NFL Power Rankings Week 12: 2015-16 Conference Standings and Super Bowl Odds

If ever there was a time for bettors to strike on 2015-16 Super Bowl odds, it's now, when Las Vegas is at its most vulnerable in the aftermath of Week 11.

It's downright impossible to ignore some of the values on the board. Great teams sit on losing skids, making them attractive options, while backup quarterbacks are keeping contenders afloat and superstars on the rebound from injury have their teams climbing the power rankings.

Below, let's take a look at the latest lines out of Las Vegas and power rank each team by past results, projections and more. After the jump, let's take a deep dive on the most interesting lines to know about going into Week 12.

Week 12 NFL Power Rankings and 2015-16 Super Bowl Odds

Rank	Team	SB Odds
1	New England Patriots	12-5
2	Carolina Panthers	7-1
3	Arizona Cardinals	5-1
4	Cincinnati Bengals	14-1
5	Green Bay Packers	8-1
6	Denver Broncos	14-1
7	Pittsburgh Steelers	10-1
8	Minnesota Vikings	20-1
9	Indianapolis Colts	33-1
10	Atlanta Falcons	66-1
11	New York Giants	14-1
12	Oakland Raiders	150-1
13	Seattle Seahawks	18-1
14	Houston Texans	66-1
15	New York Jets	150-1
16	Dallas Cowboys	25-1
17	Philadelphia Eagles	66-1
18	Kansas City Chiefs	33-1
19	Buffalo Bills	75-1
20	Miami Dolphins	300-1
21	Jacksonville Jaguars	100-1
22	St. Louis Rams	100-1
23	Chicago Bears	250-1
24	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	150-1
25	New Orleans Saints	300-1
26	Detroit Lions	250-1
27	Tennessee Titans	750-1
28	Washington	200-1
29	San Francisco 49ers	1000-1
30	San Diego Chargers	2000-1
31	Baltimore Ravens	500-1
32	Cleveland Browns	2000-1

Odds courtesy of Odds Shark.

Conference Standings 

AFC	W	L
NFC	W	L
New England Patriots	9	0
Cincinnati Bengals	8	2
Denver Broncos	8	2
Pittsburgh Steelers	6	4
Buffalo Bills	5	4
Indianapolis Colts	5	5
New York Jets	5	5
Kansas City Chiefs	5	5
Houston Texans	5	5
Oakland Raiders	4	6
Miami Dolphins	4	6
Jacksonville Jaguars	4	6
Baltimore Ravens	3	7
San Diego Chargers	2	8
Tennessee Titans	2	8
Cleveland Browns	2	8
Carolina Panthers	10	0
Arizona Cardinals	8	2
Green Bay Packers	7	3
Minnesota Vikings	7	3
Atlanta Falcons	6	4
New York Giants	5	5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	5	5
Seattle Seahawks	5	5
Washington	4	6
St. Louis Rams	4	6
Philadelphia Eagles	4	6
Chicago Bears	4	6
New Orleans Saints	4	6
San Francisco 49ers	3	7
Detroit Lions	3	7
Dallas Cowboys	3	7

Odds Analysis 

Dallas Cowboys (25-1)

This is an odd, odd situation. 

The Dallas Cowboys just snapped a seven-game skid, only to find themselves two games out of the lead in the NFC East.

Tony Romo returned this past weekend and threw for 227 yards with a pair of touchdowns and interceptions in a 24-14 victory against the Miami Dolphins to get the team to 3-7.

It's easy to look at Dallas' record and write it off, but the team leading the NFC East is the New York Giants, one sitting on a miserable 5-5 record. In fact, Dallas already has a win over the Giants this year and touts one over the 4-6 Philadelphia Eagles, too. And that's not to mention a pair of contests remaining against 4-6 Washington.

The task in front of the Cowboys isn't easy, especially with the short turnaround to Thursday Night Football against the undefeated Carolina Panthers on deck and a trip to Lambeau Field to encounter the Green Bay Packers in the near future.

Yet with Romo back and Darren McFadden running strong (129 yards on 29 carries in Sunday's win), Las Vegas doesn't seem ready to count out the Cowboys. Maybe bettors shouldn't, either.

Cincinnati Bengals (14-1)

Now would be the time to buy all the shares in the Cincinnati Bengals. 

Cincinnati has lost two straight, and it doesn't help the team's reputation that both came on prime time, the most recent a Sunday Night Football loss in Arizona to the Cardinals, 34-31.

What face value doesn't tell folks, though, is that the Bengals still sit at 8-2 with a firm hold on the AFC North. The loss to the Cardinals—a surefire Super Bowl contender playing at home—came on a last-second field goal, while the Bengals defense played without top corner Adam Jones and lost other secondary pieces during the game.

The fact that Cincinnati didn't fold despite the issues says a lot about the growth of the team. In the loss, quarterback Andy Dalton still threw for 315 yards and two scores with no picks, and the ground game bruised its way to a pair of touchdowns.

If anything, the loss was proof a healthy Bengals squad can play with anyone, anywhere. Given a two-game skid, the potential payout here figures to continue rising—meaning this is the best chance to grab the Bengals and ride the wave, because odds are the payout decreases when the Bengals start rolling again.

Denver Broncos (14-1)

Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

Las Vegas and almost everyone else seemed ready to write off the Denver Broncos, thanks to the injury to Peyton Manning.

All the situation has done, though, is give bettors a decent payout chance and a vote of confidence that the team can win games without Manning under center.

Thank backup quarterback Brock Osweiler, who went 20-of-27 with 250 yards and two touchdowns in a 17-15 victory against the Chicago Bears in Week 11. He made a point to emphasize the Broncos' continued confidence after the game, according to the team's Twitter account:

Granted, it seems that almost any quarterback could have a great game against the Chicago defense, but there's something worth admiring about a backup starting a game in place of a legend, in the cold and on the road, and coming away with a win.

In an overarching sense, the Broncos are just fine without Manning, considering they boast an 8-2 record, with the next-best team in the AFC West being the 5-5 Kansas City Chiefs.

The Broncos have already split with those Chiefs, and the schedule gets ridiculously difficult down the stretch thanks to clashes with New England, Oakland, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, to name a few, but an eight-win buffer in a miserable division isn't something to ignore. 

So while the globe mourns Manning and wonders if and when he will return, smooth bettors should be out in droves picking up the Broncos. Manning will return when healthy, and by then the well-rounded Broncos will be playoff-bound, where anything is possible—especially if Manning saved his best for last, should this be his farewell tour.

Stats are courtesy of NFL.com and accurate as of November 23. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.