NFL Power Rankings: Week 11

Well ladies and gentlemen, all the BlitzNation bloggers have got together and talked it out, and yes, there is indeed a new number one this week in our NFL Power Rankings! It should come as no surprise as to who that team is, but we’ll at least try and make things suspenseful.

So without any further ado, here are our rankings for the week:

10. Denver Broncos (6-3)

This Week: vs. San Diego (6-3)

Why They Could Rise: The Broncos still have the weapons in the passing game to win, despite losing three in a row. The passing attack will be key to a victory this week against the Chargers.

Why They Could Fall: The play of Kyle Orton has gotten a little suspect over the past few weeks, and the injury last week didn’t help matters much. As the passing game goes, this team goes. So if they take a step back, they could lose yet another one.

9. Dallas Cowboys (6-3)

This Week: vs. Washington (3-6)

Why They Could Rise: Despite the poor performance against the Packers, the Cowboys are still in great position. They’re defense has been playing better, and the offense should be able to kick things back into high gear this week against the Redskins.

Why They Could Fall: I think that offensive line play may become somewhat of a concern, but I can’t really see the Cowboys falling this week since they are at home and coming off of a loss.

8. San Diego Chargers (6-3)

This Week: at Denver (6-3)

Why They Could Rise: A win at Invesco would put the Chargers back in first in the AFC West. Right now, Philip Rivers has that offense moving up and down the field in a hurry, so as long as he’s playing well, this team will be fine.

Why They Could Fall: The Broncos have already beat SD once this season, as the passing attack gave the Chargers fits. The secondary will have to play much better this time around.

7. Arizona Cardinals (6-3)

This Week: at St. Louis (1-8)

Why They Could Rise: I think that Kurt Warner and company are back in the flow of things offensively. And this week will be another opportunity for them to put up big numbers against a terrible Rams’ team.

Why They Could Fall: The Rams have played better of late, and gave the Saints a scare last week. The Cards and Saints are similar in their offensive attacks, so Arizona can’t overlook the Rams despite their bad record.

6. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3)

This Week: at Kansas City (2-7)

Why They Could Rise: The Steelers will likely dominate the Chiefs this week on both sides of the ball, and though they lost to the Bengals last week, they’re still one of the hottest teams in football right now.

Why They Could Fall: I can’t see Pittsburgh losing this week, but their redzone scoring has to get better. They can’t be settling for field goals come playoff time.

5. New England Patriots (6-3)

This Week: vs. New York Jets (4-5)

Why They Could Rise: It would seem to me that the Patriots will be looking for revenge in this game against the Jets, so they should be firing on all cylinders. Plus, they’ll probably still have a little anger built up from last week’s game vs. Indy.

Why They Could Fall: I can’t really see the Pats losing this game. If they do, then they’ll allow the divisional race to keep going, as the Jets would move within one game of them.

4. Cincinnati Bengals (7-2)

This Week: at Oakland (2-7)

Why They Could Rise: They play the Raiders, and this team is rolling. They just signed running back Larry Johnson, which could give them a boost if Cedric Benson’s injury keeps him out a week or two.

Why They Could Fall: Well, those cross-country road trips are never easy. Just ask the Eagles. So the Bengals can’t fall into the trap of overlooking Oakland.

3. Minnesota Vikings (8-1)

This Week: vs. Seattle (3-6)

Why They Could Rise: The Vikings’ offense continues to put up big numbers through the air and on the ground. If Sidney Rice continues to be a playmaker at wideout, this team may have too many weapons for other team’s to stop.

Why They Could Fall: They kind of were sleepwalking through last week’s game against Detroit. Seattle can put up points, so they can’t let that happen again this week.

2. New Orleans Saints (9-0)

This Week: at Tampa Bay (1-8)

Why They Could Rise: Well the Saints will clearly win this week against the Bucs, and they’ll just need the Colts’ to lose at Baltimore, which is certainly possible.

Why They Could Fall: I’m sorry, but there’s no way the Saints lose this week. They’ll either stay at the number two spot, or vault up to number one in next week’s rankings.

1. Indianapolis Colts (9-0)

This Week: at Baltimore (5-4)

Why They Are the Best: The Colts simply found a way to win. That’s all you can ask for out of great teams. Peyton Manning and the offense continue to get better and better, and there is no stopping these guys right now.

Why They Could Fall: The Ravens could present some big challenges. If there’s a defense that is hard-nosed enough to slow this down this Colts’ attack, it’s the Ravens.

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