When it comes to Creative Misfortune Power Rankings, production is combined with potential to determine a teams true strength compared to the rest of the league. Winning isn't the only factor, but it is one of the most important components of the rating. I don't believe teams can be powerful if they consistently lose, even to other great teams.
The Forked Few~
Abandon hope and fortune all ye who rank here
# 32 - St. Louis Rams (previous: 32)
Normally teams that start winless look forward to coming out of the bye weeks locked and loaded for their first win of the season. Unfortunately for the Rams, they have the Packers waiting for them this week in Lambeau. That can’t be good.
# 31 - Miami Dolphins (previous: 31)
The Dolphins have a new quarterback, but not a new coach. We'll see if that means anything on Monday night when they face off against the reeling Jets.
# 30 - Indianapolis Colts (previous: 30)
Painter has provided a spark to the Manning-less offense, but the defense of the Colts has always been suspect, even when Manning took the field.
# 29 - Jacksonville Jaguars (previous: 28)
It's too early to say that the Jaguars have quit, but they certainly are playing uninspired football.
# 28 - Kansas City Chiefs (previous: 29)
Two wins in a row? Forget the fact that those wins came against winless opponents. Luckily for the Chiefs, they do have a game scheduled against Miami soon. I foresee another notch in the win column that week.
The Creatively Challenged~
Folly remains ever their mistress
# 27 - Denver Broncos (previous: 25)
TEBOW TIME! Finally. Long-time readers of this blog know I have been a big supporter of Tebow getting on the field in Denver. I have no idea if he will be truly successful or not, but he is far too talented not to be given the opportunity to prove himself once and for all. At 1-4, there is no time like the present for the Broncos to figure out what kind of quarterback he can be.
# 26 - Arizona Cardinals (previous: 23)
Kolb benched. Defense struggling. Offense thinking about becoming run-first. So much for the Cardinals making a run this year.
# 25 - Carolina Panthers (previous: 24)
The elusive wins continue to evade Cam Newton and company, but if the stats keep piling up week-to-week, eventually the Panthers will break through.
# 24 - Minnesota Vikings (previous: 27)
Wow. The Vikings finally managed to hold onto a big first half lead. If they had figured out how to do that earlier this season, they might actually have been relevant the rest of the year.
# 23 - Philadelphia Eagles (previous: 21)
4-1 in the fantasy standings and 1-4 in real life. The Eagles are proving beyond a doubt the only stat that truly matters is the points on the scoreboard. Philadelphia can certainly right the ship, but if they don’t start winning soon, they will be the biggest disappointment in Philadelphia since the Phillies got knocked out of the playoffs in 2011.
# 22 - Seattle Seahawks (previous: 26)
Seattle scored a great road victory against the Giants last week and showed signs of life for the first time all season. With the 49ers looking dominant, even outside the NFC West, the Seahawks are the only team in position to challenge them for the division title.
# 21 - Cleveland Browns (previous: 22)
Like the Chiefs, Cleveland's only wins have come against winless opponents. A trip to Oakland coming out of their bye week will do little to change their fortunes.
The Remarkably Average~
Dancing the fine line between misfortune and glory
# 20 - Atlanta Falcons (previous: 19)
The Falcons looked rock solid for about one quarter against the Packers before everything fell apart. For a team that spent the offseason shoring up their weak points specifically to win games like this, the result was quite disappointing.
# 19 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (previous: 13)
That 45-point loss to the 49ers was the worst in Buccaneers history. That is saying something, considering how woefully inept Tampa Bay was prior to Tony Dungy's arrival back in the late 90's.
# 18 - Chicago Bears (previous: 17)
The Bears just don’t have any answers for the Lions or the Packers. Maybe they can turn it around this week against the Vikings. If not, the NFC North will be a cold, dark division for them to be in this season.
# 17 - New York Jets (previous: 15)
From 2-0 to 2-3. The Jets offense is terrible and the defense has to play perfect in order for their offense to have a chance. The Jets will implode if they allow the winless Dolphins to defeat them at home on Monday night.
