Yes, a shameless attention grabbing headline to make you look. But at least we don't stoop to Neil Best's level and throw in a picture of a Cowboys' cheerleader ... we're a bit more original than that. After all, the Cowboys are No. 2. It's the Patriots who rule. 
...
Actually, we feel pretty good about this week's rankings, all things considered. There are some issues we have with the fact that we're starting to run out of analogies and adjectives, but that's where you come in. Feel free to add in any clever one-liners where necessary. And surely BBiB! will have some thoughts, since all he does at work these days is read our blog and offer his impressive insight on this great game we all love.
1. Patriots (12-0) (1): If the Patriots were going to lose, they would have done it last night. Instead, they turn back a terrific performance by the Ravens with an even better fourth-quarter comeback to remain perfect. Up next: Black N Gold, Big Ben is Back!, Steel Curtain and, of course, Ben Roethlisberger at Gillette Stadium next Sunday. Another huge test.
2. Cowboys (11-1) (2): Any question of the Cowboys’ NFC supremacy after they get by Packers? Didn’t think so.
3. Colts (10-2) (4): Still no Marvin Harrison, and that hurts the Colts. Dwight Freeney’s absence, too. But Indy is showing some heart by overcoming these and other key absences. Latest example: Sunday’s 28-25 win over upset-minded Jacksonville.
4. Packers (10-2) (3): Good news for Packers fans. Brett Favre is due back on Sunday against Oakland. Can a Packers-Cowboys rematch in January be far behind?
5. Steelers (9-3) (6): Big Ben does his part with a workmanlike effort, but Steelers are surely disturbed by Willie Parker’s four fumbles.
6. Jaguars (8-4) (5): Good, just not good enough. That’s what the Jags learned after being swept by Indy in the season series. Jags still worthy enough to get a wild card spot, though.
7. Buccaneers (8-4) (8): Jon Gruden isn’t going anywhere, not after what he’s done with the Bucs this season. Even without veteran QB Jeff Garcia, Luke McCown picks up the slack in a huge win over the Saints in the Big Easy. (We love using the term “Big Easy,” btw.)
8. Seahawks (8-4) (9): Shaun Alexander returns to the lineup, and the offense picks things up against the Iggles. But it was the defense that picked off A.J. Feeley four times that proved the difference. Looks like Seattle is on a bit of a roll. Maybe an upset winner deep in the playoffs? We’ll see.
9. Vikings (6-6) (18): What’s a 6-6 team doing this high? We’re invoking the right-here, right-now mantra. Right here, right now, the Vikings are better than every other NFC team listed below, including a Giants team they thrashed last week.
10. Giants (8-4) (10): Big Blue’s record is good, but its quality of play remains lacking, especially on offense. We’ll see if Eli converts his fourth-quarter comeback in Chicago into a more productive stretch run.
11. Chargers (7-5) (11): The Chargers are back! Then again, we’ve said that before, and they’ve regressed, so we’ll be a bit more cautious this time. If they blow a two game lead with four to play, then it’ll go down as one of the team’s greatest choke jobs ever.
12. Titans (7-5) (16): Speaking of choking, the Titans were beginning to do just that before fending off Houston on Sunday. The win stopped a three-game losing streak. Albert Haynesworth had only two tackles, but his presence makes a huge difference. He missed all three games the Titans had lost before Sunday.
13. Cardinals (6-6) (20): Arizona still makes a ton of mistakes, but for a team that almost never makes the playoffs, a shot at a wild card berth is about as perfect as you can get.
14. Browns (7-5) (7): Derek Anderson nearly pulls off another magical comeback in the fourth quarter, but his would-be winning TD pass to Kellen Winslow is ruled out of bounds. Browns still have fairly easy schedule down the stretch, so a playoff berth is within reach.
15. Bills (6-6) (21): Trent Edwards does just enough to keep the Bills’ playoff hopes flickering. Still a long way to go, but it’s better than a stick in the eye (hey, it’s late in the season, and I’m starting to run out of quips. Suggestions welcome).
