It has been a blast writing the Power Rankings for you all this year. This is, sadly, the last edition of the power rankings for the season. In addition to discussing games from the previous week, I will also start taking a look forward to next season and some offseason issues that teams need to address. 

Thanks for taking the time out of your day to read my Power Rankings throughout the year, I truly appreciate it. Here is to an exciting NFL Postseason!

1. Arizona Cardinals (Last week: 2)

While they may not have the best record, all of the statistics tell you that the Cardinals are the best team in football right now. They are playing extremely well on both sides of the ball and boast the largest point differential in the NFL at +206, often a better indicator of success than wins and losses. The next closest team is more than 40 points behind them. For my money, they are the Super Bowl Favorites entering week 17.

2. Carolina Panthers (Last week: 1)

As long as Carolina wins next week and maintains home field advantage, I think that this loss is a really good thing for them. Most people would agree that this team’s record is misleading. If Carolina were to play a lot of the top teams, I feel like they would not be favored. However, home field advantage matters in the NFL, and the Panthers need it to beat the Cardinals.

3. New England Patriots (Last week: 3)

The Patriots don’t drop a spot, because a win in week 17 over the lowly Dolphins gives them home field advantage throughout the playoffs. While there are certainly holes in this Patriots team, the only game they lost at home was that flukey game to Philadelphia. Tom Brady is tough to beat at Gillette Stadium in January, and he is set to get Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola back in the playoffs. 

4. Denver Broncos (Last week: 9)

Denver came out victorious last night in a hard fought battle between two of the best teams in the AFC. Winning that game means that Denver clinched a playoff spot and ended a two game losing streak. If they win next week, they secure a first round bye and another home game. The real question: who is going to be the starter in the playoffs, Peyton or Brock?

5. Kansas City Chiefs (Last week: 7)

It looks more and more like the Chiefs are going to enter the playoffs riding a ten game winning streak. They could end up with either the 3, 5, or 6 seed based on what happens in week 17. Kansas City has a successful formula for the playoffs: win the turnover battle, play solid defense, and be better on special teams.

6. Cincinnati Bengals (Last week: 4)

The Bengals played the Broncos really tough, but ultimately ended up losing in OT on a bobbled snap by AJ McCarron. This loss hurts for a few reasons, the biggest being that they probably won’t have an extra week to let Dalton’s thumb heal. It is clear that the Bengals are a pretty good football team, but the real question is whether or not they can win in the playoffs, especially without Dalton. 

7. New York Jets (Last week: 11)

It is a damn shame that either the Jets or Steelers won’t make the playoffs this season. With that being said, the Jets are one of the hottest teams in the NFL. We all knew that this defense could end up being one of the best. What we didn’t see coming was the offense developing into one of the most explosive in the entire league. Teams will have to pick their poison between Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker in the playoffs. 

8. Seattle Seahawks (Last week: 5)

The Seahawks are 0-2 against the Rams, and 9-4 against every other team. The Seahawks are, however, 2-4 against teams with a record above .500. Luckily for Seattle, they are going to be in the playoffs no matter what happens next week. There are three teams that could end up playing Washington (GB and MIN), but Seattle is the most likely to face them. This is the team nobody wants to face in the first round. 

9. Minnesota Vikings (Last week: 10)

The Vikings have shown all year that they can more than handle themselves against lesser opponents. They are 8-1 against opponents with a record below .500, while they are 2-4 against teams with a winning record. While they obviously would rather win the division, the loser of Packers vs. Vikings could end up playing Washington.

10. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last week: 6)

With a golden opportunity in front of them and two games left, the Steelers completely blew their chance to make the playoffs. All Steelers fans are Bills fans this upcoming week, needing Buffalo’s team to beat the Jets and play spoiler. The glaring weakness on this team is the passing defense, which is one of the worst in the NFL. Still, this team is as dangerous as anyone if they get in the playoffs.

11. Green Bay Packers (Last week: 8)

I think a lot of people knew that the Packers were not a complete team this season before their last game against the Cardinals. Still, it is weird to see an Aaron Rodgers-led team lose by 30 points. It was obvious when Jordy Nelson went down that this wouldn’t be the same offense, but I’m not sure anyone would have seen this coming. They are 4-5 since week 7. Everything comes down to week 17 at home against the division rival Vikings. 

12. Washington Redskins (Last week: 12)

“You like that! You like that!” This was the cheer the Redskins fans were chanting after they took down the Eagles to win the division. It looks like Kirk Cousins might just be the answer at QB for Washington. In all likelihood, however, they will probably lose to either the Seahawks, Vikings, or Packers in the first round of the playoffs.

13. Houston Texans (Last week: 13)

The Texans looked fairly impressive this weekend, beating the Titans by 30 points on the road. While this certainly was a good game for Houston, they will clearly be the worst team in the AFC to make the playoffs, assuming Indianapolis doesn’t miraculously make it. Brandon Weeden and Brian Hoyer are their top two healthy quarterbacks heading into the playoffs.

14. Atlanta Falcons (Last week: 15)

Even though they were eliminated from playoff contention this week, they got their signature win against the previously undefeated Panthers. All-in-all, year one should be considered a success for head coach Dan Quinn. The biggest area for improvement for this team over the offseason should be run defense by solidifying the front seven.

15. Buffalo Bills (Last week: 16) 

A season that started with hopes of ending the NFL’s longest playoff drought is ending with a matchup with major playoff implications. Rex Ryan (and Steelers fans) would love nothing more than to knock the Jets out of the playoffs. This offseason, Ryan needs to figure out why this defense took such a big step backwards. Maybe it has to do with being easily the most penalized team in football. 

16. Oakland Raiders (Last week: 18)

In the spirit of bowl season, the Chargers and Raiders faced off in the “Future Los Angeles Teams” Bowl. The Raiders came out victorious, which means pretty much nothing. The Raiders have shown flashes of very real potential this season and will look to build on that with another good draft this offseason. This team can build around Derek Carr, Amari Cooper and Kahlil Mack. 

17. Indianapolis Colts (Last week: 19)

A lot of people expected the Colts to be Super Bowl contenders going into the season, myself included. Those who did really looked over the lack of depth on defense, and the dearth of talent along the offensive line. Indianapolis needs to build their roster through the draft, instead of making patch work free agent signings.

18. St. Louis Rams (Last week: 20)

As I mentioned in the beginning of the year, the Rams are phenomenal against divisional opponents. Assuming they take care of the lowly 49ers this next week, they will end the season 5-1 against the division, and 3-7 against everyone else. This offseason needs to be about finding offensive talent, specifically at QB and WR to help take some pressure of Todd Gurley.

19. Philadelphia Eagles (Last week: 14)

Chip Kelly is almost certainly in contention for worst NFL Head Coach this season. After several successful seasons in a row, Kelly decided to blow up the roster and get rid of players he didn’t like: Nick Foles, LeSean McCoy, Jeremy Maclin, DeSean Jackson, Trent Cole, Evan Mathis, and Todd Herremans. As you can see, that didn’t go very well.

20. New York Giants (Last week: 17)

Without OBJ, the Giants were flat out embarrassed against the Vikings in primetime. While the offense was more than dreadful with several turnovers, the Giants defense rivals the Saints for worst in the NFL. It is pretty clear that this team needs some help on that side of the ball.

21. Detroit Lions (Last week: 22)

This season was supposed to be a good one for the Lions, based on typical Detroit Lions standards. However, a miserable 1-7 start put a damper on those plans. Since then, Detroit has gone 5-2 after they fired their offensive coordinator. With all that being said, it seems pretty obvious that Jim Caldwell is not the future head coach for this team.

22. Chicago Bears (Last week: 23)

In a season that was expected to be a lot worse for Bears fans, a 6-9 record can be looked at as a success. However, that same record can be viewed as a failure as it likely means a draft pick somewhere in the 10-15 range. Weird stat from this season: The Bears are 1-6 at home, and 5-3 on the road. 

23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last week: 21)

The Buccaneers have Winston, Doug Martin, and Mike Evans to build around on offense. This team has holes and a lack of depth at nearly every position that can be addressed this offseason. With that being said, this team has a lot of high quality, young players that they can build around on both sides of the ball.

24. New Orleans Saints (Last week: 24)

The Saints took down the Jaguars at home in a game that they were favored in. Overall, this defense is really, really terrible. The offensive line is phenomenal for this team, and they still have Drew Brees at the helm. However, if this team is going to be competitive again, they desperately need a new defensive scheme.

25. Jacksonville Jaguars (Last week: 25)

If there is a team with more untapped potential than the Jaguars, I cannot find them. With Bortles, T.J. Yeldon, Denard Robinson, the Allens, and Julius Thomas, this team is an offensive juggernaut. Unfortunately for them, they have one of the worst defenses in the NFL. It is clear that nearly all of their draft picks should be used on that side of the ball. Still, things are looking up in Jacksonville.

26. Miami Dolphins (Last week: 26)

The Dolphins were fringe playoff contenders going into the season, however, this team completely lacked leadership from the top all the way down. With Philbin/Campbell and Tannehill leading the charge, there was no one leading the pack for the Dolphins this year. Miami has a lot of holes, specifically along the offensive line and in the linebacking core. I still don’t understand this team. 

27. Baltimore Ravens (Last week: 32)

The Ravens are 2-0 vs. the Steelers this year, and 3-10 against the rest of the league. This team placed 19 players on injured reserve this season, by far the most in the NFL. They will benefit from their best draft slot in the last 15 years, and the return of Flacco, Suggs, Forsett, and maybe even Steve Smith.

28. San Diego Chargers (Last week: 27)

The Chargers could very well be moving to Los Angeles, although they will likely still be in San Diego next season. This year unfortunately turned into a disaster for them. With the amount of injuries that piled up for them all season, they were destined to fail from the beginning. The offensive and defensive lines need to be the priority this offseason.

29. Dallas Cowboys (Last week: 28)

The Cowboys season was somewhat over when Tony Romo went down for the first time. When he went down the second time, it was completely over. The injuries have completely devastated this team. Luckily for them, they will have a really good draft slot and a roster that is fairly talented. Look for the Cowboys to make the playoffs in 2016 if they can stay healthy.

