NFL power rankings 2015 Rams #9, #8

[Alan]

http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2015/11...-2015-week-9-broncos-patriots-bengals-packers
NFL power rankings 2015, Week 9: Broncos, Cardinals gain ground; Jets, Falcons fall
Week 8 is in the books, and as we near the season's midway point, there are five teams in the AFC with winning records and six in the NFC. The NFL's elite have continued to separate themselves from the pack while the rest beat up on each other in hopes for that elusive postseason berth.

Still clearly on top are the New England Patriots, who systematically dispatched what had looked to be a formidable opponent on Thursday Night Football in a red-hot Miami Dolphins team. Tom Brady continues to play the quarterback position on another level, mixing surgical accuracy with savvy efficiency and a zen-like understanding of what is going on in front of him. When Brady drops back, all I can picture is that moment when Neo realizes he can perceive and manipulate the Matrix to do his bidding. It's become almost easy for Brady right now as he lazily swats away anything and everything defensive coordinators (agents) throw at him.

We can save the "best ever" discussion for another day but regardless of how you feel about Brady, his ability to seamlessly switch styles, adapt to different game-plans and evolve with changing weaponry with artful proficiency is truly impressive. As long as Brady continues to play at this high level, the Patriots will easily be the favorites for a return trip to the Super Bowl this year. And I haven't even talked about their defense, which is playing really well this season, too, despite losing some key players. Anyway, the Patriots are No. 1 in these rankings, that's my point.

Following close behind are the Bengals, who passed a big test by beating their division rival Steelers in their place in Ben Roethlisberger's return to action. Cincy's defense was the star in this game, picking off Big Ben three times while making the statement that they are the owners of the AFC North. The Bengals might be the deepest and most talented team in the NFL right now, not to mention the most balanced.

Moving on up:
Prior to this week, the Broncos, on the other hand, had probably been the least balanced team in the league. Going into their big Sunday night matchup with the Packers, Denver was sporting the league's best defense but also had probably the worst offense in the NFL, which is a weird concept to consider when Peyton Manning is playing quarterback. There's been talk that Manning's arm is shot, that his decision making has diminished. There's been discussion that he just hasn't adapted to Gary Kubiak's offense. I don't know which factor is most to blame, but Manning did look good against the very good Packers defense in throwing for 340 yards on 21-of-29 passing (though he did throw a pick). Maybe more importantly, though, the Broncos' run game caught fire finally, withC.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman combining for 160 yards and three touchdowns to give Denver the kind of balance it wants on that side of the ball.

I don't think there is any question right now that the Broncos' defense can carry the team pretty far. Holding Aaron Rodgers to 77 yards passing is absurdly, ridiculously impressive. The Broncos have the best pass rush in the NFL and three legit shutdown cornerbacks, but I do think they'll need more from their offense to take this thing all the way. The spark from that side of the ball this week is a great sign, and with the trade forVernon Davis, it might get even better going forward.

In the NFC, the Panthers and Cardinals look like the top dogs following the Packers' beatdown at the hands of the Broncos. Arizona got 109 rushing yards and four touchdown passes from Carson Palmer to take out the Browns on the road, while Cam Newton and the Panthers survived a Colts comeback to win in overtime and stay unbeaten.

Meanwhile, the Vikings are living up to their preseason hype and moved to 5-2 with a win over the Bears in Chicago. That doesn't sound super impressive on the surface but road division games are always tough and Minnesota had only beaten Chicago on the road in two of their last 15 matchups. The Vikings are balanced with a strong defense, a good run game and an emerging star in Stefon Diggs in the pass game. They're quietly positioning themselves well to challenge the Packers.

The same could be said for the Rams, who won again to improve to 4-3, putting them alone in second place in the NFC West. They've got a defense that loves to fly around, one of the most dominant players in the NFL in Aaron Donald and an emerging superstar at running back. They're dangerous.

Behind them in the West, the Seahawks snuck by the Cowboys on the road to improve to 4-4. The team that had so much trouble finishing earlier in the season has now held consecutive opponents to a whopping seven total yards of offense in the fourth quarter, combined. Seattle will see bigger challenges than Colin Kaepernick and Matt Casselgoing forward, of course, but they've survived a tough first half and are poised for a strong finish. Pete Carroll is 22-4 in November and December as the Seahawks' head coach.

