JJ Rankings week 10

Turnovers kill. In a season where the playing field has been so level, giving the ball away can be the equivalent of giving the game away. Just ask the Pittsburgh Steelers. Coming into Week 10, they were arguably the hottest team in football. So there is no way they should have struggled with the lowly New York Jets, right? Wrong. Four turnovers cost the Steelers the game, and in the process, their hold on first place in a tight AFC North. Drew Brees threw two interceptions and had a costly fumble in overtime, allowing a winnable game against the 49ers and a chance to put a stranglehold on the NFC South slip away. Even the Rams were in position to steal a game against the Arizona Cardinals, owners of the best record in football, until they started giving the ball away in the 4^th quarter. Moral of the story: give the ball away, give the game away. Conversely, when I give you my Week 10 rankings, you win:

1) Arizona (8-1)
Bruce Arians doesn’t seem too concerned about Drew Stanton being under center for the remainder of the season. Neither am I. (USA TODAY Sports / Matthew Emmons)

2)       New England (7-2)

• The Patriots got a well-placed nap before big games with Indianapolis, Detroit, and Green Bay

3)       Denver (7-2)
After toying with the Black Hole’s emotions for a quarter, Peyton Manning dropped 5 TD passes on the Raiders. And he sat out the entire 4th quarter. (photo Ron Chenoy / USA TODAY Sports)

4)       Detroit (7-2)
The Lions love to use the full 60 minutes, don’t they? Five of their nine games have been decided by 4 points or less. (PR Photo)

5)       Green Bay (6-3)

• I know, I know. Beating the Bears is nothing to get excited about. But dismantling any team the way the Packers did on Sunday night is impressive. Moving Clay Matthews to middle linebacker seemed to energize the Green Bay defense

6)       Philadelphia (8-2)
The Eagles didn’t seem to miss Nick Foles (or Michael Vick for that matter) much on Monday night. How much they miss their quarterback on defense, Demeco Ryans, for the rest of the season remains to be seen (photo USA TODAY Sports Images – Howard Smith)

7)       Kansas City (6-3)

• It wasn’t pretty, but the Chiefs came up with a big road win against the Bills. Alex Smith and Jamaal Charles came up with big plays when they needed to

8)       Indianapolis (6-3)

• Only three of Indi’s seven remaining opponents have winning records. Say hello to your AFC South champions

9)       Seattle (6-3)
The Seahawks anemic passing game is going to catch up with them sooner or later. Rushing for 350 yards sure helps in the meantime though. (photo USA TODAY Sports / Steven Bisig)

10)   Dallas (7-3)

• Lots of missed tackles inflated Tony Romo’s passing numbers against the Jags. I still have serious concerns about a quarterback that has the back of a 60 year old man

11)   San Francisco (5-4)

• Week by week, the 49ers are going to start getting their defensive weapons back. Aldon Smith makes his debut Sunday against the Giants. Eli can start pooping his pants now

12)   Cleveland (6-3)

• The Browns dominated in their only primetime game of the season against the Bengals. Can they avoid a letdown at home against the Texans on Sunday?

13)   Pittsburgh (6-4)

• Just when you think the Steelers have hit their stride, they lay a dud against the Jets. They better avoid the same mistakes against the Titans and Falcons; which on paper, appear to be winnable games as well

14)   Baltimore (6-4)

• Joe Flacco is tough to beat at home. He’ll need to get his act together on the road if the Ravens expect to beat the Saints in the Superdome two weeks from now

15)   Cincinnati (5-3-1)

• Who dey say dem Bengals afraid of the dat dark? Andy Dalton’s QB rating on Thursday night (2.0) is higher than the number of people that think he is worth a $96 million contract

16)   Miami (5-4)

• No shame in losing to the Lions in Detroit. Losing left tackle Branden Albert for the remainder of the season is much more concerning

17)   Buffalo (5-4)

• Will the Bills be kicking themselves by season’s end for letting Sunday’s game against the Chiefs slip away? A huge game against the Dolphins on Thursday night is up next

18)   San Diego (5-4)

• The Chargers have a chance to right the ship, coming off a bye with home games against the Raiders and the Rams

19)   New Orleans (4-5)
New Orleans let a big win slip away against the 49ers. Things are changing when you can say Mark Ingram kept the Saints in the game, and Drew Brees took them out of it. (Image of Sport / PR Photos)

20)   Houston (4-5)

• Ryan Mallett will make his first start as a Texan on Sunday. We’ll see if he should have made that start in Week 1

21)   Minnesota (4-5)

• A game against the Bears in Chicago, while coming off a bye? If ever there was a recipe for victory, that would be it

22)   St Louis (3-6)

• The Rams pass rush has reemerged over the past few weeks. Unfortunately, their offense has exited stage left

23)   Atlanta (3-6)

• Don’t look now, but the Falcons are only a game out of first place in the NFC South. No, seriously

24)   Washington (3-6)

• I’m sure RGIII appreciated the well-timed week off. Perhaps he’ll appreciate the Bucs being up next on the schedule

25)   New York Giants (3-6)

• Giving up 350 yards rushing to a team that can’t throw the ball is inexcusable. Will this finally be the offseason the Giants decide to blow the team up and start to rebuild?

26)   Carolina (3-6-1)

• After letting their entire receiving corps and left tackle go in the offseason, I am starting to think the Panthers want Cam Newton dead. At least it looked like it on Monday night

27)   New York Jets (2-8)

• Although there are moments when he seems to have lapses in judgment, Michael Vick certainly has breathed some life into the Jets offense

28)   Tennessee (2-7)
Tennessee moved the ball well the first two possessions of the game, but then they seemed to remember they were the Titans. (USA TODAY Sports / Aaron Doster)

29)   Chicago (3-6)

• Do the Bears even care anymore? If they do, it is certainly hard to tell. If they are looking for someone to stand around and do nothing for a million dollars, I’m a free agent

30)   Tampa Bay (1-8)

• To quote Josh McCown in his postgame press conference: “1-8. 1-8. 1-8.” No further explanation needed

31)   Jacksonville (1-9)
London keeps insisting they will do anything to land an NFL franchise. Think they would feel that way if they knew they were getting the Jags? (photo USA Today Sports / Mark J. Rebilas)

32)   Oakland (0-9)

• At least the Raiders won the first quarter Sunday. That’s something, right?