After some consideration, here are my top five rivalries currently in the NFL:

5. Vikings vs Packers
This rivalry might fade out of the top five soon, but for now, it’s hard to argue that it isn’t exciting when Brett Favre has a chance to play his old team. It also doesn’t hurt that it is a huge divisional rivalry that usually has playoff implications for at least one of the teams involved.

4. Jets vs Patriots
First there was Spygate, then came Bill Belichick vs Rex Ryan – what’s not to love about this division rivalry? When these two teams get together it certainly is going to be a physical game.

3. Eagles vs Giants
If you continue with the theme, huge rivalry games tend to be the best rivalries in football. This game is as big as they get for both franchises. The Philadelphia – New York regional rivalry seemingly never gets old.

2. Colts vs Patriots
Tom Brady vs Peyton Manning, two of the best QBs in currently in the NFL,not to mention NFL History. These teams have played some tremendous games in the playoffs which is why this rivalry is the only non-divisional rivalry that makes my list. As long as Brady and Manning are around, these teams will be good and that will equal must watch football every time they play.

1. Ravens vs Steelers
The Ravens and Steelers is the best rivalry in the NFL because both teams specialize in smash mouth defense. Whenever these teams get together, you know you are going to have to play hard for the entire 60 minutes. Also, I have never witnessed two sets of fans with more hatred towards each other than Ravens – Steelers.

Would you add a rivalry to this list?

[Photo Credit: SBNation.com]

Manning has no choice but to watch as Colts blow lead and lose first game

Well, after that decision the Colts were outscored 19-0 and lost the game. Curtis Painter, came into the game and fumbled on the Jets’ 20 yard line. The fumble was recovered in the end-zone for a Jets touchdown. Later, the Jets got a field goal and then it was over when Painter threw an interception that set-up a Jets’ touchdown drive. You can clearly see the common theme here- two turnovers lead to two Jet’s touchdowns. Once can reasonably state if Manning was in the game, both turnovers would have been avoided (Manning’s quicker release would have avoided the fumble, and the interception was just a bad decision, which Manning would not make).

But the decision is bigger than just losing the game to the Jets. The Colts are 14-1 and clinched home field advantage throughout the playoffs. What they set out to do this season in the regular season is accomplished, the playoffs remain to complete all their goals. So, this decision was not a big deal and one can now confidently state with no perfect season on the line and nothing to play for, Manning will be benched again next week and then they get the first week BYE in the playoffs. That will make 3 consecutive weeks without playing an entire football game- that is my problem with the decision.

The Colts have been in the playoffs nine times since Peyton Manning was drafted in 1998. In 1999, 2005 and 2007 the Colts had wrapped up a first round BYE early and in all three season they decided to bench the starters in the last couple games. The result in each of those seasons- a loss in the first playoff game that they played. The Colts have one Super Bowl in those nine playoff appearances. Yes, they are good in the regular season, but it doesn’t mean much. Coach Caldwell should have played Manning to keep his team fresh. What are the chances of Manning getting injured? He has started 191 regular season games, which is every single game he has ever been apart of. This decision will comeback to hurt the Colts as I feel the Chargers are the team to beat in the NFL.

Maybe Manning should have pulled a Favre and refused to be benched?

No tweaks to the formula this week, I think it is ranking the teams very accurately.

The two biggest stories of Week 10 were the Bengals showing the NFL that they are for real. They completed the season sweep of the defending champion Steelers, with an impressive defensive showing. The biggest story was the Patriots- Colts game on Sunday Night. If you missed the end of the game, you certainly missed a wild one. You can read about it here.

