NFL Week Eight Power Rankings

This is the point of the season where things - sometimes - start making sense. Sort of, almost, halfway through, a decent sample size on which to gauge performance, winners and losers clarifying as things tighten up and the playoffs become visible in the distance.

The NFL pecking order has not changed dramatically much through these first eight weeks. 

BUF, DET, GB, HOU, PIT: Steady, solid performers. 

BAL: Wildly erratic, alternating overpowering wins with inexplicable losses. 

PHI: Inconsistent, leading the division, as usual. 

LAC, LAR, SF: West Coast injury bug. signs of getting healthy. 

MIN, SEA, TB: Early season promise, midseason struggles. 

ATL, AZ, DEN, WAS: Rising toward playoff shot. 

CHI, IND: Middle of the country, middle of the pack. 

CIN, CLE, DAL MIA, NYJ: Preseason picks turned also rans. 

CAR, JAX, LV, NE, NO, NYG, TEN: Jockeying for draft picks.

That leaves KC. The Chiefs, as usual, just keep chugging along. A drop in offensive output is met with an improved performance from the Steve Spagnuolo-orchestrated defense. Players go, new players come in and execute. Mahomes's statistics are middling, but he continues to make the play needed when it's needed. 

Ongoing Chiefs's success means we'll be subjected to this for the forseeable future:

Too bad we probably won't be seeing more of this:

Team	Rank	Change	Why	This Week
KC	1	0	Continues to TCB	TB (9)
DET	2	0	Offense going quantum	at GB ()
BUF	3	1	Getting sorted out	MIA (6)
GB	4	1	More Love trouble	DET ()
PIT	5	1	Keeping things steady	Bye
PHI	6	3	Back on track	JAX (7.5)
BAL	7	-4	Some bad losses	DEN (9)
WAS	8	2	Daniels can play	at NYG (3.5)
HOU	9	-1	Stays on pace	at NYJ (+2)
SF	10	2	Returning to form	Bye
MIN	11	-4	Reality setting in	IND (6)
ATL	12	1	Big division win	DAL (2.5)
DEN	13	4	Better than expected	at BAL (+9)
AZ	14	5	Steady if healthy	CHI (1)
LAC	15	5	Still beat up	at CLE (2)
TB	16	-2	In the middle	at KC (+9)
IND	17	-2	Still playing well	at MIN (+6)
CHI	18	-2	Not well coached	at AZ (+1)
LAR	19	4	On the rise	at SEA (+2)
DAL	20	-2	Dumpster on fire	at ATL (+2.5)
SEA	21	-10	Geno throws picks	LAR (2)
CIN	22	-1	Probably all done	LV (7.5)
NO	23	-1	QB troubles continue	at CAR (7)
CLE	24	8	Winston looks good	LAC (+2)
NE	25	6	So does Brissett	at TEN (+3.5)
JAX	26	-2	Pedersen is done	at PHI (+7.5)
NYG	27	-2	So is Jones	WAS (+3.5)
NYJ	28	-2	Soap opera continues	HOU (2)
MIA	29	-2	Not this year	at BUF (+6)
LV	30	-2	Same old Raiders	at CIN (+7.5)
CAR	31	-1	Another #1 pick	NO (+7)
TEN	32	-3	Things getting worse	NE (3.5)

NFL Week Eight ATS Picks

Returning to our regularly scheduled, football-oriented musings, let's turn our attentions for a moment to one Bert Bell. For some reason, the various professional sports Halls of Fame feel compelled to honor executives on an equal footing with players. I am not sure why that is, but I am sure that it doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

Anyway, one of the charter members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame was Mr. Bell. Bert was a Main Line Philly type of fellow. Went to Penn, played football. He got into the NFL as a coach, where he authored one of the worst head coaching records of all time. (This is where I had to start looking stuff up). His five years with the Eagles and a brief stint with the Steelers netted out at 10-46-2, for a glossy .179 winning percentage.

Bert Bell, baby...

