NFL Power Rankings Week 14: Division Leaders That Will Plummet in December

It is a great time to be a division leader in the NFL because only one month remains in the regular season and playoff positioning is up for grabs. However, a few teams have looked vulnerable lately and will have a hard time staying on their perch. 

In fact, I would be willing to bet that we will see more playoff-contending teams fade out of the race this December than we have in a long time. There are reasons for that: injuries, schedules, poor performances, etc... 

Here are three division leaders that will suffer a Boston Red Sox-like collapse. 

Dallas Cowboys (7-5)

While I am not going to completely hammer Jason Garrett for calling a timeout at the end of regulation last week against the Cardinals to ice his own kicker because Dan Bailey still should have made the kick, the loss was crippling because of its tiebreaker implications.

They still lead the NFC East, which is a good thing, but they can’t afford to finish with the same record as the Giants unless they are able to sweep them.

The Cowboys will have their chance to prove themselves against the Giants this weekend, but considering how they played last week, I don’t have a lot of confidence in them doing much.

I want to believe in this team, and getting Miles Austin back will boost my confidence in them, but I just don’t see enough consistency on offense to think they will be a playoff team.

Houston Texans (9-3)

Give credit where credit is due: T.J. Yates actually managed to outplay Matt Ryan, and the Texans defense was able to put the offense in good position throughout the game against the Falcons.

That said, you can’t keep getting away with Yates as the quarterback, especially if Andre Johnson’s hamstrings are going to keep acting up.

The Bengals host the Texans this weekend and have all sorts of problems of their own, but they certainly have the talent to cause the Texans problems.

Houston will still win the AFC South because no one in the division is very good, but how good they are now is still very much up in the air.

Denver Broncos (7-5)

Despite a five-game winning streak, Tim Tebow finally having a solid passing game and another fourth-quarter comeback, I am still not buying into the Broncos as a real playoff contender.

They are a contender by virtue of the fact that they have played a soft schedule and the AFC West is so unbearably mediocre right now, but the final four games of the season are going to teach us all that we need to know about this team.

Of course, they luck out again this week against the Chicago Bears, who will be without Matt Forte and Jay Cutler. They will likely win this game to move to 8-5, but a home game against New England and a game at Buffalo will expose them as the fraud they are. 

Adam Wells' Week 14 NFL Power Rankings

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