10 NFL Teams Shooting Up the Boards After Week 16

We're at the time of year when we can't believe how fast the last 16 weeks of our lives just blew by, now that the final week of the 2011 NFL season is just several days away. 

The truths we once knew— Peyton Manning will be back, the Eagles are unstoppable, St. Louis is an up-and-coming team, Ndamukong Suh is the most dominant lineman in the game, Cam Newton is overrated, Tim Tebow is a novelty quarterback, San Francisco is mediocre—suddenly sound silly. 

It's impossible to predict the events that will occur within a single season, but regardless we still adhere to certain truths pounded into our heads by the football media. 

That's what makes the final week of the season so great, because we watch the teams that ignored the way they were perceived and continued to fight and climb the boards regardless of the expectations. 

On the other hand, there are teams that were always thought to be great, but they still continue to impress by achieving levels of greatness that weren't thought to be possible. 

This is a list of teams that fought through the season and took big steps in Week 16, which means they just have that final hurdle to clear before achieving their goal of making the playoffs.

Tennessee Titans

Sure, a six-point win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have one of the worst offenses in the NFL, is not exactly a proud display of dominance. 

However, the Titans obviously did themselves a big favor by coming out on top, as they are now in a position to potentially gain an AFC Wild Card berth. 

Looking back to the beginning of the season, when the aging Matt Hasselbeck was brought on board as the starting quarterback and Chris Johnson was in a contract dispute, it was extremely difficult to picture Tennessee as a possible playoff team. 

When considering those circumstances, it's hard to root against an underdog team like the Titans. 

Tennessee will need to first win their final game of the season, then they'll need the Bengals to lose for them to even have a shot at the playoffs. 

New Orleans Saints

New Orleans has been a dominant team all season, and it would be difficult to find anyone who disagrees with that. 

However, despite their clear potential, they've been completely overshadowed in the NFC by the Green Bay Packers. 

With the team's 45-16 destruction of the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football, as well as Drew Brees' new record for single-season passing yards, suddenly it's hard not to notice that the team is 12-3 and will be fighting for their eighth consecutive win against Carolina on Sunday. 

The Saints are just as hot as any team in football, but now, with their win over Atlanta, it's clear that that they could spell trouble for the Packers in the playoffs. 

Baltimore Ravens

Baltimore's 20-14 win over Cleveland was to be expected, obviously, but that doesn't change the fact that the win propelled them into a very favorable position. 

Now, with only one game remaining, the Ravens are a game away from ensuring that the AFC North belongs to them. 

The Ravens beat the Steelers twice this season, so they own the advantage in the event of a tie, which takes care of a major obstacle. 

Now that the Steelers will likely be battling on the road during the playoffs, it's possible that the Patriots are the only real threat standing between the Ravens and a Super Bowl appearance. 

Oakland Raiders

The Raiders' 16-13 overtime win over Kansas City was possibly their most important win so far in 2011. 

They are now tied for first with the Broncos in the AFC West. 

The Denver defense, the primary reason the Broncos have been competitive recently, has surrendered at least 40 points in their last two games. 

The Broncos are suddenly looking like a very beatable team that will likely struggle against Kansas City in their final game.  

The Raiders will finish the season with a home game against the San Diego Chargers, and a win could possibly lock up the division.

Denver owns the tiebreaker, so a win is a necessity for the Raiders. 

Atlanta Falcons

How did the Falcons climb the boards in Week 16 after getting absolutely spanked by the Saints on prime time? 

First of all, there's no shame in losing to the Saints.

Second, while it's true they were awful on Monday, they clinched a playoff spot regardless. 

Perhaps they played so poorly because they entered the game distracted knowing that the Packers eliminated the Bears from the playoffs, which cemented a spot for them. 

Sure, they boosted their stock, but the Falcons have been underwhelming for most of the year and will need a dominant performance against Tampa Bay in the finale if they want to enter the playoffs with any confidence whatsoever. 

