NFL Power Rankings Week 13: Wild Card Contenders That Will Run out of Gas

Take a look around the NFL right now, and you'll notice that the majority of the division races seem to be pretty well in hand. 

The wild card races are another issue. These things always do go down to the wire, and the same thing is going to happen this year. Each conference only has two wild-card berths to offer, and that's not nearly enough to accommodate all the teams that are fighting for them.

To actually earn a wild-card berth, teams are going to have to get hot. Some appear to me to be more than capable of getting hot. Others do not.

I would like to discuss the latter category here. Below is a short little list of wild-card contenders that are bound to run out of gas down the stretch.

Tennessee Titans (No. 17)

Exactly how the Titans are still in the mix at this point is beyond me. They're not an awful team, but they're not a great team either. They are a model of mediocrity.

Given the quarterback issues the Houston Texans are experiencing right now, some are wondering whether or not the AFC South title is a reasonable outcome for the Titans. I personally think the wild card remains a far more likely possibility, but I don't think the Titans are going to get that either.

You have to consider their remaining schedule. This weekend's game at Buffalo is a tough game, and so is next weekend's game against New Orleans. To wrap up the season, the Titans have to play at Houston.

All three are games the Titans could lose. As it is, I'd be surprised if they managed to win more than two of their remaining games, as you just can't take anything for granted with this Titans team. 

The Titans will be better in 2012, but they're going to fall short in 2011.

New York Giants (No. 15)

As you may have noticed (i.e. been shouted at by ESPN), the Giants are already running out of gas. They've lost three games in a row, the most recent of which was a 49-24 blowout at the hands of the Saints.

The Giants' biggest problem at the moment is that they just don't have the personnel to keep pace with other contenders in the NFC. My guess is that they are going to lose to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, and a loss to them may mean the Giants will have to win out in order to secure a wild-card berth.

That's going to be much easier said than done. The Giants still have two games remaining against the Dallas Cowboys and a trip to the New York Jets on their schedule. They also have to play a Washington Redskins team that has already beaten them this year.

The Giants deserve credit for hanging in there for much of the season, but this just isn't their year.

Detroit Lions (No. 13)

If the Lions have proven one thing in 2011, it's that they are plenty good enough to beat bad teams.

They just haven't shown that they can beat good teams, and that's a problem given their remaining schedule. The Lions still have games at New Orleans, at Oakland and at Green Bay.

Yikes.

The other problem with the Lions is that they appear to be falling apart at the seams. Ndamukong Suh really screwed his team with his kicking antics, and it doesn't help that the Lions as a whole have looked flat when they've been in the spotlight in recent weeks. They're not ready for the big stage.

They will be, mind you. Just not this year.

Cincinnati Bengals (No. 8)

Yup, I'm calling it right now.

The Bengals are currently in line to snag the final wild-card spot in the AFC, but their remaining schedule is as tough as nails. Two games against the Steelers and Ravens is a tough deal, and so is their tilt against the Texans in Week 14.

The other thing we have to realize about the Bengals is that they've been humbled in the last three weeks, losing consecutive games to the Steelers and Ravens and nearly losing at home to the Cleveland Browns of all teams.

Don't get me wrong, the Bengals are a very good young team. But they're a lot like the Lions in that they've spent the better part of 2011 overachieving. Things are leveling out now, and that will be the Bengals' doom.

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