NFL Power Rankings Week 11: Updated 2014 Analysis Before Thursday Night Football

It's about time to start talking playoffs, and any NFL team ranked outside of the top 12 in the league's power rankings has some work to do over the final seven weeks of the season.

There are some teams that already appear destined to make the postseason. Barring some kind of catastrophic injury or setback, we should expect to see the Denver Broncos, New England Patriots and Detroit Lions play deep into January. Other teams—like the winless Oakland Raiders—may want to start preparing draft strategies. However, the majority of the league is still jockeying for position.

Assessing where each squad currently stands in the NFL's hierarchy gives us a better idea of what the playoff picture could look like, as team strengths, weaknesses, recent on-field trends and injuries are all taken into consideration.

As we await a Thursday Night Football contest between the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins to kick off, here's a look at the league's power rankings heading into Week 11.

32. Oakland Raiders

Ben Margot/Associated Press

The Raiders won't be garnering any sort of credibility until they can notch a win. This team is sitting with an 0-9 record for the season, but it could have a slight chance on Sunday against a struggling San Diego Chargers defense. Will Derek Carr be up to the challenge?

31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Whether Josh McCown or Mike Glennon is under center, the Buccaneers are going nowhere fast. Luckily, Mike Evans appears to be the real deal at wide receiver. It's time for this team to use its high draft pick and grab a new quarterback. Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders certainly agrees:

30. Jacksonville Jaguars

This team's young offense is giving it all they have, but they're going to need some help from the defense to start accumulating some wins. The Jaguars are a couple years away from being a contender, but the future is beginning to get brighter.

29. Tennessee Titans

Zach Mettenberger doesn't look bad under center. Unfortunately, he's not getting any kind of help from fellow rookie Bishop Sankey, who can't seem to get anything done out of the backfield. A one-dimensional offense is not a young quarterback's friend.

28. Washington Redskins

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

Robert Griffin III wasn't phenomenal in his return to action in Week 9; however, he didn't show too much rust, either. Hopefully a well-timed bye week will allow him to get back into form quickly before fans begin calling for Colt McCoy under center.

27. St. Louis Rams

The Rams offense has sputtered of late. Austin Davis appears to be less effective with every passing week, and rookie Tre Mason hasn't fared well since taking over the starting role in the backfield. A Week 11 contest against the Denver Broncos doesn't help matters.

26. Chicago Bears

The Bears return home in Week 11 after an embarrassing loss to the Green Bay Packers. This team has talent, and it does have the ability to start winning games, but that won't happen until quarterback Jay Cutler can clean up his game. Perhaps this tweet from Chicago Problems provides the answer to Cutler's woes:

25. New York Jets

Michael Vick produced a solid performance, earning another win for the Jets and stopping the team's eight-game losing skid. The win was impressive, and it may help save head coach Rex Ryan's job, but New York is still looking for the future at the quarterback position.

24. Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons finally won another game in Week 10 thanks to a virtually nonexistent Buccaneers pass rush. When Matt Ryan is given time to throw, he's as dangerous as anyone in the league. Unfortunately, offensive line injuries are dooming this team for a second straight season.

23. Carolina Panthers

This Panthers offense is completely out of sync right now. Cam Newton is off balance and inaccurate. He is relying far too heavily on rookie Kelvin Benjamin and isn't spreading the ball around to targets like Greg Olsen or Jerricho Cotchery. This team is still in the mix in the NFC South, but immediate improvement from the quarterback position is necessary.

22. Minnesota Vikings

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

The Vikings are coming off a bye week with rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater looking to continue his recent momentum. Another win will get this team to the .500 mark for the season, and there's a good possibility that will happen against a porous Bears defense. 

21. New York Giants

Odell Beckham Jr. has taken over for Victor Cruz in a big way. He's exactly as advertised and has a bright future in this league. Eli Manning continues to play well, also. Unfortunately, until the Giants get stronger in the trenches on both sides of the ball, wins will be scarce.

20. Houston Texans

We'll see what Ryan Mallett can do against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. The Texans are resting their season on a quarterback who has only thrown four regular-season passes (one was intercepted). His upcoming competition had some kind words for the signal-caller, via Pro Football Talk:

Can his big arm save this team?

19. San Diego Chargers

It doesn't matter how well Philip Rivers plays. Until this team rights the ship in the secondary, it will wind up on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoffs. Holding Carr to less than four passing touchdowns this time around will be a start.

18. Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens are highly inconsistent on both sides of the ball. One week the defense gives up 43 points. The next, it gives up seven. One week Joe Flacco tosses five touchdown passes. The next, he throws two picks. This team needs consistency to contend in the AFC North.

17. Buffalo Bills

Gary Wiepert/Associated Press

The Bills really need to start running the football. This offense is relying on the arm of Kyle Orton far too much, and that will get Buffalo into trouble in Week 11 against a Miami Dolphins team that is one of the league's best against the pass.

