There are some weeks where you just shake your head and think, "do I really have to look at the power rankings after that one?" As we all know, the Indianapolis Colts lost to the New England Patriots on Sunday night, 42-20, and that likely will mean a bit of a change for Indy this week, and not the good kind. With that said, however, let's keep in mind that this team is still 6-4 and in first place in the AFC South, and on that note let's look at several power rankings this week:
ESPN ranks the Colts 9th, down two spots from last week:
Coby Fleener quietly was outstanding Sunday, posting a career-high 144 receiving yards on seven catches. With Dwayne Allen and Ahmad Bradshaw out, they'll need more of that from Fleener.
NFL.com's Elliot Harrison has the Colts 9th as well, a drop of three spots:
If the Colts are to do anything come January, they have to come up with some stops. The run defense was an abomination in Sunday's loss to the Patriots, and Andrew Luck can't be expected to put up 30 points every game. He's not Reggie Miller circa 1995, for crying out loud. Anyway, at this juncture, the defense merely needs to be Chuck Person or Rik Smits ... keep Indy from getting into track meets.
CBS Sports' Pat Kirwan ranks the Colts 8th, actually up a spot from a week ago for some reason:
Colts (9): The Colts have failed to stop the Patriots and the Broncos on offense. They currently are the AFC's No. 4 seed but their 27-0 shutout of the Bengals on Oct. 19 figures to eventually move them back up to No. 3. In Week 11, Indy surrendered 199 yards rushing and four TDs to the Pats' Jonas Gray, a former practice squad running back.
CBS Sports' Pete Prisco ranks the Colts 12th, also dropping them three spots from a week ago:
They have to be really concerned with what has happened with their defense the past month. Even Andrew Luck can't keep up if they give up 40.
Shutdown Corner's Frank Schwab has the Colts 7th, down two spots from last week:
7. Indianapolis Colts (6-4, LW: 5)
You can't discount Andrew Luck getting hot and carrying this team deep in the playoffs, but they're just not one of the elite teams in the conference.
FOX Sports ranks the Colts 10th, down three spots:
Ghosts of the past resurfaced for the Colts defense as they it was simply mauled at the line of scrimmage. With Ahmad Bradshaw hurt, the running game is now an even bigger question mark.
The Monday Morning Quarterback's Peter King still has the Colts at number six, the same as last week:
6. Indianapolis (6-4). Worrisome: Indy has lost to the best four teams it has played-Denver, Philly, Pittsburgh, New England.
SB Nation's Danny Kelly ranks the Colts 9th, a drop of one spot from last week. Bleeding Green Nation's Brandon Lee Gowton also ranks the Colts 9th, down two spots from last week:
9) Indianapolis Colts (LW: 7) - Andrew Luck was out-dueled by Tom Brady as Sunday Night Football continues to lack a competitive game.
One quick note: Andrew Luck was not out-dueled by Tom Brady, unless you mean he lost. In which case, the Colts were out-dueled by the Patriots. But in actuality, there were only two things keeping the Colts in the game as long as they were: Andrew Luck and Tom Brady. The Patriots quarterback did not play well at all in the first half while Luck had a good game - he just received no help from his teammates.
Rank | Change | |
ESPN | 9 | - 2 |
NFL.com | 9 | - 3 |
CBS Sports (Kirwan) | 8 | + 1 |
CBS Sports (Prisco) | 12 | - 3 |
Shutdown Corner | 7 | - 2 |
FOX Sports | 10 | - 3 |
MMQB | 6 | 0 |
SB Nation | 9 | - 1 |
Bleeding Green Nation | 9 | - 2 |
AVERAGE | 9 | - 2 |
All things considered, the Colts didn't take too much of a drop in this week's power rankings. When it comes to week eleven, there really aren't a ton of huge changes happening because one win or one loss is still only one out of ten or eleven. There's plenty to go off of, so power rankings tend to reflect the overall picture rather than just the most recent game. I think an average overall power ranking of number nine is accurate for this team. Oh, and in case you were wondering, the Patriots are number one in all but three of the power rankings we looked at, and in those three they are number two. And last week they were either one or two in every power ranking too - meaning the Colts lost to a team that is generally considered to be the best in the NFL (and if not the best, then the second best). It's not the end of the world by any means - but there are plenty of issues that we saw quite clearly on Sunday night. Once again, I think number nine is an accurate spot to put the Colts.