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 beat the biggest spread in NFL history! At least they have that going for them.
# 31 - New York Giants (previous: 31)
Injuries have now added to New York's woes… They will win some games yet this year, but the work on the 2014 season has already started.
# 30 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (previous: 29)
Still winless in Tampa, despite the changes at quarterback. Still far too early to tell if releasing Freeman was a good move on their part.
# 29 - Pittsburgh Steelers (previous: 30)
The Steelers come out of the bye week and notch a solid victory on the road. It's still not too late for them to turn their season around.
# 28 - Minnesota Vikings (previous: 26)
Tough week for the Vikings to play a game…
The Creatively Challenged~
Folly remains ever their mistress
# 27 - Washington Redskins (previous: 27)
The Redskins had their moments on Sunday night, but they were outclassed by the Cowboys in almost every facet of the game.
# 26 - Atlanta Falcons (previous: 28)
Four games out of first place. We'll see if Atlanta remembered how to win games during their time off.
# 25 - Houston Texans (previous: 23)
This team is falling quickly… Wonder what the record is for most consecutive games with a thrown Pick-6 is?
# 24 - Oakland Raiders (previous: 19)
Oakland stayed with the undefeated Chiefs for a little bit, but then were just over matched by their division rivals.
# 23 - Buffalo Bills (previous: 21)
So close to victory, the Bills drop a tough one at home in overtime.
# 22 - Carolina Panthers (previous: 25)
Now that is how Carolina should have played coming out of the bye week last week. You can't tell me Arizona is a far superior team to Minnesota.
# 21 - New York Jets (previous: 16)
Just when you think they have it all figured out, they lose at home in an ugly game.
The Remarkably Average~
Dancing the fine line between misfortune and glory
# 20 - St. Louis Rams (previous: 24)
Looks like the Rams have finally recovered from their losses to the Cowboys and 49ers a few weeks back.
# 19 - Arizona Cardinals (previous: 14)
An uncharacteristic fumble by Larry Fitzgerald hurt their chances against the 49ers. Even if he holds onto the ball, though, the 49ers would have dropped the Cardinals back to .500.
# 18 - Philadelphia Eagles (previous: 22)
Is Foles better than Vick? Hard to say, but a big NFC East battle against Dallas next weekend will help answer that question.
# 17 - Cleveland Browns (previous: 10)
The Browns are still an impressive 3-1 since making the Richardson trade.
# 16 - Baltimore Ravens (previous: 12)
The Ravens aren't going to repeat as Super Bowl champions if they keep dropping games at home.
# 15 - San Diego Chargers (previous: 20)
The San Diego Chargers are like a box of chocolates… you just never know what you are going to get from week to week.
# 14 - Tennessee Titans (previous: 7)
A close loss on the road to an NFC powerhouse is nothing to hang your head about. The loss by the Colts helps, too.
# 13 - Dallas Cowboys (previous: 18)
The offense seems to have it figured out, but the injuries have devastated the defensive line. Will the no-name Cowboys rise up and make themselves known? First chance comes next weekend when they take on the Eagles and their Blur Offense.
The Fortunate Seven~
The best of those not yet elite
# 12 - Miami Dolphins (previous: 15)
Chasing the Patriots out of the bye week, Miami still is very much alive in the AFC East.
# 11 - Green Bay Packers (previous: 17)
Big wins on the road are always good. The Packers need the wins in the division, though, in order to make it to the playoffs.
# 10 - Chicago Bears (previous: 11)
The Bears nearly let the game against the Giants slip away. You never want to flirt with that late-game Manning magic, but they survived the scare with flying colors.
# 9 - Cincinnati Bengals (previous: 13)
All alone in first place, the AFC North is theirs to rule for the time being.
# 8 - Detroit Lions (previous: 9)
After dropping a couple games recently, Detroit picks up another win to stay even with the Bears atop the NFC North.
# 7 - San Francisco 49ers (previous: 8)
Now the 49ers are playing like they did a year ago, but they always seem to make things a bit more difficult than they need to be.
# 6 - Indianapolis Colts (previous: 4)
Tough loss during Luck's debut on Monday Night Football. Wonder what the story angles will be this week when Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos come to town?
The Creative Elite~
Wielding misfortune at its finest
# 5 - New Orleans Saints (previous: 3)
The Saints had the Patriots right until the very end, then they let it all slip away.
# 4 - New England Patriots (previous: 6)
Tom Brady beats Drew Brees for the first time since their college days. Great win by the Patriots, despite continuing to cobble together a receiving corps for Brady to play catch with.
# 3 - Seattle Seahawks (previous: 5)
Seattle rebounds from their loss last week with a serviceable win at home.
# 2 - Kansas City Chiefs (previous: 2)
Can they hold it together and remain undefeated until they face off against the Broncos in week 11? Good news for the Chiefs - they have their bye week in week 10.
# 1 - Denver Broncos (previous: 1)
It might be harder for the Broncos to remain undefeated than for Kansas City to remain undefeated until they face off against the Chiefs in week 11, but I have no reason to believe that both teams won't be 9-0 going into that epic divisional matchup.
Week 6 Power Ranking Awards:
The Free Fallers - Tennessee Titans (-7), Cleveland Browns (-7), Arizona Cardinals (-5), New York Jets (-5), Oakland Raiders (-5)
The Biggest Movers - Green Bay Packers (+6), Dallas Cowboys (+5), San Diego Chargers (+5), Cincinnati Bengals (+4), Philadelphia Eagles (+4)
Maintaining The Status Quo - Denver Broncos (1), Kansas City Chiefs (2), Washington Redskins (27), New York Giants (31), Jacksonville Jaguars (32)
Creative Misfortune Super Bowl XLVIII Favorite ~ After Week 6
Denver Broncos
Check back later today for Thursday Night Game predictions...