Surprisingly still in the hunt
The Saints won maybe the craziest game of the season by outlasting the Giants in a 13-touchdown barn burner to improve to 4-4 on the year. They might not have the defense to contend in the NFC South, but with a wide-open field in the NFC so far, we can't count them out. Drew Brees looks like a man possessed.

Staying in the NFC South, don't look now but the Buccaneers are 3-4 and probably (really) should be 4-3 after blowing a big lead last week to Washington. Regardless, their record puts them in the hunt and Jameis Winston is 50-of-77 (64.9 percent) with 683 yards passing, four touchdowns (plus one rushing) and zero turnovers over his last three games. If he can keep that up and limit turnovers, Tampa Bay could spice things up.

The AFC South looks pretty interesting as well, and with the Texans' win and the Colts' loss, Houston is surprisingly still right in the thick of things despite a slow start. Same could be said of the Raiders, who improved to 4-3 with an impressive win over the Jetsand look like they're real contenders for a wild card spot in the AFC. Even the Chiefs, at 3-5, aren't out of the game.

Slipping:
I'm guessing this slip down the rankings won't last terribly long, but after a dud against the Broncos, Green Bay falls slightly in our rankings. Aaron Rodgers is the guy giving Tom Brady a run for his money as "best quarterback alive" right now, but 77 yards passing is really, really bad, even against a great defense like Denver's.

The Falcons lost at home to the Bucs to drop in our rankings, the Jets lost to the Raiders and the Dolphins looked punchless against the Patriots.

As for the Cowboys? They are just waiting for the day that Tony Romo gets back onto the field.

Jockeying for that first pick:
Wow, so uh, the firing of offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and two offensive line coaches didn't seem to do much for the Lions. Jim Bob Cooter failed to inspire an underachieving group in London and Detroit got blown out by the Chiefs.

Meanwhile, the Titans couldn't muster much fight against the Texans.

RANK WEEK 6 SB NATION BLOG
1 New England Patriots, 7-0 (Last Week: 1) Pats Pulpit
2 Cincinnati Bengals, 7-0 (Last Week: 2) Cincy Jungle
3 Denver Broncos, 7-0 (Last Week: 5) Mile High Report
4 Carolina Panthers, 7-0 (Last Week: 4) Cat Scratch Reader
5 Arizona Cardinals, 6-2 (Last Week: 7) Revenge of the Birds
6 Green Bay Packers, 6-1 (Last Week: 3) Acme Packing Company
7 Minnesota Vikings, 5-2 (Last Week: 8) Daily Norseman
8 Atlanta Falcons, 6-2 (Last Week: 6) The Falcoholic
9 St. Louis Rams, 4-3 (Last Week: 12) Turf Show Times
10 Seattle Seahawks, 4-4 (Last Week: 13) Field Gulls
11 Oakland Raiders, 4-3 (Last Week: 18) Silver and Black Pride
12 New York Jets, 4-3 (Last Week: 9) Gang Green Nation
13 Pittsburgh Steelers, 4-4 (Last Week: 10) Behind the Steel Curtain
14 New Orleans Saints, 4-4 (Last Week: 17) Canal Street Chronicles
15 New York Giants, 4-4 (Last Week: 11) Big Blue View
16 Philadelphia Eagles, 3-4 (Last Week: 14) Bleeding Green Nation
17 Buffalo Bills, 3-4 (Last Week: 15) Buffalo Rumblings
18 Kansas City Chiefs, 3-5 (Last Week: 23) Arrowhead Pride
19 Miami Dolphins, 3-4 (Last Week: 16) The Phinsider
20 Indianapolis Colts, 3-5 (Last Week: 19) Stampede Blue
21 Washington, 3-4 (Last Week: 23) Hogs Haven
22 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 3-4 (Last Week: 28) Bucs Nation
23 Cleveland Browns, 2-6 (Last Week: 18) Dawgs by Nature
24 San Diego Chargers, 2-5 (Last Week: 16) Bolts from the Blue
25 Houston Texans, 3-5 (Last Week: 29) Battle Red Blog
26 Baltimore Ravens, 2-6 (Last Week: 21) Baltimore Beatdown
27 Jacksonville Jaguars, 2-5 (Last Week: 27) Big Cat Country
28 Dallas Cowboys, 2-5 (Last Week: 24) Blogging the Boys
29 Chicago Bears, 2-6 (Last Week: 25) Windy City Gridiron
30 San Francisco 49ers, 2-6 (Last Week: 26) Niners Nation
31 Tennessee Titans, 1-6 (Last Week: 31) Music City Miracles
32 Detroit Lions, 1-6 (Last Week: 32) Pride of Detroit

