1. Carolina Panthers (Last week: 1)
This week was a closely contested battled between the Panthers and the Giants. Like every game this season, the Panthers have come out victorious. The most noteworthy part of the game was Odell Beckham Jr. acting like a 5-year old (even with cause) and earning himself a suspension for next week’s game.
2. Arizona Cardinals (Last week: 2)
The Cardinals are a very dominant team. They have the offensive and defensive prowess to beat any team in the NFL. They are particularly good at home and look to wrap up a bye this upcoming weekend against the Packers. The loss of Tyrann Mathieu may ruin their Super Bowl chances, however.
3. New England Patriots (Last week: 3)
Another week, another dominant performance from Tom Brady and company. Granted, we would be getting a little concerned had they not looked the way they did. This team has secured a bye in the playoffs for the fifth straight season, an NFL record.
4. Cincinnati Bengals (Last week: 5)
The Bengals didn’t skip a beat without Andy Dalton at the helm, even if they played against the 49ers. AJ McCarron is in a great position to succeed if he can manage the game. This team is very talented from top to bottom, so AJ’s job is to stay consistent.
5. Seattle Seahawks (Last week: 8)
While the Seahawks didn’t do anything particularly impressive this week, they have clearly established themselves as the third best team in the NFC. Russell Wilson has the highest touchdown-interception ratio over the course of five weeks in NFL History…think about that.
6. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last week: 9)
Make that six straight weeks of 30+ points, which includes games against Cincinnati, Denver, and Seattle. The Steelers showed this week that they very well could be the second best team in the AFC. The Steelers can clinch a playoff birth this weekend. This team is on fire and will likely enter the playoffs winning seven of their last eight games.
7. Kansas City Chiefs (Last week: 6)
If Kansas City wins their last two games, they could very well be the #3 seed in the AFC. This team was 1-5 and there were 3 teams with 6-0 records in the AFC. All they have to do is win out (Oakland and Cleveland) and the Broncos only need to lose once.
8. Green Bay Packers (Last week: 7)
The Packers took care of business against the Raiders. While this team can certainly hold its own against lesser competition, people are wondering if this team can beat either Seattle, Arizona, or Carolina. Even though they won yesterday, they had less than 300 yards of offense against a pretty bad Oakland defense.
9. Denver Broncos (Last week: 4)
While the loss itself wasn’t a terrible thing, the way it happened was awful for Broncos fans. If they don’t beat Cincinnati next weekend, this team could easily end up being the 6th seed and playing their first playoff game in Kansas City.
10. Minnesota Vikings (Last week: 11)
Teddy-Two-Gloves took the reigns of this offense after AP went down. This was the breakout performance Vikings fans and others have been waiting for all season. Mike Zimmer challenged Bridgewater throughout the week to take the next step. He had four touchdowns compared to only three incompletions on Sunday.
11. New York Jets (Last week: 10)
Yes, the Jets did win and took care of business. However, to play a Dallas team that close is not a good sign at this time of year. The Jets need help to get into the playoffs at this point. It’s sad to think that this team could be 11-5 and miss the playoffs to a 7-9 team.
12. Washington Redskins (Last week: 14)
For the first time all season, the Redskins won back-to-back games. They can also clinch their division with a win over the Eagles this week. Kirk Cousins looked awesome this weekend, as he absolutely torched the Buffalo defense. This team looks playoff bound…for now.
13. Houston Texans (Last week: 15)
I was in attendance for the Colts vs. Texans game this weekend. While the game was certainly not pretty, this team fought hard and came out victorious. The Texans have a defense that is very stout, but their offense is currently led by….Brandon Weeden. TJ Yates reportedly tore his ACL on Sunday.
14. Philadelphia Eagles (Last week: 12)
Not surprisingly, the Eagles got throttled by the Cardinals on Sunday night. The Cardinals were not going to let the Eagles sneak up on them like the Patriots let happen. This sets up an enormous matchup with the Redskins next weekend.
15. Atlanta Falcons (Last week: 20)
The Atlanta Falcons won a game this weekend, but it’s going to be too little too late. This team was in prime position to make the playoffs before completely collapsing before our eyes. At the very least, this team has some foundational players to build around.
