NFL Power Rankings Week 12: Plummeting Teams That Will Rebound with Victories

There are still six weeks left in the NFL season, but it's getting late fast for many teams who are on the brink of falling out of playoff contention. There is still plenty of time to rebound, but several teams have to get out of their funk before it's too late.

The playoff picture is extremely muddled in both conferences at this point, particularly the AFC. Because of that, all it takes is one win for a team to go from a pretender to a contender. Here are three teams that will turn around their recent losing ways and get back into contention.

San Diego Chargers

After starting off 4-1, it seemed as though the San Diego Chargers would cruise to the AFC West crown this season. The inconsistent Chargers have found a new way to disappoint, however, as they have since dropped five straight decisions and sit two games behind the Oakland Raiders. Things certainly look dire at this point, but a win this weekend could turn things around.

The Chargers will host the surging 5-5 Denver Broncos in a virtual must-win scenario. It's possible that it may only take nine wins to take the division, but at this rate it doesn't seem as though the Chargers will win another game all season. Denver's defense has been better in recent weeks, but I think struggling quarterback Philip Rivers will finally come up big and lead the Bolts to a huge win.

Cincinnati Bengals

Just a couple weeks ago the upstart Cincinnati Bengals were 6-2 and atop the AFC. Two consecutive losses leaves them clinging to a wild-card spot, but there is still hope. The Bengals dropped close decisions to their closest division rivals in the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens over the past two weeks. Cincinnati proved plenty in defeat, however, and seems to be a legitimate contender.

That theory could be proven wrong this week, though, with a misstep against the Cleveland Browns. The Browns certainly aren't the most talented team, but they play a lot of close games and tend to lull their opponents to sleep. The Bengals need to win this game at home to remain relevant, however, and I believe they will thanks to stout defense and the reliability of rookie quarterback Andy Dalton.

New York Jets

Few teams have been tougher to figure out this season than the New York Jets. New York began the season 3-0 and seemed to have carried over the success they had over the two previous seasons when they reached the AFC Championship Game. A three game losing streak and subsequent two-game winning streak only complicated matters, though.

Over the past two weeks the Jets have been handled easily by the New England Patriots and shocked by the Denver Broncos. That leaves them at 5-5 and on the outside looking in as far as the playoffs go. The Jets need to get something going, and that starts this week against the Buffalo Bills. New York easily defeated the Bills on the road a few weeks ago and should be able to do so again in Week 12 as Buffalo's defense has completely fallen apart.

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