NFL Power Rankings: 5 Teams That Need to Shape Up

If I may be so bold as to use a Yogism for football purposes, it gets late early in the NFL.

Case in point, we are already at the halfway point of the 2011 season. Blink and the playoffs will be here. Those who would make the postseason are running out of time to state their case.

There are a bunch of teams that are in a kind of no man's land when it comes to the postseason chase, but some of them appear to be trending in the right direction. Others are not, and they need to snap out of it.

Here are five teams that need to snap out of it the most.

Dallas Cowboys (No. 21 overall)

I like to think of the Cowboys as the best bad team in the NFL. They have all sorts of talent and some pretty good coaches running the show, but they are just 3-4.

The bright side is that 3-4 is good enough for second place in the NFC East. For all intents and purposes, that means the Cowboys still have a shot to steal the division.

To do that, they obviously need to play up to their capabilities. This is a process that I think must be kick-started by a true confidence-building win. A win at home against the Buffalo Bills in Week 10 should do the trick, and the Cowboys could be off and running if they get it.

If they continue to go up and down, they're going to be out of it in a few weeks' time.

San Diego Chargers (No. 19 overall)

After what we saw from the Chargers on Monday night, including them on this list is almost too easy. They looked downright awful in losing to the Kansas City Chiefs, and you almost feel like they're already out of the AFC West race despite being in a three-way tie for first place.

The Chargers need two things to happen. First and foremost, they need Philip Rivers to get back to being Philip Rivers. He hasn't been himself all season, and that's a big reason why the Chargers are where they are.

Secondly, Norv Turner needs to do something, heck, anything to inspire his team. His players have tended to go through the motions under his watch, and that's on him.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 17 overall)

The Bucs could not have gotten their bye at a better time, as they really need LeGarrette Blount back and healthy for the stretch run.

The other thing the Bucs need is for Josh Freeman to step it up. For the most part, he was dynamite in the closing weeks of the 2010 season, and the Bucs are going to need him to be dynamite again if they are to win the NFC South or grab a wild card berth. It's a stacked division, and the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons both appear to be better teams.

In other words, this is pretty much 2010 all over again for the Bucs.

Oakland Raiders (No. 16 overall)

The Raiders are another team that got a bye at the perfect time, as they need as much time as possible to get Carson Palmer up to speed.

But believe it or not, it's not all about Palmer when it comes to the Silver and Black. Darren McFadden's foot is a concern, and the defense must play better than it did in the first half of the season.

The good news for the Raiders is that their next five games are winnable. If they don't win the majority of them, things won't be looking so great when they take on the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions in Weeks 14 and 15.

New York Jets (No. 13 overall)

Before you ask, I'm well aware that the Jets have won their last two games. They needed to shape up at one point, but they seem to have done so.

I'm not convinced. The Jets have won two straight games, but both wins came at home against inferior teams (yes, that means you, Chargers). If the Jets want to prove they belong, they must come up with a statement win over a good team, preferably on the road.

The Jets can get one of these wins on Sunday at the Buffalo Bills. In Week 10, they have to host the New England Patriots. If ever there was a good time for the Jets to make a move in the AFC East, it's now.

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