Top 12 regular season Power Rankings, 2009

[74_75_78_79_]

My guess is Saints won’t be anyone’s #1 due to that 3-game skid to end things. Perhaps not even #2 either; that Vikings squad arguably their best ever since the ’70s, arguably better than ’98 as well. Maybe not #3...Chargers ending things on that 11-game win-streak. Maybe SD is #1 (and they had their way with Indy all decade long). Top-4 in itself should be an interesting exercise.

Do the three above-500 non-playoff qualifiers (Falcons, Steelers, Texans; each 9-7) sneak into this list? Atlanta did beat playoff-bound (also 9-7) NYJ on the road late. Steelers may have a case. They win final three games, beating GB then even-ing things out vs also playoff-bound/also 9-7 Ravens Wks 14 & 15 respectively. ’09 almost turned out to be ’89 for the ’Burgh. Texans won their final four.

Of the three 11-5 teams, you had Dallas sweep Philly hence win division because of that; but the remaining 11-5, GB, beat Dallas. Your 10-6s include NE in a rare just-‘good’ campaign, Bengals who swept Steelers (but get lesser seed than Pats due to ‘strength of victory’ tie-breaker), and defending-conference-champ Cards.

Okay, let’s shuffle up.

Next...2007 and that’ll complete the ’00s!

[ChrisBabcock]

You’re right, this was definitely an interesting season at the top of the standings. The Colts and Saints looked like they were on a collision course for the Super Bowl all year, with the Chargers hot on their tail. Then their December letdowns brought some other teams into the conversation. (Packers and Vikings)

1. Chargers... won their last 11. I remember being shocked at seeing them lose to the Jets in the divisional round.
2. Colts
3. Saints
4. Vikings
5. Packers... won 7 of last 8. I was tempted to put them in the 4 slot because of Vikings 2-3 finish. Did get swept by those Vikings though so they are here.
6. Cowboys... shutouts in weeks 16 & 17.
7. Patriots... “only” 10-6 *gasp!*
8. Jets... 5-1 finish
9. Ravens
10. Eagles
11. Bengals
12. Steelers

13. Cardinals... Before starting this I thought I’d have them higher. Not many quality wins other than over the Vikings which sent them on their end of season mini-skid.

[74_75_78_79_]

1a) Chargers
1b) Colts
3) Vikings
4) Saints
5) Packers
6) Cowboys
7) Eagles
8) Bengals
9) Patriots
10) Jets
11 - tie) Cardinals & Steelers

Can't deny SD's 11-0 finish! Also the fact that they, as a lesser-seeded team each time, knocked out Indy the past two post-seasons. And Norv had shown as of late he could win in the post-season with SD, guiding Bolts to a CC game just two years prior. Colts losing last two is noticably more forgivable than losing last three like Saints did. Even with Dungy no longer at helm, 1st-year HC Caldwell did win first 14 games of the season, so no reason to strongly doubt he could win that nucleus of players from 2006 another Lombardi. Vikings' 2-3 finish is just enough to prevent me from placing them at '1c', but is also more forgivable than finishing 0-3. Seemed more balanced than NO anyway.

Perhaps not a popular opinion amongst Viking-fans or NFL-fans in-general, but if however barely I just may prefer their '09 installment over the very-heralded, 'sexier' 1998 campaign. Of course '98 were 15-1, had the weapons in Carter/Moss, but despite Robert Smith being underrated you have to view AP as a significant upgrade at RB; same with Favre (arguably his very best season) at QB over Cunningham. How about placing Jared Allen's defense over John Randle's? Either way, a solid squad that almost did beat NO and would have made for quite a contrast-in-styles SB vs Indy; an even better SB than the one which actually took place IMO. Favre & Peyton both play great games, but each throws at least one pick - question would be whose INT would be more costly if either one costly at all?