30. Cleveland Browns (Last week: 29)

All things considered, the Browns looked pretty good against the Chiefs. With Johnny Football as their starting QB, the Browns have actually been alright. While no one is convinced he is the future of the franchise, he has at least earned the opportunity to compete for the job in training camp next season. This team needs to address its problems stopping teams from running the football. 

31. San Francisco 49ers (Last week: 30)

The 49ers are finishing this season with little excitement about what the future holds for this team. More than anything, they need to find a franchise quarterback to build around, or at least someone to swallow Colin Kaepernick’s $100 million contract.

32. Tennessee Titans (Last week: 31)

The Titans season is almost over, and they are likely to get one of the top 2 picks in the upcoming draft for the second year in a row. While Marcus Mariota might be a formidable starting quarterback, the team surrounding him is simply dreadful. This roster needs a lot of time to turn things around.

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Photo: boston.cbslocal.com

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.

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Photo: Getty Images.

1. Carolina Panthers (Last week: 1)

The Panthers came out and absolutely dominated the Falcons. This team is rolling right now, and the defense had a good bounce-back performance after struggling against the Saints. It looks more and more like the Panthers are going to go undefeated, unless the Giants break another undefeated streak.

2. Arizona Cardinals (Last week: 3)

With the AFC losing two of its three two-loss teams, the Cardinals get a bump up the rankings. In a pretty entertaining game, Arizona took down the Vikings 23-20. While the #1 seed may be out of play, this team looks prime to enter the playoffs as the #2 seed.

3. New England Patriots (Last week: 4)

This week couldn’t get much better for Patriots fans. This team is getting progressively more healthy, the Bengals and Broncos lost, Andy Dalton broke his thumb, and the Patriots regained their form on Sunday Night. This team is still the favorite in the AFC.

4. Denver Broncos (Last week: 2)

Scoring 12 points against the Oakland Raiders defense is absolutely pitiful. While everyone seemed to be jumping on the Brock bandwagon, he hasn’t shown the consistency that starters need to have. This game opens the door for Peyton to play again.

5. Cincinnati Bengals (Last week: 5)

Losing Andy Dalton hurts this team a lot. Some really think this year can be different for the Bengals because they have a very complete roster. If they Bengals don’t win a playoff game with Dalton playing, this season will be viewed as a failure.

6. Kansas City Chiefs (Last week: 6)

The Chiefs are now riding a seven-game win streak, and I would be really surprised if it didn’t end up at 10 going into the playoffs. The Chiefs have found a hot streak that they are going to ride until it dies. This defense is crazy good and hasn’t allowed more than 22 points since they played Green Bay in Week 3.

7. Green Bay Packers (Last week: 7)

The Packers are starting to get things a little more on track. Mike McCarthy calling the plays is going to make an enormous difference for this team; Rodgers and McCarthy have unquestionable chemistry. They finish the season with Oakland, Arizona, and Minnesota.

8. Seattle Seahawks (Last week: 8)

Without Thomas Rawls and Marshawn Lynch, the Seahawks are searching for answers at the running back position. Thankfully Russell Wilson is on absolute fire right now. He has 16 TDs and 0 interceptions in the last four weeks. They have now won six of their last seven games. These are the ‘Hawks people have been waiting for.

9. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last week: 9)

Unlike the Jets, the Steelers actually do control their own destiny through a series of tiebreakers. If they get in, nobody wants to play Pittsburgh. The offense has averaged almost 500 yards in the last five games, and Pittsburgh has scored at least 30 points in five straight games.

10. New York Jets (Last week: 11)

The Jets keep winning, but unfortunately for them, they do not control their own destiny. If they are going to make the playoffs, they need to win over the next couple of weeks. They play the Cowboys this week before finishing up the season against the Pats and Bills.

11. Minnesota Vikings (Last week: 12)

The Vikings are a team that really needs to win one more game to make the playoffs. Interestingly enough, the NFL has no teams with a 7-6 record. For the 8-5 Vikings, a win against either the Bears, Giants, or Packers over the last three weeks should get them in.

12. Philadelphia Eagles (Last week: 21)

After looking like a team that had given up, the Eagles come up with two huge victories against New England and then Buffalo. The Eagles clearly want to be in this division race. After playing Arizona this weekend, they will finish up the season with games against Washington and the Giants.

13. Buffalo Bills (Last week: 10) 

The Bills have had a lot of tough games over the past month, but they really have played themselves out of the playoffs. The biggest problem would be an NFL leading 147 penalties this season, which is over 11 per game. This is why they are losing games.

14. Washington Redskins (Last week: 18)

The Skins took care of business in Chicago against a Bears team that really struggles at home. Washington was comfortably in control of the game until the Bears scored two quick TDs in the second half. They ultimately won by a field goal they made, and one Robbie Gould missed…again.

15. Houston Texans (Last week: 14)

The Texans were defeated soundly by a significantly better team. Someone has to make the playoffs from this division. Believe it or not, it could even be Jacksonville. With that being said, the Texans are fully focused on a huge game with the Colts this weekend.

16. Indianapolis Colts (Last week: 13)

After getting embarrassed in Pittsburgh last week, the Colts allowed 42 second half points to the Jaguars. Last time they played Jacksonville, they scored 16 points and won by three. This time, they scored 16 points and lost by 35. They have a huge matchup with the Texans next week.

17. New York Giants (Last week: 19)

The Giants did exactly what they needed to on Monday night: win. It didn’t have to be pretty, but they really had to get it done. Eli looked like an MVP last night and they will need him to keep playing like he did yesterday. This team is the favorite with Manning and Coughlin leading the way once again every four years.

18. Oakland Raiders (Last week: 20)

Oakland looked dead in the water prior to this game, having lost four of their previous five games with their only win coming by three over the Titans. The Raiders have three games this season where they have held a team to less than 20 points. Two of those have come against Denver.

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last week: 15)

Tampa Bay, like Chicago, is a team that shouldn’t be in the playoff race, but up until three weeks ago had a chance to sneak in. Since then, they lost to the Colts and Saints. Tampa is a young team, so missing the playoffs this season should not be viewed as a failure at all.

20. Atlanta Falcons (Last week: 16)

What a nightmare this season has become for the Falcons. After six weeks of football, the Falcons were sitting in the top five of the power rankings. Many of us were patiently awaiting these late season matches with the Panthers, but they are meaningless now.

21. Chicago Bears (Last week: 17)

Up until last week, some people thought the Bears could sneak into the playoffs if Minnesota continued to fall off. Since then, they have lost back to back home games against the 49ers and the Redskins. They started the year 0-3, won four of the next six, and since have lost three of four.

22. New Orleans Saints (Last week: 24)

After losing to the Bucs in Week 2 at home, the Saints came back with a solid performance that ruined Tampa Bay’s playoff chances. The Saints have a lot of needs that they need to address this offseason, with most of those needs coming on defense.

23. Jacksonville Jaguars (Last week: 26)

The Jags are a tough team to figure out. Two weeks ago they lost to the Chargers, and last week they lost to the Titans. I was expecting Indianapolis to regain momentum. Instead, the Jaguars decided to go crazy and score 51 points, 42 of which came in the second half.

24. Miami Dolphins (Last week: 22)

While the Dolphins looked good last night, the Giants (surprisingly) held a lead in the 4th quarter. Lamar Miller is clearly a useful feature back, and they have weapons surrounding Tannehill. The questions are on defense and the offensive line still.

25. St. Louis Rams (Last week: 27)

The Rams have been really bad over the last month or so, but they actually looked pretty good on Sunday. This is the first time they have scored 21 points since November 1st. They also have a 4-1 record when Todd Gurley runs for at least 100 yards.

26. Detroit Lions (Last week: 23)

In terms of draft picks, this is probably a positive in the eyes of most Lions fans. However, they lost to a Rams team that has really struggled over the last month of the season. This is a game that Detroit really should have won, but they fell very flat.

27. Dallas Cowboys (Last week: 25)

The Cowboys went to Lambeau Field this week and lost in a much easier way than last January. The ‘Boys knew they were going to lose that game, but they still tried to put up a good fight. McFadden is running well, but the passing game with this team is just lacking.

28. Cleveland Browns (Last week: 32)

Cleveland is bad and there aren’t a lot of things to like about this team. However, they’re 2-2 with Johnny Manziel as their starter, and 1-8 with McCown and Davis. On a team with weaknesses from top to bottom, this is something exciting that to have.

29. San Francisco 49ers (Last week: 28)

When you play a team with two wins, you expect to play a pretty good game. Unfortunately, that is not what happened for the 49ers. They walked into Cleveland and got destroyed by the Browns and Johnny Football.

30. Tennessee Titans (Last week: 29)

The Titans got absolutely smacked by the Jets, and now they have to go to New England. At least Marcus Mariota caught a touchdown pass.

31. San Diego Chargers (Last week: 30)

In three of their last four games, the Chargers have managed to get just three points on offense. This team needs to spend at least two of their first four draft picks this spring on offensive linemen. This defense isn’t miserable, but the offense has put them in a bad spot all year.

32. Baltimore Ravens (Last week: 31)

The Ravens were absolutely dominated by the Seahawks on what was supposed to be Sunday Night Football (the NFL flexed this game out in favor of NE vs. HOU). This team looks really bad, but you can’t blame them considering the injuries they have gone through. This team needs to take advantage of the draft slot they are going to get.

1. Carolina Panthers (Last week: 1)

The Panthers, for one of the first time this season, won a game on the heels of a poor defensive performance. This game was about Cam Newton battling Drew Brees in the Super Dome. Cam Newton not only came out victorious, but also as the clear front runner for the MVP award. The Panthers host the Falcons at home next week.

2. Denver Broncos (Last week: 3)

The Broncos won this week against the Chiefs with the defense turning in a strong performance. After looking great on Sunday night last week, Brock Osweiler did not look quite as sharp against San Diego. Denver has an easier game against Oakland this week, before their schedule gets difficult with 2 December matches with the Bengals and Steelers.

3. Arizona Cardinals (Last week: 4)

The Cardinals showed up after a shaky performance against the 49ers last week. They soundly beat the Rams this week in St. Louis. Two games ahead of Green Bay and Minnesota and two games behind Carolina, the Cardinals seem essentially placed into the #2 seed. A victory against the Vikings on Thursday would only solidify their #2 spot even further.

