This was just one of those weeks where you know something was off. Something just wasn’t quite right. Naturally, it began with Thursday Night’s game with Green Bay at Dallas. Brett Favre ran away from the offensive game plan, ignoring the style of play that had gotten his Packers off to a 10-1 start, instead throwing two picks and completing only 5 of 14 passes before leaving the game for good in the second quarter.
I mean, really? Brett Favre. Hurt? And then comes in the odd man out, the guy no one has expected anything from, basically since he was drafted. Aaron Rodgers plays exceptional football and almost wins the game.
And on the other side of the ball, the marque match-up between one of the best corners in Al Harris and a superstar wide out in Terrell Owens left fans severely disappointed and wanting more. Al Harris was lost and confused for much of the game, and highly ineffective. The only part of this “duel” that lived up to the hype was Terrell Owens and his popcorn antics. And the pun was definately intended.
Then you have the Minnesota Vikings with the injury comeback phenom in Adrian Peterson. Peterson miraculously recovers from a torn knee ligament to run for over 100 yards and 2 scores in a 42-10 drubbing of the hapless Lions. Hey, Jon Kitna, you still going 10-6?
And last but not least, kudos to Baltimore and all your heart. Kyle Boller emerged as a solid starter for the Ravens, and Brian Billick called a flawless offensive game, that is, until the final quarter.
So, what have we learned, leading up to this week’s power rankings?
Brett Favre cannot win in Texas. and Aaron Rodgers is amazing and the best quarterback of all time already.
The Packers need Charles Woodson more than we thought.
The Dallas Cowboys are the best in the NFC.
Adrian Peterson is a freak…
and the Patriots, despite doing everything they can to allow teams to beat them, simply cannot be cut off in the end of game. Indianapolis, Philadelphia, and Baltimore all can attest to the fact that if you don’t play 60 complete minutes of focused football, it can all turn around you in a matter of seconds.
And here are the power rankings for the coming week 14…
| Rank (Pv) | Team | Record | Comment |
| 1 (1) |  |
12-0 | It seems the whole world wants this team to lose. I mean, Don Shula was in the booth openly rooting for Baltimore. With that said, how scared was all of Massachusetts when Mark Clayton caught that ball at the one yard line? |
| 2 (2) |  |
10-2 | Peyton Manning needed this kind of game, and against the team fighting for the division, no less. Luke Lawton scoring a touchdown was just the cherry on top. |
| 3 (4) |  |
11-1 | If a few calls went the other way, would Tony Romo still be smiling? Probably. They played a nearly flawless offensive game, making Al Harris look like Ahmad Carroll. |
| 4 (3) |  |
10-2 | It’s one thing to go into Dallas and lose, but it’s another to leave without a healthy Brett Favre. Aaron Rodgers played admirably, doing exactly what Brett Favre hadn’t been doing in the first two quarters, running the Green Bay offense how it should be run. |
| 5 (7) |  |
9-3 | Even without Troy Polamalu, that defense is looking mighty strong. Hines Ward played well again on a messy field, becoming the Steelers all-time receiving touchdown leader. Which begs me to ask, does anyone else think that field is an unfair advantage for Pittsburgh? |
| 6 (6) |  |
8-4 | Some felt this team would sink with the loss of Carnell Williams earlier this season, but it’s obvious they’re still a very good team. Luke McCown? You gotta love the NFL. |
| 7 (5) |  |
8-4 | For a large part of this game, Jacksonville played excellent football. But does anyone else find it strangely fitting that David Garrard’s first pick of the season comes in a game where the division is at stake?. |
| 8 (9) |  |
8-4 | Wasn’t this team 4-4? Mike Holmgren has worked wonders with an injury-plagued offense. This team is rolling. |
| 9 (8) |  |
7-5 | Was it a force out? Who knows? The important thing is that they’re playing competitive football when it counts, and are still among the leaders in the wild card race. |
| 10 (10) |  |
7-5 | LaDainian Tomlison is getting on track at exactly the right time. Did anyone else notice Antontio Gates’ one catch for negative yards performance? Talk about something you don’t see every day. |
| 11 (11) |  |
8-4 | This would have been two losses in a row that Eli would have been directly responsible for. He rebounded in a big way in leading his team to victory. But then again, it was the Bears. |
| 12 (13) |  |
7-5 | Just when you thought this team was dying on us, they separate themselves from the bottom of the division. This team is still in the playoff hunt.The only question is, how bad do they want it? |
| 13 (14) |  |
6-6 | I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Tarvaris Jackson looked good. I mean, really good. Wishful thinking and overblown hype aside, how dangerous is this team with Adrian Peterson back? |
| 14 (12) |  |
6-6 | A good football team does not lose 4 games in a row. That talk of 10-6 is all but over. Jon Kitna must win the next 4 games in order to prevent himself from embarrassment. Something tells me, however, that he’s much too late. |
| 15 (18) |  |
6-6 | I’m so tired of hearing about this team and how they’ve turned things around. Great, they beat the Browns. That’s awesome. But honestly, win next week or go home. |
| 16 (16) |  |
5-7 | Boy, did Devin Hester really blow it on that deep pass play. The good news for this team? Three of their four remaining games are against teams vying for playoff positioning. The bad news? That 4th game is a rematch with the 10-2 Packers. |
| 17 (17) |  |
5-7 | Brian Westbrook did everything in his power to will Philly past Seattle, but A.J. Feeley’s 4 picks proved to be insurmountable. |
