NFL Power Rankings Week 14: Making a Case for the League's Best Team

What makes a team the best in the NFL? Is it simply win-loss record, or is it something more than that?

Perhaps it's the team that's the most balanced, effective both on the ground and in the air on offense and strong when defending both the pass and the run. Maybe it's simply the team that finds a way to win despite its weaknesses.

Whatever it is, there's clearly one team that's the best in the league right now, though there are two others who make a strong case for themselves as well.

At 12-0 and well on their way to their second Super Bowl appearance in two years, the Green Bay Packers have sat atop the power rankings all year and are easily one of the best-performing offensive units we've seen in years.

Averaging 320 passing yards per game, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is having a great year in a season in which he joins two other quarterbacks well on their way to break the single-season passing record. He's thrown for 3,844 yards and 37 touchdowns this year and has just five interceptions to his name.

However, a quarterback shouldn't be mistaken for an offense, and an offense shouldn't be mistaken for a team. The Packers do have significant weaknesses that may come to harm the team once the postseason begins, namely a low-production running game and a porous defense.

Though the Packers rank in the top three when it comes to average passing yards per game, they're near the very bottom in rushing yards, averaging just 96.5 yards on the ground per game.

On defense, they're giving up a whopping 292.8 passing yards per game, good for 31st in the league, as well as allowing more than 100 rushing yards per game.

If balance is what makes a team truly the best, then it's clear we'd have to look outside of Green Bay to identify it.

Perhaps the Houston Texans are the best team in the NFL, despite their ups and downs and their 9-3 record.

The only place they seem to struggle in—at least on paper—is the passing game. However, Houston's offensive approach has not been reliant on making high-yardage passing plays, preferring instead a shotgun-heavy philosophy for mid-yardage gains.

The Texans are in the top five in rushing yards, rushing defense and passing defense, and have managed to keep winning through a number of serious injuries to starters on both sides of the ball.

At first, Houston seemed to succeed only because their main divisional rival, the Indianapolis Colts, have done nothing but struggle this year, leaving the AFC South up for grabs.

But to think that's the single key to the Texans' success would be shortsighted. There are few more intelligent coaching staffs in the league this year than the Texans', which features head coach and running back guru Gary Kubiak and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips.

Kubiak and Phillips have managed to get the best out of their players while cultivating significant depth at practically every position.

They drafted a quarterback, T.J. Yates, in 2011, simply because the North Carolina offense he ran in college was so similar to the one run in Houston. Now that fate has forced him into the starting role, he looks comfortable and competent, and he doesn't seem capable of harming his team enough to knock them out of the playoffs.

But when you're talking balance being a major factor in determining which team is the NFL's best, perhaps a bigger-name team is more worthy of the nod than the Texans. If that's the case, perhaps the Pittsburgh Steelers are statistically the best team in the league.

The Steelers rank in the top 10 in passing yards, rushing yards allowed and passing yards allowed, with the only mark against them being their average rushing yards per game, which are just 111.8.

However, they've been extremely efficient in using those yards on the ground, coming in at No. 8 at running the ball when factors such as down-and-distance are considered.

Perennial playoff favorites, the Steelers have yet again embarked on a late-season push and should snag a postseason berth as either AFC North champions or a Wild Card entrant as early as this week.

Based on wins alone, and the dramatic way those wins have been obtained, the Packers are clearly the top team in the league. But if you're into overall balance being the determining factor, then there are good arguments to be made in the Texans' and Steelers' favors.

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