but they came up just a little short after a fourth quarter rally.

As expected, the loss to the Packers hurt their position in Touchdown Wire’s power rankings. Last week, they came in at No. 7 on Doug Farrar’s list. This week, they’ve dropped down to No. 10. If you’re looking for a culprit, the run defense is the reason.

“Carolina is tied with Cincinnati in allowing a league-worst 5.2 yards per carry, and it’s never good to be tied with the NFL’s worst overall defense. . . The Panthers will try to fix this issue against the Falcons and their 3.8 yards-per-carry average next week. Long term, this is the kind of thing that could upend everything else as the Panthers try to contend for the postseason.”

Indeed.

Yesterday, coach Ron Rivera told reporters that there’s no magic fix for the team’s issues defending the runs. That may be true, but it doesn’t mean that Rivera is doing enough to help. Schematic changes may be needed to give his front seven more chances to make stops.

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Ravens reach top spot in USA TODAY Sports’ power rankings after Week 10

The Baltimore Ravens dismantled the Cincinnati Bengals 49-13, putting them into the top spot on USA TODAY Sports’ power rankings.

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The Baltimore Ravens are officially the best team in the league. At least if you’re to believe USA TODAY Sports’ latest power rankings, which place them in the No. 1 spot.

“NFL’s most explosive offense deserves its accolades. But ascending defense is first to record TDs of 65-plus yards in three straight games since 1970 merger.”

As I noted elsewhere, the offense has gotten a lot of credit for where Baltimore sits, but it has been the ascension of the defense in recent weeks that has put them over the edge. While the defense still sits near the middle of the pack after nine games in both yards and points allowed, they’re creating big plays from even the best quarterbacks and helping out an offense that was already on fire.

Considering how they took down the Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots and now the Cincinnati Bengals; the Ravens might be the most complete team in the NFL right now. That’s a scary proposition considering this team is really built for the cold-weather football we’re just starting to get into.

Baltimore has a tough few more games on the schedule. In the next three weeks, the Ravens will play the Houston Texans, San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams. For as well as they’ve played, all three of those games will be tough sledding for Baltimore and will either prove them to be the best team in the league or muddy the waters a little bit. Regardless, it seems like the Ravens are destined to get their way into the postseason once again, where they can wreak havoc in the AFC.

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Colts drop a spot in NFL power rankings after loss to Dolphins

How far did the Colts fall in the power rankings?

The Indianapolis Colts will have to deal with the ramifications of allowing the Miami Dolphins to go into Lucas Oil Stadium and come out with a road win.

Though the Colts had several starters inactive due to injuries—most importantly Jacoby Brissett and T.Y. Hilton—there really aren’t any excuses for the sloppy play they put on the field.

And while most would expect the Colts to plummet in the power rankings, they fell just one spot in Touchdown Wire’s rankings following the loss to the Dolphins.

14. Indianapolis Colts

(5-4. Last week: 13)

Though Jacoby Brissett had thrown 14 touchdowns and just three interceptions before suffering a sprained MCL in Week 9 against the Steelers, there were Colts fans who considered Brissett expendable. Those people are probably rethinking that position after their team’s 16-12 loss to the Dolphins, in which backup quarterback Brian Hoyer completed 18 of 39 passes for 204 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. This after Hoyer threw a 96-yard pick-six to Minkah Fitzpatrick to help lose the Steelers game. Hoyer was without star receiver T.Y. Hilton against the Dolphins, Frank Reich’s offense couldn’t get much going on the ground, and Adam Vinatieri continued a troubling 2019 season that suggest the greatest kicker in NFL history might need to hang ’em up. But the real story for the Colts is how they look without Brissett under center. It’s time to acknowledge that, perhaps especially in his absence.

The Colts certainly could have used Brissett against the Dolphins. Hoyer was truly abysmal in a game that could have some serious say in the playoff picture when the season is said and done.

In the AFC South, the Houston Texans (No. 8) lead the way followed by the Colts (No. 14), the Tennessee Titans (No. 16) and the Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 19) for the rankings.

The Colts will try to get back on track in Week 11 as they host the Jaguars for a 1:00 p.m. ET game at Lucas Oil Stadium.