Not only was Bell the head coach of the Eagles, he was also the team owner. Further, he was tight with Steelers owner Art Rooney, both of whom were short on cash. What Bell lacked in money, he compensated for with ideas. It was Bell who came up with the idea for the college draft, which enabled the Eagles to get the rights to players they wouldn't have been able to afford in outright bidding. 

This knack for innovation led Bell out of the owner's box and into the league commissioner's chair in 1946. He oversaw a post-war boom for the NFL, where it negotiated a merger with the All-America Football Conference, added a franchise in Los Angeles, and began to broadcast games on television.

During this time, Bell was big on proclaiming the league's intolerance for gambling in any form, and the purity of its competitors in that regard. Bell was positioned as a kind of McGruff the Crime Dog, waging war on gamblers much like J. Edgar Hoover was keeping America safe as head of the FBI. Both personas were mostly PR dreamscapes, but they established the public perception.

Bell continued a very successful 13-year run as Commissioner until 1959, when he suffered a heart attack at an Eagles game at Franklin Field and passed away. His tenure, while successful, merely set the stage for what was to follow.

Now the picks, generated via the proprietary Spreadbuster algorithm:

Three-Star Picks

WAS (+3) vs. CHI: Daniels a game-time decision.

PIT (6.5) vs. NYG: Tomlin will not be outcoached here.

PHI (+2.5) at CIN: Nice matchup.

DET (11) vs. TEN: Not a good spot for the Titans.

Last week: 3-1. Overall: 11-11.

Two-Star Picks

AZ (+3.5) at MIA: Looked good on Monday.

SEA (+3) vs. BUF: Bounced back big.

NO (+7) at LAC: Got no Carr.

BAL (8.5) at CLE: Looks like a walk over.

KC (10) at LV: Could be tricky. 

MIN (3.5) at LAR: Reality sets in.

Last week: 1-4. Overall: 11-15.

One-Star Picks

These games are anyone's guess.

DAL (+4) at SF: Keeps it close.

GB (4) at JAX: Classic trap game.

DEN (10) vs. CAR: On the rise.

HOU (5) vs. IND: Number going down.

NE (+7) vs. NYJ: Maybe a back door.

TB (+2.5) vs. ATL: Bounce back time.

Last week: 3-3. Overall: 21-19-1.

Total - Last week: 7-8. Overall: 44-45-1.

NFL Week Seven Power Rankings

It was fun while it lasted - all of it. 

April 

0-5 in winter weather, nobody at the Field, almost 0-6 until Pete pulled one out in the bottom of the ninth. 

Adrian Hauser. 

May

Jorge Lopez. 

June

11 under .500. 

Alvarado. 

Lindor to leadoff. 

Grimace.

Iglesias. 

OMG. 

July

Hottest team in baseball. Back in it, but barely. Buyers, not sellers, at the trading deadline. Reinforcements arrive.

August

A mediocre month. Then Lindor homers, breaks up a no-hitter and a sweep in Toronto. Still alive. 

September

Every game some sort of pressure cooker. .700 ball turns into signs of a breakdown late. Postponed in ATL, almost knocked out in MIL. Peterson saves the day and the season. 

Back to ATL. Need one out of two. Down four, go ahead with six - six! - in the 8th. Eddie gives it right back. Once again, Lindor. Lindor! Playoffs!! 

October

Back to MIL, on the road for weeks at this point. Down and almost out. Pete. Opposite field!! The Mets win!!! 

PHI. Vientos! Pete!! Lindor!!! Bye-bye Phillies!!!

That ride finally ran out of gas against LAD. But it was so, so fun while it lasted. 

Now it's wait until next year. Best of luck to all my Yankees-loving friends.