4. New England Patriots (Last week: 2)

After looking like the clear team to beat over the first 11 weeks, the Patriots have lost two in a row for the first time in four seasons. They also have given up 30+ points in back to back weeks for the second time since 2002. If the Patriots are gonna clean this up, they have to start winning the turnover battle. Does Brady have enough healthy weapons to win? We will have to see.

5. Cincinnati Bengals (Last week: 5)

Many people will have the Bengals higher than this, and there are many reasons why. From 1-53 this is probably the best roster in the NFL. If the season were to end today, Cincy would have homefield advantage in the AFC. However, Andy Dalton has still never won a playoff game. Nothing Dalton has done this season will matter if they don’t win AT LEAST one playoff game this season.

6. Kansas City Chiefs (Last week: 7)

The Chiefs are seemingly going to coast into the playoffs. With a horrendous 1-5 start, it looks more and more likely that the Chiefs are going to enter the playoffs on a 10-game winning streak. While there is no one on this offense that can really hurt you, this team prides itself on playing great team football.

7. Green Bay Packers (Last week: 8)

If not for the play of the season (arguably), the Packers would be 7-5 and a game behind the Vikings. Only a handful of guys in the NFL could have made the throw that Rodgers did on Thursday night. It will be interesting to see how much of a bearing that game ends up having on the playoff picture.

8. Seattle Seahawks (Last week: 10)

If Seattle continues to play like this, everyone needs to watch out. This team just throttled a Vikings team at home who was an 8-3 division leader prior to the game. Russell Wilson seems to have progressed with the season throwing 11 touchdowns without an interception over the last three games.

9. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last week: 11)

The Steelers offense became the second in NFL history to have four straight games of 450+ yards. The combination of Wheaton, Brown, and Bryant have combined to average over 300 yards of receiving per game over the last four weeks. After getting dominated by the Seahawks, the Steelers scoring defense is back to tied for 7th. What is sad is that they wouldn’t be in the playoffs if the season ended today, and the Colts would be.

10. New York Jets (Last week: 13)

The Jets have proven that they can win games when their backs are up against the wall facing poor teams. The last two weeks they have taken down the 5-7 Dolphins and Giants. Do you know the Jets have a 1-3 record against teams at or above .500 this season? Eight of their 12 games have come against teams with a losing record.

11. Buffalo Bills (Last week: 14)

Buffalo beat the Jets a couple of weeks ago and right now that is keeping them alive in the playoff race. Buffalo currently has three straight games against the NFC East before a week 17 matchup with the Jets that could have huge playoff implications. Also, Tyrod Taylor hasn’t thrown an interception since Week 4.

12. Minnesota Vikings (Last week: 6)

As good as the Vikings have looked at times, this team is doomed if they fall behind in a game. While they are an impressive 7-1 against teams with a .500 record or worse this season, they are 1-3 against teams with a winning record. The Vikings are just not ready for primetime yet, even if they make the playoffs.

13. Indianapolis Colts (Last week: 9)  

The Colts were outmatched this weekend against the Steelers. As good as Matt Hasselbeck has looked at times this year, he looked his age this weekend. This is a game that Indy can simply forget about. With the Texans losing as well, the Colts just need to keep pace right now.

14. Houston Texans (Last week: 12)

After playing well over the last month, the Texans came out very flat against a good Bills team. The defense allowed nearly as many points this weekend as they had in the previous four games combined. If Houston is going to make the playoffs, it will be because this defense carries them there.

15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last week: 20)

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers look like a winning football team. That is something that I did not expect to say this season. If you did not get a chance to see Jameis Winston’s run on third down this weekend, you have to see it. At the very least, Tampa has showed that they are no longer a team to gloss over on the schedule.

16. Atlanta Falcons (Last week: 16)

There are a  couple reasons the Falcons did not fall in this rankings, but their play is not one of them. All the teams ranked 15-19 last week lost this week. The Falcons are the worst of the 6-6 teams at this point and are not going to make the playoffs unless they turn things around very quickly.

17. Chicago Bears (Last week: 15)

You can view this weekend in one of two ways. First is that the Bears blew a chance to get to .500. Second is that the Bears will get a better draft pick. If you are a Chicago fan watching the game this weekend, you couldn’t help but cringe. In the long run, this result will not be a bad thing.

18. Washington Redskins (Last week: 17)

The Redskins has a golden opportunity to take command of the NFC East with a statement win on Monday night. Instead, here we are wondering who wants to win this division. No one in this division deserves a home playoff game, but someone has to get it. The four QBs in this division are Eli Manning, Kirk Cousins, Matt Cassel, and Sam Bradford.

19. New York Giants (Last week: 18)

The Giants are a very tough team to figure out. While this team is probably the best in the division, they just cannot win close games. Six of their seven losses this season have come by a combined 18 points. This team could easily be a 10-win team this season had their defense not blown so many leads.

20. Oakland Raiders (Last week: 19)

While Oakland put up a good fight against the Chiefs, they just made too many mistakes late to win the game. Carr looks like a future Pro Bowler at the position, he just needs to make decisions in the pocket a fraction earlier. Again, if this fan base can be patient, this team will be good very soon if they draft well and spend their money well.

21. Philadelphia Eagles (Last week: 27)

Fly Eagles fly! Philadelphia waltzed into New England for what likely will go down as the upset of the season. After getting blown out the previous two weeks, the Eagles utilized the big play to get the victory. This team scored touchdowns on a pick-six, a punt return, and a blocked punt.

22. Miami Dolphins (Last week: 24)

The Dolphins barely, and I mean barely, snuck out of their game against Baltimore with a victory this past week. Behind interim coach Dan Campbell, the Dolphins have gone 4-4 so it was clear that Miami needed a change of leadership. However, this team needs a true leader at the head coaching position

23. Detroit Lions (Last week: 21)

The facemask penalty aside, the Lions won that football game for all intents and purposes. Unfortunately for Detroit, the only score that matters is the one at the end of the game. The Lions fell victim to Aaron Rodgers once again, but it may not be a bad thing if they want a better draft pick.

24. New Orleans Saints (Last week: 25)

The Saints defense did what it always does this week against the Panthers. But, credit the offense and Sean Payton for making it a very competitive game. It’s hard to believe that a Drew Brees is 4-8, but I think anyone would be if they had to be supported by that defense.

25. Dallas Cowboys (Last week: 29)

How ‘bout them Cowboys?! This division is really sad, and the Boys being 4-8 and one game back of the division lead makes it even worse. Dallas should be dead in the water right now. Instead, nobody seems truly interested in winning the NFC East.

26. Jacksonville Jaguars (Last week: 23)

The Jaguars has a golden opportunity to move to 6-6 over the last two weeks. Instead, they have blown games against the Chargers and Titans. Their defense has given up a combined 73 points in the last two games. While they have a lot of offensive talent, this defense is miserably bad.

27. St. Louis Rams (Last week: 22)

The Rams’ offseason plan seems to be pretty clear, draft offensive talent. This team, along with the Browns, has the worst skill players in the NFL. Todd Gurley looks like an NFL cornerstone player, but he has nobody else on offense. This offensive line has young talent, but no quarterback or wide receivers to speak of.

28. San Francisco 49ers (Last week: 30)

If I would have told you at the beginning of the season that Blaine Gabbert would outplay Colin Kaepernick this season, you would have called me crazy. Yet here we are with Colin on IR, and Gabbert running for 50 yard touchdowns. Who knows what is going to happen in San Francisco next season.

29. Tennessee Titans (Last week: 31)

Marcus Mariota clearly looks like the guy at quarterback. In a thriller with the Jaguars this weekend, Mariota scampered for an 87-yard game-winning touchdown. While this team has a lot of holes, it looks like Super Mario may lead this team to many more victories in the years to come.

30. San Diego Chargers (Last week: 26)

After having a great showing against the Jaguars last week, the Broncos are clearly a much better team. However, the Chargers have been getting blatantly embarrassed in front of their home crowd too many times this year. This is not how the Chargers should be leaving San Diego.

31. Baltimore Ravens (Last week: 28)

Unfortunately for Baltimore, injuries are just destroying this team’s season. With their three best offensive skill players out for the year, this season’s focus has shifted to the draft. While this team is certainly trying to win games, it will only hurt them in the grand scheme of things.

32. Cleveland Browns (Last week: 32)

Cleveland is just a really bad football team. The Bengals outplayed them in all three phases of the game. The good news for Browns fans is that Johnny Football is going to start playing. This franchise needs to see him play some more games and decide if he is the guy of the future.

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Photo from Los Angeles Times.

1. Carolina Panthers (Last week: 2)

Carolina showed up on Thanksgiving and made easy work of the Cowboys. Vegas looks incredibly dumb for making this a pick ‘em game. Carolina won the game how they usually do, through dominating defense, running the ball, and winning the turnover battle. The question now is, will Carolina lose this year?

2. New England Patriots (Last week: 1)

For the first time this year, the Patriots are not sitting on top of the power rankings. Granted, #2 isn’t a bad spot, but Patriot fans will be bitter about this loss for a couple of days. This team is getting decimated with injuries; people are starting to wonder if it will catch up to them. The likely answer is no, because they have Tom Brady.

3. Denver Broncos (Last week: 4)

Brock Osweiler became only the second quarterback ever to beat Brady and Belichick in his first or second start. With a big win, the Broncos look to be tough opponent with that defense. The Broncos have suddenly made the race for home field advantage in the AFC interesting. Next week they play the Chargers.

4. Arizona Cardinals (Last week: 3)

While it certainly wasn’t pretty, the Cardinals took care of business against the 49ers. Arizona has to be careful next week as they have a trap game of sorts against the Rams in St. LOuis, who always play well against division opponents. If they win that, they can solidify their positioning for the #2 seed against the Vikings in Week 14.

5. Cincinnati Bengals (Last week: 5)

Cincinnati took care of business against a struggling Rams team to get back on the winning side of football. Combined with a Pittsburgh loss, the Bengals have taken a commanding three-game lead in the division with five games to go. The Bengals can now start focusing on a push for the #2 seed.

6. Minnesota Vikings (Last week: 8)

After a stinker against the Packers last week, the Vikings took care of business and then some in Atlanta. Adrian Peterson looked like he was in 2012 form as the Vikings absolutely dominated the Falcons on the ground. We are about to see what this team is made up of the next 10 days, as the Vikings get Seattle and Arizona on Sunday and Thursday respectively.

