NFL Power Rankings: Teams That Should Be Ignored in Final 3 Weeks

With the 2011 regular season rapidly coming to a close, there's going to be a lot of action in the final weeks that you're not going to miss.

Playoff spots will be clinched, and playoff spots will be lost. Heroes will arise and do heroic things, and villains will arise and do villainous things. It will be like a comic book movie, sans British film directors.

But just like there are some comic book movies you're better off skipping, there are some teams you're better off ignoring. They have nothing to play for, and they're not going to make it interesting. They're going to show up just to show up, and it's not going to be fun to watch.

Let's talk about five teams in particular.

Miami Dolphins (No. 22)

As you have no doubt already heard, the Dolphins have fired head coach Tony Sparano. If you haven't, feel free to check out the story in the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

In all honesty, this is a move I expected weeks ago, as the Dolphins stumbled out of the gate with seven straight losses. Sure, they turned it around, but it was way too late.

Now that Sparano is gone, there's not much drama to be found in South Beach. The Dolphins used to be a bad team under a bad coach. Now they're just a bad team, and they will spend the rest of the season serving as a punching bag for other teams.

If there is a reason to watch the Dolphins, it's so you can keep a close eye on Matt Moore. He's been halfway decent under center for the Dolphins since taking over, and he will essentially be auditioning for a job elsewhere with the Dolphins all but assured to draft a quarterback in 2012.

Buffalo Bills (No. 23)

The Bills were one of the best stories in the NFL once upon a time, as they were 5-2 at one point and looking to make a run at the AFC East crown.

The Bills haven't won since, and it seems like they're getting worse every week. Injuries have a lot to do with this, but I think you can also tell the Bills know they're out of it.

Buffalo's best hope from here on out is to play spoiler, but it's not going to beat the Denver Broncos, and the Bills' Week 17 matchup against the New England Patriots will likely be of no consequence for either team. By that time, the Pats should be resting up for the playoffs.

Regardless of how the Bills finish the season, they won't head into the offseason with much buzz. They teased us for a while, but it has become clear the perpetual rebuilding process is alive and well in Buffalo.

Cleveland Browns (No. 27)

I'm pretty sure I once wrote the Browns are the NFL's very own personification of the word "meh."

In retrospect, I was giving them too much credit. They're worse than that.

The Browns have been pretty much unwatchable since the get-go this season. Sure, they had Peyton Hillis, but the Madden curse took care of him in a hurry, and Browns games took on a formula that included their defense being overworked and Colt McCoy being overwhelmed.

That formula will persist in Cleveland's final three games, all of which are against contenders that will be looking to take advantage of an easy win.

The Browns will oblige them.

Kansas City Chiefs (No. 28)

The Chiefs are in the same boat as the Dolphins, as the team announced via its official website on Monday morning that head coach Todd Haley had been relieved of his duties.

That's what happens when you take a division-winning team and turn it into...well, whatever the Chiefs are at this point. It's not good, whatever it is.

To be fair, injuries have played a pretty huge role in Kansas City's collapse, as the Chiefs have lost a star running back, a star safety and their starting quarterback for the season. It would be hard for any team to succeed under those circumstances, so I'm tempted to say Haley got a raw deal.

Regardless, the Chiefs' prospects for the last three weeks remain the same. They'll be going up against three contenders, and they will yield to all three of them.

It will be painless. I think.

St. Louis Rams (No. 31)

The Rams are a rotten football team.

Indeed, that much became apparent when they opened the season with six straight losses. They looked halfway decent when they won two of three, but they're back to their old tricks now. 

The hope for the Rams heading into the season was that Sam Bradford would continue to develop, perhaps to the point where he would lead the Rams to a division title.

Instead, Bradford has been a massive disappointment. You can blame that on the Rams' awful offensive line, their awful receivers, Bradford's injuries and Bradford himself.

I want to say things are going to get worse before they're going to get better, but things got worse a long time ago. The Rams are in a holding pattern at the bottom of the barrel, and they're not pulling out of it until next season at the absolute earliest.

I recommend checking back in then.

Zachary D. Rymer's Week 15 Power Rankings

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