 

[Prime Time]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/11/03/pfts-week-nine-power-rankings/

PFT’s Week Nine power rankings
Posted by Mike Florio on November 3, 2015

1. Cheating Bastards (7-0; last week No. 1): The Jets, Colts, Ravens, Bills, and Dolphins have jointly requested a finding from the league office that the Cheating Bastards are a bunch of doodyheads.

2. Bengals (7-0; No. 2): Cincinnati is on to a first-round bye.

3. Broncos (7-0; No. 5): Peyton Manning has been so bad this year that when he’s simply good everyone thinks he’s great again.

4. Panthers (7-0; No. 4): A much tougher opponent than the one they barely beat is rolling into town on Sunday.

5. Packers (6-1; No. 3): Aaron Rodgers can’t do it all by himself.

6. Cardinals (6-2; No. 8): Ready or not, prime time is coming for the Cardinals in each of their next two games.

7. Vikings (5-2; No. 9): The next three games (Rams, Raiders, Packers) will show whether the Vikings are for real or fraudulent.

8. Rams (4-3; No. 11): The Cardinals should be more worried about St. Louis than Seattle.

9. Raiders (4-3; No. 14): They’re in the top 10; indignant Raiders fans will now insist they should be in the top five.

10. Seahawks (4-4; No. 15): They’ve got extra time to prepare for the biggest game of the year so far — a visit from the Cardinals.

11. Falcons (6-2; No. 7): Remember when the Falcons were good? Neither do I.

12. Jets (4-3; No. 6): The Jets are the latest proof of the phenomenon now known as post-Pats-partum depression.

13. Steelers (4-4; No. 10): With Le’Veon Bell done for the year, it’s time to spread ’em out and throw it . . . just as the weather gets ready to turn.

14. Saints (4-4; No. 17): It took a while, but the post-Graham offense is finally clicking like baseball cards in bicycle spokes.

15. Dolphins (3-4; No. 12): Dan Campbell wants them to remember the feeling from Thursday night. There’s a chance they’ll be reliving it regularly.

16. Eagles (3-4; No. 16): Best part of the bye week? No interceptions from Sam Bradford, guaranteed.

17. Giants (4-4; No. 13): Coincidentally, the over/under on wins is also 8.5.

18. Cowboys (2-5; No. 18): “No, that’s not Tony Romo. It’s Matt Cassel. Seriously. It’s Matt Cassel.”

19. Washington (3-4; No. 19): Kirk Cousins won’t like that in New England.

20. Bills (3-4; No. 20): An upcoming three-game tour of the AFC East will show whether these Bills can contend.

21. Buccaneers (3-4; No. 26): Not many teams could recover from blowing a 24-point lead with a win on the road against a division opponent.

22. Chiefs (3-5; No. 27): Just like last year, we all may have written them off too early.

23. Colts (3-5; No. 21): The Colts play their best football when they’re down by two or more scores.

24. Ravens (2-6; No. 30): They could still make the wild-card race interesting.

25. Texans (3-5; No. 29): If they were the Colts, they’d hang a “Got Ken Whisenhunt Fired” banner.

26. Jaguars (2-5; No. 25): In the race to be the best of four bad teams, the Jaguars could be the least worst.

27. Bears (2-5; No. 24): Bears plus Chargers on Monday Night Football equals what else is on TV?

28. Browns (2-6; No. 22): Is it really a fire sale if no one buys anything?

29. Chargers (2-6; No. 23): At this rate, they’ll be offering taxpayer money to pay for the moving vans.

30. Titans (1-6; No. 31): The Chip Kelly bat signal officially is on.

31. 49ers (2-6; No. 28): It wasn’t a trade for Vernon Davis; it was an escape.

