Final 2011 NFL Power Rankings

1) Giants-- Needless to say, they proved themselves as the rightful champions after one of the more difficult playoff runs in recent history (top 2 teams in their conference, top team in the AFC).  They still have questions on their offensive line and they still have to find a way to run the ball better, but they should retain most of their core players, which will obviously help.  Still, the NFC East will be brutally competitive as always, so they'd better get over any Super Bowl hangover quickly.

2) Patriots-- That defense is still a mess, but they actually played better in the postseason, even if they couldn't make the necessary stops on that final Super Bowl drive.  The receivers are better than they were on Sunday and as long as Tom Brady is under center they'll be right in the thick of it in the AFC again.  They need a solid draft, though to build that defensive talent.

3) Packers-- Their defense was finally exposed in the playoffs when the offense had an off day.  That has to get fixed, especially in the NFC with so many high-scoring teams.  The offense is fine--much like the Patriots, they had an off day when it mattered most, but that's certainly no reason to make any major changes.  It would be nice to see them run the ball more consistently though.

4) 49ers-- Tough loss in the conference championship in a game in which they in many ways outplayed the Giants.  Their defense is outstanding and Alex Smith is getting better.  They need to focus on picking up more explosiveness on offense though--as impressive as their rally was against the Saints, sooner or later they may need more than that to win (or at least that kind of play more consistently).

5) Saints-- They simply couldn't find a way to win away from the Dome and they have to find a way to get that problem fixed this offseason.  There aren't any major holes in this team, they just have to figure out how to play better outdoors.  Maybe they focused too much on the records in the regular season.

6) Ravens-- They had an impressive run this year and made some strides on both sides of the ball.  Still, Flacco and the passing game were wildly inconsistent and only managed to put up 20 points a game in the playoffs (most of which came off of turnovers).  And the defense is just getting older, although some of their younger players are getting better.  They've earned the right to be called the class of the AFC North right now, but they'd better keep improving if they want to stay that way.

7) Texans-- It's scary to think how good this team could have been if they had just stayed healthy and how good they could potentially be next year minus the injuries.  The defense in particular deserves a ton of credit for turning things around and the offense just keeps getting better.  A relatively weak division only helps in making them legitimate AFC contenders heading into next year.

8) Steelers-- The defense really struggled towards the end of the year and the offense simply suffered one too many injuries.  They have a lot of decisions to make regarding their veteran players and next year's team could have a very different feel to it.  Regardless of what happens, though, they'll still have the talent to be major factors next season.

9) Eagles-- They finally started to look like the team people expected at the end of the year and should be able to carry a lot of that momentum into next year.  The secondary is still a concern, but otherwise they're pretty stacked at most positions.  Another solid draft for more depth should get them back to the playoffs.

10) Cowboys-- At times they look like they could be one of the tops in the NFC and at other times they look like they could be one of the worst.  They were too wildly inconsistent on both sides of the ball to have any indication of what they'll look like next year.  Brutal division won't help, as won't the always mounting pressure in Dallas.

11) Falcons-- Every year they look solid in the regular season and every year they find a way to choke in the playoffs.  Like the Saints, they aren't near the same team outside the dome as they are at home and they desperately need to get that fixed.  The defense is still a mess, regardless of how many names they've added the past few seasons.  A first-round pick would really help that.

12) Broncos-- I'm still not sold on Tebow either, as he really played one good game all season, but if they can win 8 games with his shaky play, there's clearly a lot of potential for this team going forward.  If it's Tebow's team, though, they have to decide that definitely and start molding the team around him.

13) Bears-- They were 7-3 and rolling before the injuries started to mount, and if they can stay healthy, they should be right back in it next year.  Jay Cutler was playing the best football of his career and the defense, while aging, still has shown they can play at an elite level.  Re-signing Matt Forte is an absolute must though, as is getting Cutler some true legit receivers.

14) Chargers-- Every year this team disappoints, which begins to make one wonder if their core veterans are really good enough to take this team over the top.  Crazy as it sounds, they may want to at least listen to trade offers for guys like Jackson, Gates and, yes, even Rivers.  If it hasn't worked in 8 years, I don't see why it should all of a sudden work now.

