NFL Power Rankings: Identifying the League's Biggest Posers

In the early weeks of the season, two teams appeared poised to make deep runs in the playoffs as they dispatched opponent after opponent. Now that the season's nearly over, those same two teams are dangerously close to falling off the radar, making it seem that their early successes were more flashes in the pan than signs that they can hang with the best in the league.

The Buffalo Bills top that list. Seemingly out of nowhere, the Bills started their season strong, winning five of their first seven games, putting up no fewer than 20 points, defeating the New England Patriots and shutting out the Washington Redskins.

Now, the Bills have lost their last five games in a row, with injuries mounting but still not entirely at fault for their epic collapse.

Part of the issue is a decline in the accuracy of quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who started out the season with a number of games in which he completed 70 percent or more of his passes. But he hasn't done better than 66.7 percent and has been as bad as 48.4 percent during the five-game slide.

Another part of the issue is the Buffalo defense. They routinely gave up 20 or more points in the first half of the season, but with the offense firing on all cylinders, it wasn't much of a liability. Now, they're still giving up that many points, but the offense has managed just one 20-point game in their last five. What was once a mere weakness is now a serious problem.

Though other teams in the league have managed to mask their porous defenses with high-production offenses, the Bills were unable to maintain their early-season pace. Though this has been a season of improvement for the team, the Bills just aren't ready to truly compete with the league's heavy-hitters and weren't from day one.

Less surprising was the Detroit Lions' early-season run of success that saw them win their first five games in a row and enter their Week 9 bye with a 6-2 record.

Pegged by a number of analysts to finally turn things around after one of the most dismal decades an NFL team could ever have, the Lions finally seemed to have momentum, buzz, health, youth and toughness on their side.

That momentum ran out after the bye, with the team losing three of their last four games, and with it went their buzz. Health remains, to be sure, but they've still had to deal with their fair share of injuries. And what were once their most positive attributes—youth and toughness—have now turned against them and have made us all wonder why we were so blind as to how these traits could have backfired in the first place.

In the NFL, young players are prone to mistakes. There's just so much to learn and keep track of, and there are so many catalysts to either grow up fast or remain immature depending on the path a player chooses to take. Clearly, many players on the Lions roster have chosen the latter, with the team racking up penalties at an alarming rate in recent weeks, starting with defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh being ejected from their Thanksgiving game against the Green Bay Packers for stomping on an opponent.

In Week 13 against the New Orleans Saints, wide receiver Titus Young punched a player, Stefan Logan threw a football in an opponent's face and tight end Brandon Pettigrew shoved a referee—all drawing penalties.

The Lions are undisciplined, to be sure. While that youthful energy does have its advantages on the football field, it can also cost a team if it's not harnessed and directed in useful ways.

Detroit hasn't responded well to their recent losses, and the fact that they can't hold it together with a wild card playoff spot very much on the line shows that they aren't ready to be counted among the NFL's best teams this year.

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