7. Kansas City Chiefs (Last week: 9)

Outside of the Panthers who have yet to lose this season, the Chiefs are the hottest team in football. After starting 1-5 and losing Jamaal Charles for the season, the Chiefs have now put together five straight wins. Their 5-2 record vs. AFC opponents will be a huge tiebreaker over the last couple of weeks.

8. Green Bay Packers (Last week: 6)

On such a historic night in Green Bay on Thanksgiving, the Packers played a very poor game against the rival Bears. Dropped passes have plagued this team, specifically from Cobb and Adams. If the Packers are going to turn this around, they are going to get creative with their offensive scheme and find ways to get people open.

9. Indianapolis Colts (Last week: 10)

Believe it or not, the Colts are now on their second three-game win streak of the season. The AFC South certainly did not have a strong start to the season, but now the division is competitive. Obviously the Colts will let Andrew Luck start when he gets back, but this team has looked better with Matt Hasselbeck at the helm.   

10. Seattle Seahawks (Last week: 13)

Believe it or not, this is the first time all year that Seattle has been above .500. After improving to 4-2 at home this season, Seattle would be in the playoffs had the season ended today. Russell Wilson absolutely torched the Steelers defense this weekend, throwing for a career high five touchdown passes.

11. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last week: 7)

While the defense certainly did not hold its own in Seattle this weekend, Mike Tomlin coached a terrible game. This is the second time this season (Baltimore in Week 4) that his coaching cost the Steelers the game. A fake field goal attempt in the 2nd quarter and settling for the field goal in the 4th quarter were among the deciding factors in the game.

12. Houston Texans (Last week: 15)

The AFC South has two playoff teams if the season ended right now. The Houston Texans have now spun off five wins in six games, putting them in the 6th seed in the AFC. This defense has given up six points in three of the team’s last four games, including the Saints and Bengals offenses. This looks like a playoff team all of a sudden.

13. Buffalo Bills (Last week: 11)

Buffalo went into Kansas City and certainly had a chance to win the game. A series of penalties and late game mishaps cost the team a crucial victory. Rex Ryan teams tend to lose games the same way. It doesn’t get any easier for the Bills, as they take on the red hot Texans next week.

14. New York Jets (Last week: 16)

The Jets took care of business against the lowly Dolphins this past week and had a dominant performance doing so. The Jets really needed a win this week after losing four of their last five. Ryan Fitzpatrick looked incredibly sharp while throwing four touchdown passes, two of them to Brandon Marshall.

15. Chicago Bears (Last week: 18)

Don’t look now, but the Bears are in the thick of the playoff race. Obviously being behind Green Bay and Seattle doesn’t look promising, but Jay Cutler has looked good since coming back from his early season injury. Cutler also picked a really good time to get his first career win at Lambeau Field.

16. Atlanta Falcons (Last week: 14)

The Falcons are currently in a free-fall and they need to fix it fast. Even though they started 6-1, they have already fallen out of the playoffs with a four-game losing streak. They have lost their last four games by a combined 17 points, so winning the turnover battle would be a great way to turn these games in their favor.

17. Washington Redskins (Last week: 22)

You like that?! I know, I can’t keep starting my Redskins coverage like this, but I just can’t get over it. Kirk Cousins looks like he could be the answer at quarterback. It looks even crazier that this team will be paying RG3 $16 million to sit on the bench next year. Next up for Washington is a Monday Night Football home matchup against the depleted Cowboys.

18. New York Giants (Last week: 12)

The Giants had an opportunity to take a commanding 2 game lead in the division with five games to play. Instead they sit at 5-6 and tied with the Redskins. The Giants came out extremely flat, and didn’t score until the 4th quarter. It was a game of too little too late for the Giants. They take on the Jets in the battle for New York next week.

19. Oakland Raiders (Last week: 19)

Even though Oakland won, they beat the Titans and almost blew the game in the process. While this team can still technically make the playoffs, it’s clear that they are not ready yet. Next week they will be welcoming the red hot Chiefs to town and can get back in the wild card race with a win.

20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last week: 17)

Tampa Bay was up 12-6 and Doug Martin had 90 rushing yards. That was in the second quarter. The game ended with 97 yards for Doug Martin and the Bucs losing 25-12. With a rookie quarterback, you cannot abandon the running game like that. The Bucs sit at 5-6, and a matchup with the slumping Falcons awaits them.

21. Detroit Lions (Last week: 26)

After losing the previous nine Thanksgiving day games, the Lions have won their past three Thanksgiving day games, outscoring opponents 119-41 in those games. Once viewed as a lost season, the Lions have now spun off three straight wins. If they beat Green Bay next week, it’ll be their first season sweep of them since 1991.

22. St. Louis Rams (Last week: 20)

Once viewed as a playoff contender, the Rams now sit at 4-7 and well out of the playoff race. They started 4-3, but have lost four in a row. The Rams have averaged less than 12 points per game during that streak. It doesn’t get any easier for St. Louis as they play the Cardinals next weekend.

23. Jacksonville Jaguars (Last week: 21)

Jacksonville had a fantastic opportunity to move to 5-6 against the Chargers, but this team showed its youth on Sunday. A good motto for the 2015 Jaguars would be two steps forward, and three steps back. This team has flashed the potential of a playoff team in a couple of years, but they are clearly not ready to compete.

24. Miami Dolphins (Last week: 23)

The Dolphins have fallen off significantly, losing four of their last five after winning their first two under interim head coach Dan Campbell. This team desperately needs an identity and a head coach that is tough on these players. This team is undisciplined, which is not surprising considering their interim head coach was a tight ends coach.

25. New Orleans Saints (Last week: 24)

Clearly the Saints defense was not much better without Rob Ryan. What was surprising was that Drew Brees was held out of the end zone the entire day, and the Saints only mustered six points. Unfortunately for the Saints, it does not get any easier as they have to play the Panthers next week.

26. San Diego Chargers (Last week: 31)

The Chargers looked like a competitive football team for the first time this year. Taking on a Jaguars team, Phillip Rivers won the type of game we had been expecting San Diego to win all year. Even though this is a lost season for the Chargers, it’s good to see them winning the games. They get the Broncos at home next week.

27. Philadelphia Eagles (Last week: 25)

The Eagles got absolutely smacked on Thanksgiving in Detroit. There were reports prior to the game that some players had quit on Chip Kelly. Based on the game they played, that seems quite plausible. The good news: this team is only one game back of the division lead. The bad news: they play New England next week.

28. Baltimore Ravens (Last week: 28)

The Ravens somehow found a way to sneak out of Cleveland in one of the weirdest football games I have seen in a very long time. Sans Flacco, Forsett, Smith, and Suggs, Baltimore showed a lot of heart. A lot of credit is owed to the coaching staff who had a great game plan, and the players for not quitting on the season.

29. Dallas Cowboys (Last week: 27)

As dead as the Cowboys have looked this year, if they win next week and the Giants lose, every team would be within one game of the division lead in the NFC East. In other news, you gotta feel for Tony Romo with the re-fracture of his collarbone. That being said, the Cowboys have to show more life than they did this weekend.

30. San Francisco 49ers (Last week: 29)

You can’t blame the 49ers for losing the way they did to the Cardinals. For a team that has looked largely lifeless since Week 1, they were competitive against a really good Cardinals team. In fact, the 49ers had a very really chance to win the game at the end. Next week they play the surging Bears in Chicago.

31. Tennessee Titans (Last week: 30)

As I have insisted all year, the Titans just are not very good. While this team certainly has some skilled players, there are far too many holes on this team to be competitive right now. It looks like they will have a top-3 pick in the next draft and don’t need to use it on a quarterback. They play the Jags next week.

32. Cleveland Browns (Last week: 32)

When McCown got hurt, it was a PR nightmare for the Browns, who I believe made the right decision to sit Johnny Football. This loss should sting for him in particular. While I don’t know if Johnny would have led that touchdown drive to tie the game up, if he was on the field for the last drive, he could have run farther than Austin Davis and set up a shorter field goal attempt.

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Photo from fantasyknuckleheads.com.

1. New England Patriots (Last week: 1)

New England was simply the better team on the field last night, as his been the case for the previous 9 games. While this defense may not have the same name recognition as last year’s Patriots defense, they are giving up fewer points per game at 18.2, the #1 scoring defense in the NFL.

2. Carolina Panthers (Last week: 2)

Let’s take a look at the four things that the Panthers try to do every game. 1) Run the ball: 142 yards. 2) Play great defense: held the Redskins to less than 200 yards of offense. 3) Win the turnover battle: 5 turnovers for Washington, 0 for Carolina. 4) Win time of possession: 38:07 for the Panthers, 21:53 for the Redskins. Results in 44-14 victory. 

3. Arizona Cardinals (Last week: 4)

Back to back wins for the Cardinals puts them in prime position for that #2 seed in the NFC. Although their schedule is not easy down the stretch, Carson Palmer and this offense look unstoppable. This defense does have holes that need to get fixed, however. This is two 30+ point weeks in a row for both the defense and offense.

4. Denver Broncos (Last week: 6)

Brock Osweiler did a great job managing the game against the Bears, and doing just enough to sneak out of there with a victory. The defense stepped up and made some big stops in the red zone yesterday. Next week is a matchup with the Patriots, and Osweiler will start that game in place of Peyton Manning.

5. Cincinnati Bengals (Last week: 3)

The former #1 scoring defense in the league was shredded by the Cardinals on Sunday night. As of now, the Bengals have lost two primetime games in a row after starting the season 8-0. Now they have to start winning games again, otherwise a definitive division title suddenly comes into question.

6. Green Bay Packers (Last week: 8)

The Packers were able to take care of business in Minnesota and show why they are still the best team in the NFC North. If you look at the stats, the game appeared to be quite even; however, Green Bay looked like they were in solid control, especially late in the game. The Packers host Da Bears on Thanksgiving night with Brett Favre’s jersey retirement at the half. 

7. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last week: 7)

A much needed bye week for the Steelers before traveling to Seattle next weekend.

8. Minnesota Vikings (Last week: 5)

The Vikings are not far off from being able to compete with Packers over the course of an entire season. With that being said, this team just doesn’t have enough offensive fire power quite yet. As good as Teddy Bridgewater has looked at times, he needs to continue to improve as a player and not plateau, like some think he has this year.

