2010 NFL Power Rankings (12-22):
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
Yesterday we gave you what we perceive to be the bottom third of our 2010 NFL preseason power rankings. Today we present to you the middle third, or teams 12-22. These are teams that, given some good fortune and solid play could find themselves in the postseason come January. They could also go in the other direction and leave their respective fan bases wondering what happened to them in 2010.
22. Denver – The honeymoon for Josh McDaniels ended rather quickly after his team charged out of the gates at 6-0 only to end the 2009 season at 8-8 and out of the playoffs. 2010 may be a struggle as well as the Broncos lost their best offensive weapon in Brandon Marshall to Miami. And their leading sack-master Elvis Dumervil has been placed on season-ending IR.
21. Chicago – The Bears finished a disappointing 7-9 last season and appear to be about a .500-caliber team again this year. Green Bay appears to be the class of the NFC North with Minnesota a bit of a question mark coming off of last year’s great run. If the Bears want to be a playoff team then QB Jay Cutler is going to have to step up his game.
20. Washington – With Mike Shanahan and Donovan McNabb in the fold, you would think that things have to get better fast for the Redskins. We shall see. McNabb is no spring chicken and many coaches have tried to help maniacal owner Dan Snyder improve his franchise but none have succeeded in making the Skins a legitimate contender in the NFC.
19. Arizona – Yes, I think the Cardinals will slip significantly this year. Kurt Warner has retired and they lost defensive leader Karlos Dansby to Miami. Ken Whisenhunt will have his work cut out for him this year.
18. Tennessee – Chris Johnson is a stud. Now if Vince Young and the Titans passing game can do a little more than they have been doing. Young led the Titans to an 8-2 mark in their final 10 games of the year after a horrible 0-6 start which included an embarrassing loss in New England. The defense must improve if Tennessee wants to be a playoff contender.
17. Philadelphia – Yes, they let McNabb go to Washington and all eyes will be in Kevin Kolb. Kolb should have an excellent shot at succeeding with the brilliant Andy Reid as his head coach. The Eagles will mix in a lot of new faces to their base 4-3 defense in 2010 and rate below the Giants and Dallas heading into the season.
16. Pittsburgh – No Ben Roethlisberger for the first four games of the season will hurt. But, when he returns in week 5, will he be focused to lead the team back to the playoffs? Last year they went 9-7 which is a bad year for them. They should be in that 9-7, 10-6 area this year as well.
15. Houston - When will the Texans be a playoff team? Maybe this year if things go well. Believe it or not, Matt Shaub led the NFL in passing last year not Drew Brees, Peyton Manning or Tom Brady. Andre Johnson may be the league's best WR. Arian Foster and Steve Slaton will have to lead the ground game and the defense will have to do without Brian Cushing for the first 4 games.
14. NY Giants – After a disappointing 8-8 campaign in 2009, the Giants have something to prove in 2010. However, this team does not appear to be together and on the same page. Brandon Jacobs has made no secret about having to back up Ahmad Bradshaw at tailback and former LB Antonio Pierce sees a team lacking in leadership and desire which is never good in an emotional sport like football.
13. Miami – The Dolphins may finally be ready to take that step forward to competing in the top of the AFC for the next few years now that Parcells has molded this franchise to his liking. Chad Henne is a solid QB and will be helped by the addition of Brandon Marshall and the return to health of Ronnie Brown. If the Miami defense can have a solid season, this can easily be a playoff team in 2010.
12. San Francisco – Mark it down, the 49ers will win the NFC West in 2010. Mike Singletary has one of the best defensive players in all of football in Patrick Willis and talent at the skilled positions on offense in TE Vernon Davis, RB Frank Gore and WR Michael Crabtree. This season hinges on QB Alex Smith finally coming into his own. And he only needs to be solid and not spectacular.
Be sure to check back Thursday for teams 1-11 in our NFL power rankings.
Related Articles
- 2010 NFL Power Rankings (23-32):
- Cordischi’s NFL News & Notes: Preseason
- It’s Never a Bad Time to Talk NFL
- Kudos to the NFL for weathering this storm
- NFL News & Notes
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