32. Lions (1-7; No. 32): They should just cross the border and join the CFL.

 

[Prime Time]

Peter King's incessant ass kissing of the Brady Bunch is getting truly sickening. Hey Peter, there are other undefeated teams in the NFL. And btw, how can you place the Seahawks 3 spots ahead of the Rams? This is 2015 not 2014.
***************************************************************
http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2015/11/02/patriots-unbeaten-season-2007-2015-week-9-power-rankings

The Fine Fifteen

1. Cheating Bastards (7-0). Washington coach Jay Gruden was asked if he uses as motivation the fact that 99.67 percent of America believes the Cheating Bastards will rout his team this weekend. “Well,” he said, “on paper it looks like that.” It certainly does.

2. Denver (7-0). Making a big jump for this late in the season, from five to two, because I loved the Denver defense so much against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers on Sunday night, and the running game finally got going. This is starting to look like a complete team, one that doesn’t have to put all the pressure on Peyton Manning to win.

3. Cincinnati (7-0). I am in the camp of “stop asking Andy Dalton to pass every new test we can think of before saying he’s an excellent quarterback.” Like the winning-at-Heinz Field test. He won there in 2012. And he won there again Sunday, with a clutch drive down the stretch. For Dalton, we all know the real test comes in January.

4. Carolina (7-0). Saved by the Luke Kuechly interception in overtime after a concerning defensive collapse in the fourth quarter. But 7-0 is 7-0.

5. Green Bay (6-1). Hard to ignore this factoid: Packers haven’t scored in the 30s since September. Were they supposed to do that every week?

6. Arizona (6-2). Bye, sweet bye. Cards need it after playing three Eastern Time road games in the last four weeks, the last one on a short week in Cleveland. Arizona couldn’t hold on to the ball and still won by 14.

7. Minnesota (5-2). Every time I watch Teddy Bridgewater, he looks better than the last time.

8. Seattle (4-4). Click link to watch video.

9. Oakland (4-3). Stop the presses. Raiders ninth in the Fine Fifteen. Love their offensive weaponry. Next two weeks should tell the tale with this team: at Pittsburgh Sunday, Vikes at home the following Sunday.

10. Atlanta (6-2). Falcons worry me. Matt Ryan worries me. Roddy White has worried me since last year.

11. St. Louis (4-3). Todd Gurley is never going to run for fewer than 125 yards a game. New NFL rule.

12. Pittsburgh (4-4). I’m not one of those who think the season’s over because of the Le’Veon Bell injury. It’s bad, but DeAngelo Williams is a superb relief pitcher.

13. New Orleans (4-4). One hundred and ten points in the last three weeks, all wins. But 30.3 allowed per game in those three. Rob Ryan’s about to suit himself up.

14. New York Jets (4-3). Big drop this week, from six to 13. Deservedly so. Who’s playing quarterback? And for that matter, who kidnapped the defense?

15. Miami (3-4). You’ll be pleased to know that, at least for a week, I’ve taken Dan Campbell off my coaching Mount Rushmore.

Also receiving votes:

16. New York Giants (4-4). Jason Pierre-Paul can’t get game-ready fast enough for the feeblest Giants rush in years.

17. Indianapolis (3-5). But there is as much worry about Andrew Luck as there is glee that he brought the Colts back from 17 down in the fourth quarter.

18. Philadelphia (3-4). I hope Sam Bradford watched my man-love's tape on his bye week.

19. Washington (3-4). Nice pleasant stretch of games: Patriots, Saints, Panthers over 15 days, starting Sunday.

20. Dallas (2-5). I’m the only one who thinks they’ll be a playoff contender when Romo gets back.

 

[DaveFan'51]

The same could be said for the Rams, who won again to improve to 4-3, putting them alone in second place in the NFC West. They've got a defense that loves to fly around, one of the most dominant players in the NFL in Aaron Donald and an emerging superstar at running back. They're dangerous.

I "LOVE" the last two words in this^ paragraph about our Rams!!:mrburnsevil:

 

[DaveFan'51]

8. Rams (4-3; No. 11): The Cardinals should be more worried about St. Louis than Seattle.

I think the Cards realize this point!!:shades:

10. Seahawks (4-4; No. 15): They’ve got extra time to prepare for the biggest game of the year so far — a visit from the Cardinals.

