NFL Top 5 Power Teams - Week 11 (SNN/SI)
This has been the most astounding week of the National Football League’s 2019 regular season. The San Francisco 49ers lost in the last second of overtime to end their 8-0 winning streak. The now (7-2) New Orleans Saints lost in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome to the (2-7) Atlanta Falcons. Every team has now suffered at least one defeat as they turn the bend to crunch time before the holiday season begins. With only six-seven games left in the regular season, the remaining matchups must decide playoff seeding, 2020 draft order and who earns the bye in the first week of playoffs.
Here are our top 5:
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1. New England Patriots (8-1)
As other teams battled this week, New England enjoyed a week off to ponder the loss suffered in Week 10. Patriot’s coach Bill Belichick addressed the media in saying that his team was good at everything. We will see if the bye week made a difference when the Patriots face the Eagles on Sunday. CBS will broadcast the game on Sunday at 3:25 p.m. The most pivotal game left for the team will be on December 8th against the Chiefs.
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2. Baltimore Ravens (7-2)
Baltimore did not have much competition in Sunday’s matchup against winless Cincinnati. That was not the case last week when they ravished a big win over the undefeated New England Patriots. The Ravens are revered for their top-ranked run offense and run defense. The perplexing question is, why did the Bengals out-rush them during Sunday’s game. Lamar Jackson continues to improve and develop as an NFL quarterback and chatter continue about potential league MVP. Their most impactful game left is Sunday against the Texans.
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3. San Francisco 49ers (8-1)
The 49ers were the last undefeated team in the league until losing to the Seahawks and entering the most challenging stretch of the regular season. The same defense that was praised for 9 weeks as the driving force of the 49ers allowed the Seahawks’ game-winning score in the last second of overtime. It is difficult to believe that heading into Week 11, San Francisco is only a half-game ahead of Seattle. They are poised to meet the Cardinals this week, and the pressure is on for a victory since the next three games will be against the Packers, Ravens, and Saints. The mediocre schedule San Francisco enjoyed in the first-half of the season haunts them as they press down the stretch of the regular season. They continue their quest for the top spot in the NFC, and their most pivotal game will be December 8th on the road against the Saints.
4. New Orleans Saints (7-2)
The Saints suffered a devastating loss to Atlanta this week, but they are resilient. Case and point, on November 29, 2018, the Dallas Cowboys handed the Saints their second loss of the season and broke a 10-game winning streak. Entering the Dallas game, the Saints’ stats and overall game were superlative. Dallas’s defense was credited for the upset as the Saints’ offense struggled during the entire game. New Orleans’ defeat left a bad taste in the Saints’ mouth for a long time. The team did not make excuses…they took responsibility for the loss. What is ironic is the only other loss suffered in last year’s NFL regular season was at home in the Superdome against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first game of the season.
There were so many takes and opinions on the loss to Atlanta, but WVUE Fox News 8 summarized it well “The Falcons ran the ball 34 times for 143 yards, sacked Drew Brees six times which Matt Ryan was barely touched all game”. Coach Sean Payton took full responsibility as the Saints looked unprepared to meet the Falcons, “Collectively, we have to do a better job and it starts with me”. Last year’s regular-season upset against Dallas marched the New Orleans Saints to the NFC Championship game against the infamous no-call Rams. Now the Saints will do as Keith Null said, ‘turn the page’ into Week 11. The most pivotal game will be on November 24th against the Panthers.
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5. Seattle Seahawks (8-2)
The Seahawks are entering week 11 facing six NFC teams. Their most exciting game this season was defeating San Francisco. ESPN interviewed Russell Wilson and his response to the win over the 49ers was that he never thought he would be a part of a game that crazy. The roller coaster game had more twists and turns than Disney and climaxed in the last second of overtime as Jason Myers kicked the winning 42-yard field goal. This week, the team is on the Bye Week, but the most pivotal game will be on December 29th against the 49ers.
