NFL Power Rankings Week 14: G-Men Slide into the Bottom Half

Much has been made of the spirited performance of the New York Giants in Sunday’s 38-35 loss to the still-undefeated Green Bay Packers.

It was certainly the Giants’ best performance since beating the New England Patriots in Week 9, but the inescapable bottom line is this: Big Blue has lost four straight games, turning a 6-2 first half of the season into a 6-6 mark at the three-quarter pole.

Everything about this team’s body of work this season screams middle-of-the-road. A 6-6 record doesn’t get much more middling. New York’s offensive and defensive success rates are firmly in the middle of the pack in the NFL.

However, with two of the remaining four games on the schedule against the Dallas Cowboys, who currently lead the once-strong division by a game, New York has its playoff destiny in its hands.

As for the rest of the rankings, the top six teams remained unchanged and the bottom three teams did the same. There was, however, a great deal of shuffling in the middle of the pack.

Such is life in the league that made parity a stated goal of its operations.

These rankings reflect teams’ body of work through 13 weeks and do not include any future projections.

32. Indianapolis Colts (0-12)

Last week’s ranking: 32

This week: Lost at New England 31-24

Next: at Baltimore

Strength-of-victory factor: 0

Trailing 31-3, the Colts rallied with a touchdown run by Donald Brown and two scoring passes from Dan Orlovsky—making his first start at quarterback for Indianapolis—to Pierre Garcon, the last with 36 seconds remaining. However, the Colts weren’t able to recover the onside kick and the Patriots were able to run out the clock.

Indianapolis must beat the Ravens, Titans, Texans or Jaguars to avoid becoming the second NFL team in the last four seasons—and the second ever—to go 0-16. Orlovsky replaced the ineffective Curtis Painter in the starting lineup and was 30-for-37 for 353 yards and two touchdowns. He was intercepted once. I’m sure this wasn’t reported anywhere, but in case you were curious, Orlovsky was also a member of the winless 2008 Detroit Lions team.

The Colts also went into the game with a new defensive coordinator. Linebackers coach Mike Murphy was promoted to the position after Larry Coyer was fired last week. 

31. St. Louis Rams (2-10)

Last week’s ranking: 31

This week: Lost at San Francisco 26-0

Next: at Seattle (Monday night)

Strength-of-victory factor: 13

The beat-up Rams played the foil as the 49ers wrapped up the NFC West title. Backup A.J. Feeley struggled in place of injured starter Sam Bradford and St. Louis had several more key players go down to injury in the loss.

Feeley was on that list with an injured thumb on his throwing hand. While Feeley had his troubles, the Rams couldn’t run the ball, either, finishing with 31 yards on 23 carries. St. Louis’ defense kept the Rams in the game in the first half, holding San Francisco to three field goals despite the 49ers having first-and-goal on three drives.

With Bradford’s ankle still bothering him and Feeley now out with a fractured thumb, third-stringer Tom Brandstater would be the quarterback in Seattle Monday night if Bradford can’t go. The battered offensive line took another hit as well; guard Jacob Bell injured his knee in the loss at San Francisco.

30. Minnesota Vikings (2-10)

Last week’s ranking: 30

This week: Lost to Denver 35-32

Next: at Detroit

Strength-of-victory factor: 9

Christian Ponder set a Vikings’ rookie record with 381 passing yards, including a pair of long touchdowns to Percy Harvin, but an interception with 1:33 remaining set up the Broncos’ winning score.

Harvin had a career-high 156 yards receiving on eight catches but Minnesota lost its fourth straight game. The Vikings piled up 489 yards of total offense on Denver’s improved defense. Toby Gerhart had 91 yards on 21 carries in his second straight start in place of injured Adrian Peterson, but the offense also turned the ball over three times.

Ponder threw three touchdown passes. Besides the two to Harvin, he also connected with tight end Kyle Rudolph on a score that was upheld on video review.

29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-8)

Last week’s ranking: 27

This week: Lost to Carolina 38-19

Next: at Jacksonville

Strength-of-victory factor: 18

Not even the Creamsicle jerseys and Bucco Bruce could save the Buccaneers from losing their sixth straight game. Tampa Bay was flagged for nine penalties to just two by the Panthers and coach Raheem Morris blasted the team for its undisciplined play.

The situation came to a head on the last play of the third quarter. Geno Hayes sacked Carolina quarterback Cam Newton for a four-yard loss, but Brian Price was called for unnecessary roughness on the play. Morris took Price out of the game and, according to the Associated Press, “sent him home.”

