2012 NFL Power Rankings - Week 6
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Week: Post-Draft - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17
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Out of the eight divisions in the NFL, it might have been the least-expected division to have four teams above .500 through Week 5 of the NFL season.
[Of course, the Packers would argue that one of those teams should be below .500.]
That said, all of the NFC West teams have been playing great, or at least very solid, football, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Not only do the 49ers and Seahawks rank first and second, respectively, in scoring defense, but the Cardinals (fifth) and Rams (ninth) are also in the top 10.
In addition, they have been extremely tough to beat at home. Through Week 5, they have combined for a perfect 10-0 record on their home turf.
With the exception of the Rams, the other three teams are at home this week facing non-division opponents. It will be a little tougher to maintain that perfect home record as the Seahawks host the Patriots, the 49ers host the Giants and the Cardinals host the Bills.
Here are some stats on this week's consensus rankings:
- Biggest jump from last update: Indianapolis Colts (6.25)
- Biggest drop from last update: Buffalo Bills (-6.25)
- Team with widest difference between high and low rank: Arizona Cardinals (8)
With each update, we always all respond to one roundtable question. This update's roundtable topic: How many teams will finish above .500 in the NFC West?
Kevin (follow Kevin on Twitter):
The 49ers are clearly the best team in the division and will easily finish above .500. Their only loss was on the road to the Vikings, who are better than anyone thought at 4-1.
After hosting the Bills this weekend, the Cardinals will have to play six of their remaining 10 games on the road. With the exception of the Jets, all other road games are tough: Minnesota, Green Bay, Atlanta, Seattle and San Francisco. I think the Cardinals get above .500, but barely as their schedule gets much tougher.
Of the remaining two teams, I think the Seahawks are the better team and could threaten to be a third above-.500 team. The Rams are better than I thought yet still a year away, especially due to their offensive issues.
Ultimately, I will say that two NFC West teams finish above .500, one finishes at .500 and the Rams finish just below .500 with six or seven wins.
John (follow John on Twitter):
It's hard to take more than two teams from the NFC West to finish over .500. Although this division has gone from being a laughingstock to one of the most solid all-around divisions in football in a short time, I'm going to take the 49ers and Seahawks to finish above .500 for the year.
The Cardinals started off inexplicably hot, but they just don't have a strong enough offense to keep it up. The Rams might make a run at .500, and Jeff Fisher has the defense playing great, but I'd be surprised if they can get all the way to nine wins.
The entire division could finish .500 or above, but it's fairly likely that only two will finish with a winning record, and the 49ers are the only lock to make the playoffs.
Dan (follow Dan on Twitter):
The NFC West has been one of the nicest surprises this year going from the laughingstock of the league to having all four teams currently over .500, but it certainly will not end that way.
The 49ers are a lock to finish over .500 for a second straight year, and they will win the division. The Cardinals have a very legitimate chance to make the playoffs, as they have one of the best defenses in the league, but they have to keep their QB alive. The Cardinals will be able to adjust, as I think Russ Grimm is one of the most capable offensive line coaches in the league and Arizona will finish over .500.
The Rams are the feel good story of the year so far at 3-2, but losing their No. 1 receiver in Danny Amendola, and having a much tougher schedule will damage their chances and I think they will end up 8-8. The Seahawks have played great defense so far, but they badly need Russell Wilson to come around, and I think they will have more growing pains and will finish at 7-9.
Sean (follow Sean on Twitter):
The simple answer would be one with the 49ers as they are the only real powerhouse in the division, but let's break down the schedules of the remaining three teams and see how many losses each team should get.
This is the NFL, though. If the team with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft can beat the team with the best record from the previous year, then anything can happen, so I will add an extra loss to my projections:
- Arizona, 4-1 (SF twice, ATL, GB, MIN,CHI, SEA) - Projection: 7-9
- St. Louis, 3-2 (SF twice, NE, GB, Sea) - Projection: 8-8
- Seattle, 3-2 (NE, SF twice, DET, CHI, BUF or MIA) - Projection: 7-9
The records may not indicate it, but I consider the 49ers and Texans to be very similar in that they are light years better than anyone in their division. Both of them should have no problems sweeping their division matchups. The 49ers will finish around the 13-3 range and be the only team above .500 at year's end.
Updated: Wednesday, October 10th
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EDSFOOTBALL.COM WEEK 6 CONSENSUS NFL POWER RANKINGS
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FANTASY FOOTBALL RANKINGS:
- Standard Scoring: QBs
| RBs
| WRs
| TEs
- PPR Scoring:
RBs
| WRs | TEs
2012-13 Fantasy Basketball Rankings:
- PG | SG | SF | PF | C | Top 100
All of our rankings are from owner Kevin Hanson, who finished third overall in accuracy by FantasyPros in 2011.
Here's what FantasyPros wrote (about Hanson) in their year-end announcement of accuracy results:
"... Hanson was a fixture in the top 5 throughout the season and even led the contest heading into the final week. He also owns the distinction as being the only expert to eclipse the 70% PAY™ mark for a single position. ... Simply put, if you needed QB advice in 2011, the ultimate source to go to was over at EDSFootball. That’s not to say that Hanson was a one-trick pony, however. He also earned a top 10 rating at both WR (# 3) & RB (# 8), demonstrating that he’s among the best of the best when it comes to fantasy prognostication."
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SEE ALSO:
- Our NBA Consensus Power Rankings
- Mock Draft Databases: NFL | NBA | MLB
- 2013 NFL Mock Draft: Hanson
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