NFL Power Rankings Week 13: Contenders That Can Afford to Coast to Finish

With five weeks left to go in the regular season, things are about to get dramatic in the NFL.

Well, kind of. While there are some divisions that are still very much up for grabs and plenty of teams in the hunt for a wild card berth, there are a couple of races that have already been won. The teams that have won these races don't have much to play for.

The way I see it, there are four teams that are pretty much home-free.

Houston Texans (No. 9)

With both Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart out for the season with injuries, Houston's immediate future is not as bright as it once was. The Texans have no choice but to start untested rookie T.J. Yates, and the latest from the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter) is that they are going to resort to working out Jeff Garcia and Jake Delhomme.

Yikes.

On the bright side, the Texans have the AFC South lead in their pocket. The Tennessee Titans are two games behind them, and they're not exactly likely to go on hot streak down the stretch.

To win the division and make it to the playoffs, the Texans just need to avoid hitting the skids. If they win three of their five remaining games, they'll probably be fine. In fact, they may even be fine if they win just two of them.

The Texans will have a whole new set of problems once they make it to the playoffs, but getting there shouldn't be too much trouble.

New England Patriots (No. 5)

Things looked a little dicey for the Patriots a couple weeks ago, but they've managed to right the ship via a three-game win streak.

Meanwhile, in the background, the Buffalo Bills have all but fallen out of the race and the New York Jets are as beatable as they've ever been. The Jets are still in the AFC wild card race, but the Patriots have the AFC East pretty well in hand.

Making matters even better for the Pats is the fact that their schedule down the stretch is pretty easy. Only one of their five remaining opponents is above the .500 mark.

Like the Texans, the Pats also have some key injuries to worry about. The key difference is that their starting quarterback is just fine.

San Francisco 49ers (No. 3)

This one's too easy. The 49ers have the second-best record in all of football, and they also have the luxury of playing in the NFL's weakest division. They're five games up on the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals, and it will take a collapse beyond reckoning for the 49ers to miss out on the playoffs.

In order to truly be in trouble, the 49ers would have to lose each of their five remaining games. I highly doubt that's going to happen.

It helps that four of San Francisco's remaining five games are against sub-par NFC West opponents. They may as well start printing playoff tickets.

Green Bay Packers (No. 1)

The question in Green Bay right now is not whether or not the Packers will win the NFC North.

The question is: Will the Packers will go undefeated?

I'm going to be honest and say that I have my doubts about the Pack's ability to finish undefeated. Nevertheless, there's no denying that they are the best team in the NFL, and they are certainly the best team in their division.

It helps that the Detroit Lions and the Chicago Bears are both four games out, and that both have their own problems to worry about down the stretch. Actually catching the Packers is in the cards for neither of them.

As such, the Packers can crawl into the playoffs if they are so inclined.

Zachary D. Rymer's Week 13 Power Rankings

Rank	Team	Record
1	Green Bay Packers	11-0
2	Baltimore Ravens	8-3
3	San Francisco 49ers	9-2
4	New Orleans Saints	8-3
5	New England Patriots	8-3
6	Pittsburgh Steelers	8-3
7	Oakland Raiders	7-4
8	Cincinnati Bengals	7-4
9	Houston Texans	8-3
10	Chicago Bears	7-4
11	Dallas Cowboys	7-4
12	Atlanta Falcons	7-4
13	Detroit Lions	7-4
14	Denver Broncos	6-5
15	New York Giants	6-5
16	New York Jets	6-5
17	Tennessee Titans	6-5
18	Buffalo Bills	5-6
19	Philadelphia Eagles	4-7
20	Washington Redskins	4-7
21	Seattle Seahawks	4-7
22	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	4-7
23	Arizona Cardinals	4-7
24	Carolina Panthers	3-8
25	San Diego Chargers	4-7
26	Kansas City Chiefs	4-7
27	Cleveland Browns	4-7
28	Miami Dolphins	3-8
29	Jacksonville Jaguars	3-8
30	Minnesota Vikings	2-9
31	St. Louis Rams	2-9
32	Indianapolis Colts	0-11