NFL Power Rankings Week 10: Decided

All in all it was a 2-10 ATS count for Sunday betting in the NFL and a day like that can create a lot of hesitation for bettors making picks and sports freaks for the week ahead. Finally, NFL Power Rankings Week 10 are decided now.

It was a rough weekend for anyone betting favorites as teams like Tampa Bay, Tennessee and San Diego played well enough to not only ruin the bet for pointspread players, but teaser bettors as well.

The Buccaneers, complaining early in the week of lingering jetlag symptoms from their trip to jolly old London, paid moneyline bettors at more than 4-to-1 odds for that shocking defeat of the shattered, battered and bruised Packers team.

Even the favorites in Jacksonville, Indianapolis, New England and New Orleans –teams we all really expect to play well every week, won straight-up but failed to cover the spread. Oops, scratch the Jaguars from that ranking list.

If you had an off-week and were hurt by a bad beat or total that just missed, take a few days to regroup before charging into the Week 10 card with a bad taste still lingering.

Getting back on the horse is a good strategy for the long term but you just want to make sure your handicapping skills and judgment are not being too heavily clouded by what was an abnormally lopsided day for underdogs.

Week 10 NFL Power Rankings

1. New Orleans Saints – The Patriots are knocking but as we stated last week, until a defense proves they can slow this offense down they will remain atop our list. Is everyone as excited about the Week 12 Monday Night Football game as we are?

2. New England – Hopefully if you had the Pats vs. Miami you didn’t get hooked by the 10. QB Brady is without a doubt, 100-percent.

3. Indianapolis – If covering spreads counted, we may have to consider this ranking but the replacement defenders on the Colts are actually doing quite well.

4. Minnesota – Off-week to help rest up for… a three-game home stand? Starting with Detroit?

5. Dallas – Leapfrogged a couple teams with win at Philadelphia. Cowboys have now won four-straight.

6. Baltimore – This is where the rankings start getting a little congested.

7. Denver – Hard to believe Kyle Orton would ever rate this high. Denver’s defense is arguably the best in the league.

8. Philadelphia – Poppin’ Fresh Andy Reid fails miserably at clock management and play-calling late vs. Dallas but the Eagles are still loaded with talent.

9. Pittsburgh – Results from Monday unknown at press time so off a bye, Steelers win streak is still intact.

10. Cincinnati – Season sweep of the Ravens gets the Bengals a well-earned, first-ever top 10 rating at BetRepublic.com.

11. Atlanta – It was only Washington but the Falcons did end a two-game slide and both those losses were against teams in our top 5. Atlanta looked feisty last Sunday and needs to take that aggression on the road for the next two weeks (at CAR, at NYG).

12. Arizona – Shook off bad game vs. Panthers and QB Warner was on fire at Chicago. Offensive numbers still a little one-dimensional but 182 rushing yards vs. Bears opens things up.

13. Miami – Faced tough challenge at Foxboro but will not be caught looking against in-state rival this week coming off an upset win as a double-digit dog.

14. New York Giants – HC Coughlin is starting to look old. Either that or he’s just really tired of watching this team underperform. Needed a bye in the worst way.

15. San Diego – Three-straight wins for Chargers giving them some momentum. Opponents were not exactly top-shelf, but divisional wins count big time and rematch in Week 11 at Denver will be very interesting if Bolts beat Philly this week.

16. Houston – Defense has come a long way since being rated 32 in the league. It’s only fitting to put the Texans at the .500 spot in our ratings.

17. Green Bay – Potential is all that’s keeping the Packers in this spot. Rematch vs. Vikings was Green Bay’s Super Bowl and team played at Tampa like it was their Pro Bowl.

18. New York Jets – Rookie QB r-HC combo still shaping team and with run-game and defense the Jets are still on the uptick.

19. San Francisco – Let one slip away vs. Tennessee and it could hurt them in race for worst division.

20. Chicago – Need to learn how to play a full 60 minutes. Maybe send DT Harris to whatever school Albert Haynesworth took to learn how to play nice with others, too.

21. Seattle – Just missed top 20; needed QB Stafford’s help and maybe could’ve found a way in through the backdoor.

22. Jacksonville – Brutal against the spread but Jags have won four of past six.

23. Carolina – Panthers start two-game home stand right now and seem poised for at least one good game. Two in a row has obviously been banned this year.

24. Washington – Redskins will likely be first NFC team to fire HC in attempt to trick fans into believing next year will be any better.

25. Tennessee – 0-6 start has made it very possible for Titans to move up these rankings every single week from now until January.

26. Buffalo – Highest ranking team of all three foolish enough to fire O-Co in weeks before season began.

27. Kansas City – Letting go of Larry Johnson will be seen as a positive step in KC.

28. St. Louis – Three-straight home games for the Rams can only be seen as a good thing.

29. Tampa Bay – That win catapults the Bucs above and beyond the Bermuda Triangle making up bottom of this list.

30. Cleveland – The Browns are SO lucky Detroit lost at Seattle or they would have fallen even further.

31. Oakland – Same thing for the Raiders.

32. Detroit – Showed so much promise beating Washington but that was too long ago to count for anything in this league. Lions look like they will be a much better team in 2010. Early projection: Four wins.

Week 10 NFL Power Rankings