NFL Power Rankings Week 11: Top Teams Too Soft to Succeed in January

It's an old NFL cliche that the postseason is different from the regular season. Every team goes back to being 0-0, and teams that enjoyed great success during the regular season won't necessarily be as successful in the playoffs.

This is a cliche because there's a mountain of evidence that suggests it's true. The postseason is a different animal, and not every team packs the gear to tame it.

Indeed, it takes a certain toughness to succeed in the playoffs, and not every team has it.

If you ask me, the five top teams listed below don't have it.

Dallas Cowboys (No. 12)

This is as far as I'm willing to stretch the word "top." Thankfully, the Cowboys definitely fit this little bill of ours.

I'm pretty sure I'm not the first person to accuse the Cowboys of being a bunch of softies. I probably won't be the last either. Goodness knows they've done everything in their power to earn this reputation.

This is primarily thanks to their quarterback. Tony Romo is capable of compiling some great statistics, but he has the mental fortitude of a Pop Warner quarterback. High-pressure moments don't agree with him, and disaster tends to ensue in such situations.

Of course, this may not matter this year, as a playoff berth is not guaranteed for Dallas. But since the Cowboys are playing decent football and because their schedule down the stretch is only moderately difficult, I'm willing to give them a chance.

If they get in, though, it won't be long before they're out.

Detroit Lions (No. 11)

Given the woeful history of the franchise, you can't help but root for the Detroit Lions. It would be great for everyone if they made the playoffs.

However, they've lost three out of four, and just haven't resembled the team that started the season 5-0. From afar, it looks like the pressure may be getting to them.

Make no mistake, Detroit's slump has come primarily thanks to a team-wide maturity lapse. We saw several Lions players make fools of themselves on Sunday against the Chicago Bears, but you can trace this problem back to Jim Schwartz's little tiff with Jim Harbaugh back in Week 6.

The Lions are a young, inexperienced team. Whether it comes now or later, their downfall will be acting like one.

Baltimore Ravens (No. 10)

Because Baltimore's defense is as hard as nails, it's not going to be the reason the Ravens fall short in January.

No sir, the Ravens will make their exit thanks to their offense. It's a mediocre unit, and it is prone to being downright awful on any given Sunday.

Just as Tony Romo is a problem for the Cowboys, Joe Flacco is a problem for the Ravens. He insists that he's "pretty damn good," but he's really not. 

It's not all about Flacco, though. The Ravens as a whole have a tendency to lose focus, which this year has brought them some terrible losses. This is something that shouldn't happen once the playoffs roll around, but you just never know with this team.

Houston Texans (No. 5)

Had you asked me 24 hours ago, I would have considered putting the Texans here. I don't think I actually would have gone ahead with it, but I would have at least considered it.

But on Monday afternoon, it was revealed by ESPN's Adam Schefter that Texans starting quarterback Matt Schaub will miss the rest of the season with a Lisfranc injury.

Replacing him will be Matt Leinart, which is a reality many Texans fans would rather not have to deal with. Leinart established himself as a bust years ago, and it's pretty much impossible to see how the Texans will be able to go far in the playoffs with him at the helm.

We're only talking about one guy among many, but this one guy is playing the most important position in football. If the Texans are soft there, they're soft period.

New England Patriots (No. 4)

As you can tell by their standing in my power rankings, I'm a believer in the Patriots.

For now, anyway. When we get to the postseason, that's when I'll be skeptical.

New England's softness is contained primarily in its defense. It's not a strong unit to begin with, and the injury bug has not helped matters. If the Pats are going to succeed in the playoffs, it will be because of their offense.

New England's offense did look much more like itself on Sunday night against a good New York Jets defense, but the Jets proved in the playoffs last year that Tom Brady and friends are not invincible. They're going to look like they are as they negotiate an easy remaining schedule, but things could change at a moment's notice in the playoffs.

When that happens, the Pats are done.

Zachary D. Rymer's Week 11 Power Rankings

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