Cowboys and Ravens Tie High in Silly ESPN Power Index - But How?

Originally posted on FanNation Cowboy Maven
By Mike Fisher | Last updated 12/29/23

If we learned anything from watching the Stanley Kubrick classic “2001: A Space Odyssey,” it was to take a cautious approach to trusting machines that think.

Fast-forward later after the release of that film and we’re left wondering …

Who’s running ESPN nowadays? HAL 9000?

ESPN's Football Power Index - which as we understand it is all about some fancy Bristol computer - has updated its rankings for every team in the league in summation of NFL Week 16.

And despite getting blown out by the Baltimore Ravens at home on Monday, the 49ers remain the No. 1 team in the NFL with an "FPI of 10.3.''

(No we don't know or care much about what an "FPI of 10.3'' means.)

So ... the 12-3 Ravens are inferior to the 11-4 49ers even though on Christmas we just watched the Ravens stomp the Niners, 33-19, on the road?

Want more bizarre nonsense about "the FPI'' (again, whatever that means)? Not only are the Ravens not the No. 1 team - because The Bills are ranked second (with a "9.3'') after beating the lowly Chargers last Saturday in a too-close game - Baltimore is tied for third (with a "9.0,'' whatever that means) with ...

The Dallas Cowboys! Yes, the computer says the Cowboys - despite their 22-20 loss at Miami (which to our eyes means Miami is better than Dallas, right?) -are tied for being the third-best team in the NFL.

Even though, you know ... they're not.

This article first appeared on FanNation Cowboy Maven and was syndicated with permission.

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