NFL Power Rankings: Grades for Every Division Leader

With Week 17 coming up fast, only five of the eight NFL divisions have been clinched. In addition, two of the three still waiting to be clinched do not have anyone who's punched a playoff ticket.

So it's safe to say that there's still quite a bit to be had before all the smoke clears in 2011. That said, here are grades for every current division leader based on how they performed to this point.

AFC North: Baltimore Ravens (11-4)

An undefeated AFC North and home record, the Baltimore Ravens have take a step in their improvement by sweeping the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2011.

Unfortunately, the Ravens have yet to win the AFC North thanks to their inconsistency away from home. Through seven road games, Baltimore is just 3-4 and has lost games to non-playoff eligible teams in Jacksonville, Seattle and San Diego.

Only RB Ray Rice has been the most consistent player, as he's accounted for 1,869 total yards and has scored 13 total TDs. Take Rice away from Baltimore, and the Ravens aren't 11-4.

To that end, the defense ranks in top five against the rush and pass and only allows 16.7 points per game (rank No. 3). The concern for Baltimore, though, should be QB Joe Flacco's play once the postseason begins.

Flacco has significantly under-performed in the games that matter most, so it'll be interesting to see how he fares this season. As for what's already done, the Ravens have stepped up in every big game this season, but have lost focus in some that aren't too important.

Nonetheless, that goes to show they can keep the light turned on when the opponent is elite.

Grade: A-

AFC South: Houston Texans (10-5)

It's clearly been a year to remember for the city of Houston, as its residents haven't had an NFL playoff team since the 1993 Oilers.

And when the Texans were established back in 2002, it's taken exactly one decade to reach the playoffs. Well, unfortunately, a significant number of injuries occurred, and although the AFC South is locked up, one-and-done is quite realistic.

Now, Houston has arguably the NFL's best defense and offensive rushing attack. The question is whether rookie QB TJ Yates can get back on track before wild-card weekend.

After sitting at 10-3 and coming off wins over Atlanta and Cincinnati, Houston has dropped two straight to Carolina and Indianapolis. So, the confidence level has without a doubt dropped.

Week 17 and the wild-card round will be very telling as the level of mental toughness this team has. And being that they've overcome quite a bit of injuries yet still managed to win, seven straight games is impressive.

Worst case-scenario is that Houston bows out early but uses that as motivation for 2012, which is expected to be even better.

Grade: A-

AFC East: New England Patriots (12-3)

Not since the 2007 AFC Championship game have the New England Patriots won a playoff game. And during their previous two postseason appearances, the Pats dropped both games at home and were one-and-done.

Well, the Pats are headed toward a familiar position this postseason, as it was in 2010. Last year, they had a 14-2 record but lost to the Jets in the divisional round. A win over Buffalo at home in Week 17, and New England earns the AFC's No. 1 seed at 13-3.

The offense still dominates with Tom Brady under center, however. Complementing Wes Welker is TE Rob Gronkowski, who's arguably their best offensive weapon.

No LB or DB can cover him mono-e-mono, and with Brady's pass protection, there's not much of a need for a deep-threat WR. As for the defense, it comes down to slowing down the opposition.

Coach Bill Belichick's pass defense ranks No. 32 and allows over 290 pass yards per game. On the contrary, though, the Patriots only allow 21.4 points per game (rank No. 14). So it's clear that they bend but don't break.

Regardless, as long as Brady is under center and Belichick is on the sidelines, New England always has a chance.

Grade: A

AFC West: Denver Broncos (8-7)

It's been an emotional roller coaster for Denver fans this season, as their Broncos went from 1-4 to 8-5 at the blink of an eye.

And that blink was the rejuvenation that Tim Tebow brought to the huddle. Well, it wasn't so much Tebow as it was the defense that kept Denver in games. For an offense to score under 20 points in six games and win five of them, that's the defense dominating for most of the game.

Tebow just has that ability to make a great comeback and pick up where the defense left off. The concern with the Broncos, however, is how they play against a complete defense and/or explosive offense.

Well, we saw what the Detroit Lions did to them (45-10), and the Broncos won six games thereafter because every team they beat literally had no offense and a vulnerable defense. Four of the six teams they beat are no longer playoff contenders, and the two that are (Raiders, Jets) need a lot of help to get in.

Denver was fortunate to have a favorable schedule which got them into playoff positioning, but the New England Patriots proved the skeptics right, as did the Buffalo Bills. As long as you have an offense that can score more than 20 to 24 points consistently, Denver doesn't have a chance.

And the playoff will be all telling because the Broncos aren't yet good enough defensively to beat elite teams without the offense scoring, which has been a problem even against weak teams like Chicago.

Grade: B-

NFC North: Green Bay Packers (14-1)

Anytime you are the defending Super Bowl champions and you start off 13-0, regardless of who you played and how you've played, that's insanely impressive.

It's hard enough to have back-to-back winning seasons in the NFL, so improving off a Super Bowl season is remarkable and quite rare. As for the 2011 Green Bay Packers, they have arguably the most fluid and smooth passing game, as well as a defense that has forced 34 turnovers (29 picks, five fumble recoveries).

Now yes, the pass defense is quite susceptible, as proven by the Saints, Giants and Panthers. But in spite of appearing as a one-dimensional offense, you would think that the cheese should have more losses.

