NFL Power Rankings 2012: Teams That Will Decline as Season Progresses

Ian HanfordJun 7, 2018

Initial power rankings almost never hold up in any sport, and that will be the case in the NFL this season. Some teams will start the season with ballyhooed expectations, but a few of those will not live up to their billing.

This could happen for any number of reasons, but it's going to happen. Playoff teams are not made in the season's first half. The real contenders emerge in the second half of the season, while others fall by the wayside.

Let's take a look at three teams that are currently in the top half of my power rankings but will finish the season in a lower slot.

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Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers are the standard of excellence in the NFL, but they are heading for a down year. Pittsburgh will finish third in the AFC North behind Baltimore and Cincinnati.

Turnover isn't always a bad thing, but the Steelers simply went through too much. Veteran leaders Hines Ward and James Farrior are gone. Offensive coordinator Bruce Arians is now with the Colts, and budding receiver Mike Wallace will finally report to camp on Tuesday.

Add a new offense, an unstable backfield and an early injury to first-round pick David DeCastro to the mix, and the Steelers have a bizarre feeling surrounding their franchise.

They were bound to take a step back. Even elite franchises hit a dry spell, and this will be the year for Pittsburgh.

Not only have they undergone a lot of change, but they are up against a tougher division. The Bengals emerged as a surprise team last season, and the Ravens are a well-known nemesis.

The Steelers will still play "Steelers" football. They're a blue-collar franchise with a hard-nosed defense to back it up, but they feature inexperienced players at important positions.

Cortez Allen and Keenan Lewis are talented corners but have next to no big-game experience. Rookie Alameda Ta'amu will be splitting duties with Steve McLendon at nose tackle (perhaps the 3-4's most important position), and one never knows how healthy Troy Polamalu really is.

I don't expect the Steelers to have a terrible season, but 10 wins will be a struggle. The new players, and new offense, will result in a few unexpected losses.

Detroit Lions

This one pains me because I'd like to see this team do well. They're one of the league's most exciting teams to watch, but there are still too many holes on the depth chart.

The presence of players like Calvin Johnson, Matthew Stafford and the plethora of playmakers on the defensive line give this team a ton of hope, but you have to have some balance on both sides of the ball.

Detroit's secondary is still a question mark, and their run game is virtually nonexistent. Running back Mikel Leshoure could finally find himself, and he has to. As fun as it is to watch, a one-dimensional offense isn't the key to a Detroit playoff berth.

The Lions secondary has made strides. Young, unproven players like John Wendling and Bill Bentley are solid additions, but they still lack an impact player on a unit that will have to stop Green Bay twice and Atlanta.

Detroit will take a step back this season. The pass offense is exactly where it was a year ago, but the rest of this team isn't up to snuff.

They will still be one of the league's most exciting squads, but they don't have enough consistency to stay afloat in a tough NFC North division.

Philadelphia Eagles

It's no secret—all notions of a "dream team" in southeast Pennsylvania are dead. The Eagles are a solid team, but they are heading for a third-place finish behind Dallas and the Giants in the ultra-competitive NFC East.

Everything starts behind center, and the Eagles have no stability at quarterback. Michael Vick has only played in 16 games once in his 11-year career. Granted, he was out of football for two of those years, but you get the point.

Rookie Nick Foles has looked outstanding so far this preseason, but his 507 yards and six touchdowns may not translate to regular season action. Maybe they will, but I wouldn't bank on it.

Philadelphia still has one of the league's best defensive lines, and their cornerbacks are also elite. However, their linebacker unit is still vulnerable. They added DeMeco Ryans in the offseason, but the rest of the group is largely unproven.

Fantasy football owners should still anticipate a big year from LeSean McCoy, but I wonder where their offense goes from there.

DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, as talented as they are, are virtually the same receiver.

That doesn't make the Eagles very versatile. They are extremely fast on offense, but where is the power? All finesse and no toughness rarely ends well.

The Eagles are under a lot of pressure to perform again in 2012, but I don't think they crack 10 wins. If Vick stays healthy, their chances increase exponentially, but who could count on that?

NFL Power Rankings

1. San Francisco 49ers

2. Houston Texans

3. New England Patriots

8. Philadelphia Eagles

9. San Diego Chargers

10. Detroit Lions

11. Pittsburgh Steelers