NFL Power Rankings: Separating Contenders from Pretenders

The balance of power in the NFL can shift rapidly in just a few games, and certain teams that appear ready for a championship run will fade into the background while others will rise up in crucial moments.

The Buffalo Bills proved last season that a fast-starting team can collapse in the second half of the schedule and ultimately end up having a disappointing season. On the other side of the coin, the New York Giants showed that a team could lose four games in a row late in the year and still go on to win the Super Bowl. 

Much can and will change this season, and here are the teams that will separate themselves as championship contenders, along with the teams that will be exposed as pretenders.

1. Atlanta Falcons

Contender

As the only undefeated team remaining in the NFL, the Falcons top the power rankings and are certainly a championship contender. 

Matt Ryan appears to have taken the next step as a quarterback and is taking full advantage of the elite talent surrounding him on the Atlanta offense. On the other side of the ball, the Falcons have been aggressive and effective.

This is a well-balanced team with few weak spots, and Ryan’s leadership has given them an edge in close games this season. The Falcons will certainly be in the mix in December and January.

2. New York Giants

Contender

The Giants may have struggled for much of the game against the Washington Redskins, but Eli Manning proved once again that he is the most clutch quarterback in the NFL.

New York also proved last week how frighteningly dangerous it can be when it plays well for a full 60 minutes. A 26-3 rout proved beyond doubt that the Giants are still contenders.

When the postseason comes around, Manning and the Giants will be as feared as any team in the NFC.

3. San Francisco 49ers 

Contender

San Francisco has the best defense in the NFL, and the group rebounded well against the Seattle Seahawks this past Thursday.

As long as the key players on the defensive side of the ball remain healthy, the 49ers are a serious threat to win a championship. 

The Niners’ success will hinge on whether Alex Smith on the offense can avoid mistakes and produce enough points to allow the defense to win the game.

4. Green Bay Packers

Contender

Aaron Rodgers just sent warning shots across the league with his last two performances.

The reigning MVP dismantled the Houston Texans before playing flawlessly against the St. Louis Rams. Both teams have productive defenses, but were powerless to slow Rodgers down.

With Rodgers playing at this level, Green Bay is capable of taking out any team in the NFL and is certainly a Super Bowl contender.

5. Houston Texans

Contender

The Texans showed excellent resiliency this week in their blowout victory over the Baltimore Ravens.

After being torched by the Packers, the team got back on track as the offense was in rhythm and the defense suffocated Joe Flacco and the Ravens.

With a talented and aggressive defense, in addition to Arian Foster, Andre Johnson and Matt Schaub on the other side of the ball, this team has an excellent chance to win the AFC.

6. Chicago Bears

Pretender

The Chicago defense has been playing incredibly well, and through this point in the season, the team has looked like a team capable of making a deep postseason run. 

But key members of the defense such as Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs and Julius Peppers are all in their 30s and may wear down as the season goes on. In addition, Jay Cutler’s inconsistency will hurt the team in crucial moments this year.

While the Bears have talent, this team will not make waves in the postseason.

7. Denver Broncos

Contender

As Peyton Manning continues to build chemistry with his receivers, the Broncos offense will become increasingly effective.

But the defense is what allows this team to be a contender. Von Miller has established himself as one of the NFL’s premier pass rushers, while Champ Bailey is still playing at an elite level.

The Broncos are another team with excellent balance, and with Manning at quarterback, a championship is never out of reach.

8. New England Patriots

Contender 

The New England Patriots were not impressive as they squeaked by the New York Jets in overtime, but the result still counts as a win on the team’s record. 

While the team is 4-3, Tom Brady is still under center and there is an incredible amount of talent at the skill positions. The young defense still needs work, but it has made marked improvements from last season. 

The Pats’ season has certainly had ups and downs thus far, but the team will look more and more like championship contenders as they work their way through the schedule.

9. Baltimore Ravens

Pretender

With Ray Lewis and Lardarius Webb on the field, then Baltimore is a contender. 

But losing two key defensive players makes this team vulnerable, as it proved against the Texans this weekend. Joe Flacco and the offense have improved, but it is still not an overly dangerous unit that can produce at an elite level on a consistent basis.

Going forward, the injuries to Lewis and Webb will continue to hurt the team.

