NFL, after Super Bowl
updated 2-8-2010
Last Week's Rankings
| 1. New Orleans (16-2) | 11.11 |
| 2. Indianapolis (16-1) | 7.75 |
| 3. Minnesota (13-5) | 7.08 |
| 4. Dallas (12-6) | 6.17 |
| 5. Baltimore (10-8) | 5.03 |
| 6. New England (10-7) | 4.56 |
| 7. San Diego (13-4) | 4.50 |
| 8. New York Jets (10-8) | 3.42 |
| 9. Green Bay (10-6) | 3.33 |
| 10. Philadelphia (11-6) | 2.83 |
| 11. Pittsburgh (9-7) | 2.82 |
| 12. Atlanta (9-7) | 2.59 |
| 13. Houston (9-7) | 1.69 |
| 14. Arizona (11-6) | 1.45 |
| 15. San Francisco (8-8) | 1.36 |
| 16. Carolina (7-8) | 1.19 |
| 17. Cincinnati (10-7) | 0.97 |
| 18. Denver (8-8) | 0.35 |
| 19. Miami (7-9) | 0.17 |
| 20. New York Giants (8-8) | -0.62 |
| 21. Tennessee (8-8) | -1.50 |
| 22. Jacksonville (7-9) | -2.12 |
| 23. Washington (4-12) | -2.91 |
| 24. Buffalo (5-10) | -3.45 |
| 25. Chicago (7-9) | -3.53 |
| 26. Tampa Bay (3-13) | -5.57 |
| 27. Oakland (5-11) | -6.20 |
| 28. Cleveland (5-11) | -6.37 |
| 29. Kansas City (4-12) | -6.40 |
| 30. Seattle (5-11) | -8.25 |
| 31. St. Louis (1-15) | -10.52 |
| 32. Detroit (2-14) | -10.95 |
The Super Bowl lived up to our high expectations here at the Power Rank. The two best teams in the NFL played almost flawlessly, combining for only 8 penalties totaling 64 yards. There wasn't a turnover until a New Orleans interception late in the fourth quarter. On this game changing play, Reggie Wayne of the Colts makes a weak cut on his route, and Tracy Porter of the Saints steps in for the pick and 6 points the other way. The Power Rank is also happy the Saints won since the media will not get on Sean Payton's case for getting stuffed on fourth and goal from just outside the 1 yard line. Funny, Peter King, no mention of this play in Monday Morning Quarterback. Between this call and the on side kick to start the second half, Payton coached aggressively, an admirable trait no matter what the outcome. New Orleans rightfully ends the season on top of our rankings.
The Power Rank forecast department also enjoyed a Super Bowl in which not only did the Colts not cover the 4.5 points but also the Saints won the game outright. We never, ever put too much significance in any one game, but it does feel good. Moreover, the Power Rank beat the line 59 percent of the time from week 12 until the end of the regular season. A big thanks to Kevin Hwang for running these numbers.
Lastly, thanks to all you who followed the Power Rank this football season; it's been fun. We leave you with this hilarious Onion piece about power rankings. A big thanks to Vivek Jain for sending me this article.
Questions, comments? Want email updates? Email me at thepowerrank at gmail dot com.