NFL Power Rankings: 5 Teams to Watch out for in 2012

The 2011 NFL regular season has made like Keyser Soze at the end of The Usual Suspects.

Poof. It's gone.

For many fans, this is a bittersweet reality. On the one hand, we all get to sit back and watch the playoffs unfold. On the other hand, fans whose teams missed the playoffs are going to be feeling pretty bummed in the coming months.

But hey, it's not all bad. If you're a fan of one of the five teams listed below, you can look ahead to 2012 with high hopes. The future is bright.

Washington Redskins (No. 27)

Spoiler alert: The Redskins are going to have a new quarterback in 2012. 

Yes, it's true. It could be Robert Griffin III, it could be Matt Flynn. It could be anyone not named Rex Grossman or John Beck, come to think of it.

This is a good thing, of course. The Redskins' quarterback woes have been under the microscope all season, but what a lot of people have failed to realize is that the Redskins have a pretty solid team. Their defense made huge strides, and they have some exciting players on offense.

Add in a new quarterback and a (hopefully) healthy Tim Hightower, and the Redskins will have enough to compete in the NFC East. The division was weak this year, and it may not be very strong next year either.

That could be Washington's ticket to the playoffs.

Carolina Panthers (No. 23)

It crossed my mind today that Cam Newton should be considered a serious regression candidate for 2012. After all, it's going to be very hard for him to top his 2011 season.

But the Panthers don't need Newton to top his 2011 season in 2012. They need the team around him to develop, and that is very much within the realm of possibility.

For starters, you can expect to see the Panthers upgrade their defense in a big way in the draft, and they could also be active in free agency. They'll need to patch up their rush defense, and hopefully add another piece to their secondary.

If the Panthers can improve their defense to the point where it's not allowing 30 points per game, they're going to be dangerous. That will mean Newton won't have to win every game singlehandedly, a task that was simply too much for him in 2011.

Then again, Newton might just be capable of winning games on his own in 2012. That would be scary.

Philadelphia Eagles (No. 16)

A couple weeks ago, I could have mentioned the Eagles in a list like this and you would have rolled your eyes.

You shouldn't be rolling your eyes now. For all their struggles, the Eagles finished the 2011 season with four wins in a row and five wins in their last seven games. It was too little, too late, but the Eagles definitely figured a few things out down the stretch.

Priority number one for the Eagles this offseason is patching up their defense, particularly at linebacker and safety. It would be a good idea for them to upgrade their offensive line too, but they could probably get away with not doing that if they so choose.

If the Eagles make the necessary adjustments, they'll spend 2012 being the team we all thought they were going to be in 2011.

San Diego Chargers (No. 13)

Here's a scary thought: Norv Turner is not going to be back in 2012.

Okay fine, it's not official yet. But it soon will be, and it will be addition by subtraction when it happens.

As many people have already pointed out, the team the Chargers have on the field is just fine. It needs some patches here and there, but that's not asking too much. The Chargers will help themselves in the draft and maybe pick up a few small pieces in free agency.

Next year, the AFC West will be there for San Diego's taking. To take it, all the Chargers need to do is play up to their capabilities.

That will be on the team's new head coach. I'm going to assume he'll be a more effective motivator than Turner.

Tennessee Titans (No. 12)

There are a couple things about Tennessee's prospects in 2012 that are pretty scary.

First and foremost, Jake Locker played pretty well in the final weeks of the season, and I would say he's a lock to be the Titans' starting quarterback in 2012.

Secondly, Chris Johnson should benefit from a full training camp, something he didn't have in 2011 and which clearly hindered his production.

Thirdly, this is a solid defense that is going to get even more solid.

Fourthly, the AFC South is not a strong division. The Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars are both weak, and the Houston Texans are hardly invincible. 

So I'm going to call it right now: Tennessee Titans, 2012 AFC South champs.

Zachary D. Rymer's Final Regular Season Power Rankings

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