15) Bengals-- They showed some great potential this season but still have a lot of holes to fill, especially offensively (RB, No. 2 WR, OL depth).  They'll be better next year, but this season they still only beat one team with a winning record.  It's a tough road in that division and the odds of 3 playoff teams coming from the AFC North again aren't great.

16) Lions-- Their problem is that, when everyone's healthy, they're still the 3rd best team in their division, and the NFC is far too competitive for 3 teams from 1 division to make the playoffs.  That and giving up 45 points a game in their last two games.  The defense is a mess and regardless of how well Stafford and Co. played at times, they won't be enough until that side of the ball can improve.

17) Titans-- Matt Hasselbeck was a pleasant surprise and should continue to start until they are out of the race next year.  The defense showed some real improvement towards the end of the year and Chris Johnson finally reappeared.  Getting Kenny Britt back will be huge for that offense.

18) Cardinals-- They showed some major improvement towards the end of the season.  They still desperately need a QB and No. 2 receiver, though,  Skelton was fine, but he's not the long term answer, and I've seen nothing much out of Kolb so far.  Lucky for them they play in the still mediocre NFC West.

19) Panthers-- The offense improved considerably this year and now they need to spend the offseason focusing on that defense.  Do that, and they'll be legitimate contenders next season, even in the NFC South.  Cam Newton did a great job proving all of his doubters wrong.

20) Dolphins-- They have a tough decision to make at QB.  Matt Moore looked solid, but he also looked solid in relief in Carolina.  They still need more playmakers on the offensive side of the ball, although Reggie Bush and Brandon Marshall both had outstanding seasons and should continue to be major factors.  If they hit their QB decision right, they could be definite sleepers next year.

21) Jets-- This team completely fell apart as the season progressed and Sanchez has shown no signs of improvement whatsoever.  As easy as it is to blame him entirely, though, he still hasn't allowed a 21-play, 96-yard TD drive.  The locker room is a mess and Rex Ryan hasn't been talking.  That shows how bad things are.

22) Raiders-- The Carson Palmer trade was a huge mistake and they're now left with virtually nothing in the draft to help fix this team.  The most undisciplined team in NFL history now gets their 7th chance to rebuild under a new coach in the last 10 years and that just seems to spell disaster.  Anything's possible in the AFC West, but they certainly have more questions than answers.

23) Seahawks-- They started to look solid towards the end of the season but they still need better answers at QB and WR.  The defense stepped up nicely and Marshawn Lynch is obviously a beast, but sooner or later they have to have legitimate threats at those two positions if they want to take the next step forward.

24) Chiefs-- Romeo Crennel did a nice job in the final 3 games, but can he keep that momentum going throughout an entire season?  Getting all the injured players back will be huge, although they might want to consider sticking with Kyle Orton.  Again, in the AFC West, they have as good a shot as anybody.

25) Bills-- It seems like forever ago that they were rolling at the beginning of the season, but they certainly showed some level of potential.  With a healthy Fitzpatrick and Fred Jackson, the offense should be much improved.  The defense is still mediocre at best, though, and once again needs to be their focal point this offseason.

26) Redskins-- It's time to find a new franchise quarterback--they've put it off for years and now they simply have to upgrade that position.  The rest of the team is actually in pretty decent shape, though, if they can just stay healthy.  Unfortunately for them, though, they still play in the NFC East.

27) Browns-- Their defense was good enough to win a Super Bowl this year, holding opponents to 20 points or fewer in 12 of 16 games (excluding special team\opposing defensive touchdowns).  The offense is an absolute mess, though.  They need a QB in free agency (Matt Flynn) so they can draft talent around him.  Drafting Luck\Griffin won't do any good right now and Colt McCoy\Seneca Wallace sure don't seem like answers.

28) Jaguars-- Blaine Gabbert deserves one more year to prove why he was a top 10 pick, but boy did he look terrible last year.  He too has absolutely no talent around him, though.  The defense was up and down all year and could definitely still use some work, but it's good enough for now--they have to focus on that offense to at least give themselves a shot.

29) Vikings-- The offense was up and down all year and they need an upgrade in their receiving corps.  Jared Allen was solid, but the defense as a whole was still lacking for most of the season.  They'd better be praying AP returns to his old form.

