NFL Power Ranking Week 12: Ranking Teams Best Equipped for Postseason Run
This week we learned many things, including that the Philadelphia Eagles can overcome their own miscues, the New England Patriots can hold of Peyton Manning, and the Chicago Bears just may be good enough.
With each team ten games into their season, and only a few short weeks left until all is said and done and we are watching the first round of playoff games, it is time to take a look at which teams are best equipped for the postseason.
There are many things that enable a team to make a postseason run, ranging from a stout defense, a game controlling quarterback, capable receivers and backs, and solid special teams.
So, here is a quick look at the teams that are capable of and able to pull off a postseason run into the Super Bowl.
Trimming The Fat
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First off, there are many teams who have very little chance of making the playoffs, let alone make a deep run, so we must get rid of a few teams to start out with, just to save some time.
Carolina Panthers: 1-9
Buffalo Bills: 2-8
Cincinnati Bengals: 2-8
Detroit Lions: 2-8
San Francisco 49ers: 3-7
Cleveland Browns: 3-7
Dallas Cowboys: 3-7
Arizona Cardinals: 3-7
Minnesota Vikings: 3-7
Denver Broncos: 3-7
22. Tennesee Titans 5-5
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After storming off the field like a child on Sunday, Vince Young took with him any form and hope that this team had left.
They have been back and forth between quarterbacks all year, wavering between Young and Kerry Collins, and now with Young done for the year, and Collins' status still in doubt, the hopes for the Titans are very low.
Their defense isn't terrible, but they are not good enough on the defensive side of the ball to overcome their shortcomings and uncertainty on offense.
They have very little chance of making the playoffs at this point, and if they do, there is very little chance that they make any kind of run.
21. Miami Dolphins 5-5
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The Dolphins, after being shut out by the Bears last Thursday are almost certainly finished without a huge winning streak to salvage their season.
They have a quarterback who is improving, but is still too raw to lead a team on a deep playoff run, and the Wildcat is nearly tamed, despite its short resurrection against Tennessee two weeks ago.
Miami has the ability to be a dynamic passing team, with Brandon Marshall, Brian Hartline, Devone Bess and Anthony Fasono looking like great receivers, but with the current quarterback, they are far from elite in the passing game.
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20. Saint Louis Rams
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The Rams have survived on their defense this season, and when the defense has been good, it has been great.
Unfortunately, the defense is not good enough to carry a team with a rookie quarterback into the postseason and beyond.
Sam Bradford has been good so far this season, but he has not been good enough to manage a team in the playoffs.
They have a running back, in Steven Jackson, who is still having a good year, but is nowhere near his old, explosive self, and their receivers are too young to make a quarterback better.
19. Seattle Seahawks 5-5
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Seattle has an old, wily veteran quarterback who is able to manage a football game without too many mistakes popping up in Matt Hasselbeck and a good core of young players, but they are not yet well put together enough to go deep into the playoffs.
They rank near the bottom of the league in most categories and are surviving by capitalizing on the opposing team's mistakes, enabling them to be 5-5 right now.
That, along with the fact that they reside in the NFC West is giving them a chance to make the playoffs, but no chance remains that they will end up playing deep into January.
18. Houston Texans 4-6
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They are at the bottom of their conference looking up, and will have a hard time climbing out of the hole that they are in, but they have a set of players that could do it.
They have the high powered offense that could power them back to a wild card berth, propelling them into the playoffs with momentum.
Matt Schaub, Andre Johnson, and the young upstart Arian Foster make their offense able of scoring on anybody, and scoring often.
Unfortunately they boast a defense that is nearly inept in comparison to the rest of the league, handicapping them every step of the way, and probably stopping them from any playoff hopes this season.
17. Washington Redskins 5-5
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The Redskins looked anything but impressive after being clobbered by Michale Vick two weeks ago, and their bounceback win over the Titans on Sunday is looks unimpressive as the Titans were just short of shouting with each other on the sidelines.
They beat a distracted Tennessee team who was hurt by injuries and had, despite his 300 yard game, another unimpressive game by Donovan McNabb.
