NFL Power Rankings: Looking at the Worst Teams in Each Conference

I've written about this before, but we're almost a full 12 weeks into the 2012 NFL season, and to me, it's already clear who the league's two worst teams are. The Indianapolis Colts and St. Louis Rams appear to me to be the worst teams in each conference right now, and really I don't think it's close.

We all know the Colts are horrible, and after Sunday's 27-19 loss to the Carolina Panthers, they are now 0-11. With star quarterback Peyton Manning on the shelf all season, Indianapolis has shown just how much he meant to the franchise, as players who were expected to step up in his absence have revealed how much better Manning made them.

The Colts currently rank 31st in the NFL in total offense (280.0 yards per game) and an equally dismal 29th in total defense (allowing 389.4 yards per game). Indianapolis also ranks dead-last in points allowed at 29.7 per game. It really has gotten ridiculous for the Colts.

By almost any measure, Indianapolis is the worst team in the NFL and definitely the worst in the AFC.

The NFC's worst team right now in my estimation is the 2-9 St. Louis Rams. While some of the team's midseason struggles were attributed to quarterback Sam Bradford's absence, that has been discredited of late. The Rams just aren't a good football team.

Bradford doesn't have the kind of playmakers around him that could help elevate a second-year quarterback to star status. The team's trade for Brandon Lloyd helped things, but he probably isn't a long-term solution to the team's struggles.

Sunday's 23-20 loss to the Arizona Cardinals showed just how far the team still has to go before it can be a legitimate contender. Pro Bowl running back Steven Jackson isn't getting any younger, and Bradford's sophomore season hasn't been anything to get excited about. To this point, he has completed 179-of-328 passes (54.6 percent) for 1,971 yards, with six touchdowns and five interceptions. His passer rating of 72.3 ranks 31st out of the 33 quarterbacks who qualify.

While the Minnesota Vikings are also 2-9, they have Adrian Peterson and Jared Allen—two of the league's best players—on their roster. I have to give them the edge over St. Louis, which makes the Rams the NFC's worst team.

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

*Subject to change pending outcome of Monday night's Saints-Giants contest