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| Dr. Z's Power Rankings 1-20, 12/5/07 - |
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SavannahStar
 Posted:
Thu Dec 06, 2007 8:50 am |
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Dr. Z's Power Rankings 1-20, 12/5/07
Posted: Wednesday December 5, 2007 1:20PM; Updated: Wednesday December 5, 2007 2:53PM
This is the time of year when legitimate playoff possibilities must be considered. NFC teams at 5-7 are to be taken very seriously, since they are in a position to challenge the elite wild-card contenders, the 6-6s. You're right, I'm saying this with a smile on my face, teeth showing, throwing a mini-fright into Little Jake, our grey tabby. But we won't have to get into those 5-7s at this current time, since the super-elites go first.
NFL Power Rankings
Rank LW Team
1 1 New England Patriots (12-0)
Close, huh? O-line got shoved around Monday night. So did D-line, big time. You like the way the Ravens' nickelback Corey Ivy, No. 35, locked onto Wes Welker, my greatest hot receiver of all time? You like the way Randy Moss turned himself into a non-factor in crunch time? Can the Steelers pack enough wallop next week? Yes, if what we saw Monday night was a Patriot team that was not overconfident, not in a lull period, but old and tired.
2 2 Dallas Cowboys (11-1)
Clinched a playoff spot last week. Earliest clinching ever for them. Add to that the fact that they haven't had a winning December record for the past 11 years and you've got ... you've got what? A letdown maybe? Against Lions, Eagles, Panthers and 'Skins? Don't think so, guv'nah, 'fraid not.
3 4 Indianapolis Colts (10-2)
Watched the Jags score with 2:47 left to cut the margin to three. Two timeouts, plus the two-minute warning left. Edward G. Robinson, watching the game alongside me, muttered, "Mother of mercy, is this the end of Rico?" Nah, don't sweat it, EG. On the first snap, Peyton threw a 16-yard sideliner to Reggie Wayne, who managed to stay in bounds. How many teams would have thrown on first down in that situation? Yeah, I know, teams with nothing on the line might have done it to show off, but how many serious teams? Next set of downs led to another first down because of a 7-yard hitch to Dallas Clark. And then it was over. Boy, I like the way this team operates. Just the way a defending champion should.
4 3 Green Bay Packers (10-2)
The mystery of the ages, the undeciphered writing on the walls of the tomb, remains, what the devil were they doing with all those deep throws at the start of the Cowboys' game? I'm sure I'll find out some day, if not in this world, then in the next one. Here's an aspect of the game I forgot to write about -- the way the Cowboys' RT, Marc Colombo, controlled Aaron Kampman, who's been destroying right tackles all season. Is Colombo really that good? Never thought so. Guess I'm going to have to include him when I do my workup of the tackle position for my all-pros.
5 5 Jacksonville Jaguars (8-4)
I usually catch a little heat when I fail to drop a team after a loss, but I just thought that the Jags, in taking Indy to the wire, looked better than the Steelers did in beating Cincy.
6 6 Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3)
Ben Roethlisberger on the horrible conditions of Heinz Field's newly laid turf: "Wet and sandy. Every time you took a snap water and sand would come up into your face and it would kind of get in your eyes and it would be all over your hands." But still, it's not all negative. Two of Ben's cousins went clamming there before the game and came away with a bushel apiece.
7 7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-4)
Blind stat that came over the wires: NFL record for games won with a different starting quarterback-12, Jon Gruden, Tampa Bay. I get them all the time. They come flying in, like moths. Here's another, and see if you can answer it. Most regular season games won in Europe? And don't say Real Madrid. The answer is N.Y. Giants, one, 2007, London.
8 9 New York Giants (8-4)
If I were a fan, I'd be very proud of this team for its effort against Chicago. Down to its third-string running back, quarterback in one of his blue funks, and coming out of it only in the late going. What was the single, unifying factor? The defense. Just when things seemed as if they could fall apart, it rose up with a fury and held Chicago to three points and four first downs in the second half. Not a bad thing to have working for you with the stretch run coming up.
9 10 Seattle Seahawks (8-4)
I was happy to see that Lofa Tatupu got three interceptions against the Eagles. Reminded me of a talk I had with him before the NFC Championship game against Carolina a couple of years ago. "They've got me playing 15 yards back, in some sort of zone coverage," he said. "Wait a minute ... am I supposed to be telling you that?" Let's put it this way. I didn't go running to Carolina with my findings. And it worked out just fine for Lofa, who got a key pick in the game.
