2014 Week 6
Nipping at #10's heels:
Bears (#16), Falcons (#15), Panthers (#14)
Patriots (#13), 49ers (#12), Packers (#11)
10. Detroit Lions (3-2)
Last Week: 7thBest Ranking: 7th (Week 5)
When two phases fail, a team is not going to win a game, and the Lions learned that lesson Sunday. Special teams was atrocious with three missed field goals from Alex Henery, including a potential game winner from 50 yards. The offense, beaten up by injuries, wasn't much better, struggling to move the ball. It all rolled into the toughest loss of the season for Detroit, which had 263 yards offense - and only 95 yards of it in the first half. Matthew Stafford looked inaccurate. Calvin Johnson was barely able to play and the running game was ineffective. It looked an a lot less like the team that defeated the Packers in Week 3 and more like the Lions of last season, except Detroit's defense played well and shut down the Bills' running game with 49 yards. - Michael Rothstein
9. Baltimore Ravens (3-2)
Last Week: 8th
Best Ranking: 8th (Week 5)
The Ravens wasted an admirable effort by their defense, falling to 3-2 on the season. A week after scoring 38 points, the offense could manage only one touchdown and couldn't cross midfield on the final drive. Pass protection (four sacks), the inability to convert third downs and Torrey Smith's final dropped pass were the Ravens' downfall. The Ravens are now 0-6 in Indianapolis (including playoffs). A bright spot was Haloti Ngata, who has accounted for both of the Ravens' interceptions this season. He is now one of three players who weigh more than 300 pounds with five career interceptions. - Jamison Hensley
8. Arizona Cardinals (3-1)
Last Week: 5th
Best Ranking: 5th (Week 5)
There are a few ways to look at Sunday’s blowout loss to Denver, which dropped the Cardinals from the ranks of the unbeaten. The first way is to say Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is a legend and difficult to stop, which isn’t far-fetched, considered how he finished with 479 yards and four touchdowns, the first of which gave him 500 TDs for his career. The second way is to say that because of the slew of key injuries the Cardinals suffered, it’s obvious why Arizona struggled. The Cardinals lost quarterback Drew Stanton (concussion), defensive end Calais Campbell (knee injury) and Patrick Peterson (ankle) in the second half. The third way is to say that any time a third-string quarterback has to play, the offense will struggle, which was the case in the third quarter when Logan Thomas replaced Stanton. When all is told, Arizona wasn’t necessarily a fluke undefeated team. The Cardinals just faced adversity in all shapes and sizes Sunday and it was too much to overcome. - Josh Weinfuss
Last Week: 5th
Best Ranking: 5th (Week 5)
There are a few ways to look at Sunday’s blowout loss to Denver, which dropped the Cardinals from the ranks of the unbeaten. The first way is to say Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is a legend and difficult to stop, which isn’t far-fetched, considered how he finished with 479 yards and four touchdowns, the first of which gave him 500 TDs for his career. The second way is to say that because of the slew of key injuries the Cardinals suffered, it’s obvious why Arizona struggled. The Cardinals lost quarterback Drew Stanton (concussion), defensive end Calais Campbell (knee injury) and Patrick Peterson (ankle) in the second half. The third way is to say that any time a third-string quarterback has to play, the offense will struggle, which was the case in the third quarter when Logan Thomas replaced Stanton. When all is told, Arizona wasn’t necessarily a fluke undefeated team. The Cardinals just faced adversity in all shapes and sizes Sunday and it was too much to overcome. - Josh Weinfuss
7. Dallas Cowboys (4-1)
Last Week: 14th
Best Ranking: 7th (Week 6)
For the first time since 2008, the Cowboys are 4-1, which at the beginning of the season seemed almost far-fetched, but it's exactly what they needed to do to contend for a playoff spot. In 2008 they failed to make the playoffs. But since the playoffs expanded to 12 teams, 77.1 percent of the teams that start 4-1 make the postseason. If there’s an example as to just how razor thin the line is between success and failure, it was this game. The Cowboys had a 17-7 lead with 9:44 to play, saw the Texans rally to tie the score before the Dallas kicker miss on the final play of regulation. In overtime, the 'Boys were able to redeem themselves with a win, improving the team to 5-3 in overtime in the Jason Garrett era. - Todd Archer
6. Indianapolis Colts (3-2)
Last Week: 9th
Best Ranking: 5th (Post-Draft)
Overall, the Colts' third consecutive victory was their most impressive yet, given the quality of the opponent. But they caused too many self-inflicted wounds to do handsprings over it. Andrew Luck threw two interceptions, one on an ill-advised pass to the goal line in the fourth quarter, and punt returner Griff Whalen had two blunders - failing to make a fair catch that cost the Colts 20 yards of field position in the first quarter and fumbling a punt in the fourth that set up a Ravens field goal. Luckily, the defense had its best overall performance of the season despite a late first-half letdown that allowed the Ravens a field goal. - Mark Montieth
Last Week: 9th
Best Ranking: 5th (Post-Draft)
Overall, the Colts' third consecutive victory was their most impressive yet, given the quality of the opponent. But they caused too many self-inflicted wounds to do handsprings over it. Andrew Luck threw two interceptions, one on an ill-advised pass to the goal line in the fourth quarter, and punt returner Griff Whalen had two blunders - failing to make a fair catch that cost the Colts 20 yards of field position in the first quarter and fumbling a punt in the fourth that set up a Ravens field goal. Luckily, the defense had its best overall performance of the season despite a late first-half letdown that allowed the Ravens a field goal. - Mark Montieth
