Week 14 was a lot like Week 12: nice and fairly predictable. To be sure, I didn't get everything right, such as that slopfest down in New Orleans. And I didn't figure that Kaepernick and the 49ers would flounder as badly as they did in Oakland.
But on the whole, things went well, starting on Thursday when the Cowboys took out the Bears. It wasn't a "dominating" or even especially convincing win, but the Cowboys don't have a strong defense, so I'm not totally surprised.
Here are the Rankings for Week 14:
1.) Green Bay (10-3) [no change]
Getting into a shootout with a generally crappy team is not how you want to show your dominance. Thus, while Green Bay may not be "dominant" (or maybe Monday was just an off-night for their defense), they're still the best team in the NFL. They've got a chance to get the #1 seed and home-field advantage for sure. Hell, I'd be more surprised if they didn't get it than if they did at this point.
Next opponent: at Buffalo (12/14)
2.) New England (10-3) [no change]
A not especially impressive performance on the whole, but at certain points in the second half, the Patriots were just flat-out better than San Diego. I'm not surprised about that; Rivers is hilariously overrated and so are the Chargers as a whole. And while Tom Brady might have taken a step back in the last couple of years from his 2007 form, I still consider him to be among the elite QB's of the NFL. Even if (or especially if) he's cursing up a storm.
Next opponent: vs. Miami (12/14)
3.) Denver (10-3) [+1]
Despite another week of sub-par play from Peyton Manning (0 TD's, 2 INT's) that likely scuttled many fantasy players' chances of making the playoffs (again), the Broncos won. A few weeks ago, the Broncos were looking like the class of the AFC. Now they're 10-3 and still among the top ranks of NFL teams...but something clearly isn't right. Peyton's accuracy has hit the skids and the team is relying more and more on a running game that can't possibly be as explosive as their dynamic passing attack. Maybe this is their strategy to get to the Super Bowl and actually win it. I don't know for certain, but if they continue to play like they did in Week 14, I can't see them even making the Super Bowl.
Next opponent: at San Diego (12/14)
4.) Arizona (10-3) [+1]
Still not sure how they did it, but Arizona won against what looked like a better team at the moment. Jamaal Charles ran wild for the most part, and yet Kansas City's generally anemic offense was still unable to put up enough points to win. And now we may have to reevaluate where the Cardinals are going in the post-injury period to starting QB Carson Palmer. Drew Stanton hasn't done much in replacing him the second time around, even if he played well in his first stint as a starter this season. If they can get enough offense and keep their defense at the level they showed against KC, it's not unbelievable to think that they can hold on to one of the top two seeds. But the schedule is not exactly kind, including a Week 15 Thursday game against the Rams.
Next opponent: at St. Louis (12/11)
5.) Indianapolis (9-4) [+1]
I'm hardly surprised when Andrew Luck completes a 4th quarter comeback, no matter the opponent. But when the Colts are playing a team like Cleveland, even when Luck stinks out the joint (relatively) through three quarters, the opportunity is still there for a comeback. Luck didn't play well, but he got the win and Cleveland looks even more foolish since they failed to hold a lead and will now be dumped into the QB controversy quagmire. That nonsense aside, the Colts are clearly the class of the incredibly weak AFC South and are a strong candidate for the #3 seed.
Next opponent: vs. Houston (12/14)
6.) Detroit (9-4) [+1]
Beating Tampa Bay is nothing special, but it might mean a little more in the case of the Lions. Last season, they started out well but limped to the finish. And despite losing to Arizona & New England in consecutive weeks, they're not quite out of it. In fact, their schedule sets up quite nicely if they can take advantage of it. I don't see anything stopping them, really, if they play to their capability as a team.
Next opponent: vs. Minnesota (12/14)
7.) Philadelphia (9-4) [-4]
Losing in such a fashion as they did drops the Eagles a few spots. They're still a good team, but like practically every other team they have weaknesses that can be exploited. Will the other teams they play be able to expose those weaknesses and capitalize on them? Probably not, as Seattle is in part an outlier. Their defense is tougher than most and while it looks like the league is trending toward playing more like Seattle, hardly anyone has been able to improve to that level in one offseason.
Next opponent: vs. Dallas (12/14)
8.) Dallas (9-4) [no change]
One benefit to playing on Thursday is that the next game doesn't come for ten days. That means there's plenty of time to get right mentally and physically. And I think the break will be especially beneficial given that the Cowboys have to head out to Philadelphia in Week 15. They've been strong on the road and have yet to lose away from JerryDome, but let's not kid ourselves here. It'll be a tough game against a team that already kicked their butts soundly.
Next opponent: at Philadelphia (12/14)
9.) Seattle (9-4) [no change]
The champs are back? I guess so. The ordering of these three teams presents a bit of a problem since Philly beat Dallas and Dallas beat Seattle. So while Philly has dropped, these two remain where they were. I'm not going to drop Dallas for winning, even if Philly and Seattle look better. While I'm not convinced that Russell Wilson can get it done again in the playoffs, the defense is for real after crushing two teams in a row.
Next opponent: vs. San Francisco (12/14)
10.) Pittsburgh (8-5) [-]
Le'Veon Bell helped the Steelers run away from the Bengals, to the surprise of few, I would imagine. The Bengals aren't some 2-or-3 win team that has been stinking out the joint for the last 10+ weeks, so the Steelers didn't play like they didn't care about the result or whatever their problem is when they play bad teams. But now they go on the road to play a 5-8 team that is theoretically "still alive" in the playoff chase thanks to the horrible division they currently inhabit. I doubt much will change in that regard and that the Steelers will again play down to their competition.
Next opponent: at Atlanta (12/14)
That's all for this week. See you next week.