Next week we'll return to more regularly expected football commentary. But for this week, here's the rankings:

Team	Rank	Change	Why
KC	1	0	Has the 49ers number
DET	2	0	Statement in MIN
BAL	3	1	Not the old Ravens
BUF	4	2	Getting sorted
GB	5	3	Nice win
PIT	6	3	Russ puts gas in the tank
MIN	7	-4	Due for a reality check
HOU	8	-3	Solidly second-level in AFC
PHI	9	3	Saquon runs wild
WAS	10	4	RG IV?
SEA	11	8	Unexpected bounce back
SF	12	-2	All beat up
ATL	13	-6	Same old Falcons
TB	14	-3	Not quite there
IND	15	1	Flacco continues to shine
CHI	16	-1	Bye
DEN	17	0	Payton issues payback
DAL	18	0	Bye
AZ	19	1	Not horrible
LAC	20	-7	See #12
CIN	21	1	The swoon may be over
NO	22	-1	QB troubles
LAR	23	2	Getting healthy?
JAX	24	4	See #21
NYG	25	-2	Going down
NYJ	26	-2	Soap opera city
MIA	27	2	Tua time again
LV	28	-2	All messed up
TEN	29	-2	Not much there
CAR	30	0	Bottom...
NE	31	0	...stays...
CLE	32	0	...stagnant

NFL Week Seven ATS Picks

 Generated via the proprietary Spreadbuster algorithm:

Three-Star Picks

ATL (3) vs. SEA

PIT (3) vs. NYJ

BUF (8.5) vs. TEN 

IND (3.5) vs. MIA

Last week: 3-1. Overall: 8-10

Two-Star Picks

WAS (7.5) vs. CAR
CLE (+5.5) vs. CIN

TB (+3.5) vs. BAL
NO (+2) vs. DEN

LV (+6.5) at LAR

Last week: 1-3. Overall: 10-11

One-Star Picks

These games are anyone's guess.

KC (+1) at SF
AZ (+3) vs. LAC

GB ( ) vs HOU

NE (+5.5) at JAX
NYG (+3.5) vs. PHI
MIN (2.5) vs. DET

Last week: 3-3. Overall: 18-16-1

Total - Last week: 7-7. Overall: 37-37-1.

NFL Week Six Power Rankings

Football has taken a back seat to the MLB post-season, which is a welcomed if unexpected surprise. The Mets's run promted a reaction from me much like that of Mark Vientos when the Dodgers elected to walk Francisco Lindor and pitch to him in Game 2 of the NLCS:

The data, however, does continue to flow. Power rankings for the week:

Team	Change	Why	This Week
KC	0	Bye	at SF (+1)
DET	0	Issues Cowboy beat down	at MIN (+2.5)
MIN	0	Bye	DET (2.5)
BAL	0	Resiliency continues	at TB (3.5)
HOU	0	JV win	at GB (0)
BUF	0	Dodges a Meadowlands bullet	TEN (8.5)
ATL	2	Getting sorted	SEA (3)
GB	6	Solid win	HOU (0)
PIT	3	Nice weekend in Vegas	NYJ (0)
SF	6	On the mend	KC (1)
TB	-2	Fired up in the Big Easy	BAL (+3.5)
PHI	1	Shaky win	at NYG (3.5)
LAC	2	Key division win in DEN	at AZ (3)
WAS	-3	Not quite there yet	CAR (7.5)
CHI	3	Also getting sorted	Bye
IND	5	Middle of the road	MIA (3.5)
DEN	-7	Regression in progress	at NO (2)
DAL	-11	Happy birthday, Jerrell!	Bye
SEA	-2	See #17	at ATL (+3)
AZ	-1	WR troubles	LAC (+3)
NO	-1	See #17 and #19	DEN (+2)
CIN	0	Enough to beat Giants	at CLE (5.5)
NYG	0	No O	PHI (+3.5)
NYJ	0	Going down	at PIT
LAR	0	Bye	LV (6.5)
LV	0	Brady to the rescue	at LAR (+6.5)
TEN	0	Not much there	at BUF (+8.5)
JAX	0	London calling again	NE (5.5)
MIA	0	Still messy	at IND (+3.5)
CAR	0	Racing...	at WAS (+7.5)
NE	0	...to...	at JAX (+5.5)
CLE	0	...the bottom.	CIN (+5.5)