10 11 San Diego Chargers (7-5)
Here they come. Two big victories. "We've finally found ourselves," LaDainian Tomlinson said. Well, where was the last place you looked?
11 8 Cleveland Browns (7-5)
Hoo boy, did the officials ever screw them out of this one. Kellen Winslow catches what should have been the winning TD pass against the Cardinals. Classic force out. I mean the play couldn't be drawn up any more clearly. Booth review. No, he caught it out of bounds was the ruling. The forceout rule is goofy to begin with, since it involves supposition. But why even have it on the books if they're afraid to call it?
12 13 Minnesota Vikings (6-6)
Adrian Peterson, coming off his knee injury, was raring to go. "You're getting only 17 touches against the Lions," he was told. "It will be closely monitored." After his third-quarter TD, which was the 16th time he touched the ball, he was removed from the contest and his helmet was taken away from him. He tried a garbage can lid, but it didn't fit right. "Hey, you owe me one more touch," he protested. So an equipment man came over and touched him. "How's that?" he said. "Wait a minute ... did that really happen?" my Flamboyante Rousse asks. Well, most of it, honey. Uh, some of it.
13 16 Tennessee Titans (7-5)
They knocked the Texans' QB Matt Schaub out of the game with a dislocated left shoulder. Houston's right guard Fred Weary went down with a broken leg. And then in the Titans' postgame locker room, Albert Haynesworth was bragging about how tough they were, about how "maybe next year Schaub won't play against us. He'll sit that one out." You know, I used to like this team, kind of. Now they're making it awfully tough.
14 20 Arizona Cardinals (6-6)
Talk about modest achievements. The 6-6 mark is their best after 12 games in the last seven years. That could take a hit Sunday in Seattle, but they'll still be in the wild-card race, with winnable games against the Saints, Falcons and Rams to close it out. Pretty dull stuff, I know, but tell me, please, how I can make this exciting for you?
15 12 Denver Broncos (5-7)
Sweet revenge for the Raiders last weekend. It was in the first game that Mike Shanahan pulled that timeout call that took a field goal off the board, thus opening up a Pandora's box of creepy time out strategy. I should have made Oakland my upset pick, but thinking about stuff like this too late is the story of my life.
16 14 Chicago Bears (5-7)
I see real passion in the running of Adrian Peterson ... that's right, same name ... who's been around for six years now, always as a utility back. I see a guy who gets great support from his teammates. So why was Cedric Benson dubbed king while this guy continued to clean the stables? I can answer in three words. Money. Money. Money.
17 22 Buffalo Bills (6-6)
I just can't begin to understand what was going through their minds after Sunday's game. They came to Washington to face a team in mourning, not knowing what was in store for them ... dedication, despondency, what? They won it after a freaky call by the rival coach. How did they feel after their victory, which got them at least within smelling distance of the playoffs? Elation, but to show it would be to disrespect the death of a fellow athlete. Very difficult emotions to classify.
18 19 Washington Redskins (5-7)
I seem to recall a Thomas Hardy novel in which the keynote message was given to a halfwit to deliver, and he forgets about it, or drops it down the sewer, or something. I remember thinking, that's what life is really like, not the stuff of romance literature. Thus we have a day that should have ended in some small measure of redemption concluding with a coach's blunder that probably didn't even affect the outcome of the contest but became an unforgettable ironic note. The tragedy of Sean Taylor should never be lessened, of course, but irony has no dignity at all. It can intrude anywhere.
19 18 Philadelphia Eagles (5-7)
A.J. Feeley turns in a thrilling almost-victory performance against New England and the quarterback controversy is alive. Then he throws four picks against Seattle and it's barely breathing. Meanwhile Donovan McNabb tries to get his sore ankle healthy and shakes his head at his yo-yo existence in Philly. Get out, Donovan. Go somewhere you'll be loved, as Drew Brees did last year.
20 19 New Orleans Saints (5-7)
Running out the clock, hey, let's do it in style, hi yup, and round you go, and now the pitch, and ... oops, where'd that ball go? The Cirque de Soleil made its appearance in the Superdome, and all the Saints can do now is watch the Buccaneer wagon pull away in the distance. The pitch off the reverse that blew up in their faces, incidentally, is called Superdome Special and last year it produced an 11-yard TD against Atlanta. This year it got the Saints a trip home for the playoffs, except that ... well, you never know in the NFC.
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