Matthew Ross
This week’s list was difficult to consider, since we had so many close games last week. One play here or there could have dramatically altered these rankings. So we spent hours and hours agonizing over this list. It involved several pots of tea, some chewing gum and a long bus ride (don’t ask). The good news for Pennsylvania? They are looking down at the rest of the country. The bad news for Missouri? The Chiefs fell the hardest on the countdown.
NFL Week 12 Power Index 2017
1- (1) Philadelphia Eagles – Another week and another impressive win. Carson Wentz will probably be the MVP and this team will most likely snare the top seed. Can you see any team bumping them from this spot on the list?
2- (2) Pittsburgh Steelers – The offense is humming and the defense is getting better each week. What’s not to like?
3- (3) New England Patriots – That dismantling of the Raiders in Mexico was a thing of beauty. Never was that game ever really in doubt. The Pats have shored up their defensive issues and are aiming for top spot on this list. Well, that and probably the Super Bowl, too.
4- (6) Carolina Panthers – Another impressive performance. This is shaping up to be some kind of race between them and the Saints for the division.
5- (5) New Orleans Saints – It wasn’t easy, but the Saints showed resilience and came back to beat Washington at home. I vaulted the Panthers over them, but it’s close, folks.
6- (9) Minnesota Vikings – Now that was impressive. The Vikings on D are spectacular right now. They deserve this record. It’s incredible to think that they are using backup running backs and a backup quarterback to get to 8-2 on the season. Mike Zimmer will get some coach of the year votes.
7- (10) Atlanta Falcons – Can we say that this team is back? They struggled there for a bit but they’ve now put a few games together that are worthy of this spot on our list.
8- (8) St. Louis Rams – That was a tough loss in Minny, but it’s no shame to lose to a team of that caliber on the road. They’ll rebound…. I think.
9- (4) Kansas City Chiefs – What the hell is going on here? Does KC even want to win games? I don’t get that performance versus the Giants. Could they be completely off this list next week? It could happen!
10- (7) Seattle Seahawks – This is it. If Seattle doesn’t get its act together on defense this week then they too could drop off this list. The injuries on defense appear to be simply too much to recover from.
Honorable Mentions
Jacksonville Jaguars (I know, they deserve to be back up on the list. But come on, it was Cleveland!), Tennessee Titans (It smells like an 8-8 team to me).
Matthew Ross is a sports commentator and a radio host on TSN 690 Radio in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Follow him @MatthewWords.
