2018 Season - week 11 power rankings
by themightphil | 7 years ago | 0 Comments
Week 11 power rankings
32. Pittsburgh Steelers (0-9)
Not only are they 0-9, but (despite trying to find something) I can’t see any positives from this season. An awful defensive performance (31st in points allowed) combined with a stagnant offence (31st in points for) combines for a rather depressing outlook for Steelers fans.
They are 5th in passing yards allowed (yay), but considering they are also 31st in turnovers generated; this may just be because teams don’t need many yards to score.
Most impressive player: Ryan Shazier (MLB) – Leading league in tackles with a game less than most. 11 TFL. Some sacks and a couple of FF…nothing spectacular, but there’s fuck all else to like about this team right now
Positions of need: Coach. (can I say that?) Because this team is already stacked.
31. Indianapolis Colts (0-10)
A team that is trying their damndest to be as bad as the Steelers, going 0-10 so far (I actually think they might be worse).
However, the Colts do have 2 lights at the end of the tunnel (even if they are those power-saving bulbs that still leave you in near-perpetual darkness). 1. They have A LOT of youth on their roster. 2. Andrew Luck has a 71.2% completion percentage, with a not bad YPA.
If the Colts can sort their defence and phase out their offensive ints (I’d suggest running more – Ray Manning has been effective when utilised) they could vie for most improved next year.
Most impressive player: Ray Manning (HB) 5.9 YPA is above league average. Everyone else on the team has been below average
Positions of need: Defence. Everywhere. No sacks, no interceptions, porous d-line and a pathetic RZ defence to fall back on. I’d start with D-line + LBs and make my 1st round pick a Franchise pass rusher (or get one in a trade)
30. Los Angeles Rams (1-9)
After a 6-10 season last year with some games that actually showed some flashes of brilliance from the coach the Rams, this year, have been terrible.
The only thing keeping them above the Steelers and Colts is their solitary win vs the Cowboys (how?) as they sit 1-9. Statistically, they actually have the worst defence and worst offence in the league (according to the Powerg ™ analytics team.
On offence they can’t pass or run
On defence they can’t stop either the pass or run.
It’s not pretty.
Most impressive player: Johnny Hekker (P) – everyone else is awful
Positions of need: O-line – the current starters wouldn’t even be able to my local wheelchair basketball team, on a muddy pitch, from getting to the QB
29. Bills (2-8)
It’s hard seeing the mighty Bills sink to such a low. They are a one trick pony that has been shut down since those first few exciting weeks of last season.
An over-reliance on LeSean McCoy has met with poor results and the defence seem to be doing a weekly piece of performance art called ‘Humans as practice cones’.
However, while their offence has been fairly impotent, we know what the Bills can do running the ball. Couple this with a set of pass rushers who didn’t get the memo on the piece of performance art everyone else is doing, the Bills issues look like they could be rectified with some smart off-season moves
Most impressive player: Shaq Lawson (RE) – nice player, nice stats. Add some nice LBs and DBs to make passing harder and he will get sacks for fun
Position of need: HB. If the Bills can get a true franchise HB (and then never pass the ball) I think they could do scary things. Draft one, trade for one, blow your whole budget in FA on one….just get one
28. Ravens (2-7)
Possible the worst offence in the league. The only thing keeping the Ravens from fading into complete ignominy is a fairly decent pass defence that can generate turnovers.
They are bad passing and bad rushing and considering their starting QB and HB are both already over-the-hill it’s not looking good for next season either. Especially as it’s not just these positions where the Ravens have ageing players that will need to be replaced.
The Ravens have a good starter at 30 or over at FS, CB, WR, HB, QB and RG – good luck
Most impressive player: Eric Weddle – 4 interceptions is a pretty decent return from a 33 yr old FS
Positions of need: They have a lot needs going into next season – both due to age and shite-ness of current players. I would focus entirely on defence this off-season and look for replacements for Jimmy Smith and Weddle while, also, trying to get some good pass rushers into the lineup.
