NFL 2010 Week 16 Power Rankings

The Deceptive Power Ranking
As I look through numerous websites I have noticed that the power ranking doesn't always reflect superior team performance. The NFL power rankings in 2010 that are more or less based on won-loss record and alphabetic ordering --which many writers translate directly into a power ranking-- is deceptive and yet indicative if you look closely because it's frequently a composite number that places teams first by won-loss record and then by alphabetic ordering...NFL .com for instance put Atlanta with an "A" ahead of New England with an "N" and some people think that means Atlanta is better than New England. A casual onlooker might not perceive the "accidental" ordering that I mentioned above.

Alphabetically Better?
New England has a better net point differential than Atlanta: they have, in fact, the best net point number--143-- in the NFL. A team that is on the outside looking in at other playoff teams--if the playoffs started today--is the San Diego Chargers who have believe or not the second best net point differential at 128. Green Bay has a net point differential of 113 and they are also out of the playoffs today and need to win to get in. The Packers lost three games in the early season by a field goal and could easily be 11-3 with a tiny bit of better fortune or good bounces if you will. Here's the power ranking without the composite which just puts won-loss record in and starts there. To my mind the real measure over a long season of the best team is how they performed without the artificial overlay of a won-loss record. To see who's likely to make the playoffs go to my story HERE.

Net Point Differential
The list I've compiled is of all the teams with positive point differentials meaning they have scored more points than they've given up...as you can see fourteen of the thirty two NFL teams have positive net point numbers. There are twenty teams on December 22, 2010 who still have a shot at the playoffs so there are a handful of net-negative teams who can play in the postseason...it doesn't happen often.

Here are the teams who have performed best over the first fourteen games of the 2010 season. These are the NFL teams that have net positive point differentials during the 2010 season. To see how your favorite team might do this week go to my week 16 predictions stories HERE.

My NFL Power Rankings: December 22, 2010
1 New England...net points 143

2 San Diego...net points 128

3 Green Bay...net points 113

4 Atlanta...net points 108

5 Pittsburgh...net points 87

6 New Orleans...net points 84

7 Philadelphia...net points 73

8 New York Giants...net points 72

9 Baltimore...net points 71

10 Chicago...net points 51

11 Kansas City...net points 41

12 Tennessee...net points 40

13 Indianapolis...net points 39

14 New York Jets...net points 36

Resources:
www.NFL.com

Related Articles:
Tom Hayfield's Week 16 Predictions
NFL 2010: the Playoff Chase