WOW!! Who do I want to Win this game!!??!!:notsure::headexplosion:

 

[DaveFan'51]

11. St. Louis (4-3). Todd Gurley is never going to run for fewer than 125 yards a game. New NFL rule.

This is a "New Rule" I can really get behind!!

 

[Alan]

DaveFan'51 of two minds:
I think the Cards realize this point!!:shades:
WOW!! Who do I want to Win this game!!??!!

I had the same problem in the Shehags vs Cowgirl game. I've got my fingers crossed that a sinkhole opens up and swallows both teams. Humanely of course. :yess:

 

[iBruce]

nice to see us in the top 10. Should be a good matchup this week.

 

[SaneRamsFan]

This week is big for me in my own personal power-rankings. I'm old but my memory isn't that bad. I remember what happened last year after we all got exited after shutouts against Oak and Wash two bad teams. Sorry but beating cle and sf back to back doesn't hold as much water as a victory this week or the previous wins against Phoenix and the seafags. This week is huge for out PO hopes and national respect.

 

[Alan]

I wish I disagreed with that @SaneRamsFan but if we beat the Vikes we'll both be singing a different tune. I'm thinking positively. Rams 17 -14.

1. Cheating Bastards (7-0).

 

[RamzFanz]

ESPN has Rams at 10:

2015 Power Rankings: Week 9
RANK TEAM / RECORD TRENDING COMMENTS
1

Patriots
7-0
--

Last Week: 1 The Patriots have three turnovers this season, tied for the fewest through a team's first seven games in the Super Bowl era. None of those turnovers have been in Foxborough, where they host the Redskins in Week 9.
2

Broncos
7-0

2
Last Week: 4 Peyton Manning is now one win from passing Brett Favre (186 wins) for most all time by a starting QB (Elias). He can break the record in Indy this week.
3

Bengals
7-0
--

Last Week: 3 The Bengals are 7-0 for the first time in franchise history. They host the Browns Thursday, who Cincy has lost to in three of their past five meetings. Andy Dalton threw six touchdowns and 10 interceptions in those games.
4

Packers
6-1

2
Last Week: 2 The Packers' streak of 42 straight games with a sack ended Sunday. They can start a new streak against Cam Newton, who has been sacked in nine straight games.
5

Panthers
7-0
--

Last Week: 5 The Panthers are 7-0 for the first time in franchise history. According to ESPN's Power Football Index, they have a 44 percent chance of obtaining the top seed in the NFC.
6

Cardinals
6-2
--

Last Week: 6 Carson Palmer leads the NFL in Total QBR (85) and his 20 touchdown passes are tied with Tom Brady for most in the league. No Cardinals quarterback has ever thrown more than 30 touchdown passes in a season.
7

Falcons
6-2
--

Last Week: 7 In their past four games (2-2), the Falcons have averaged 19 points per game with 12 turnovers. They averaged 34.3 points per game and had just two turnovers in their first four games (4-0).
8

Seahawks
4-4

1
Last Week: 9 The Seahawks have allowed a combined 15 points in their past two games, both road wins. Up next after the bye are the Cardinals, who have the league's second-best scoring offense.
9

Raiders
4-3

7
Last Week: 16 If the season ended today, the Raiders would be the 5-seed in the AFC playoffs. That is not a typo. They also have only three remaining games against teams currently above .500.
10

Rams
4-3

2
Last Week: 12 Todd Gurley is the first rookie in NFL history to rush for 125 yards in four straight games (Elias). The Rams face another pretty good running back in Week 9: Adrian Peterson.
11

Vikings
5-2
--

Last Week: 11 The Vikings have won three straight, all by single digits, and are now a game out of first place in the NFC North. Stefon Diggs is fourth in the NFL in receiving yards during the winning streak (332).
12

Jets
4-3

4
Last Week: 8 Todd Bowles said Ryan Fitzpatrick tore ligaments in his thumb in the loss to the Raiders. Fitzpatrick has the league's third-best Total QBR (78), which also is the best by any Jets quarterback in the past 10 seasons.
13

