Divisional Round NFL Power Rankings
Updated: January 8, 2013
Administrator’s Note: for the playoff power rankings I will be leaving teams that have been eliminated in their spots, as you cannot really change your standing if you aren’t playing. So this week teams 32-13 will remain in the same spot as they were last week. The teams that played this week, and all others above them, will be written about and ranked.
32. Kansas City Chiefs (2-14)
31. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-14)
30. Oakland Raiders (4-12)
29. Philadelphia Eagles (4-12)
28. Detroit Lions (4-12)
27. Arizona Cardinals (5-11)
26. New York Jets (6-10)
25. Tennessee Titans (6-10)
24. Buffalo Bills (6-10)
23. Cleveland Browns (5-11)
22. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-9)
21. San Diego Chargers (7-9)
20. Miami Dolphins (7-9)
19. St. Louis Rams (7-8-1)
18. New Orleans Saints (7-9)
17. Carolina Panthers (7-9)
16. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-8)
15. Dallas Cowboys (8-8)
14. New York Giants (9-7)
13. Chicago Bears (10-6).
12. Cincinnati Bengals (10-7)
I held firm that the Bengals were the worst team that made it into the postseason and they didn’t really let me down on Saturday. The Bengals offense was particularly disappointing as their only touchdown in the game came from an interception returned for a touchdown by Leon Hall. Andy Dalton completed less than 50% of his passes and showed a number of his weaknesses. While offensive coordinator Jay Gruden seemed to ignore the running game, despite Green-Ellis running well in the first half. It will be interesting to see whether the Bengals are headed for a downward spiral after two early playoff exits or if they are still a building team. Frankly there wasn’t much progress from year one to two and they have to at least entertain the idea that Dalton may not be the guy to take them to the “promised land”.
11. Minnesota Vikings (10-7)
Poor Vikings, poor Adrian Peterson. After what was a very surprising ten win season that led to a playoff berth the Vikings watched their season fall away at the hands of Joe Webb. You can’t blame Webb too much as he was thrown into an impossible spot and the coaching staff did not put him in many favorable plays that fit his skill set. For their offseason Christian Ponder will be headed into his third year and the team must surround him with top-flight talent. This way if he shows no improvement with better players around him the Vikings will know they need to move in a different direction. The Vikings have a solid nucleus of players and they should be in the mix for the next few years if Ponder improves, or they can bring in a more capable starter.
10. Indianapolis Colts (11-6)
The Colts were another team that did not manage to score an offensive touchdown this weekend. Now the Colts were in a tough spot given the fact that they had to go against a highly motivated Ravens squad. The Colts also seemed to have an air of “just glad to be here” that you often see with young teams that make the playoffs. The Colts had a ton of success with some castoffs but it was really amazing the contributions they got from their offensive rookie class. They got two starting caliber tight ends in Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen, two nice young receivers in TY Hilton and LaVon Brazil, a starting running back in Vick Ballard, and some guy named Andrew Luck. If the Colts have a good offseason rebuilding their offensive line and secondary they could be poised to reign the AFC South for years to come once again. Must be tough being a Colts fan.
9. Washington Redskins (10-7)
I have written extensively about how I feel on the RG3 issue, and though the news that he likely has at least a partially torn ACL and/or PCL only validates my feelings, I won’t cover that much in this space. What is important to talk about is where the Redskins go from here. Well if Griffin is indeed in need of ACL surgery that would put his availability, and effectiveness, for 2013 in doubt and the Redskins would likely have to roll with Kirk Cousins. While Cousins has looked in his brief action this year he is not near the dynamic performer RG3 is. He also does not represent the “savior of the franchise” that Griffin did for Washington fans. As far as what they need to add in the offseason, some pieces in the secondary are certainly needed, but it may behoove the Redskins to add a number one caliber wideout. Despite Pierre Garcon’s valiant performance, if they are going to be missing Griffin, more firepower is needed on offense.
8. Houston Texans (13-4)
Houston did not have a particularly strong performance against the Bengals in round one of the playoffs. However, they still got the win and they will move on to face the Patriots. Arian Foster was once again the key to the game as he had forty touches and carried the offense, while Jonathan Joesph returned to form as one of the top corners in the league against AJ Green. They will need both of these players to step up once again because the Patriots destroyed the Texans eariler in the year. And their strengths and weaknesses don’t exactly matchup well with the Patriots.
7. Baltimore Ravens (11-6)
The Ravens continue Ray Lewis’ last ride for at least another game into Denver. Anquan Boldin has to be recognized for an outstanding second half where he came up five catches for 145 yards and a touchdown. It’s amazing the amount of spectacular catches he makes without ever actually being open. This could be a much bigger problem against the Broncos great man coverage corners. Champ Bailey, Tony Carter and Chris Harris have been locking down on receivers all season and it is public knowledge the Ravens receivers struggle getting open against press-man coverage. They will need a great performance from Joe Flacco to get past the Broncos.