| 18 (15) |  |
5-7 | The offense keeps the fans in the game, but that defense kills them. Luke McCown throws for 311 yards and 2 scores? Seriously? |
| 19 (19) |  |
5-7 | Jay Cutler did not play good football, and there was no one else doing anything good enough to make a difference. They just said good-bye to the division, and quite realistically, any hopes of a post-season. |
| 20 (20) |  |
5-7 | You have to feel for this team. They swing a big trade for Matt Schaub and he can’t even stay on the field. Maybe Sage is their guy, after all. At least Andre Johnson is back and playing sensational football. |
| 21 (24) |  |
6-6 | Give them credit. They beat a team playing with a heavy heart and a lot of emotion. But there’s no way around it. Joe Gibbs deserves their game ball for calling two consecutive timeouts. |
| 22 (21) |  |
5-7 | What a way to lose a close game after losing the heart of your defense in Sean Taylor. Can we just give this team a break and let them sit out the final 4 games? |
| 23 (22) |  |
4-8 | That was a terrible showing from Carson Palmer. He threw passes as if each of his receiver’s were 7 feet tall. This season has been a huge disappointment. |
| 24 (23) |  |
4-8 | Five straight losses is a slap in the face for Herman Edwards. How much is Tony Gonzalez kicking himself for re-signing with this team? |
| 25 (26) |  |
5-7 | Vinny Testeverde breaks his own record as the oldest quarterback to win a game. Great, as if this team wasn’t a laughing-stock already. |
| 26 (28) |  |
3-9 | I’m still not loving Gus Frerotte, but I like the aura of this offense. It seems whoever is under center for the remaining 4 games just might enjoy himself. |
| 27 (27) |  |
4-8 | What an effort. But you have got to play 60 complete minutes against a team as good as the Patriots. Just ask the Eagles. Take your hat off for the forgotten man, Kyle Boller. He’s got the rest of the season to force Steve McNair into retirement. |
| 28 (29) |  |
4-8 | Justin Fargas continues to dominate, but the real story hear is the quarterback situation. Josh McCown starts, then is pulled for Jamarcus Russell, only to come back in the game and save his team. This might go down as the one and only day the McCown brothers have successful Sundays on the same day. |
| 29 (25) |  |
3-9 | Trent Dilfer is experienced, but he is far from polished. He continues to make rookie mistakes, even at his age. This team cannot remain competitive if they can’t keep Frank Gore in the game plan. |
| 30 (30) |  |
3-9 | Even if the Falcons draft Brian Brohm, will there be a reunion with him and Bobby Petrino? |
| 31 (31) |  |
3-9 | That was a convincing win over a team fighting each week for it’s first win. Congratulations to Thomas Jones, on his first and quite possibly last touchdown of the season. |
| 32 (32) |  |
0-12 | Wasn’t the Jets game the one they were supposed to win? |
5 replies on “Week 14 2007 NFL Power Rankings”
Kyle Boller sucks. What was he doing on that INT at the end of the game? The only thing he COULDN’T do was throw and INT… and there it goes. Reminded me of AJ Feeley the previous week.
The Ravens played their hearts out all night and his stupidity probably cost them the game. And then there’s the time out on 4th and 1. You knew NE was going to get the first down after that. Sad.
probably one of the most amazing endings to a football game i have ever seen considering what is on the line. i’d love to see an undefeated team and a defeated team, even though that obviously means a loss for my giants the last game of the season (on the f’ing NFL network).
boller I agree that the Ravens blew it. It, being a chance to kill the 16-0 hopes, as well as possibly resurrect their season.
But Kyle Boller and his one bad throw of the game are not to blame for this loss. Boller is a huge upgrade over the ineffective McNair, and should look to play solid football the rest of the way. Because if he doesn’t, he’ll be only remembered as a monumental bust, if remembered at all.
My money is on Boller picking up the slack and proving his worth, if not to the Ravens, to some other team out there. Hey, if Jeff Garcia can do it, why not a guy who hasn’t really even been given a chance?
Suspicious Win Sorry guys, but I assume we watched the same game.
I won’t go as far as to say anything was rigged. I always give humanity the benefit of the doubt. However, it is a shame this game came down to the end the way it did.
The NFL is not stupid. It knows an undefeated champion is a good thing for the game and it would at least have wanted the Patiots undefeated going into this week’s game against the Steelers. It is just too good. The Ravens were in plenty of position to mess that up and the calls on the field were so close that it left a bad taste in my mouth.
New England is clearly a great team and by far a better one than the Ravens, but “On Any Given Sunday…….”
rigged? I don’t buy into any kind of fixing as far as this game or any game ever.
Seriously, if that’s the case, even for a minute, then what’s the point? Besides, you could say that for, say, the Dallas/Green Bay game, as well. (The pass interference call at the end of the game, as well as the stolen interception al harris took from T.O.)
But that’s not the case. I watched all those calls and they were all legit. The Ravens could have and should have won the game, but they screwed themselves.
On that fourth down play, they called a timeout when they would have stopped the QB sneak. then on the holding penalty for benjamin watson (which was a call the refs has to make) they didn’t have to touch him. They simply had to defend him.
In the end, the better team emerged and stayed undefeated, and this became just another game that tells the story of Baltimore this season. They just aren’t that good right now.