9. Kansas City Chiefs (Last week: 15)

The Chiefs are one of the hottest teams in football right now. The offense is playing great, and they dominated a San Diego team that, believe it or not, was favored this past weekend. Forget that Jamaal Charles is gone, and remember that this defense has not allowed more than 20 points since October 4th (Week 4).

10. Indianapolis Colts (Last week: 13)

The Colts lucked out in Atlanta this weekend, ironically without Andrew Luck. This team has been more successful this season with Matt Hasselback at the helm. It’s a good thing that the Colts have the most clutch kicker in NFL history, otherwise they could very easily be 4-6 or 3-7 right now.   

11. Buffalo Bills (Last week: 9)

The Bills certainly put up a good fight, but they just made too many tiny mistakes to win the game. The poor execution at the end of the first half led to a 10-point swing in favor of New England. They committed a few too many penalties, that gave New England that extra edge in a game where they took advantage of Buffalo mistakes.

12. New York Giants (Last week: 12)

The Giants enjoyed a bye this week. Next week is a huge divisional matchup with the ‘Skins.

13. Seattle Seahawks (Last week: 14)

The Seahawks certainly looked impressive this weekend, especially with the continued emergence of Thomas Rawls as a viable feature back. They only rise one spot because they beat the 49ers at home. They will try to go above .500 for the first time this season against Pittsburgh.

14. Atlanta Falcons (Last week: 11)

Don’t look now, but the Atlanta Falcons are slipping out of the playoffs. It has been a rough month for Atlanta, as they have managed only one win (over the lowly Titans) in their last five games. The old phrase in the NFL says that winning will solve all of your problems. Unless Atlanta turns this around, they will be on the outside looking in.

15. Houston Texans (Last week: 19)

The Texans are another one of the hottest teams in the NFL. After a dreadful 1-4 start, the Texans have gone 4-1 to even their record at 5-5, with their last two wins coming against Cincy and the Jets. Houston will need to continue winning to keep pace with the Colts. Next week they play the Saints at home.

16. New York Jets (Last week: 10)

The Jets are another team that started hot, and has faded in November. Once 4-1 and a challenger to the Patriots in the East, the Jets have fallen out of the playoff picture. While they still can turn things around and make the playoffs, it will be coming on the heels of poor defensive performances and a Ryan Fitzpatrick thumb surgery.

17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last week: 26)

Famous Jameis is leading his team to victories. Again, I don’t believe this team is going to make the playoffs this season (nobody expected them to); but, being in the playoff race into December is something that will help this Tampa Bay team a lot down the road. The combination of Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans is very dominant when they’re both healthy.

18. Chicago Bears (Last week: 17)

The Bears played a good game as a whole, but they just did not make enough plays in the red zone to come out victorious. They settled for a lot of field goals in and around the red zone. We can give them a pass this week because they were playing against the Broncos defense. It’s not gonna get any easier for Da Bears, as they play the Pack in Green Bay on Thanksgiving.

19. Oakland Raiders (Last week: 16)

Make that three losses in a row for the Raiders, as they now sit at 4-6 with a difficult road to the playoffs. While some think this team is ready to compete now, they still need a good couple of drafts and time to fully develop as a young core. In two or three years, this team could be competing for Super Bowls again. It all depends on how patient this front office and fan base are.

20. St. Louis Rams (Last week: 18)

What a nightmare for the St. Louis Rams in Baltimore. They knocked out the other team’s starting quarterback and running back, but still couldn’t pull out the victory. Case Keenum clearly isn’t any better than Nick Foles, and this offense is completely devoid of talent outside of Todd Gurley and Tavon Austin.

21. Jacksonville Jaguars (Last week: 23)

Jacksonville took care of business at home against the lowly Titans. While we never expected the Jaguars to be competitive this season, they sit only one game back of the AFC South lead at 4-6. They have a legitimate chance to improve their record to 5-6 this weekend against the struggling Chargers.

22. Washington Redskins (Last week: 20)

Last week was a much better game for the Redskins compared to the debacle that occurred in Carolina on Sunday. Washington can simply pretend that game never happened, and focus all their attention on a HUGE matchup with the Giants. They would move into a tie for the division lead with a win this weekend.

23. Miami Dolphins (Last week: 21)

As good as the Dolphins have looked, this team is horribly inconsistent. They have looked like solid playoff contenders at times, and a top-three pick worthy team at other times. Maybe Ryan Tannehill is the answer, but he needs a better offensive line to succeed. They have given up 30 sacks thus far, and average less than 100 yards per game on the ground.

24. New Orleans Saints (Last week: 24)

The Saints spent the week on a bye before traveling to Houston next weekend.

25. Philadelphia Eagles (Last week: 22)

The Eagles are falling fast, yet still remain in contention for the NFC East crown. As is the theme with any of these teams: losses hurt you some, but wins hurt the other teams more. Whenever someone in this division wins one game, we label them the favorites. All Philly needs to do is win a couple of games, starting this week on Thanksgiving in Detroit.

26. Detroit Lions (Last week: 27)

Don’t look now, but the Lions have won three of their last five games. While this team is realistically out of the playoff race completely, winning games at the end of the season will prove to their fans that the beginning of this season was a fluke against a tough schedule. This defense has gotten it together, allowing only 13 and 16 points the last two weeks.

27. Dallas Cowboys (Last week: 28)

How about them Cowboys?! Make that 3-0 with Tony Romo under center, and 0-7 with another starter. As long as this team keeps winning, their season stays alive. The fact that they went on a seven-game losing streak, and are still division title contenders should tell you everything you need to know about the NFC East.

28. Baltimore Ravens (Last week: 30)

The Ravens won this weekend against a pretty good Rams team, but that doesn’t tell you the story of the game. The Ravens have now lost Joe Flacco, Steve Smith, Terrell Suggs, and likely Justin Forsett for the remainder of the reason. This season was filled with playoff aspirations, now it looks like the team will be drafting in the top-10.

29. San Francisco 49ers (Last week: 25)

Remember Week 1 when everyone watched them take down Minnesota? Well, that’s a distant memory to say the least. Now that the team has decided to go with Blaine Gabbert for the rest of the year, this will lead a lot of their fans to lose interest for the rest of the season.

30. Tennessee Titans (Last week: 29)

The Titans had a winnable game this past Thursday, but they couldn’t make enough plays to make a difference. It has been a rough season for this team, especially at home where they have gone 0-5. They will have their shot to get that first home win next week against a struggling Oakland Raiders team.

31. San Diego Chargers (Last week: 31)

There is no way to put this nicely, but the Chargers got outplayed in every way imaginable this past weekend. We all have to feel for Philip Rivers. During the offseason, there were reports that they were trying to trade him. He wanted to stay, they kept him, and now the entire roster seems to get hurt every week.

32. Cleveland Browns (Last week: 32)

The Browns were on a bye this week, and host the Ravens on a Monday Night stinker next week.

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Photo courtesy of news.sportsinteraction.com.

1. New England Patriots (Last week: 1)

This week, I don’t get to write about how the Patriots went out and dominated some team. This week, the Giants (AKA the Patriot Killers) exploited some weaknesses in this defense, and were almost able to stop Tom Brady. That being said, Stephen Gostkowski is one of the best kickers in the NFL and showed why on Sunday.

2. Carolina Panthers (Last week: 3)

The Panthers went into Nashville and took care of business. As we have seen the Broncos and Packers fade from their hot starts, Carolina continues with its winning formula. Run the ball, control time of possession, win the turnover battle, and play great defense.

3. Cincinnati Bengals (Last week: 2)

The Bengals had an absolute dud last night against the Texans. Andy Dalton reverted back to his old ways; he is seemingly cursed on Monday Night Football. Tyler Eifert also cost his team a victory with 3-4 drops on the night. The defense played very well, but this was the Dalton some of us have been waiting for.

4. Arizona Cardinals (Last week: 5)

First things first, thank goodness Mike Iupati is ok after that scary moment. The Cardinals looked frightened after going down four to the Sehawks in the fourth quarter after leading by as much as 18. But, Carson Palmer solidified his MVP candidate status with two clutch drives that led the Cardinals to victory and a commanding three-game lead in the division.

5. Minnesota Vikings (Last week: 6)

Like the Panthers, the Vikings play a winning brand of football. This team wants to run it (AP had over 200 yards rushing this past week), play good defense, and win the turnover battle. While they will continue to beat teams they are better than, it will be interesting to see their two matchups with Green Bay still to come.

6. Denver Broncos (Last week: 4)

Peyton Manning reportedly has been playing through a foot injury, and Brock Osweiler will start this week. He can’t be worse than how Peyton has been playing lately.

7. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last week: 8)

I was lucky enough to spend this weekend in Pittsburgh with my family watching this game in person. I can tell you that no one in that stadium wanted to see Ben Roethlisberger play that game, but what a performance he turned in. This defense continues their “bend-don’t-break” style of play, allowing 372 yards passing to Johnny Football, but only nine points allowed, and 15 yards rushing.

8. Green Bay Packers (Last week: 7)

What is wrong with the Packers? Some people think that they should drop further than one spot, but I can’t find a team ranked 9-32 that is better than Green Bay. The Packers need to start getting on track, and it will start with early game execution. Green Bay is built to play with a lead, but haven’t had a good start in either of their last three contests.

9. Buffalo Bills (Last week: 15)

Rex Ryan wanted to win that game so badly, and Buffalo pulled through. With the Bills fully healthy and playing great team football, it’s tough to see the Jets beating them out for a playoff spot. This is all assuming the Tyrod Taylor actually is the answer at quarterback, because who knows if he can keep up this level of play. 

10. Atlanta Falcons (Last week: 11)

The Falcons move up one spot, even though they were on a bye. Next week they welcome the Colts to the Georgia Dome.

11. New York Jets (Last week: 10)

The Jets really wanted a victory on Thursday night, but Rex Ryan was not going to be denied. Right after the game, Ryan Fitzpatrick underwent thumb surgery, but is expected to start next week. The Jets need to start winning games again, losing three of their last four games since their 4-1 start to the season. The first place they should look to improve is their run defense, which has allowed 100+ yards in two of their last three games.

12. New York Giants (Last week: 12)

You can’t blame the Giants for losing to the Pats, but you can think about why they lost that game. When settling for a field goal to go up by two late in the fourth, they used less than 20 seconds in the red zone. This gave Tom Brady JUST enough time to engineer a game winning drive off a 54-yard field goal with ONE second left.

