Hey folks! Kenneth here with your weekly rankings. Lots of commentary, some of which might be useful!
Boy, it’s starting to feel like deja vu to me. Or maybe a yo-yo. The graph seems to keep straightening up, then flattening out, then straightening up, and so on. I wish it would just pick a form and stick with it! Hopefully straightened out, but who knows.
As usual, if you’re curious about this graph I keep talking about, you can look here.
| Rank | Team | Notes | Last Week | EdgePower |
1 |
 |
(Beat ATL) CONTROVERSY! Yes, the rankings now say that in an undefeated Super Bowl the Saints would come out on top instead of the Colts. They said just the opposite last week, and the change comes despite the Colts beating an opponent who is arguably better (though beatpaths doesn’t think so). So what gives? Well, first of all, let’s realize that the difference between these two teams last week was very small. So, this is more like a flipping of 1a and 1b than 1 and 2–just as you’d expect with 2 undefeated teams. It’s really almost a toss-up. |
2 |
85.42(85 – 0) / 120 #1 – #7 |
2 |
 |
(Beat DEN) So, is there some actual reason why Indianapolis fell? Not really. The graph got way more vertical this week, which led to both the Colts and Saints getting a great deal more teams underneath them. The Saints benefit from having better wins that the Colts don’t have than vice versa–the Saints have a beatpath over the Eagles, our #4 team this week. That helps, but the difference is really small. |
1 |
83.75(81 – 0) / 120 #1 – #7 |
3 |
 |
(Beat DAL) That said, there is a big difference here. The Chargers made a lot of ground this week–they’re now as far behind the Colts as the Colts are behind the Saints. The win over the Cowboys helps make their graph look a lot like the Saints, too–the main differences are in the hidden redundant edges, which the Saints have more of because they don’t have any beatloops. But the Chargers look like a real contender right now. |
3 |
82.08(77 – 0) / 120 #1 – #7 |
4 |
 |
(Beat NYG) Here’s the first big gap in team quality. The Eagles get a beatpath over the Giants due to the season sweep (their first one was wiped away in 3 team loops involving the Dallas and Oakland). I’m a little surprised more wasn’t made over a “lack of class” by DeSean Jackson highstepping it backwards into the end zone on Monday night. I mean, I loved it, but I thought the guys who hate that stuff would have had a field day with it. |
5 |
77.08(67 – 2) / 120 #3 – #9 |
5 |
 |
(Lost to SD) For what it’s worth, the difference between Philly and Dallas is very small too, so this flip shouldn’t be taken seriously. The week 17 matchup between these two teams should be interesting–an extra path between these two teams would be clarifying. |
4 |
75.42(62 – 1) / 120 #2 – #10 |
6 |
 |
(Beat CAR) Is this seriously the first time Moss has taken plays off in New England? Or is the first time someone called him on it? I mean, there’s certainly precedent elsewhere. |
6 |
75.42(63 – 2) / 120 #3 – #10 |
7 |
 |
(Lost to NO) Here we go! A real shift in the rankings! So, what accounts for the Dirty Birds rising despite getting swept by the Saints? Well, you can find that out in the next entry, which details a real high riser this week. Incidentally, the Falcons are playing the role of Atlas again–they’re the biggest source of support for the Pats, Eagles, and Cowboys, who are then the biggest supports for the Colts, Saints, and Chargers. |
11 |
70.00(58 – 10) / 120 #7 – #11 |
8 |
 |
(Beat JAC) Okay, so why the big jump by the Dolphins? (Because the trainer held out some fish) The win over the Jaguars is really the big reason. That, and the Jags’ own shoot up the charts put the Dolphins way up on top of a very tall pile. |
19 |
66.67(54 – 14) / 120 #8 – #12 |
9 |
 |
