NFL Power Rankings Week 13: Teams That Have Shown Impressive Resiliency

Nothing ever goes according to plan in the NFL. Circumstances change, players get hurt, and a good season can become a bad season very quickly.

But disaster only strikes the teams that let it strike. We occasionally see teams meet hard times head on and overcome them by sheer force of will alone. The 2010 Green Bay Packers definitely come to mind.

We're seeing a few teams around the league do the same thing this year. By all rights, they should have turned into sinking ships, but they have managed to stay afloat.

Here's a shoutout to the NFL's five most resilient teams.

Denver Broncos (No. 14)

Remember when the Broncos got blown out by the Detroit Lions back on Oct. 30? At that point it looked like their defense was utterly helpless, and it also looked like they were wasting time with Tim Tebow under center.

Four weeks later, the Broncos are sitting on a four-game win streak, the defense is playing out of its mind, and Tebow's name is starting to show up in MVP discussions.

Tebow is definitely getting all the credit, but what we've seen in Denver is a team-wide revival. The coaching staff deserves a lot of credit for that, and so do the players themselves. They refused to quit, and they could very well be rewarded with a wild-card berth.

All they have to do is keep winning.

Dallas Cowboys (No. 11)

The Cowboys spent the early portion of this season living up to the stereotypes we've come to associate with them. They came into the season with as much talent as ever, but they kept finding new and exciting ways to lose games.

Along the way, their cause was not helped by injuries to key players like Miles Austin and Felix Jones. There was also that episode with Tony Romo's battered ribcage.

All things considered, the Cowboys had every excuse to collapse like they did in 2010. Instead, they've managed to win four games in a row and have taken control of the NFC East.

The last two of these games have been particularly impressive. The Cowboys could have lost both of them, but they got some late-game heroics and managed to win both of them.

If I didn't know any better, I'd say the Cowboys are showing something this season that we didn't think they had: 

Guts.

Houston Texans (No. 9)

It remains to be seen how the Texans are going to be able to withstand losing both Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart. I just know that it's pretty impressive they have managed to play as well as they have this season.

Consider the injuries the Texans have had to deal with in 2011. First it was Arian Foster's nagging hamstring, and then they lost Andre Johnson for a few weeks after he too came down with a hamstring injury. Sure enough, they then lost Mario Williams for the season.

Nevertheless, the Texans have managed to keep winning. Losing their quarterbacks could be what kills them, but something tells me that's not going to happen.

Oakland Raiders (No. 7)

Losing Al Davis in the middle of the season was a big blow to the Raiders. Say what you will about Mr. Davis, but he was the Oakland Raiders.

Of course, the Raiders have had plenty of problems on the field this season. They've been without Darren McFadden for several weeks now, their wide receiver corps is all banged up, and I'm pretty sure their secondary is being held together by duct tape.

And let's not forget that the Silver and Black lost Jason Campbell for the season several weeks ago.

Instead of sinking, the Raiders went out and acquired Carson Palmer and have gotten key contributions from just about every man on their roster. As a result, they are having their best season since 2002 and are currently in control of the AFC West.

As Mr. Davis would say, just win, baby.

New England Patriots (No. 5)

When it comes to the Patriots, we kinda know what we're getting at this point. As long as they have Tom Brady, and as long as Tom Brady has weapons, the Patriots are going to be just fine.

It hasn't been this simple in 2011. The Patriots' two major offseason acquisitions—Chad Ochocinco and Albert Haynesworth—turned out to be busts, and the football gods have not been kind to their defense. New England's defense was weak enough to begin with, and injuries have made it even weaker.

Yet, the Patriots have managed to survive, and they're playing better now than they have all season. Another AFC East crown is in their future, and you can rest assured they'll be a threat once the postseason rolls around.

It should be dead by now, but the Patriots' dynasty is still kicking.

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