NFL Power Rankings: 4 Teams Heading Toward Rock Bottom

What makes 2011 different from most other NFL seasons is that being the worst team in the league comes with a certain prize. No wonder there are so many teams that seem intent on being as terrible as possible.

The Indianapolis Colts and Miami Dolphins are definitely the worst of the worst at this juncture. And given how both teams are situated, that's not likely to change. Both of them are already at rock bottom and in a tight race for Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck.

They're not alone in that regard. And if I had to take a guess, a couple of other teams are going to hit rock bottom this season. In fact, I can see four teams sinking that far.

Washington Redskins (No. 22 overall)

Three weeks ago, the Redskins were 3-1 and in first place in the NFC East. Now they're 3-4, and they appear to be getting worse with each passing week.

Things got particularly bad on Sunday, as the Redskins traveled north of the border to take on the Buffalo Bills and promptly got shut out. It was a lousy effort all around, particularly on offense. The Redskins gained a grand total of 178 yards.

Given what has gone on since he won the job, it's looking like John Beck really isn't that much better than Rex Grossman. That basically means the Redskins don't have a quarterback capable of getting the job done, and that means their struggles are going to continue.

On the bright side, there are going to be plenty of quarterbacks available in the 2012 draft.

Cleveland Browns (No. 23 overall)

While we're on the subject of lousy offensive teams, the Browns definitely fit that particular bill. Thanks to Peyton Hillis' various issues, Cleveland's running game has been virtually nonexistent this year, and this has revealed Colt McCoy's true colors.

To their credit, the Browns have been able to maintain a win-loss, win-loss status quo. However, you can count on things getting worse down the stretch, especially seeing as how the Browns have yet to play the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens.

Obviously, you have to hope for the best for the Browns. Unfortunately, I think Browns fans had better prepare for the worst.

Arizona Cardinals (No. 28 overall)

Admittedly, it doesn't get much worse than a 1-6 record and six straight losses.

Nonetheless, it will get worse. The Kevin Kolb experiment is already proving to be a hopeless failure, but the Cardinals may not even get to have him under center on Sunday against the St. Louis Rams. ESPN reported Monday night that Kolb was wearing a walking boot and that he had "no idea" whether or not he was going to be able to play in Week 9.

So, if you think things are bad now, just wait until the Cardinals lose to the Rams at home.

If that happens, the Rams will have a better record than the Cardinals. Yikes.

Denver Broncos (No. 29 overall)

I have a feeling I know what you're thinking. If a 45-10 loss at home doesn't constitute rock bottom, what does? 

A couple of things, actually. The Broncos could choose to pull the plug on the Tim Tebow experiment, which would mean a return to the days of Kyle Orton. Or worse, the beginning of the Brady Quinn experiment.

Even if it doesn't come to that, the Broncos still have to play four of their next five games on the road against some pretty tough competition. The Denver faithful could very well be looking at a lengthy losing streak.

Zachary D. Rymer's Week 9 Power Rankings

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