Nov

27

NFL Power Rankings Week 12

Posted by Matt Loede under Power Rankings 

Jamal Lewis of the Browns  

We’re officially into the stretch run of the regular season, and things have become very interesting in the wild card and even some of the divisional races around the league. With that here we are with our week 13 edition of our power rankings.

NFC Top 5

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1. Dallas (1) – The best team in the conference had a bye this past week, as they took on the Jets at home and won easily 34-3 on Thanksgiving. The showdown with the Packers is up next, and this game with them is ultra critical for home field throughout the NFC playoffs.

2. Green Bay (2) – Packers did a nice job on the road in Detroit making sure they took care of business against a Lions team that sorely needed a win. Brett Favre has never played well against the Cowboys, so this Thursday’s matchup is a good time for him to excerise his demons.

3. Seattle (4) – The Hawks did have luck on their side Sunday in St.Louis, as they knocked Marc Bulger out of the game and then got slippery fingers Gus to drop the ball on 4th-and-goal from the one yard line to preserve a win. They seem to actually be better without Shaun Alexander.

4. Tampa Bay (-) – It looks as if the Bucs are for real, as their defense stepped up and did what it had to do in stopping the Skins Sunday at home. Jeff Garcia needs to be healthy if this team is going to make some noise in the playoffs, and their game with the Saints Sunday is going to be key in winning the South.

5. New York Giants (3) – Poor Eli. With brother Peyton looking on, Eli threw three picks back for scores, and four overall in their bad loss to the Vikings. They have a rather easy road to a wild card spot, but with Eli playing like he did Sunday, this team could have a major collapse still left in them.

NFC Bottom 3

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1. Atlanta (2) – The Falcons regain the top spot after blowing an early 10-0 lead at home to the Colts on Turkey day. They have a long list of needs this offseason, including QB as Joey Harrington and Byron Leftwich do not appear to be the answer long term.

2. St.Louis (3) – The Rams appeared to have been making strides with two straight wins, but then after leading at home to the Hawks the roof caved in and then the bumbling mistake at the goal line cost them the game. I still think they have 1-2 wins left in them though.

3. San Francisco (1) – On the road and with their backs against the wall, the 9′ers actually stepped up and pulled out a game they should have lost in beating the Cards in OT. San Fran has some tools, but other than the Cardinals they have only won one game this year, and that was against the Rams. Not good.

AFC Top 5

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1. New England (1) – Hmmm…so the Pats are capable of giving up points and having to hold on at the end against a team that they are clearly better than. At least their latest win in their march towards being perfect was entertaining. I think their next bout, a Monday nighter in Baltimore, will be back to being a 28-34 point blowout.

2. Indianapolis (2) – The Colts continue to fight off the injury bug and do what they can do win games, and on Thursday vs the Falcons they were able to overcome some early sluggish play to go on for a big win. Their showdown with the Jags this week is not going to be easy, but it will make a statement that the division is theirs with a win.

3. Pittsburgh (3) – Monday night was not exactly a thing of beauty, but at the same time they got the job done on an awful field against an awful team. Is this team in trouble after not the best of outings against the Jets and Dolphins? This weeks game vs the Bengals at home will tell us a lot. They had better keep an eye on the Browns.

4. Jacksonville (4) – The Jags have a great shot Sunday vs the Colts to make them sweat for the top spot in the division. They have been playing at such a high level the recent weeks with the defense stopping teams and the offense being mistake free and moving the ball well. Starting David Garrard this year was clearly the right decision.

5. Cleveland (-) – Sunday the Browns put forth a workmanlike effort at home against the Texans in a solid 27-17 win. They started slow, but by the end of the half they led 14-10 and were off and running from there. They have a cupcake schedule the rest of the way, and it would be a letdown at this point if they didn’t make the playoffs.

AFC Bottom 3

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1. Miami (1) – They had a great shot Monday night to pull off a huge upset of the Steelers, but couldn’t make plays when they needed to, and got hit with some injuries to their backs, Ricky Williams and Jeese Chatman that hurt their chances. The field was a joke, but it actually helped their chances. The Jets game this week is one of their only chances for a win.

2. NY Jets (-) – The Jets were back to normal this week as they came down to earth in their bad 34-3 loss to the Cowboys. Everything they did right against the Steelers on both sides of the ball they didn’t do in Dallas. They should be able to get their third win of the year in Miami Sunday.

3. Baltimore (-) – We welcome the Ravens to our list, as they have started to really fall apart after their latest loss in San Diego. The biggest letdown is their defense, which has let up a ton of points and has not made many plays to turn games around. The losing streak will only grow this week vs the Pats.


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