Rise/Sink/Float Week 11

Each week, we look through the Sunday NFL results to find one team that’s rising, one team that’s sinking, and one team that stays at the same level. You’ll see these changes reflected in our weekly Football Relativity comparison of all 32 teams.

OLB Von Miller (58) and the Broncos celebrated against the Jets, via kfoxtv.com

Rise – Denver Broncos – You may call it the power of Tim Tebow, but the reason the Broncos are rising into the AFC West race is a defense that is playing lights-out right now. Rookie OLB Von Miller is a force, but the entire defense excelled once again in the Thursday-night 17-13 win over the New York Jets. Tebow may be 4-1 as a starter, but that’s in large part due to the defense that allowed 15, 10, 24, and 13 points in those four wins. If the defense can keep games low-scoring, Tebow doesn’t have to be dynamic – he just has to make a play or two. That will be enough for Denver to make a run at 9-7, which could be enough to win a competitive but mediocre division.

Sink – New York Giants – We floated the Giants last week after a road loss to the 49ers, but falling at home to the Michael Vick-less Philadelphia Eagles is inexcusable. Eli Manning has had some great games this season, but Sunday night wasn’t one of them, as he completed just 18-of-35 passes and threw an interception. Now the Giants face a full-on dogfight from the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East, and chances are just one of those teams can make the postseason.

Float – Detroit Lions – The Lions fell behind to the Carolina Panthers at home by 17 points, but rallied for a 49-35 win. While Detroit has a high-powered offense, the Panthers’ performance again raises questions about whether the defense is built for the long haul. Still, at 7-3 the Lions are in the playoff hunt, and a few more offensive explosions will get them there. The question this week is whether they can explode against the Packers on Thanksgiving and keep up with Aaron Rodgers and company on the scoreboard.