The 2014 NFL Season got more interesting this week as there were big playoff-implicating matchups in both conferences to go along with some surprise upsets. With such a roiling postseason picture, the numbers come to save the day with some additional perspective.
Crunching The Numbers Rank Index, Week 11
1. Green Bay (19.849): The Packers have officially become the team that nobody wants to play. Aaron Rodgers has returned to the form of his MVP season in 2011, except that this time the defense isn't God-awful. They also look like one of the few teams that could stand up to New England and Denver in a Super Bowl. Last Week: 3, 16.837
2. New England (19.590): The Patriots put on another show this week when Tom Brady reminded Andrew Luck that he still has a little more developing to do. Their win over Denver is now looking like their most important of the season as home field advantage in the playoffs could very well be enough to take Brady to his sixth Super Bowl appearance. Last Week: 2, 17.486
3. Denver (17.314): Apparently Peyton Manning is not impervious to the trap game. This loss probably stings more than New England as it makes the first seed in the AFC even farther out of reach. Then again, Manning might want one more (and potentially last) opportunity to beat Brady in his house. Last Week: 1, 21.522
4. Baltimore (16.270): No game for the Ravens as they rested this week. They bumped up a spot as other teams did worse during their game off. Watching the Bengals handily beat the Saints in the Superdome probably wasn't how they wanted to spend it though. Last Week: 5, 16.270
5. Miami (14.517): Another appearance in the top five for the Dolphins whose defense was on full display against the Bills last Thursday. As long as the offense can mitigate mistakes that secondary alone might be good enough to get this team to the playoffs for the first time since 2008. Last Week: 8, 14.210
6. Arizona (13.493): The Cardinals finally broke out of ninth place after beating the Lions in a huge game. Whoever said that this team would go as far as Drew Stanton could carry them forgot that they are actually carried by their dominating defense. Last Week: 9, 13.080
7. Kansas City (12.897): A nice statement win for Andy Reid and the Chiefs. True, the Seahawks have been one of the more lackluster teams on the road this year, but they also have more talent than Kansas City. Seattle was simply outcoached in a game that will probably haunt them later as they vie for a playoff position. Last Week: 11, 12.900
8. Indianapolis (12.610): If the Colts were counting on homefield advantage to be the difference-maker in their huge game against New England, they forgot who was coaching on the opposing sideline. Luck will take his team back into the ranks of the AFC's elite at some point, but it is becoming more clear that he will have to beat the Patriots in order to do it. Last Week: 6, 15.958
9. Seattle (12.293): Because of the performance of their competition, the Seahawks got to move up a spot even though they lost. In a crowded NFC, the defending champions might struggle to even make the playoffs and the division title is on the brink of being out-of-reach. Unless, that is, they can beat the Cardinals at home this week. Last Week: 10, 12.973
10. Dallas (12.110): Tony Romo and the Cowboys had arguably their best bye week ever as all of their division rivals lost. They probably threw a party to celebrate that they get to face the Bears instead of the Packers this season. Last Week: 12, 12.110
11. Cleveland (10.937): In the super-competitive AFC North, every game is a must-win game, and the Browns lost in spectacular fashion to Ryan Mallett. The team does seem to be very well-coached, so their response this week when they play the Falcons in the Georgia Dome will be interesting. Last Week: 7, 14.235
12. Philadelphia (10.875): Oof. The Eagles crash-land into twelfth place after reaching fourth last week. Getting turned into a laughingstock by Green Bay will do that to you. The good news: the hardest game on their schedule is most likely behind them as the rest of their slate looks very winnable. The bad news: the real Mark Sanchez showed up, continuing doubts that the Eagles' franchise quarterback may not be on their roster. Last Week: 4, 16.613
13. Houston (9.796): A good win for the Texans, who really needed one coming out of their bye week. O'Brien's decision to turn to Ryan Mallett, who was drafted into that offense, seemed to be the right call. Last Week: 19, 7.072
14. Cincinnati (9.254): The Bengals find themselves in first place by virtue of that tie with the Panthers earlier this season. The win over the Saints at home - normally a respectable feat - looks questionable given how bad New Orleans is this year. It may not matter as this division will probably be decided in-house anyway. Last Week: 17, 7.302
