ESPN's NFL Power Rankings

[Cowsrus]

I was hoping for even a miniscule ray of light but then I came accross this ESPN article. Out of 32 teams who do you think is at the bottom of the list?

 

With only what, 5 games left, is there any chance we'll win any of them? Do you think Manigini should be fired? If so, who should replace him and even though fan voices don't seem to matter, what would you do if you were the coach? And are there any decent players available that could be brought in to add to the team?

 

Sorry so many questions but I'm just trying to wrap my head around this whole mess and would like to hear what you guys think and see if there is any hope for next year. I think we've all given up on this season.----Heidi

 

2009 NFL Power Rankings: Week 13:

 

ESPN.com

 

 

Where once there was much debate about the NFL's best team, apparently now there S'aints no doubt about it.

 

The New Orleans Saints are the undisputed kings of the ESPN.com NFL Power Rankings entering Week 13, according to the latest poll of our experts.

 

Their demolition of the New England Patriots on ESPN's "Monday Night Football" gave the Saints all four first-place votes. In recent weeks, our panelists have been split between the Saints and fellow unbeatens Indianapolis Colts, who this week find the once-beaten Minnesota Vikings hot on their heels for the No. 2 designation. After that pair, the hard-charging San Diego Chargers and the Cincinnati Bengals own the Nos. 4 and 5 positions, respectively.

 

Read more about the voting here.

 

Week 13 presents several intriguing matchups, including the Brett Favre-led Vikings visiting the Arizona Cardinals. The No. 8 Cardinals are trying to recover from losing to Vince Young and the Tennessee Titans -- who rate No. 16 this week -- on a last-play miracle in Week 12. The Cardinals also hope to welcome Kurt Warner back to the starting lineup after he sat out the Titans game recovering from a concussion.

 

• More: Voting | Blogs | FB Today | SN: Rank 'Em | Pick 'Em | Team Power Ranking charts since 2002

 

 

Editor's note: LW indicates each team's ranking in the Week 12 edition of the Power Rankings.

 

2009 Power Rankings: Week 13

RK (LW) TEAM REC COMMENT

1 (1) Saints 11-0-0 The Saints showed they could rise to occasion in their Monday night showdown with Patriots. (Sando)

2 (2) Colts 11-0-0 It's been forever since the Colts lost a regular-season game. The Titans will be a big test. (Kuharsky)

3 (3) Vikings 10-1-0 They appear more dominant with each passing week. (Chadiha)

4 (6) Chargers 8-3-0 With six wins in a row, the Chargers are now counted among the AFC elite. (Kuharsky)

5 (7) Bengals 8-3-0 This team should be excited about its backfield depth as the postseason nears. (Chadiha)

6 (4) Patriots 7-4-0 If the Patriots can't fix their problems in road games, they won't travel far in the playoffs. (Clayton)

7 (8) Cowboys 8-3-0 The Cowboys' schedule gets tough with games against the Giants, Chargers and Saints coming up. (Clayton)

8 (5) Cardinals 7-4-0 Matt Leinart played pretty well against the Titans, but the Cardinals need Kurt Warner back ASAP. (Sando)

9 (10) Eagles 7-4-0 Donovan McNabb's leadership has helped with his young offense's skill position players. (Clayton)

10 (13) Broncos 7-4-0 The Broncos got it back on the rails Thanksgiving night in win over Giants. (Kuharsky)

11 (12) Packers 7-4-0 One big key to the Packers' three-game win streak: They're doing a better job of protecting QB Aaron Rodgers. (Chadiha)

12 (9) Steelers 6-5-0 Three straight losses should have the Steelers concerned about their playoff chances. (Chadiha)

13 (15) Ravens 6-5-0 They need to string some wins together with the Steelers reeling and wild-card spots up for grabs. (Chadiha)

14 (16) Falcons 6-5-0 It's tough to imagine the Falcons beating the Eagles without Matt Ryan. (Sando)

15 (11) Giants 6-5-0 The season comes down to their next two home games: Dallas and Philadelphia. (Clayton)

16 (19) Titans 5-6-0 The Titans are as confident as any team in the league as they prepare for trip to Indy. (Kuharsky)

17 (14) Jaguars 6-5-0 Pass protection was a giant issue in loss at San Francisco. (Kuharsky)

18 (18) Texans 5-6-0 Their 5-3 record seems like it was ages ago. (Kuharsky)

19 (17) Dolphins 5-6-0 If the Dolphins can beat the Patriots in Week 13, the AFC East is a race again. (Clayton)

20 (20) 49ers 5-6-0 The Niners can improve their record to 4-0 in the division by completing sweep of Seahawks. (Sando)

21 (22) Jets 5-6-0 The biggest color-coded change implemented by Rex Ryan for Mark Sanchez was having Sanchez throw to Jets' jersey colors. (Clayton)

