2015 Conference Football Championships

With the upcoming football Conference championship games this weekend, there is plenty of information to help make the best prediction, including the power rankings, as well as getting to know their weaknesses. Each team that has reached this point in the playoffs is thanks to their great performances, whether it is due to their star quarterback or their brick wall of a defense. These franchises are out to win it and reach the Super Bowl, so they will be using everything they have.

1. Carolina Panthers (16-1)

Coming in at #1 are the Carolina Panthers, and there is no doubt why. They have won 21 of 23 games played, and will now be facing the Cardinals for their spot at the Super Bowl.

Weakness: The Cardinals defense has done a great job of blitzing Cam Newton, which has happened on 54% of his dropbacks in three games. This held Newton to only throwing 1 touchdown, getting 4 interceptions and 12 sacks. If they hope to win, they need to give Newton better coverage.

2. Arizona Cardinals (14-3)

A heavy hitter, the Arizona Cardinals rank at #2 with Carson Palmer leading the team. Palmer has used his star WR, Larry Fitzgerald, who has been paramount for their victories, averaging 114 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns in his eight playoffs games.

Weakness: The Panthers know about Fitzgerald, and their defense has been destroying any passing done. They have allowed the lowest total QBR (56.7) on passes to wide receivers during the regular season. Palmer may have to make tougher passes or try to go with the running game.

3. New England Patriots (13-4)

Despite being ranked #3, the New England Patriots are now being favored to win the Super Bowl (+190). Being led by the top quarterback in the league doesn’t hurt either, as Tom Brady threw an amazing game against the Chiefs. His go-to men are Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman, and they will be dangerous if left unchecked by the Broncos.

Weakness: Brady relies heavily on Gronkowski and Edelman, and when they are both on the field he averages a 79 total QBR rating and a 68% completed passes, but with one or the other off the field, it drop to 50 total QBR and 60% completed passes. If the Broncos work it right, they could make Brady less efficient.

4. Denver Broncos (13-4)

Last on the list are the Denver Broncos, led by laser-rocket-arm Peyton Manning. The Broncos have led the league in total defense, only allowing 18.5 points per game this season. The defense may be more important than the offense during this game.

Weakness: On top of only going 5-11 against Brady, no Manning-led team has scored such few points since 2002. Their offense will need to perform exceedingly well if they hope to outscore the Patriots.

Playoffs: Ranking The Twelve Football Teams

As we move into the playoffs, a good way to handicap the first round of games is to see how each football team is ranked, based on their regular season performance as a guide. There are twelve teams in total, with four teams getting a bye during the first week which include: Carolina Panthers, Arizona Cardinals, Denver Broncos and New England Patriots as they were in first place in their division. They will be ranked, but as they do not play during the first week, you can choose to exclude them.

Rank	Team	Record
1	Carolina Panthers	15-1
2	Arizona Cardinals	13-3
3	New England Patriots	12-4
4	Denver Broncos	12-4
5	Seattle Seahawks	10-6
6	Kansas City Chiefs	11-5
7	Pittsburgh Steelers	10-6
8	Cincinnati Bengals	12-4
9	Minnesota Vikings	11-5
10	Green Bay Packers	10-6
11	Washington Redskins	9-7
12	Houston Texans	9-7

 

Despite being ranked #12, the Texans, along with J.J. Watt have certainly proved themselves worthy of being in the playoffs, as have the Redskins who hadn’t been since 2012. We could see a lot of upsets the first and second week of games, as nothing is certain and single-elimination gives everyone the chance to move up. The game schedule is:

Away	Home	Time/Day
Kansas City Chiefs	Houston Texans	4:35 pm / Saturday Jan. 9
Pittsburgh Steelers	Cincinnati Bengals	8:15 pm / Saturday Jan. 9
Seattle Seahawks	Minnesota Vikings	1:05 pm / Sunday Jan. 10
Green Bay Packers	Washington Redskins	4:40 pm / Sunday Jan. 10

 

We have some evenly matched games, while other will have tougher opponents in terms of rankings. Although, overall, the teams are well balanced for the first week. There are top defensive teams playing each other, as well as top offensive teams playing each other, so in the end, whichever team can get the slight advantage will have their first playoff win. It will be quick football matches, so watch out for the top performers.