30) Colts-- Time to start over with a new QB and begin a new era for their franchise.  Some of their veterans proved their lack of worth without a guy like Manning throwing to them and it's time to start fresh with new guys.  It'll be a rough transition, but it should pay off down the road.

31) Buccaneers-- People criticize Sanchez constantly, but no one seems to notice how awful Josh Freeman is.  One more year and Tampa needs to move on.  In the meantime, they need to find some way to fix that defense, that still managed to struggle mightily even after consistently using high draft picks on it.  They have a long way to go.

32) Rams-- Jeff Fisher inherits a team in chaos.  Sam Bradford has proven how injury prone he is and didn't look particularly solid last year even when he was healthy.  He also has no one to throw to and no one to protect him.  The defense is still mediocre at best, although they too were bitten by the injury bug.  They'll be better next year, but that's not saying much.

i just don't see how you can justify putting the 8-8 Eagles or 8-8 Cowboys ahead of 10-6 atlanta. considering atlanta beat the eagles and four of their losses were to playoff teams,  close games against 10-6  houston, 15-1 green bay and one close one and one blowout against the 13-3 Saints.

 Time to start over with a new QB and begin a new era for their franchise.  Some of their veterans proved their lack of worth without a guy like Manning throwing to them and it's time to start fresh with new guys.

I agree it's time to start over but, I don't think you can blame or reduce the talent level of the veterans just because they had Curtis Painter trying to throw to them. 

The Cowboys are too high on your list...The Lions are way too low...

I don't see how the Bears, Eagles, Cowboys, and the Chargers can be above the Lions.  Lions are better than all of them.

,No, unruly, they're really not.

I'm not buying the 3d best team in their own division stuff. Before Cutler and Forte went down, the Lions were slightly behind the Bears, way ahead on offense but behind on special teams and, by the end of the season, way behind of defense. With the introduction of the running game with Leshoure and possibly best coming back next year, plus the knowledge that their corners and safeties can't get any worse next year, I think it's about neck and neck right now. If Chicago trades up for Blackmon in the draft, or something like that I'd give them the edge fully healthy, but unless that happens it's about equal.  Either way, Bears are a top 10 team healthy, and the Lions, at worst, are a top 12 team, so 16 is WAY too low. 

why can't Saints play outdoors ? they just need a defensive fix period

The Cowboys are always ranked higher than they should be,Not
because of greatness but because of popularity!

Because the media told him the Saints can't play outdoors or on the road. Complete misconception especially when trying to sum up a teams needs/problems with one comment. I usually enjoy these rankings but it looks like he saved his worst for last.

You wasted your time.  See the 2012 draft order for the "power rankings".

29) Vikings-- The offense was up and down all year and they need an upgrade in their receiving corps.  Jared Allen was solid, but the defense as a whole was still lacking for most of the season.  They'd better be praying AP returns to his old form.


That's all? The recieving corps? More like recieving corpse! This team has the worst secondary of ANY team in the NFL! The LBs are shjt! The O-Line is paper and the RBs are injured...This brings me to the QB. They are locked in on and often injured overrated starter, in Ponder. Joe Webb was a better option to begin with and now they promote Spielman. He got us into this mess along with Childress. I'm only hoping we hit bottom last year, I'm not so sure?  

Because the media told him the Saints can't play outdoors or on the road. Complete misconception

not totally a misconception... they are no where near the team they are at home while on the road.. there is a drastic dropoff there

The Saints scored more points against the 49ers than anyone else did. They also allowed the 49ers to put up their second highest point total. It's not the Dome. It's the defense.

the Saints score almost 3 TD's less on the road than at home... if thats not a drastic dropoff then i dont know what is..


i was praying the niners won that game because i dont think the Giants would have had a chance playing the saints at home

I dunno. I think those stats are skewed by the three games they scored between 45 and 49 points at home and the one they scored 62. As much as I would like to think the Saints SHOULD score 45 every game, I think the reality is they're a 35 point a game team that happens to play exceptionally well at home.

Either way, I think the shoddy defense is a bigger issue than any kind of away game disadvantage.