Wednesday, December 21, 2011

NFL Power Rankings Entering Week 16

            There are only two weeks left in the regular season of the NFL and it's crunch time for teams trying to make the playoffs. Here are my power rankings going into Week 16:
  1. Green Bay Packers--Their loss to the Kansas City Chiefs will only make them better. Aaron Rodgers is the best player in the league and will lead the Packers to the Super Bowl for the second year in a row.
  2. New England Patriots--The Pats have won six straight and ended Tim Tebow's stretch of miracle fourth quarter comebacks by an impressive margin. Bill Belichick is one of the smartest head coaches in the NFL and Tom Brady is a natural winner.
  3. New Orleans Saints--Drew Brees is on pace to break the single-season passing record and the Saints are an offensive juggernaut. They have the ability to outscore their opponents to make it to the NFC Championship.
  4. San Francisco 49'ers--Jim Harbaugh has completely transformed the 49'ers into one of the elite teams in the NFL and is deserving of Coach of the Year. The 49'ers made their case for a top spot in the power rankings by dominating the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football.
  5. Baltimore Ravens--The Ravens have two favorable match-ups to close out the regular season against the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals and will finish the season at 12-4 at the top of the AFC North.
  6. Atlanta Falcons--Atlanta has a powerful offense with Matt Ryan and Michael Turner as well as an above-average defense. They are a close second in the NFC South behind the Saints.
  7. Dallas Cowboys--Tony Romo has gone under the radar for most of the season and he has lots of offensive weapons around him between DeMarco Murray, Jason Witten, and Dez Bryant. 
  8. Detroit Lions--The Lions were the hottest team at the start of the season, cooled down, and are starting to pick it back up again. Calvin Johnson is by far the best wide receiver in the league and is a favorite target for Matthew Stafford.
  9. Pittsburgh Steelers--If it weren't for Ben Roethlisberger's injured ankle, they would be ranked higher, but their performance against the 49'ers was embarrassing and they are not the same team they were earlier in the season.
  10. Houston Texans--The Texans have arguably the best defense in the NFL, but losing Matt Schaub for the season has hurt their playoff hopes. Between Arian Foster and Ben Tate, Houston has one of the best rushing attacks in the league.
  11. Denver Broncos--The Tim Tebow experiment is working well so far, despite a bad loss to the Patriots last week, and the Broncos are in position for Tebow to work his magic in the playoffs.
  12. New York Jets--Rex Ryan has been quieter than in years past and the Jets are down from previous years, but the have a chance to be a wild card team in the playoffs and Mark Sanchez is very good in the playoffs for a young QB. 
  13. New York Giants--Eli Manning is making up for the Peyton Manning-less NFL by stepping up his game this season. The Ahmad Bradshaw-Brandon Jacobs split backfield seems to be working on offense.
  14. Cincinnati Bengals--Andy Dalton is a front-runner for Offensive Rookie of the Year and A.J. Green has made a name for himself as well. If the Bengals win out, they could be the second wild card team in the AFC, and the AFC North would be sending three teams to the playoffs.
  15. Seattle Seahawks--Tavaris Jackson has done surprisingly well with his new team and Marshawn Lynch is a potential Pro Bowler.
  16. Arizona Cardinals--Also in the NFC West, the Cardinals are fighting for a playoff berth. Their second half of the season has helped their case.
  17. Philadelphia Eagles--Getting Michael Vick back on the field will help Philly try to salvage their season, but it is too late for the "Dream Team."
  18. Tennessee Titans--Injuries to Matt Hasselbeck and Chris Johnson have hurt Tennessee this season. They have played poorly despite their weak division.
  19. San Diego Chargers--It is finally December and the Chargers are still in the close race commonly known as the AFC West. Philip Rivers and Ryan Matthews can still lead their team to the playoffs if they win out and Denver loses at least one game.  
  20. Chicago Bears--The Bears would be a dangerous team in the playoffs if Jay Cutler and Matt Forte were healthy, but Caleb Hanie and Josh McCown will not get it done for Chicago. Their defense and special teams are their only hope left this season.
  21. Oakland Raiders--The Raiders have choked down the stretch but their offense has improved with the addition of Carson Palmer and the dual-running back system is working in Oakland.
  22. Carolina Panthers--Cam Newton has put up impressive numbers as a rookie and is one of the few encouraging parts of the Panthers organization.
  23. Washington Redskins--The Redskins have beaten up on the Giants twice this season and have played good teams, such as the Patriots and Cowboys, very close.
  24. Miami Dolphins--Miami has turned its season around after starting 0-6.
  25. Buffalo Bills--Despite starting the season 4-1, the Bills have played like the team everyone expected and are at the bottom of the AFC East.
  26. Kansas City Chiefs--Their biggest wins came against San Diego, Chicago, and most importantly, Green Bay.
  27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers--They started the season strong with wins against Atlanta and New Orleans, but have fallen off with eight straight losses. 
  28. Cleveland Browns--It is hard to do well with potentially three divisional opponents who will make the playoffs.
  29. Jacksonville Jaguars--The Jaguars are showing why they deserve to re-locate to Los Angeles after having a miserable season. Blaine Gabbert has struggled in his rookie year.
  30. St. Louis Rams--The Rams knocked off the Saints earlier in the season, but losing Sam Bradford has hurt them.
  31. Minnesota Vikings--Even though Donovan McNabb retired early in the season, the Vikings were able to give rookie Christian Ponder lots of game experience. Similarly to the Browns, Minnesota's division was very good this year between Green Bay, Chicago, and Detroit.
  32. Indianapolis Colts--There is not much to say other than that they don't have Peyton Manning and they almost went 0-16.

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