Week 10 is imminent with a short turnaround for the Baltimore Ravens and Atlanta Falcons, who play in a possible Super Bowl preview matchup Thursday night on NFL Network. Without any further ado, I give you the Week 10 edition of 2nd and Inches’ Power Rankings (As of 5pm Thursday, 1-20 are posted). Here’s the format:
Rank|Team|(Record)|Div. Rank|(Div. Record)|Next Game|Comments
1 Baltimore Ravens (6-2) 1st AFC North (2-1)|@Falcons
Michael Lombardi of NFL.com says it better than I can: “Miami did not force Baltimore to punt, thus allowing 60 combined completions and rushes, which is enough to win any game.”
2 Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) 2nd AFC North (2-1)|v.Patriots
Pittsburgh is 3-1 with (and without) Big Ben, and in the thick of the AFC North race entering the second half of the season. The defense is in true form, despite the 24th-best pass D, they are by a long shot the stingiest run D in the NFL (58.2 ypg, with 2nd-best being the Giants with 80.9 ypg).
3 New York Giants (6-2) 1st NFC East (1-0)|v.Cowboys
The Giants have been dominating both sides of the ball in recent weeks, and look to easily notch another win with the deflating Cowboys visiting this week.
4 Atlanta Falcons (6-2) 1st NFC South (2-0)|v.Ravens
Michael Turner has been running great for the past several games, making life easy for QB Matt Ryan. The Falcons’ defense also boasts the 2nd-most interceptions in the league (13), with ten different defenders with at least 1 pick.
5 Green Bay Packers (6-3) 1st NFC North (2-1)|BYE
The Packers’ defense has been looking great, letting up only 7 points in the past 8 quarters. Sure, anyone can beat the Cowboys this year, but the Packers handily destroyed them last week with offense and defense. The running game is still suspect, however.
6 New York Jets (6-2) 1st AFC East (3-0)|@Browns
I’ve never been a huge fan of Mark Sanchez, but he did lead an impressive comeback last Sunday. Against the Detroit Lions… Regardless of whether a comeback should be necessary or not, at least he’s showing signs of “clutch” ability.
7 Philadelphia Eagles (5-3) 2nd NFC East (0-1)|@Redskins
This team is extraordinary with Michael Vick under center. He’s just the upgrade from McNabb the offense needed, and if he can stay healthy, the Eagles should be ready for a postseason run.
8 New England Patriots (6-2) 2nd AFC East (2-1)|@Steelers
This is a defense I’ve been watching all year with a lack of trust, and its weaknesses got exposed by Peyton Hillis last week. The offense is looking out of synch without Randy Moss to keep opposing defenses honest, so the season should be fine, but Bill Belichick is going to have a hard week of practice planned.
9 Indianapolis Colts (5-3) 2nd AFC South (1-2)|v.Bengals
With Peyton Manning at the helm, you could put any random no-name receiver on the field and have him produce. Last week’s loss was tough, but the Colts are ready to play through the injuries.
10 New Orleans Saints (6-3) 2nd NFC South (3-1)|BYE
It’s strange that last year’s Super Bowl teams are rounding out the top ten, but neither has been terribly impressive yet. The Saints get a much-needed bye week to get some injuries healed up, with the RB position the most depleted so far.
11 Tennessee Titans (5-3) 1st AFC South (1-0)|@Dolphins
The Titans are looking good, and the addition of Randy Moss is going to help the running game as Chris Johnson has yet to step up his game in 2010. Despite being ranked No. 26 in the passing game, Vince Young has the NFL’s second-highest QB rating (103.1).
12 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-3) 3rd NFC South (1-2)|v.Panthers
Josh Freeman gives this offense the ability to build an identity, and continuity has been lacking in the offense for a few years in Tampa. The defense is scrappy and opportunistic as well, which helps them stay in every game for 60 minutes.
13 Kansas City Chiefs (5-3) 1st AFC West (1-1)| @Broncos
The Chiefs are getting more solid on offense, and Dwayne Bowe seems to have finally stopped dropping the ball. Victories within the AFC West will likely be enough to win the division, even if those are the only 4 games they win.
14 Oakland Raiders (5-4) 2nd AFC West (3-0)|BYE
The division title is in even closer grasp for the Raiders, and teams that sweep their divisions don’t watch the playoffs on TV. Jason Campbell has the hot hand right now and needs to make sure it doesn’t cool off during the bye.
15 San Diego Chargers (4-5) 3rd AFC West (0-2)|BYE
The Chargers are, without a doubt, the best team in the NFL with a losing record. Philip Rivers is on pace to shatter the single-season record for passing yardage, and he hasn’t had star WR Vincent Jackson on the field since January of last season. The Chargers have pulled off late-season streaks before, so don’t be surprised if it happens again.
16 Miami Dolphins (4-4) 3rd AFC East (1-2)|v.Titans
The Dolphins looked good for one whole drive against the Ravens, and then just abandoned the running game, despite Ronnie Brown’s production. The defense failed to force a single punt, and there were no takeaways. They need to tighten up for this week’s challenge.
17 Washington Redskins (4-4) 3rd NFC East (2-0)|v.Eagles
Donovan McNabb insists that the air is clear between him and head coach Mike Shanahan, so he should play all 60 minutes of the game. However, the importance of two-minute offense will be determined to how the defense holds up against a surging Michael Vick-led Eagles offense.
18 Houston Texans (4-4) 4th AFC South (1-1)|@Jaguars
This next game is must-win for the Texans, who were preseason dark horse playoff contenders. The defense has completely crippled the team’s ability to hold a lead, as this season has seen the offense need to have shootout after shootout for their wins.
19 St. Louis Rams (4-4) 1st NFC West (1-1)|@49ers
This team has a ton of upside, especially with Sam Bradford running the offense, and a victory over the 49ers could not only put the nail in the Niners’ coffin, but give the Rams a leg up in the race for the NFC West.
20 Chicago Bears (5-3) 2nd NFC North (2-0)|v.Vikings
I am not sold on the Bears to get anywhere close to the Super Bowl this year, but they’re hanging in at only a half-game behind the Packers. Jay Cutler is still throwing too many picks and the offensive line is extremely inconsistent. In fact, Mike Martz may need to wait a year for some O-Line help before he builds another “Greatest Show on Turf.”
