NFL Power Rankings: Teams That Are Dangerous Wild-Card Candidates

Every game in the NFL season matters, but this is crunch time. 

With 11 weeks in the books, teams are making their playoff pushes. Division leaders may be clear-cut, but that doesn't mean wild-card races are cut and dry. The teams vying for those positions will fight it out until the end.

Certain teams are in the wild-card hunt but heading the wrong way. Others are getting better and better as the season rolls along.

Let's focus on those teams for now, while power ranking the NFL.

1. Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta has looked shaky several times this season, but there's something to be said about a team that can overcome five interceptions from their starting quarterbacks.

2. Houston Texans

Narrowly escaping against the Jaguars isn't a good thing, but seeing Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson consistently connect is.

3. Chicago Bears

Check back after Monday Night Football.

4. Green Bay Packers

Green Bay is hot again. No one should want to play this team while Aaron Rodgers is doing his thing.

5. New England Patriots

New England didn't hesitate to show the Colts who was boss on Sunday, scoring a blowout win over Andrew Luck's group. However, an injury to Rob Gronkowski will prove costly in the long run.

6. San Francisco 49ers

Check back after Monday Night Football.

7. Denver Broncos

Peyton Manning is doing whatever he wants, and he finally has a defense to back him up. Look out, people; Denver is a contender.

8. Baltimore Ravens

Baltimore's win over Pittsburgh was nice, but I wouldn't call it impressive. A terrible Steelers offense made this team's lackluster effort look golden.

9. Pittsburgh Steelers

I would call Pittsburgh dangerous because they will be in the wild-card hunt, but the Steelers aren't going anywhere without Ben Roethlisberger.

10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

This team defines dangerous. With nothing to lose and very little in terms of expectations, the Buccaneers have rattled off four straight wins.

Josh Freeman is playing much better. He's taking care of the ball, and his rapport with Vincent Jackson seems to grow as each week passes. Don't underestimate Mike Williams' ability as a No. 2 option either.

Then, you have Doug Martin. Martin didn't do much on Sunday, but he's had an incredible rookie season. He gives the Bucs a legitimate No. 1 option in the backfield, making Freeman's job that much easier.

It all comes down to defending the pass for this team. If they can, and force teams to face their excellent run defense, they will be just fine. 

Either way, much better days are ahead for this franchise. If they make the playoffs, I would not want to play them.

11. Minnesota Vikings

Adrian Peterson is running like an MVP, but Minnesota doesn't have enough around him to break through this year. Christian Ponder is close, but he needs more vertical weapons.

12. Indianapolis Colts

Dangerous? Almost. The Patriots showed how poor this defense can be, negating Andrew Luck's presence. This squad is one year away.

13. Seattle Seahawks

Seattle is dangerous, but only if you play their style. However, at 6-4 and with two tough games remaining, a 10-win season isn't impossible.

The Seahawks own one of the league's top defenses, mainly because of a scary group of players in the secondary. Everyone on their unit is aggressive, and aggressive play tends to produce good results.

On top of that, Russell Wilson is improving behind center. When you have a 1,000-yard rusher in Marshawn Lynch in the backfield, you don't need much help.

Seattle will stand a chance against San Francisco later in the year because the game will be in CenturyLink Field. A big win there could spell playoffs, and Seattle's style of play could create problems for anyone.

14. New York Giants

The Giants won't be a wild-card team, but they are dangerous. Expect the Cowboys to make things interesting, but Tom Coughlin's team always saves their best for last.

15. New Orleans Saints

Who in their right mind would want to play this team right now? They're only 5-5, but the Saints are marching in.

As long as Drew Brees is under center, this group has a chance to make some noise. The NFC South title may be out of reach, but New Orleans is in the thick of the NFC wild-card race.

Make no mistake about it—this defense is still terrible. But when Brees is clicking, it only has to make a few key stops.

If Brees wasn't on this team, I'd say no way, but this team is rolling right now. The Saints are starting to capture that magic but must get past the 49ers and Falcons in back-to-back weeks coming up.

16. Cincinnati Bengals

This team has dangerous skill players, but the Bengals still allow too many big plays on defense. Also, Andy Dalton seems to forget that he's playing with the league's best receiver at times.

17. Dallas Cowboys

This team isn't going to make any playoff noise. They probably won't even make the playoffs. Such are the Cowboys, always disappointing.

18. Detroit Lions

A one-dimensional offense isn't always a good offense. Never sleep on Matthew Stafford and this passing attack, but the Lions don't have a clue what consistency means. 

19. Washington Redskins

Washington is another year away, but it doesn't get more dangerous than Robert Griffin III. Even though this team isn't a playoff team, they won't be fun to play down the stretch.

20. New York Jets

The Jets are dangerous to themselves. It could be a fight, argument or any other sort of scuffle, but this team is a circus.

21. Buffalo Bills

C.J. Spiller is dangerous, but Ryan Fitzpatrick is not. Buffalo can put a good game together, but too many mistakes still occur on both sides of the ball.

22. San Diego Chargers

The Chargers could be dangerous, but we know by now that they're not. Philip Rivers could never get it together long enough to make it so.

23. Tennessee Titans

The Titans had Week 11 off, but this offense has shown some explosiveness in the past few weeks.

24. Miami Dolphins

Miami has plummeted since manhandling the Jets in Week 8. With three tough games coming up, don't expect that to change anytime soon.

25. Arizona Cardinals

LaRod Stephens-Howling turned in a solid game on Sunday, but he can't play quarterback. Until that issue is solved, don't expect this team to take the next step.

26. St. Louis Rams

Jeff Fisher has done a good job with this team, but can Sam Bradford get the job done? He's a smart signal-caller, but he struggles to make big throws down the field.

27. Oakland Raiders

Carson Palmer still makes throws that wow you and throws that make you scream, making him perfect for a frustrating Raiders team.

28. Cleveland Browns

Cleveland is getting better. I know that doesn't mean much, but it's happening as this young team matures each week. 

29. Philadelphia Eagles

This team is just embarrassing. Getting whooped by the Washington Redskins on Sunday shouldn't surprise anyone, yet it still had me shaking my head in disbelief.

30. Carolina Panthers

The Panthers have too many flaws to cover up for Cam Newton's inconsistent play. Without him on top of his game, this team will stay in trouble.

31. Jacksonville Jaguars

Chad Henne nearly led this team to a shocking win over Houston on Sunday, but he didn't. Either way, these Jaguars don't have claws.

32. Kansas City Chiefs 

The Chiefs are only dangerous to the health of their fanbase.