2013 NFL Power Rankings, Week 10

Another ugly week in the NFL as a couple of teams that were looking solid dropped games that they should have won.  I'm hard-pressed to explain what happened in Indianapolis.  People are looking at that one as an anomaly. Maybe that's the case, but without Reggie Wayne, one would have to assume that the Colts offense was going to take a hit at some point.  It wasn't going to be bread and circuses the rest of the season.

But to lose to St. Louis?  That's what I don't get.

Meanwhile, on the west coast, San Francisco is back to looking inept on offense.  When they can't run the ball effectively, they're toothless, because Colin Kaepernick is so inconsistent passing the ball.  He looked unable to do it against Carolina, and while they've got a strong front seven, their secondary hasn't been getting as many plaudits that I've seen.  On the other side, Cam Newton wasn't exactly a world-beater either.  They seemed lucky to get the one TD that was scored in the entire game.  I'm sure people in the NFL offices are throwing their hands up in disgust at that result.  After all, the rules weren't changed to ensure a passing league (not that anyone really takes advantage of it) to then have a mess like the one that played out in SF.

Thankfully, the New Orleans Saints were ready to throw the ball as many times as necessary until it was demonstrated that they no longer needed to do so.  It came at the expense of my Cowboys, but no matter.  I picked the Cowboys to win and was disappointed.  I figured that if Drew Brees didn't come out like a house on fire, the Cowboys would have a chance.  What do you know, Brees comes out a little shaky (but nothing like the crapfest that was the previous week's game against the Jets) and the Cowboys took a lead.

Then Brees had his turn.

It was 28-10 at halftime and anybody who was watching knew it was already over.  But what a display.  After watching so much crappy football through Week 10, it was nice to see Brees and his receivers get into such a relentless groove.

Here are the Rankings for Week 10:

1.) Kansas City (9-0) [no change]
 The last undefeated team was on a bye before heading to Denver in Week 11.  I guess that's good scheduling?

2.) Denver (8-1) [no change]
 Manning is not looking too healthy at the moment, specifically in the lower body.  That said, I'm not worried about how he'll play.  Now, if the O-line allows Poe and Houston to get in his face and take him off his spot, then they'll have problems.  But as of right now, I think it'll probably be fine. Probably.

3.) Seattle (9-1) [no change]
 What Seattle really needed was a solid road win.  And boy, did they get one, as they shellacked Atlanta in the Georgia Dome.  I didn't hear much talk about Matt Ryan's gaudy record there.  Couple this win with SF's loss and Seattle is looking like a #1 seed already.  Who's better?  Maybe New Orleans.  Maybe not.

4.) New England (7-2) [no change]
 Pats were on a bye and head to Carolina in Week 11.  Assuming a good performance by Brady, I think the Pats win a close one.  But if the Carolina front seven pulls one on Brady like they did on Kaepernick, it'll be long and ugly.  Not something I want to waste my time watching, really.

5.) New Orleans (7-2) [+2]
 It still looks like the Saints are a 12-win team.  It helps when they play a defense that isn't as good, but I'm still a bit concerned with some of their road performances.  If they have playoff game(s) at home, I like their chances, because they look damn near unstoppable.  Otherwise, it's a roll of the dice, and if they have to go to Seattle, well, just forget it.

6.) Carolina (6-3) [+2]
 I mentioned last week that I wasn't really a believer in the Panthers and that I'd re-evaluate them if they beat SF.  Well, they beat SF (barely), and I can report that I remain unconvinced.  They don't look like a Super Bowl contender, which is what everyone in the national sports media is trying to make people believe.  I suppose they're a good team, but much like KC and Denver they've made hay against a fairly weak schedule.  Now they get the Patriots at home and have another chance to impress.

7.) Detroit (6-3) [+3]
 It looks like Detroit might be a division champion in 2013.  The Bears are having trouble keeping Cutler healthy, as usual, and didn't stick with the hot hand.  Green Bay is moribund until Rodgers returns, by which time they may already be out of the division race.  So that leaves Detroit, since everyone knows that Minnesota isn't making the playoffs.  The Lions are a hard team to defend, so maybe they can do something in the playoffs this time around. It wouldn't hurt to have everyone healthy this time.

8.) San Francisco (6-3) [-3]
 The way they lost was more galling than the fact that they lost.  I could accept them losing 24-21 or something like that.  But to only put up nine points and have Kaepernick look inept for basically the entire game? Unacceptable and inexcusable.  It's hard to think that SF is a contender when Seattle and New Orleans look so much better.  Hell, Detroit might be a better team at this point.

9.) Indianapolis (6-3) [-3]
 The Colts fall back just a bit, but I expect a bounceback sooner rather than later, despite not having Reggie Wayne.  I know that missing your best receiver is not usually a key to success, but for some reason I think the Colts can do just enough without him to score and win games.  Maybe it's just blind faith.  It could also be the fact that the rest of their division is crap. Tennessee, the team that will likely finish in second, just lost to Jacksonville. So yeah, I'm not really feeling the AFC South so much.

10.) Green Bay (5-4) [-1]
 Predictably, it was ugly without Rodgers.  It will likely stay that way until he returns.  Hopefully they're not already out of it by then.

Three Games to Watch (Week 11):
San Francisco @ New Orleans (FOX)
Kansas City @ Denver (NBC)
New England @ Carolina (ESPN)

That's all for this week.  See you next week.