16. New Orleans Saints

New Orleans took a step back in Week 10 due to some costly mistakes from Drew Brees. Mike Triplett of ESPN.com relayed the quarterback's feelings about his recent turnover issues:

"

#Saints Drew Brees on bouncing back from turnovers: I am annoyingly optimistic and confident, as I've been told by teammates.

— Mike Triplett (@MikeTriplett) November 12, 2014"

Luckily, the team gets a great chance at redemption against a Cincinnati Bengals defense that really looks like it's missing former defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer.

15. Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh remains one of the NFL's most enigmatic teams. The Steelers are red-hot one week, but can't get out of their own way the next. Inconsistency is plaguing the AFC North right now, and Pittsburgh may be the best example. A bounce-back effort on Monday Night Football against the inferior Titans is a must.

14. Cincinnati Bengals

Which Bengals team will show up this week? Will we see the gritty squad that played against the Ravens in Week 8 or the hapless team that floundered around against the Browns in Week 10? For now, this team remains a mystery.

13. Miami Dolphins

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

The Dolphins lost a heartbreaker to the Detroit Lions in Week 10. Still, the team's performance was very encouraging on both sides of the ball. This is a team that could do some damage down the final stretch of the season, but it will have to rebound quickly on a short week.

12. San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco decided to run the ball more against the Saints and came away with a rare win in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. This team must travel to the East Coast to take on the Giants in Week 11. Will this winning formula continue, or will this team revert back to its pass-happy ways?

11. Cleveland Browns

Brian Hoyer simply continues to get it done for the Browns. He's playing well enough to win games for this team—even if they aren't exactly pretty. A victory against the Texans on Sunday could potentially give this squad a nice cushion atop the AFC North.

10. Seattle Seahawks

Seattle relied on Marshawn Lynch against the Giants, and he delivered. NFL on ESPN summed up his performance perfectly:

Considering the Seahawks are about to face the Kansas City Chiefs and their top-ranked pass defense in Week 11, it may be beneficial to continue that strategy.

9. Kansas City Chiefs

This Kansas City team is playing some impressive football right now. The Chiefs have won with efficiency on both sides of the ball, as Alex Smith is very careful with the football and the defense hasn't allowed more than 20 points during the team's current four-game winning streak.

8. Arizona Cardinals

Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press

Until Drew Stanton plays on Sunday, a debate over where the Cardinals should be ranked will continue to rage on. Yes, Stanton won a couple games for this team earlier this year, but his 49.5 completion percentage is lower than any other starter in the league. Now, he must face Detroit's top-ranked defense. That's a tall order.

7. Green Bay Packers

Aaron Rodgers tossed six touchdown passes in the first half against the Bears in Week 10. No, that wasn't a typo. This offense is on fire right now and looks as dangerous as any in the league. A win against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 11 will solidify this team as one of the NFL's elite.

6. Dallas Cowboys

With Tony Romo back in the fold, the Cowboys offense took flight once again. DeMarco Murray eclipsed 100 yards on the ground, Dez Bryant was virtually unstoppable and the team accumulated 399 yards of total offense in Week 10. A bye this week is well deserved.

5. Indianapolis Colts

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

Andrew Luck is having a career year, and the Colts are the NFL's top-ranked passing offense. This team is electric, but it faces a very difficult contest on Sunday night against a New England Patriots team that has been pummeling opponents lately.

4. Philadelphia Eagles

Have we seen the return of "The Sanchize"? Backup quarterback Mark Sanchez played extremely well in Week 10, and the Eagles continue to look like a major contender. The NFL's Twitter account recently had some high praise for the quarterback in his new offense:

However, a tough matchup against the Packers looms large. We'll find out what Chip Kelly's squad is made of on Sunday.

3. Denver Broncos

Peyton Manning continues to light up defenses each and every week. As long as he's at the helm, the Broncos are automatically one of the AFC's best teams. The fact that he's surrounded by great weapons and a defense that is playing very well makes Denver even scarier.

2. Detroit Lions

The Lions have been a great defensive team all season long. Wide receiver Calvin Johnson returned in Week 10 against the Dolphins and showed no signs of rust. With Detroit's offense almost at full strength once again, it can be argued that this is the NFL's most complete team.

1. New England Patriots

Elise Amendola/Associated Press

Tom Brady has been playing ageless football. Now that he's established rapport with Brandon LaFell and Rob Gronkowski is healthy once again, the Patriots have been putting up serious points. Darrelle Revis lurks in New England's secondary, ensuring opponents don't match his teams output.

Revis had this to say about the team's tight end, via SportsCenter:

We're in for another instant classic in Week 11, as Brady faces Luck in what promises to be a very exciting aerial shootout. Will the 15th-year veteran prevail, or will his up-and-coming opponent steal the show? Hang on to your hats.