10. Minnesota Vikings 

Pretender

While Minnesota is 5-2, this team will not seriously challenge for a title. 

Adrian Peterson’s remarkable success despite last season’s injury has been both surprising and inspiring, while Percy Harvin is emerging as an elite playmaker. The defense has played extremely well, but Christian Ponder is not ready to lead this team to the postseason.

As the season continues, Minnesota will start to struggle as teams begin to force Ponder to make plays.

11. Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers defense have shown their age this season as key players like Troy Polamalu and James Harrison have missed time due to injury. If everyone is healthy, this is a dangerous team, but that is yet to happen this year.

12. Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks secondary likely gives opposing receiving corps nightmares, but the one-dimensional offense ensures that a first-round playoff loss is this team’s ceiling in 2012.

13. Cincinnati Bengals

A.J. Green is a juggernaut at receiver, and he will continue to dominate. But the rest of the team has been mediocre on far too many occasions for the Bengals to be considered a serious threat.

14. Washington Redskins 

Robert Griffin III is a truly special player, and he just might lead the Redskins to the playoffs, but this team does not have the defense necessary to win a championship.

15. St. Louis Rams 

Judging this team’s defense on its recent performance against Aaron Rodgers is unfair. Jeff Fisher’s team will frustrate opposing offenses going forward and have a surprisingly successful season.

16. Arizona Cardinals 

Arizona’s pass protection has been astonishingly awful. Considering the pass rushers the team has to face in the NFC West, the Cardinals may not have any healthy quarterbacks left at the end of the season.

17. Detroit Lions 

This team is certainly flawed, but Calvin Johnson and Matthew Stafford are still a fearsome duo. However, the lack of a consistent defense and running game will likely keep the Lions out of the playoffs this season.

18. Philadelphia Eagles

As long as the Eagles keep handing the ball to opposing teams on a platter, they will continue to lose close games. The team’s turnover struggles are looking more and more like a problem that will not be fixed this year.

19. Dallas Cowboys 

After the season-opener against the Giants, the Cowboys’ losses have been tough and the wins have been unimpressive. This appears to be yet another disappointing year for the Cowboys.

20. New Orleans Saints

Drew Brees will carry this team on his back to a few victories this season, but the Bountygate suspensions and drama will ultimately be too much to overcome.

21. New York Jets

Fans are patiently waiting for the Jets to completely collapse and the Tim Tebow era to start. But the team has remained competitive against the Texans and the Patriots in the last three weeks, and may not be so terrible after all.

22. San Diego Chargers

The historic collapse the team suffered on Monday night is the type of loss that can ruin an entire season. The Chargers will need to bounce back immediately with an impressive performance against the Cleveland Browns, or this year could get ugly.

23. Indianapolis Colts 

Andrew Luck has continued to make strides and this team still has a few more surprising victories in it before the year is over.

24. Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins have proven capable of taking out mediocre teams in close, low-scoring battles. This strength should earn the team a few more victories this season, but Miami will still end up with a losing record. 

25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

The Bucs offense has not improved as much as Greg Schiano was likely hoping for, and the defense is still young and inexperienced. The core of this team may take Tampa to the playoffs down the road, but not this season. 

26. Tennessee Titans

Chris Johnson appears to be back on track, and that will help Tennessee improve throughout the season, although there are still too many holes in the roster for the Titans to truly turn their season around.

27. Buffalo Bills

The Bills’ defense was supposed to be elite this season, and it hasn’t even been mediocre. Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller will not be able to win many games on their own.

28. Carolina Panthers

Cam Newton faced high expectations in his sophomore season, but the Panthers have won just one of their first six games. The rushing attack is not nearly as dangerous as it was last year, and Ron Rivera must figure out a way to fix this.

29. Oakland Raiders

A win over the Jacksonville Jaguars will lift the team’s spirits, but victories will continue to be rare for the Raiders this season.

30. Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs may move ahead of the Raiders with a win over them next week, but that’s about as high as Kansas City will likely be in power rankings throughout 2012.

31. Jacksonville Jaguars 

The Jaguars are traveling to Green Bay next week, and this game will perfectly illustrate the difference between teams at the top of these power rankings and the ones at the bottom.

32. Cleveland Browns

Brandon Weeden has shown improvement, but the Browns still were not able to beat the Colts this weekend, and wins will be few and far between in Cleveland this season.