Power Rankings: Football Week 10

As we move into Week 10 of the regular football season, leaving us with only seven more weeks until the playoffs, the games are starting to matter a lot more. Teams will try to climb the ladder, look for those victories that could get them into the top teams in their Conference, or at least get the Wild Card spot. The way teams play and perform each week reflects heavily on their Power Rankings, and after more than half of the season games have been played, they start to feel the pressure. The top ranked teams, at this point in the season, are very likely going to make the playoffs this season, as the middle and lower ranked teams fight for the remaining open spots.

Rank	Team	Record
1	New England Patriots	8-0
2	Cincinnati Bengals	8-0
3	Carolina Panthers	8-0
4	Minnesota Vikings	6-2
5	Denver Broncos	7-1
6	Arizona Cardinals	6-2
7	Seattle Seahawks	4-4
8	Green Bay Packers	6-2
9	St. Louis Rams	4-4
10	New York Jets	5-3
11	New York Giants	5-4
12	Pittsburgh Steelers	5-4
13	Oakland Raiders	4-4
14	Indianapolis Colts	4-5
15	Philadelphia Eagles	4-4
16	Buffalo Bills	4-4
17	Kansas City Chiefs	3-5
18	Atlanta Falcons	6-3
19	Chicago Bears	3-5
20	New Orleans Saints	4-5
21	Baltimore Ravens	2-6
22	Washington Redskins	3-5
23	Miami Dolphins	3-5
24	Dallas Cowboys	2-6
25	Cleveland Browns	2-7
26	Houston Texans	3-5
27	San Francisco 49ers	3-6
28	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	3-5
29	Tennessee Titans	2-6
30	Jacksonville Jaguars	2-6
31	San Diego Chargers	2-7
32	Detroit Lions	1-7

There is no doubt as to why the Patriots, Bengals, and Panthers are in the top three spots this week, and could continue to remain there until one of them is defeated; which is not as likely as most would think. Even though some teams, like the Seahawks and Rams do not have such a good record, but are still ranked so high is due to the fact that their victories have been against high ranked teams; with the Rams beating the Seahawks in Week 1. While the Seahawks, using their Super Bowl victory from last season, they have managed to remain in good position despite having a rough start.

For those that use other stats in order to handicap, they could use the Against The Spread stats that each tame has, and see just how well a team does, regardless of whether they win the game or not. Some football teams are too far gone, that even if they manage to win most of the games left in the season, they probably won’t make it to the playoffs.

Week 3 NFL Football Power Rankings

With the games of Week 3 of the NFL regular season coming up soon, it is good to know where each football team stands, whether you simply want to cheer for your favorite team that has improved, or use the information to handicap more effectively. The Power Rankings are:

Team	Week 3 Rank	Previous Rank
New England Patriots	1	1
Green Bay Packers	2	2
Arizona Cardinals	3	5
Denver Broncos	4	4
Dallas Cowboys	5	3
Pittsburgh Steelers	6	11
Cincinnati Bengals	7	14
Kansas City Chiefs	8	7
Carolina Panthers	9	20
Atlanta Falcons	10	16
New York Jets	11	22
Seattle Seahawks	12	6
Miami Dolphins	13	10
Minnesota Vikings	14	18
San Diego Chargers	15	15
Buffalo Bills	16	8
St. Louis Rams	17	17
Indianapolis Colts	18	9
Baltimore Ravens	19	13
Philadelphia Eagles	20	12
Cleveland Browns	21	27
Detroit Lions	22	19
San Francisco 49ers	23	23
Oakland Raiders	24	30
Washington Redskins	25	29
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	26	30
New Orleans Saints	27	21
New York Giants	28	26
Jacksonville Jaguars	29	31
Tennessee Titans	30	24
Houston Texans	31	25
Chicago Bears	32	28

No one would have imagined that some of the top rated teams in the NFL would be so low on the Power Rankings, especially at the start of the season when the players are fresh and healthy. For instance, the Indianapolis Colts are quickly becoming the League’s most disappointing team; after all of the hype they received during the preseason, to see them lose two straight games with poor performances. We also see the Chicago Bears being last on the list, when many expected them to be big contenders this year.

Most are surprised to see the Seattle Seahawks doing so poorly as well. With the 2013 and 2014 season they proved to be a solid team, yet they are taking a long time getting warmed up. Among the top teams, we will see the number 1 spot change hands evenly between the New England Patriots and the Green Bay Packers, with the rest of the teams right on their heels. It is still too early to tell for sure, but if the NFL teams continue performing this way on the football field, we will have already picked the playoff match-ups.