NFL Power Rankings Week 13: Are the Falcons the Best Team in the NFL Right Now?
NFL Week 12 is in the books.
What a week it was. I was planted on the couch for the better part of four days. Just when the games and turkey were done being digested, Sunday rolled around and kept me fat and happy.
Well, the leftovers kept me fat, the games kept me happy. So with labored breathing, I bring you the weekly dissection of the NFL.
Which teams moved up the ladder into the elite? And which ones sank lower into desolation? You will have to click ahead to find out.
I hope the abundance of food did not take away your ability to click on the next slides.
The Bottom Feeders: No. 32-21
1 of 21
32 (32). Panthers (1-10) lost to the Browns
There is absolutely no hope for the Panthers going forward. The only good part of Sunday was that they came close to beating a mediocre team. Kudos.
31 (31). Bengals (2-9) lost to the Jets
The Bengals have a new issue to go along with their ineffective offense: a non-existent secondary.
30 (30). Bills (2-9) lost to the Steelers
The Bills could have easily won this game. In a parallel universe, this team has at least four wins. They are better than their record, but not by much.
29 (28). Lions (2-9) lost to the Patriots
It wouldn't be a Turkey Day without the Lions losing on national television.
28 (25). Broncos (3-8) lost to the Rams
Kyle Orton threw for 347 yards and the Broncos still lost. That shows how bad the Denver defense really is.
27 (29). Cardinals (3-7) idle till Monday night
The Cards are idle until Monday night when they play in one of the worst matchups to start the week this season.
26 (23). Cowboys (3-8) lost to the Saints
At least they are no longer the NFL doormat that they were a few weeks back.
25 (21). Seahawks (5-6) lost to the Chiefs
Seattle gets back to what we all knew it should have been doing from the start: losing to better teams. It is a testament to how bad the division is that the Seahawks even have five wins.
24 (27). Vikings (4-7) beat the Redskins
It looks like the best way to turn around a locker room in 2010 is to fire your coach. Don't tell that to Tennessee.
23 (26). Browns (4-7) beat the Panthers
There are no brownie points for beating the Panthers. I really should feel guilty about bumping the Browns up at all.
22 (20). Redskins (5-6) lost to the Vikings
The only reason they remain above the Vikings is that you know and I know they are a better team...even if the Redskins don't know it.
21 (21). 49ers (3-7) idle till Monday night
This will not be the barnstorm game the NFL is hoping it will be on Monday night. Two bad NFL teams will fight to see who gives up the game first.
20. Titans (5-6) Lost to the Texans
2 of 21
Last Week's Ranking: 16
Why the Move Down:
The Titans are on a severe slide. If they do not fix something soon, their whole season will be lost. They lost their quarterback to injury, not that he would be QB even if healthy.
It seems the Vince Young outburst has done a number on the Titans locker room, because they were nowhere near the field on Sunday.
The Titans, usually a volatile offensive team, struggled to even sniff the red zone against the Texans. Just a few weeks ago this looked like a contending club. Now it looks like a ship adrift at sea.
19. Raiders (5-6) Lost to the Dolphins
3 of 21
Last Week's Ranking: 17
Why the Move Down:
The Raiders are a complete mystery to me.
One week they are winning under Jason Campbell, the next they are losing under Bruce Gradkowski.
The Raiders should thank their maker they are even in this spot. They should be a lot lower in the standings with all of the QB turmoil they put themselves in this season.
If it weren't for Jacoby Ford on Sunday, the Raiders would have been relegated to a lone field goal as their only points.
At least the Raiders keep the league interesting, I will give them that.
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18. Rams (5-6) Beat the Broncos
4 of 21
Last Week's Ranking: 22
Why the Move Up:
The Rams would have a superb team if it weren't for the NFL demanding that every team field a defense. That one aspect of the team has been the thorn in their side. It is a talentless bunch that must yield a high risk-high reward strategy.
The result is netting their opponents over 300 total yards a game. If it weren't for a young core of offensive players doing their best to resemble a competent corps, this team would be a lot worse off.
