2009 NFL Power Rankings: Week 11
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Sunday, the No. 32 Cleveland Browns visit the No. 31 Detroit Lions in a game that will test a Ford Field football fan's fortitude. Watching the worst teams in ESPN.com's Week 11 NFL Power Rankings, fans might use their paper bags for more than headgear.
On the other hand, the Power Rankings' penthouse is crowded. The poll of our experts split on a No. 1, so tabulator Mike Sando awarded the incumbent New Orleans Saints the berth over their fellow unbeatens the Indianapolis Colts. Sando explains the reasons here.
The Minnesota Vikings and Cincinnati Bengals retain spots Nos. 3 and 4, respectively. Despite losing in a controversial fashion to the Colts in Week 10, the New England Patriots swapped their No. 6 position with the previously No. 5-rated Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Saints, who struggled at the one-win St. Louis Rams in Week 10, have a similar test in the No. 29 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Baltimore Ravens, No. 11 in our poll, are always tough hosts and promise to be most unaccommodating when the Colts return -- for a day -- to the Charm City.
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Editor's note: LW indicates each team's ranking in the Week 10 edition of the Power Rankings.
| 2009 Power Rankings: Week 11 | ||||
| RK (LW) | TEAM | REC | COMMENT | |
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1 (1) | Saints | 9-0-0 | The formerly unstoppable Drew Brees has six touchdowns and seven interceptions in his past four games. (Sando) |
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2 (2) | Colts | 9-0-0 | At an odd crossroads of being undefeated and having a lot of issues to work through at the same time. (Kuharsky) |
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3 (3) | Vikings | 8-1-0 | They haven't been 8-1 since 1998. (Chadiha) |
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4 (4) | Bengals | 7-2-0 | Marvin Lewis is the front-runner for NFL Coach of the Year. (Chadiha) |
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5 (6) | Patriots | 6-3-0 | The AFC road to the Super Bowl is going through Indianapolis, thanks to Bill Belichick's fourth-down decision. (Clayton) |
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6 (5) | Steelers | 6-3-0 | They will take out last Sunday's frustrations on the Chiefs this weekend.(Chadiha) |
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7 (10) | Cardinals | 6-3-0 | Cardinals can improve their road record to 5-0 with a victory over the Rams at the Edward Jones Dome. (Sando) |
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8 (12) | Chargers | 6-3-0 | They're lined up to take the division lead if they can win at Denver. (Kuharsky) |
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9 (7) | Broncos | 6-3-0 | Unraveling at the wrong time, facing a rematch with San Diego and with backup QB Chris Simms at the helm. (Kuharsky) |
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10 (8) | Cowboys | 6-3-0 | The Cowboys took a Lambeau Leap backward in the NFC East race by losing to the Packers on Sunday. (Clayton) |
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11 (14) | Ravens | 5-4-0 | They need a big second half to earn a wild-card spot. (Chadiha) |
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12 (11) | Eagles | 5-4-0 | Here's hoping that the concussion problems don't cause an early end to Brian Westbrook's great career. (Clayton) |
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13 (13) | Texans | 5-4-0 | In their one chance to show off in prime time -- on ESPN's "MNF" vs. the Titans -- the Texans need to slow Chris Johnson. (Kuharsky) |
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14 (9) | Falcons | 5-4-0 | Matt Ryan has one more interception through nine games (12) than he had in 16 games last season. (Sando) |
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15 (16) | Packers | 5-4-0 | A strong rebound win over Dallas after the embarrassment in Tampa. (Chadiha) |
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16 (15) | Giants | 5-4-0 | The bye week and losses by the Eagles and the Cowboys allowed the Giants to climb back in the division race. (Clayton) |
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17 (22) | Jaguars | 5-4-0 | Bills' porous run defense, meet Maurice Jones-Drew. (Kuharsky) |
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18 (17) | Dolphins | 4-5-0 | The short week might not allow RB Ronnie Brown to recover from a foot injury, but Ricky Williams gets prime-time attention Thursday at Carolina. (Clayton) |
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19 (20) | 49ers | 4-5-0 | The Week 11 game against the Packers recalls fateful 2005 draft featuring Alex Smith, Aaron Rodgers. (Sando) |
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20 (21) | Panthers | 4-5-0 | This is a new team in recent weeks and I think Carolina should be ranked quite a bit higher than this. (Sando) |
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21 (18) | Jets | 4-5-0 | Things are so bad for the Jets nowadays they can't even let Maurice Jones-Drew score when they want. (Clayton) |
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22 (23) | Titans | 3-6-0 | A fourth win in a row would do a lot to help ruin the Texans' season. (Kuharsky) |
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23 (19) | Bears | 4-5-0 | The Bears have lost four of their past five. (Chadiha) |
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24 (26) | Redskins | 3-6-0 | Who knew that Hunter "The Punter" Smith could turn into Hunter "The Passer" on a touchdown pass?(Clayton) |
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25 (25) | Seahawks | 3-6-0 | They played hard and tough at Arizona, but the lack of pass rush proved costly against Kurt Warner. (Sando) |
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26 (24) | Bills | 3-6-0 | At least the Terrell Owens' sideline blowouts should keep the second half of the season interesting. (Clayton) |
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27 (28) | Chiefs | 2-7-0 | In the midst of an ugly season, a win over the Raiders still feels awfully good. (Kuharsky) |
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28 (27) | Raiders | 2-7-0 | In the midst of an ugly season, a loss to the Chiefs still stings. (Kuharsky) |
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29 (31) | Buccaneers | 1-8-0 | Josh Freeman has made the Bucs competitive for now, which stands as an improvement. (Sando) |
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30 (30) | Rams | 1-8-0 | Steven Jackson is now averaging better than 100 yards rushing per game for the improving Rams. (Sando) |
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31 (29) | Lions | 1-8-0 | Finally some good news for the Lions -- they play the Browns this week.(Chadiha) |
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32 (32) | Browns | 1-8-0 | It's hard to imagine Eric Mangini ever fixing this mess. (Chadiha) |
| Glossary |
| The rankings were determined by a poll of four voters on ESPN.com's NFL staff: writers John Clayton (AFC East, NFC East), Jeffri Chadiha (AFC North, NFC North), Paul Kuharsky (AFC South, AFC West), and Mike Sando (NFC South, NFC West). |
