NFL Power Rankings Week 13: Grades for Every Team

There are now twelve weeks of the NFL season in the books, and the Green Bay Packers are clearly the best team in the NFL.  They have a two game lead over everyone else in the league with the 49ers losing to the Ravens.

This edition of the power rankings also includes a grade for each team.  Keep in mind that grades are not just for the record this season.  Teams are also graded based on the expectations they had heading into the 2011 season.

32. Indianapolis Colts

It looked for a minute like the Colts might get that elusive first victory of the season against the Panthers.  They did not, and the march to 0-16 rolls on.  Their only hope for a win is the week 17 game against the Jaguars.

The one silver lining, of course, for Colts' fans is that Andrew Luck will be waiting at the end of a miserable season.  He should set them up for another decade plus of success.

Grade: F

31. St. Louis Rams

There has to be a lot of frustration and confusion in St. Louis.  Last season it looked like the Rams were on the brink of breaking through as at least a challenger in the weak NFC West.  This season Sam Bradford has regressed, despite having weapons, and their defense cannot stop anyone.

This might be the end of Steve Spagnuolo's brief tenure in St. Louis.

Grade: F

30. Jacksonville Jaguars

Blaine Gabbert is the only rookie quarterback from this year's class that is not playing well.  In fact, he was benched yesterday for Luke McCown.  The future does not look very bright in Jacksonville.

Gabbert will get a new coach next year because there is no way Jack Del Rio will be back.

Grade: F

29. Washington Redskins

The Redskins have shown a little fight the past couple of weeks.  They forced overtime with the Cowboys last week, and won a tough game on the road against the Seahawks.  It looks like Mike Shanahan might have given up on Rex Grossman a little too early.

Washington has three tough games before finishing the season with two winnable ones.

Grade: D-

28. Arizona Cardinals

Hello Beanie Wells. 

Wells had been slowed for a couple of weeks by a bad knee but had a huge day on Sunday with 228 yards rushing.  It was a bright spot in what has been a disappointing season for the Cardinals overall.

Arizona fans better enjoy that win because it might be the last one they get in 2011.

Grade: D

27. Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings put up a good fight this week against one of the best teams in the NFC.

Minnesota is going to end the season with a disappointing record, but unlike some of the other teams at the bottom of the power rankings, they look to have some pieces in place to make them successful in the near future.  They could be one good offseason away from contending.

Grade: C

26. Cleveland Browns

It was good for the Browns to finally get Peyton Hillis on the field.  It is just too bad that it could not have been weeks earlier when the games still meant something.

Cleveland will have a lot of questions to address this offseason.  The first will be if they want Hillis back or not.  Odds are the answer will be no with the way this season has played out.

There were some pretty high expectations for the Browns heading into this season, but they have not managed to live up to them.

Grade: D

25. Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins made a nice three week run when it looked like they might not win a game this season.  They almost pushed that streak to four on Thanksgiving Day against the Cowboys.

They have a tough schedule the rest of the way, and will probably need one to two more wins to save Tony Sparano's job.  His players are still playing hard for him.  That makes the odds he stays on a little better.

Grade: C-

24. Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs stayed competitive in a game that most people expected them to lose by three touchdowns against the Steelers.

They have a tough schedule the rest of the way.  It will be interesting to see how quickly Kyle Orton can get up to speed because it is evident that Tyler Palko is not the answer.

The Chiefs get a bit of a pass on their grade because of all the injuries they have suffered this season.

Grade: C

23. Seattle Seahawks

Seattle's loss to the Redskins was extremely disappointing because it looked like they had turned the corner on their season. 

Their remaining schedule is not very tough.  There is a good chance they could win three of their last five games to build some momentum heading into 2012.  You have to wonder if Pete Carroll will try to find a way to trade up in the draft and get Matt Barkley.

Grade: C

22. Carolina Panthers

The Panthers are a team headed in the right direction.  They have their quarterback of the future and some dynamic playmakers around him.

It looked like they might drop the game against the Colts this weekend, but they pulled it out.  They have two games left against the Buccaneers that are winnable the rest of the way.  The rest of their schedule is tough.