This is a Rams fan speaking, mind you.
17. Texans (5-6) Beat the Titans
5 of 21Last Week's Ranking: 19
Why the Move Up:
The Texans completely beat up on the Titans, figuratively and literally.
The 20-point rout was not even the headline news. It was Andre Johnson taking Courtland Finnegan down a notch. I know I am not alone in saying that it was a long time coming for Finnegan to get a dose of his own medicine.
I am not sure if I enjoyed him getting thrown to the ground or pummeled with Johnson's right more. I will have to stare at the video a while longer to figure it out.
16. Jaguars (6-5) Lost to the Giants
6 of 21
Last Week's Ranking: 14
Why the Move Down:
The Jaguars lost this weekend so I have to move them down.
But believe me, there is still a lot to like about this team. They have a good young group that will make some waves in the coming years.
The best part about this team is the upside of David Garrard. His five-yard run for a touchdown was pure magic. The Giants couldn't find him, let alone put a hit on him.
15. Buccaneers (7-4) Lost to the Ravens
7 of 21
Last Week's Ranking: 12
Why the Move Down:
Baltimore has a way of making a game a muddy mess of defense. That is what they did to the young Buccaneers.
The Ravens slowed the game and made the Buccaneers play their game. With a young core of players including Josh Freeman at quarterback, it was only a matter of time before Baltimore took them down.
The Bucs will get their revenge yet. This teams is destined for big things in the near future. They will be contenders as early as next season.
14. Chargers (6-5) Beat the Colts
8 of 21
Last Week's Ranking: 18
Why the Move Up:
At some point this will get very annoying.
The Chargers seem to be, again, making strides late into the season after a dismal start.
While many will take this as good news that Norv Turner knows what he is doing, I say pay the man half the money he makes now. The teams he coaches only play half the season anyway.
But I will say that the win against the Colts has to have put the rest of the NFL on notice that the Chargers are prepared to make a deep playoff push.
13. Dolphins (6-5) Beat the Raiders
9 of 21
Last Week's Ranking: 15
Why the Move Up:
The mark of a good team is one that never loses at home. The Dolphins are trying their best to do the exact opposite of that.
The 2010 Miami team is 5-1 on the road. They are doing things the hard way by making a playoff push with hard-fought road victories.
Someone should tell them it's easier if they win at home. Regardless, Miami is a monster when Chad Henne plays to form. He did so today.
Now just a few more of these games and the Dolphins will be in the hunt.
12. Packers (7-4) Lost to the Falcons
10 of 21
Last Week's Ranking: 11
Why the Move Down:
This one was heart-breaking to watch and I am not even a Packers fan.
Green Bay had the game sewn up. It was delivered to them by one of the best the NFL has to offer in Aaron Rodgers. He willed the Packers into the end zone in his final drive.
It would all unravel in less than a minute as the Packers forgot how to play defense. Matt Ryan was given too much space to operate.
The Packers are a team that is just one or two pieces from being scary good.
11. Chiefs (7-4) Beat the Seahawks
11 of 21
Last Week's Ranking: 13
Why the Move Up:
It is one thing to get a win against Seattle. Lots of NFL teams lay claim to the same unassuming feat. It is the way the Chiefs did it that was marvelous.
They killed the Seahawks in every way possible on offense.
Matt Cassel had his way with the Seahawks. It was enough to open up the game for wide receiver Dwayne Bowe. He had the game of the day with three touchdowns. If he plays like that, the Chiefs are worth every pat on the back they give themselves.
10. Colts (6-5) Lost to the Chargers
12 of 21
Last Week's Ranking: 8
Why the Move Down:
The Colts are old and beat up. They have key injuries and are not getting any younger.
But rest assured, they are still an elite NFL team. At least they are when Peyton Manning is at his best.
On Sunday night, Manning wasn't even good, let alone at his best. He threw four picks and, at least for one day, the Chargers were the team taking better care of the ball.
9. Eagles (7-4) Lost to the Bears
13 of 21
Last Week's Ranking: 3
Why the Move Down:
The Eagles quickly learned what life is like when Michael Vick is somewhat human.
