NFL Power Rankings: Labeling the League's Contenders and Pretenders

Every year there are the contenders and pretenders for the Super Bowl, however, the interesting aspect about them is that they change quite often throughout the course of a season.

But as we near the NFL playoffs, the picture is becoming more clear as to who makes the second season and who goes home. That said, here are three contenders and three pretenders for Super Bowl XLVI once the postseason kicks off.

Contender: Houston Texans (9-3)

Make no mistake about the Texans, they are for real.

Yes, it definitely hurts them not having Matt Schaub under center, however, with a Top 5 defense against the pass and rush combined with the No. 3 ranked rush offense, there's no reason why they can't make a run.

The AFC South for starters, is theirs to lose and it's quite possible that Houston gets the No. 2 seed. Nonetheless, the No. 3 seed is a worst case-scenario.

Also, the Texans have solid special teams as they rank No. 6 in yards per kickoff return and No. 3 in yards per punt return. To go with a menacing defense and an offense that just needs Andre Johnson present out wide, Houston will be a tough out.

As for playing in harsh weather conditions, that won't have an affect either because that only helps the defense and their stout rushing attack. The play-action is setup nicely and although he's underrated, TE Owen Daniels is just as good of a run-blocker as he is a reliable receiving target.

This is a lot more of a complete team than given credit for.

Pretender: Detroit Lions (7-5)

If only the Lions could keep their composure and be more dynamic offensively and they'd be a contending team.

For one, the 5-0 start appears to have been for naught as they've gone just 2-5 since. And only because the Bears have been hit by the injury bug has Detroit's playoff odds increased.

Sure their passing game is unbelievable with Calvin Johnson out wide and Matthew Stafford under center, however, everyone else can be covered one-on-one.

All defenses have to do is get a jam (no matter how slight or minimal) on Megatron at the line of scrimmage and then play cover-3 to shield him downfield. Adding to it, then defenses just need to blitz Stafford and force the less established targets to beat them.

Regardless of which defense faces the Lions, as long as they get even decent pressure on Stafford, double Calvin, then you take the risk of rookie Titus Young and Nate Burleson beating single coverage.

As for their defense, the Lions rank No. 22 against the run and No. 11 against the pass. Any average pass offense can move the ball on them and a ground game will just keep their offense off the field.

Plus, in being called for 30 penalties combined in the past three games, their focus is vulnerable. So, the factor of Detroit beating themselves only plays to the opponent's advantage.

Contender: San Francisco 49ers (10-2)

San Francisco is a contender in the NFC because of their ability to control the trenches. They have the NFL's best rush defense and one of the best rush offenses.

And much like the Patriots, the Packers and Saints love to air it out.

Therefore, keeping their offenses off the field is crucial. As for the 49ers, that's quite possible being that both Green Bay and New Orleans allow almost five yards per rushing attempt.

Not to mention both have two of the worst pass defenses in the game. It's special teams that has significantly been a part of the Packers' (Randall Cobb) and Saints' (Darren Sproles) success, in addition to the offense.

And speaking of special teams, Frisco has return man Ted Ginn who's arguably just as dangerous as Cobb and Sproles.

Combine all their elements of a unstoppable ground game, rush defense and solid special teams and San Fran is very capable of winning their sixth NFC title.

Pretender: New England Patriots (9-3)

The Patriots haven't won a playoff game since the 2007 season where they went undefeated. That year they beat the Chargers in the AFC title game but were upset by the Giants in Super Bowl XLII.

Including that Super Bowl, the Pats have lost three straight playoff games (two straight at home) and have the NFL's worst pass defense. Now, if the weather plays a factor that will help their defense, but that doesn't mean they'll stop anyone.

Currently New England allows 4.2 yards per carry despite only having 292 rushing attempts against them all season. Much of that is obviously contributed to opposing offenses having to throw the ball to keep pace with Tom Brady.

That said, to beat the Patriots you must run the ball effectively and when their rush defense is tested (Steelers, Giants), it limits Brady's opportunities. And allowing just 102.1 yards per game may appear solid, but that takes up a lot of clock when trying to keep their offense off the field.

Also New England has no deep threat WR. TE Rob Gronkowski is their most dangerous downfield threat to stretch the field, so isolating him is key.

Wes Welker may get targets, but he won't burn anyone deep like Gronk. Additionally that'll allow the DL and blitzers more time to get to Brady.

Contender: Tennessee Titans (7-5)

The Titans being a contender when the second half of the season began was definitely not the case.

Through nine weeks they were just 4-4 and after beginning 3-1, they hit a wall and went 1-3. But, thereafter Tennessee found their running game and Chris Johnson has finally gotten into a rhythm.

The defense has picked up the slack and as you can tell, Tennessee goes as No. 28 goes. Since sitting at 4-4 the Titans are 3-1 and on the year they have good wins over Denver, Baltimore and an important road win at Buffalo.

At home in Nashville, Tennessee is one of the more difficult teams to beat and based on how they've recently played, it will come as no surprise if they take down the Saints in Week 14. New Orleans significantly struggles on the road and it's a must-win for Tennessee anyway.

In the playoffs, the Titans will have some unfinished business as they choked in 2008 as the AFC's No. 1 seed. Because they're in the AFC South, they will go overlooked, especially as the No. 6 seed.

Collectively on the year Tennessee does not match up to the numbers of most AFC contenders. But, they are a scrappy team because otherwise they wouldn't be in this position. Now include their No. 1 (tied) ranking on kickoff return average (28.5) and No. 7 on punt return average (11.8) and we see another area where they can win games.

The theme here includes field position, because special teams cannot go overlooked.

Pretender: Dallas Cowboys (7-5)

Mainly because of their kajillion dollar stadium and that their nickname is "America's Team", the Dallas Cowboys are held to a higher standard.

Now yes, to some that may sound unfair, however, with such high expectations to begin each season, and multiple failures that have occurred since the 1996 NFL season, Dallas is a pretender.

And when you count what's happened in the 2011 season (choke versus the Jets and Lions, blasted by Philly and underachieving performance at Arizona), the Cowboys revert back to recent history.

With just one playoff win this century and some really solid talent across the board, Dallas has definitely underachieved. Another problem is the weakness of the NFC East.

Philadelphia clearly couldn't figure out how to play as a team, the Redskins were overachieving then fell back to earth and the Giants have dealt with injuries all season long to go with a tough schedule.

So, basically by default it seems that the Cowboys will win this division. Their per game averages on both sides of the ball are solid, and with their plug-n-play offense, it honestly doesn't matter who's lined up at WR because they will produce.

All this being said, the Dallas Cowboys are solely playoff pretenders because they have yet to prove they can win in the postseason. And only until they actually become an established playoff qualifier each year and play well in the postseason, will they become contenders.

Big D has an opportunity in front of them this season, the question is whether they can seize it. Because that hasn't happened in quite some time.

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

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 (5-7) (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. Carolina Panthers (4-8) (LW 28)
10. Tennessee Titans (7-5) (LW 16)	26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-8) (LW 23)
11. New York Jets (7-5) (LW 15)	27. Washington Redskins (4-8) (LW 27)
12. Dallas Cowboys (7-5) (LW 8)	28. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-9) (LW 26)
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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