16. Saints (5-7) (12): Folks in the Big Easy are bumming about Sean Payton’s botched play-call against the Bucs. A reverse pitch from Reggie Bush to Devery Henderson went awry, and the Bucs made them pay. Could mean the playoffs for the Big Easy’s home team. Have we told you we like saying the Big Easy? Ok, we’ll stop.
17. Bears (5-7) (14): If the Bears are gonna lose, at least do it the right way with a couple Rex Grossman interceptions. This time, Grossman was turnover free, but the defense came up small in the fourth quarter. Bears might have to win out to even think about the playoffs.
18. Eagles (5-7) (13): Eagles fans can’t justify a preference for A.J. Feeley over Donovan McNabb, not after Sunday’s four interception performance. Kevin Kolb!
19. Lions (6-6) (17): What a terrible time to be out of "Lions stink" jokes. The Lions have lost four straight and are imploding yet again. Someone please supply clever one-liner, and we’ll give you credit.
20. Texans (5-7) (19): Matt Schaub is finding out the hard way that it’s not easy being a starting quarterback. (I’m telling you, I can’t even fire off a cliché without sounding stupid.) Anyway, Schaub is battling through injuries yet again, this time a dislocated shoulder that might keep him on the shelf a while.
21. Panthers (5-7) (26) Beating the 49ers might not be cause for celebration, but John Fox will take anything these days. Vinny Testaverde kept Fox off the hot seat for at least a week.
22. Bengals (4-8) (22): Hey, Steelers fans, you realize, of course, that the Bengals gift-wrapped that win on Sunday night. Steelers did everything possible to give the game away down the stretch, but the Bengals couldn’t capitalize.
23. Broncos (5-7) (15): One week it’s the quarterback. The next it’s the running back. And then the defense. Why does it seem the Broncos just can’t get all three elements clicking at the same time? Lance?
24. Ravens (4-8) (25): Even though they lost to the Pats, that might have been the Ravens’ best game of the season.
25. Redskins (5-7) (23): I hate having to talk about Joe Gibbs’ issues at a time like this, because the Redskins have been through hell with the Sean Taylor tragedy. But ‘Skins fans are freaking out – justifiably so – over Gibbs’ performance on Sunday. And it wasn’t just not knowing the rules about timeouts to ice kickers. He didn’t know there were 10 men on the field to start the game, a tribute concocted by defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.
26. Raiders (4-8) (28): Looks like Lane Kiffin isn’t going to take a college job, and that’s a good thing for the Raiders. He’s done some good things with this offense, the latest a convincing home win over Denver.
27. Rams (3-9) (30): Still wonder what this season would have been like with a healthy Marc Bulger.
28. Chiefs (4-8) (24): Herm still paying for questionable decision-making down the stretch in last week’s home loss to Oakland. Chiefs look listless in getting smoked at home by resurgent Chargers.
29. Jets (3-9) (31): To that segment of Jets’ nation that isn’t about they beat the winless Dolphins because it means a lower draft pick: Stop it! There are plenty of good players to be taken in the top 5, so just be happy the offense finally did something.
30. Falcons (3-9) (29): Falcons’ late comeback not enough to beat Rams. (Yes, another unimaginative comment, but this one’s justifiable, because the Falcons don’t inspire anyone.)
31. 49ers (3-9) (27): Mike Nolan isn’t going to get fired, but he is going to have a general manager to report to next season. Place him on the hot seat then.
32. Dolphins (0-12) (32): Memo to the Dolphins: Marty Schottenheimer will clean up this mess. Please call him. (Why not Bill Cowher? Because he surely won’t step into this chaos.)
Comments (20)
Good job with the rankings. I wonder if Steeler fan is confident about game against New England.