6. San Francisco 49ers (11-4-1)
The Niners beat the Packers back in week one but there is a ton of change about both teams since then. The Niners obviously have gone to Colin Kaepernick and the Packers have been incredibly hot since then. The 49ers have to be concerned about the health of Justin Smith. His absence has shown what a key player to their success on defense. So much of what he does, even if it pushes the boundaries, frees up Aldon Smith and other defenders to get to the quarterback. They will need him at one hundred percent to get past the Packers this week.
5. Seattle Seahawks (12-5)*
Seattle continued their hot streak when they went to Washington, however they aren’t without concerns at the moment. On top of the fact that their top pass rusher, Chris Clemons, tore his ACL their usually stellar defense struggled against Washington’s diversified attack. While they could match up better against a more traditional offense such as Atlanta’s it still must be a concern. The matchup of the week will no doubt be Seattle’s stellar corners against the star Atlanta receivers. It will be tough but I think its possible Seattle pulls off the upset.
4. Atlanta Falcons (13-3)
As I highlighted Julio Jones and Roddy White vs. Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner is the matchup of the week. All four of these guys are amongst the best and most physical at their positions in the entire league. The pressure will be on Atlanta to win their first playoff game and drawing the super hot Seahawks does them no favors. If Mike Smith and Matt Ryan cannot pull it off this weekend they will be facing intense scrutiny.
3. Green Bay Packers (12-5)*
Aaron Rodgers is playing as well as any player in the league right now and his defense is improving. However, it is his defense that will be the key to another title run. Much attention is given to Charles Woodson, Clay Matthews and the like, but the most important player on this unit may well be BJ Raji. When he is play at the elite level that he is capable of playing at this entire unit really “goes”. Raji stops the run so well and if he is the immovable object that he is it frees up everyone else to do their jobs. If Raji delivers more performances like he did against Minnesota, the Packers will be tough to beat in the NFC race.
2. New England Patriots (12-4)
The Patriots prepare to face a team they throttled a few weeks back. Luckily they don’t approach those situations like their delusioned journalist Dan Shaughnessy who basically wrote that the deal was already sealed because they are playing the pathetic Texans again. The Patriots are too smart and mature of a team to view things like that so they will no doubt be prepared to face a team that is still dangerous.
1. Denver Broncos (13-3)
Denver draws the Ravens in the divisional round and it is a very good matchup for them. The Broncos are amazingly still one of the least talked about teams in the league and that amazes me, as I really do not have many storylines to write about here. However, I am sure that is how both Peyton Manning and John Fox like it. Never was a better match of two more secretive men made. Anyways, I expect Denver to build on their win streak and meet up with Brady and the Patriots in the AFC championship game.
Administrator’s Note: for the playoff power rankings I will be leaving teams that have been eliminated in their spots, as you cannot really change your standing if you aren’t playing. So this week teams 32-13 will remain in the same spot as they were last week. The teams that played this week, and all others above them, will be written about and ranked.
32. Kansas City Chiefs (2-14)
31. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-14)
30. Oakland Raiders (4-12)
29. Philadelphia Eagles (4-12)
28. Detroit Lions (4-12)
27. Arizona Cardinals (5-11)
26. New York Jets (6-10)
25. Tennessee Titans (6-10)
24. Buffalo Bills (6-10)
23. Cleveland Browns (5-11)
22. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-9)
21. San Diego Chargers (7-9)
20. Miami Dolphins (7-9)
19. St. Louis Rams (7-8-1)
18. New Orleans Saints (7-9)
17. Carolina Panthers (7-9)
16. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-8)
15. Dallas Cowboys (8-8)
14. New York Giants (9-7)
13. Chicago Bears (10-6).
12. Cincinnati Bengals (10-7)
I held firm that the Bengals were the worst team that made it into the postseason and they didn’t really let me down on Saturday. The Bengals offense was particularly disappointing as their only touchdown in the game came from an interception returned for a touchdown by Leon Hall. Andy Dalton completed less than 50% of his passes and showed a number of his weaknesses. While offensive coordinator Jay Gruden seemed to ignore the running game, despite Green-Ellis running well in the first half. It will be interesting to see whether the Bengals are headed for a downward spiral after two early playoff exits or if they are still a building team. Frankly there wasn’t much progress from year one to two and they have to at least entertain the idea that Dalton may not be the guy to take them to the “promised land”.
11. Minnesota Vikings (10-7)
Poor Vikings, poor Adrian Peterson. After what was a very surprising ten win season that led to a playoff berth the Vikings watched their season fall away at the hands of Joe Webb. You can’t blame Webb too much as he was thrown into an impossible spot and the coaching staff did not put him in many favorable plays that fit his skill set. For their offseason Christian Ponder will be headed into his third year and the team must surround him with top-flight talent. This way if he shows no improvement with better players around him the Vikings will know they need to move in a different direction. The Vikings have a solid nucleus of players and they should be in the mix for the next few years if Ponder improves, or they can bring in a more capable starter.
