NFL Rankings - 24 Oct

In a week with fewer upsets, there was still plenty of action in the NFL rankings, although only two teams (Green Bay and Houston) won by double digits. Several teams saw their seasons start to turn around, some in one direction and some in the other. Here are the updated rankings, with teams grouped by similar levels of performance and ESPN Power Rankings in parentheses.

TW. (LW) Team (Record) Result (ESPN)
1. (11) Houston (6-1) W (3)
2. (1) Chicago (5-1) W (5)
3. (5) San Francisco (5-2) W (4)
4. (4) Green Bay (4-3) W (7)

5. (2) NY Giants (5-2) W (2)
6. (7) Denver (3-3) BYE (12)
7. (3) New England (4-3) W (8)
8. (6) Seattle (4-3) L (11)

9. (18) Minnesota (5-2) W (9)
10. (12) Atlanta (6-0) BYE (1)
11. (19) Detroit (2-4) L (19)
12. (13) Saint Louis (3-4) L (21)
13. (14) Washington (3-4) L (18)

14. (15) Arizona (4-3) L (14)
15. (16) Miami (3-3) BYE (16)
16. (8) Dallas (3-3) W (15)
17. (17) NY Jets (3-4) L (24)
18. (26) Pittsburgh (3-3) W (10)

19. (10) Baltimore (5-2) L (6)
20. (25) New Orleans (2-4) W (20)
21. (9) Tampa Bay (2-4) L (26)
22. (22) Philadelphia (3-3) BYE (13)
23. (24) San Diego (3-3) BYE (17)

24. (21) Cincinnati (3-4) L (22)
25. (20) Carolina (1-5) L (29)
26. (29) Indianapolis (3-3) W (23)
27. (23) Cleveland (1-6) L (30)

28. (30) Tennessee (3-4) W (25)
29. (27) Buffalo (3-4) L (27)
30. (28) Oakland (2-4) W (28)
31. (32) Jacksonville (1-5) L (31)

32. (31) Kansas City (1-5) BYE (32)

Houston and Baltimore had a showdown this weekend to determine which team is the best in the AFC, and the Texans gave the entire league the resounding answer that the best team plays in Houston. Sure, Ray Lewis is out with an injury, but the Ravens are still known for their defense, and all the Texans did was set a franchise record for points against them. That loss to Green Bay a week ago was just the kick in the pants that Matt Schaub & co. needed.

The Minnesota Vikings had only beaten one team with a winning record all season, and that was a month ago, but when Arizona came to visit the Vikes didn't back down, holding a double digit lead for most of the game before allowing a late touchdown which made the game seem closer than it was.

Detroit has the highest ranking of any team with a losing record, but if you look at your schedule it's easy to see why. Their 4 losses came by an average margin of 6 points to teams with an average winning percentage of .667, and three of them were on the road. A lot of people have written the Lions off, and they still have one of the toughest remaining schedules of any team, but if they can pull out just a few wins over their tough opponents, they could still make it to the playoffs.

Tampa Bay started to look good last week against the Kansas City Chiefs, winning 38-10 and moving up the rankings quickly, but they dropped just as fast this week after a loss to the struggling Saints. Tampa's two wins both came against teams with just one win on the season, and both have looked worse with each passing week.

Predictions

Upset picks are in italics.

Thursday

Tampa Bay at Minnesota - Vikings by 10

Sunday

Carolina at Chicago - Bears by 22
San Diego at Cleveland - Chargers by 1
Seattle at Detroit - Seahawks by 1
Jacksonville at Green Bay - Packers by 26
Indianapolis at Tennessee - Titans by 1
New England at Saint Louis - Patriots by 1
Miami at NY Jets - Jets by 3
Atlanta at Philadelphia - Falcons by 3
Washington at Pittsburgh - Steelers by 1
Oakland at Kansas City - Raiders by 4
NY Giants at Dallas - Giants by 3
New Orleans at Denver - Broncos by 13

Monday

San Francisco at Arizona - 49ers by 7

Prediction Results

NFL: 9-4 (.692) 60-44 overall (.577)
Upsets: 0-1 (.000) 9-9 overall (.500)