NFL Power Rankings: Sliding Contenders That We Must Give Up on

Even though football plays the fewest games of all sports by a wide margin, a lot changes over the course of 16 games.

For these teams, that's not a good thing. Every one of them once looked like locks to make the playoffs. Now, it's time to start looking to 2012 and beyond, because they're not going anywhere.

New York Giants

How things have changed. The Giants were 6-2 after beating the Patriots in New England, and then they went across the country and nearly beat the 49ers. But they didn't beat the 49ers, nor did they beat the Eagles or Saints. The loss on Monday night in New Orelans was humiliating. 

The Cowboys are heating up, a game ahead of the Giants, and have a far more favorable schedule coming in. The Giants will do well to finish at 9-7. They need to sweep the Cowboys to have any chance, and that's just not going to happen.

The Giants will be watching the playoffs at home. Don't be surprised if a new coach is manning the sidelines next season.

Buffalo Bills

I don't feel bad for calling the Bills a contender for a few reasons.

Mathematically, they're still a force 

The Bills spent much of the season in the playoff picture

Realistically, they're done. Looking at their hot start now, it's abundantly clear that that was more of a fluke than anything. Look at their win against the Patriots. Everything that could go wrong went wrong for the Patriots, and the Bills still needed a late field goal to win.

Now, the Bills sit at 5-6. Anything better than a 6-10 finish is really a bold prediction. Frankly, 6-10 is being optimistic.

Detroit Lions

Their 5-0 start seems like 10 years ago. The once vaunted pass rush now doesn't seem so scary, especially with Ndamukong Suh's suspension. 

The once powerful offense is not so dominant anymore. The Lions are now vying for a Wild Card spot with the Falcons, Bears and possibly the Giants. With the exception of New York, they just don't match up well.

The future is bright in Detroit. But that future starts in 2012. The rest of 2011 won't be a lot of fun.

Michael Dixon's Week 13 NFL Power Rankings

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