27. Saints (2-8)
The Saints have actually got a pretty good offence, which surprised me. 8th in yards and 3rd in passing yards. They haven’t converted this into points particularly well (21st), but it could be worse
But, and it’s a big but, holy shit is their defence completely shit. Their inability to stop any sort of run game or get turnovers is killing them. Until they sort this, I am confident they will not make the playoffs.
Most impressive player: Michael Thomas (WR) – on course for about 1200 yards despite the Saints spreading the ball quite a lot. At 25, the Saints are going to have no issues at WR for years
Position of need: D-line and LBs. Giving up 150 rushing yards a game is too much. Draft some big fuckers and big hitters to try and stop it.
26. Seahawks (2-8)
Seahawks are lucky there are so many truly awful teams in this league, otherwise I’d put them 32 without hesitation.
Too many games played by CPU and an awful offence of whom the best you can say is that ‘they aren’t completely trash at running the ball’. However, that Seahawks D is legit as fuck – you could user DT, put controller down, and they would still be making big plays.
Most impressive player: Earl Thomas. 3 ints and 2 FF isn’t that impressive, but its better than anything else they’ve got
Position of need: O-line. I could build a better O-line out of current FAs. Complete liability and not good for a player with bad pocket awareness anyway.
25. Redskins (3-7)
The Redskins defence is bottom 5 in every statistical category. Enough said.
The Redskins offence is lot like North Korea. They have a lot of numbers and make a lot of noise – they look mighty impressive. However, they are both pretty impotent.
However, the Redskins are 4th overall in offensive yardage, but have only managed 26 points a game (17th). This probably has something to do with Cousins having a worse than 1:1 td : int ratio. However, if this can be sorted the Redskins could be a truly dangerous team
Most impressive player: Jordan Reed – averaging 88 yards per game, Reed is Atlas-reborn as he shoulders this Redskins passing attack and has more than double the yards of the next best Skins receiver (Murray with 390).
Position of need: Given how bad the defence is, its got to be there. Given the 150 rushing yards per game against, I’d say defence line. Sort this out.
24. Giants (3-6)
The Giants would be A LOT lower if they hadn’t come away with a big win vs Texans in week 8. While they’ve had a couple of close victories over Redskins and Colts, a recurring theme of their season has been getting spanked by any average or above teams
Statistically they are very bland. Bottom half in pretty much every stat, but not bottom 5 in many. I’m struggling to come up with many positives for this team, or even a specific area they need to focus on – they are just bad across the board.
Maybe next year, after Carson Street’s rookie year, they might be able to start building a team philosophy as something to build on – they will have to if they want to step-up from being perennial whipping boys.
Most impressive player: As above, no one really stands out – its been a very bland year. Ramik Wilson with 4 ints at MLB???
Position of need: The LB core looks very dodgy. Adding some quality in here should help a lot with defence and provide a solid platform to build on. Their pass and rush defence isn’t completely terrible, so I don’t think the issue isnt the DBs or DL
23. Chargers (3-6)
The Chargers are basically the AFC version of the Giants – except slightly better
Enough said.
Most impressive player: Cam Newton is actually having a decent year with 17 tds and 2000 yards (plus 225 rushing yards and 3 tds) in 9 games. Throwing too many ints though. Given the Chargers have the 5th highest pass:run ratio, I’d recommend running more.
Position of need: O line. Everywhere else is great; but the o-line is about as useful as a punctured condom and has allowed the 10th most sacks – a lot when its Cam Newton in the pocket
22. Cardinals (5-5)
I don’t care if you are 5-5, I’m not putting you higher than this.
A couple of freak results against Bears and 49ers does not a team maketh.
I’m not talking about Cardinals as I refuse to believe they are actually 5-5
Most impressive player: John fucking Brown (WR) – 840 yards, 6 TDs….35 AVERAGE PER CATCH. Forget ‘Max Cheese Lobato’ this guy is the real cheese. Turn on ‘Swat ball’ when defending, because when in doubt Schwenke/Palmer will launch it deep for a contested streak catch hail mary
Position of need: Team is stacked, especially at HB with Johnson, Ingram and Henry. TE is the most obvious weak spot
21. Falcons (3-6)
One of the most exciting teams to watch for the neutral with an incredible 61 points put up, on average, per game.
