NFL Power Rankings: Teams That Don't Scare Anyone

There are only two weeks left to play in the 2011 regular season, but roughly two-thirds of the league is still in playoff contention.

The other third is merely hoping to survive the season in as few pieces as possible. For a couple of them, the season ended a long time ago.

But hey, a couple bottom feeders stand a chance of winning week in and week out. For example, nobody wants to play the Carolina Panthers, and the Washington Redskins have been playing some pretty good football in recent weeks.

So you see, not all the bad teams are that bad.

There are five, however, that truly are bad. They don't scare anyone. For kicks, let's count 'em down.

Chicago Bears (No. 23)

The Bears were scary at one point. Very scary, in fact.

Then Jay Cutler got hurt, and they got a little less scary. Shortly thereafter, Matt Forte got hurt. For good measure, Johnny Knox got hurt.

Oh, and the Bears also had the whole Sam Hurd drug trafficking thing to deal with.

There's no point in sugar-coating it. The Bears are a mess. They're wounded, they're dispirited and they have virtually no hope of winning football games at this point.

This is a damn shame, of course, as it looked like the Bears were going to be a major player in the NFC playoffs a couple weeks ago. Their luck just plain ran out, and things have snowballed.

Buffalo Bills (No. 26)

It seems like it's been a long time since the Bills were 5-2 and in the mix to win the AFC East.

That's probably because it was a long time ago. The Bills are in the midst of a seven-game losing streak, during which they have been dominated by almost every team they've played.

You can point to the loss of Fred Jackson as a major cause for the Bills' slide, and it is. Ryan Fitzpatrick has been asked to do too much without him, and it doesn't help that the Bills' defense is not taking the ball away as frequently as it did earlier in the season.

On the bright side, the Bills have to like what they're getting out of second-year running back C.J. Spiller. He hasn't looked like a bust since taking over for Jackson, and that bodes well for the Bills going forward.

But for now, the Bills are one of the most beatable teams in the league.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 28)

Before we get to Josh Freeman, let's all stop and recognize the fact that Tampa Bay's defense is atrocious. The Bucs are allowing nearly 390 total yards per game, not to mention nearly 29 points per game.

Seeing as how the Bucs allowed fewer than 20 points per game last season, it suffices to say that their defense has been a disappointment.

Then again, Freeman hasn't helped. He's been downright awful this season, and that too is a huge disappointment. He was supposed to take the next step this season, and instead he's taken a few steps back.

So when you look at the Bucs now, it's no wonder they've lost eight games in a row. They can't stop anybody, and they can't score on anybody.

Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 29)

Credit where credit is due, Maurice Jones-Drew is having an amazing season. That he is leading the league in rushing is truly remarkable when you consider the fact he gets no help whatsoever from Jacksonville's passing game.

That's because Jacksonville basically doesn't have a passing game. Blaine Gabbert has been terrible, and he doesn't have any quality receivers to throw to. Just ask Dunta Robinson.

The true shame is that Jacksonville's defense is actually pretty good. But as good as it is, Jacksonville's defense can only do so much when the offense is struggling to move the ball for 60 minutes.

The Jags have stolen a couple wins here and there, but their blowout loss at Atlanta on Thursday night was much more indicative of their true colors.

St. Louis Rams (No. 31)

The Rams are a lot like the Buccaneers in that they are not much of a threat on offense or defense.

But the Rams are even worse. They are dead last in the NFL in scoring, and all you have to do to beat their defense is stick to the ground. The Rams have the worst rushing defense in the NFL, so there's no point in letting them use their pass rush.

That said, St. Louis' biggest issues are on offense. Sam Bradford has been banged up all year, and he owes that to playing behind an offensive line that is way too leaky. Just like Gabbert, it doesn't help that Bradford doesn't have any quality receivers to throw to.

As if things couldn't get any worse, the Rams finish the season against the Pittsburgh Steelers and San Francisco 49ers.

Yikes.

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