(Beat CIN) So why aren’t the Vikings up in the lofty heights of the other power teams of this year, along with the Colts, Saints, etc.? Well, they don’t have any beatlosses, so that’s not it. The problem is that they don’t have any good beatwins–their opponents have mostly been weak. The win over the Bengals got looped away by their loss to Pittsburgh. That leaves their best win in the graph being Green Bay. Their other beatwins are of the kind of Seattle, St. Louis, Detroit, etc. They don’t even have direct beatwins over the 49ers (looped by Arizona) or Chicago and Baltimore (looped by Pittsburgh). It’s an unimpressive resume. |
8 |
63.33(32 – 0) / 120 #1 – #21 |
10 |
 |
(Lost to MIA) Okay, back to the interesting stuff. Why are the Jags moving up the charts despite a loss to Miami? It’s because Houston beat Seattle, forming a 3 team beatloop of (JAC=>HOU=>SEA=>JAC). Okay, you say, but wasn’t there already a 3 team beatloop with Jacksonville and Houston? Yes, you’re right: HOU=>SF=>JAC=>HOU (watch out for the NFC West Jags!). But here’s the trick: the graph removes all loops of the same size at once, but only removes one game in a series at each loop level. So, the Jags have 2 wins over Houston. Before, one was taken away in the loop with San Francisco, and the other was taken away by the SEA=>JAC game in a big 5 team beatloop. But now, the SEA=>JAC game is gone at the size 3 phase, so it’s not around later to form that bigger loop with the other HOU=>JAC game. And so, whaddaya know! Jacksonville is on top of Houston and climbs the charts. Take it away, Doktarr! (just kidding; actually, iterative seems to have the same problem) |
16 |
60.83(42 – 16) / 120 #9 – #16 |
11 |
 |
(Beat TB) Meanwhile, the Jets already had a path to Houston, so they don’t need any complicated reason to rise when Houston does; they just do it. It’s painful for me, a Bears fan, to watch the Jets and see Thomas Jones run so well. I was certain he was going to fall of a cliff once the clock ticked 30, but I guess the time spent not playing earlier in his career has paid off. |
20 |
60.42(42 – 17) / 120 #9 – #16 |
12 |
 |
(Beat SEA) So you know that the Texans are behind several other teams’ good fortunes this week. Why are the Texans so high? Well, if you remember back to last week (don’t feel bad if you don’t, I didn’t) that 5 team beatloop had HOU=>CIN in it. Without the loop, the Texans are back on top of the Bengals, and, well, a lot of things start to make sense. |
24 |
56.67(39 – 23) / 120 #11 – #17 |
13 |
 |
(Lost to SF) The second loss to the 49ers doesn’t really hurt the Cardinals–it loops away a loss to the Giants that was already looped away by their loss to Carolina. The Cardinals are one of a handful of teams that kept themselves outside of the mass piling up this week; as such, they aren’t particularly affected by the mass rush of teams moving up and down the rankings, and they probably won’t be when it all goes back to normal. |
13 |
55.83(15 – 1) / 120 #2 – #24 |
14 |
 |
(Lost to MIN) If you haven’t figured it out yet, having so many teams jump on top of a big pile means that some teams must be pushed down that pile. The Bengals are the first team to have that happen to them, as they fall down the rankings. |
7 |
55.00(36 – 24) / 120 #12 – #19 |
15 |
 |
(Lost to IND) Denver is like Arizona, but more so. Their sole beatloss is to an undefeated team (like Arizona), and their sole beatwin is to the Cleveland Browns. Yes, that’s right; Denver has 11 games looped away. Something’s gotta give here. Oh, BTW–thanks Brandon Marshall, for nearly giving me a heart attack in thinking I was going to lose my first round fantasy playoff game after having led the league in points. Thank the gods for Chris Johnson and Frank Gore. |
15 |
51.25(4 – 1) / 120 #2 – #28 |
16 |
 |