13. Indianapolis Colts (Last week: 13)  

The Colts were on a bye this week and will face the struggling Falcons in Atlanta next week.

14. Seattle Seahawks (Last week: 9)

What a gut-wrenching loss for the Seahawks. Here is something I noticed during the game: The Seahawks went for the 2-point conversion twice in the second half, and didn’t convert either time. Had they settled for extra points both times, they would have only been down by 8, instead of 10 on their final drive. This team now has losses to Green Bay, Cincinnati, Carolina, and Arizona, all teams in the top 8.

15. Kansas City Chiefs (Last week: 20)

Don’t look now, but here come the Chiefs making a playoff run. Everyone counted them out after Jamaal Charles went down, but three straight victories puts them at 4-5 and one game out of the 6th seed in the AFC. This team is looking to overcome a 1-5 start, and no one wants to play them right now.

16. Chicago Bears (Last week: 19)

DA BEARS! They sat 16 spots lower than this for a couple weeks this season. With Jay Cutler back in the lineup, this team has turned their season around completely. Jeremy Langford (on my fantasy team) is a monster and has filled in quite nicely for Matt Forte over the last two weeks. Next week they get the Brock Osweiler-led Denver Broncos.

17. St. Louis Rams (Last week: 14)

The Rams, unlike the Bears, do not have a lot to be proud of this week. While we all know that the Bears have been underrated this season, this team lost by 24 points at home this weekend. The biggest problem this team has is on offense, where it is clear that Todd Gurley and Tavon Austin are the only playmakers.

18. Oakland Raiders (Last week: 16)

The Raiders have given up over 400 yards on the ground over the last two weeks. While many saw this team as a sleeper a couple of weeks ago, they have regressed and showed signs of youth. This team has a lot of talent and will be a good team over time, but not all of the pieces are there yet for this team to compete with the big boys.

19. Houston Texans (Last week: 23)

What a performance by the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football. Of all people, TJ Yates comes in to throw the game-winning touchdown pass in the second half on a beautiful catch by DeAndre Hopkins. Now sitting at 4-5 and tied with the Colts for the AFC South lead, the once dead Texans look poised for a playoff run after going 3-1 the last four weeks.

20. Washington Redskins (Last week: 22)

YOU LIKE THAT?! My fantasy team surely did! Thank you for those 28 points Kirk Cousins against the Swiss cheese known as Rob Ryan’s defense in NOLA. The Redskins absolutely man-handled the Saints at home, beating the Saints by 33 points. Don’t look now, but this team could enter a tie for the division lead next weekend.

21. Miami Dolphins (Last week: 21)

The Dolphins looked dead in the water against Philadelphia this weekend. This team has been playing with much more heart since the firing of Joe Philbin, which shouldn’t really surprise anybody. Either way, this team looks like it is stuck in mediocrity until they can find some sort of run defense and offensive line.

22. Philadelphia Eagles (Last week: 17)

With Mark Sanchez slated to start for the Eagles this weekend, things are looking grim. With that being said, the division leading Giants sit at 5-5 which is well within striking-distance for this team. If they can string together a couple victories, they can take control of the division. But, you could also say that about Washington and the Giants as well.

23. Jacksonville Jaguars (Last week: 24)

What a well-executed game for the Jaguars, as they defeat the Ravens in Baltimore. This team has the young talent to stay competitive in nearly every game they play. 

24. New Orleans Saints (Last week: 18)

It doesn’t matter how well Drew Brees plays if the defense is really this bad. Two weeks ago, the Saints were viewed as a sleeper to make the playoffs. Now? This team cannot stop anybody, and they are on pace to give up more passing touchdowns than any team in NFL history.

25. San Francisco 49ers (Last week: 25)

The 49ers had a bye this week and will travel to Seattle next.

26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last week: 28)

The Buccaneers certainly did not make it look pretty, but any win is a good win in the NFL. 10-6 is a brutal score, especially considering it was 6-3 very late in the fourth quarter. Regardless, any win this Bucs team can get their hands on is a valuable experience for Jameis Winston and the rest of this young squad.

27. Detroit Lions (Last week: 32)

The Lions, who were the last team in the NFL to get to one win, were also the last team to get to two wins. With that being said, NOBODY expected Detroit to waltz into Lambeau field and beat the Packers. The last time they did that, Barry Sanders was their starting running back, and Brett Favre was on the Falcons.

28. Dallas Cowboys (Last week: 26)

This team is finding magical ways to lose games this season. What a heartbreaking season it has been sans Tony Romo for this team. Say what you would like about some of his gaffes, but when he is healthy he is a top-10 quarterback in this league, and the Cowboys are a 10-win team. Clearly that is not the case without him.

29. Tennessee Titans (Last week: 27)

The Titans kept it as close as they could, but the Panthers are just a significantly better team. It’s clear that this team will lose a lot of games this year, and probably next year as well. The focus for them should be on developing their young talent, making the most of their draft picks, and finding the right head coach.

30. Baltimore Ravens (Last week: 29)

I will admit that I picked the Ravens to win the AFC North this year. Needless to say, that’s not going to happen. The combination of Flacco and Harbaugh, who have missed the playoffs only once in their Baltimore careers, have victories only over the injury-riddled, 31st-ranked Chargers, and a Michael Vick-led Steelers team on a short week.

31. San Diego Chargers (Last week: 31)

The Chargers had a bye this week and will host a red-hot Kansas City team.

32. Cleveland Browns (Last week: 30)

The Browns may not be the worst team in the NFL, but I cannot name a team that is definitively worse than them right now. This team was expected to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. But, they have given up 32 sacks this season (most in the NFL), and have one of the two or three worst run defenses in the NFL. Their supposed strengths have been their weaknesses this season.

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Image: Watt and Dalton

1. New England Patriots (Last week: 1)

It has become boring and repetitive, but here are the Patriots…again. This week they made very quick work of an underwhelming Redskins team. Maybe their winning streak will be ended again by the Giants. The last time New England lost a game that Tom Brady played in? It was last season at Lambeau Field. 

2. Cincinnati Bengals (Last week: 3)

The Bengals took care of business on Thursday night and moved to 8-0 for the first time in franchise history. As great as this start has been, there are numerous people writing this team off because they haven’t won a playoff game, despite making the playoffs each of the last four years.

3. Carolina Panthers (Last week: 4)

A big statement win for the Panthers as they take care of the kings of the NFC. The Panthers played a better game, and looked like the better team. This team rarely wins pretty, but they will hit you hard for 60 minutes and make that one extra play that will win them the game.

4. Denver Broncos (Last week: 2)

One might say that we were all a little too quick to jump on the Denver Broncos bandwagon. With that being said, it is interesting how Peyton has been unable to beat Indianapolis since he left. Denver will look to get back on track at home against the Chiefs this weekend.

5. Arizona Cardinals (Last week: 6)

The Cardinals had a bye this week, and will travel to Seattle to play on Sunday Night.

6. Minnesota Vikings (Last week: 7)

The Minnesota Vikings are 6-2 and tied for the division lead. While many expected the Vikings to make a run at the playoffs this season, I don’t think anyone expected them to be tied with the Packers for the division lead halfway through the season. Here’s to hoping Teddy Bridgewater has a speedy recovery from that vicious hit.

7. Green Bay Packers (Last week: 5)

If you’re a Packers fan, then you know this is no time to panic. They just went on the road and played to teams that were undefeated at the time. It’s not concerning that those games were lost, but more so how those games were lost. Carolina and Denver looked like top-5 NFL offenses against the Green Bay defense.

8. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last week: 9)

The Steelers won a game that they absolutely had to have; however, every week it seems like another major injury happens for the Steelers. Regardless of whether or not Ben plays next week against the Browns, the Steelers should win that game and enter their bye at 6-4 on a two game winning streak.

9. Seattle Seahawks (Last week: 10)

The Seahawks has a bye this week as well in preparation for their SNF battle with the Cardinals.

10. New York Jets (Last week: 13)

It wasn’t easy or pretty, but the Jets took care of business against an underrated Jaguars team. For the Jets, the health of Ryan Fitzpatrick is the biggest questions mark moving forward. He’s considering left thumb surgery (non-throwing hand) and they play on Thursday night this week.

11. New York Giants (Last week: 15)

The Giants are looking to separate themselves from the rest of the mediocre NFC East pack. As seamless as their matchup with Tampa Bay was this past weekend, the opposite is going to be true this upcoming weekend when they welcome Tom Brady and the New England Patriots to town.

12. Atlanta Falcons (Last week: 8)

The bye for this team could not be coming at a better time. As good as Atlanta has look throughout the beginning stages of the year, it has been the opposite ever since. The Falcons have lost to the 49ers, Buccaneers, Saints, and beat the Titans by only three points over the last four weeks.

13. Indianapolis Colts (Last week: 16)

Winnings solves all of your problems in the NFL. Last week the Colts were sitting at 3-5 (while still leading the division) and appeared to have a lost season on their hands. All they’ve done since then is fire their offensive coordinator, beat the best defense in football, and head into their bye week in a position to make some noise in the second half of the season.

14. St. Louis Rams (Last week: 11)

It is hard to fault the Rams for losing that game, but that is why this team isn’t better than good right now. This year, Nick Foles has three games with no touchdown passes, and one game with multiple touchdown passes. As good as Gurley is, this team just isn’t offensively gifted.

15. Buffalo Bills (Last week: 18)

The Buffalo Ryans head into week 10 with a huge matchup on Thursday night against the Jets. Now that the Bills had a chance to rest and get healthy, they seem to operating very efficiently again on offense. It helps when your starting quarterback, top running back, and best receiver are all healthy.

16. Oakland Raiders (Last week: 12)

Oakland has had two games this year on the road where they really had a chance to make a HUGE statement with a win. The other was against Chicago in Week 4 when they had a chance to go 3-1. Either way, the Raiders played a great game in Pittsburgh, only losing since the Steelers ended up with the ball last.

17. Philadelphia Eagles (Last week: 17)

Philadelphia won a trilling Sunday night OT game, albeit over a struggling Cowboys team. Regardless, this team is still very much alive for this division title. They will be battling it out with the Giants for the rest of the season to see who has the unearned privilege of a playoff berth from this division.

