Tag: USA TODAY NFL Power Rankings

Buccaneers crack the top 15 in latest USA TODAY NFL Power Rankings

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been playing some of their best football of late and are climbing up the power rankings.

Less than a month ago, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were sitting at 3-7 after a Week 11 home loss to the New Orleans Saints. Fans were clamoring for Jameis Winston’s job and the team seemed destined for a top spot in the 2020 NFL Draft.

But, oh how fast things can change in the NFL.

Following Sunday’s win over the Indianapolis Colts, the Buccaneers are 6-7 and riding a three-game winning streak as they prepare to head to Detroit in Week 15 to take on a Lions team that’s lost six-straight.

Tampa Bay has averaged 33.7 points per game during their streak and are proving to the rest of the league that they aren’t going to go down without a fight, even if they have already been eliminated from the playoffs.

This week, the Bucs took another big step forward in their quest for respectability by climbing up two spots in the latest USA TODAY NFL Power Rankings, coming in at No. 15.

As usual, the enigma that is Jameis Winston was the focal point of the analysis.

“Jameis Winston conundrum deepens. Showed toughness playing with injured thumb. Has engineered three straight wins with (mostly) strong play. But he’s one pick-six from matching league’s single-season record (6).”

With the win over Indy, Tampa Bay avoided their third-straight 5-11 season. If they win out, they’ll finish 9-7, which would give them their first winning season since 2016.

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USA TODAY NFL Power Rankings: Jets drop 2 spots after historic loss

Check out where the Jets stand in the latest edition of the USA TODAY NFL power rankings.

After three consecutive wins, the Jets fell back to earth by handing the Cinncinati Bengals their first win of the season on Sunday. Now 4-8 on the season, the Jets moved down two spots in the latest edition of USA TODAY’s NFL power rankings.

New York moved down from No. 19 to No. 21 after losing to the Bengals, 22-6. The Jets could not string four wins together after coming out flat in a lackluster post-Thanksgiving loss.

With Sunday’s loss, the Jets became the first team in NFL history to lose twice in one season to teams with 0-7 records or worse.

The Jets could not stop a red-hot Andy Dalton, who was getting the ball out quickly and taking advantage of the Jets’ deficiencies in the secondary in his return as Cincinnatti’s starting quarterback.

Jamal Adams, Arthur Maulet and Brian Poole were all injured or playing banged up as Dalton picked apart a team masquerading as contenders.

The Jets’ sluggish effort can be summarized by one statistic: the team failed to make one offensive trip to the red zone.

As for the rest of the AFC East, the 9-3 Bills moved up two spots to No. 9 after knocking off the Cowboys on Thanksgiving. The Dolphins came away victorious after upsetting the Eagles and moved up two spots to No. 27. The Patriots fell out of the top five and landed at No. 6 following a Sunday night loss to the Texans in Houston.

Rounding out the top five are the Ravens at No. 1, the Saints at No. 2, the Seahawks at No. 3, the 49ers at No. 4 and the Texans at No. 5.

Buccaneers crack top 20 in latest USA TODAY Power Rankings

After a convincing win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 13, the Buccaneers have jumped six spots in the latest power rankings.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are hitting their stride (finally), having won their last two games, both on the road. It’s the Bucs’ first winning-streak of the season, and, at 5-7, they have a chance to avoid their third-straight 5-11 season with four games left to play.

Tampa Bay’ victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 13 was the Devin White coming out party, as the prized rookie out of LSU made franchise history with his big first quarter.

With the team playing solid on both sides of the ball right now, it’s no surprise to see them crack the top 20 in USA TODAY’s latest NFL Power Rankings.

Tampa Bay jumped six spots from 23 to 17, with the stellar play of White as a big reason.

“Tough year for defense but nice to see rookie Devin White assert himself with monster game (TD, INT, fumble recovery) at Jacksonville.”

The Bucs will look to make it three-straight Sunday when they host the 6-6 Indianapolis Colts.

