chefsos
11-22-2005, 11:26 AM
Chiefs squarely in the middle of the pack.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/powerranking?season=2005&week=12&CMP=OTC-DT9705204233
Power Rankings: Cowboys, Chargers in top five
Obviously, the Colts and Broncos remain in the top two spots. There was a bit of a shake up at the top this week, with the Cowboys and Chargers both moving into the top five. That's the highest ranking this year for either of those teams.
It almost certainly won't be high enough to please Bears fans, but Chicago (No. 10) moved into the top 10 for the first time this year. Yes, we know they're below the Panthers who the Bears just beat. But like we've said before, it's a poll, and majority of the voters still feel that the Panthers are a better team.
The Texans remain at the bottom and appear in no danger of relinquishing that spot. Meanwhile, the Jets' miserable season continued with a shutout in Denver, dropping them from No. 27 to No. 31.
2005 Power Rankings: Week 12
RK (LW) TEAM REC COMMENT
1 (1) Colts 10-0-0 The team that beats the Colts will be the team that forces Peyton Manning into making a few mistakes. But can any team actually do that?
2 (2) Broncos 8-2-0 Next two weeks (at Cowboys, at Chiefs) could go a long way in deciding division title and playoff seeding.
3 (5) Seahawks 8-2-0 The current No. 1 seed in the NFC isn't supposed to escape from San Francisco with a two-point win.
4 (7) Cowboys 7-3-0 Cowboys will have played three games in 11 days following their Thanksgiving day game against the Broncos. If they can come out of that stretch 3-0, that would be pretty impressive.
5 (8) Chargers 6-4-0 The Chargers are No. 5 in the Power Rankings and right now they wouldn't even make the playoffs.
6 (3) Steelers 7-3-0 Ben Roethlisberger's injuries obviously have something to do with it, but the Steelers' running game just isn't as dominant as it was last year.
7 (6) Bengals 7-3-0 Being able to play with the big boys really doesn't mean anything if you can?t beat them: 1-3 against teams with winning records.
8 (4) Panthers 7-3-0 Steve Smith just keeps putting up huge numbers, but the Panthers need to find a way to run the ball with more success. They are averaging a league-low 3 yards per carry this year.
9 (10) Giants 7-3-0 The upcoming battles with fellow NFC frontrunners (at Seahawks, vs. Cowboys) could determine if they're contenders or pretenders.
10 (13) Bears 7-3-0 We knew the Bears' defense was good. But that good? The offense isn't great, but when you're giving up 11 points a game, how good does the offense need to be?
11 (11) Jaguars 7-3-0 A mark of a playoff team: beating up on teams with losing records, something they've done the past three weeks.
12 (14) Buccaneers 7-3-0 We'll admit, we were part of the group that was ready to bury the Bucs when they lost two straight and dropped to 5-3.
13 (12) Patriots 6-4-0 Condolences to Bill Belichick on the death of his father Steve. Anyone who knows anything about Belichick knows how big an influence his father was on his coaching career and his life.
14 (9) Falcons 6-4-0 OK, Michael Vick. We know you can throw the ball, but can you hold on to it (4 fumbles, 2 lost in last two games)?
15 (16) Chiefs 6-4-0 There must be a lot of teams that wish they'd pulled the trigger on getting Larry Johnson when the Chiefs were willing to trade him.
16 (15) Redskins 5-5-0 Sunday must have been a joy for Daniel Snyder: having his team's playoff chances hurt by a coach he once fired.
17 (22) Raiders 4-6-0 Norv Turner cried when presented the game ball on Sunday. Was he that excited or is he already anticipating Al Davis' next move?
18 (20) Vikings 5-5-0 Who would have thought that at 2-5 and coming off Daunte Culpepper's season-ending injury that there was any chance the Vikings could get back in the playoff race?
19 (17) Eagles 4-6-0 Mike McMahon has some talent and he'll get a chance to show what he can do over the next six weeks.
20 (24) Browns 4-6-0 Reuben Droughns looks more like a legitimate No. 1 NFL running back every week.
21 (19) Bills 4-6-0 No California Dreamin' for the Bills this season: out scored 86-27 in their two games on the West Coast.
22 (18) Rams 4-6-0 Two straight losses and the hopes of contending for a playoff spot have seemingly gone out the window.
23 (21) Lions 4-6-0 When a team files a grievance against a player -- Lions vs. Charles Rogers -- that can't bode well for the players' future in that city.
24 (29) Ravens 3-7-0 Recipe for success: force the other team's third-string QB on the field. It's worked against Pittsburgh and the Jets.
25 (28) Cardinals 3-7-0 Classy move by Rams fans giving Kurt Warner a standing ovation. Although they probably weren't feeling the same way at the end of the game after Warner torched the Rams for 285 yards and three TDs.
26 (25) Titans 2-8-0 Titans are obviously out of the playoff hunt, but they'd love to throw a roadblock at the Jaguars' playoff hopes.
27 (23) Dolphins 3-7-0 Is there any doubt that the No. 1 priority in Miami this offseason has to be the quarterback position?
28 (26) Packers 2-8-0 Folks in Green Bay don't want to hear this, but at what point does Aaron Rodgers start getting a few snaps?
29 (30) Saints 2-8-0 The three personal fouls on the same play will overshadow it a little bit, but Will Smith played a great game against the Patriots.
30 (31) 49ers 2-8-0 At least they didn't stink up the joint while Hall of Famer Steve Young was in the house being honored.
31 (27) Jets 2-8-0 Being a Jets quarterback right now is hazardous to your health.