The Buccaneers played without quarterback Josh Freeman, who has an injured throwing shoulder. Josh Johnson threw for 229 yards and a touchdown in his fifth NFL start and also ran for a team-high 45 yards on five scrambles. 

28. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-9)

Last week’s ranking: 24

This week: Lost to San Diego 38-14 (Monday night)

Next: vs. Tampa Bay

Strength-of-victory factor: 16

The Jaguars completed a week of change with yet another loss. Coach Jack Del Rio was fired last week and owner Wayne Weaver also announced he was selling the team to Illinois businessman Shahid Khan. Interim coach Mel Tucker was promoted from defensive coordinator and immediately fired wide receivers coach Johnny Cox, reassigned quarterbacks coach Mike Sheppard and released starting wideout Jason Hill.

While the crowd in Jacksonville was energized, the defensive injuries were too much to overcome. Jacksonville played without its top three cornerbacks—Rashean Mathis, Derek Cox and Will Middleton—and lost safety Dwight Lowery and defensive end John Chick during the game.

Maurice Jones-Drew continued to be the lone bright spot on offense, finishing with 188 total yards on 97 rushing yards and 91 more receiving. He also took over the NFL rushing lead with 1,137 yards. Rookie Blaine Gabbert was 19-for-33 for 195 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, his best showing since early October.

27. Cleveland Browns (4-8)

Last week’s ranking: 25

This week: Lost to Baltimore 24-10

Next: at Pittsburgh (Thursday night)

Strength-of-victory factor: 12

The Browns were gashed for 290 rushing yards but managed to keep the game close on a dreary, drizzly day by Lake Erie. It was Cleveland’s fifth loss in six games and they now have a short week to prepare for a trip to Pittsburgh.

Colt McCoy was 17-for-35 for 192 yards and a touchdown but is now 0-7 in his career against AFC North opponents. He also played through an injured right knee, coming back after missing one play and absorbing several hard hits in the second half.

The Browns’ only touchdown came with 4:22 remaining when McCoy hooked up with Evan Moore for a 22-yard score. 

26. Kansas City Chiefs (5-7)

Last week’s ranking: 29

This week: Won at Chicago 10-3

Next: at New York Jets

Strength-of-victory factor: 21

Tyler Palko shook off two miserable starts and threw for 157 yards and a touchdown even though he was yanked briefly for recently acquired Kyle Orton. Orton took one snap at the start of the second quarter and left after injuring his right index finger.

Palko connected with Dexter McCluster on a crazy 38-yard pass at the end of the first half on a Hail Mary that was deflected by two Chicago defenders. Ryan Succop hit a 21-yard field goal in the third quarter and Jon McGraw intercepted a pass in the end zone to preserve the lead in the fourth quarter.

Palko was 17-for-30 without an interception after being picked off three times in each of his first two starts after replacing injured Matt Cassel.

25. Washington Redskins (4-8)

Last week’s ranking: 23

This week: Lost to New York Jets 34-19

Next: vs. New England

Strength-of-victory factor: 18

The Redskins held the Jets to 168 total yards through three quarters before the roof caved in on them in the fourth.

Rex Grossman was just 19-for-46 for 221 yards and threw an interception and lost a fumble deep in Washington territory with the Redskins trailing by four points in the fourth quarter. Graham Gano closed the gap to 27-19 with 1:59 to go but couldn’t recover an onside kick.

Washington took an off-the-field hit as well, with news emerging that tight end Fred Davis and left tackle Trent Williams will be suspended for the final four games for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy.

24. Carolina Panthers (4-8)

Last week’s ranking: 28

This week: Won at Tampa Bay 38-19

Next: vs. Atlanta

Strength-of-victory factor: 11

Cam Newton ran for three touchdowns to set the NFL single-season record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback and paced a rout of the Buccaneers. Newton scored his 11^th, 12^th and 13^th touchdowns of the season on three one-yard runs and also notched his first career reception to set up another score.

Newton also threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Legedu Naanee to cap one of three Carolina scoring drives that covered 80 yards or more. The win was the Panthers’ second straight and gave Carolina four wins, twice as many as last season.

Newton was 12-for-21 for 204 yards and was not intercepted. He also had 54 yards on 14 carries while Jonathan Stewart had 80 yards on 14 carries and scored a touchdown.