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USA Today Power Rankings: Jets move up 8 spots after huge win over Raiders

The Jets are now No. 19 in the latest USA Today Power Rankings after their big win over the Raiders.

After the Jets’ best win of the season against the Raiders, USA Today took notice and moved the Jets way up in its latest power rankings.

New York moved up eight spots from No. 27 to No. 19 after defeating the Raiders, 34-3. It was by far the biggest jump of the week for any NFL team. Before the Raiders game, the Jets beat the Giants and Redskins, which were okay wins against bad teams, but the Raiders win is a lot more respectable. USA Today even put the Jets ahead of the Raiders despite Oakland’s 6-5 record.

The Jets will have another opportunity to move up next week when they take on the 0-11 Bengals. Cincinnati is by far the worst team in the league, but the Bengals have been competitive in some games this season. The Jets cannot afford to overlook this team like they have in years past with other bad teams.

As for the rest of the AFC East, the Patriots stayed put at No. 2, while the Bills moved up three spots to No. 12. The Dolphins also didn’t move up or down as they sit at No. 29.

The Ravens are No. 1 followed by the Patriots, 49ers, Saints and Seahawks.

Eagles plummet in latest USA TODAY power rankings

Philadelphia Eagles plummet in latest USA TODAY power rankings

The Philadelphia Eagles have lost two games in a row and now sit at 5-6 on the season with an important game against the Miami Dolphins awaiting. After a disastrous performance by Carson Wentz against the Seattle Seahawks, the Eagles have plummeted four spots in the latest USA Today NFL Power Rankings.

18 Philadelphia
Eagles 5-6 10 / 9

No matter how beaten up they are, it’s officially go time given the next three opponents prior to the key rematch with Dallas are combined 6-27.

Philadelphia is now 9-point favorites over the 2-9 Dolphins in Miami and will look to use this easy portion of their schedule to catapult them back into playoff contention.

USA TODAY NFL Power Rankings: Jets rise 2 spots following consecutive wins

Check out where the Jets stand in the latest edition of the USA TODAY NFL power rankings.

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After winning their second consecutive game in as many weeks, the Jets moved up two spots in the latest edition of USA TODAY’s NFL power rankings.

New York moved up from No. 29 to No. 27 after beating the Redskins, 34-17, Sunday. The Jets bounced back against the Giants with a much-needed win and carried their success over against NFC East foes this season, improving to 3-1 against the division on the season.

The Jets were able to make life difficult for Washington rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins. New York’s No. 1 ranked run defense kept the Redskins rushing attack in check while sacking Haskins six times on the afternoon.

New York saw career days from both Sam Darnold and Jamal Adams. Darnold threw a career-high four touchdown passes, while Adams sacked Haskins three times.

Behind Darnold, the Jets running back by committee trio rushed for over 100 yards. Sunday marked the first time this season that the Jets hit the century mark. At tight end, Ryan Griffin had the first 100-plus yard game from a Jets tight end since 2011.

As for the rest of the AFC East, the 7-3 Bills moved up two spots to No. 15 after beating the Dolphins, who fell one spot to No. 29. The Patriots stayed at No. 2 following a victory over the Eagles in Philadelphia.

Rounding out the top five are the Ravens at No. 1, the Patriots at No. 2, the Saints at No. 3, the Seahawks at No. 4 and the 49ers at No. 5.

Eagles fall in latest USA Today NFL Power Rankings

Eagles fall to No. 14 in latest USA Today NFL Power Ranking

The Philadelphia Eagles jumped out to a 10-0 lead on the New England Patriots, only to be outscored 17-0 the rest of way, losing 17-10, and falling to 5-5 on the season. The Eagles are still a good team and are still in the playoff picture.

They plummetted a few spots in the latest USA Today NFL Power Rankings, coming in at No. 14 this week.

14 Philadelphia
Eagles 5-5 3 10 / 9 They really need more production from their wideouts, Alshon Jeffery and Nelson Agholor combining for fewer than 77 yards per game.