For the second week in a row, Vick was relegated to being just a good quarterback and not a great one.
But the real issue that the Eagles faced was their defense. They allowed Matt Forte to run comfortably.
If that wasn't bad enough, Jay Cutler had a monster game, torching the Eagles for four touchdowns.
8. Giants (7-4) Beat the Jaguars
14 of 21
Last Week's Ranking: 10
Why the Move Up:
The Giants found out firsthand that the Jaguars are no longer a bad team.
That being said, New York was truly the class on the field today. The mere fact that Eli Manning was able to calmly put together a late drive to seal the win was all that I needed to keep the Giants in the top 10.
They should shore up any deficiencies they have now. They have to face the Eagles in a couple of weeks and that game will have certain playoff implications.
7. Bears (8-3) Beat the Eagles
15 of 21
Last Week's Ranking: 9
Why the Move Up:
The Bears were able to do what no other team had done this season: They beat Michael Vick. The Bears defense was not all they had going for them.
The real jewel of the game was Bears quarterback Jay Cutler. He tossed in four touchdowns against a very capable Eagles defense.
The Bears are starting to look good at the right time.
6. Ravens (8-3) Beat the Buccaneers
16 of 21
Last Week's Ranking: 7
Why the Move Up:
Out of the top six teams, the Ravens had the toughest Week 12 opponent. The Buccaneers have been a great offensive team all season. Josh Freeman has been playing above his years.
But the Ravens showed today what makes them so good.
Their defense slowed the game down and limited what the Bucs could do with the ball. They are a balanced team that will be a tough opponent in the playoffs.
5. Steelers (8-3) Beat the Bills
17 of 21
Last Week's Ranking: 6
Why the Move Up:
The Bills are no pushover.
Now the Steelers can attest to that from experience. The Steelers dodged a huge bullet today by beating the Bills in overtime.
The Steelers have always been known as a defensive juggernaut, but Ryan Fitzpatrick was able to be too effective in this one. If it were not for Rashard Mendenhall, the Steelers would have a huge black eye right about now.
4. Saints (8-3) Beat the Cowboys
18 of 21
Last Week's Ranking: 5
Why the Move Up:
The Cowboys looked like the were ready to make a late-season run at this thing. Then they ran into the biggest buzz-kill around.
The Saints were put to the test and now have a working knowledge that they have some holes to plug if they are to defend their title this year.
Brees threw for over 350 yards, but his interception and the Saints' lack of a running game were blemishes on an otherwise great win.
3. Patriots (9-2) Beat the Lions
19 of 21
Last Week's Ranking: 4
Why the Move Up:
The Patriots just know how to win.
The Patriots showed that they may very well be the team to beat this season. Tom Brady is having an MVP-type season as well. His four touchdowns looked almost old hand to him on Thursday.
The Patriots were in such a good mood, they even allowed the Lions to score three touchdowns on Thanksgiving.
That's karma if I ever saw it.
2. Falcons (9-2) Beat the Packers
20 of 21
Last Week's Ranking: 2
Why They Stay the Same:
The Falcons stay put as there was no movement from the stout No. 1. But I do have to say that the Falcons were looking pretty good to me last week. This week, they looked scary good. The last drive that Matt Ryan put together was almost too easy.
No quarterback should have the efficiency that Ryan did on the day. He was 24 for 28 and perfect in the second half. Green Bay should be ashamed of itself.
1. Jets (9-2) Beat the Bengals
21 of 21
Last Week's Ranking: 1
Why They Stay the Same:
The Bengals receivers made a big pitch before Thursday's matchup that Darrelle Revis and the Jets were just a decent defense.
Then Thursday came and went and the Bengals and their star roster of receivers only put up 163 total yards.
The Jets have to be the best team around because they tout the best defense. They make contributions by their offense seem like icing on the cake.
Their days of close wins may have come to an end, but they have their biggest test next week. The Patriots will take their best shot at the Jets on Monday night.
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