22 (21) Panthers 4-7-0 Jake Delhomme finally catches a break and it's his finger that is broken. (Sando)

23 (23) Bears 4-7-0 Jay Cutler's 20 interceptions are bad enough; the league's worst rushing offense isn't helping matters, either. (Chadiha)

24 (27) Bills 4-7-0 Interim coach Perry Fewell shows there can be life and pride for the Bills after Dick Jauron's firing. (Clayton)

25 (25) Seahawks 4-7-0 If the Seahawks beat the 49ers in Week 13, that would help the Cardinals' cause in NFC West race. (Sando)

26 (24) Redskins 3-8-0 President Obama could fund health care reform with the money accumulating on injured reserve. (Clayton)

27 (26) Chiefs 3-8-0 Twenty-nine point loss to Chargers made their two-game win streak a distant memory. (Kuharsky)

28 (28) Raiders 3-8-0 They proved they're not ready for prime time on Thanksgiving in Dallas. (Kuharsky)

29 (29) Lions 2-9-0 What's left to say after that Thanksgiving Day loss to the Packers? (Chadiha)

30 (30) Buccaneers 1-10-0 The pressure's on Raheem Morris to improve late-game decision-making. (Sando)

31 (31) Rams 1-10-0 The Rams were outmanned even before suffering recent wave of debilitating injuries. (Sando)

32 (32) Browns 1-10-0 So much for progress on offense; the Browns managed just 169 yards in their loss to Cincinnati. (Chadiha)

 

http://espn.go.com/nfl/powerrankings

 

Heidi

 

[Pumpkin Eater]

ESPN sucks balls. Their opinion means nothing to me.

 

Besides, we all already know the Browns suck.

[The Gipper]

Power rankings for NFL teams means diddley. Unlike the BCS idiots, the NFL has an actual PLAYOFF system. Teams either get in the playoffs or they don't based on their on field activity, not based on a poll. They either win a playoff game and move on or they don't.

[cmac12]

Bet it might matter more to you if the Browns were not rated as the worst team in football. I lived through 20 years of losing at Oregon State I know how it feels, you don't want to be reminded that you suck. But it does matter because it is national perception, and perception does matter.

 

Though I will say that I do believe the Browns are allot closer to improving than either TB or St Louis. Have a good draft this year and try and pick up a veteran QB that can actually play this game and I think the Browns will win 7 games next season.

[Alendor]

Power rankings for NFL teams means diddley. Unlike the BCS idiots, the NFL has an actual PLAYOFF system. Teams either get in the playoffs or they don't based on their on field activity, not based on a poll. They either win a playoff game and move on or they don't.

 

ya, but playoffs only shows the good teams, we would never know how bad we rank every year without these. thanks to this we know we'll get the first draft pick every other year, instead of just assuming.

[Pumpkin Eater]

Again, I don't need ESPN to tell me that the browns suck.

[The Gipper]

ya, but playoffs only shows the good teams, we would never know how bad we rank every year without these. thanks to this we know we'll get the first draft pick every other year, instead of just assuming.

 

 

Again, a power ranking is irrelevent to that. The draft positioning board will ultimately tell us who gets the first pick. Assume that the Browns, Bucs, and Rams all have the same worst record in the league. Just like for the playoffs, there is a tie breaker system at hand on who gets first pick (and on this one, I know that it is not head to head. I think it was last year, some team beat the Browns and we thought we would get the higher pick because of that. But no, we got the lower pick because that other team had a weaker strength of schedule or some nonsense. Still, that system works to tell you who the suckiest teams are.

[JoeSixPat]

I was hoping for even a miniscule ray of light but then I came accross this ESPN article. Out of 32 teams who do you think is at the bottom of the list?

 

Why do you have to be so negative?

 

As shown by the power rankings, Mangini has stopped the teams slide downward and is now beginning to develop consistency.

 

[professor_g]

ProFootballWeekly has had the Browns ranked last for the past three weeks. I don't really see much basis for disagreement with the ranking, but I don't blame too much of it on Mangini. He has been right on about which players to cut, and he has made some good additions.

[Alendor]

omg SUPRISE!! joe made another attempt at bashing mangini.

 

i think you need to develope your own slogan, or you'll never be a top tier troll like lum. he had BQ fags, you need to get one yourself, it'll help your troll ranking.

[kpolen4]

About the bringing inplayers part, Tony Scheffler i think is going to be a F/A and we could use a TE like him who is good in the passing game. I was on a site that listed Free Agents and there were quite a few OL that might be upgrades, RB's like Lendale White, Norwood, I think Sproles, a vet WR would be nice. Defense we need to draft Berry at safety. I think we might see some good out of Roth that we brought in at LB. Gotta get Rogers healthy as well as Jackson. Briing in another CB Mcdonald doesnt cut it, poteat is worthless. Need a GM and the list goes on and on.........