NFL Power Rankings Week 13: Pats, Pack Claim Top Two Spots Ahead of Sunday's Showdown

1.      New England Patriots (9-2)

Winners of seven consecutive contests, the Patriots clinched their 14^th straight winning season in a row. The Patriots have averaged a 20 point victory in their seven-game streak.

2.      Green Bay Packers (8-3)

A narrow road victory over the rival Vikings is understandable, given that the Packers host the Patriots this week in a highly anticipated battle of two of the hottest QBs in the NFL.

3.      Arizona Cardinals (9-2)

Drew Stanton finally looked like a backup QB, throwing for just 149 yards with an interception in a 19-3 loss at Seattle.

4.      Denver Broncos (8-3)

Denver scored 22 consecutive points in the fourth quarter to defeat Miami and avoid a third loss in its last three games.

5.      Dallas Cowboys (8-3)

 According to ESPN Stats & Information, Tony Romo recorded his 27th career game-winning drive in the 4th quarter or overtime, which is now the most in the NFL since 2006. In addition, Romo has the 2nd-highest Total QBR in the 4th quarter this season, trailing only Carson Palmer, who is out for the season.

6.      Seattle Seahawks (7-4)

The Seahawks notched a big victory over the red-hot division-leading Cardinals at CenturyLink Field. Now, the Seahawks must leave the 12^th man atmosphere for two weeks, playing on the road against San Francisco (Thanksgiving Night) and Philadelphia.

7.      Philadelphia Eagles (8-3)

The Eagles are 3-1 with Mark Sanchez starting under center. Sanchez—who has tallied over 1,000 yards in four games played—has thrown for six interceptions, a potential problem for a Philadelphia team that has a brutal three-game stretch upcoming (at Dallas, versus Seattle, versus Dallas).

8.      Indianapolis Colts (7-4)

The Colts throttled the visiting Jaguars and now get to play host to the slumping Redskins.

9.      Detroit Lions (7-4)

Matthew Stafford completed just 18 of his 46 passes, giving him the lowest single-game completion percentage (39.1) in his career. The Lions haven’t scored a touchdown since their win versus the Dolphins on November 9^th.

10.  Cincinnati Bengals (7-3-1)

A.J. Green has caught 18 passes for 248 yards the past two weeks, both wins for the Bengals.

11.  Kansas City Chiefs (7-4)

Alex Smith has yet to throw a TD pass to a wide receiver this season, something that much change if the Chiefs want to be considered true Super Bowl contenders.

12.  Baltimore Ravens (7-4)

Justin Forsett ran for 182 yards—170 of which came between the tackles—as the Ravens topped the Saints 34-27 on “Monday Night Football.”

13.  Pittsburgh Steelers (7-4)

Coming off Bye Week

14.  Miami Dolphins (6-5)

The Dolphins can record a 10-win season if they manage to sweep the Jets, beat the Vikings (at home) and find a way to defeat either the Ravens (at home) or the Patriots (again, this time at New England, though).

15.  San Francisco 49ers (7-4)

Colin Kaepernick struggled against a weak Redskins’ defense. That doesn’t bode well for him with Seattle coming to town for a Turkey Night tilt.

16.  Cleveland Browns (7-4)

Brian Hoyer went from goat to hero in a matter of moments, leading the Browns on another game-winning drive to setup a successful Billy Cundiff kick as time expired. Josh Gordon returned to action with eight catches and 120 yards in the win.

17.  San Diego Chargers (7-4)

The Chargers' receivers gained 205 yards-after-the-catch in their victory over the Rams.

18.  Buffalo Bills (6-5)

The Bills sacked Jets QBs a season-best seven times.

19.  Houston Texans (5-6)

Will the Texans turn to Tom Savage with Ryan Mallett lost for the year?

20.  Chicago Bears (5-6)

The defense led the Bears to wins over Minnesota and Tampa Bay. Jay Cutler will need to step up the level of his play if they have any shot of upsetting the Lions on Turkey Day.

21.  St. Louis Rams (4-7)

The Rams must find a solution to their QB woes before they can make the leap into playoff-contenders.

22.  Minnesota Vikings (4-7)

Can the Vikings string a mini-win streak together with home contests against the Carolina Panthers and New York Jets upcoming?

23.  New York Giants (3-8)

Odell Beckham Jr. made one of the greatest catches in NFL history in the Giants’ loss to the Cowboys. Outside of the improbable reception, Big Blue has little to smile about.

