NFL Power Rankings: Identifying the Most Disappointing Teams

Every year, there are those who disappoint. We saw it in 2010 when the Arizona Cardinals faltered after having won two NFC West titles and making a trip to the Super Bowl.

The same year, the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints had a chance to defend their title, but were upset in the Wild-Card round. 2011 has definitely been one interesting season, but it's also had its fair share of teams with shortcomings.

San Diego Chargers (7-7)

Technically, the San Diego Chargers are still alive for the playoffs, but unfortunately it's a week or two too late.

Sitting at 7-7, San Diego has put themselves in a rough spot heading into Week 16. They began the year 4-1 but then proceeded to lose six straight games, dropping them to 4-7.

Well, they have strung together three straight wins, but with games left at Detroit and Oakland they'll be fortunate to finish 8-8. The Lions have just as good—if not better—of a passing game, and the Raiders ran all over them in San Diego on the ground.

They caught a Ravens team that has struggled all season long on the road and got a big win there. That being said however, the late season comeback has run its course in Southern California.

In addition to winning out, San Diego needs the Bengals, Titans, Raiders, Jets and Broncos all to lose out. So, don't count on seeing the Powder Blues in January.

Philadelphia Eagles (6-8)

Having acquired so much talent this offseason, the Philadelphia Eagles were dubbed paper champions and were doomed if they failed to win the Super Bowl.

Well, sitting at 6-8 and technically still alive for the playoffs, Philly can only get there by winning the NFC East. There, the Eagles need the New York Giants to lose at least once , they must win out.

This week is round one of the playoffs for Philadelphia as they travel to Dallas in a must-win situation. However, don't count on Philly winning this game as the Cowboys are also in a must-win situation.

Everyone in the NFC East has struggled with consistency all year however, and the Eagles have arguably been the most inconsistent. Despite winning games over Cowboys, Giants, and Jets, they also have losses to Arizona, Seattle, Buffalo, and Chicago.

Philadelphia has been their own worst enemy in 2011, and for a team not winning the Super Bowl, they've definitely received everyone's A-game. To that end, hopefully 2011 was a learning experience for Philly's sake, and they use that as motivation to play better in 2012.

Chicago Bears (7-7)

Mainly because they were recently plagued by injuries, the Chicago Bears haven't been overly impressive of late. Before that however, they were at least solidly in the playoff race.

Sitting at 7-3 through 10 games, the Bears controlled their own destiny en route to another playoff berth and the hopes of relinquishing the ghosts of 2010's postseason. And although that still remains a possibility, it's extremely unlikely.

On top of the injuries, Chicago plays at Green Bay this week and then closes out the season on the road at Minnesota.

The Vikings may be 2-12, but play a lot better at home than away, and have lost numerous contests by a small margin (one TD or less). The Bears are losers of four straight, have had a weak pass defense all season, and are vulnerable to any kind of pass rush.

Everything fell apart at home against Seattle in Week 15, and we can only expect that crumble to worsen against the Packers. If Chicago is fortunate, they will finish 8-8 and close out the year with a win over Minnesota as the Vikings are still a beatable team.

After that, some drastic improvements on defense need to be made in the offseason. Mike Martz has the offense effective when healthy.

Buffalo Bills (5-9)

Sitting at 5-2 and atop of the AFC East through seven games played, the Buffalo Bills were the talk of the town.

Their offense was rolling and the defense was causing turnovers like no other. Then, the second half of the season happened, and Buffalo has lost seven straight games.

The Bills currently sit at 5-9 and are out of playoff contention. All that's left is to play the spoiler role to the Denver Broncos this week, and then to deal another loss to the New England Patriots. If there's anything that can salvage what was slated to be a great year, sweeping the Pats isn't a bad consolation prize.

To that end however, don't expect Buffalo to win either game. The defense has allowed an average of 32 points per game during the losing streak, so unless they actually snap out of it, the offense will continue to be their only hope.

And when possessing the rock, the Bills aren't good enough yet to consistently win games by outscoring their opponents.

Week 16 NFL Power Rankings (LW = Last Week's Rank)

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

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