Fantastic offence. Below average defence. It’s a shoot-out weekly
The Falcons could be a contender if they learnt to play defence. They’ve shown they can score on anyone, and can do it spreading the ball and also rushing.
Most impressive player: Gotta go Julio. His numbers aren’t as impressive as last season, but its still 700 yards off only 33 receptions
Position of need: Defence, anything to help your offence out. Not sure what though as the defence is pretty stacked. I think a good coverage LB to help Deion Jones out
20. Chiefs (3-6)
An enigma.
Good year last year and has shown glimpses of being good this year but seems to have self-destructed a bit since beating Broncos in week 5.
The wins they have were built on a solid run and pass defence and an efficient passing offence. Their rushing offence is horrendous and could, in part, be blamed for the Chief’s collapse – there’s only so much of the burden young Patrick Mahomes can take on.
Most impressive player: Justin Houston (LE) – 10 sacks in 9 games is a very solid return from the experienced DE
Position of need: O line – there are worse ones out there, but something has to be done to solve this awful running game
19. Bengals (5-5)
The Bengals obviously have a great understanding of the run game. The 3rd best rushing attack and the 9th best rushing defence have brought the Bengals to 5-5
However, they are bottom 10 in both passing yards for and against – its obvious their understanding of the passing game is limited to check downs and streak routes. If the Bengals want to challenge the Browns for their division they will need to improve drastically in this area (although, I would avoid throwing against the Browns in general).
But, the Bengals are only a couple of steps away from being able to challenge for playoffs
Please use Eifert more. Please.
Most impressive player: Giovanni Bernard averaging 95 yards a game with 6.6 ypc is very nice – I’d probably give him more carries
Position of need: WR. Yours are shit. I don’t care if John Ross runs the 40 in 3 seconds, he can’t do everything (and is also overrated). Bengals really need a big RZ WR. Someone like AJ Green….
18. New York Jets (3-6)
A ridiculously hard schedule could mean a lot of people underrate the Jets. Of their 6 losses; 5 have been against teams with a reasonable chance of making the playoffs.
A recent win against the Lions bumps up their ranking a lot and the team is obviously still a work in progress.
2 games to play against Dolphins will likely dictate who is runner up to the Pats in the AFC East this year – that’s probably as much as they can hope for at this point
Most impressive player: Marcus Maye with 3 ints, 2 pick 6s and 4 forced fumbles
Positions of need: The Jets start trash, and are still trash, but there’s signs of progress. Jimmy is a solid QB, their WRs and TEs are good enough and they may have the best safety pairing in the league. I would focus on offence or defence this season – O line or LBs to be more specific
17. Miami Dolphins (5-4)
The Dolphins are on track to becoming genuine contenders for the AFC East and, by extension, the AFC playoffs. As evidenced by a recent 1 score loss to the Patriots. Their only losses have been to Pats twice, Vikings and Texans, so there could be an argument to put them higher
They seem to be building from a defence first stance (which I like) and are top ten in total yards allowed, points allowed and rushing yards allowed.
Their offence is OK. It won’t lose them games, but it also probably won’t win them any either – but, given the horrendous state of their o-line , this is about as good as could be expected.
Their passing defence is a bit suspect, but they have a fairly young secondary and LB group. So this should improve a bit naturally.
Most impressive player: Reshad Jones (SS) – leading the team in tackles and has 5 FF. A menace to ball carriers
Position of need: O line. As stated the passing defence could use a boost, but that O line is criminally bad.
16. 49ers (5-4)
The 49ers were the most overrated team going into the playoffs last year. This year they may end up the most underrated.
A top 5 offence, led by the promising Beathard, and a good run defence is being compromised by an inability to stop the pass. Their secondary is young though, and will keep improving and LB looks like a real problem area for the 49ers (if they play 4-3 as I think they do).