Steelers
4-4

3
Last Week: 10 The Steelers were finally healthy, then lost RB Le'Veon Bell for the season with a torn MCL. Bell had averaged a league-high 119 scrimmage yards per game since 2013.
14

Giants
4-4
--

Last Week: 14 The Giants are allowing a league-worst 427.5 total yards per game, the fourth-most allowed through a team's first eight games of a season in the Super Bowl era.
15

Saints
4-4

2
Last Week: 17 Drew Brees' seven-touchdown performance was his first game with three or more touchdowns this season. The Saints are 24-8 in the past five seasons when he throws for three touchdowns and 14-21 when he does not.
16

Bills
3-4

3
Last Week: 19 The Bills host the Dolphins in Week 9, a team they beat 41-14 in Week 3. However, that was when Tyrod Taylor and Karlos Williams were healthy, and when Joe Philbin still coached the Dolphins.
17

Dolphins
3-4

4
Last Week: 13 Since Dan Campbell took over as coach on Oct. 5, the Dolphins have run the ball by design on 42 percent of plays, compared to 26 percent under Joe Philbin this season. Makes sense, considering the Dolphins average the second-most yards per rush in the league (5.0).
18

Eagles
3-4

3
Last Week: 15 The Eagles have the best point differential (plus-23) among teams with losing records this season. Up next are the Cowboys, who have been outscored by 49 points during their five-game skid, the fourth-worst differential during that span.
19

Chargers
2-6

2
Last Week: 21 Who's to blame for the Chargers' 2-6 start? It's not Philip Rivers, who has completed nearly 70 percent of his passes in the six losses. Try the defense, the only unit to allow 24-plus points in every game this season.
20

Chiefs
3-5

2
Last Week: 22 The Chiefs have won two straight games after losing the previous five. After a bye week, they face the Broncos, who have won all seven meetings against K.C. since Peyton Manning arrived in 2012.
21

Buccaneers
3-4

7
Last Week: 28 Jameis Winston has posted a Total QBR of 88-plus in two straight games, one of just four rookies to do so in the past 10 seasons. He gets the Giants next, who just allowed Drew Brees to post a Total QBR of 96.
22

Colts
3-5

4
Last Week: 18 The good news: Andrew Luck's fourth-quarter Total QBR ranks eighth in the league (78). The bad news: Luck's QBR in the first three quarters ranks last (22).
23

Browns
2-6

1
Last Week: 24 The Browns' two wins this season came against the Ravens and Titans, who are a combined 3-12. The unbeaten Bengals are up next.
24

Redskins
3-4

1
Last Week: 23 The Redskins have lost seven straight road games, going 0-3 this season. Things won't get any easier with a trip to Foxborough on Sunday.
25

Texans
3-5

4
Last Week: 29 The 3-5 Texans are somehow tied for the AFC South lead. Brian Hoyer has thrown multiple touchdowns in a franchise-record five straight games.
26

Cowboys
2-5

6
Last Week: 20 The Cowboys have now lost seven straight games in which Tony Romo did not start. Up next are the Eagles, against whom Romo broke his clavicle in Week 2.
27

Ravens
2-6

1
Last Week: 26 Joe Flacco was 3-for-3 on throws 30-plus yards downfield in the win Sunday. He was 2-for-12 on such throws in his first seven games this season.
28

Bears
2-5

3
Last Week: 25 Talk about Bad News Bears. On Sunday, they lost both the game and RB Matt Forte, who left with a knee injury. Forte has the most scrimmage yards in the NFL since 2013 (4,546).
29

Jaguars
2-5

3
Last Week: 32 The Jaguars' two wins this season have been against AFC East teams. They can make it three this week, as they take on the Jets.
30

Lions
1-7

1
Last Week: 31 The Lions are on pace to allow 30-plus points per game for the third time in the past eight seasons. The rest of the league has a combined two such seasons during that span.
31

49ers
2-6

4
Last Week: 27 Colin Kaepernick has been sacked in 18 straight games, the longest active streak in the NFL, and ranks 25th in Total QBR. Will Blaine Gabbert be an improvement?
32

Titans
1-6

2
Last Week: 30 On Sunday, Zach Mettenberger fell to 0-8 in his career as a starting quarterback. He has thrown at least one interception in all eight starts.