NFL Power Rankings: Breaking Down League Hierarchy Prior to Weekend Action

The disparity between teams in the NFL this season is striking, and the league hierarchy seems to change every single week.

The top teams always seem to find themselves within the top 10 of the power rankings, although their order changes by the game. It's the middle-of-the-road teams that see the biggest change from week to week, as big wins or losses often have more substantial of an impact on their seasons.

Here's how the league looks entering weekend action of Week 13.

1. Seattle Seahawks, 10-1

There's no denying the fact that the Seattle Seahawks are the No. 1 team in the NFL right now. You can't beat them at home, and Marshawn Lynch is a quiet MVP candidate. They face a tough test in New Orleans on Monday night, with the No. 1 seed in the NFC essentially up for grabs.

2. New Orleans Saints, 9-2

The New Orleans Saints have a dynamic offense, stout defense and Hall of Fame leader in Drew Brees. They've played well in recent weeks, but beating Seattle at home won't be easy. If they win, they're No. 1.

3. Carolina Panthers, 8-3

With three straight fourth-quarter comebacks, Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers have proven themselves to be a dangerous team in the NFC. It won't be easy to get to the Super Bowl with the Saints and Seahawks ahead of them—not to mention some of the teams behind them—but they have the chops to make some noise late in the season.

4. New England Patriots, 8-3

Quietly, the New England Patriots are No. 4. Tom Brady has done his best with the receivers he's been given, and it has been met with essentially the same results.

Okay, so not all of the wins have been pretty. And New England did lose to Carolina. But this team can still go all the way in the AFC.

5. Denver Broncos, 9-2

The Denver Broncos face the Kansas City Chiefs for the second time in three weeks on Sunday, and even though they won the first matchup, they shouldn't be too confident heading into this one.

Peyton Manning looked horrible last time out, and his wide receivers struggled to get open for him. If that's an issue against K.C., then there will be big problems in Denver.

6. Kansas City Chiefs, 9-2

The Chiefs went from No. 1 to No. 6 in a matter of weeks. I mean, that's what losses to the Broncos and San Diego Chargers will do for you.

Their defense looked uncharacteristically terrible against San Diego, and you can bet that the Broncos are looking to exploit them in the same ways. They need to fix their problems on that side of the ball, and fast.

7. Cincinnati Bengals, 7-4

Despite a two-game lead in the AFC North, the Cincinnati Bengals should not feel comfortable at the top. The Baltimore Ravens are 6-6 and the Pittsburgh Steelers are 5-7, and Cincy still needs to play each of those teams in the next five weeks.

This divisional race could very well come down to Week 17.

8. San Francisco 49ers, 7-4

The problem with the San Francisco 49ers is that they struggle against good teams. While that is expected to an extent, it's not a good sign that the Niners can't hang with the best the league has to offer. As a potential playoff team, the Niners need to be able to compete.

They get the St. Louis Rams this week, and Kellen Clemens has them playing well. San Fran needs to be on upset alert.

9. Indianapolis Colts, 7-4

The Indianapolis Colts are probably the most inconsistent team in the NFL. One week, they're putting a beatdown on the Broncos. The next week, the Arizona Cardinals are giving them the business.

This team is young and has a ton of potential. The problem is that the players are all learning on the fly. If they can get hot at the end of the season, then they'll be dangerous in the AFC.

10. Detroit Lions, 7-4

After a Thanksgiving Day feast of the Green Bay Packers (see what I did there?), the Detroit Lions are favorites in the NFC North. They also look like one of the more explosive teams in the NFL.

With a little more consistency from Matthew Stafford under center, this team can go places. I need to see that first before I'm sold.

11. Arizona Cardinals, 7-4

Carson Palmer has the Arizona Cardinals playing extraordinarily well, and head coach Bruce Arians has jump-started this team to legitimacy. They do have some question marks on offense—can they run the ball consistently?—but this team has the chops to make a run if they can stay hot.

This streak comes at a perfect time, as Larry Fitzgerald may need to reconsider leaving Arizona this offseason.

12. Dallas Cowboys, 7-5

It hasn't been pretty, but the Dallas Cowboys are leading the NFC East over the Philadelphia Eagles by half of a game.

They almost went down on Thanksgiving at the hands of the Oakland Raiders, but Tony Romo picked up his play and led his team to victory in the second half. He is playing like a superstar quarterback this season. It's time to give him credit.

13. Philadelphia Eagles, 6-5

From here on out, the Eagles must play their best if they want to make the playoffs. The wild-card picture is tight, and the Eagles will be shooting for the division crown as a result.

Nick Foles has this team playing well, and he gives them a great chance to win on any given week. He still hasn't tossed an interception, and his skills as a game-manager are taking the Eagles places.

14. Chicago Bears, 6-5

Josh McCown hasn't hurt the Chicago Bears during his tenure as quarterback, though there's no denying the fact that Jay Cutler gives them a better chance to win on a weekly basis.

The Bears are behind the Lions in the NFC North, and they need to keep pace with them this week. Chicago is in a very similar position to the Eagles. In fact, it's a near-identical position.

15. San Diego Chargers, 5-6

The Chargers just shocked the Chiefs last week, but I'm still not sold. There's a lot of inconsistency in the run game, and the defense can't let up 38 points to a Chiefs offense that isn't exactly known for pouring it on.

Rivers has done a good job leading the offense, but his defense needs to pick up the slack over the remainder of the schedule.

16. Baltimore Ravens, 6-6

Justin Tucker kicked the Ravens to a win on Thanksgiving night, and now Baltimore is behind the Bengals by just two games in the loss column. The key to their season rests on the shoulders of Ray Rice. If he can turn it on now, then the Ravens have a chance of ousting Cincy.

