NFL Power Rankings Week 13: Houston Texans and Teams with Most to Prove

At long last, the playoff picture in the NFL is beginning to take shape, though there's still plenty of sorting to be done amongst the pretenders and the contenders in the "muddled middle." Tough Week 13 matchups will reveal whether these three teams have what it takes to play into January.

Houston Texans

The last two games have been tough on the Texans, to say the least. Sure, both have resulted in victories, but each time, Houston has seen its starting quarterback go down, with Matt Schaub busting up his foot against the Buccaneers and now Matt Leinart tearing up his shoulder in Jacksonville.

For its troubles, Houston will return home to face an Atlanta team that's won five of its last six games and, as such, is in the midst of a postseason push of its own. Houston's defense and running game, behind Arian Foster and Ben Tate, should be enough to put the team in position to win, but it'll need rookie TJ Yates to bring it home to roost.

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals have performed respectably against the top of the AFC North but have only two losses to show for their efforts. Andy Dalton and company will get another crack at it with a trip to Heinz Field on Sunday to play the Steelers.

Topping Pittsburgh in the Steel City will be no easy task, considering Ben Roethlisberger has seen his team lose only once there this season, but if Cincinnati is to secure a spot as a wild card in the AFC playoff picture, it'll need more than just a moral victory along the Allegheny.

Detroit Lions

Adversity is not something the Lions seem well-equipped to deal with. First came "Backslap-Gate" after the loss to the 49ers, then came the scuffle in a blowout loss to the Bears after Matthew Stafford took down DJ Moore.

Most recently, Detroit's thuggery has reared its ugly head in the form of a malicious stomp by Ndamukong Suh in a turkey of a game against the Packers on Thanksgiving Day.

Now, the Lions, at 7-4, will have to regroup in time for a tough test in New Orleans against the Saints on Sunday night. A likely suspension for Suh will make it that much more difficult for Detroit to subdue Drew Brees and the Saints' high-octane offense and, in turn, stay afloat in the NFC Wild Card race.

Josh Martin's Week 13 NFL Power Rankings

1. Green Bay Packers

2. Baltimore Ravens

3. San Francisco 49ers

4. Pittsburgh Steelers

5. New England Patriots

6. New Orleans Saints

7. Dallas Cowboys

8. Cincinnati Bengals

9. Houston Texans

10. Oakland Raiders

11. Chicago Bears

12. Atlanta Falcons

13. Detroit Lions

14. New York Jets

15. New York Giants

16. Denver Broncos

17. Tennessee Titans

18. Buffalo Bills

19. Miami Dolphins

20. Philadelphia Eagles

21. San Diego Chargers

22. Arizona Cardinals

23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

24. Cleveland Browns

25. Washington Redskins

26. Seattle Seahawks

27. Carolina Panthers

28. Kansas City Chiefs

29. Jacksonville Jaguars

30. Minnesota Vikings

31. St. Louis Rams

32. Indianapolis Colts