NFL Power Rankings Week 12: Michael Vick's Eagles or Tom Brady's Pats No. 1?
NFL Power Rankings Week 12 edition are out and yet again we're trying to figure out who the Super Bowl favorites are.
It changes from week to week and it never seems to get any clearer. There is no Super Bowl combination from the top tier teams in either conference that would surprise me and it just means that we're in for one wild ride in the postseason.
I break down every team but who do you think is the best team in the NFL and who do you see making the Super Bowl? Leave it in the comments.
Nos. 32-21: Bottom of The Barrel
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32. Carolina (Last Week: 32): It just keeps getting worse for the Panthers, who were blown out by Baltimore and it looks like Carolina is destined for the first pick in this spring's draft. Andrew Luck perhaps?
31. Cincinnati (Last Week: 30): Terrell Owens is right, the Bengals are terrible and Cincinnati is one of the biggest disappointments in all of football this year. At least Owens is taking some accountability for the mess. Where's the rest of the Bengals?
30. Detroit (Last Week: 29): The Lions are a scrappy team but they looked like the vintage Lions on that punt return touchdown for the Cowboys. Some teams just can't catch a break and Detroit is one of those teams.
29. Arizona (Last Week: 27): Another no show for the Cardinals. The sad thing is, Arizona is far from done in the NFC West.
28. Minnesota (Last Week: 26): Brad Childress is out in Minnesota, but I'm not expecting any miracles from the Vikings going forward.
27. Denver (Last Week: 25): The Broncos just looked outclassed on the field with the Chargers last night. It's not looking good in Denver.
26. San Francisco (Last Week: 23): The 49ers were on a bit of a roll and then were promptly shut out by Tampa Bay on Sunday. An ugly, ugly performance.
25. Buffalo (Last Week: 31): The Bills came from way behind to beat the Bengals on Sunday. No one circles the wagons....oh you know the deal. Great win for Buffalo.
24. Dallas (Last Week: 28): The Dallas Cowboys look like an entirely different team under Jason Garrett, who is looking like he may keep the job after this year.
23. St. Louis (Last Week: 24): The Rams hung tough with the Atlanta Falcons this past week and just feel a tiny bit short.
22. Seattle (Last Week: 20): The Seahawks got dominated by the Saints on Sunday and I'm not shocked by it in the least.
21. Washington (Last Week: 22): The Redskins got a big win against a Titans team that is falling apart at the seams.
No. 20: Houston
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Last Week: 17
Only the Texans could lose two games the way Houston has lost them the last two weeks.
First it was a Hail Mary pass that took the Texans down in a division game against Jacksonville and then it looks like the Texans were going to steal one against the Jets after coming from way behind to get the lead and it slips away.
What a disaster for the Texans. This is what happens when people believe in Houston.
No. 19: Cleveland
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Last Week: 16
The Browns gave it all they had but came up just a tiny bit short against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
Cleveland has been in a bunch of games this year but have fallen just a bit short and that's something that will change in time, but for now, the Browns are going to be scrappy, but lose some close ones until they figure out how to close out football games.
Colt McCoy has looked like a steal in the draft.
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No. 18: Miami
4 of 21
Last Week: 15
I think it's safe to say that the Dolphins are done in terms of the playoff picture.
Tyler Thigpen isn't the future at the quarterback position and there's no way that Miami can hop over New England and the Jets with the way those two teams are playing right now. It's time to start planning for next year at this point.
The Dolphins are just too inconsistent to be a good football team.
No. 17: Oakland
5 of 21
Last Week: 12
So much for the Raiders being a legit team in the AFC.
Oakland came east to play with one of the big boys in the AFC in the Pittsburgh Steelers and were promptly beaten down into the dirt by Pittsburgh. The Raiders looked sloppy and Jason Campbell found his way back to the bench.
We'll see how they rebound next week.
No. 16: Tennessee
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Last Week: 11
It's a mess right now in Tennessee. That's the only way to describe it.
Vince Young is out for the year with a thumb injury and that's after a huge argument with Jeff Fisher following the loss to Washington. Rusty Smith is going to be the starter next week against Houston and Randy Moss barely sees the ball.
Why claim him if you're not going to use him?
No. 15: Chicago
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Last Week: 21
While the Bears are 7-3, I'm not sold on Chicago and down the stretch, we're going to find out what the Bears are really made of.
Chicago has a brutal schedule for the remainder of the season and if the Bears make the playoffs out of those games, Chicago will have truly earned that spot. The Bears are playing tough defense and it's the reason they've been so successful.
That defense dominated Miami last Thursday night.
No. 14: San Diego
8 of 21
Last Week: 19
Don't look now, but here comes Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers.
The Chargers are on a roll and just dominated the Denver Broncos on a national stage as Rivers showed why he's an MVP candidate as he threw four touchdowns in the rout of the Broncos. I don't know why it happens every year but here comes the second half run by San Diego.
The big test will be next week against the Indianapolis Colts.
No. 13: Kansas City
9 of 21
Last Week: 18
The Chiefs dominated Arizona this past Sunday and Kansas City is dominant in the run game and Dwayne Bowe has emerged as a top target in the league.
