It's Tuesday on NFL.com, and that means it's time for the power rankings. But here on the Pick Six, we see things a little differently. While everybody is debating who should be called the NFL's best, let's not ignore the NFL's worst. Those are the teams we will be talking about once the draft gets closer.
And a quick aside, to all New York Giants fans ... you're welcome. The Giants' appearance in the bottom six was no doubt the impetus for their dramatic rally at Dallas on Sunday. (That, and Miles Austin somehow losing the ball in the lights.) And while I still might not consider Eli Manning an elite quarterback, I did have him on my Pro Bowl ballot.
Intrigued?
And without further ado ...
RANK
6
OAKLAND RAIDERS (7-6)
Remember when the Raiders were playing inspired football? Me neither. I would slot the Dolphins in this spot right here, but how could I justify that? The Raiders have looked terrible in back-to-back losses to the Dolphins and Packers. In fact, the Raiders looked like they didn't belong on the same field as the Packers on Sunday. Look at the bright side, Raiders fans: If your team loses out (which is possible), it will have a chance to get a nice draft pick. Oh, right ... well, I'm sure the Bengals will use that pick wisely.
Up next: vs. Lions
RANK
5
WASHINGTON REDSKINS (4-9)
You can see why the Redskins have put so much faith in Rex Grossman. No matter what happens, no matter how good he looks, you just know he's going to find a way to lose the game. And all of these losses could mean the difference between winning and blowing your chance for a quarterback consolation prize in the draft. But the 'Skins need to be focused this week; with the Giants coming off a huge win at Dallas, this matchup screams 'trap' for both teams.
Up next: at Giants
RANK
4
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (4-9)
The Buccaneers jumped out to a 14-0 lead on Jacksonville (last week's No. 4) before remembering that they're the Buccaneers and have already quit on the season. I don't want to say that they mailed in the rest of the game, but they looked like they were being coached by Cliff Clavin (could have gone with "Newman," too) en route to a 41-14 loss.
Up next: vs. Dallas
RANK
3
MINNESOTA VIKINGS (2-11)
The Vikings survived a late scare in Detroit, but managed to hang on for the loss. A great non-call on DeAndre Levy's blatant pulling of Joe Webb's facemask helped Minnesota keep pace with St. Louis for the No. 2 spot. And imagine Leslie Frazier's embarrassment at having to decline that penalty in order to take the loss. One other thing: Don't let Webb back on the field; he nearly made the Vikings win.
Up next: vs. New Orleans
RANK
2
ST. LOUIS FC (2-11)
St. Louis has to be careful in the coming weeks. With other contenders for the bottom, such as Kansas City and Miami, dumping coaches, the Rams can't make the same mistake by firing Steve Spagnuolo. Such a move might inspire the team down the stretch. Thankfully, rumors of current offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels taking the Chiefs job might cause enough disharmony to keep the Rams solidly in the No. 2 slot. Unless, of course, the thought of McDaniels leaving the team actually pumps up the offense, which is entirely possible, too. Actually, the latter is the most likely scenario.
Up next: vs. Cincinnati
RANK
1
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (0-13)
My favorite news story of the past couple of weeks is Archie Manning asserting that Peyton won't play alongside Andrew Luck (assuming the Colts draft him). Good to see that America's Soccer Mom continues to dictate where his sons will play in the NFL. And how did Archie get this aura about him? He was an decent NFL quarterback, but enough to get this kind of pull? That would be akin to Kyle Orton engineering trades for his sons 20 years from now. At some point you'd say, "Hey, why are we listening to Kyle Orton?" I wish somebody would do that with Archie.
Up next: vs. Tennessee
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