17. Pittsburgh Steelers, 5-7

The Steelers are a much better team than they were earlier in the season, but a lack of clutch play on both sides of the ball was their downfall against Baltimore.

Le'Veon Bell needs to be an impact runner that sets up the play-action pass for Ben Roethlisberger. If he can work on that, then this offense can be much more efficient than it has been.

18. St. Louis Rams, 5-6

The Rams have upset the Colts and the Bears in back-to-back weeks, and they face another tough opponent in the Niners this week.

Kellen Clemons has been unexpectedly solid under center, but the emergence of Zac Stacy and Benny Cunningham as viable runners made the biggest difference for St. Louis. Rookie Tavon Austin has also found a niche on offense, and that's bad news for San Francisco.

19. Tennessee Titans, 5-6

Somehow, the Tennessee Titans are in position for the AFC wild card that isn't occupied by either the Broncos or the Chiefs by season's end.

With wins over the New York Jets, Steelers and Chargers, the Titans own a decent number of tie-breakers. The end of the season will be interesting for them. First, though, they'll need to focus on the Colts in Week 13.

20. New York Jets, 5-6

In a similarly baffling fashion, the Jets have an outside shot at a wild-card spot as well. Geno Smith has been far from everything the Jets wanted and needed him to be, but he's had his moments.

Moving forward, Smith needs to learn to not force plays that aren't there. That has been his downfall to this point, and the Jets might have an extra win or two if he picked his spots a little better.

21. Green Bay Packers, 5-6-1

Aaron Rodgers could not have been happy while watching from the sidelines on Thanksgiving. Matt Flynn looked lost in the pocket, and the offensive line did absolutely nothing to help.

His defense also looked putrid, as Calvin Johnson was routinely beating triple teams to make catches in traffic. Without Rodgers under center, this team is going absolutely nowhere. The Packers need him back as soon as possible.

22. Miami Dolphins, 5-6

The Miami Dolphins are 2-6 since starting out the season 3-0. Talks of Ryan Tannehill making the jump in quarterback rankings have quieted down, and there really aren't too many people riding the Dolphins bandwagon right now.

They play the Jets in Week 13 in a battle of offensive futility, and it'll be the team that makes the least mistakes that comes out on top.

23. New York Giants, 4-7

Heart-breaking loss to the Cowboys aside, the New York Giants are a much better team now than they were five weeks ago—when they were 0-6.

They're in a good position to win this week against the Washington Redskins, as Robert Griffin III looks nothing like himself lately and the Skins have had problems stopping the pass. Look for Eli Manning and Andre Brown to post big numbers.

24. Buffalo Bills, 4-7

Shockingly, the Buffalo Bills actually have a chance to be 7-7 after their next three games against the Atlanta Falcons, Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Sure, E.J. Manuel is no sure thing under center, but the Bills appear to be superior to these clubs.

Technically, the Bills aren't out of it just yet. I wouldn't get too hopeful, but the math is on their side.

25. Oakland Raiders, 4-8

The Raiders played exceptionally well against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving, and Matt McGloin actually looks pretty good in the pocket. He may not have the biggest arm, but he makes accurate throws and is not afraid to take a hit.

Rashad Jennings and Darren McFadden also give him two quality safety nets in the backfield. This team might have some potential in the next few seasons.

26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 3-8

Mike Glennon has led the Buccaneers to three straight wins after starting the season 0-8, and it looks as if there is something to be hopeful for in Tampa Bay. Glennon has a big arm, and he's finally starting to rein it in and hit his open receivers.

Not having Doug Martin for the rest of the season hurts, but Bobby Rainey and Brian Leonard will do an adequate-enough job for Glennon. Next season will be when we can really see what the rookie quarterback is made of.

27. Cleveland Browns, 4-7

The Cleveland Browns are slipping after ranking inside the top 15 at one point in the season.

They are 1-5 in their last six games, with their only victory coming against Baltimore. Their quarterback situation is a mess, and this team really has no offensive weapons outside of Josh Gordon. If they were smart, they'd consider dealing him to completely blow up the roster and start from scratch—again.

28. Washington Redskins, 3-8

Much was expected of RG3 in his sophomore season—even after injury—but he has disappointed big time. Alfred Morris is still a rock in the backfield, but the Skins have a terrible passing game right now.

Their defense has also let them down at times, and they face a deceptively tough Giants offense in Week 13. Washington is a very volatile club, but I'm expecting the worst this week.

29. Minnesota Vikings, 2-8-1

The Vikings are 1-5-1 in their last seven games, and there's really nothing they can do at this point to salvage their season.

Adrian Peterson has been solid as usual, but their lack of a consistent passing game has killed them. They may need to address the quarterback position in the draft this offseason, because Christian Ponder, Josh Freeman and Matt Cassel are not the answers.

30. Atlanta Falcons, 2-9

One of the NFL's biggest disappointments, the Falcons face a Bills team this week that will fight hard from the beginning. Matt Ryan is nothing without his core group of receivers, and that has shone through brightly this season.

Steven Jackson has also proven to be a bust this season, though there is still some time for him to pick it up.

31. Jacksonville Jaguars, 2-9

The Jaguars aren't last in the rankings this week, and that's a result of two wins in their last three games. Of course, their most recent win was against the team that ranks last, but hey, a win is a win.

Their next four games are against teams with losing records, and that might bode well for them as the season comes to a close.

32. Houston Texans, 2-9

The Houston Texans are horrible.

Even though Case Keenum has semi-solidified the quarterback position, he's fared no better than Matt Schaub did.

For a team with the No. 1 overall defense in the NFL in terms of total yardage to be this bad is astounding. They need to address a ton of issues this offseason.