24.  Atlanta Falcons (4-7)

Mike Smith’s clock management and timeout selections were head-scratching, to say the least, in their gut-wrenching home loss to the Browns. Despite being three games under .500 with zero wins outside of division play, the Falcons currently occupy the top spot in the NFC South.

25.  New Orleans Saints (4-7)

The Saints—once unstoppable at the Mercedes-Benz SuperDome—lost three straight at home and now must travel to Heinz Field to battle the Steelers.

26.  Carolina Panthers (3-7-1)

Coming off Bye Week

27.  Washington Redskins (3-8)

The Redskins need to address their issues on the offensive line before they run Robert Griffin III out of town.

28.  Tennessee Titans (2-9)

The Titans allowed a 107-yard kickoff return touchdown to Josh Huff and then responded by going three-and-out in each of their first four possessions.

29.  Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-9)

Can’t blame The Tampa Bay Times for wanting to send Josh McCown back to Chicago.

30.  New York Jets (2-9)

Mike Vick played so horrific—completing just 7 of 19 passes for only 76 yards and one interception—that the Jets were forced to resurrect ‘Geno Time.’

31.  Oakland Raiders (1-10)

The Raiders almost blew their first win, thanks to an unceremonious sack celebration. Fear not though, 2008 Detroit Lions, your season of infamy will remain the only 0-16 mark in league history for at least another year.

32.  Jacksonville Jaguars (1-10)

The Jaguars are atrocious on offense and can muster only spurts of defensive success. Is Gus Bradley on the hot seat?

NFL Power Rankings Week 9: Peyton Manning, Tom Brady Lead Respective Clubs Atop NFL Hierarchy

1.       Denver Broncos (6-1)

Emmanuel Sanders had a game for the ages versus the Chargers, hauling in nine receptions for 120 yards with three touchdowns.

2.       New England Patriots (6-2)

Tom Brady is the only QB in NFL history to throw for 350+ yards and complete over 85 percent of his passes with 5 TDs and zero interceptions in a game. He has accomplished this feat twice now, the first coming in a 59-0 pummeling of the Titans in 2009 at Gillette Stadium. In Sunday’s win, Brady threw for 354 yards against the Bears and he had as many touchdown passes as he did incompletions.

3.       Arizona Cardinals (6-1)

With the emergence of slot receiver John Brown, the Cardinals feature arguably the NFL’s top wideout trio with Michael Floyd and veteran Larry Fitzgerald lining up on the outside. Arizona has also found a gem in the kicking game with rookie Chandler Catanzaro setting an NFL rookie record by converting the first 16 field goal attempts of his career.

4.       Philadelphia Eagles (5-2)

Interceptions continue to pile up for QB Nick Foles and the Eagles’ woes in the red-zone remain a major issue for the defending NFC East champions.

5.       Dallas Cowboys (6-2)

A home loss to the Redskins—led by third-string QB Colt McCoy—is unacceptable, but the panic button should not be hit yet—provided Tony Romo’s back injury is just a bruise as the team says.

6.       San Diego Chargers (5-3)

Philip Rivers is still playing at an MVP-caliber level, but his offensive line is holding him and the Chargers’ offense back. Concerns also lie in a depleted San Diego secondary.

7.       Detroit Lions (6-2)

The Lions secured an improbable victory for the second straight week, scoring the final 22 points in their London tilt against the slumping Falcons.

8.       Cincinnati Bengals (4-2-1)

The Bengals swept the regular season series versus the Ravens for the second straight year. The sweep could go a long way in Cincinnati earning consecutive division titles for the first time since the 1981-1982 seasons.

9.       Seattle Seahawks (4-3)

For the second straight season, Seattle left Carolina with a road victory in a low-scoring affair via a fourth-quarter TD pass by Russell Wilson, who went 4-of-4 for 53 yards on the Seahawks' game-winning drive.

10.   Baltimore Ravens (5-3)

Five of Joe Flacco's seven interceptions this season have come when throwing the ball to wideout Torrey Smith, including both picks in Sunday’s loss in Cincinnati. Flacco has thrown five interceptions on 42 passes targeted to Smith (11.9 percent) in 2014. Flacco has been intercepted just twice on the 237 passes directed at other wide receivers this season.