Foster is incredible. But, Bowman is old as fuck and slow and Eli Harold is not a coverage guy.
It would be inexcusable for them to not make the playoffs – their only competition is the Cardinals. Once in the playoffs, the 49ers can beat anyone
Most impressive player: C J Beathard. 71.2 comp %. 121.8 QBR. 19 TDs to 11 ints. Beathard looking Franchise quality
Positions of need: Linebackers
15. Raiders (6-3)
After the Broncos, Patriots and Browns; the Raiders are in the strongest position to make the AFC playoffs.
They’ve taken advantage of an incredibly easy schedule, and the complete bloodbath happening in the AFC south, to position themselves as such. Their only 3 losses have come against 2 division champions in the Broncos (x2) and the 49ers.
A top 10 defence and a ‘solid enough’ offence has been enough to do what needs to be done in the other games.
Their remaining 7 games involve 5 vs teams with a losing record.
Most impressive player: David Amerson – 8 interceptions and 3 pick 6s from a CB is incredible
Position of need: Welp. Raiders are ridiculously good. TE and a WR2 to replace Crabtree are the most obvious areas to work on
14. Green Bay Packers (5-4)
Bit controversial, but given their schedule I think this is fair. If the Packers were in any other division; I am confident they would be challenging for the division, or an almost certain wildcard spot
As it is; their 4 losses have come against the Patriots, Bears, Lions and Vikings – hardly embarrassing.
However, I do not think we will ever see the Packers in the playoffs while the current status quo is in place. They are solid across the board – but don’t excel enough in a particular area to get that edge over their divisional rivals
Most impressive player: Aaron Jones + Joe Mixon combo. The Packers are operating a very effective dual HB system with the 9th best rushing attack and 1150 yards and 21 TDs off 172 carries between them
Positions of need: D line. The 21st rushing defence cannot sustain wins when you are playing the Lions, Bears and Vikings twice a year
13. Texans (6-4)
The Texans are basically a better version of the Falcons.
Lots of points, lots of yardage, fun games….but no defence.
Watson has been the best QB in the NFL this year and it looks like, with Watson leading them, this Texans offence can score on any team they come up against.
However, their recent game against the Titans (19-52) exposed that, when this team comes up against the playoff contenders, they will likely struggle.
Expect the Texans to keep making waves, racking up points and throwing out shock wins – however, they will not be making the playoffs (over the Jags or Titans) while they can’t defend.
Most impressive player: Watson. 2nd in yards, most TDs, 2nd in QBR and 227 rushing yards too
12. Buccaneers (6-3)
LUB is almost back. 5th in points allowed – built on the back of an incredible run defence with the ability to put up a lot of points on defence. The offence seems to be focused on limiting turnovers and pounding their way up the pitch with Marlon Mack.
It’s working for the Bucs. However, given the heavy competition for Wildcard spots in the NFC, and the emergence of Kook’s Panthers as real contenders, the Buccaneers need to progress to being able to beat the likes of the Packers and Eagles to be able to make the playoffs.
Most impressive player: Rico Blackburn – the rookie 6th rounder SS has 6 interceptions and is one of many Bucs DBs and LBs with multiple picks
Position of need: DE. Those Bucs DEs don’t fill me with confidence
11. Jaguars (6-3)
A very good defence (top 7 in every category) combined with a top 10 rushing offence is usually enough to get you into the playoffs. This isn’t looking certain for the Jaguars though. Facing tough competition from the Titans and Texans, the Jags 3 losses have been to the Pats (no shame) and 2 big losses to the Titans.
With two games against the Texans to go; those games will likely be make or break and, also, very intriguing ones – the top 5 offence of Texans vs the top 5 defence of the Jaguars.
The blockbuster trade for Prescott isn’t what I’d call successful, but when you run as well as King does, and you have Leonard Fournette…your QB almost doesn’t matter.
Most impressive player: Leonard Forunette – leading NFL in rushing yards – nuff said
Position of need: Team looks stacked everywhere, and is performing as such. D line and o line could be improved, but aren’t weak
10. Cowboys (7-2)
Given they have the 6th best record in NFL, the Cowboys may be annoyed about being 10th. The only reason they have dropped here is because of a relatively recent loss to the Lions.