The Panthers have been more competitive this year than most people thought they would.

Grade: C+

21. San Diego Chargers

The Chargers are a sinking ship.  They were a heavy favorite to win the AFC West coming into the season, but now they have lost their last six and are all but out of it.

This is the end of the line for Norv Turner.  It is not his fault that Philip Rivers has been so bad this season, but it is time for them to get a new coach in there.

They should be able to get a win against the Jaguars this week, but they end the season with games against the Bills, Ravens, Lions and Raiders.  That is not an easy stretch.

Grade: F

20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

It has been a tough season for the Buccaneers.  They are currently in the middle of a five game losing streak after their 23-17 loss to the Titans.

They get a little bit of a break in what has been a really tough schedule the next two weeks with games against the Panthers and Jaguars.

Tampa Bay has not lived up to the expectations most people had for them this season.  Part of that is due to the brutal schedule, but it is also due to the poor play of Josh Freeman.  He has taken a huge step back from last season.

Grade: C

19. Philadelphia Eagles

This season has been nothing short of a disaster for the Philadelphia Eagles.  They spent all of that money on free agents in the offseason.  All that has gotten them is four wins in eleven games.

There are going to be a lot of changes before next season in Philadelphia.  There is a pretty good chance at this point that this is Andy Reid's last year with the Eagles.

They could rally to win some games down the stretch with contests left against the Seahawks, Dolphins and Redskins.

Grade: F

18. Buffalo Bills

The Bills are in a tailspin.  They have not won a game in a month, and they had to put their best player, Fred Jackson, on injured reserve last week.  They looked like a lock to make the playoffs six weeks ago.  Now it looks like it will be an uphill battle to get to .500.

There is a chance they could climb back into the race though with games against the Titans, Chargers, Dolphins and Broncos in their next four.  Those games are all winnable if they can find their first half form.

Grade: C

17. Denver Broncos

You just cannot count Tim Tebow out.  He is not doing it the conventional way, but he just keeps winning football games.

Credit also has to be given to Von Miller and the Denver defense.  They are only giving up 12 points per game over the last three weeks.  They should be getting a lot more attention than they are.

They are only one game behind the Raiders and have four winnable games in their last five.

Grade: B

16. Tennessee Titans

Has Chris Johnson finally returned to his pre-holdout form?  He rushed for 190 yards on 23 carries against the Buccaneers on Sunday.  It was easily his best total of the year and the third best of his career.

The Titans are still very much in the hunt in the AFC playoff picture, but they will probably need to win at least four of their last five to get a spot.  It is not impossible to do when you look at their schedule, but they will need to play with some consistency that they have not shown this season.

Grade: B-

15. New York Jets

The Jets have been up and down all season long.  They got a huge win against the Bills this week.

Their remaining schedule is pretty easy.  They only have one game left against a team that is in playoff contention.  They will not be able to catch the Patriots in the AFC East, but they should be in good shape to earn a wild card spot.

Grade: B

14. Chicago Bears

It was a tough first start for Caleb Hanie.  He did throw two touchdown passes to get the Bears back in the game late, but his three interceptions were just too much to overcome.

The Bears have a soft schedule with the Packers as the only team left on their schedule that will be in the playoffs, but no game is that easy with Jay Cutler out of the line-up.  They will need to rely on Matt Forte and their defense to get them into the playoffs.

Grade: B

13. Oakland Raiders

Carson Palmer has proven to be just what the Raiders needed to get over the hump. 

They have a couple of tough games left with the Packers and Lions in weeks 14 and 15, but the rest of their schedule is pretty easy.  3-2 down the stretch will probably be enough to win the division.

It also sounds like they have a chance to get Darren McFadden back this week.  It is pretty amazing that they have done as well as they have with him out.

Grade: A

12. Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys did not look all that impressive on Thanksgiving, but they got a win. 

It is hard to believe that they have not played the Giants yet, but those two teams will face each other twice in the last five weeks.  The results in those two games will determine who ends up winning the NFC East, but the Cowboys are in a much better position now than they were six weeks ago.

