POWER RANKINGS Roundup: Week 12

The Chargers lay an egg

Remember this time last week, when the world was our oyster? So do the Chargers, as they fondly pick off flower petals and yearn for the days of win streaks.

Well, the sky isn’t falling. Not yet, at least. A lot of the media outlets were dubious in regards to moving the Chargers up the ranks. When it seemed they couldn’t ignore the Bolts any longer, the Chargers stunk it up at home.

That’s okay, though. The Chargers still have a very good record, so reasonable outlets couldn’t punt LAC out of the top 10. While a win was within their grasp and would have made the AFC West race very, very interesting, it was not meant to be.

The top slots surprisingly did not change this week, even with one of them losing out. Having a historic Monday Night offensive matchup, like the Rams and Chiefs did, means that even the loser still keeps their dignity. The only good news from this week was that the Broncos and the Raiders likely hurt their draft positioning, while the Chargers failed to make up any ground on the division race and lost a step on the wildcard race.

ESPN

1. New Orleans Saints

2. Los Angeles Rams

3. Kansas City Chiefs

4. Pittsburgh Steelers

5. New England Patriots

6. Chicago Bears

7. Los Angeles Chargers

Thankful for: Anthony Lynn. The no-nonsense head coach for the Chargers started his tenure 0-4 in 2017, but since then the Chargers are 16-6. This season, Lynn has the Chargers at 7-3 and on the verge of making the playoffs for the first time since 2013. Lynn has dealt with the relocation of his franchise to Los Angeles, playing in a temporary home where opposing fans take over the stadium, and the organization cycling through six kickers. Through it all, Lynn has been a steadying influence, holding players accountable for their performance on the field. -- Eric Williams

8. Houston Texans

9. Minnesota Vikings

10. Carolina Panthers

USA Today

1. New Orleans Saints

2. Los Angeles Rams

3. Kansas City Chiefs

4. Pittsburgh Steelers

5. New England Patriots

6. Los Angeles Chargers

If Keenan Allen has determined the Broncos “suck,” can’t wait to get his assessment of the Bolts’ upcoming opponent — the 2-8 Cardinals.

7. Chicago Bears

8. Houston Texans

9. Minnesota Vikings

10. Carolina Panthers

NFL.com

1. New Orleans Saints

2. Los Angeles Rams

3. Kansas City Chiefs

4. Pittsburgh Steelers

5. New England Patriots

6. Los Angeles Chargers

Even before it actually happened, the Chargers flirted with losing to the Broncos enough to make Tinder blush. The Bolts had no business falling Sunday, not while playing at home and not when they owned a two-score lead as late as the third quarter. Philip Rivers made a few boneheaded throws, like that second interception, which Von Miller snared. Oh, and the penalties ... 14 of ‘em. Then came the total breakdowns in the secondary during the last couple of stanzas of the fourth quarter, making Case Keenum look like his boss out there. A team should never rack up 479 yards of offense at home and not win. The Chargers ran 72 offensive plays, for crying out loud, and converted 60 percent of their third downs. And still they lost. Ugh.

7. Chicago Bears

8. Houston Texans

9. Carolina Panthers

10. Minnesota Vikings

SB Nation

1. New Orleans Saints

2. Los Angeles Rams

3. Kansas City Chiefs

4. Pittsburgh Steelers

5. New England Patriots

6. Chicago Bears

7. Houston Texans

8. Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers’ loss to the Broncos sends them from four to eight in the power rankings. They have a great opportunity to get back on track against Arizona next week.

9. Indianapolis Colts

10. Baltimore Ravens

CBS.com

1. New Orleans Saints

2. Los Angeles Rams

3. Kansas City Chiefs

4. New England Patriots

5. Pittsburgh Steelers

6. Chicago Bears

7. Los Angeles Chargers

Last week: 5

That was a bad home loss to the Broncos. That’s not the look of a Super Bowl contender.

8. Houston Texans

9. Carolina Panthers

10. Indianapolis Colts

Bleacher Report

1. New Orleans Saints

2. Los Angeles Rams

3. Kansas City Chiefs

4. Pittsburgh Steelers

5. Chicago Bears

6. Houston Texans

7. Los Angeles Chargers

No comment.

8. New England Patriots

9. Carolina Panthers

10. Minnesota Vikings

Yahoo! Sports

1. New Orleans Saints

2. Los Angeles Rams

3. Kansas City Chiefs

4. Pittsburgh Steelers

5. New England Patriots

6. Chicago Bears

7. Los Angeles Chargers

Now that the Chargers have lost at home to the Broncos, you look back at their wins in a different light. They haven’t beaten a team with a winning record all season. Their best wins are the Titans and Seahawks. Maybe they’re not as good as it looked during that winning streak.

8. Houston Texans

9. Carolina Panthers

10. Minnesota Vikings

REVIEW:

• Average Ranking: 6.8
• Most Common Ranking: 7
• Last Week’s Ranking: 4.1
• Size of turkey currently thawing: 22.1 lbs
• Actual size of Turkey: 302,535 mi²

I can’t love NFL.com’s take enough—their comments are spot-on. That said, every team lays an egg each season. Most lay quite a few. The sky is not falling, and the true shame is that the Chargers just failed to capitalize on a chance to improve their post-season seeding. They still certainly control their destiny and there is every reason to believe that they will right the ship this week against the Cardinals.

If they struggle against the redbirds, though...Let’s not even go there. We will be thankful that this week is likely a rebound!

-Jason “Still a top ¹⁄₃ team!” Michaels

from Bolts From The Blue - All Posts https://ift.tt/2QZ1YQF