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PrintEach week throughout the NFL regular season, we’ll be providing our public perception rankings, a 1-through-32 look at the teams that might be overvalued or undervalued by Joe Public bettors.
After a second straight loss, this time to the Baltimore Ravens, the New England Patriots fell to No. 2 in our rankings. The Houston Texans now occupy the top spot, meaning we think the majority of the public would take them in pick ‘em on a neutral field against any other team in the league.
The Cleveland Browns remain in the basement and will likely occupy the spot for the foreseeable future.
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On the Rise: Arizona Cardinals (23rd to 18th). A team many predicted to finish dead last in the NFC West is suddenly unbeaten and holds a one-game lead over the 49ers and Seahawks. The Cardinals’ most recent win, a dominant 27-6 whipping of the Eagles, is likely to convince the public that they should be taken seriously. In Las Vegas, MGM properties are offering 100/1 odds on Arizona to finish a perfect 16-0.
Free Falling: Carolina Panthers (19th to 24th). What the heck happened to the Panthers? They were a popular pick in each of the first three weeks but haven’t impressed on either side of the ball. The public watched them get smoked by the Giants on Thursday night football, and now they’re 1-2 with a likely loss at Atlanta on deck. Carolina is a 7-point road underdog, and 76 percent of the public is on the Falcons. The season might be slipping away already.
With another win … The Kansas City Chiefs might be back in the public’s good graces. The Chiefs, a sexy pick to win the AFC West before the season, lost by a combined 34 points in their first two games. But they pulled off an 18-point comeback victory last week against the Saints, and now they’ll be playing for a share of the division lead this week against the Chargers.
With another loss … The Denver Broncos are in serious trouble. Peyton Manning has looked shaky in his two most recent outings, and the Broncos dropped both games—including one at home. If Denver loses as a 6-point home favorite against the Raiders this week, they could be in jeopardy of starting 1-3. The Broncos’ next two games: at New England, at San Diego. This is clearly an overvalued team right now.
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For people who like these rankings in plain-old text form, here ya go.
1. Texans (Last week: 3)
2. Patriots (1)
3. Ravens (4)
4. 49ers (2)
5. Falcons (6)
6. Packers (5)
7. Giants (10)
8. Cowboys (9)
9. Steelers (7)
10. Bears (13)
11. Broncos (11)
12. Chargers (12)
13. Eagles (8)
14. Seahawks (16)
15. Bengals (20)
16. Lions (14)
17. Saints (15)
18. Cardinals (23)
19. Jets (17)
20. Redskins (18)
21. Bills (21)
22. Buccaneers (22)
23. Chiefs (24)
24. Panthers (19)
25. Vikings (25)
26. Titans (28)
27. Dolphins (29)
28. Raiders (30)
29. Rams (27)
30. Colts (26)
31. Jaguars (31)
32. Browns (32)
