NFL Power Rankings Week 12: Breaking Down Standings as Playoff Push Heats Up

Pressure is mounting for NFL coaches and players with every passing week as the playoffs approach with alarming speed. Most teams have just six games left to improve or solidify their playoff standings, and for some, a single loss could spell doom for their postseason chances.

There are a handful of teams that have separated themselves from the rest of the league atop the NFL power rankings, and there is also a group at the bottom that seems to have secured top draft picks in 2014 with poor showings.

The rest of the league is muddled up together in the middle, as you're about to see for yourself. Parity is alive and well in the NFL these days, and overall records don't always tell the entire story. Here's a look at how the entire league stacks up heading into the final weeks of the season.

1. Denver Broncos

After Denver took down the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs in Week 11, there's no doubt about which team belongs at the top of these power rankings. 

Peyton Manning has his offense rolling along at an unstoppable pace. His ability to account for deficiencies on the roster is astonishing, as we saw when the Chiefs failed to register a single sack on Sunday Night Football. 

2. Seattle Seahawks

Featuring one of the league's most fearsome defenses and one of its most punishing rushing attacks, Seattle has systematically chewed through its schedule thus far with only one blemish on the record—a narrow road loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

Barring a shocking finish that sees the Seahawks tank down the stretch, Seattle should easily take the NFC West crown, and a victory at home in Week 13 against the New Orleans Saints could seal the NFC's top seed.

3. New Orleans Saints

Rob Ryan's addition as New Orleans' defensive coordinator has proven to be one of the best moves by any team this year. He's got the Saints playing outstanding football on the defensive end, which makes Drew Brees and his offense all the more dangerous. 

4. Kansas City Chiefs

A loss on the road to the Broncos shouldn't damage this team's psyche, and it's not like the Chiefs were horrible in that contest. Despite Alex Smith's limitations on offense, Kansas City is still one of the most formidable teams in the league. 

5. Carolina Panthers

Featuring the NFL's top-ranked scoring defense, a relentless rushing attack and a revitalized Cam Newton, the Carolina Panthers are suddenly legitimate Super Bowl contenders.

Big wins against the 49ers and New England Patriots have opened the eyes of the nation to this team's capabilities.

It's time to start taking the Panthers seriously. 

6. New England Patriots

Injuries to key players has been a recurring theme this season for the Patriots, and they will continue to be something this team has to deal with going forward.

As noted by Mike Reiss of ESPN Boston, all three of New England's top cornerbacks are banged up heading into Sunday night's big contest against the Broncos: 

It'll be fascinating to see how Tom Brady and Bill Belichick get their players to respond to this challenge. 

7. Indianapolis Colts

It's easy to discount Week 10's blowout loss to the St. Louis Rams as nothing more than a fluke. The Colts have been highly competitive in every other game this season, winning seven games and losing their other two by a combined score of 14 points.

However, the Colts are highly open to exploitation in a few key areas. Indy doesn't run the ball well, doesn't stop the run and struggles to protect Andrew Luck. 

That said, Luck has been phenomenal this year, and this team will have a shot to win every game as long as he's starting behind center. 

8. Cincinnati Bengals

Can you imagine how good the Bengals would be with a quarterback of Luck's caliber?

As it stands, Cincinnati is one of the dark horses in the AFC behind Denver, Kansas City and New England to head to the Super Bowl.

Andy Dalton needs to play with consistency, however, or the Bengals won't get far once the postseason begins. 

9. Detroit Lions

The Lions are currently on top of the NFC North, thanks to a tiebreaker over Chicago, which Detroit has beaten twice this year.

Featuring an explosive offense led by Matthew Stafford—along with Calvin Johnson and Reggie Bush—the Lions have the firepower to score points on most teams. However, the team's defense remains a big question mark heading into the playoff push. 

10. San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco's defense remains one of the league's top units, but the 49ers need to rediscover some offense before the playoffs. With a record of 6-4, postseason play isn't even guaranteed at this point. Arizona is threatening, along with Chicago, Dallas and Green Bay.

Colin Kaepernick must find a way to get better, or the 49ers won't be able to get back to the Super Bowl—let alone win a single playoff game.  

11. Chicago Bears

Chicago's defense isn't nearly as dominant as it once was, but the Bears are in great shape to win the NFC North this season, even with Jay Cutler on the shelf with injuries. Cutler will make his return soon enough, but Josh McCown has been remarkably good in his stead, throwing five touchdowns and zero interceptions this year. 

12. Philadelphia Eagles

Nick Foles is playing so well these days that even Michael Vick can't deny he's the right man for the starting quarterback job in Philly. With 16 touchdowns and zero interceptions to his credit, Foles has led the Eagles on a three-game winning streak and better still, a half-game lead in the NFC East.

13. Arizona Cardinals

After starting the season 3-4, it appeared the Cardinals would need at least another year before they could compete with the Seahawks and 49ers in the NFC West. Suddenly, Arizona is right there in the thick of the NFC playoff hunt at 6-4 after winning three in a row. 

A huge game against Indianapolis this Sunday will provide a good indicator about what we should expect from this team going forward. 

14. New York Giants

Speaking of winning streaks, the Giants have won four games in a row and host the reeling Dallas Cowboys this Sunday. The team's defense has spurted to life after appearing dead for the first half of the season, and Eli Manning has rediscovered how to play the quarterback position.

After starting the season 0-6, the Giants legitimately have a chance to win the NFC East, just one game behind the Eagles in the loss column.  

15. Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins have done well to post a 5-5 record to this point in the season. Miami has big issues on both sides of the ball, but this scrappy team continues to find ways to win despite those problems.

If Mike Wallace and Ryan Tannehill can ever generate some chemistry, then the Dolphins might really have something on offense. 

16. Green Bay Packers

As we've seen so many times in the past, losing a franchise quarterback like Aaron Rodgers is impossible to overcome. The Packers have lost three games in a row, and nobody should be shocked if the Minnesota Vikings steal a game at Lambeau Field this Sunday. 

17. Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh isn't going to make any noise in the playoffs, but the Steelers are a tough out every week (unless the Patriots are involved). Ben Roethlisberger continues to make plays behind a porous offensive line, and the Steelers have won four of six games since opening the season with four losses in a row.  

18. Dallas Cowboys

After Dallas scored twice on defense in Week 1 against New York, it appeared Monte Kiffin had the answers for the Cowboys' defensive woes. 

Fast forward to Week 12, and we find that defensive explosion was nothing more than an illusion. There isn't a more detestable defense in the league than the one residing in Dallas. 

Making matters worse, Tony Romo and his offensive teammates have struggled to put up points of late. Teams have been double-teaming Dez Bryant, and without him making plays, the Cowboys haven't been able to move the ball with any consistency. 

19. New York Jets

New York's defensive front is legit—clearly one of the best in the league. However, the team's secondary is extremely vulnerable to getting torched, which is a horrible combination with Geno Smith's turnover problems. 

20. St. Louis Rams

It seems like we're always saying "next year" when it comes to the St. Louis Rams.

General manager Les Snead has assembled an enormous amount of talent, but so far the Rams haven't been able to put all that talent to good use. 

The biggest question regarding this team's future surrounds the quarterback position. Is Sam Bradford the quarterback of the future, or will Snead and his team make a decision to go in another direction?

21. Cleveland Browns

The pieces are in place for Cleveland to become a true contender in the AFC in the years to come. General manager Michael Lombardi must make savvy decisions in the draft to make it happen, but the future appears bright for the Browns. 

22. Baltimore Ravens

With a record of 4-6, the Ravens are still technically in the mix for a wild-card spot in the AFC, but this team is going nowhere fast. Joe Flacco isn't worth all that money the Ravens paid him after his brilliant playoff run, and his massive contract is going to be a problem in the future. 

23. Tennessee Titans

As we've seen throughout the course of time, teams without a quarterback don't win many games. Jake Locker was playing well this year, but the injury-prone signal-caller is once again sidelined.

The Titans must decide quickly whether they're going to roll with him and roll the dice on him to stay healthy or whether they will go in another direction. 

24. Oakland Raiders

Matt Flynn's not the answer, and Terrelle Pryor could have been the answer, but then he stunk.  

Maybe Matt McGloin will provide the answer to Oakland's offensive problems.

Maybe?

Even if he's not, the Raiders have so many other needs that it'll take at least a couple of years to get this roster filled out properly before this team is ready to compete in the AFC West. 

25. Buffalo Bills

Despite Buffalo's 4-7 record, Bills fans have a lot to be excited about. Rookie quarterback EJ Manuel has shown signs of promise, and the team's defense is extremely stout up front. This team will be formidable once it adds a couple more playmakers on both sides of the ball. 

26. San Diego Chargers

Featuring a mediocre pass rush, mediocre linebackers and a porous secondary, San Diego's defense has predictably been abused by more than a few teams this season. On a positive note, rookie receiver Keenan Allen appears to be the real deal. 

Once the Chargers improve on the defensive side of the ball, this team will be tough to beat. 

27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Rookie quarterback Mike Glennon has been the most impressive of all the first-year quarterbacks to start games this season. Since coming back from a bye in Week 6, Glennon has thrown 10 touchdowns and just two interceptions, and he has his team on a two-game winning streak heading into Week 12. 

28. Washington Redskins

After winning the NFC East with a record of 10-6, Washington's plummet back down to Earth this season hasn't been pretty. Robert Griffin III is struggling badly to lead his offense, and the Redskins can't stop anyone on defense. 

It'll be interesting to see how this team responds the rest of the season. Furthermore, if Washington continues to lose games, then it'll be interesting to see if Mike and Kyle Shanahan are still in place as head coach and offensive coordinator next season. 

29. Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota doesn't have a single competent starting quarterback on its roster at this time, which is why the Vikings have only won two games this year. Making matters worse, the defense that looked so promising last year has gotten much worse.

The Vikings have some serious work to do on both sides of the ball to become a competitive team again. 

30. Atlanta Falcons

With just five games left on the schedule, the 2-9 Falcons shouldn't be excoriated for losing the rest of the way in order to land Jadeveon Clowney. Not saying it'll happen, mind you, but you have to believe general manager Thomas Dimitroff has been thinking along these lines for a few weeks. 

31. Houston Texans

Looking back on the horrific season the Texans have had, it's hard to imagine this is the same team that was touted as a Super Bowl contender in the AFC before the year began. As it stands, Houston will be in the running for one of the rookie quarterbacks coming into the league in the 2014 NFL draft, and the Texans would be foolish not to take a shot with a rookie next year. 

32. Jacksonville Jaguars

It's really incredible that the Jaguars managed to win a game this year.

This team is not devoid of talent per se, but it's the closest thing in the NFL to such a distinction. "Maybe next year" doesn't apply. The Jaguars have a massive rebuilding project ahead of them.  

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