Grade: B+

11. Detroit Lions

Now is the time we are going to find out what the Lions are really made of.  They are coming off an embarrassing loss to the Packers on Thanksgiving Day, and are likely to be without Ndamukong Suh for at least a couple of games after his stomping incident last week.

The Lions also face a tough schedule with games left against the Saints, Raiders and Packers.  They are going to get back to playing the type of football that led them to a 4-1 start.

Grade: B

10. Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals got back on track this week with a win over the Browns after two straight losses.

Cincinnati's season is still going to come down to the games they have left with the Steelers and Bengals.  They should be in good shape for a playoff spot if they can at least split those games because the other teams on their schedule are Houston, St. Louis and Arizona.

Grade: B+

9. New York Giants

The Giants fell a game behind the Cowboys with their loss to the Saints.

The good news for the Giants is that they still have two games left with Dallas.  Win those games and they will be in the playoffs as the NFC East Champion.  Things could get interesting for them if they lose both of those games or split them.  There is no guarantee they would get a wild card spot at that point.

Grade: B

8. Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons are in a good spot.  They are sitting at 7-4 and only have two games left against contenders.  One of those games is this week against the Texans and their third string quarterback.  The other is against the Saints who they are fighting with for an AFC South title.

Atlanta will not be able to match last year's No. 1 playoff seed, but all they have to do is play well down the stretch to get another shot in the playoffs.

Grade: A

7. New England Patriots

The Patriots seem to always peak at the right time.  This year is no exception.  They put a beatdown on the Eagles this Sunday.  The 38-20 final score does not even do it justice.

The Patriots have an easy schedule the rest of the way starting with this week when the Colts come to town.  Denver is really the only team left on their schedule that is in the hunt.  Do not be surprised to see them end up with the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

Their suspect defense is the only thing that keeps them from earning an A.

Grade: B+

6. Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers had a rather unimpressive win this week against a Chiefs team that is not very good.

Pittsburgh has games left with Cincinnati and San Francisco.  Outside of that their schedule is really easy the rest of the way.  They will not be able to overcome their two losses to the Ravens to win the AFC North but should be in good shape for a wild card spot.

Grade: B+

5. Houston Texans

The Texans just keep losing quarterbacks.  First Matt Schaub went down with a foot injury.  Now Matt Leinart is out with a broken collarbone.  

The real question now is how good are they with T.J. Yates calling the shots?  They are still really good on defense and have a virtually unstoppable rushing attack.  Will that be enough to keep them among the top teams in the AFC?

They have a couple of tough games with Atlanta and Cincinnati in the next two weeks.  It gets easier after that with games against Carolina, Indianapolis and Tennessee.

Grade: A-

4. San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers did not have the performance they had hoped for last week against the Baltimore Ravens.

Things get a lot easier for them down the stretch.  They only have one game left against a team with a record over .500.  If they can win that game against Pittsburgh, they will end the season 14-2.

The job that Jim Harbaugh has done with this team is nothing short of remarkable.

Grade: A

3. Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens took another step to getting the #1 seed in the AFC playoffs last week with their win over the 49ers.

The biggest thing Baltimore has working to their advantage is how weak their schedule is down the stretch.  They still have two games left with the Browns, one with the Colts and one with the Chargers.  All of those games lead up to a week 17 showdown with the Bengals.

The only problem with this team has been consistency.  If they play their game they are tough to beat.

Grade: A

2. New Orleans Saints

The Saints look like a team that no one wants to face down the stretch.  They are still a game behind the 49ers in the NFC playoff race, and they might not be able to make that up based on the schedules the two teams have left to play.

New Orleans still has some work to do to clinch their division.  They are a game up on the Falcons, but they still have to play them in week 16.

While it is clear that Aaron Rodgers is the best quarterback in the game right now, Drew Brees is not too far behind.

Grade: A

1. Green Bay Packers

Any doubts about just how good this Packers team is were answered with their dominating performance against the Lions on Thanksgiving.

Green Bay still has some tough games left with the Giants, Raiders and one more against the Lions.  It is really tough to go 16-0, but it is a real possibility with the way that Aaron Rodgers is playing right now.  He is separating himself as the best quarterback in the game.

Grade: A+