18. New Orleans Saints (Last week: 14)

Some teams were starting to project the Saints to make a run to the playoffs. While some expected that, their defense has been historically bad over the past few seasons. Some thought the signing of Jarius Byrd would help mask some of these problems, but it hasn’t made a difference.

19. Chicago Bears (Last week: 24)

On the Monday Night Countdown show on ESPN last night, Mike Ditka was the only one of about 10 analysts to pick the Bears to win. The Bears are now 3-2 since Cutler has come back from his injury. When they went 0-2 in the first two games, it was to Arizona and Green Bay. Maybe the Bears aren’t that bad?

20. Kansas City Chiefs (Last week: 20)

A bye week for Kansas City leads into a matchup with Broncos in Denver this time.

21. Miami Dolphins (Last week: 19)

Whether you like it or not, the Dolphins have (not surprisingly) plummeted back to earth. As good as they were in beating Houston and Tennessee (both listed below Miami), they looked equally as bad against teams like New England and Buffalo. Miami travels to Philly next Sunday.

22. Washington Redskins (Last week: 21)

You can’t blame Washington for going into New England and getting outplayed in every way imaginable. The touchdown in the last minute made the final score look bearable. When all is set and done, this game doesn’t signify anything about this team, and they’ll try to get back on track against New Orleans next weekend.

23. Houston Texans (Last week: 23)

The Texans had a bye this week and will square off with the Bengals on Monday night.

24. Jacksonville Jaguars (Last week: 28)

Jacksonville only moves up this week because of the poor play of teams initially above them. Even though they lost to the Jets, the Jaguars played a pretty good game. Blake Bortles threw for 300 yards on the Jets defense, which not many people have been able to do this year.

25. San Francisco 49ers (Last week: 30)

Colin who? 49ers fans must have been stunned when watching the game this weekend. Regardless of who was starting at quarterback, the 49ers put together an impressive game without their starting quarterback, a lot of receivers, and their top two running backs.

26. Dallas Cowboys (Last week: 22)

A six game losing streak has not happened since Troy Aikman was a rookie. For Cowboys fans, this season has been miserably painful to watch. This marks the second time this season that the Cowboys lost a game on a walk-off touchdown in overtime.

27. Tennessee Titans (Last week: 32)

Alright, I will be the first to admit that I have not spoken highly of the Titans. The good news, Marcus Mariota became only the second rookie EVER to have two games of four touchdowns and zero interceptions. The bad news: the only other rookie to ever do that is Robert Griffin III.

28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last week: 27)

Tampa Bay played a late game at home against the New York Giants this weekend and just fell flat. The Giants were clearly the better team on the field this Sunday. Two things of note for the Buccaneers offensively: Doug Martin has come back down to earth, and Jameis Winston has a QBR over 70 over the last four games!

29. Baltimore Ravens (Last week: 29)

Baltimore has a bye week this week and will host the Jaguars next weekend.

30. Cleveland Browns (Last week: 25)

Cleveland is now 2-7, has lost four games in a row, and the only two teams they have beaten this season are Tennessee and Baltimore. It’s clear that the Browns are not going to be great with or without McCown, so giving Johnny Football a chance to play seems like the best option.

31. San Diego Chargers (Last week: 26)

The Chargers have been really bad this year, but the injury bug is largely to blame. Outside of the quarterback position, every other positional group has been decimated with injuries. Based on the way things are going, this would be a terrible way for the Chargers to wrap up their time in San Diego

32. Detroit Lions (Last week: 31)

The Lions were on a bye this week and became the only team in the NFL yet to reach two wins. Next week in Green Bay is not much easier.

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Image: Newton

1. New England Patriots (Last week: 1)

The Patriots dominated Miami on Thursday night, led by Tom Brady and Julian Edelman. The Patriots are blowing everyone they play out of the water, and it really isn’t very fair. Furthermore, they don’t really have any tough matchups until Thanksgiving weekend at Denver.

2. Denver Broncos (Last week: 4)

My preseason Super Bowl pick was Denver vs. Green Bay. Now, up until this point I have not had faith that Denver would be able to beat New England in a head-to-head. Frankly, I don’t know if Peyton has enough in the tank, but at the very least, this defense is playing historically well.

3. Cincinnati Bengals (Last week: 3)

The Bengals took care of business against a hungry Pittsburgh team. Cincinnati was lucky enough to play a Ben Roethlisberger that looked rusty at best, and did just enough to get out of there victorious. Andy Dalton returned to earth last week, so the defense absolutely carried this team to victory.

4. Carolina Panthers (Last week: 5)

The Panthers just continue to win games. It’s almost always ugly, filled with turnovers, offensive miscues, coaching gaffes, etc. But, at the end of each of those games, the Carolina Panthers have emerged victorious. Unlike the other undefeated teams, Carolina plays old-school football.

5. Green Bay Packers (Last week: 2)

Sunday night was a rough game for the Packers and Aaron Rodgers. Traveling to Denver is difficult in any year, and this year, with the defense they have, it’s nearly impossible. Last week was one of those games you forget about and move on from. Aaron Rodgers will not have 77 passing yards in another game any time soon.

6. Arizona Cardinals (Last week: 7)

The Cardinals got off to a very slow start against the Browns, but eventually regained control and took care of business. Carson Palmer is playing like an MVP candidate right now. He is surrounded with fantastic weapons, and for the first time as a Cardinal, a serviceable offensive line.

7. Minnesota Vikings (Last week: 8)

Another week and the Vikings just keep winning football games. The formula is pretty straight forward, but their schedule the rest of the way is not easy to say the least.

8. Atlanta Falcons (Last week: 6)

The Falcons are beginning to get exposed as a team that is good, but not great. Unlike the continuity that the Panthers have, Atlanta is trying to figure out which pieces of the puzzle fit best under Dan Quinn’s system. Matt Ryan needs to step up his play over the second half of the season.

9. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last week: 9)

Losing Bell for the season is one of the worst things that could have possibly happened to the Steelers. Lucky for them, the rest of that offense is getting healthier, as is the defense who allows only 18.4 ppg, good for 5th in the NFL. If they can beat Oakland and Cleveland heading into their bye week, they will be in position to make the playoffs.

10. Seattle Seahawks (Last week: 11)

Seattle enters their bye with a 54% chance of making the playoffs, according to FiveThirtyEight. They still play Arizona twice and can get back in the division race that way. Did you know that three of the four loses for Seattle this season have come against teams that were undefeated entering Week 8?

11. St. Louis Rams (Last week: 12)

Do I think the Rams are really good? No. But, there are so few teams with winning records right now that it would be a disservice not to put St. Louis up this high, as they are one of only 11 teams in the NFL with a winning record. Next week, they travel to Minnesota to take on the Vikings.

12. Oakland Raiders (Last week: 15)

Remember earlier in the season when we were all expecting the Raiders to beat Chicago and move to 3-1? Well, this week is another big test for them. If the Raiders want to show up and hang with the big boys, they are going to need to beat Pittsburgh at Heinz Field this weekend.

13. New York Jets (Last week: 10)

Two straight games of the Jets defense getting picked apart. I must say that it was a lot more surprising that Derek Carr did it this past weekend. As good as the Jets looked to start the season, the inevitable problem of quarterback play returned and it’s losing the Jets games.

14. New Orleans Saints (Last week: 19)

Drew Brees looks healthy, and I guess that has made all the difference. The emergence of Benjamin Watson over the past three weeks has been exciting to say the least. Unfortunately, it will take a collapse from either the Falcons or the Vikings if this team is going to stay hot and make a playoff run.

15. New York Giants (Last week: 13)

The Giants gave up 52 points, 511 passing yards, and 7 passing touchdowns. Those are numbers that some defenses will hold to over the course of three weeks. The Giants surrendered those totals in just 60 minutes of football. To quote myself last week: “Expect the Giants to start playing more shootout-style games.”

16. Indianapolis Colts (Last week: 14)  

The Colts lack the manpower to win games in the trenches. Until Andrew Luck decided to start trying for the last 8 minutes of the game, the Colts were smacked. Carolina destroyed them and took their foot off the gas pedal at the end.

17. Philadelphia Eagles (Last week: 17)

Philly had their bye this week, and will play the struggling Cowboys next weekend.

18. Buffalo Bills (Last week: 18)

Coming off of a bye and into a big showdown at home this weekend with the Dolphins.

19. Miami Dolphins (Last week: 16)

It’s not surprising really that the Dolphins fell back down to earth against the Patriots. From the beginning of that game, the Dolphins were completely dominated in every single facet of the game. Next week against the Bills will really set the stage for the wild card race.

20. Kansas City Chiefs (Last week: 25)

After taking down Pittsburgh the week before, the Chiefs made a statement against the Lions. Kansas City now sits at 3-5 and is not out of the playoff picture completely. After a bye next week, three of their next four are against division opponents. The Chiefs play the Raiders and Chargers twice in the second half.

21. Washington Redskins (Last week: 21)

The Redskins had a bye this past week. Lucky for them, they travel to Foxborough this weekend.

22. Dallas Cowboys (Last week: 20)

How ‘bout them Cowboys?! They look really bad right now, but it may be coming to an end soon. The Cowboys are in a tail spin right now having lost their last five games after starting 2-0. As bad as they have been, so has the NFC East. A win against the Eagles this weekend would put Dallas right back in the mix.

23. Houston Texans (Last week: 30)

The Texans get a bump because they won, even if the victory itself isn’t a cause for joy. The fact of the matter is that this team is an absolute mess, despite being in the mix for the division lead. Outside of Hopkins at WR, this team has no foreseeable offensive excitement for the rest of the season. They should be positioning themselves for a draft pick.

24. Chicago Bears (Last week: 23)

Chicago actually put up a pretty good fight against Minnesota. The Bears kept the game competitive, and blew it at the end. When the season is over, this result will probably be a good thing for both teams. The loss of Matt Forte for a few weeks will continue to push another tanking season in Chicago.

25. Cleveland Browns (Last week: 24)

Give Cleveland some credit for hanging around with the Cardinals, but the Browns just continue to find great ways to lose games. In almost every game they have played, the game has been competitive entering the 4th quarter. What they are truly lacking are playmakers on their offense, but Johnny Football will get the start Thursday night against Cincinnati.

