NFL Power Rankings Week 12: 2016-17 Conference Standings and Super Bowl Odds
One look at NFL standings or power rankings says it all—the 2016 season is complete chaos.
Over in the AFC, three teams out of the AFC West sit among the top four, while observers have to go hunting far down the list for former contenders such as the Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals.
It's the same story in the NFC, where three of the top four reside in the NFC East. Would-be contenders such as the Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers sit much further down the list.
With Week 12 on the horizon, let's take a look at updated power rankings and how Las Vegas feels about each team's shot at a Lombardi Trophy.
Week 12 NFL Power Rankings and Super Bowl Odds
| 1 | Dallas Cowboys (9-2) |
| 2 | Oakland Raiders (16-1) |
| 3 | Seattle Seahawks (11-2) |
| 4 | New England Patriots (11-5) |
| 5 | Atlanta Falcons (22-1) |
| 6 | Denver Broncos (28-1) |
| 7 | New York Giants (20-1) |
| 8 | Kansas City Chiefs (22-1) |
| 9 | Washington (40-1) |
| 10 | Baltimore Ravens (40-1) |
| 11 | Philadelphia Eagles (100-1) |
| 12 | Miami Dolphins (66-1) |
| 13 | Pittsburgh Steelers (14-1) |
| 14 | Detroit Lions (28-1) |
| 15 | Minnesota Vikings (33-1) |
| 16 | Arizona Cardinals (50-1) |
| 17 | Carolina Panthers (40-1) |
| 18 | San Diego Chargers (200-1) |
| 19 | Buffalo Bills (150-1) |
| 20 | Houston Texans (40-1) |
| 21 | Indianapolis Colts (25-1) |
| 22 | Tennessee Titans (100-1) |
| 23 | Green Bay Packers (50-1) |
| 24 | Cincinnati Bengals (200-1) |
| 25 | New Orleans Saints (150-1) |
| 26 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (100-1) |
| 27 | Los Angeles Rams (250-1) |
| 28 | New York Jets (500-1) |
| 29 | San Francisco 49ers (1000-1) |
| 30 | Chicago Bears (500-1) |
| 31 | Jacksonville Jaguars (1000-1) |
| 32 | Cleveland Browns (3000-1) |
Odds courtesy of Odds Shark.
Conference Standings
| New England Patriots | 8 | 2 | 0 |
| Oakland Raiders | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 7 | 3 | 0 |
| Denver Broncos | 7 | 3 | 0 |
| Houston Texans | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| Miami Dolphins | 6 | 4 | 0 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Buffalo Bills | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Tennessee Titans | 5 | 6 | 0 |
| San Diego Chargers | 4 | 6 | 0 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 3 | 6 | 1 |
| New York Jets | 3 | 7 | 0 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 2 | 8 | 0 |
| Cleveland Browns | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 7 | 2 | 1 |
| New York Giants | 7 | 3 | 0 |
| Washington Redskins | 6 | 3 | 1 |
| Detroit Lions | 6 | 4 | 0 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 6 | 4 | 0 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 6 | 4 | 0 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 4 | 5 | 1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 4 | 6 | 0 |
| Carolina Panthers | 4 | 6 | 0 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 4 | 6 | 0 |
| Green Bay Packers | 4 | 6 | 0 |
| Chicago Bears | 2 | 8 | 0 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 1 | 9 | 0 |
Don't Panic: Kansas City Chiefs (22-1)
One of the most notable upsets of Week 11 isn't anything bettors should stress about—for now.
The Kansas City Chiefs saw their five-game streak come to an end against the 5-5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a dud of a 19-17 game in which the offense sputtered to a halt, running only 52 plays to Tampa Bay's 74.
Call it a rough day at the office for the Chiefs, while the Buccaneers played one of their best games of the year. Most of the blame falls on quarterback Alex Smith, as Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star humorously pointed out:
One hiccup by the Chiefs shouldn't deter bettors, though. It wasn't even too hard to see coming, not after they escaped the Jacksonville Jaguars by five points in Week 9 and the Panthers by three the week after.
It's clear Smith needs to reclaim his early-season groove before he missed time with a concussion. But this remains the same team that has already defeated the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders in AFC West play and has four games left on the divisional slate.
Bettors should feel comfortable with Smith working his way back into form and getting the team back on track.
Abandon Ship: Green Bay Packers (50-1)
Nobody outside of NFC North rivals wants to write off Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, in large part because he's one of the best quarterbacks of his generation. With a talent like that, it isn't wise to discredit a team's chances.
But it is now.
A 47-25 blowout at the hands of the Tennessee Titans in Week 10 looked like a catalyst in one of two ways—it would either light a fire under the Packers and help them turn the season around or deflate the balloon and end the season.
The Packers didn't deflate in Week 12—they popped. Rodgers threw for 351 yards and a trio of scores in Washington but couldn't overcome terrible play by his defense en route to a 42-24 rout.
Even head coach Mike McCarthy wasn't shy about the dire situation, via Green Bay's official Twitter account:
The Packers defense let Washington go 9-of-14 on third down and 4-of-5 in the red zone and coughed up a ridiculous 8.3 yards per play on the way to surrendering 515 total yards.
With Green Bay now 4-6 and third in the NFC North behind 6-4 Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings teams, it is safe to consider the season over.
Things are so bad in Green Bay even Rodgers can't carry the team right now. That's bad news as the Packers play the Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks before facing three divisional opponents to end the season.
Time to Buy: New York Giants (20-1)
With the Eagles falling off the map and the Dallas Cowboys running away with the NFC East, it's time to pay more attention to the New York Giants.
Eli Manning and Co. look like an incredible buy at these odds. The Giants have quietly won five games in a row, and while this includes lowly Los Angeles and Chicago teams, it's time to give the Giants their due for their consistency.
Besides, they also beat Baltimore, Philadelphia and Cincinnati in this five-game stretch.
Oh, and the Giants are the only team to beat the Cowboys this year.
New York has not blown anyone away with sheer numbers. Manning has 17 touchdowns to 10 interceptions, and his backfield averages 3.4 yards per carry. The defense, though, ranks 11th by allowing an average of 20 points per game.
More than anything, these Giants have a comeback trait, as James Kratch of NJ Advance Media highlighted:
It seems like a silly thing to point out, but remember the last time the Giants made a habit of staging comebacks and winning close games? Ask the New England Patriots how it turned out.
The Giants might not win the NFC East, but three more divisional games and a gimme against Cleveland, to name a few, have them looking like a shoo-in for the playoffs.
From there, 20-1 doesn't look so bad, does it?
Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.
Follow Chris Roling (@Chris_Roling) on Twitter.
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