NFL Power Rankings: Floundering Teams That Will Continue to Plummet in Week 16

With just two weeks remaining in the NFL regular season, there are some teams that wish there was more time to make a late run, but there are others that are simply counting down the days until the start of the offseason.

Inevitably, the 2011 season hasn't exactly gone as planned for several teams, but that is to be expected. For some of them, there was great promise over the season's first month or two, but that has dissipated due to significant losing streaks.

Here are three floundering teams that will continue to plummet with Week 16 losses.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

After finishing 10-6 last season, there were high hopes for the young Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2011.

While they started off fairly strong with a record of 4-2 and wins over the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints, things have unraveled quickly as they have lost eight straight contests.

It looks like the bad times will continue to roll for the Bucs on Saturday as they face a daunting task against the Carolina Panthers on the road.

The majority of Tampa's losses have been blowouts recently and it wouldn't be surprising if that were the case again this weekend.

The Bucs were decimated 38-19 by the Panthers and phenomenal rookie quarterback Cam Newton a couple weeks back at Raymond James Stadium.

Things will likely be no different as they take the show on the road this week.

The Bucs may have the worst overall defense in the league and that is something Newton is sure to exploit.

Buffalo Bills

Not much was expected of the Buffalo Bills entering the season, so if you were to look at their 5-9 record, it might seem like an accurate representation.

There was plenty of buzz surrounding the Bills early in the season, though, as they started off 5-2, including a win over the mighty New England Patriots.

It has been all downhill for the Bills over the past couple months, however, as they have dropped seven straight contests and will host the surprising Denver Broncos on Saturday.

Much of Buffalo's downfall has had to do with significant injuries to key players like running back Fred Jackson and defensive tackle Kyle Williams.

Also, the defense hasn't been generating turnovers and has thus been exposed as a highly-flawed unit.

The Broncos are desperately trying to hold onto their one-game lead in the AFC West, so they and quarterback Tim Tebow will most definitely be at their best against the slumping Bills.

Chicago Bears

A midseason swoon that saw them win five consecutive games put the Chicago Bears firmly in the NFC playoff race.

Since that streak, however, the Bears have lost four straight and are for all intents and purposes out of the running.

It's tough to blame the Bears for their late-season collapse, though, as it has coincided with long-term injuries to quarterback Jay Cutler and running back Matt Forte.

Without their two most important offensive players, it is extremely difficult to see the Bears beating a fired-up Green Bay Packers team on Christmas night.

Green Bay is coming off a shocking loss to the Kansas City Chiefs that ended its bid for an undefeated season.

The Packers still have to guard the No. 1 seed against the San Francisco 49ers, however, so I would expect quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the rest of the team to be at their very best.

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