NFL Power Rankings Week 12
NFL Power Rankings Week 12 are here, and we're once again seeing some shakeups from top to bottom.
Jason Garrett has his Dallas Cowboys team quickly climbing up these rankings, and though it's too late for their playoff chances, they at least won't be at No. 32.
The Cowboys aren't the only team moving up this week though.
After a fun-filled week of NFL action that saw very few upsets, we'll see that some teams performed well enough to jump teams ranked ahead of them.
So how do the rankings look as we approach the final third of the season?
Well, let's take a look at the NFL Power Rankings Week 12.
32-21: Every Day Is a Winding Road
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32. Carolina Panthers: Carolina actually hung tough with Baltimore, but playing a guy at quarterback who was a stay-at-home dad a week ago isn't exactly the brightest idea. (Last Week: 32)
31. Cincinnati Bengals: Let's ignore the fact that Carson Palmer continues to stink up the football field. The Bengals just gave up 49 points to a one-win team. (Last Week: 31)
30. Minnesota Vikings: The Packers are coach killers. First, Wade Phillips. Now, Brad Childress. It's probably for the best though. (Last Week: 27)
29. Arizona Cardinals: Arizona's now lost five straight games, including its last two by a combined 36 points. Ouch. (Last Week: 29)
28. Detroit Lions: The Lions will continue to struggle until they can run the ball. At least they have Ndamukong Suh though. That dude's a beast. (Last Week: 26)
27. Seattle Seahawks: If the Seahawks are in any other division, do they even have a shot at making the playoffs? They're not very good. (Last Week: 25)
26. San Francisco 49ers: Only Mike Singletary's team would find a way to put up zero points against a mediocre Buccaneers defense. (Last Week: 22)
25. Denver Broncos: Denver has issues all over the place. They've now lost fifteen of their last 20 games under Josh McDaniels. (Last Week: 24)
24. Buffalo Bills: I said at the halfway point that Buffalo would finish with four wins. Thanks to Ryan Fitzpatrick and Steve Johnson, those chances are looking pretty good. (Last Week: 28)
23. Dallas Cowboys: Either the Cowboys were tanking for Wade Phillips or Jason Garrett was holding his offense back so he could get the job. Which conspiracy theory is it? (Last Week: 29)
22. St. Louis Rams: The future is bright in St. Louis, but they came up short against Atlanta this week. (Last Week: 21)
21. Houston Texans: How the hell did the Texans blow that game against the Jets? God, that pass defense is atrocious. (Last Week: 20)
20. Cleveland Browns (Last Week: 18)
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The Cleveland Browns have taken their opponents to the limit each of the past two games...but lost both times.
You have to like the maturation of Colt McCoy, who's looked good for a rookie all season.
But the Browns have to find a way to win the close ones.
19. Washington Redskins (Last Week: 23)
3 of 21
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: does anyone fear the Washington Redskins?
I mean, how they're 5-5 is beyond me.
No team should ever have Donovan McNabb throw the ball 50 times in one game.
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18. Tennessee Titans (Last Week: 13)
4 of 21
There are two things we learned from Tennessee's performance on Sunday.
One, Vince Young probably has some anger issues.
Two, the Titans are in trouble if Rusty Smith has to play quarterback again.
17. Jacksonville Jaguars (Last Week: 17)
5 of 21
Most improved player of the year? David Garrard has to be in the conversation.
He turned in another solid performance against the Browns, and the Jacksonville Jaguars are in first place in the AFC South.
I gotta be honest. I never thought we'd see that.
16. Miami Dolphins (Last Week: 11)
6 of 21
You have to feel for any Miami Dolphins fans who watched their team play last Thursday.
I was excited for some weekday NFL action, but the Dolphins somehow managed to make me fall asleep by 9:00 p.m.
At least I sat Brandon Marshall in my fantasy football league though. What a disappointment he's been.
15. Oakland Raiders (Last Week: 12)
7 of 21
Just when the Oakland Raiders started turning me into a believer, they go and get blown out of the stadium by the Steelers.
On the bright side though, Oakland is 5-5 and just one game out of first place in the AFC West.
They're still very much alive in the playoff hunt.
14. Kansas City Chiefs (Last Week: 17)
8 of 21
Dwayne Bowe must be wearing his PF Flyers.