Green Bay beating Dallas and Dallas sweeping Philly makes #5 thru #7 pretty easy. I almost had Cincy & Pats tied but despite Bengals bad finish, I won't 'count' their 0-37 Week #17 blowout-loss to Jets (just like I won't 'count' NE's finale; both had their respective divisions clinched going in). I'll instead look at Cincy's sweep of both Ravens and Steelers as well as their win at Lambeau albeit that one being quite early on. Yes, Jets would go to Cincy 1st-Rd and beat them again anyway but not knowing that ahead of time, nor that they would actually make AFCCG, will keep them where they're at.

Not knowing that Ravens would go to Foxboro and decimate Pats (something I don't think Steelers would have done had it been they going there instead), I had to give my Steelers the 'tie-breaker' over them by way of their Week #16 victory over them. Tale of two teams those '09 Steelers were - the team that started 6-2 handing Vikes their first defeat and finished 3-0 beating GB then Balt; and that 0-5 team in the middle, each loss a very close one but, hey, a loss-is-a-loss (losing to Chiefs, Raiders, and Browns??) Cards' lack of QWs, as you point out Chris, prevents me from placing them above the very team that beat them the SB prior, but they being 10-6 instead of 9-7 along with a late win vs Vikes - and me still feeling they could be dangerous in the playoffs - prevents me from placing Steelers over them as well.

Ravens, Falcons (yes, they won at NYJ late), Texans each have a case to just make this list, but they just miss the cut with me. If I have to pick between these three for 'honorable mention', I guess I'd have to say Ravens for actually making the playoffs along with that 9th in points-for and 3rd in points-against. The 8-8s? Can't say much for Den & NYG due to their bad finishes but Singletary's Niners (sweeping Cards), Carolina (8-5 finish, also beating Cards - and on road - as well as Atl & Minn), and Titans (8-2 finish! Split w Texans and beat Cards as well) all worth a mention but not enough to have a case over any of the 9-7s.

EDIT - Colts were higher-seeded than SD in ’07 but not in ’08. They just had a (much) better record, 12-4 to 8-8.

[ChrisBabcock]

Random off topic sort of non-football story, but something I’ll never forget about those 2009 Colts. Every other Christmas we drive to St. Louis (from Buffalo) to see my wife’s family. We drove back on Sunday the 27th. Before we got out of Illinois, a nasty blizzard hit. We probably weren’t doing any more than 30 on the interstate. As we got towards the Indianapolis area, the traffic got a bit heavier with only the tail lights of the cars in front of me to guide the way. Anyone who’s driven in whiteout conditions before knows that tail lights are your friend! I remembered the Colts were playing at home vs. the Jets so I found the game on the radio as I white-knuckled it through the city. In downtown, usually you can see Lucas Oil Stadium right there next to I-70 as you’re driving through. All I saw was whiteout. As I was being amazed that I usually see a gigantic football stadium out my driver’s side window, I turned back to look in front of me and saw that one of those sets of tail lights that I was following was no longer red. They were white! I then calmly maneouvered around the car that had spun out and was facing the wrong way on the highway that I was about to crash into head on into.

We finally gave up driving in Erie, PA and got a hotel room. Its normally a one day trip.

The Colts had a 14-0 record on the line that day. I remember Caldwell saying he had no desire for 16-0 and was going to rest starters. I see Curtis Painter subbed in for Manning at some point that game even though the Colts had a 15-10 lead in the 3rd quarter.

They lost to the Bills here in Buffalo the following week.

[74_75_78_79_]

Wow! Well thank God you made it through okay. Only been to Indianapolis once with a friend who was a diehard F1 fan. We saw the race at the Speedway. The track sort of reminds me of Lambeau, modest non-urban neighborhoods surrounding the site (tailgate on your front porch, then all walk to the game/race). I’ve never seen RCA nor Lucas though.

Yeah, I guess Caldwell followed Dungy’s example in resting starters once that 1st Rd bye was clinched. Makes you wonder if ’00s Colts win at least a couple more Lombardis or at least get past divisional more often if not for that? Guess we’ll never know for sure. At least Caldwell didn’t go one-in-done in the ’09 playoffs as well as bringing Colts back to the Bowl. In that decade - twice in each case - the Chargers would spoil things for better-record Colts, Jets spoiling things for higher-seeded Chargers.