NFL Power Rankings: Gauging Which Teams Are in the Biggest Trouble

With the playoffs nearing and division races becoming more narrow, it's never a good thing to be in trouble.

Well, unfortunately for the following four teams, that's just the case.

Maybe it's their division or perhaps their remaining schedule in comparison to others, but nonetheless, the playoffs may not happen for any of them.

That said, hope does remain; the question is whether they can bounce back.

Dallas Cowboys (7-5)

The Cowboys still reside in first place atop the NFC East at 7-5, but with a poor effort on the road in Arizona, the NFC East remains wide open.

Dallas should send a "thank you" card to Green Bay for the Packers beating the Giants in Week 13, so New York is kept at bay from the Cowboys. Only problem, however, is that Dallas and New York still have to play twice.

The first of the two is this week in Dallas and then in New York for the regular season finale. Sandwiched in between, though, are games at Tampa Bay and home versus Philadelphia.

Both may seem like cakewalks, but after losing on the road to Arizona, don't think winning over the Buccaneers is gonna be any easier. The Eagles will be a good win, so heading into Week 17, Dallas will be no worse than 9-6.

As long as the rush offense can get back on track, Big D won't have any issues. But since they did lose to Arizona, Dallas put themselves in much trouble because New York plays well on the road and just barely lost to the Packers.

If the Cowboys drop this week, well, hit the panic button.

Oakland Raiders (7-5)

After coming off three straight wins, the Raiders just looked flat against Miami. The Dolphins were clearly a team on a mission to play the spoiler role, and it worked out to perfection.

And thanks to a loss, not only did Oakland drop to 7-5, but now, the Broncos take over first place in the AFC West. To that end, Oakland plays at Green Bay this week.

For 2011, the Raiders are 4-2 in road games; however, none are comparable to Lambeau Field. Thereafter Oakland must also play Detroit, who's simply just underachieving because injuries haven't plagued them as of recent.

Then it's at Kansas City (who beat them 28-0 in Oakland) and San Diego. Denver has an easier remaining schedule, but the Raiders can easily win three of their final four or lose them all.

For the sake of Raiders fans, let's just hope that the Miami loss was a hiccup and they can finish 10-6.

Chicago Bears (7-5)

In an article on ESPN that included information from Adam Schefter and Michael C. Wright, Bears RB Matt Forte suffered an MCL sprain against the Chiefs:

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"Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain in Sunday's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, according to the initial diagnosis, sources close to the situation told ESPN.com."

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The article added:

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"Injuries such as these typically sideline players two to six weeks. There are four games left in the season."

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So now without their best player, Chicago must move forward. Obviously, the sooner Forte gets back, the better; however, you also don't want to risk re-injury when he wouldn't be 100 percent either.

That said, the Bears are still alive for the postseason thanks to the Giants, Lions and Falcons all losing along with them. Only issue now, though, is that Chicago is on a two-game skid with games left against Denver, Green Bay, a sneaky Seattle team and at Minnesota.

Make no mistake about it, Chicago still has a legit shot at the postseason. The question is whether they can play well enough to finish around 9-7 and hope that the Lions and Giants keep losing.

Cincinnati Bengals (7-5)

It's unfortunate, but then again, it was bound to happen.

Cincinnati began a great 6-2, but have since dropped three of four and are now just 7-5 and barely alive for the postseason. Right now, Cincy is No. 6 in the AFC thanks to their tiebreaker over Tennessee; however, the Bengals still have the Texans and Ravens left.

Additionally, they must also play at St. Louis (where the Saints lost) and home versus Arizona (won four of last five). So, neither of those games will be guaranteed.

Even worse, QB Andy Dalton left the Week 13 game against Pittsburgh in the final quarter with a hip injury.

According to The Sports Network at Fox News, Dalton suffered it before the fourth quarter:

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"Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton left Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth quarter with a hip injury. The rookie was hurt in the third quarter while being sacked by the Steelers' James Harrison."

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So, if you're a Bengals fan, keep a close eye on the situation because any kind of injury, no matter how slight, to a starting rookie QB is of concern.

Week 14 NFL Power Rankings (LW = Last Week's Rank) (* = MNF Teams)

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

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