(Beat CHI) The season sweep does little to help the Packers, but the great reordering hurts them. I know I’m probably foolish, but the Packers didn’t seem to be that much better than the Bears this past week. I have a sneaking suspicion that they’re one of those teams this season that is in the middle of the pack, and they get the breaks that another team–say, Atlanta–doesn’t. |
10 |
49.17(25 – 27) / 120 #14 – #22 |
17 |
 |
(Lost to PHI) Oh dear, Giants. Arizona losing to the 49ers doesn’t really hurt them, but it hurts you. It creates a 4 team beatloop of ARI=>NYG=>ATL=>SF=>ARI which only leaves you with wins over the Chiefs and Buccaneers left in the graph to your name. And that was Atlanta! You could have been up their standing tall with your NFC East brethren, but now you’re banished to the side graph, where Bengals and Cardinals lay. In all seriousness, this move is actually interesting in that it’s not related at all to the major reordering. |
9 |
48.75(2 – 5) / 120 #4 – #30 |
18 |
 |
(Lost to CLE) The season split loops away the loss to the Browns, so no big deal graph-wise for Pittsburgh there. The drop is mostly due to the great reordering. This has to be a painful time for Steelers fans–the time when it suddenly hits you in the face that you’re not a good team this year and won’t be in the playoffs. Incidentally, how come Polamalu got hit with the Madden Curse but Fitzgerald was spared? |
12 |
47.08(18 – 25) / 120 #13 – #22 |
19 |
 |
(Beat STL) A win over the Rams is basically meaningless; the Titans move down for the same reason everyone else does. I watched a fair bit of the game, and I was really impressed by Chris Johnson’s vision. His big runs were more him seeing the field, setting up his blockers, and using it to get to the end zone. They looked more like punt returns than runs and screen passes. Of course, it helps that it was against the Rams. |
14 |
44.58(16 – 29) / 120 #14 – #23 |
20 |
 |
(Lost to NE) No big change in losing to the Patriots. The Panthers are also outside the Tower of Beatpaths, but they differ from the other teams in this predicament in where they branch off–their worst beatloss is to the Dolphins, far worse than the Broncos and Cardinals (Colts) and Giants (Eagles). |
21 |
44.17(4 – 18) / 120 #9 – #30 |
21 |
 |
(Beat DET) Shockingly enough, the win over the Lions helps–it’s their best beatwin. With the AFC North playing the NFC North this year, the Ravens have contracted MinnesotaVikingsItis in regards to the graph. Of course, they also have a nasty case of NotAsGoodAsTheVikings Flu, too, which is why they’re here and not 10 spots higher. |
17 |
41.25(8 – 29) / 120 #15 – #27 |
22 |
 |
(Beat OAK) This win gets looped away by a loss to Philly. So, I guess the Steelers should have tried knocking out Gradkowski? I didn’t see the game–does anyone know if there were more sacks against Russell, or was the Redskins D-Line just dominating the Raiders O-Line? |
25 |
41.25(1 – 22) / 120 #10 – #31 |
23 |
 |
(Beat ARI) If you haven’t been paying attention, the season sweep gets looped away entirely for the 49ers; the first sheds losses to Minnesota and Houston, and the second gets rid of a loss to Atlanta. Still, not much support for San Francisco, so they stay here. I’ve really been impressed by Crabtree’s ability to be useful this season; just think if he had been signed on time. |
22 |
40.83(13 – 35) / 120 #17 – #24 |
24 |
 |
(Lost to WAS) Seems like a pretty good game plan for other teams: 1.) Get the other team to have JaMarcus Russell as your backup. 2.) Knock out whoever is starting that day. Is this too much JMR bashing? NAAHH! |
27 |
39.17(0 – 26) / 120 #12 – #32 |
25 |
 |
(Lost to GB) The breakup of the 5 team loop gives the Bears back their beatwin over Seattle, but it means little. Bears fans have started to turn against the current regime so much that every little thing becomes a giant symbol of ineptitude. Devin Aromashodu (yes, I had to look that up) caught 8 balls and a TD! He’s been sitting on the bench all season, when he could have been a major impact player! I have 2 words for you people: Mark Bradley. |