Philadelphia host the 8-2 Seahawks at home on Sunday, in a crucial NFC contest.

Latest USA TODAY NFL Power Rankings defends Jameis Winston’s poor play

See what Nate Davis of USA TODAY had to say about Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston in the latest NFL Power Rankings.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are just 3-7 and once again on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoff picture.

After losing 34-17 to the New Orleans Saints in Week 11, the Bucs must head back out on the road for a divisional showdown with the suddenly red-hot Atlanta Falcons.

Atlanta is also just 3-7, but they’ve pulled off major road upsets the past two weeks, first against the Saints and then the Carolina Panthers.

Heading into Sunday’s Week 12, matchup, all eyes will be on Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston, who had four interceptions in the loss to the Saints, bringing his season total to an NFL-high 18.

But, in the latest USA TODAY NFL Power Rankings, which saw the Bucs drop from 22 to 24 this week, Winston finds a defender in writer Nate Davis, who had this to say about the Bucs QB:

“Easy to rip Jameis Winston and his NFL-high 18 INTs. But no QB has been sacked more or must overcome defense that allows more points.”

The Bucs defensive secondary has been atrocious this year, but Winston needs to do a better job of protecting the ball and making the right decisions.

Let’s see how he does against the Falcons.

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USA TODAY NFL Power Rankings: Jets jump up 2 spots

Check out where the Jets stand in the latest edition of the USA TODAY NFL power rankings.

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After knocking off their roommates in a come from behind victory at home, the Jets moved up two spots in the latest edition of USA TODAY’s NFL power rankings.

New York moved up from No. 31 to No. 29 after beating the Giants, 34-27, Sunday. After three consecutive losses, one more embarrassing than the next, the Jets bounced back with a much-needed win.

The Jets were able to harass Daniel Jones all game long while containing Saquon Barkley. Gang Green sacked Jones six times, causing multiple fumbles. The Jets’ front seven also held Barkley to one rushing yard on 13 carries. The defense rose to the occasion, including Jamal Adams, who easily had the best game of his young career.

The safety had nine tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles and the play of the game when he pick-pocketed Jones, leading to his second touchdown of the season.

Fortunately for New York, its ensuing schedule may allow the team to get back on track. Future rises in the power rankings shouldn’t come as a surprise.

As for the rest of the AFC East, the 6-3 Bills dropped from No. 15 to No. 17 after losing a road game in Cleveland. The No. 28 Miami Dolphins moved up two spots following a surprise win over Indianapolis. Finally, the Patriots moved up two spots like the Jets and Dolphins while on their bye week.

Rounding out the top five are the Ravens at No. 1, the Patriots at No. 2, the 49ers at No. 3, the Saints at No. 4 and the Seahawks at No. 5.

Bucs jump four spots in latest USA TODAY NFL Power Rankings

After a big win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 10, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers climbed up the ladder in the latest NFL Power Rankings.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers celebrated their first win since Week 4 Sunday when they took down the Arizona Cardinals, 30-27, at home.

It was the Bucs’ first true home game since Week 3, and the big win also helped stopped the team’s four-game losing streak.

A win was just what this team needed, too, with a rematch against the New Orleans Saints looming. The Saints beat the Buccaneers back in Week 5, which started them on their losing streak. The Bucs would love nothing more than to add to the Saints’ misery after New Orleans was stunned at home last Sunday by the 1-7 Atlanta Falcons.

Tampa Bay is not only riding the momentum this week heading into their big divisional showdown Sunday, but they’re also climbing up the ladder in the latest USA TODAY NFL Power Rankings, making the jump from 26 to 22 this week.

Here’s a little nugget of information added about wide receiver Breshad Perriman:

“Fair or not, NFL’s Next Gen Stats can be really unkind. Bucs’ Breshad Perriman currently has league’s worst catch percentage (32.1%).”

The Bucs will take on the Saints and Drew Brees without cornerback Vernon Hargreaves, who was cut by the team earlier today just days after being benched against the Cardinals for lack of hustle.

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