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Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley
The four pillars of the ESPN.com NFL Power Rankings have submitted their ballots -- and they've lost faith in the Beast. And quite frankly, so have I. The New York Giants are No. 2 in the power rankings, but I'm still a little troubled that they had to win it at the gun after winning the turnover battle, 4-0. Yes, I know they were playing in a hostile environment and Flozell Adams was up to his old tricks, but they should have run away from the Cowboys with all those trips inside the red zone.
AFC South blogger Paul Kuharsky and ESPN senior writer Jeff Chadiha voted the Giants No. 1, but they were checkmated by Hall of Famer (south wing, I believe) John Clayton, who had Big Blue fourth in his rankings. Seriously, I'm not making that up. Clayton was so impressed with the Colts' improbable win over the Dolphins that he moved them up to No. 2. He had the Vikings No. 3.
The NFC East still has a higher average ranking (12.6) than any other division, but that's down from 11.4. Mike Sando and Jeff Chadiha were the harshest voters when it came to the Eagles' 48-22 loss to the Saints. They each dropped the Eagles six spots, which has a lot to do with Philly now being ninth in the power rankings. Honestly, I can't argue too much with that ranking because I don't pin that loss to the Saints on Kevin Kolb.
The Cowboys checked in at No. 15, mainly because Sando and Kuharsky dropped them to No. 18 after Sunday's 33-31 loss to the Giants. Do we really think the 49ers and Bears are better than the Cowboys at this point in the season? I certainly don't. The Cowboys showed some obvious flaws in the secondary and at quarterback. But we've seen Tony Romo and the secondary play well in the past, so I wouldn't have been quite so harsh. I think the Cowboys are probably about the 11th or 12th best team in the league right now.
How bad are the St. Louis Rams? Well, the Commanders beat them, 9-7, and then fell three spots to No. 23 in the power rankings. Chadiha had the Commanders at No. 25. Wow! But if I'd seen that red zone performance with my own eyes, maybe I would've done the same thing.
The Broncos are the team that is causing the biggest gap between votes. Chadiha believes in the power of Kyle "The Neckbeard" Orton, ranking Denver No. 14. Clayton and Kuharsky had the Broncos at No. 24, which sounds about right to me.
OK, if you have any issues with the four voters, I encourage you to leave comments with Kuharsky.
Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley
The four pillars of the ESPN.com NFL Power Rankings have submitted their ballots -- and they've lost faith in the Beast. And quite frankly, so have I. The New York Giants are No. 2 in the power rankings, but I'm still a little troubled that they had to win it at the gun after winning the turnover battle, 4-0. Yes, I know they were playing in a hostile environment and Flozell Adams was up to his old tricks, but they should have run away from the Cowboys with all those trips inside the red zone.
AFC South blogger Paul Kuharsky and ESPN senior writer Jeff Chadiha voted the Giants No. 1, but they were checkmated by Hall of Famer (south wing, I believe) John Clayton, who had Big Blue fourth in his rankings. Seriously, I'm not making that up. Clayton was so impressed with the Colts' improbable win over the Dolphins that he moved them up to No. 2. He had the Vikings No. 3.
The NFC East still has a higher average ranking (12.6) than any other division, but that's down from 11.4. Mike Sando and Jeff Chadiha were the harshest voters when it came to the Eagles' 48-22 loss to the Saints. They each dropped the Eagles six spots, which has a lot to do with Philly now being ninth in the power rankings. Honestly, I can't argue too much with that ranking because I don't pin that loss to the Saints on Kevin Kolb.
The Cowboys checked in at No. 15, mainly because Sando and Kuharsky dropped them to No. 18 after Sunday's 33-31 loss to the Giants. Do we really think the 49ers and Bears are better than the Cowboys at this point in the season? I certainly don't. The Cowboys showed some obvious flaws in the secondary and at quarterback. But we've seen Tony Romo and the secondary play well in the past, so I wouldn't have been quite so harsh. I think the Cowboys are probably about the 11th or 12th best team in the league right now.
How bad are the St. Louis Rams? Well, the Commanders beat them, 9-7, and then fell three spots to No. 23 in the power rankings. Chadiha had the Commanders at No. 25. Wow! But if I'd seen that red zone performance with my own eyes, maybe I would've done the same thing.
The Broncos are the team that is causing the biggest gap between votes. Chadiha believes in the power of Kyle "The Neckbeard" Orton, ranking Denver No. 14. Clayton and Kuharsky had the Broncos at No. 24, which sounds about right to me.
OK, if you have any issues with the four voters, I encourage you to leave comments with Kuharsky.
