Testaverde Touchdown: NFL Power Poll, Week 10

Rank (Last)	Team	Record	Notes
1 (2)		8-1	Houston has appeared to be the most balanced team all season long. The one question that remained unanswered was, how would they hold up when they faced a similarly talented and dominant defense? Going into last weekend, Houston had never failed to score at least 21 points in any of their first 8 games. Well they answered those questions resoundingly: very well, especially when the opposing quarterback downgrades from Jay Cutler to Jason Campbell.
2 (4)		7-2	Chicago went toe-to-toe with the best team in the NFL. The optimistic Bear fan asks: would having 4 quarters of Jay Cutler made a difference? The pessimistic Bears fan asks: would it have been that close if the weather weren't such a factor?
3 (3)		6-2-1	After they beat Seattle a month ago, it looked like they would have smooth sailing to another division title. Now? Well they have to play Chicago, at suddenly frisky (and smarting from last year's playoff loss) New Orleans, and at New England still, plus play the Seahawks in Seattle. The wild card is backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who could see some action if Alex Smith's concussion keeps him sidelined.
4 (1)		8-1	You make your living on the finer edge of winning and losing every week, and eventually the breaks are going to go the other guy's way. If the Faclons are a top-10 offense, they shouldn't be part of this many nailbiters. But are they a top-10 offense? They're 7th in points per game, but if you look at them since the start of October, they'd be just outside the top-10. This is looking more and more like the Falcons teams of the past: good at everything, great at nothing, and we've seen that story end the same way every time: playoff berth but no playoff wins.
5 (6)		6-3	They better have used the bye week to get healthy. Their 7 remaining games include 5 against their division, the Giants (so who the hell knows what that game will be like), and the Titans (one of these things is not like the other).
6 (7)		6-3	I'm not sure a cornerback aquistion has had this much hype around it since Deion Sanders left the super bowl winning San Francisco 49ers to join the Dallas Cowboys in 1995/96. Patriots fans are pinning so many of their hopes for a non-atrocious pass defense on Talib. The thing is, even if Talib is a good enough man coverage guy to make a difference, what makes you think Belichick will let him man up when he hasn't done that with his corners in over a decade?
7 (8)		6-3	Peyton Manning keeps getting stronger while their remaining schedule keeps getting weaker (2 of their 7 remaining opponents are currently over .500). This team could very well sneak its way to a bye when all is said and done.
8 (10)		7-2	Yes, it was Oakland, so it almost doesn't count. But it was nice to see Baltimore actually put a team away for the first time since week 1 vs Cincinnati.
9 (9)		6-3	The Kansas City game was ugly, no way around it. The Roethlisberger injury is very problematic, because I could write 5 sentences here in the time it takes Byron Leftwich to wind up and throw. Is the Steeler defense really back? We'll find out for sure if Leftwich has to play for any long stretch of time.
10 (5)		6-4	I officially give up. This team is probably going to make the playoffs (their division is awful), and they will probably turn into the pass rushing juggernaut we all remember when they do. But why does this November swoon happen every single year?
11 (11)		6-4	They took care of business at home against the Jets. The Jets are awful, especially on offense, so it's hard to glean much from that.
12 (12)		6-3	They took care of business on the road against the Jaguars. The Jaguars are awful, especially everywhere, so it's hard to glean much from that.
13 (15)		6-4	Big performance from Christian Ponder and the Vikings after two straight lackluster losses. Now strap in, Vikings fans, your next 6 games (after this week's bye) are against CHIx2, GBx2, HOU, STL.
14 (18)		4-5	Are the Saints well on their way to saving their season? It’s possible, though their week 12-14 stretch of SF, @ATL, and @NYG will make it tough. They probably can't afford 2 more losses and still hope to snag a playoff berth.
15 (16)		5-4	Amazing what an offseason spent attacking weaknesses on your roster can do for a team. Oh, and hiring a real head coach too, that usually helps.
16 (17)		3-5-1	That tie is a microcosm of the Rams' season. Their effort has been terrific, but the results just haven't quite been there to be a true player in the NFC. And while Jeff Fisher deserves a ton of credit for how far St. Louis has come in less than a year, he absolutely cost his team a win (well, half of a win, I supose) with terrible clock management.
17 (13)		4-5	Just when you thought Detroit was ready to go on a roll, they allow Minnesota to run (and pass, and everything else) all over them. Having already been swept by Minnesota, and with 3 divisional games left, you can stick a fork in their playoff chances.
18 (24)		4-5	An impressive rise from the dead by the Bengals, November Giants swoon notwithstanding. Still, the only thing they do well is throw the ball to AJ Green, and that's not a recipe for consistent success.
19 (20)		4-5	Dallas won the elimination game against Philadelphia, so they get to remain relevant for at least another week. But they've given no indication that they have the mental toughness to remain disciplined enough to play to their potential and make a sustained playoff push.
20 (14)		4-5	Well that was a shock to the Dolphins' system. I'm not sure what was worse, getting shredded by CJ0K and Jake Locker, or watching Ryan Tannehill self-destruct for 4 quarters.
21 (21)		4-5	While the Cardinals have lost 5 straight, their bye week last weekend made it so nobody had to watch John Skelton attempt to play quarterback. So there's that. What? I tried to say something positive.
22 (28)		4-6	That's one way to get the taste of an embarssing 51-20 loss out of your mouth: get your starting quarterback back, force 4 turnovers, and score a defensive touchdown against a rookie quarterback.
23 (19)		4-5	NORV!!!!!
24 (25)		3-6	Last season Cam Newton's second half was much less spectacular than his first half as teams figured out how to contain his damage. Is RG3 in the same boat this year?
25 (26)		3-6	The defense isn't earning its keep, and the offense isn't good enough to carry the defense.
26 (22)		3-6	Well, if you had week 10 in your Michael-Vick-leaves-the-game-with-an-injury pool, you won. If you're updating your resume right now, you're Andy Reid.
27 (23)		3-6	A common definition of insanity is continuing to do the same thing over and over while expecting different results. Perhaps Tim Tebow really isn't going to do any better than Sanchez in leading the offense, but doesn't something have to change? Even if that something is scrapping the Tebow change-of-pace wildcat looks, the Jets can't just continue with their current offensive plan, because it's clearly not working at all. Bench Tebow the quarterback entirely, bench Mark Sanchez, make Sanchez check the ball down more, something different.
28 (27)		2-7	7 more games until the regime change. The Holmgren regime wasn't a disaster, he got it wrong at head coach, offensive skill positions (outside of Trent Richardson), and quarterback is still a giant question mark.
29 (29)		3-6	This team was 8-8 each of the past two seasons. And after each of those seasons, the head coach was fired. If they make it 3-for-3 it will be a miracle, but a real GM is calling the shots now, so Dennis Allen is probably safe (and given the total dearth of talent here, it wouldn't be at all fair to scapegoat the coach.
30 (30)		2-7	On the one hand, Ron Rivera shouldn't be in danger of losing his job, as this team has major talent holes. On the other hand, what has his staff done to further the development of Cam Newton?
31 (32)		1-8	This isn’t a terrible team. But they need a total leadership change: general manager, head coach, and quarterback. If they do a clean sweep and make good choices for those three jobs, they could be back contending pretty quickly.
32 (31)		1-8	If you're sick of how offense rules the current NFL, tune your TV to JAX-NYJ in week 14, as that game will set back offense at least 23 years.