# 16 - Dallas Cowboys (previous: 20)
The bye week gave Tony Romo time to decide if he really is a goat or a hero. Against a suspect Patriots defense this weekend, he'll let us know which direction he is headed… at least for one week.
# 15 - New York Giants (previous: 11)
The Seahawks? Seriously. The Giants could be the cream of the NFC East crop with Philadelphia's failings, but they need to win games like this if they hope to make it to the playoffs.
# 14 - Cincinnati Bengals (previous: 18)
Andy Dalton may not have the stats Cam Newton has, but he has three times as many wins. For quarterbacks, that alone is the true measure of their success. Should the Bengals start putting up Panther-like numbers, this team will scare some people come December.
# 13 - Oakland Raiders (previous: 16)
Just win, Baby. Talk about a perfect homage to the late Al Davis.
The Fortunate Seven~
The best of those not yet elite
# 12 - Tennessee Titans (previous: 5)
That was an ugly, ugly loss against the Steelers. Tennessee is in a dog-fight with Houston for a division title and they can't afford to drop winnable games against beaten-up teams if they hope to keep pace with the Texans.
# 11 - Washington Redskins (previous: 12)
The Redskins had about the best bye week they could have hoped for. Next week's game against the Eagles could be their springboard to a division title.
# 10 - Pittsburgh Steelers (previous: 14)
I guess you don’t need a good, healthy foot in order to toss five touchdown passes against a hot defense. The Steelers, dead and nearly buried a week ago, suddenly have new life.
# 9 - Houston Texans (previous: 7)
The football gods were against the Texans last week, but they still put up quite the fight.
# 8 - San Diego Chargers (previous: 9)
The Chargers are 4-1, but they certainly haven't achieved that record easily, considering all their victories have been by seven or less points against teams with losing records.
# 7 - Buffalo Bills (previous: 10)
The Bills solidified their position in the league as the anti-Eagles when they knocked off Philadelphia last week.
# 6 - New Orleans Saints (previous: 6)
New Orleans can open up a huge lead in the NFC South if they take out the Bucs on Sunday in Tampa Bay. With all their division foes stung by recent losses, the division is theirs to lose.
The Creative Elite~
Wielding misfortune at its finest
# 5 - New England Patriots (previous: 4)
New England's offense is scary good, but until the defense starts shutting teams down, opponents will have hope.
# 4 - San Francisco 49ers (previous: 8)
The 49ers completely demolished the upstart Bucs last weekend. San Francisco looks like they are finally coming into their own, although this is a year later than expected.
# 3 - Baltimore Ravens (previous: 2)
Baltimore faces a tough test coming out of their bye week against Houston, but they should be fresh enough to hold off the Texans and maintain their slim division lead.
# 2 - Detroit Lions (previous: 3)
It's been 55 years since the Lions have been undefeated this deep into the season. Calvin Johnson is nigh unstoppable. If they can get by San Francisco and Atlanta unscathed, there should be nothing stopping them from going into their Thanksgiving Day matchup against Green Bay perfect.
# 1 - Green Bay Packers (previous: 1)
Until Green Bay loses, will anybody doubt that they are the best team in the NFL? Nothing changes that perception this week win the winless Rams travel to Lambeau.
Week 5 Power Ranking Awards:
The Free Fallers - Tennessee Titans (-7), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-6), New York Giants (-4), Arizona Cardinals (-3), Houston Texans (-2)
The Biggest Movers - San Francisco 49ers (+4), Pittsburgh Steelers (+4), Cincinnati Bengals (+4), Dallas Cowboys (+4), Seattle Seahawks (+4)
Maintaining The Status Quo - Green Bay Packers (1), New Orleans Saints (6), Indianapolis Colts (30), Miami Dolphins (31), St. Louis Rams (32)
Creative Misfortune Super Bowl XLVI Favorite ~ After Week 5
Check back tomorrow for week 6 predictions.
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