23. Arizona Cardinals (5-7)

Last week’s ranking: 26

This week: Beat Dallas 19-13, OT

Next: vs. San Francisco

Strength-of-victory factor: 19

The Cardinals posted their third straight home-field win over the Cowboys since 2008 when LaRod Stephens-Howling caught a short pass from Kevin Kolb and weaved 52 yards for a touchdown in overtime.

Arizona caught a break when Dallas took a timeout on the final play of regulation that negated a 49-yard field goal by Dan Bailey. After the timeout, Bailey missed the kick when it counted.

Kolb, starting for the first time in five weeks after recovering from a toe injury, was 16-for-25 for 247 yards. It was the Cardinals’ first win of the season over a team with a winning record.

22. Philadelphia Eagles (4-8)

Last week’s ranking: 19

This week: Lost at Seattle 31-14 (Thursday night)

Next: at Miami

Strength-of-victory factor: 19

Vince Young threw four interceptions, including a pick-six, and the Eagles’ miserable season continued. Making his third straight start in place of injured Michael Vick, Young was intercepted on his first pass and never really got into a groove. He finished 17-for-29 for 208 yards.

LeSean McCoy got more chances than he did in the loss to New England in Week 12, finishing with 84 yards on 17 carries and catching four passes for another 49.

Cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha left in the first half with a head/neck injury and did not return.

21. San Diego Chargers (5-7)

Last week’s ranking: 22

This week: Won at Jacksonville 38-14 (Monday night)

Next: vs. Buffalo

Strength-of-victory factor: 21

Philip Rivers threw for 294 yards and three touchdowns, torching a depleted Jaguars’ secondary as the Chargers broke a six-game losing streak. Rivers was 22-for-28 and didn’t add to his NFL-leading totals of 21 turnovers and 17 interceptions.

San Diego scored on five of its first six drives. The Chargers then iced the game on a 31-yard touchdown run by Ryan Mathews in the fourth quarter. Mathews finished with 112 yards on 13 carries. It was a much-needed win for a team that trailed Denver and Oakland by two games in the AFC West.

San Diego took control of the game with a 22-yard pass from Rivers to Vincent Brown and a 35-yarder to Vincent Jackson for touchdowns on the final two drives of the first half, scoring twice in the final 2:32 in the half.

20. Miami Dolphins (4-8)

Last week’s ranking: 21

This week: Beat Oakland 34-14

Next: vs. Philadelphia

Strength-of-victory factor: 21

The Dolphins won for the fourth time in five games as Reggie Bush ran for 100 yards and a touchdown, Matt Moore contributed to two scores and Kevin Burnett returned an interception 34 yards for Miami’s final score.

The surge comes after the Dolphins started 0-7. In the last five weeks, they have outscored their opponents 139-54; the lone loss was a one-point defeat at Dallas on Thanksgiving Day. Miami locked this one up with three touchdowns in the third quarter, including two in a 20-second span and led 34-0 before Oakland got two late scores.

The Dolphins ran for 209 yards against the porous Raider run defense. Besides Bush’s third career 100-yard game, Daniel Thomas added 73 yards.

19. Seattle Seahawks (5-7)

Last week’s ranking: 20

This week: Beat Philadelphia 31-14 (Thursday night)

Next: vs. St. Louis (Monday night)

Strength-of-victory factor: 26

Marshawn Lynch bulled through the Eagles for 148 yards and a pair of first-half touchdowns and David Hawthorne returned an interception 77 yards for a score as the Seahawks rolled to a prime-time win.

Lynch ran into and escaped a huge pileup for a 15-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and added a 40-yard dash on the first play of the second quarter. It was Lynch’s fourth 100-yard game in his last five appearances.

Golden Tate had an 11-yard, toe-tapping touchdown on the end line in the third quarter to give Seattle a 17-point lead. Tarvaris Jackson was 13-for-16 for 190 yards and that touchdown en route to a quarterback rating of 137.0 on the night, a career best.

18. Buffalo Bills (5-7)

Last week’s ranking: 17

This week: Lost to Tennessee 23-17

Next: at San Diego

Strength-of-victory factor: 29

The Bills fell out of contention in the AFC playoff race and suddenly find themselves in a battle with Miami for last place in the AFC East.

Buffalo looks nothing like the group that started 5-2 even though C.J. Spiller had a career-high 83 yards rushing and scored on a 36-yard run in his second start since Fred Jackson broke a bone in his leg. Stevie Johnson had a muted celebration of a two-yard touchdown catch that made the game close with 2:58 to go.

