1) Green
Bay Packers (13-0) [Last Week: 1] – Ryan Grant came back to life, but Greg
Jennings goes down with a season-ending knee injury. He should be back for the
playoffs, but how well will he play? Ryan Grant and Jermichael Finley now have
to step up to replace the production that Greg Jennings provided.
2) New
England Patriots (10-3) [Last Week: 2] –
Close call with the Redskins last week, as the defense gave up a lot of points
yet again to a sub-par Redskins’ offense led by Rex Grossman. Next week they
face Tim Tebow and the Broncos. The Broncos’ defense will be a tough test, and
the Patriots’ defense should have their hands full yet again.
3) Baltimore
Ravens (10-3) [Last Week: 3] – The Ravens’ defense did what they were expected
to do against the mediocre Colts. Joe Flacco had a pretty good game this time
with 227 passing yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. This is the kind
of production that the Ravens need out of him to be successful in the playoffs.
4) New
Orleans Saints (10-3) [Last Week: 4] – The Saints nearly loss the game in the
end had it not been for a rookie mistake by Jake Locker. The Saints’ defense
will always be a liability and will determine how far the team goes in the
playoffs.
5) Pittsburgh
Steelers (10-3) [Last Week: 5] – Ben Roethlisberger shows how tough he is by
playing through that scary-looking ankle sprain he sustained in the game
against the Browns. He is listed as questionable this upcoming week. If he
can’t go, the Steelers will find themselves in a war with the 49ers in a game
of defenses.
6) Houston
Texans (10-3) [Last Week: 7] – What a comeback by the rookie to win the game in
the end against the Bengals! T.J. Yates was poised under center, remained calm,
and led his team back against a Bengals’ defense that was aggressive throughout
the game. The Texans weren’t able to run in the game, thus, T.J. Yates had to
prove he was capable of leading the team through the air, and he did just that
without Andre Johnson.
7) Dallas
Cowboys (7-6) [Last Week: 6] – Just when you thought the Cowboys had the game
won, they goofed up yet again and
allowed the Giants to come back and win. The Cowboys need to learn how to close
games. Their defense was lit up by Eli Manning and have allowed teams to come
back in the end to win in two straight games. The loss of Demarco Murray is
huge. Let’s see what Felix Jones can do going forward as he has shown flashes
of the Felix Jones that the Cowboys have expected out of him from the start of
the season.
8) San
Francisco 49ers (10-3) [Last Week: 8] – The 49ers were upset by a suddenly hot
Cardinals football team last week, as the duo of John Skelton and Larry
Fitzgerald made the 49ers’ secondary look goofy. The secondary will be tested
yet again this week as they will have to try and cover Mike Wallace and Antonio
Brown.
9) New
York Giants (7-6) [Last Week: 10] – Eli Manning came through big yet again for
the Giants, and bailed out their porous defense that has been torched in the
past three weeks giving up 49, 38, and 37 points respectively. The Giants’
defense reminds me of the Packers’ defense: they give up a good amount of yards
and points, but make big plays every once in a while.
10) Atlanta
Falcons (8-5) [Last Week: 9] – Matt Ryan played his best game of the season
last week to bring back the Falcons after trailing early in the game. He may
have to keep it up if the Falcons continue to struggle in the ground game going
forward.
11) Denver
Broncos (8-5) [Last Week: 12] – Tim Tebow does it again! That Bears’ defense
was the biggest test to date this season for Tim Tebow and he came through in
the end again. That was the first time he attempted 40 passes in a game and
completed 21 of them (could’ve been more if his receivers didn’t drop a couple
of them yet again). He will have to attempt just as many passes this upcoming
week against the Patriots to keep the team in the game. Call me crazy, but this
next game against could be a shootout, and the Broncos have a legitimate shot
at winning simply because they have the better defense and the Patriots have
the worst defense in the league. If the Broncos’ defense keeps the game close,
I’m sure you know what will happen…
12) New
York Jets (8-5) [Last Week: 14] – The Jets’ offense has been on a roll as of
late. They have been playing like the Jets we used to know, however, is it too
late? They must win the rest of their games to have a shot at the wildcard slot
in the AFC. The loss of Jim Leonhard does hurt their defense going forward,
however.
13) Detroit
Lions (8-5) [Last Week: 11] – The Lions were able to edge out a win against the
Vikings in a high scoring game, showing yet again why their defense is not what
it used to be. The good news is that Ndamukong Suh is back, but how long will
he be able to stay on the field?
14) Cincinnati
Bengals (7-6) [Last Week: 13] – The Bengals played well against the Texans,
shutting down their running game. They had the game won until they allowed T.J.
Yates to hit Kevin Walters on the game-winning drive at the end of the game.
Andy Dalton has been playing pretty good, but not as good as he played
mid-season. His drop in production could be due to the tougher defensive teams
he has faced in the last few games.
15) Seattle
Seahawks (6-7) [Last Week: Unranked] – The Seahawks have been playing some
great football as of late despite injuries to some of their key players. They have
been running the ball well with Marshawn Lynch and their defense has been tough
and making some big plays. Tavaris Jackson has also been playing well and
clicking with his corp of young receivers.
Editor's Note: Be sure to check out Anh on Twitter, @PrototypeDemo, and come back next week for his updated power rankings.
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