NFL Power Rankings

No one is more accurate on their NFL Power Rankings than the great Jeff Thurn of ESPN 99.1 out of Sioux Falls, SD. Its unbelievable, Jeff Thurn’s ability to accurately evaluate the NFL’s elite.

Now that we have that out of the way, I would like to introduce myself to some of you readers who may not know me yet, my name is Jeff Thurn.

Always nice to lead with a joke when you are trying to evaluate the NFL. We all know if you don’t like the results, wait a week, because everything is Not For Long.

But in all seriousness, I pride myself on evaluations. I take my power rankings from after week 10 all the way through the Super Bowl. Follow along and feel free to give your feedback.

1. New England Patriots - With the Broncos losing last week to the St. Louis Rams, its time for a new top dog in our NFL Power Rankings. With a convincing win over the Indianapolis Colts last week on National TV, the Patriots convinced me that they are the best team in the NFL as of today. It was the same old story for the Pats, some guy you've never heard of shining on the biggest stage in Jonas Gray who ran for 201 yards and 4 TD's. This week New England will get a huge NFC test as the second best D in the league comes to town in the Lions. I still like the Pats to make it out with a win.

2. Green Bay Packers - R E L A X. All year that is what I'm going to use as a symbol of what the Packers are all about. Even in times of tribulation, the Packers are calm, including the most calm of them all, the GREAT Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers is on a tear lately, throwing 9 TD's and NO interceptions in his last two starts and the Packers offense has scored 108 points in those two games as well.

3. Denver Broncos – A tough loss last week against the Rams has me moving Denver to #3. It appears after watching extensive tape on Peyton Manning this year, that his arm strength may be at a all time low. However, his football IQ may be at a all time high. The D has to get better especially against the pass if the Broncos have any hopes of making their 2nd strait Super Bowl. Plus, they have to figure out a way to get the tough yards at the end of the game, because right now I believe they don't even have confidence in themselves to do so.

4. Indianapolis Colts - At home you need to take care of business and the Colts didn't do that last week v. the Pats. But I think the loss came at the perfect time. Andrew Luck needs to continue to progress at a rapid rate, something I think he can do. Plus, now the defense of the Colts is aware that they can't stop a cold with the 3-4 defense against teams with stellar lines like New England so adjustments need to and will be made.

5. Detroit Lions - The D is the #2 D in the league, Mathew Stafford has his best weapon back in Megatron and yet I still have no confidence in the Lions to win big games down the stretch. I need them to show me. Show me that you can go to New England and beat the Pats. Show me in December that you wont collapse. Show me that your D wont make bone headed mistakes that costs you yards in crutial situations throughout the game. Then I can elevate them more. For now, I think the Lions are in the perfect spot at #5.

Here’s the rest of the Top 15:

6. Philadelphia Eagles

7. Arizona Cardinals

8. Dallas Cowboys

9. Kansas City Chiefs

10. Seattle Seahawks

11. Baltimore Ravens

12. San Francisco 49ers

13. Miami Dolphins

14. Cincinnati Bengals

15. Pittsburgh Steelers

** YOU CAN EMAIL JEFF THURN AT JT@ESPN991.COM AND FOLLOW HIM ON TWITTER @JTESPN991. ALSO LISTEN TO HIM ON ESPN 99.1 AND WWW.ESPN991.COM