With wins against Eagles, Texans and Panthers (both ranked ahead) the Cowboys have a couple of impressive wins to go with their efficient wins over the worse teams.
Rookie QB Anunoby is doing enough at QB to allow Zeke to lead the Cowboys to the 5th best rushing attack in the NFL and, as such, the attack looks potent.
However, the defence is not as impressive and is, in fact, fairly average.
With big games coming up against the Jags, Titans, Bucs and Eagles the Cowboys have plenty of opportunity to stake their claim to be a top 5 team and should, at minimum, make the playoffs through the wildcard
Most impressive player: Zeke. Great numbers – a ridiculous 7.4 ypc
Position of need: Defensive line looks very weak
9. Lions (7-3)
The Lions were having a breakout year until their week 7 loss to the Bears. Since then, they have had a sim win vs Vikings, 2 losses (to the Panthers and Jets) and an expected win vs the Seahawks.
This could be attributed to the loss of highly efficient Matt Stafford – it will be interesting to see what will happen once he returns. Before his injury the Lions had (and possibly still have) the most balanced and best offence in the NFL.
Top in rushing yards and 11th in passing yards, they can do it on the ground or in the air.
However, their defence is very suspect – especially their rushing defence. While they are in a strong position to make the playoffs (despite poor recent form), its hard to imagine them making it far with such an anaemic defence.
Most impressive player: Matt Stafford (despite missing a few games – posted ridiculous numbers and has a 17:1 td:int ratio
Position of need: That rushing defence needs to be sorted out – defensive line
8. Cleveland Browns (7-3)
Cleveland has one of the best ‘big play’ defence in the league and they seem happy to give up yardage with the knowledge that they will get turnovers
Alongside this, they also have a top ten passing attack are top 5 in points per game.
However, they have been exposed a few times this year (by the Broncos, Panthers and Patriots) and it seems to be that a combination of ground attack and limiting turnovers seems to throw out the Browns game plan.
They will make playoffs, courtesy of their extremely weak division, but their struggles against good teams should worry their fans
Most impressive player: As is custom, a Brown’s MLB leads the league in interceptions. With 14 interceptions and 6 pick 6s; LeVeon Richards has more touchdowns than some starting Quarterbacks
Position of need: the defensive line; it seems to struggle with containing the run.
7. Titans (7-3)
The Titans have been inconsistent this year.
Big wins over their divisional rivals, the Jags, show the calibre of the team – but losses against weaker teams like the Redskins and Dolphins raise questions about the concentration of the team.
However, their bounce back ability was on display last week with a huge revenge win over the Texans; which puts them in prime position to make the playoffs out of the AFC South.
Their top quality, and dual threat offence will be dangerous to any team. The only concern will be a passing defence that is 3rd worst in the league and a rushing defence that is 10th worst.
With remaining games involving the Patriots, Cowboys, Browns and Broncos; the playoffs are far from assured and if they do make it, 3 of these games could be matchups they will face.
Most impressive player: Stanley Russel (WR) – 1200 yards in 10 games and 12 TDs. Russel is having an outstanding rookie year
Position of need: Linebacker – outside of Williamson, the Titans linebacker core is fairly weak
6. Vikings (6-3)
Last year’s SB losers have been uncharacteristically un-dominant this year. After a 16-0 season last year, 6-3 is quite the contrast.
With 2 of the losses being in-division, and the other being in-conference (all to playoff competition) we could see a Viking-less playoffs if this current funk continues.
The defence remains dominant, the issues seem to be on the offensive side of the ball. You can’t write off the Vikings; but with their remaining games involving the Patriots, 49ers, Bears and Lions…it won’t be easy.
5. Carolina Panthers (8-2)
The off-season acquisition of Andy Dalton has yielded unexpectedly spectacular results.
After going 7-9 last year, the Panthers already have more wins – with 6 games remaining.