Detroit Lions

After being so painfully inept for so many years and getting hot early with a 5-0 start, most people outside of Chicago were hoping the Lions could finally put together a successful year for the city of Detroit. 

However, the promising start went downhill in a hurry after the Lions went just 2-5 from Week 6 to Week 13. 

But not to worry, the Lions won their third straight game in a dominating 38-10 performance against the San Diego Chargers. 

Their imposing Week 16 victory has ensured a Wild Card berth, which will result in the team's first playoff appearance since 1999. 

Cincinnati Bengals

Though there are still some obstacles in the way, the Bengals' Week 16 win over Arizona may help them backflip their way into the playoffs. 

A stupid Jerome Simpson backflip reference was coming, so we got it out of the way early. Moving on...

The Bengals beat the Cardinals 23-16 and have put themselves in an incredible position—if they win their finale, then they're in the playoffs.

Sounds like a great deal, right? 

Well, the Bengals' final game is against the Baltimore Ravens, who will be playing hard in order to cement their position as the winners of the AFC North, so they do not have an easy task at hand despite the home-field advantage. 

Regardless, their Week 16 win against Arizona was a superb effort from a team with no breathing room as far as staying in the playoff hunt. 

No matter how unlikely a win against Baltimore is, one thing is for certain—an upset victory would send them into the playoffs with plenty of momentum. 

New England Patriots

The Patriots' 27-24 victory over the Dolphins on Sunday was expected, despite the fact that Miami has been a better team in the second half of the season. 

Speaking of the second half of the season, the Patriots' victory over Miami was their seventh win in a row.

That means they are just one more win away from have a perfect 8-0 record for the latter half of the season, which would make it their second consecutive year that they've finished with eight straight wins. 

More importantly, however, is the fact that they're now in a position to earn home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with a win on Sunday against Buffalo, thanks to their win against Miami.  

The Patriots had a couple of hiccups in the first half of the season, but they seem to be as strong as ever and are preparing for a deep playoff run. 

New York Giants

Few, if any, NFL teams came up with a win as big as the Giants' 29-14 victory over the Jets on Sunday in the Meadowlands. 

The game was not as lopsided as the score suggests, as the Jets were in the game until the bitter end.

The Jets were down by only six points midway through the final quarter before the Giants came up with a safety, as well as touchdown on the very next drive, which allowed them to pull away in the end. 

The game was vital for the Giants—had they lost the game, the Cowboys could have clinched the NFC East several hours later with a victory over Philadelphia (the Cowboys ended up taking that game lightly, as it was meaningless at that point). 

Now the Giants will host the Cowboys on Sunday in a game that will determine the winner of the NFC East. 

The Giants already have a win against the Cowboys this season—a 37-34 Week 14 victory in Dallas. 

Since the Giants have home-field advantage this time around, they have to be feeling good about their chances. 

St. Louis Rams

Is this some kind of joke? 

Yeah, it's a joke, but there is some validity in saying that the Rams shot up the boards more than any other team in Week 16. 

The Colts picked up their second win of the season, while the Vikings are now riding high with three total wins.

Meanwhile the Rams were dominated during a 27-0 loss against Pittsburgh and still have only two wins on the year, which makes them tied with Indianapolis for the worst record in the NFL. 

The Colts own the tiebreaker for the No.1 overall pick in the 2012 draft due to their strength of schedule, which means the Rams will have to finish with a worse record to gain the top pick. 

However, the Colts have won two straight games and will finish their season against the very beatable Jacksonville Jaguars—on the other hand, the Rams end their season against the 12-3 San Francisco 49ers, who are still battling for home-field advantage. 

If the situation favors the Rams, then they may end up with the most valuable draft pick in NFL history. 

Obviously, the Rams won't draft Andrew Luck, since they are still high on former No.1 overall pick Sam Bradford, but the draft picks they would receive in a trade could ultimately do wonders as far as rebuilding the franchise.