While the Lions had their quest for perfection snapped by the 49ers, the Trench Counter was decidedly in their favor in the game. Due to a +7 in first downs and San Francisco racking up more than 120 yards, the Lions were +11.3 in the TC. The Eagles moved into positive TC territory with a +14.4 against the Redskins. This is not as strong of an NFC East as we have seen in previous seasons, but all four teams are in the top-12 TC Median. The Saints showed some vulnerability in their loss to Tampa Bay this week and the Trench Counter was spotting that trend in previous wins where they had a -4.8 in a Week 5 win at Carolina as well as a -1.7 in their Week 2 win against Chicago. This team certainly has what it takes to win a Super Bowl on paper, but assuming they are the true NFC challenger to the Packers is unfounded based on their performance. Finally, in looking at the Raiders decision to go all-in on the 2011 season by trading Carson Palmer, we must ask if their play on the field warrants the risk. The eye-test when looking at the running game of Darren McFadden and some of their playmaking on defense does make them seem like a playoff team, but they rank 20th in TC Average and 26th in TC Median. The Raiders are finding ways to win despite less than truly dominant performances. But what is more concerning is the strength of the Chargers, who rank 4th in Average and 3rd in Median. They play in a media vacuum and their only loss was at New England in Week 2. The Week 10 and Week 17 matchups between these two teams will likely determine a playoff berth, though the Wildcard should remain a question if the Bills/Jets, Steelers/Bengals cannibalize each other. The Trench Counter formula, which the below rankings are solely based upon, creates a completely objective examination. The formula accounts for yards per carry, yards per pass, first downs, turnovers and penalties. It attempts to identify which team controls the line of scrimmage, controls the trenches. The true intention of this type of ranking system is to identify teams that may be over or underrated. Average Trench Counter Per Game 1. Baltimore Ravens: 10.9 2. Green Bay Packers: 8.2 3. Detroit Lions: 7.4 4. San Diego Chargers: 7.4 5. New England Patriots: 5.5 6. San Francisco 49ers: 5.3 7. Pittsburgh Steelers: 4.6 8. New York Giants: 3.7 9. Cincinnati Bengals: 3.1 10. Houston Texans: 2.9 11. Buffalo Bills: 2.0 12. Philadelphia Eagles: 1.9 13. Dallas Cowboys: 1.0 14. Washington Redskins: 0.4 15. Carolina Panthers: -0.7 16. New Orleans Saints: -0.8 17. Atlanta Falcons: -0.8 18. Minnesota Vikings: -1.1 19. Tennessee Titans: -1.3 20. Oakland Raiders: -2.6 21. Jacksonville Jaguars: -2.8 22. New York Jets: -3.2 23. Chicago Bears: -3.4 24. Miami Dolphins: -3.6 25. Denver Broncos: -4.1 26. Indianapolis Colts: -4.4 27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: -4.8 28. Cleveland Browns: -5.0 29. Seattle Seahawks: -6.5 30. Arizona Cardinals: -6.8 31. Kansas City Chiefs: -6.8 32. St. Louis Rams: -9.7 Median 1. Baltimore Ravens: 14.5 2. Detroit Lions: 9.2 3. San Diego Chargers: 9.2 4. Green Bay Packers: 8.6 5. New England Patriots: 7.3 6. Pittsburgh Steelers: 5.4 7. New York Giants: 5.4 8. Philadelphia Eagles: 3.3 9. Washington Redskins: 3 10. San Francisco 49ers: 3.0 11. Cincinnati Bengals: 2.1 12. Dallas Cowboys: 1.3 13. Carolina Panthers: 0.9 14. Buffalo Bills: 0.8 15. Houston Texans: 0.3 16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 0.0 17. New Orleans Saints: -0.3 18. Minnesota Vikings: -0.4 19. Miami Dolphins: -1.1 20. Atlanta Falcons: -1.4 21. Tennessee Titans: -1.7 22. New York Jets: -2.7 23. Indianapolis Colts: -3.2 24. Jacksonville Jaguars: -3.3 25. Denver Broncos: -3.3 26. Oakland Raiders: -3.8 27. Cleveland Browns: -3.9 28. Seattle Seahawks: -4.8 29. Arizona Cardinals: -5.1 30. Chicago Bears: -5.6 31. Kansas City Chiefs: -5.7 32. St. Louis Rams: -5.9