A top 5 rushing attack, backed up by an efficient Dalton and a top 5 rushing defence has led the Panthers to big wins over the Lions and Browns.
While the passing defence looks suspect; its generating turnovers.
However, with a loss to the Saints, and an early loss to the Cowboys, its hard to tell if this 8-2 is the result of an easy schedule with a couple of good performances or if this team is legit.
Most impressive player: Luke Kuechly – best linebacker in the game. 5 interceptions, 4 sacks and a forced fumble
Positions of need: Right now this team has no needs. However, there are a number of ageing players who will need to be phased out over the next season or two: Thomas Davis Snr, Charles Johnson, Mario Addison, Greg Olsen, Ryan Kalil, Ritchie Incognito and Dalton are all 30 or over
4. Eagles (8-2)
Seemingly dependant on how the stars are aligned; the Eagles can be the best team in the league one week, and then a bottom 5 team the next.
This year they seem to have resolved a number of their inconsistency issues from last year and have only sustained losses to an impressive Dallas team and, more concerningly, a bit of a thrashing by the Jags.
A number of their other wins (Redskins, 49ers and Colts) have been far from convincing…but a win is a win. They also had a big win vs last year’s SB loser.
The Eagles have a balanced and effective offence that is 4th in points per game and while their defence can also give up big points and yards, it also generates a lot of turnovers.
A playoff berth seems certain; it just remains to be seen whom out of the Eagles and Cowboys gets the wildcard spot and who gets the champion spot.
Most impressive player: Mychal Kendricks – the speedy MLB has 10 inteceptions
Positions of need: SS – Jenkins and McLeod are both ageing. Hard to see any other weak spots though
3. Denver Broncos (8-1)
The Denver Broncos have cruised through an easy schedule with only a single hiccup to blemish their record – they currently look set for the #1 or #2 seed in the AFC
Their defence, led by their trio of rookie CBs fuelled by steroids, is number one in the league - and only one team has managed to score multiple touchdowns against them
However, they have only had 3 games against teams with a winning record and the offence has, at times, seemed very ineffectual. $wag Kelly has returned to his efficient form from last year, but the Broncos have struggled to move up the field this year
With tough games against the Patriots, 49ers and Titans remaining; the Broncos will get much needed game time against tougher competition going into the playoffs.
Most impressive: With 5 interceptions and 4 pick 6s, rookie CB Antwan Mullins has been earning his ick at #1 overall in the last draft
Position of need: Some may say QB, but in $wag we trust. O line is certainly a weak point though
2. Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears have leapt to an impressive 8-2 in the toughest division in the league. Despite a shock loss to the Cardinals, and a less-shocking loss to the Patriots; the Bears have seen off all other challengers (including the SB loser) in convincing fashion.
With a defence that shuts down the run, the Bears force teams to their passing game where they have Leonard Floyd crippling opposing QBs (20 sacks) and a secondary feasting on turnovers and are 3rd in points allowed.
While the offence hasn’t been spectacular, Howard is gaining them enough rushing yards and Trubisky is efficient enough for them to get the wins.
Playoffs seem certain (wildcard a minimum) and they should have the division title as long as they can stave off the chasing Lions and Vikings
Most impressive: Leonard Floyd (OLB) – 20 sacks and chasing that sack record
Position of need: DBs – either old or average. Not playoff calibre
- New England Patriots
Last year’s SB winner has looked just as impressive this year, going 9-0 with big wins coming against the Bears, Jags, Browns and Dolphins.
They are top 5 in defence (2nd) and offence (3rd) and appear to have found an efficient groove to roll in.
With no obvious weaknesses, an effective running and passing game that utilises a number of different weapons; the Patriots are the team to beat this season.
However, with the AFC east division locked up, it will be interesting to see how they approach their remaining (and tough schedule) involving the Vikings, Titans, Broncos, Lions, Dolphins and Texans .
Most impressive player: Jordan Evans (MLB) – 9 ints, 3 pick 6s
Position of need: Linebacker looks like the weakest spot, but even there they are not ‘weak’