McNabb has looked anything from completely washed up to hardcore slumping so far this season, and has shown very little evidence that he is on the verge of breaking out of his slump.
The wins have come by the skin of their noses and their losses have been blowouts, they have little hope.
16. Oakland Raiders 5-5
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The Raiders looked like the same-old, same-old Raiders in the first few weeks of the season.
Now, however, they have reeled off four wins in six games and have found their way back to .500, and are looking like a real threat.
They have a quarterback who is capable of running an offense, they just need to pick whether it is going to be Bruce Gradkowski or Jason Campbell to take the reigns for the rest of the season.
Their defense is a monster on opposing quarterbacks and their running game is one of the best in the NFL.
Darren McFadden is finally living up to his potential, and Michael Bush has been a respectable backup running back.
They also have a range of receivers who have the potential to be very good.
If they able to sneak into the playoffs out of the AFC West they may be able to surprise a few teams in the playoffs.
15. Chicago Bears 7-3
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The Bears have a running game that is lackluster at best and a passing game that has been underachieving and sluggish all season.
Jay Cutler is looking worse as the season goes along and they are thriving on their defense.
Their defense has been the usual outstanding Bears defense that has been dominant for decades as a whole.
Without their defense they would be in the cellar of the league, and thankfully for the Bears, this defense has been great.
It is capable, with Jay Cutler without completely blowing games, of dragging the Bears into the postseason and even capable of winning a few games if they get on a roll.
It's happened with worse quarterbacks.
14. Kansas City Chiefs 6-4
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The Chiefs are 6-4 and sitting in first in the AFC West and are very capable of making the playoffs at this point, but can they make a deep run into the playoffs?
Matt Cassell has proven to be more than capable at quarterback, with an improvement over his first season in a Chiefs uniform, and has turned into an asset for this team.
Along with Cassel, they have the Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones combo that have run over, around, through, past, and flown by defenders this season.
They are also quite capable of stopping the run.
The only thing stopping them from possibly making a nice playoff run is their pass defense, which is prone to give up big plays too often, giving up 33 plays of 20 or more yards.
13. Jacksonville Jaguars 6-4
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The Jaguars have Maurice Jones-Drew clicking on all cylinders and David Gerrard has shown flashes of brilliance this year, but has also had games where he absolutely looks terrible.
Along with Gerrard's sneakiness, the Jaguars have had a defense struggling to find a stride, but is capable of getting into one if they run a streak of good games together.
12. San Diego Chargers 5-5
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The team who is excellent on paper is finally becoming excellent on the field.
The San Diego Chargers have been racking up excellent stats all year, but have, until recently, been unable to get those stats to translate to wins.
Philip Rivers is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL and their running game is slowly picking up the pace.
Their defense has been good enough to slow teams down, but teams have still been able to score on them.
If they are able to stop teams from scoring while keeping their offense kicking, they will be able to decimate teams in the playoffs, and can run deep into the postseason.
11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7-3
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The Buccaneers have been one of the most surprising teams in the league this season and are looking to take that surprise into the playoffs.
They have a quarterback in Josh Freeman who is able to pull impossible plays out of nowhere, but is still liable to put up a stinker from time to time.
They have also had an above-average run game with rookie LeGarrett Blount in a year where Cadillac Williams has struggled.
Their biggest problem is their inability to beat good teams, as their three losses have come to Atlanta, New Orleans and Pittsburgh, and they're going to have to beat good teams to make a playoff run.
10. Green Bay Packers 7-3
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The Packers have been a good team in nearly every category so far this season, but have not been great in any one category.
They may be set up for a good playoff run as a jack-of-all-trade team that can play against any team and give them a run for their money.
Their defense has been amazing as of late, letting up only ten points in their past three games and have made a statement with their drubbing of Dallas and Minnesota in consecutive games.
Their biggest problem is that they tend to struggle in close games late, as they have lost their three games by a combined seven points.
9. Baltimore Ravens 7-3
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The Ravens have a defense that any team in the league would like to have. They're mean, they're tough, and they're good.
On top of that they have a quarterback with experience winning games in the playoffs, as Joe Flacco led them to the AFC Championship game in 2008 as a rookie.
