NFL Power Rankings Week 11: Standings Movers And Shakers Include Cowboys, Seahawks
The NFL power rankings ahead of week 11 for the season are starting to trickle in from a variety of sports websites. Among the teams that are sitting pretty near the top of their division or conference standings are the Dallas Cowboys, Seattle Seahawks, and New England Patriots. Two of those teams met Sunday night, with the winner getting a boost in the latest power rankings. Also, the Oakland Raiders are still in the conversation for possible contenders. Could the black and silver be on the way to the playoffs with a potential Super Bowl appearance for the 2016-17 NFL season?
For Sunday Night Football, the New England Patriots hosted the Seattle Seahawks at Gillette Stadium. According to USA Today, the game came down to a late non-call by the referees where Tom Brady’s fourth-down pass attempt to tight end Rob Gronkowski was incomplete. Gronkowski never really got his hands on the ball, as it slipped out of his grasp. There had been some contention that Kam Chancellor’s coverage of “Gronk” was a bit too hands-on, but the refs didn’t feel the need to call a penalty. Gronkowski stumbled to the ground with no more chances for the Pats to hit the end zone.
4th and Goal.
Brady to Gronk…?Falls incomplete. #SEAvsNE https://t.co/RzTRUqL62A
— NFL (@NFL) November 14, 2016
That play gave Seattle the game 31-24 in Foxborough, in what was hyped up as a rematch of Super Bowl contenders from several seasons ago. It moved the Seahawks to a record of 6-2-1. Keep in mind that they had a tie game with the Los Angeles Rams not long ago which could come back to haunt them in any potential tie-breaker situations for the playoffs. New England dropped to 7-2 but still are leading the AFC East by several games over the 5-4 Miami Dolphins. However, New England is also right there with two other AFC teams at 7-2 as the Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders are vying for the AFC West.
So how are these top teams looking in the latest NFL power rankings? Over at Bleacher Report, Scott Polacek has the Dallas Cowboys ranked No. 1 overall ahead of Week 11. That certainly makes plenty of sense because they just continue to impress fans and doubters. On Sunday they recorded a victory many analysts didn’t expect against the Pittsburgh Steelers. A fourth quarter rushing play up the field by running back Ezekiel Elliott was the difference maker there. Meanwhile, the Seattle Seahawks have moved up to No. 2 in the power rankings, with the Patriots, Raiders, and Chiefs rounding out the top five. The Steelers are probably the best team listed in the top 10 that isn’t also in the conversation for the playoffs at the moment.
Top 10 NFL Power Rankings Week 11:
- Dallas Cowboys
- Seattle Seahawks
- New England Patriots
- Oakland Raiders
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Denver Broncos
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- New York Giants
- Washington Redskins
- Philadelphia Eagles
The Sporting News website reports that if the NFL playoffs started today, the Patriots would still be the No. 1 seed in the AFC, with the Chiefs as No. 2 and Texans as No. 3. The Raiders would be No. 5 with the Broncos at No. 6, and the Steelers would be on the outside looking in. Other teams right on the cusp at the moment are the Tennessee Titans, Indianapolis Colts, Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins. It’s still possible for one or more of these teams to gain momentum and grab an NFL postseason spot.
Over in the NFC, the Cowboys would own the No. 1 seed with Seattle snatching the No. 2 spot. The Atlanta Falcons have surged this season to first place in the NFC South division and would grab the No. 3 seed right now. The Detroit Lions are in the conversation as a No. 4 seed with the New York Giants at No. 5 and Redskins at No. 6. That’s right, a division that was struggling to get one team into last postseason would get three if the playoffs were to start today.
Another surprise is that four teams that were part of the NFL playoffs for the NFC last season would not make the postseason as of right now. They are the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers. Last year’s Super Bowl runner-up team has a disappointing 3-6 record for the season and sits at No. 26 on Bleacher Report’s latest NFL power rankings.
[Featured Image by Joe Sargent/Getty Images]