11.   Green Bay Packers (5-3)

Aaron Rodgers threw for 203 yards in the first quarter on Sunday night, the most he has posted in a single quarter in his career. However, the Packers collapsed after Rodgers pulled his hamstring, as the hobbled QB was unable to thwart the rout at the hands of the Saints.

12.   Pittsburgh Steelers (5-3)

Ben Roethlisberger became the only QB in NFL history to record multiple 500-yard passing games. He set franchise records with 522 yards and 6 touchdowns in the victory over the Colts.

13.   Indianapolis Colts (5-3)

Despite entering the contest with the third-ranked defense, the Colts were torched for 639 yards in a humiliating loss to the Steelers. Indianapolis failed to attain a sack for the first time since its Week 2 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

14.   San Francisco 49ers (4-3)

Coming off Bye Week

15.   Kansas City Chiefs (4-3)

Justin Houston sacked Rams QB Austin Davis three times and recorded four QB hits and five tackles in the Chiefs’ blowout victory. Knile Davis had a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the win. He became the fifth player in NFL history to attain a 99-yard touchdown return in back-to-back seasons.

16.   Buffalo Bills (5-3)

The Bills are 3-1 with veteran Kyle Orton under center, who has helped jumpstart the promising career of rookie WR Sammy Watkins (157 receiving yards and a TD against the Jets).

17.   Cleveland Browns (4-3)

The Browns’ rushing attack has vanished since the season-ending injury to Pro Bowl center Alex Mack. Behind a strong defensive effort, particularly from the secondary, the Browns overcame their running woes to defeat the Raiders and avoid losing to an 0-6 team with a rookie QB in consecutive weeks.

18.   New Orleans Saints (3-4)

The Saints must continue to feed bonafide tailback Mark Ingram the rock. He rushed for 124 yards and a TD in the Saints’ commanding victory over the Packers. Ingram is now averaging an otherworldly 5.7 yards per carry on the season.

19.   Miami Dolphins (4-3)

The Dolphins intercepted Blake Bortles two times and returned both for touchdowns in their 27-13 win in Jacksonville.

20.   Houston Texans (4-4)

J.J. Watt’s fourth-quarter sack-celebration—which included a Zach Mettenberger-inspired selfie—capped off the Texans’ dominating road win.

21.   Carolina Panthers (3-4-1)

The Panthers are 1-4-1 in their past six contests, yet remain tied for the lead in the mediocre NFC South.

22.   Washington Redskins (3-5)

Colt McCoy’s 83.3 completion percentage on “Monday Night Football" was the best mark by a Redskins QB with at least 30 pass attempts in franchise history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

23.   New York Giants (3-4)

Coming off Bye Week

24.   Minnesota Vikings (3-5)

Teddy Bridgewater improved his record to 2-2 as a starting QB in the NFL, recording his first-career road victory on Sunday.

25.   Chicago Bears (3-5)

The Bears’ defense is falling apart. After surrendering 51 points to the Patriots, Chicago now ranks 29^th defensively in points per game, surrendering 27.8 per contest.

26.   Atlanta Falcons (2-6)

Arthur Blank was left in disbelief following the Falcons’ second-half meltdown in London.

“You’re up 21-0,” Atlanta’s owner Arthur Blank told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s columnist Mark Bradley after the game. “There’s no way you lose that game — just no way. There’s nothing else I can say.”

27.   St. Louis Rams (2-5)

A week after upsetting the defending champs, the Rams laid a dud against the Chiefs.

28.   Tennessee Titans (2-6)

Zach Mettenberger ought to spend his time learning the Titans’ playbook, rather than taking unflattering selfies.

29.   Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-6)

The Bucs finished with 225 yards total offense in their overtime loss to the Vikings, just 66 coming on the ground. QB Mike Glennon was sacked five times in the deflating defeat.

30.   New York Jets (1-7)

Before Geno Smith got benched, he went 2-for-8 for five yards with three interceptions. It’s officially time to terminate the Geno Smith-era in New York.

31.   Jacksonville Jaguars (1-7)

The Jaguars may have handed rookie QB Blake Bortles the starting gig too soon. Bortles has four interceptions returned for touchdowns and 12 interceptions on the year. He threw two pick-six’s in a 27-13 loss to the Dolphins on Sunday.

32.   Oakland Raiders (0-7)

David Carr looks like the real deal but his supporting cast is atrocious—leading many to believe the Raiders will finish the season winless.