15. San Diego (8.555): The Chargers inch up one place, but they still only managed to beat the Raiders by seven at home. It's hard to think that they will recapture the magic they had early on in the season and might be playing golf in January. That 5-1 start feels like it was ages ago. Last Week: 16, 7.634
16. Detroit (8.258): The Lions still own the second seed in the conference thanks to a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Packers, but I don't think anyone believes it will last. Especially after their demoralizing loss to the Cardinals. Last Week: 14, 9.780
17. New Orleans (8.048): The numbers claim that the Saints will finish first in a division that nobody wants to win. We all hoped that the 2010 Seahawks would be the last team to win a division with a record under .500, but those days may be upon us again. Which much more deserving team will get left out in the cold this year? Last Week: 13, 10.058
18. Pittsburgh (7.954): The Steelers won a close game that they had to win, but it was over the awful Titans. What happened to the team that was tearing teams up a few weeks ago? Now they're losing to the Jets and almost losing to Tennessee. To me, that's a sign of poor coaching, and Tomlin should probably go. Last Week: 15, 8.052
19. San Francisco (7.351): The 49ers took care of business against the Giants by picking off Eli Manning five times. Maybe Ahmad Brooks should bench himself more often. Last Week: 20, 5.868
20. Buffalo (5.470): The Bills may be having a better season than in years past, but the simultaneous emergence of the Dolphins didn't help at all. The late Ralph Wilson may have finally found his coach in Doug Marrone, though. Last Week: 18, 7.188
21. Atlanta (3.487): Here are your first-place Atlanta Falcons, all the way down at number twenty-one. When they debuted at eleventh back in Week 4, I said that would be the highest they would ever be ranked. It turns out that I will probably be right, I just never guessed they would actually lead their division. Last Week: 21, 3.017
22. Minnesota (-1.109): The Vikings handed the Bears a rare home win on Sunday but moved up two places because of the lackluster team around them. The latest Adrian Peterson fallout makes this season even more forgettable for them. An interesting offseason storyline will be whether or not Zygi Wilf gives Zimmer a chance to build a program here. Last Week: 24, -0.546
23. New York Giants (-1.148): The Eli Manning we all know and love turned up this week against the Niners. My guess is that the Maras will give Coughlin a chance to retire at the end of the season as opposed to disgracefully being canned. Last Week: 23, -0.098
24. Washington (-2.375): The Redskins got thoroughly manhandled by the Buccaneers on Sunday... at home. There are a lot of unpopular people in D.C., but Dan Snyder has to be near the bottom of that list. Last Week: 22, 0.034
25. Chicago (-3.632): The Bears responded moderately well after being shredded by the Packers on national television. Unfortunately it was probably a little too late for them to decide to start winning. Last Week: 27, -5.964
26. Tennessee (-4.106): The Titans almost got to stick it to the Steelers on Monday night. Now they have to go on the road and play a Philly team that will be looking for blood. Last Week: 26, -5.082
27. Carolina (-4.503): Well, you can't say the Panthers didn't try against the Falcons. I like them the best out of the NFC South teams, but they don't seem capable of putting together a run in the last stretch to win this division. Last Week: 25, -5.026
28. St. Louis (-4.530): The Rams have done a good job playing spoiler under Jeff Fisher this season since they now have wins against the Seahawks, 49ers, and Broncos. Holding Denver's high-powered offense to seven points was no easy feat, and it was probably good to remind Peyton Manning that anybody can be caught napping, even a god amongst men. Last Week: 29, -7.899
29. Tampa Bay (-6.002): Josh McCown certainly made his presence known when he returned to the lineup. Sure, the Redskins are terrible, but decisively defeating them liked that might just have saved Lovie Smith his job. Last Week: 31, -9.927
30. New York Jets (-7.529): This was a great week for Jets fans as their team did not lose. If Rex does indeed get fired, I'll be looking to see who picks him up. With the fiasco in New York it's easy to forget he was a pretty good defensive coordinator. Last Week: 28, -7.529
31. Oakland (-9.691): The Raiders do compete against teams that they are able to, which makes me think they'll get a win here at some point. At least they can say they have a quarterback, which is more than a lot of teams can say (including possibly the Eagles). Last Week: 30, -9.925
32. Jacksonville (-11.050): The Jaguars had their bye this week, so no change in score. Unfortunately, their score is so bad that it kept them in the basement. Last Week: 32, -11.050
So what do you think? Which teams are too high? Too low? How about the Eagles? Sound off in the comments below!