Karl,
You're kidding right? Were the Christians Confident when they entered the coliseum against the Lions? Was the Virgin confident against the Volcano? Were the Germans confident after they bombed Pearl Harbor? (OK strike that last one, I've watched Animal house far too many times).
Seriously, the Steelers have a good chance against the Pat's, defensively i think they match up well, and the Pat's have looked solvable the past couple of games. It's on the offensive side of the ball that has me worried. The Steelers are not showing much of a running game. I never have been a huge fan of Willie Parkers, and I'm disappointed in what he's shown the past couple of weeks. Davenport was/is hurt and even when healthy isn't the bruising type back that is necessary to run between the tackles and chew up significant portions of the clock if you're going to beat the Pat's. Tomlin and the Steelers coaching staff obviously don't have a lot of faith in Davis, so it's going to hinge on OC Bruce Arians crafting an attack featuring the TE's on short routes up the middle. Not exactly something the Steelers are known for.
As for Bob's newest Rankings... I find them interesting... I'll get to them at lunch maybe. Until then... hey Bob, you keep yo-yo'ing the browns around like that the strings gonna break.
Here's your one liner about Detroit.
Lions chances of making it to the playoffs? One in a Millen. Feel free to use....
Oh, my, richie g ... that is priceless. It's like having a big brother looking out for me. Thanks.
When Kitna said they would get 10 wins..... he was "Lion"
boooooo!
I don't get the headline. There is no reference to the Jets being in the top anything anywhere in the article. What are you talking about?
Steelers over Patriots? The refs won't let it happen. Plus the Pats are mad now and at home. Plus Troy and Holmes are hurting. Plus Parker can't hold onto the ball. Plus the Steelers essentially got lucky to the beat the Bengals according to Bob, plus the Steelers are 2-3 on the road. All those plusses add up to a Steelers victory 24-17!! Because logic just doesn't apply when it comes to matters of the heart. Go Black and Gold!
There sure were a lot of "we" references in your column this week BG. You'd think out of the bunch of you, you could come up with something more creative than "stick in the eye". Like, "better than a vomit covered sausage sandwich" for instance.
Where do you all see power rankings?
All I see is a picture ...
Lions one liner- Just as Zigfried and Roy announce comback - lions dissappear
the Lions looked more like Toto than the Kings of the Jungle
BBiB!
WE'VE dumbed down the first sentence of the intro to reflect the fact that WE were kidding about the Jets. WE hope you get it now. WE thank you for reading OUR little corner of the blogosphere ... now get back to work, slacker! !
Typically, one would tease readers with a headline like that and then say something like, "Jets still to receive a top 10 draft pick" or "Jets in Top Ten Lowest Attended Games" or something that went with the headline. You just put a falsehood in your headline and never addressed it. Instead of feeling 'teased' I feel lied to.
Think of others' feelings, BG. Us slackers have them too, you know. As Rodney King said (and he just got shot on a street corner last week by the way), "can't we all just get along?"
You're right, BBiB!
I should have been more respectful when referring to you as a slacker. I should have called you Mr. Slacker instead. My humble apologies.
:)
I got it. It's probably because I have that extra crucial genetic material on my second X chromosome.
How could the Seahawks be ranked lower than a team with the same record that they beat and beat up?
Big Ben is Back, well Daniel made it all right in the lion's den.
The Steelers have been waiting for this game for a few weeks now. I like their coach and it seems he is doing a good job with his players. But I really want to see the Patriots have an undefeated season going into the last game against the Giants. I want to see the cable companies explain how shopping channels are on regular cable but NFL Network can't be. (reason why: cable is making $ off of shopping, but wouldn't be off NFL network, it's ALWAYS about the $).
here's your one-liner for the Ravens next week:
I was about to move the Ravens up two spots, but Brian Billick called timeout before I could write it.
I Eat Dead People
(you do?) ... Seahawks beat Bucs in Week 1. We're talking right here, right now with these rankings. Tampa a vastly superior team to the one that lost to Seattle three months ago.
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