Testaverde Touchdown: NFL Power Poll, Week 11

Rank (Last)	Team	Record	Notes
1 (3)		7-2-1	A clinical demolition of the Chicago Bears on Monday night. Sure, Chicago had their backup quarterback, who put up a line of 14/22 for 107 yards 1 TD/2 INT. But San Francisco was playing their backup too, and he put up a line of 16/23 for 243 yards 2 TD/0 INT. Against Chicago's defense. Now there's a full-fledged quarterback controversy in San Francisco. There's no argument for anyone else at #1.
2 (1)		9-1	Giving up 42 points to the Jaguars raises big red flags, but Houston has put together enough of a resume (thumping most bad teams, plus wins over Denver and Chicago) that we can chalk this up to the ups and downs over a season.
3 (5)		7-3	The NFC North teams are set to beat the living tar out of each other in the final 6 weeks, and right now, despite all of their injuries, the Packers look like the best bet to come out of the wreckage with the division crown.
4 (6)		7-3	While they haven't been the dominant offense of last season week ina nd week out, the Pats have shown that they can flip the switch, and enable the offensive explosion. Of the 4 times a team has broken 50 points in a game this season, the Patriots account for half of them.
5 (4)		9-1	Like Houston, Atlanta barely beat a team that had no business staying with it in week 11. Unlike Houston, this looks like a trend for the Falcons instead of an aberration.
6 (2)		7-3	With Jay Cutler at the helm, this team could be a top-5 team. With Jason Campbell at QB, it's middle of the pack at best.
7 (7)		7-3	Peyton Manning lurking as a playoff nightmare for opponents. But quietly, Denver's D is playing like it wants an equal stake in the credit pie.
8 (8)		8-2	They beat the Steelers (Impressive)…by 3 points (slightly less impressive)…against Byron Leftwich (all of a sudden not very impressive at all).
9 (10)		6-4	Have they gotten their wake up call yet? Probbaly not, as they still lead their division. But it's a marquee matchup with Green Bay this weekend…so play well, maybe?
10 (11)		6-4	Honestly, if Seattle is going to drop a game over their last 6, losing to Miami this weekend or Buffalo in week 15 would be the game to do it (non-conference matchup). But if they go on the road this weekend, fresh off a bye, and get smoked by Ryan Tannehill, then it doesn't bode well for their chances next weekend in Chicago.
11 (9)		6-4	Roethlisberger is out with a sprained shoulder and a dislocated rib. Byron Leftwich is out with broken ribs. Charlie Batch's chest is currently wrapped in bubble wrap, which will only come off during practices and games until one of the other 2 gets healthy enough to play.
12 (14)		5-5	The 2011 Patriots showed that with a good enough offense, the defense just has to be good enough, and a team can have success. At the beginning of the season, the New Orleans D wasn't close to good enough, but now they are lurking at the fringes of playoff contention.
13 (15)		6-4	A remarkable turnaround for a team that lost its last 10 games of 2011. Doug Martin keeps plowing through holes, even as the offensive line loses guard after guard to injury, and Josh Freeman is cruising along like his disappointing 2011 never happened.
14 (13)		6-4	I just can't see Christian Ponder leading the Vikings through 4 games against Chicago and Green Bay with any sort of success.
15 (12)		6-4	Well that was a heavy-handed dose of reality doled out by the Patriots. Even though Andrew Luck is the real deal, the team needs talent at many spots on the roster. However, there are really only 3 contenders for the 2 wild card spots, so Indy still has a decent chance to make the playoffs and further the reputation of their rookie quarterback.
16 (18)		5-5	Left for dead a couple of weeks ago, all of a sudden Cincinnati is the third team in the 3-team race for the 2 AFC Wild Card spots. With Pittsburgh's QB issues and Indy's shortcomings exposed so thoroughly by the Patriots, we could very well see the Bengals slip in again.
17 (19)		5-5	Sure, Dallas is back in the playoff discussion again, but really only if the Giants continue sliding. A team that can't put away the Browns in their home stadium isn't likely to leapfrog 4-5 other teams for the wild card. Then again, Dallas has the easiest remaining schedule of all NFC playoff contenders.
18 (17)		4-6	They had their chances, but they're 0-3 in the division and 2 games behind their division-mates. They're more likely to spoil someone else's playoff hopes than to achieve any of their own at this point.
19 (22)		4-6	They seem destined to end up where they were last year: mediocre, but outside the playoff picture. For a team that took the reigns away from their declining veteran QB and gave them to the raw, 2nd year guy, that's not a bad year.
20 (24)		4-6	And with last week's performance (14/15, 200 yards 4 TD/0 INT), the "Defenses have figured out RG3" stories have to go back in the drawer for another couple of weeks. To be fair, putting up those numbers against Philadelphia doesn't mean NFL defense haven't figured him out (ba-dum dum)
21 (21)		4-6	In case anyone was holding out hope that rookie 6th round pick Ryan Lindley's presence on the roster meant that Arizona did actually have an NFL-caliber quarterback on the team, last week against Atlanta should have taken care of any such notion.
22 (25)		4-6	Nice to see signs of life from the Bills. It would have been nicer to see some of those signs before mid-November.
23 (20)		4-6	Ryan Tannehill seems to be regressing, which makes you take a longer look at his numbers. Then you realize, he has 6 touchdowns on the season against 11 interceptions. He was never actually doing that well. Then, if you're a Miami fan, you buy another drink.
24 (27)		4-6	Apparently the Jets aren't entirely hapless on offense. Though St. Louis handing the Jets 3 turnovers surely had something to do with the offensive "explosion" from the men in green.
25 (16)		3-6-1	Stephen Jackson averaged over 6 yards per carry, yet Sam Bradford threw 44 passes in the loss to the Jets. Sure the Rams trailed for most of the game, but it was only a 6-point defecit until the 4th quarter. Poor use of your resources, Jeff Fisher.
26 (23)		4-6	2 more interceptions for Philip Rivers, one more loss for the Chargers, and one step closer to ending the confusing, maddening tenure of Norv Turner.
27 (28)		2-8	This team fights. It makes you wonder if Pat Shurmur actually could be a good coach if given some more talent. But the number of close losses and come-from-ahead losses make you reconsider that thought pretty quick.
28 (26)		3-7	The Eagles may be this year's version of the 2011 Buccaneers, who clearly quit on their coach by the end of the season. None of Reid's desperate manuevers have bore any fruit, and the players have to know he's out as soon as this season ends.
29 (30)		2-8	For all of the bashing Cam Newton took early in the season when he looked lost and overwhelmed after each loss, he hasn't folded up shop or gone fully in the tank. Carolina continues to play hard and make life miserable for their opponents. But they still aren't winning any games.
30 (29)		3-7	Oakland looks like the Saints from their 0-4 start. Good enough offense, but atrocious defense.
31 (32)		1-9	Putting up 37 points on Houston deserves some love, even if Blaine Gabbert accounted for none of them. Also deserving praise was head coach Mike Mularkey's decision to go for it on 4th and 10 with less than 3 minutes to go in overtime. When you're 1-8, a tie doesn't mean anything, you go for the win. If it works, terrific. If it doesn't, well, you're not really any worse off.
32 (31)		1-9	This team desperately needs a housecleaning…and an NFL-caliber quarterback.