And here are the rankings for Week 11:

*Tiers are teams that are within 20 points of each other using my formula*

Tier 1

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1. Colts- The Colts were able to comeback and outscore the Patriots 21-10 in the 4th quarter, proving how scary they can be. Looking at their remaining schedule, there is a chance that they will run the table during the regular season, however; I think they are beatable.
2. Saints- Only beating the Rams by 5 is not good enough. The offense looked a little sloppy and the defense looked vulnerable. They will need to improve if they want to beat the Patriots in 2 weeks.
   Tier 2

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3. Vikings- Sidney Rice and Brett Favre are looking pretty comfortable together, and not to mention they have Peterson to run the ball. The Vikings have another easy game next week against the Seahawks
4. Bengals- As I stated last week, the Bengals did have what it takes to beat the Steelers. The Bengals are for real this season. They played some solid defense against the Steelers and that is why they won the game. The Bengals are playing great football on all sides of the ball, and I would love to see them play the Colts in the playoffs.
5. Patriots- Don’t let the 6-3 record fool you. Each loss has come to a team that was undefeated at the time, and each loss was a close game. Back-to-back pressure games await the Patriots, so they will have to have a short memory about the way they just lost to the Colts.
6. Cards- The Cards are in first place of the weakest division in the NFL, but that doesn’t mean that they are a bad football team. The core of last year’s Super Bowl team is still with the team and they have the experience and talent to be in the hunt again this year. Don not let the egg that they laid against the Panthers distract you from the talent that this team has. Boldin finally being healthy is a huge addition to the team.
7. Chargers- The Chargers are a dangerous football team, especially when Tomlinson is playing well. The improved running game will open the passing game for Rivers and that means trouble for defensive coordinators. The Chargers can score with anyone in the NFL.
8. Steelers- They lost to the Bengals for the second time this season and this loss pretty much ensures that they will not win the division this year. The Bengals have a favorable schedule to end the season and the Steelers, despite being only 1 game back, have to make up 2 games because of the tie breaker.
   Tier 3

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9. Cowboys- The Tony Romo that started the season that showed up against the Packers. Costly turnovers lost the game for the Cowboys, and they were lucky to even score in the game. The Cowboys are still in first place and are still looking good to make the playoffs this year.
10. Broncos- The Broncos weakness is a good defense. Three straight games against top ten defenses equaled three straight losses for the Broncos. Those games really exposed their offense and too make things worse, Orton went down with an injury and does not look good for this week.  This week they will have a tough game against the Chargers, with the division on the line.
11. Ravens- The win against the Browns did nothing for me. The Ravens won the game 16-0, only scoring 10 points on offense against the Browns. The Ravens will have to play much better offense if they want to make the playoffs this season (and I don’t like their chances).
12. Texans- The Texans had a BYE week and move up one spot as a result. In week 11, they play the Titans on Monday Night and it should be a very high scoring game. The Texans will need to win to legitimize any chance they may have at making the playoffs.
13. Packers- Only 4 sacks allowed on Sunday, not too bad considering recent weeks. The Packers are a very underrated football team. They are top ten in all major defensive categories and they are top 12 in all major offensive categories.
14. Eagles- The Eagles blew another opportunity this week. A week after the Cowboys took the division lead from them, they had a chance to make that game up. They were not able to capitalize on a Cowboys loss and their playoff hopes are starting to deteriorate. The Eagles offense has been terribly inconsistent this season and that will be problem for them. My heart goes out to Westbrook, who suffered another concussion and his season/career may be in jeopardy.
15. Falcons- The Falcons are in trouble. Their best offensive player (Turner) went down with an injury against the Panthers (he had over 100 yards rushing in the first half) and Matt Ryan looks like he is in the midst of a major sophomore slump.
    Tier 4