Ryan Fitzpatrick was 29-for-46 for 288 yards and his touchdown pass to Johnson gave him 20 for the season, the first Bills’ quarterback to throw 20 touchdown passes in back-to-back seasons since Jim Kelly did it in 1994-95.

17. New York Giants (6-6)

Last week’s ranking: 16

This week: Lost to Green Bay 38-35

Next: at Dallas

Strength-of-victory factor: 29

The Giants suffered another heart-breaking loss despite playing toe-to-toe with the defending champions less than a week after being embarrassed on Monday night by New Orleans.

New York tied the game on a two-yard touchdown pass from Eli Manning to Hakeem Nicks and a two-point conversion run by D.J. Ware on an audible by Manning with 58 seconds left.

It wasn’t all bad for the Giants. Dallas also lost, leaving New York a game behind the Cowboys with four games to play and two head-to-head meetings remaining. Manning was 23-for-40 for 347 yards and three touchdowns but did throw a pick-six in the first half.

16. Denver Broncos (7-5)

Last week’s ranking: 18

This week: Won at Minnesota 35-32

Next: vs. Chicago

Strength-of-victory factor: 36

Tim Tebow and the Broncos followed a now-familiar script—strong finish after a slow start. Tebow had a solid second half, passing for a season-high 202 yards and two third-quarter touchdowns to help Denver win its fifth straight game and grab a share of the AFC West lead.

The Broncos won it when Matt Prater kicked two field goals in the final 1:33 with an interception by Andre’ Goodman squeezed in between the kicks.

Tebow was 10-for-15 without an interception and had a career-high passer rating of 149.3. Mario Haggan, starting at linebacker for injured rookie Von Miller, returned an interception for a first-quarter touchdown and receiver Demaryius Thomas caught four passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns.

15. Cincinnati Bengals (7-5)

Last week’s ranking: 11

This week: Lost at Pittsburgh 35-7

Next: vs. Houston

Strength-of-victory factor: 28

The mistake-prone Bengals got crushed by an explosive second quarter from the Steelers to lose the season series to Pittsburgh and fall two games behind Baltimore and the Steelers in the AFC North.

A.J. Green caught an 11-yard touchdown pass but also committed a false-start penalty that wiped out another scoring play and Cincinnati surrendered four touchdowns in less than 12 minutes of the second quarter to fall hopelessly behind.

Rookie Andy Dalton was just 11-for-24 for 135 yards and didn’t play in the fourth quarter of the blowout.

14. Oakland Raiders (7-5)

Last week’s ranking: 12

This week: Lost at Miami 34-14

Next: at Green Bay

Strength-of-victory factor: 41

The Raiders fell into a tie for the AFC West lead and saw their three-game winning streak end with a thud, falling behind 34-0 before getting two late touchdowns. Oakland is now 6-25 in the Eastern Time Zone since December 2002.

Defensive tackle Richard Seymour can expect to hear from the league this week after he was ejected for throwing a punch in the second half. It was Seymour’s second ejection of the season. Linebacker Rolando McClain played just three days after his arrest for misdemeanor assault, firearms and other charges in Alabama and made eight tackles.

Carson Palmer was 20-for-41 for 273 yards and threw two late touchdowns to T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Darrius Heyward-Bey. Palmer’s lone interception was returned for a score.

13. Atlanta Falcons (7-5)

Last week’s ranking: 13

This week: Lost at Houston 17-10

Next: at Carolina

Strength-of-victory factor: 29

The Falcons sputtered offensively for most of the game and Houston’s top-ranked defense knocked down two Matt Ryan passes into the end zone in the closing seconds.

Atlanta had a touchdown wiped out in the fourth quarter when linebacker Mike Peterson intercepted a pass and returned it for a score, but the play was negated when both Dunta Robinson and Sean Weatherspoon were flagged for defensive holding.

Ryan was 20-for-46 for 267 yards and two touchdowns but was also intercepted twice. Atlanta’s defense surrendered its first 100-yard rusher for the first time in 15 games.

12. New York Jets (7-5)

Last week’s ranking: 15

This week: Won at Washington 34-19

Next: vs. Kansas City

Strength-of-victory factor: 33

Aaron Maybin recorded a strip sack that the Jets recovered to set up a touchdown run by Shonn Greene as New York pulled away from the Redskins with a big finish.

