So far, there are only three NFL teams that have been consistent at all this year: Green Bay, San Francisco, and Indianapolis. Incidentally, those are the teams residing at the very top and very bottom of my rankings this week. The unsettled condition of the remaining teams has caused a lot of movement in the middle of the ranks, with a lot of teams that looked strong early in the season falling on hard times, such as Buffalo, Detroit, and Oakland. Here are this week's updated rankings, with spaces between groups of teams representing gaps in level of performance.
TW. Team (Record) Rating (LW)
1. Green Bay (9-0) -15.82 (2)
2. San Francisco (8-1) -11.92 (3)
3. Houston (7-3) -11.90 (9)
4. Chicago (6-3) -11.89 (4)
5. Detroit (6-3) -11.14 (1)
6. Baltimore (6-3) -10.29 (5)
7. New England (6-3) -10.16 (14)
8. Dallas (5-4) -10.12 (16)
9. New Orleans (7-3) -9.24 (8)
10. Pittsburgh (7-3) -7.79 (13)
11. Cincinnati (6-3) -5.37 (11)
12. Atlanta (5-4) -5.36 (6)
13. NY Jets (5-4) -4.48 (10)
14. NY Giants (6-3) -4.44 (15)
15. Philadelphia (3-6) -3.79 (7)
16. Tennessee (5-4) -3.33 (25)
17. Miami (2-7) -0.98 (20)
18. Seattle (3-6) -0.69 (26)
19. Buffalo (5-4) 1.04 (12)
20. Jacksonville (3-6) 1.17 (21)
21. Arizona (3-6) 1.20 (23)
22. Denver (4-5) 1.86 (28)
23. San Diego (4-5) 2.42 (22)
24. Washington (3-6) 2.64 (24)
25. Oakland (5-4) 3.52 (30)
26. Tampa Bay (4-5) 4.62 (19)
27. Minnesota (2-7) 4.93 (18)
28. Carolina (2-7) 5.12 (17)
29. Cleveland (3-6) 5.50 (29)
30. Saint Louis (2-7) 6.44 (27)
31. Kansas City (4-5) 12.84 (31)
32. Indianapolis (0-10) 15.83 (32)
Green Bay left no doubt as to their spot at the top of the rankings with a dominant victory over the Vikings on Monday Night Football. Green Bay has won 15 straight games, and they haven't lost a game by more than a possession in over 2 years. They've had a few close calls on the road this year, and they still have a couple of tough games left, but they are definitely the current Super Bowl favorites.
The Houston Texans are on fire lately, and it's not just because of their offense. In the past month, they have only been giving up an average of 10.5 points per game, and after a bye this week, their schedule looks like a smooth ride to a first-round bye and the first playoff appearance in franchise history.
One of the toughest teams to figure out this year has been Baltimore, which has impressive victories over the Jets, Houston, and Pittsburgh intertwined with losses to Jacksonville and Seattle and a lucky comeback victory over Arizona. You never know which Ravens will show up from week to week, and they better figure it out soon, because their next two games are against Cincinnati and San Francisco.
The Eagles, who looked so dominant against Dallas at the end of October, have done a complete 180 in only two weeks, putting up their worst performance of an already disappointing season in losing at home to the Arizona Cardinals, who were playing without their starting quarterback, who was Philly's backup one year ago.
Predictions
Upset picks are in italics.
Thursday
(20) Southern Miss at UAB - Golden Eagles by 28
North Carolina at (8) Virginia Tech - Hokies by 11
Marshall at Memphis - Thundering Herd by 21
NY Jets at Denver - Jets by 4
Friday
(2) Oklahoma State at Iowa State - Cowboys by 27
Toledo at Central Michigan - Rockets by 15
Saturday
Indiana at (15) Michigan State - Spartans by 31
(16) Nebraska at (18) Michigan - Wolverines by 11
(17) Wisconsin at Illinois - Badgers by 21
Kentucky at (14) Georgia - Bulldogs by 34
Mississippi State at (6) Arkansas - Razorbacks by 15
(7) Clemson at North Carolina State - Tigers by 5
(21) Penn State at Ohio State - Buckeyes by 5
SMU at (11) Houston - Cougars by 29
Colorado State at (19) TCU - Horned Frogs by 36
Kansas at Texas A&M - Aggies by 31
Texas Tech at Missouri - Tigers by 26
Miami at South Florida - Bulls by 3
Boston College at Notre Dame - Fighting Irish by 31
Utah at Washington State - Utes by 6
(1) LSU at Mississippi - Tigers by 37
Virginia at (25) Florida State by 22
(5) Oklahoma at (22) Baylor - Sooners by 22
(13) Kansas State at (23) Texas - Longhorns by 4
(10) Boise State at San Diego State - Broncos by 19
USC at (4) Oregon - Ducks by 23
Tulsa at UTEP - Golden Hurricane by 12
Arizona at Arizona State - Sun Devils by 19
California at (9) Stanford - Cardinal by 23
Louisville at Connecticut - Huskies by 2
Minnesota at Northwestern - Wildcats by 17
Cincinnati at Rutgers - Scarlet Knights by 2
Akron at Buffalo - Bulls by 18
Iowa at Purdue - Hawkeyes by 4
Georgia Tech at Duke - Yellowjackets by 9
Army at Temple - Owls by 17
Eastern Michigan at Kent State - Golden Flashes by 9
New Mexico at Wyoming - Cowboys by 33
Maryland at Wake Forest - Demon Deacons by 17
Arkansas State at Middle Tennessee State - Red Wolves by 14
Washington at Oregon State - Huskies by 2
Tulane at Rice - Owls by 22
Florida Atlantic at Troy - Trojans by 13
Navy at San Jose State - Midshipmen by 4
Western Kentucky at North Texas - Mean Green by 1
Louisiana Tech at Nevada - Wolf Pack by 1
Utah State at Idaho - Aggies by 9
Florida International at Louisiana-Monroe - Warhawks by 4
UNLV at Air Force - Falcons by 21
UCF at East Carolina - Knights by 5
Vanderbilt at Tennessee - Commodores by 2
Colorado at UCLA - Bruins by 14
New Mexico State at BYU - Cougars by 24
Fresno State at Hawaii - Warriors by 10
Sunday
Jacksonville at Cleveland - Jaguars by 2
Carolina at Detroit - Lions by 19
Tampa Bay at Green Bay - Packers by 23
Buffalo at Miami - Dolphins by 5
Oakland at Minnesota - Vikings by 1
Dallas at Washington - Cowboys by 10
Cincinnati at Baltimore - Ravens by 7
Arizona at San Francisco - 49ers by 16
Seattle at Saint Louis - Seahawks by 5
Tennessee at Atlanta - Falcons by 5
San Diego at Chicago - Bears by 17
Philadelphia at NY Giants - Giants by 3
Monday
Kansas City at New England - Patriots by 26
Prediction Results
NFL: 6-10 (.375) 90-56 overall (.616)
Upsets: 2-2 (.500) 36-55 overall (.396)
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