NFL Power Rankings

NFL Power Rankings

After Week 12

NOTE: Previous ranking is noted in the first parenthesis, record in second parenthesis.

1. (1) New England Patriots (9-2) – The Pats carved up the best defense in the league (statistically) and showed why they are the team to beat this year.

2. (3) Green Bay Packers (8-3) – Not as convincing a win on Sunday as it’s been recently, but they got it done nonetheless. They are now alone in first place in the NFC North.

3. (5) Denver Broncos (8-3) – They pulled out a close win over Miami to stay atop their division and one game behind the Pats in the AFC. Manning was great again.

4. (2) Arizona Cardinals (9-2) – Still own first place in the NFC, but Stanton did little to retain our confidence in their offense. It was at Seattle, but still a letdown.

5. (7) Indianapolis Colts (7-4) – Not sure what I was watching in the first half Sunday, but the Colts finally played normal in the second half. Luck’s bid for an MVP was hurt by his performance however.

6. (8) Philadelphia Eagles (8-3) – McCoy finally ran wild as we thought he would all year. But against Tennessee, that really counts for little.

7. (9) Dallas Cowboys (8-3) – Romo looks fully healthy again as he was terrific in the win. Obviously, Murray ran for over 100 again too, but Beckham ripped their defense apart. That’s cause for a little concern.

8. (4) Kansas City Chiefs (7-4) – What happened against Oakland? What the crap happened?

9. (6) Detroit Lions (7-4) – Is Detroit suddenly reeling after another defeat? Probably not, just tough scheduling. But with a showdown vs. Chicago on Thanksgiving looming, the Lions better right the ship.

10. (10) San Francisco 49ers (7-4) – I’m still waiting on their offense, but their defense has arrived.

11. (11) Cincinnati Bengals (7-3-1) – Maintained their slight edge in the AFC North, the best division in football. AJ Green looks normal again.

12. (12) Seattle Seahawks (7-4) – Big home win against Arizona got them back into the thick of things. But with their schedule continuing to rise in difficulty, will it be enough?

13. (13) Pittsburgh Steelers (7-4) – Remained just behind Cincy for the division lead, but with a late bye, they should be refreshed and ready to go.

14. (14) Baltimore Ravens (7-4) – Great win at New Orleans on MNF. The Saints typically don’t lose at home in primetime, so that’s an incredible victory actually.

15. (16) San Diego Chargers (7-4) – It wasn’t convincing, but the Chargers stayed in that 7-4 group. Marcus Gilchrist’s late INT proved to be the dagger they needed.

16. (18) Cleveland Browns (7-4) – A last second win counts the same as a blowout, and the Browns pulled one out at Atlanta. They remain in the thick of things in the AFC wildcard race, along with their division race.

17. (15) Miami Dolphins (6-5) – Tough loss at Denver set them back to 6-5. They are still in the hunt, but now behind a number of teams.

18. (19) Buffalo Bills (6-5) – Huge blowout win on Monday (thanks to the huge amount of snow in Buffalo) helped them hang around in the wildcard race. Must be nice to play the Jets right now…

19. (23) Chicago Bears (5-6) – The Bears are inching their way closer and closer to relevancy. There are some injury concerns in general but a win this week still gets them to .500 again.

20. (17) Houston Texans (5-6) – Ryan Mallott is now gone for the season, even though he just made his second career start. That’s a tough pill to swallow.

21. (20) Atlanta Falcons (4-7) – Still can’t believe how bad this division is…

22. (21) St. Louis Rams (4-7) – Close to another upset, but fell just short.

23. (22) New Orleans Saints (4-7) – This team just isn’t playing Saints football right now. I see changes coming in the next year or two.

24. (24) Minnesota Vikings (4-7) – Another nice effort on Sunday, but another close loss. That’s been their story the last two weeks.

25. (26) Carolina Panthers (3-7-1) – They got rest from a bye, and somehow managed to stay in the hunt in their division.

26. (28) Washington Redskins (3-8) – A close loss is good enough to move them up because the rest of these teams are very bad.

27. (29) New York Giants (3-8) – Great effort in a loss, at least by the offense. Beckham is a rising star!

28. (25) New York Jets (2-9) – Just wow… this team is pathetic!

29. (27) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-9) – Mike Evans scored again, and the defense played great in the first half. But then they fell apart.

30. (30) Tennessee Titans (2-9) – Mettenberger continues to show promise, but he’s the only decent player out there it seems like.

31. (32) Oakland Raiders (1-10) – Their first win was shocking and impressive. The problem is, the more they win, the lower they pick in the draft.

32. (31) Jacksonville Jaguars (1-10) – Decent first half on defense against the Colts, but no good in the second half. The offense was bad the whole game.

By: The Sports Guys