Week 11 NFL Rankings

Coming into last week, one of the NFL's hottest teams was the Buffalo Bills. Winners of four straight games, they had the unenviable task of a home date with the juggernaut known as the New England Patriots this past Sunday. In case you missed it, the Patriots scored a season-high 56 points in beating the Bills by 46 points!

The most bizarre finish to any game this season happened in Baltimore where the Ravens took on the Cleveland Browns. The Browns took a 27-14 lead into the fourth quarter before the Ravens rallied to tie the score and then take a 30-27 lead on a Matt Stover 47 yard field goal with just 26 seconds to play. The Browns returned the ensuing kickoff to their own 43. After two Derek Anderson completions, Phil Dawson had a chance to send the game into overtime with a 51 yard field goal. Dawson's kick had plenty of leg, but was hooking toward the left goalpost as it made it's way. The ball glanced off the inside of the left goalpost and then kicked down over the crossbar and through the uprights, striking the support bar and then bouncing back onto the field of play. At first, the officials incorrectly ruled that the kick was no good. But after conferencing and looking at some replays, the oficials corrected the call and the game went into overtime. The Ravens, who had come off the field and were celebrating an apparent victory, had to come back out of the locker room to play the extra period. The Browns won the toss and quickly drove the ball down to Baltimore 16 yard line. Dawson's 33 yard field goal 5 minutes and 50 seconds into the sudden death period split the uprights to give the Browns a thrilling 33-30 win.

The Washington Redskins suffered a tough 28-23 loss to the Dallas Cowboys this past weekend, making it their 8th game decided by eight points or less this year. In week five the Redskins beat up on the Detroit Lions by a 34-3 score. Three weeks later, the Patriots pounded the Redskins 52-7. In other words, the 5-5 Redskins could just as easily be a 9-1 team or a 1-9 team... Speaking of the Lions, they are predictably now facing reality. Who amongst you thought that 6-2 record of theirs was legit?? Losses to Arizona and the Giants have brought them back down to the pack... and they get to face Brett Favre and the red-hot Green Bay Packers tomorrow... expect the Lions to slip to 6-5 with tomorrow's game.

Here are this week’s rankings with last weeks rank in (). Record is only one consideration. I also take into account strength of schedule, strength of victory (or loss) and other intangibles…

1.(1) New England Patriots (10-0)
2.(2) Indianapolis Colts (8-2)
3.(3) Dallas Cowboys (9-1)
4.(4) Green Bay Packers (9-1)
5.(6) Jacksonville Jaguars (7-3)
6.(5) Pittsburgh Steelers (7-3)
7.(7) New York Giants (7-3)
8.(8) Cleveland Browns (6-4)
9.(11) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-4)
10.(10) Tennessee Titans (6-4)
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11.(9) San Diego Chargers (5-5)
12.(13) Washington Redskins (5-5)
13.(15) Seattle Seahawks (6-4)
14.(16) Arizona Cardinals (5-5)
15.(17) Philadelphia Eagles (5-5)
16.(12) New Orleans Saints (4-6)
17.(18) Houston Texans (5-5)
18.(14) Buffalo Bills (5-5)
19.(19) Detroit Lions (6-4)
20.(22) Denver Broncos (5-5)
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21.(20) Chicago Bears (4-6)
22.(21) Carolina Panthers (4-6)
23.(23) Kansas City Chiefs (4-6)
24.(24) Baltimore Ravens (4-6)
25.(27) Minnesota Vikings (4-6)
26.(26) Cincinnati Bengals (3-7)
27.(29) St. Louis Rams (2-8)
28.(25) Atlanta Falcons (3-7)
29.(30) New York Jets (2-8)
30.(28) Oakland Raiders (2-8)
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31.(31) San Francisco 49ers (2-8)
32.(32) Miami Dolphins (0-10)
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