5. Philadelphia Eagles (4-1)
Last Week: 6th
Chip Kelly likes to talk about the importance of a four-minute offense when you’re protecting a lead. The Eagles needed one Sunday. They got only half of it, leaving the Rams 1:47 to drive for the winning touchdown. The Eagles' defense, which looked gassed as the Rams chipped a 34-7 lead down to 34-28, managed to hang on and prevent an epic blown lead. The Eagles improved to 4-1, but still have some serious issues with their offense. LeSean McCoy and the running game looked better, but were not able to grind out a couple of clock-killing drives in the fourth quarter. Once again, the Eagles got touchdowns from their defense and special teams. They needed them, too. - Phil Sheridan
4. Cincinnati Bengals (3-1)
Last Week: 3rd
Best Ranking: 3rd (Week 5, 4)
Sunday's loss means we still don't really know who this Bengals team is. We certainly do know the Bengals still can't play well on the big, bright stage. Cincinnati is now 2-5 in prime-time games since 2011, and it has lost nine of its past 10 games on Sunday night. In the past it has been easy to pin the Bengals' nighttime woes on quarterback Andy Dalton, who has been a turnover machine in those games. But it was hard to say the same about him this time. The entire team played poorly, headed by a suddenly soft defense. While Dalton didn't have a turnover, multiple receivers lost fumbles. While the Bengals do clearly have a good team - as evidenced by their first three victories - this loss shows how much work they still have left in order to prove that they could be elite. - Coley Harvey
Last Week: 3rd
Best Ranking: 3rd (Week 5, 4)
Sunday's loss means we still don't really know who this Bengals team is. We certainly do know the Bengals still can't play well on the big, bright stage. Cincinnati is now 2-5 in prime-time games since 2011, and it has lost nine of its past 10 games on Sunday night. In the past it has been easy to pin the Bengals' nighttime woes on quarterback Andy Dalton, who has been a turnover machine in those games. But it was hard to say the same about him this time. The entire team played poorly, headed by a suddenly soft defense. While Dalton didn't have a turnover, multiple receivers lost fumbles. While the Bengals do clearly have a good team - as evidenced by their first three victories - this loss shows how much work they still have left in order to prove that they could be elite. - Coley Harvey
3. San Diego Chargers (4-1)
Last Week: 4th
Best Ranking: 3rd (Week 6)
While San Diego's offense, led by Philip Rivers, continues to garner most of the attention nationally, the Chargers' defense is playing at a high level. San Diego forced an ineffective Geno Smith to the sidelines in favor of Michael Vick at quarterback for the Jets, and did not allow New York's offense to cross midfield until 7:35 left in the game on a pass interference penalty. San Diego also forced two turnovers.Brandon Flowers corralled his second interception of the season. And Ricardo Mathews stripped Jets' running back Chris Johnson of the football in the first half. The loose ball was recovered by safety Jahleel Addae. - Eric D. Williams
2. Denver Broncos (3-1)
Last Week: 2nd
Best Ranking: 1st (Week 3)
The Broncos have slugged it out with half of the NFC West in their first four games and now come away with an overtime loss in Seattle, where their defense began to show its real teeth, and Sunday’s win over the Cardinals, who came into the game as one of the league’s only two undefeated teams. The Broncos weren’t at their best on offense because of a run game that carved out little room for itself, but they continued to plow through a schedule that has included four teams that won at least 10 games in 2013 and sit at 3-1. The Broncos now take their pass-first show on the road against the New York Jets' battered secondary who gave up 31 unanswered points against the Chargers. - Jeff Legwold
Last Week: 2nd
Best Ranking: 1st (Week 3)
The Broncos have slugged it out with half of the NFC West in their first four games and now come away with an overtime loss in Seattle, where their defense began to show its real teeth, and Sunday’s win over the Cardinals, who came into the game as one of the league’s only two undefeated teams. The Broncos weren’t at their best on offense because of a run game that carved out little room for itself, but they continued to plow through a schedule that has included four teams that won at least 10 games in 2013 and sit at 3-1. The Broncos now take their pass-first show on the road against the New York Jets' battered secondary who gave up 31 unanswered points against the Chargers. - Jeff Legwold
1. Seattle Seahawks (3-1)
Last Week: 1st
Is there anything quarterback Russell Wilson can’t do? He rushed for 122 yards, the most ever by a quarterback in a Monday night game, making circus-like plays to keep drives alive under constant pressure. He threw two TD passes and ran for another. Wilson had 201 yards passing, completing 18 of 24 throws. He now is 4-0 on Monday night. The Seahawks return home to play the red-hot Dallas Cowboys, who have won four consecutive games. And the Cowboys catch the Seahawks on a short week after having to travel cross-country. But the Cowboys have lost their past two trips to Seattle, including the infamous fumbled snap by quarterback Tony Romo in the 2006 wild-card game that allowed the Seahawks to escape with a one-point victory. - Terry Blount
Spot on! #not
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