NFL Week 11 Power Rankings

1. (10-0) Tennessee (1)
I finally picked them to lose one, and it looked like I was going to be right…but they once again showed a ton of heart. Although I’m pretty sure they’re not going to go unbeaten, I doubt I’m picking against them again during the regular season.

2. (9-1) NY Giants (2)
For what it’s worth, I’d pick the Giants against the Titans on a neutral field…like, say, in a Super Bowl or something. These guys are fantastic.

3. (8-2) Carolina (3)
They’re only a game worse than the Giants in the standings, but you sure don’t get the sense that a trip to the Meadowlands in the playoffs would go well for the Panthers.

4. (7-3) Pittsburgh (4)
So ugly, but they have nothing to apologize for. Their nearly spotless AFC record gives them a nice leg up in the race for the second playoff bye.

5. (7-3) Tampa Bay (6)
The head-to-head win over Carolina continues to loom large. As long as they keep pace, they’ll control their own destiny in the South.

6. (7-3) Arizona (9)
Unfortunately, we just saw the official changing of the guard in the NFC West at Qwest Field. Print those playoff tickets for the Cardinals, they’ll be hosting a game in January.

7. (6-4) Indianapolis (11)
The softening schedule will have more to do with Indianapolis’ current rise than some huge improvement on the team will. Still, they continue to look like a good bet to be a dangerous wildcard.

8. (7-3) NY Jets (15)
They officially shut me up and left me no room to argue with them this week. The Jets seem to be cranking it into another gear at the right time.

9. (6-4) Dallas (13)
The road to the playoffs is still going to be tough, but that win was astronomically huge.

10. (6-4) Washington (5)
The Redskins have slipped a long way since their early win streak. They really do need to take care of home games like that if they’re going to be any kind of contender.

11. (6-4) New England (7)
Just when I thought they were the clear frontrunners in the East, they give away a home game like that. I still see them in the playoffs, honestly I still see them winning the division, but that loss hurts.

12. (5-4-1) Philadelphia (8)
A tie with Cincinnati is nearly as bad as a loss. That one really might haunt them in the wildcard race. And yes, Donovan McNabb appears to have been born without a brain.

13. (6-4) Denver (19)
Jay Cutler does seem to step up when he needs to at the end of games. Could we finally be seeing a team that’s going to step up and take the AFC West when it seemed like nobody wanted to?

14. (6-4) Atlanta (10)
Definitely a heartbreaker. The remaining schedule is pretty tough, so they need to pick themselves back up in a hurry and get ready for Carolina. I could easily see them winning that game at home.

15. (6-4) Baltimore (16)
No shame in that loss. We’ll get a solid gauge of how good the Ravens are when they host Philly next week.

16. (5-5) Green Bay (20)
Well that was an emphatic, “Yes, we’re still in the division title race.” There’s no telling which Packers, Bears or Vikings are going to show up from week to week.

17. (5-5) Chicago (12)
That kind of flat tire is really inexcusable in a division rivalry game. They need to pick themselves back up quickly, with a very winnable game at St. Louis up next.

18. (6-4) Miami (18)
It wasn’t pretty, but they’re still right in that division title race.

19. (5-5) Minnesota (14)
It’s going to have to be division title or nothing for the Vikings, I’m pretty convinced of that much. It’s nearly certain that the wildcards will come from the South and/or East divisions.

20. (5-5) New Orleans (21)
It was a must-win game, and they pulled it off, but they remain in the cellar of the division. They might be able to catch Atlanta, and might contend for a wildcard against the East runner-up, but I don’t think the outlook is very strong.

21. (5-5) Buffalo (17)
Thanks for the excitement at the beginning of the season, Buffalo. Too bad you were blatant pretenders.

22. (4-6) Jacksonville (22)
Nice effort, but eventually they were just overcome by the best team in the AFC. While there’s no shame in this loss, they’ve just dug too deep of a hole for themselves to expect to recover at this point.

23. (4-6) San Diego (23)
Between the late comeback win by the Broncos, and the late comeback loss against the Steelers, this was a very ugly week. They really need to win all three of their remaining division games to have any real shot at the division title, and even in that case I don’t think they’re going to do enough in the rest of their games to get it done.

24. (4-6) Cleveland (24)
I doubt they have it in them to mount a run at this point, but they still have a pulse.

25. (3-7) Houston (25)
Coulda, woulda, shoulda…your 2008 Houston Texans.

26. (3-7) San Francisco (29)
There has certainly been an upward trajectory under Mike Singletary. That’s all a 49er fan could hope for at this point.

27. (2-8) Seattle (26)
Let’s face it, they had no business coming even that close to winning anyway. There’s little doubt that they’re not even close to being the best team in the division this year.

28. (2-8) St. Louis (27)
The battle for the bottom of the division is heating up. I think the Rams are worse than the Seahawks, but their date on December 14th might determine it.

29. (2-8) Oakland (28)
To give due credit, they didn’t actually give up in a game for once. That’s the Raider version of a moral victory.

30. (1-9) Kansas City (30)
Cincinnati’s tie puts the Chiefs in position for the #2 overall pick. That was the best thing that happened to them this week.

31. (1-8-1) Cincinnati (31)
The nice thing about this tie is that it will seriously uncomplicated the tiebreakers for draft order.

32. (0-10) Detroit (32)
I think the odds are better of the Lions going 0-16 than there is of the Titans going 16-0. No teams with losing records left on the Detroit schedule…