That dude has been going nuts lately, and he's provided the Kansas City Chiefs with exactly what they needed: a consistent threat in the passing game.
With the Matt Cassel to Bowe connection quickly developing, it really expands the opportunities for Thomas Jones and Jamaal Charles.
13. San Diego Chargers (Last Week: 15)
9 of 21
The majority of football fans counted out the San Diego Chargers after that rough start.
Dumb decision.
The Chargers are making their AFC West rivals pretty nervous right about now.
12. Chicago Bears (Last Week: 16)
10 of 21
Chicago's offense is far from great, but that doesn't seem to matter.
The Bears now have the league's No. 2 rushing defense and the No. 1 scoring defense.
They've given up just 32 points during their three-game winning streak.
Now that's impressive.
11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last Week: 14)
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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers put together arguably their most complete performance of the season against the 49ers on Sunday.
They ran the ball well, limited their mistakes and played the suffocating defense that has made them so successful in the past.
Tampa Bay is gradually turning doubters into believers.
10. New York Giants (Last Week: 10)
12 of 21
Who else is waiting for the critics to start jumping all over Tom Coughlin?
I know it isn't just me.
I mean, yeah, the Giants have lost two in a row, but they still have one of the league's most balanced football teams.
They'll be OK.
9. Indianapolis Colts (Last Week: 5)
13 of 21
Plenty of other teams would be more than happy to be 6-4, but this is unfamiliar territory for the Indianapolis Colts.
They had a legit shot at taking down New England on Sunday, but Peyton Manning threw a late pick to seal their fate and give the Jaguars the AFC South lead.
I'm beginning to think that Manning must have some kind of mental block about the Patriots because he sure throws a lot of interceptions against them.
8. New Orleans Saints (Last Week: 8)
14 of 21
It was a tale of two cities for the New Orleans Saints against the Seahawks on Sunday.
For one, Drew Brees looked unstoppable.
But Matt Hasselbeck did too.
You can't play like that against the pass and still expect to win football games.
7. New York Jets (Last Week: 6)
15 of 21
The New York Jets are really walking the tight rope between being good and being lucky.
They've won their last three games by a combined 12 points and could have easily lost every single one of them.
I'm not convinced it's the Jets winning so much as it is their opponents losing.
6. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last Week: 9)
16 of 21
The Pittsburgh Steelers rebounded nicely from that poor showing against the Patriots with a shellacking of the Raiders this week.
Ben Roethlisberger threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns, the Steelers rushed for more than 100 yards and they held Michael Bush and Darren McFadden to just 47 yards rushing.
That's how Pittsburgh wins football games.
5. Baltimore Ravens (Last Week: 7)
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Don't let the score of the Baltimore Ravens game against the Panthers fool you, that contest was a seven-point game in the fourth quarter.
Joe Flacco had another solid performance, but he hasn't taken that leap to become an elite quarterback yet.
And quite frankly, I'm not sure he ever will.
4. Green Bay Packers (Last Week: 4)
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The Bears may technically be in first place in NFC North, but make no mistake about it: the Green Bay Packers are the best team in that division.
I mean, did you see the way Aaron Rodgers and Greg Jennings played on Sunday? It looked like they were playing against a bunch of high school students.
That offense is scary good, even if it doesn't have much of a running game.
3. New England Patriots (Last Week: 2)
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Not many quarterbacks do more with less than Tom Brady.
He continues to get it done despite lacking an All-Star cast of wide receivers, and that's not even the scariest thing about the Patriots.
New England seems to be developing a nice running game with Ben Jarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead, that gives this offense a balanced attack.
2. Philadelphia Eagles (Last Week: 3)
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The Philadelphia Eagles will be a tough team to beat all season.
That Michael Vick-led offense is absolutely loaded, and the defense is certainly good enough to keep them in manageable situations.
It'll be interesting to see if teams figure out a way to slow down the Eagles offense.
1. Atlanta Falcons (Last Week: 1)
21 of 21
The one thing that should make Atlanta Falcons fans nervous is the team's pass defense, which has the tendency to get torched pretty frequently.
Other than that, the Falcons have everything you look for in a Super Bowl contender.
Perhaps most importantly they've got a good running game and a quarterback that hardly ever loses at home.
If Atlanta gets home field advantage, that certainly doesn't bode well for the rest of the NFC.
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