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16. Dolphins- The Dolphins were very lucky to beat the Bucs last week, and it should not have been that close. The positive is that Ricky Williams is dominating this season, the negative Ronnie Brown did not play in the 4th quarter because of an injury.
17. Jaguars- The Jaguars gave up the lead and were very lucky to be able to win against the Jets. Maurice Jones-Drew destroyed the hopes of many fantasy owners when he decided to take a knee at the 1 yard line to set up the game winning field goal, rather than take the go ahead TD and give the ball back to the Jets. It was a smart football move, but not fantasy football. The Jaguars are a quite 5-4 on the season and they still have an outside shot at the playoffs.
18. Giants- The Giants had a BYE week and move down one spot as a result of the games played in week 10. Hopefully they are rested and prepared to play the Falcons this week.
19. Panthers- Another week has passed that Delhomme has not turned the ball over. If the Panthers are to keep winning, that must keep happening. Everyone knows that the Panthers can run the ball, but teams need to respect some sort of passing game.
20. Titans- Undefeated since Vince Young took over, the Titans have found an offensive rhythm over the past few weeks. Chris Johnson continues to improve from his rookie of the year season. He had over 100 yards both rushing and receiving against the Bills and he leads the team in rushing and receiving on the season.
    Tier 5

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21. 49ers- The 49ers got back in the win column in Week 10, thanks to pressure defense that forced Jay Cutler into 5 interceptions. It was the 49ers first win outside of the division. It was not an impressive win, but it might be a spark to team that was in dire need of one.
22. Jets- What happened to the 3-0 Jets that beat the Patriots?
23. Seahawks- The Seahawks continue to play poorly on the road, and they will not get any where if they can not win on the road.
24. Bears- The Bears continued their downward spiral behind 5 interceptions thrown by Cutler. The Bears gave up a lot to get the Pro Bowl QB in the off-season, and he has been a bust so far.
25. Bills- The Bills are in major trouble, the offense is terrible and it is causing Owens to start to talk. Owens complaining is never a good thing for a team, just ask the 49ers, Eagles and Cowboys.
    Tier 6

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26. –Chiefs- In the NFL a win is a win, but the Chiefs are still not a good football team.
27. Redskins- The Redskins defense is pretty good. They are ranked number one against the pass, but the rushing defense leaves some to be desired. They looked inspired against the Broncos in Week 10 and if they can match that intensity; they might be able to come away with a win in Dallas (although I wouldn’t bet on it).
    Tier 7

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28. Raiders- The Raiders should start preparing from the 2012 season, because they are going nowhere in the near future.
29. Bucs- The Bucs almost won back-to-back games with Freeman at the helm. Freeman is not having too bad a season, at least he is keeping his team in the game.
30. Rams- The Rams had two weeks to prepare for the Saints, and they gave them everything they had. The Rams played well against the undefeated Saints and almost pulled the upset of the season. Steven Jackson is the man, and the Rams need him to continue to play at a high level if they want to get back into the win column this season.
31. Browns- The Browns need a new QB. Quinn looked horrible attempting to throw the deep ball (several weren’t even close to landing in bounds) and he pretty much looked horrible every time he dropped back to throw the ball. To make things worse, the Browns best player, Cribbs, was carted off the field after the meaningless last play of the game.
32. –Lions- The Lions might get win #2 when they play the Browns in Detroit in week 11. They should be excited, because it will most likely be their last win of the season. I am going to go out on a limb and say it will be blacked-out on local TV (just like their first win).

That will do it for the Week 11 rankings. Questions and comments are always welcome, leave a comment below or send me a tweet @MikesPickz

If the Patriots convert on 4th down, Belichick is a genius, but that is not what happened. A short screen to the right side right at the marker came up short. Somewhat questionable spot, but nonetheless the Patriots could not challenge because they had just wasted two timeouts on that drive, leaving them with none. Even with a challenge, I don’t think that the ball gets moved.

That failed conversion set-up Peyton Manning to go less than 30 yards with 2 minutes- too easy. The Colts ran the clock before hitting Wayne with a slant on the left side leaving the Patriots to have to go 80 yards with 13 seconds. What!?! Why?!? ****?!?! are some of the things NFL fans, especially Patriots fans are thinking right now. You would rather have one of the best closers in NFL history go 30 yards than 70 yards?

Wow, Belichick will never live this call down. It was primetime against their biggest rivals and Belichick slapped his defense in the face by saying he didn’t think they could stop Manning from going 70 yards in 2 minutes. They already picked Manning off twice.

That call may go down as the dumbest coaching move of all-time. Can anyone even think of a call that comes close?