10. Indianapolis Colts (11-6)
The Colts were another team that did not manage to score an offensive touchdown this weekend. Now the Colts were in a tough spot given the fact that they had to go against a highly motivated Ravens squad. The Colts also seemed to have an air of “just glad to be here” that you often see with young teams that make the playoffs. The Colts had a ton of success with some castoffs but it was really amazing the contributions they got from their offensive rookie class. They got two starting caliber tight ends in Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen, two nice young receivers in TY Hilton and LaVon Brazil, a starting running back in Vick Ballard, and some guy named Andrew Luck. If the Colts have a good offseason rebuilding their offensive line and secondary they could be poised to reign the AFC South for years to come once again. Must be tough being a Colts fan.
9. Washington Redskins (10-7)
I have written extensively about how I feel on the RG3 issue, and though the news that he likely has at least a partially torn ACL and/or PCL only validates my feelings, I won’t cover that much in this space. What is important to talk about is where the Redskins go from here. Well if Griffin is indeed in need of ACL surgery that would put his availability, and effectiveness, for 2013 in doubt and the Redskins would likely have to roll with Kirk Cousins. While Cousins has looked in his brief action this year he is not near the dynamic performer RG3 is. He also does not represent the “savior of the franchise” that Griffin did for Washington fans. As far as what they need to add in the offseason, some pieces in the secondary are certainly needed, but it may behoove the Redskins to add a number one caliber wideout. Despite Pierre Garcon’s valiant performance, if they are going to be missing Griffin, more firepower is needed on offense.
8. Houston Texans (13-4)
Houston did not have a particularly strong performance against the Bengals in round one of the playoffs. However, they still got the win and they will move on to face the Patriots. Arian Foster was once again the key to the game as he had forty touches and carried the offense, while Jonathan Joesph returned to form as one of the top corners in the league against AJ Green. They will need both of these players to step up once again because the Patriots destroyed the Texans eariler in the year. And their strengths and weaknesses don’t exactly matchup well with the Patriots.
7. Baltimore Ravens (11-6)
The Ravens continue Ray Lewis’ last ride for at least another game into Denver. Anquan Boldin has to be recognized for an outstanding second half where he came up five catches for 145 yards and a touchdown. It’s amazing the amount of spectacular catches he makes without ever actually being open. This could be a much bigger problem against the Broncos great man coverage corners. Champ Bailey, Tony Carter and Chris Harris have been locking down on receivers all season and it is public knowledge the Ravens receivers struggle getting open against press-man coverage. They will need a great performance from Joe Flacco to get past the Broncos.
6. San Francisco 49ers (11-4-1)
The Niners beat the Packers back in week one but there is a ton of change about both teams since then. The Niners obviously have gone to Colin Kaepernick and the Packers have been incredibly hot since then. The 49ers have to be concerned about the health of Justin Smith. His absence has shown what a key player to their success on defense. So much of what he does, even if it pushes the boundaries, frees up Aldon Smith and other defenders to get to the quarterback. They will need him at one hundred percent to get past the Packers this week.
5. Seattle Seahawks (12-5)*
Seattle continued their hot streak when they went to Washington, however they aren’t without concerns at the moment. On top of the fact that their top pass rusher, Chris Clemons, tore his ACL their usually stellar defense struggled against Washington’s diversified attack. While they could match up better against a more traditional offense such as Atlanta’s it still must be a concern. The matchup of the week will no doubt be Seattle’s stellar corners against the star Atlanta receivers. It will be tough but I think its possible Seattle pulls off the upset.
4. Atlanta Falcons (13-3)
As I highlighted Julio Jones and Roddy White vs. Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner is the matchup of the week. All four of these guys are amongst the best and most physical at their positions in the entire league. The pressure will be on Atlanta to win their first playoff game and drawing the super hot Seahawks does them no favors. If Mike Smith and Matt Ryan cannot pull it off this weekend they will be facing intense scrutiny.
3. Green Bay Packers (12-5)*
Aaron Rodgers is playing as well as any player in the league right now and his defense is improving. However, it is his defense that will be the key to another title run. Much attention is given to Charles Woodson, Clay Matthews and the like, but the most important player on this unit may well be BJ Raji. When he is play at the elite level that he is capable of playing at this entire unit really “goes”. Raji stops the run so well and if he is the immovable object that he is it frees up everyone else to do their jobs. If Raji delivers more performances like he did against Minnesota, the Packers will be tough to beat in the NFC race.
2. New England Patriots (12-4)
The Patriots prepare to face a team they throttled a few weeks back. Luckily they don’t approach those situations like their delusioned journalist Dan Shaughnessy who basically wrote that the deal was already sealed because they are playing the pathetic Texans again. The Patriots are too smart and mature of a team to view things like that so they will no doubt be prepared to face a team that is still dangerous.
1. Denver Broncos (13-3)
Denver draws the Ravens in the divisional round and it is a very good matchup for them. The Broncos are amazingly still one of the least talked about teams in the league and that amazes me, as I really do not have many storylines to write about here. However, I am sure that is how both Peyton Manning and John Fox like it. Never was a better match of two more secretive men made. Anyways, I expect Denver to build on their win streak and meet up with Brady and the Patriots in the AFC championship game.