Matt Cassel is growing as a quarterback and he is starting to live up to the deal he got after his season in New England a couple of years ago. Kansas City is leading the AFC West but have the Chargers approaching quickly.
It'll be interesting to see if they can hold on.
No. 12: Jacksonville
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Last Week: 14
The Jacksonville Jaguars are leading the AFC South right now. Let that sink in for a second or two.
It looked like the Jaguars were left for dead after they were embarrassed on national TV by the Tennessee Titans but the Jaguars have rebounded since then to take the lead in the division with the win over the Colts earlier in the year.
I don't think the Jags will hold on, but Jack Del Rio may be holding on to his job.
No. 11: Tampa Bay
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Last Week: 13
Tampa Bay took on the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday and just totally dominated them.
The Buccaneers shut down San Francisco and shut them out as Tampa Bay ran all over the 49ers as the Bucs try and keep pace with Atlanta in the NFC South. It's going to be interesting to see if Tampa Bay can get into the playoffs and it will come down to that final matchup with the Falcons.
That will be a game to keep an eye on.
No. 11: NY Giants
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Last Week: 8
The Giants are starting to falter down the stretch. Sound familiar?
New York had a chance to beat the Eagles on Sunday night but Eli Manning's ill-fated and awkward slide and subsequent fumble ended any chance of a comeback against Philadelphia. That made everyone cringe watching it.
Eli's not exactly fleet of foot.
No. 9: New Orleans
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Last Week: 10
No one is talking about the New Orleans Saints, and the Saints are the defending champs.
New Orleans won again last week and are right there in the NFC South race and Drew Brees and company are starting to get healthy again. Reggie Bush should be back any day now and putting him back in that offense will add even more dimension to the Saints.
There's a lot of talk about Atlanta and Philly, but don't forget the champs.
No. 8: Indianapolis
14 of 21
Last Week: 4
An old friend returned to all of our television screens last Sunday as the game between the Patriots and Colts was winding down.
The Manning Face.
It's always a good time when we see that tight lipped, sad face as he shakes his head on the sidelines and Manning threw three picks in the Colts' loss to the Patriots on Sunday. Manning struggles on the road against New England and he had a rough time on Sunday.
The Colts will have to rebound and take on the Chargers next Sunday. Not a walk in the park by any stretch of the imagination.
No. 7: Green Bay
15 of 21
Last Week: 9
Aaron Rodgers finished off Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. I'm not sure he can imagine anything sweeter outside of a Super Bowl win.
The whole Rodgers and Favre saga ended with Green Bay dominating Minnesota and sweeping the season series, all but ending the Vikings' playoff hopes and getting Brad Childress fired on Monday. That's one heck of a win.
The Packers will be fighting with the Bears for the NFC North crown down the stretch. Look for the Packers to win that division.
No. 6: Pittsburgh
16 of 21
Last Week: 7
The Pittsburgh Steelers took care of business on Sunday, plain and simple.
The Steelers dominated Oakland on Sunday and it was a rough game to watch. There were a ton of penalties and Ben Roethlisberger got slapped upside his head for saying something to Richard Seymour. He went straight to the turf from the blow as teammates got between the two.
I honestly can't believe he went down that easily. C'mon son.
No. 5: Baltimore
17 of 21
Last Week: 6
Baltimore just slapped Carolina around on Sunday and finished the Panthers off with a couple of defensive touchdowns.
It was a good rebound performance after the loss against Atlanta and the Ravens are keeping pace with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC North. It's going to be interesting to see who comes out of that division but I think the Ravens will emerge with the division title.
There are too many injuries for the Steelers to overcome. I think we'll see Pittsburgh get a Wild Card though.
No. 4: Atlanta
18 of 21
Last Week: 3
The Falcons are still rolling as Atlanta beat the Rams in a hard-fought game on Sunday.
Matt Ryan and Roddy White are playing the best football of their careers. The Falcons are in the driver's seat in the NFC South and that second matchup against the Saints will likely decide the division in a game that's a must-watch.
Atlanta is a team to watch out for, especially on offense.
No. 3: Philadelphia
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Last Week: 5
The Eagles have to be the best team in the NFC after last week.
Philadelphia has beaten Atlanta and that was with Kevin Kolb in the lineup and the Eagles torched the Falcons in that game. Michael Vick is playing the best football of his life and he's got more weapons that he's ever had.
The Eagles are a dangerous team.
No. 2: New England
20 of 21
Last Week: 2
The Patriots played host to Peyton Manning and yet again, the Patriots got the big win against the Colts.
New England looked dominant before Manning led a comeback and almost stole the game from the Patriots. Tom Brady looked great yet again and Wes Welker looked like his old self at times during the win on Sunday.
The Patriots will be slugging it out with the Jets for the AFC East crown.
No. 1: NY Jets
21 of 21
Last Week: 1
I don't know how they do it, but the Jets keep on winning football games.
It looked like the Jets were done for last week. I flipped the channel to watch my Titans blow it against the Redskins and then all of a sudden I flip back in a second and the Jets are driving for the win. I should have known with the Texans.
The Jets have that vibe around them like the Saints of last year. It's not always pretty, but it's a win and that's all that matters.
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