NFL Power Rankings: Rising Teams That Will Run out of Time

Every one of these teams enters Week 14 on a bit of a hot streak. Not only that, but the remainder of the season sets up well for all of these teams to finish well.

Unfortunately, every one of these squads had a tough start to the season, which dug too big a hole. As a result, we're not going to be seeing them after Week 17 of the regular season.

Seattle Seahawks

The three weeks that the Seahawks had coming out of the bye week did the team in. Losses to the Browns, Bengals and Cowboys and dropped them to 2-6. Things have gone well since then, but not good enough.

The remainder of the schedule sets up quite well for the Seahawks. They should handily beat the Rams on Sunday, then go on the road to take on the depleted Bears.

A Christmas Eve home game against the 49ers looks like a loss, but it's not impossible that they will win. The 49ers don't traditionally do well in Seattle and won't be playing for much at that point. Then, a trip to Arizona finishes the season. 

The setup is there for a 3-1 finish, which would give Seattle a .500 record. Ultimately, they don't play well enough on the road to bank on that. Even if they do get there, it's not realistic to expect the teams around them to slide down that far. 

Arizona Cardinals

Like their division rivals, the Cardinals' recent hot streak has landed them at 5-7.

The remainder of the Arizona schedule is not terribly difficult. They have tough games against the 49ers and Bengals remaining on the schedule, but also host the Browns and aforementioned Seahawks.

This team just dug too big of a hole for itself in the early season. They are on a hot streak now, but that's not going to get them into serious playoff contention.

Carolina Panthers

With Cam Newton running the show, the Panthers have been one of the more exciting teams in the league to watch. Still, their 4-8 record doesn't indicate much success, although they are on a two-game winning streak.

The rest of the schedule isn't terrible for the Panthers, as they face every divisional opponent and go on the road to take on a beaten up Texans team. I like their chances at getting to 6-10, but that clearly won't be enough to get the job done. 

With Newton, a high draft pick and a talented offense returning, this will be a sleeper team in 2012. But in 2011, they are going to be the NFL's answer to the Golden State Warriors. Fun to watch, but not reliable to win.

Michael Dixon's Week 14 NFL Power Rankings

Note that the records and rankings do not reflect Pittsburgh's win over Cleveland on Thursday night. Power rankings aren't changed until the entire week has been played.

1. Green Bay Packers	12-0
2. Baltimore Ravens	9-3
3. San Francisco 49ers	10-2
4. New England Patriots	9-3
5. New Orleans Saints	9-3
6. Pittsburgh Steelers	9-3
7. Houston Texans	9-3
8. Dallas Cowboys	7-5
9. Oakland Raiders	7-5
10. Denver Broncos	7-5
11. Atlanta Falcons	7-5
12. Chicago Bears	7-5
13. New York Jets	7-5
14. Detroit Lions	7-5
15. Cincinnati Bengals	7-5
16. Tennessee Titans	7-5
17. New York Giants	6-6
18. San Diego Chargers	5-7
19. Arizona Cardinals	5-7
20. Seattle Seahawks	5-7
21. Carolina Panthers	4-8
22. Miami Dolphins	4-8
23. Buffalo Bills	5-7
24. Philadelphia Eagles	4-8
25. Kansas City Chiefs	5-7
26. Washington Redskins	4-8
27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers	4-8
28. Cleveland Browns	4-8
29. Jacksonville Jaguars	3-9
30. Minnesota Vikings	2-10
31. St. Louis Rams	2-10
32. Indianapolis Colts	0-12

Follow @mdixon1985