NFL Power Rankings Week 11: Which Teams Should Be Labeled as Pretenders?

With the NFL's Week 11 set to kickoff with the New York Jets paying a visit to Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos this Thursday night, we begin to inch closer and closer to the final stretch of the regular season.

Believe it or not, Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and in the terms of the NFL, following Thanksgiving is when teams need to be playing their best. 

With a 10 week sample to analyze, we can now start to weed out some of the teams with winning records who are nothing more than pretenders.

In that spirit, here are six teams who should be labeled as pretenders. 

Houston Texans

I hate to say it, but the Houston Texans are now pretenders in the AFC.

Houston will be without their most valuable player, quarterback Matt Schaub, for the remainder of the season, and their playoff hopes lie on the shoulders of the unproven Matt Leinart.

Granted, the Texans could back their way into the playoffs, as their division is so watered down, but that does not make them a contender in the playoffs—in fact, they could very well be a wasted playoff spot. 

Don't get me wrong, the Texans are a very talented football team, as they stand with a solid 6-3 record, but without their quarterback, who knows how effective they can be going down the stretch. 

Buffalo Bills

Let me lay out the facts for you: The last six games for the Buffalo Bills, they have gone a pitiful 2-4. Does that sound like a playoff contender to you? 

Buffalo is certainly moving in the right direction when you look at the big picture, but they're far too young and inexperienced to win this season—they still have a lot of maturing to do.

Perhaps that 5-2 start was just a mere glimpse of the what the future holds for Buffalo in upcoming seasons. 

Dallas Cowboys

I may be in the minority on this one, but I am not a believer in the Dallas Cowboys. If you ask me, they're a bunch of frauds and that's starting with their gutless head coach Jason Garrett. 

Dallas may be only a game behind the New York Giants in the NFC East, but if New York continues to roll, then there is no chance that the Cowboys will catch them. In fact, the Cowboys may have a hard time winning on a consistent basis moving forward, as they have been so up and down this season and lack one major thing: the ability to win under pressure. 

As of right now, I don't see Dallas winning the division, and I see the two wildcard teams being the Chicago Bears or the Detroit Lions along with the Atlanta Falcons. 

San Diego Chargers

It appeared all was well in San Diego at the start of Week 7, as they were sitting pretty with a solid 4-1 record—but everything has been turned upside down on the Chargers.

San Diego is currently on a four-game losing streak and that is simply inexcusable; the Chargers are far too talented to be losing four games in a row—they should be on a four game winning streak right now.

The team to beat in the lousy AFC West are the Oakland Raiders, and I do not see the Chargers catching them unless Oakland has a monstrous collapse.

With Oakland likely winning the division, San Diego will have no shot at winning a wildcard spot. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are just so damn difficult to read—they're probably the most inconsistent team in the entire NFL.

Tampa Bay has a 4-5 record but have some key wins against possible playoff contenders, with key losses against a handful of just down-right below average teams. 

The Buccaneers are a very young football team with Josh Freeman at quarterback, and perhaps the Bucs aren't quite ready to compete in 2011, despite having had a stellar 2010 season. 

I do not see Tampa Bay clinching a wildcard spot unless Chicago/Detroit or the Atlanta Falcons fall flat on their faces. 

Tennessee Titans

This could be a bit obvious to some, but there are still many out there who believe that the Tennessee Titans are contenders.

However, I will say that the Titans do have a legitimate shot at winning the division, as the Houston Texans will be without Matt Schaub for the remainder of the season, but that does not make them a contender—they will simply be a one-and-done team if they do make the playoffs.

2011 will be a success for first-year head coach Mike Munchak, but no one expects the Titans to make any sort of noise this season—they're a bunch of pretenders.