When it comes to Creative Misfortune Power Rankings, production is combined with potential to determine a team's 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 - Jacksonville Jaguars (previous: 32)
The Jaguars continue to play terrible football. It's as if they try for a half, then give up and just try and get the game over as soon as possible.
# 31 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (previous: 30)
The Bucs remain winless, but showed some life in the second half of their game against the Falcons.
# 30 - Minnesota Vikings (previous: 28)
The Vikings should have started Cassell over Freeman. Freeman just was not ready yet and the Giants easily could have been defeated if the Vikings showed any semblance of competance on the offensive side of the ball.
# 29 - New York Giants (previous: 31)
Congratulations, New York! You beat the Vikings, the only other one-win team in the league starting a quarterback who had only practiced with the team for three weeks. That has to make you feel proud.
# 28 - Houston Texans (previous: 25)
And the news just keeps getting worse and worse for the Texans.
The Creatively Challenged~
Folly remains ever their mistress
# 27 - Pittsburgh Steelers (previous: 29)
The Steelers are 2-0 coming out of their bye week after starting 0-4. That says a lot about their pride and character as a football team. It may not translate into a playoff run, but at least they will be good enough to have a say in who makes it to the second season.
# 26 - Oakland Raiders (previous: 24)
Oakland was on a bye week last week and I didn't even notice. That says a lot.
# 25 - Washington Redskins (previous: 27)
Washington wins a wild one over the Bears, but their offense can't score 45 points every week. The defense has to play better, especially since Chicago was without their starting quarterback for most of the game.
# 24 - Atlanta Falcons (previous: 26)
The Falcons gained a little bit of stability with their win over the Buccaneers, but a solid run of victories will be needed before anybody will forget their early season troubles.
# 23 - St. Louis Rams (previous: 20)
Sam Bradford done for the year and new quarterbacks are being tried out as we speak. That does not bode well for the rest of the season.
# 22 - Cleveland Browns (previous: 17)
The Browns definitely haven't given up on the season. They were just overmatched by a much better Packers team.
# 21 - Philadelphia Eagles (previous: 18)
The Blur Offense has resulted in injuries to both Vick and Foles. Will either of them finish the season?
The Remarkably Average~
Dancing the fine line between misfortune and glory
# 20 - Arizona Cardinals (previous: 19)
The combination of Carson Palmer and a suspect running game keeps the Cardinals from soaring.
# 19 - Buffalo Bills (previous: 23)
A big road win over the Dolphins has the Bills thinking they might have a chance. Sure, they are still in last place and still have a losing record, but that doesn't mean they don't have a chance to get back into the division race the way all the other AFC East teams are playing.
# 18 - Baltimore Ravens (previous: 16)
The Ravens just can't find the right gear on offense.
# 17 - Miami Dolphins (previous: 12)
You are supposed to win home games coming out of the bye week, Miami. Not lose them to division rivals.
# 16 - Tennessee Titans (previous: 14)
Three straight losses have brought the early overachievers back to where they were expected to be all along - just below .500.
# 15 - Carolina Panthers (previous: 22)
Still undecided if the Panthers are good this year or not.
# 14 - New York Jets (previous: 21)
The only thing, honestly, that surprised me about the Jets upset of the Patriots last week was the number of points scored in the contest. The Jets get an impressive, much-needed win at home over their division rivals.
# 13 - Chicago Bears (previous: 10)
Cutler's injury definitely puts a damper on Chicago's playoff hopes and their defense getting shellacked for 45 points by RGIII and the Redskins can't help their confidence any.
The Fortunate Seven~
The best of those not yet elite
# 12 - San Diego Chargers (previous: 15)
Denver's loss gives the Chargers hope… especially since the Broncos and Chiefs have yet to play each other this season.
# 11 - Detroit Lions (previous: 8)
Another close loss drops the Lions a half-game behind the Packers and they have already lost to Green Bay once this season.
# 10 - Dallas Cowboys (previous: 13)
A huge division win on the road in Philadelphia makes Dallas the team to beat in the woeful NFC East. If they can hold their own against other NFC opponents, they just might gain enough confidence to actually do something in the playoffs this year.
# 9 - Green Bay Packers (previous: 11)
With the Bears, Lions and Vikings all stumbling and beat up now, who doesn't see the Packers taking control of the division during the second half of the season?
# 8 - Cincinnati Bengals (previous: 9)
The Bengals are playing tough football and starting to break away from the pack in the AFC North.
# 7 - New England Patriots (previous: 4)
The Patriots are starting to crack under the pressure of playing with a bunch of no-name players. Even the great Gronkowski couldn't bail Brady out this week.
# 6 - San Francisco 49ers (previous: 7)
Four straight wins have the 49ers confident again, but they haven't quite got the passing game figured out yet this season.
The Creative Elite~
Wielding misfortune at its finest
# 5 - New Orleans Saints (previous: 5)
Let's see if the Saints learned anything during their bye week after their horrible letdown against the Patriots in week 6.
# 4 - Indianapolis Colts (previous: 6)
The Colts have beaten the 49ers, Seahawks and Broncos… but now they will really be tested with the loss of Reggie Wayne for the season.
# 3 - Denver Broncos (previous: 1)
It doesn't do any good for your offense to average 35 points a game if your defense starts giving up 40 points a game.
# 2 - Seattle Seahawks (previous: 3)
The Seahawks defense gives them the edge over the Broncos.
# 1 - Kansas City Chiefs (previous: 2)
How awesome would it be if the Kansas City Chiefs actually ran the table and finished the season a perfect 19-0? Sure, it won't happen, but it would definitely make for a fun story.
Week 7 Power Ranking Awards:
The Free Fallers - Miami Dolphins (-5), Cleveland Browns (-5), New England Patriots (-3), Detroit Lions (-3), Chicago Bears (-3)
The Biggest Movers - New York Jets (+7), Carolina Panthers (+7), Buffalo Bills (+4), Dallas Cowboys (+3), San Diego Chargers (+3)
Maintaining The Status Quo - New Orleans Saints (5), Jacksonville Jaguars (32)
Creative Misfortune Super Bowl XLVIII Favorite ~ After Week 7
Seattle Seahawks
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