The win kept the Jets in the playoff hunt as Mark Sanchez recorded his 10^th career fourth-quarter or overtime comeback win. New York only had 168 total yards after three quarters before the late push. Sanchez was 19-for-32 for 165 yards but didn’t throw an interception for the first time in six games.

Greene scored three touchdowns and finished with 88 yards on 22 carries.

11. Tennessee Titans (7-5)

Last week’s ranking: 14

This week: Won at Buffalo 23-17

Next: vs. New Orleans

Strength-of-victory factor: 33

Chris Johnson ran for 153 yards and two touchdowns—his third 100-yard game in his last four outings—and the Titans won their second straight game to move into a four-way tie for the AFC’s final wild-card berth.

Johnson put Tennessee ahead for good with a scintillating 48-yard run off right tackle in the first quarter and has posted 486 of his 852 rushing yards this season in the last four games.

Rob Bironas kicked three field goals and the Titan defense recovered both of the fumbles it forced. The turnovers led directly to 10 points.

10. Dallas Cowboys (7-5)

Last week’s ranking: 9

This week: Lost at Arizona 19-13 (OT)

Next: vs. New York Giants

Strength-of-victory factor: 34

Dallas lost on the first possession in overtime after blowing a chance to win the game late in regulation. The Cowboys took a timeout just before Dan Bailey kicked a 49-yard field goal that would have been the game-winner at the gun. After the break, Bailey missed the kick that counted.

Bailey had earlier missed from 53 yards out, snapping a streak of 26 straight makes. Tony Romo was 28-for-42 for 299 yards for Dallas, which maintained its one-game lead in the NFC East thanks to the New York Giants’ loss to Green Bay.

Romo absorbed five sacks on the day. Dez Bryant caught eight passes for 86 yards but DeMarco Murray was held to just 38 yards on 12 carries.

9. Chicago Bears (7-5)

Last week’s ranking: 8

This week: Lost to Kansas City 10-3

Next: at Denver

Strength-of-victory factor: 33

The Bears dropped their second straight after a five-game winning streak, with their biggest loss coming in the first quarter when running back Matt Forte sustained a sprained right knee. He is expected to miss two to six weeks with the injury.

Already down quarterback Jay Cutler, the Chicago offense struggled mightily against the Chiefs. Backup Caleb Hanie was 11-for-24 in his second start in place of Cutler. He was sacked seven times by a defense that had just 13 in the first 11 games and threw three interceptions for the second straight week.

The Bears’ last chance ended when Hanie was intercepted in the end zone with just over four minutes to go. Chicago also lost defensive back Major Wright to a shoulder injury.

8. Detroit Lions (7-5)

Last week’s ranking: 7

This week: Lost at New Orleans 31-17

Next: vs. Minnesota

Strength-of-victory factor: 36

Matthew Stafford threw for 408 yards and a touchdown for the mistake-prone Lions, who have lost five of seven but remain in playoff contention in the NFC.

Detroit killed itself with 11 penalties for 107 yards, including three offensive pass interference calls and a personal foul against tight end Brandon Pettigrew for shoving an official. The mistakes made it impossible for the Lions to stay with the league’s No. 1 offense and Detroit missed a chance to take a one-game lead over Chicago and Atlanta in the NFC wild-card chase.

The Lions played without suspended defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and were also without defensive backs Chris Houston (knee) and Louis Delmas (knee) and the Saints took advantage, torching Detroit for 438 total yards.

7. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3)

Last week’s ranking: 10

This week: Beat Cincinnati 35-7

Next: vs. Cleveland (Thursday night)

Strength-of-victory factor: 48

The Steelers did everything right during a devastating second quarter that allowed them to complete a season sweep of the Bengals.

Ben Roethlisberger threw two touchdown passes to Mike Wallace, Rashard Mendenhall ran for two more and Pittsburgh scored 28 points in less than 12 minutes in the second quarter to take control of the game.

Roethlisberger was 15-for-23 for 176 yards after aggravating his injured thumb in practice during the week. He also recorded his 2,026^th completion of his career, passing Terry Bradshaw for first place on the franchise’s all-time list.

6. New Orleans Saints (9-3)

Last week’s ranking: 6

This week: Beat Detroit 31-17

Next: at Tennessee

Strength-of-victory factor: 47

Drew Brees made some history, passing for 342 yard and three touchdowns as the Saints won their fourth straight game. With 4,031 yards, Brees became the first quarterback in NFL history to top the 4,000-yard mark in 12 games.