26 |
36.67(11 – 43) / 120 #19 – #25 |
26 |
 |
(Lost to HOU) The more weeks go bye, the weirder that game against Jacksonville seems. Maybe someday we’ll know how the Seahawks managed to score 41 points AND shut out someone outside their division, but it sure is escaping me now. |
18 |
32.50(7 – 49) / 120 #20 – #26 |
27 |
 |
(Lost to BAL) Another week, another struggle to say something interesting about the Lions. The sad thing is, they’re unlikely to have the top pick due to their staggering total of 2 wins. It’s too bad, because of the likely top drafters, their one of the few that wouldn’t be tempted to chase a QB. |
28 |
26.25(4 – 61) / 120 #22 – #28 |
28 |
 |
(Lost to TEN) It seems like there’s a good chance the Rams will get the top pick, and I hope they use it on a defensive player. The Nebraska DT seems like the obvious choice to me, but I admit that might just be from a lot of hype after the Big XII championship game. In any case, I feel like the Rams have a start on the D and could get somewhere with some impact players. More so than a QB, who I’m guessing would just get killed. |
29 |
25.00(0 – 60) / 120 #21 – #32 |
29 |
 |
(Beat PIT) The win gets looped away in the season split, and Pittsburgh has paths to Cleveland anyway, so much ado about nothing. Although I’m guessing it must have felt great to Browns fans to beat their rivals. Wish I knew that feeling… |
30 |
21.25(3 – 72) / 120 #24 – #29 |
30 |
 |
(Beat KC) Buffalo actually rises! One spot, due to their win over Kansas City. Who says nothing interesting happens this far down the chart? |
31 |
18.75(2 – 77) / 120 #25 – #30 |
31 |
 |
(Lost to BUF) I was actually surprised to see that the Chiefs were ranked so highly last week. Last week, they didn’t have a bad beatloss; they were held down by the likes of Philadelphia, Dallas, and Jacksonville. The Bills changed all that. |
23 |
13.75(0 – 87) / 120 #27 – #32 |
32 |
 |
(Lost to NYJ) I guess the Buccaneers won’t be tempted to take a QB with the top pick, either. This team was over .500 last year. I don’t want to put hexes on anyone, but this is how Millen’s tenure started. |
32 |
8.75(0 – 99) / 120 #29 – #32 |
I’m confused about your KC comment. NE hasn’t played KC and didn’t even have a path to KC last week.
Kenneth, my fantasy playoff opponent had BOTH Brandon Marshall and Frank Gore.
Moose: you’re right. It was the last entry I was writing and I got sloppy; I wanted a non-NFC East team and the Patriots were in line with a bunch of theams that had direct paths to the Chiefs, and I saw an arrow that wasn’t there.
I’ve updated the post to be accurate. Thanks for the catch!
I think the “highstepping” by Jackson wasn’t a huge deal – I hate showboating in general, but it wasn’t like he did it the final 20 yards…. What WAS a big deal was having bottles thrown at him when he scored his second touchdown. THAT is a lack of class. But you probably didn’t hear about it because if you listen to Al Michaels, that kind of thing ONLY happens in Philly. Though having been a Philly fan in Giants Stadium, the lowest circle of hell is being reserved for the lowest of low class fans of the Giants.
There are some good fans (friends and family and a few others). But I’ve seen fan behavior that would make Philly fans cringe. This was just another example of underreported poor behavior outside Philly…..
Tom (#2): So did mine. Another huge game (for me) by Chris Johnson was wasted.
If you be having Gore problems I feel bad for you son
I got 99 problems but a playoff loss ain’t one
I salute my fallen fantasy comrades, who were not lucky enough to whether the ginormous fantasy outputs this past week. Better luck next season, gents!
[...] number of rank changes this week (112) is the same as Weeks 4 & 7, but the variance is much higher this week than [...]