With the past few years giving him room to grow, Flacco has emerged as a great quarterback, and could just be the guy to lead this team to the Super Bowl.
8. Philadelphia Eagles 7-3
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There is no question that the Eagles are an exciting team to watch every weekend. They are constantly breaking huge plays and getting you up off your feet.
Their youth has afforded them a surprisingly good run game and an excruciatingly fast defense, one which is capable of forcing turnovers on any play.
The one thing that could hinder them going forward, however, is their youth.
They have very little playoff experience on the team and will be relying quite a bit on Michael Vick to lead this team to victory come playoff time.
7. New York Giants 6-4
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The Giants are a beast of a team whose biggest criticism has been that they are prone to laying an egg from time to time, getting blown out in a game that they should have at least been competitive in.
They have an impeccable defense, a capable quarterback, a great special teams and a terrific running game.
They have Eli Manning who has been to, and won, a Super Bowl in the past, giving them invaluable playoff experience in their most important decision.
There is no way I would want my team playing the Giants in the first round of this year's playoffs.
6. Indianapolis Colts 6-4
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The Colts have had everything work against them this season, short of a bus running over Peyton Manning's right arm.
They have been decimated by injuries, leading to a terrible pass defense and a lackluster running game.
However, thanks to Peyton Manning, once obscure receivers have emerged to have hundred-yard games and they have pulled off wins and comebacks all season long.
As long as any team has Peyton Manning in the form that he is in, they have a chance to make a deep playoff run.
5. Atlanta Falcons 8-2
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Atlanta is another surprising team that was expected to do well, but not expected to dominate as much as it has.
Matt Ryan is making his case to be considered one of the top ten quarterbacks in the league, their run defense is among the tops in the league and their running game behind Jason Snelling and Michael Turner has been superb.
They have the pieces necessary to make a run in the playoffs, the only question is whether or not Matt Ryan can handle the pressure under the bright lights.
4. New Orleans Saints 7-3
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After a few weeks of a bump in the road for the Saints, they are right back on track to defend their Super Bowl title.
They have won four of five since losing to Arizona in week five, and have completely gotten rid of any doubt that they would be a legitimate threat to make it back to the Super Bowl.
They have Drew Brees, who is a top three quarterback in the NFL right now, Chris Ivory, who is taking off with the Saints running game and a defense that has only allowed seven passing touchdowns all year.
If they can continue their ability to stifle opposing quarterbacks, it is not hard to see this Saints team repeating as champions.
3. New York Jets 8-2
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The New York Jets are the total package when it comes to football teams.
They have a quarterback who as of now is performing on a very high level, a defense that absolutely refuses to allow teams to run the ball, and a running back tandem in LaDainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene that is as good as any tandem in the game.
They have been able to win games in blowout fashion and with the final seconds ticking down from the clock.
The only question left is if Mark Sanchez can make his team a winner in the postseason this year and continue his showing of excellent football.
2. New England Patriots 8-2
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New England is a team that knows how to win big games, whether it is holding off a driving Peyton Manning, or just putting a team out of it's misery when they may think that the game is still within reach.
They have played five teams this season that are potentially playoff-bound, and they have won four of those games.
They have a battle-tested quarterback with three rings gracing his hand, and a defense that is good at forcing a turnover.
They may not be the dominating team they were back in 2007, but they are able to make a run to the Super Bowl just like that team did.
1. Pittsburgh Steelers 7-3
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With the pieces they currently have, the Pittsburgh Steelers are set up for a deep playoff run, and could streak all the way to the Super Bowl.
They have the invaluable quarterback who has been there before in Ben Roethlisberger, along with a host of veteran leadership all over the field who know how to win important football games.
They have a defense that could stand in for the Hoover Dam if necessary and an explosive running game.
Roethlisberger is finally starting to hit his stride after a four game suspension, and is looking to do anything to win games.
Their only question mark lies in their kicking game, as they canned Jeff Reed two weeks ago in favor of Shaun Suisham after a rocky first half by Reed.
But make no mistake, this team is primed and ready for a Super Bowl run, and they are equipped to win it all.
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