16. Buffalo Bills (Last week: 13)
What a disappointing season this has become for the Bills. The NFL’s longest active playoff drought looks to be getting longer this year. What was a phenomenal defense last year has seemingly faltered under the tutelage of Rex Ryan. That will be a point of emphasis this offseason.
17. New York Giants (Last week: 17)
The Giants, as a team, looked really really good this weekend. They went toe-to-toe with the best team in the NFL and almost won the game. However, they lost and now will be without OBJ next week. Speaking of which, someone (Tom Coughlin) needs to have a long sit down with him this week.
18. Oakland Raiders (Last week: 18)
You can’t blame the Raiders for losing to a team that is clearly better than they are right now. While they held their own for a while, the Packers simply outplayed Oakland, even though the defense held Green Bay under 300 yards of offense.
19. Indianapolis Colts (Last week: 16)
A 40-year old quarterback with neck, back, and jaw problems can only do so much. While it is certainly valiant to watch Matt Hasselback try to will the Colts to victory, the Colts just don’t have enough talent on the defensive side of the football to win meaningful games like this.
20. St. Louis Rams (Last week: 25)
It’s very clear that Tavon Austin is an absolute monster in the open field. Anytime he touches the ball, he can go all the way. He has 10 touchdowns this year but less than 800 combined rushing and receiving yards. He and Todd Gurley are the only sign of offensive talent on this time.
21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last week: 19)
Tampa Bay dug themselves too deep of a hole on Thursday night. When you are playing on the road and get down, it’s tough to win. It’s even more difficult when it is a rookie going against the Rams defensive front.
22. Detroit Lions (Last week: 26)
They almost blew it (which I feel like Lions fans wanted) but ended up coming out of that game victorious. The Saints defense makes everybody look good, so we shouldn’t look into Stafford’s amazing day too much.
23. Chicago Bears (Last week: 21)
DA BEARS were crushed by the Vikings this week. We all knew this defense wasn’t great, but they made Teddy Bridgewater look like an All-Pro. The good news is that this team is well in line for a top-10 draft pick.
24. New Orleans Saints (Last week: 22)
Needless to say, this team needs a new defensive coordinator and they should consider using all seven of their seven picks on the defensive end.
25. Jacksonville Jaguars (Last week: 23)
The Jaguars might be one of my favorite teams in the NFL. The combination of Bortles, Yeldon, the Allen’s, and Julius Thomas is an extremely promising offensive core. Sadly this defense is one of the worst in the NFL. All of their picks should be used on the offensive line and defensive side of the ball.
26. Miami Dolphins (Last week: 24)
If you go and look at their schedule, the only teams they have played that have a record above .500 are the Jets and Patriots (and they are in the same division). They will end up playing 12 games against teams with .500 records or worse and they will probably win only five or six of those games.
27. San Diego Chargers (Last week: 31)
I understand that you want to win games and, in the words of Herm Edwards, you play to win the game. However, the Chargers season is completely lost and this appears to be the first time this season that this team is showing any life. They are just hurting their draft slot at this point.
28. Dallas Cowboys (Last week: 27)
The Cowboys can now stop thinking about the division, and start thinking about next year. This team is in line for a top-6 draft slot, and that could be scary for the rest of the NFL. With Romo back healthy next year, this team could pick up a top notch prospect and be right back in the postseason next year.
29. Cleveland Browns (Last week: 28)
Cleveland goes down a spot with the loss, but it could have been much worse in Seattle. Johnny Football’s numbers weren’t great, but he showed some life. They need to play him these last two weeks and make a decision about his future in Cleveland. Personally, I hope they trade him to the NFC so I can root for him.
30. San Francisco 49ers (Last week: 29)
It certainly wasn’t expected to be a good season in San Francisco, and that has been the result. This team is completely devoid of talent on both sides of the ball. The 49ers are going to need a long-term plan to build this roster up again.
31. Tennessee Titans (Last week: 30)
Mariota is out for the remainder of the season, which really isn’t that big of a deal considering how over Tennessee’s season is. If there is a silver lining to look at this year, their three wins this season are an improvement over last year’s total of two!
32. Baltimore Ravens (Last week: 32)
It’s tough to write about the Ravens this season. Something just doesn’t feel right without Flacco, Forsett, Smith, and Suggs on the field. The Ravens will at least be motivated to play their biggest rivals this week.
Photo: Getty Images.