32 (32) Texans 1-9-0 The one bright side to being as bad as the Texans are? You get to watch rookie Jerome Mathis (266 yards on seven returns against the Chiefs, including a 99-yarder for a TD) return a lot of kicks.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/powerranking?season=2005&week=12&CMP=OTC-DT9705204233
Power Rankings: Cowboys, Chargers in top five
Obviously, the Colts and Broncos remain in the top two spots. There was a bit of a shake up at the top this week, with the Cowboys and Chargers both moving into the top five. That's the highest ranking this year for either of those teams.
It almost certainly won't be high enough to please Bears fans, but Chicago (No. 10) moved into the top 10 for the first time this year. Yes, we know they're below the Panthers who the Bears just beat. But like we've said before, it's a poll, and majority of the voters still feel that the Panthers are a better team.
The Texans remain at the bottom and appear in no danger of relinquishing that spot. Meanwhile, the Jets' miserable season continued with a shutout in Denver, dropping them from No. 27 to No. 31.
2005 Power Rankings: Week 12
RK (LW) TEAM REC COMMENT
1 (1) Colts 10-0-0 The team that beats the Colts will be the team that forces Peyton Manning into making a few mistakes. But can any team actually do that?
2 (2) Broncos 8-2-0 Next two weeks (at Cowboys, at Chiefs) could go a long way in deciding division title and playoff seeding.
3 (5) Seahawks 8-2-0 The current No. 1 seed in the NFC isn't supposed to escape from San Francisco with a two-point win.
4 (7) Cowboys 7-3-0 Cowboys will have played three games in 11 days following their Thanksgiving day game against the Broncos. If they can come out of that stretch 3-0, that would be pretty impressive.
5 (8) Chargers 6-4-0 The Chargers are No. 5 in the Power Rankings and right now they wouldn't even make the playoffs.
6 (3) Steelers 7-3-0 Ben Roethlisberger's injuries obviously have something to do with it, but the Steelers' running game just isn't as dominant as it was last year.
7 (6) Bengals 7-3-0 Being able to play with the big boys really doesn't mean anything if you can?t beat them: 1-3 against teams with winning records.
8 (4) Panthers 7-3-0 Steve Smith just keeps putting up huge numbers, but the Panthers need to find a way to run the ball with more success. They are averaging a league-low 3 yards per carry this year.
9 (10) Giants 7-3-0 The upcoming battles with fellow NFC frontrunners (at Seahawks, vs. Cowboys) could determine if they're contenders or pretenders.
10 (13) Bears 7-3-0 We knew the Bears' defense was good. But that good? The offense isn't great, but when you're giving up 11 points a game, how good does the offense need to be?
11 (11) Jaguars 7-3-0 A mark of a playoff team: beating up on teams with losing records, something they've done the past three weeks.
12 (14) Buccaneers 7-3-0 We'll admit, we were part of the group that was ready to bury the Bucs when they lost two straight and dropped to 5-3.
13 (12) Patriots 6-4-0 Condolences to Bill Belichick on the death of his father Steve. Anyone who knows anything about Belichick knows how big an influence his father was on his coaching career and his life.
14 (9) Falcons 6-4-0 OK, Michael Vick. We know you can throw the ball, but can you hold on to it (4 fumbles, 2 lost in last two games)?
15 (16) Chiefs 6-4-0 There must be a lot of teams that wish they'd pulled the trigger on getting Larry Johnson when the Chiefs were willing to trade him.
16 (15) Redskins 5-5-0 Sunday must have been a joy for Daniel Snyder: having his team's playoff chances hurt by a coach he once fired.
17 (22) Raiders 4-6-0 Norv Turner cried when presented the game ball on Sunday. Was he that excited or is he already anticipating Al Davis' next move?
18 (20) Vikings 5-5-0 Who would have thought that at 2-5 and coming off Daunte Culpepper's season-ending injury that there was any chance the Vikings could get back in the playoff race?
19 (17) Eagles 4-6-0 Mike McMahon has some talent and he'll get a chance to show what he can do over the next six weeks.
20 (24) Browns 4-6-0 Reuben Droughns looks more like a legitimate No. 1 NFL running back every week.
21 (19) Bills 4-6-0 No California Dreamin' for the Bills this season: out scored 86-27 in their two games on the West Coast.
22 (18) Rams 4-6-0 Two straight losses and the hopes of contending for a playoff spot have seemingly gone out the window.
23 (21) Lions 4-6-0 When a team files a grievance against a player -- Lions vs. Charles Rogers -- that can't bode well for the players' future in that city.
24 (29) Ravens 3-7-0 Recipe for success: force the other team's third-string QB on the field. It's worked against Pittsburgh and the Jets.
25 (28) Cardinals 3-7-0 Classy move by Rams fans giving Kurt Warner a standing ovation. Although they probably weren't feeling the same way at the end of the game after Warner torched the Rams for 285 yards and three TDs.
26 (25) Titans 2-8-0 Titans are obviously out of the playoff hunt, but they'd love to throw a roadblock at the Jaguars' playoff hopes.
27 (23) Dolphins 3-7-0 Is there any doubt that the No. 1 priority in Miami this offseason has to be the quarterback position?
28 (26) Packers 2-8-0 Folks in Green Bay don't want to hear this, but at what point does Aaron Rodgers start getting a few snaps?
29 (30) Saints 2-8-0 The three personal fouls on the same play will overshadow it a little bit, but Will Smith played a great game against the Patriots.
30 (31) 49ers 2-8-0 At least they didn't stink up the joint while Hall of Famer Steve Young was in the house being honored.
31 (27) Jets 2-8-0 Being a Jets quarterback right now is hazardous to your health.
32 (32) Texans 1-9-0 The one bright side to being as bad as the Texans are? You get to watch rookie Jerome Mathis (266 yards on seven returns against the Chiefs, including a 99-yarder for a TD) return a lot of kicks.