His touchdowns were 67 yards to Robert Meacham, 20 yards to Lance Moore and six yards to Darren Sproles. He also hit Jimmy Graham eight times for 89 yards as Graham became the first New Orleans tight end to top 1,000 yards receiving in a single season.

New Orleans is now 6-0 at home and has a two-game lead over Atlanta in the NFC South.

5. Houston Texans (9-3)

Last week’s ranking: 5

This week: Beat Atlanta 17-10

Next: at Cincinnati

Strength-of-victory factor: 41

Rookie third-stringer T.J. Yates threw a touchdown pass in his first NFL start, Arian Foster rushed for 111 yards and the Texans overcame another hamstring injury to Andre Johnson for a franchise-record sixth straight win.

Yates was 12-for-25 for 188 yards and did not throw an interception. The fifth-round pick from North Carolina took over the starting job after season-ending injuries to Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart.

Houston took control with a decisive 19-play drive—which tied a team record. The Texans ran more than 10 minutes off the clock and capped the march with a one-yard run by Foster, who had 10 carries on the drive.

4. New England Patriots (9-3)

Last week’s ranking: 4

This week: Beat Indianapolis 31-24

Next: at Washington

Strength-of-victory factor: 46

Rob Gronkowski scored three more touchdowns but the Patriots surrendered three fourth-quarter touchdowns to the lowly Colts that made a blowout close. Deion Branch recovered an onside kick in the final minutes to finally end the threat from Indianapolis.

New England has won four straight and are tied for the best record in the AFC. Tom Brady threw his 291^st touchdown pass, going by Johnny Unitas and tying Warren Moon for sixth place on the all-time list. Brady was 29-for-38 for 293 yards.

Gronkowski had two touchdown catches, giving him 13 on the season to tie the record set by San Diego’s Antonio Gates and tied by San Francisco’s Vernon Davis in 2009.

3. Baltimore Ravens (9-3)

Last week’s ranking: 3

This week: Won at Cleveland 24-10

Next: vs. Indianapolis

Strength-of-victory factor: 62

Ray Rice broke a 67-yard touchdown run in the third quarter en route to a career-high 204 yards and the Ravens kept pace with Pittsburgh atop the AFC North.

Ricky Williams had a short touchdown run and Lardarius Webb returned a punt 68 yards for a score and Baltimore rolled up 290 rushing yards on the Browns.

On a drizzly day with gusty winds, the Ravens took to the ground. Joe Flacco was 10-for-23 for 158 yards while Rice shouldered the offensive load.

2. San Francisco 49ers (10-2)

Last week’s ranking: 2

This week: Beat St. Louis 26-0

Next: at Arizona

Strength-of-victory factor: 48

The 49ers trounced the battered Rams to clinch their first NFC West title since 2002. Frank Gore finished with 73 yards to pass Joe Perry for first place on the franchise’s career list and Alex Smith threw second-half touchdowns of 52 and 56 yards to Michael Crabtree and Kyle Williams.

David Akers kicked four field goals to break the team’s single-season record with 31 makes. Smith was 17-for-23 for 274 yards and no picks, setting a career-high with a 142.3 quarterback rating before giving way to rookie Colin Kaepernick in the fourth quarter.

The only downside in the win was the injured hamstring suffered by middle linebacker Patrick Willis, but coach Jim Harbaugh said after the game the injury did not appear to be serious.

1. Green Bay Packers (12-0)

Last week’s ranking: 1

This week: Won at New York Giants 38-35

Next: vs. Oakland

Strength-of-victory factor: 62

Aaron Rodgers completed passes of 24, 27 and 18 yards in a rapid-fire five-play drive to set up a 31-yard field goal by Mason Crosby on the final play of the game to keep the Packers undefeated. With the win, Green Bay also clinched the NFC North title.

It was the 18^th straight win, including the playoffs, for the Packers. Rodgers hit all four of his passes in the 58-second drive that won the game and was 28-for-46 for 369 yards and four touchdowns. He was intercepted once and sacked three times by a game Giants’ defense.

It was Rodgers’ fifth interception of the season. Green Bay also lost cornerback Charles Woodson to a concussion. Rodgers’ passer rating of 106.2 extended his NFL record to 12 consecutive games with a mark of 100 or better.