26. Baltimore Ravens (Last week: 29)

Baltimore’s two wins this season are now against a San Diego team at home, and Pittsburgh with Michael Vick on three days of preparation. But, it would be wrong not to use this spot to talk about Steve Smith. Hopefully that guy comes back strong, and decides to play one more season.

27.   San Diego Chargers (Last week: 22)

Right now the Chargers sit at 2-6 with one of the worst records in all of the league. This is all happening behind a career year from Philip Rivers. The Chargers this year have given up 227 points through eight games, and only the Saints and Lions have allowed more.

28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last week: 31)

Some people have started to shoot the Buccaneers up the power rankings. For me, it’s still clear that this team has a lot of developing talent. Furthermore, they have a quarterback that is young and exciting. Lovie Smith needs to clean up his coaching, as he almost cost Tampa Bay the game this weekend.

29. Jacksonville Jaguars (Last week: 26)

The Jags had a bye and will play the Jets in New York this weekend.

30. San Francisco 49ers (Last week: 27)

The moment we have all been waiting for is coming up this weekend: Blaine Gabbert is starting! Remember that guy? Well according to the 49ers, he’s the starting quarterback and replacing Colin Kaepernick. Not many quarterbacks go through such a horrific stretch of play like Kaepernick is right now.

31. Detroit Lions (Last week: 28)

Games in America have not gone well for Detroit thus far, and neither have games that take place in London. Detroit gave up 38 unanswered points to a Kansas City Chiefs team that entered the game 2-5. Detroit is really struggling right now, and I would not be surprised to see Caldwell lose his job.

32. Tennessee Titans (Last week: 32)

The Titans this week decided it was time to move on from their head coach Ken Wisenhunt. In his season and a half in Tennessee, the Titans went a combined 3-20. All the other teams in the NFL have at least five wins over that time span. Next week they take on the red-hot Saints.

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Image via Newsday.com

The Patriots and Panthers came away with tough wins to stay undefeated, but how did the rest of the league shake up with three other undefeated teams on bye?

1. New England Patriots (Last week: 1)

The Jets were a very tough test for the Pats and they certainly passed it. Tom Brady just continues to show up every week and state his case as one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game.

2. Green Bay Packers (Last week: 2)

A bye week for the Packers leads into a SNF matchup in Denver next week.

3. Cincinnati Bengals (Last week: 3)

A bye week in Cincinnati as well. They travel to Pittsburgh next week.

4. Denver Broncos (Last week: 4)

The Broncos also had a bye this week, and will host Green Bay on Sunday Night Football in Week 8.

5. Carolina Panthers (Last week: 5)

Carolina was front and center on Sunday Night and they delivered like they do most weeks. The Panthers have a plan going into every week and beg you to line up and beat them. They are going to play tough, physical, hard-hitting, and fast football.

6. Atlanta Falcons (Last week: 8)

Winning on the road is never easy, but Atlanta made it look really difficult on Sunday. The Titans are one of the worst teams in the NFL and they barely squeaked out a 10-7 victory. Atlanta will look to get on a bit of a roll next week as they host the Buccaneers.

7. Arizona Cardinals (Last week: 9)

Arizona looked solid in their Monday Night Football victory against the Ravens. Outside of the last few minutes, Arizona had control of the game for nearly all of the second half. Currently the Cardinals sit at 5-2 with a two-game lead in the NFC West. If they keep playing consistent football, there is no reason they won’t be division champs.

8. Minnesota Vikings (Last week: 10)

Minnesota keeps winning the same way Carolina continues to win games. They rely on Adrian Peterson and their defense. Those two will carry this team as far as they are going to go. The emergence of rookie WR Stefon Diggs for the Vikings has been a huge boost, especially with Charles Johnson’s disappointing season.

9. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last week: 6)

The Steelers walked into a game they were bound to lose. Landry Jones played in arguably the most difficult place to play in the NFL and looked inconsistent. At the end of the day, the Steelers went 3-2 in four and a half games without Ben Roethlisberger, and that’s very impressive.

10. New York Jets (Last week: 7)

The Jets only drop because of the fact that they lost. They are clearly a very talented team, especially on defense. The questions is whether or not Ryan Fitzpatrick will be able to maintain this consistency. If he can, the Jets are a Super Bowl contender with that defense. If not, they could start slipping some games.

11. Seattle Seahawks (Last week: 11)

An impressive showing in San Francisco, but it needs to ignite a run for the Seahawks. Right now, the Vikings and Falcons own the NFC wild cards with records of 4-2 and 6-1 respectively. The Seahawks sit at 3-4 with a tough remaining schedule. If they are going to make the playoffs, the push has to start now.

12. St. Louis Rams (Last week: 16)

The Rams dominated the Browns in every aspect of the game on Sunday. They are also a tough team to figure out. Todd Gurley is the man, but what about the rest of this team? Outside of the defensive line, I don’t count on anyone on this team to make consistent contributions.

13. New York Giants (Last week: 17)

Maybe the Giants are actually good, or they’re the best of a nightmare NFC East. Until Romo are back, Eli Manning is clearly the most reliable quarterback in the division. As this season progresses, expect the Giants to start playing more shootout-style games.

14. Indianapolis Colts (Last week: 13)

The Colts are now 3-4, but will likely make the playoffs with ease. The other three teams in the division are ranked 26, 27, and 31 this week. All in all, this team is the best in what is BY FAR the worst division in football. As long as the Colts win eight games, they should have no problem winning this division.

15. Oakland Raiders (Last week: 20)

The Raiders put an absolute beatdown on the Chargers. From the first snap of that game, Oakland completely dominated San Diego physically and mentally. Derek Carr has now lead the Raiders to a 2-1 record on the road this year after the Raiders won two road games in 2012, 2013, and 2014 combined.

16. Miami Dolphins (Last week: 25)

You can ask my roommate if you would like, but once Joe Philbin was fired I said that the Dolphins would finish the year at least 8-8. This team lacked energy and enthusiasm for the game of football. Interim coach Dan Campbell has provided that excitement in Miami. I don’t think anyone wants to play them right now.

17. Philadelphia Eagles (Last week: 14)

The Eagles have to be one of the most inconsistent teams in the NFL. They have played games where they look like Super Bowl contenders (beating the Jets in New York) and then times where they look like they should have a top five pick in the 2016 draft (losing to a Romo and Dez-less Cowboys at home).

18. Buffalo Bills (Last week: 12)

Buffalo really needed their bye week to happen soon. Hopefully Tyrod Taylor can come back and give them solid play from the quarterback position. Still, the heart and soul of this team is on defense. Bills players have been registering complaints about the defense to the media.

19. New Orleans Saints (Last week: 21)

The Saints have put back-to-back wins together now that Brees is clearly healthier than early in the season. Benjamin Watson has been a very useful offensive weapon in their last three games. This defense has held down the fort for the last two weeks, and will try to continue that in Week 8 as they host the Giants.

20. Dallas Cowboys (Last week: 15)

The Cowboys are completely depleted on offense right now, and it’s part of the reason that they are not playing great defense statistically. The combination of Weeden and Cassel has not been enough for the ‘Boys this year. Dallas is hoping it can get Dez Bryant back for their matchup with Seattle next week

21. Washington Redskins (Last week: 23)

What a great comeback for the Redskins. If this game was against anyone but the second lowest team in the power rankings, they would have risen more. Granted the NFC East has been horribly mediocre, but Washington has looked better than expected.

22. San Diego Chargers (Last week: 18)

The Chargers are starting to fall into a downward spiral. After last week, it’s safe to say that there aren’t more than five or six guys on the Chargers’ roster that have had a good year. The offensive line is bad, defensive line has holes, and the linebacking core is slow and not exciting.

23. Chicago Bears (Last week: 22)

To quote NFL.com: “The Bears were off last week … and the Cubbies are off this week. Too soon?” Chicago travels to Minnesota to play the Vikings this week.

24. Cleveland Browns (Last week: 19)

Cleveland came out extremely flat in this game and lost for the 2nd consecutive week to fall to 2-5 on the season. It’s clear that McCown is not going to win enough games to make a difference this season. Johnny Football really needs to be playing. They spent a first-round pick on him and need to see if it was worth it sooner rather than later.

25. Kansas City Chiefs (Last week: 26)

The Chiefs simply HAD to win the game against Pittsburgh. They entered the game 1-5 playing a backup quarterback making his first career start at Arrowhead Stadium. Landry Jones looked like he was expected, and the Chiefs did enough on offense to keep Pittsburgh at arms length.

26. Jacksonville Jaguars (Last week: 32)

The Buffalo Bills were all the way up in the top 10 at one point this season. Now they have been knocked off by the mighty Jaguars. Coming back from London gives this team a week to rest. Week 9 pits them against the Jets.

27. San Francisco 49ers (Last week: 27)

Something we knew going into the season has been confirmed: the 49ers are just not very good. Colin Kaepernick can not be relied on to provide consistent quarterback play. The rest of the team doesn’t have any specific strengths. The team is simply too depleted from this past offseason.

28. Detroit Lions (Last week: 29)

The Lions stuck around with the Vikings for as long as they could, but it just wasn’t enough. The fact of the matter remains that this team has a really bad offensive line. Anytime the Lions play a team with a quality front seven, I would not expect them to score very many points.

29. Baltimore Ravens (Last week: 28)

The Ravens have allowed the most points per game through seven games in franchise history, outside of 1996, their inaugural year. Besides that, Joe Flacco does not have enough help on offense to produce results. As much as Forsett has started to put up better numbers, it can’t mask the lack of receivers this team has.

30. Houston Texans (Last week: 24)

Interesting statistic from the game this Sunday: at one point in the game, Miami had 35 points and Houston had 0 offensive yards. Houston was completely dominated in every way this past Sunday. Some thought this was a playoff team going into the season, clearly that’s not the case.

31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last week: 31)

It should come as no surprise that the Buccaneers are still this low on the list. Tampa Bay absolutely blew it in Washington this past weekend and showed why they are one of the worst teams in the NFL. Doug Martin, however, has been unstoppable in the month of October, averaging over 120 yards per game.

32. Tennessee Titans (Last week: 30)

 They haven’t played a game on the road in over a month, yet the only victory they have is against the Buccaneers in Week 1. In their last 16 games, the Titans are an NFL-worst 1-15. Their only win is against the Tampa Bay, who is 3-13 during that span (ESPN).