The Kansas City Chiefs happen to catch the Packers at the right time. First, it was a tough road game, and K.C. has a more than respectable pass rush and rush offense. Then, include Kyle Orton being under center—who had played the Packers earlier in the year when with Denver—and the odds were against them.

Only difference now, though, is that the pressure to perfection is off, and the NFC's No. 1 seed is a lock. Green Bay is much healthier at this time than last season, so there's no reason why they can't repeat.

Grade: A+

NFC South: New Orleans Saints (12-3)

Right now, the Saints look like the team who can compete with Green Bay better than anyone else.

They have one of the elite offenses, and Drew Brees can burn any defense no matter how great. And their rush offense also ranks inside the Top 10 (averages almost 130 per game), something that goes vehemently overlooked because of their stellar passing game.

Much like the Packers, though, the Saints have a vulnerable pass defense (ranks No. 30) that allows 268 per game. What New Orleans does, however, to counteract that vulnerability is to blitz relentlessly.

Now, they may only have 31 sacks this season, but safety Roman Harper has 7.5. In turn, it's not the defensive line that's doing the damage in the backfield.

And, as evidenced by their seven-game win streak that include victories over Atlanta (twice), NY Giants, Detroit and Tennessee, they're arguably the most dangerous team heading into the postseason.

In addition, the defense only allows 21.5 points per game (ranks No. 15), which bodes well for an offense that scores over 33 per game.

Grade: A

NFC East: New York Giants (8-7)

What's currently keeping the New York Giants as a better-than-advertised NFC team is their resume.

After eight games, the G-Men were 6-2 and had to hiccup losses to Washington and Seattle. Still, New York was in good control with a tough schedule ahead.

Then, they went through a gauntlet that saw losses to the Packers, 49ers and Saints. That stretch made them vulnerable to the Eagles, who were sandwiched in between, so it wasn't surprising to see them drop four straight.

Fortunately, though, those games prepared them well for the Dallas Cowboys. New York went into Big D, stole a win and hiccuped against those pesky Washington Redskins again, but quickly responded with a win over their New York City rival, Jets.

Saving the Giants is their passing offense, which ranks No. 4 (averages 293.5 per game), and Eli Manning has compiled almost 4,600 passing yards. With his pass protection and the pass rush of Jason Pierre-Paul, they will beat the Cowboys once again.

As for the playoffs, well, we've seen New York win on the road before, right?

Grade: B

NFC West: San Francisco 49ers (12-3)

Last season, the San Francisco 49ers were expected to win the NFC West. They were coming off an 8-8 season in 2009 (they're best season since 2002), but underachieved and went just 6-10.

Then, a new head coach came in the form of Jim Harbaugh, and the 49ers have the chance to pull a seven-game turnaround. Not to mention grab the NFC's No. 2 seed and host another home game at Candlestick Park.

The rush offense ranks No. 7 (averages 128.5 per game), and the rush defense ranks No. 1 (allows just 75 per game). Also, their pass rush, led by rookie LB Aldon Smith and DLs Justin Smith and Ray McDonald, has collected 39 sacks in 2011 (tied for the No. 9 ranking).

And sure, we can rip on the weakness of the NFC West, but before the 49ers really began divisional play, they had collected road wins over Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Detroit and Washington, none of which are cakewalks.

Add in two big response wins over Pittsburgh and Seattle after a slip at Arizona, and San Francisco's niche of controlling the trenches gives them an extreme advantage this postseason amongst NFC contenders. No one else runs the ball, stops the run or pass-rushes they way they do.

Grade: A

Week 17 NFL Power Rankings (LW = Last Week's Rank)

1. Green Bay Packers (14-1) (LW 1)	17. New York Giants (8-7) (LW 20)
2. New Orleans Saints (12-3) (LW 2)	18. San Diego Chargers (7-8) (LW 14)
3. New England Patriots (12-3) (LW 3)	19. Tennessee Titans (8-7) (LW 19)
4. Baltimore Ravens (11-4) (LW 4)	20. New York Jets (8-7) (LW 18)
5. San Francisco 49ers (12-3) (LW 5)	21. Carolina Panthers (6-9) (LW 23)
6. Pittsburgh Steelers (11-4) (LW 6)	22. Buffalo Bills (6-9) (LW 26)
7. Detroit Lions (10-5) (LW 9)	23. Miami Dolphins (5-10) (LW 21)
8. Cincinnati Bengals (9-6) (LW 11)	24. Kansas City Chiefs (6-9) (LW 22)
9. Atlanta Falcons (9-6) (LW 7)	25. Chicago Bears (7-8) (LW 24)
10. Oakland Raiders (8-7) (LW 16)	26. Washington Redskins (5-10) (LW 25)
11. Houston Texans (10-5) (LW 8)	27. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-11) (LW 27)
12. Denver Broncos (8-7) (LW 10)	28. Minnesota Vikings (3-12) (LW 30)
13. Seattle Seahawks (7-8) (LW 13)	29. Cleveland Browns (4-11) (LW 29)
14. Philadelphia Eagles (7-8) (LW 17)	30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-11) (LW 28)
15. Dallas Cowboys (8-7) (LW 12)	31. Indianapolis Colts (2-13) (LW 32)
16. Arizona Cardinals (7-8) (LW 15)	32. St. Louis Rams (2-13) (LW 31)

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