NFL Power Rankings Week 12: 2015 Season Review Before 'Thursday Night Football'

With so much parity through the early part of the NFL season, even teams that seemed dead in the water have a chance to make up ground and reach the playoffs.

Heading into Week 12, eight of the 32 teams are currently .500, with 10 more one game away in either direction. This might put a squad in tough shape in most seasons, but this year, many of them actually control their own destinies. The key is to peak at the right time and win games down the stretch.

A number of teams have already started winning streaks to get back in contention after rough starts. Here is a look at those big risers from last week along with a full breakdown of the 32 teams heading into Week 12.

Rank	Team	Record	Prev.
1	New England Patriots	10-0	1
2	Carolina Panthers	10-0	2
3	Arizona Cardinals	8-2	3
4	Cincinnati Bengals	8-2	4
5	Denver Broncos	8-2	7
6	Green Bay Packers	7-3	8
7	Pittsburgh Steelers	6-4	6
8	Minnesota Vikings	7-3	5
9	Kansas City Chiefs	5-5	15
10	Seattle Seahawks	5-5	14
11	Buffalo Bills	5-5	9
12	New York Giants	5-5	12
13	Indianapolis Colts	5-5	16
14	Atlanta Falcons	6-4	10
15	Houston Texans	5-5	22
16	New York Jets	5-5	11
17	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	5-5	23
18	Oakland Raiders	4-6	13
19	Dallas Cowboys	3-7	26
20	Chicago Bears	4-6	21
21	Washington Redskins	4-6	18
22	Miami Dolphins	4-6	17
23	St. Louis Rams	4-6	19
24	Philadelphia Eagles	4-6	20
25	Detroit Lions	3-7	29
26	New Orleans Saints	4-6	24
27	Jacksonville Jaguars	4-6	28
28	Baltimore Ravens	3-7	30
29	San Francisco 49ers	3-7	25
30	San Diego Chargers	2-8	27
31	Tennessee Titans	2-8	31
32	Cleveland Browns	2-8	32

Top Risers

Kansas City Chiefs

Denis Poroy/Associated Press

This has been a bizarre season for the Kansas City Chiefs. They began the year 1-5, with Jamaal Charles going down for the year with a torn ACL. However, the squad has turned things around with four straight wins to get back to 5-5 and is in position to earn a wild-card spot.

Herbie Teope of Chiefs Digest provided a look at the drastic difference defensively:

"The communication has been the difference," Chiefs linebacker Justin Houston explained, per BJ Kissel of KCChiefs.com. "From the coaches to the players, if you get everyone on the same page and handling their assignment, that’ll go a long way."

That communication has combined with a lot of talent at every level. Houston leads an elite pass rush, while Eric Berry has rounded back into form as the leader in the secondary. This has kept just about every offense the team has faced over the past month-and-a-half in check.

Meanwhile, quarterback Alex Smith has played mistake-free ball, as the offense has now gone four games without a turnover. With a sound run game and playmakers in the passing game, the Chiefs have turned into legitimate contenders.

Houston Texans

Bob Levey/Getty Images

Like the Chiefs, the Houston Texans have turned around their fortunes thanks to an improved defense, per John McClain of the Houston Chronicle:

Coming into the year, the Texans defense appeared to be one of the best in the NFL, but the performance on the field didn't match what we saw on paper. Fortunately, the defense has started to live up to expectations lately, holding both the Tennessee Titans and the Cincinnati Bengals to single digits, while the New York Jets managed only 17 points.

While the offense has been struggling to get by with Brian Hoyer on the sidelines, he will return to action after missing last week with a concussion, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. Although Hoyer isn't exactly Tom Brady, he does have at least two touchdown passes in the last five full games he's played. He is also a steadying presence in the huddle, especially compared to when Ryan Mallett was on the team.

All of a sudden, Houston is 5-5 and tied for first place in the AFC South, while the Indianapolis Colts are trying to get by with Matt Hasselbeck under center. This is an opportunity to take over a division that was considered a one-horse race at the start of the year.

Dallas Cowboys

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Despite being 3-7, the Dallas Cowboys are legitimately in contention thanks to the return of Tony Romo. Ed Werder of ESPN broke down the way to evaluate this squad:

Romo made mistakes in Week 11 as he shook off the rust, but the Cowboys got their first win since Week 2. The quarterback elevates all the players around him, and all of a sudden, we can start to remember how good players such as Dez Bryant and Darren McFadden can be.

With an offensive line that is among the best in the NFL, this group should be able to score quite a bit going forward.

On the other side of the ball, the defense has stepped up lately, allowing 14 points or fewer in three of the last four games. It isn't a perfect unit, but if Romo plays to his ability, this team can win a lot more games.

Considering the Cowboys currently sit just two games out of first place, the opportunity to win a division title is still on the table.

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