NFL Power Rankings: Week 17

1. (1) Green Bay Packers (14-1) – The Packers did what they had to do against the Bears and secured that the road to the NFC Championship will be run through Lambeau Field. 

2. (2) New Orleans Saints (12-3) – Congrats to Drew Brees on the new NFL Passing record! That being said this offense, despite being picked off twice, seems unstoppable at this point.    

3. (3) New England Patriots (12-3) – The Patriots looked horrible in the 1^st half but got it together and pulled out the win. I’m still fearful of their defense when the playoffs begin.


4. (4) San Francisco 49ers (12-3) – The 49ers have won two very physical games in a row despite some speed bumps along the way. Their defense lost the TD and 100 yard record to Lynch, but the 49ers got the last laugh. 1 win away from having a first round bye.

5. (6) Pittsburgh Steelers (11-4) – Even without Big Ben the Steelers took care of business and kept pace with the Ravens in the race for the AFC North Title.  

6. (5) Baltimore Ravens (11-4) – Inconsistency is the key here. If the Browns had half a brain in game management they would’ve beat the Ravens. Their defense doesn’t look the same.

7. (8) Detroit Lions (10-5) – Congrats to the Lions for making the playoffs for the first time since I can remember my time on this earth. They have to mature quickly though in order to win.

8. (12) Cincinnati Bengals (9-6) – Thanks to Early Doucet’s stumble the Bengals escaped with a win. The biggest story was Jerome Simpson doing a front flip into the end zone and landing it!

9. (7) Atlanta Falcons (9-6) – Unfortunately the Falcons ran into Drew Brees on Monday night and got ran over. This is still a very good team that can be dangerous in the playoffs.

10. (13) New York Giants (8-7) – Eli has set the stage for an NFC East showdown against the Cowboys. Winner gets into the playoffs, loser goes home. Doesn’t get any better than this!

11. (10) Dallas Cowboys (8-7) – Unfortunately the Cowboys had to play without Tony Romo in a game they needed to win. Hopefully he will be back for the NFC East crown showdown!

12. (9) Houston Texans (10-5) – The wheels have finally come off in Houston like we thought they would when they lost Schaub, Leinart, AJ and Super Mario. Where is the defense?

13. (11) New York Jets (8-7) – The Jets have proved to be all talk with not very much walk. Brandon Jacobs said it best after the game, go watch his interview!

14. (18) Philadelphia Eagles (7-8) – With all the talk of how horrible of a season the Eagles are having, they have a legitimate chance of going .500. That scares me for the years to come….

15. (14) San Diego Chargers (7-8) – So much for the Chargers fire, their inconsistency killed them again as the Lions handled San Diego and destroyed their playoff dreams.   

16. (19) Tennessee Titans (8-7) – The Titans will need some help to make the playoffs despite their win vs. Jacksonville. If only they hadn’t lost to the winless Colts….if only….

17. (15) Denver Broncos (8-7) – Tebow forced way too many throws against the Bills and looked awful. If he can beat his former teammate Kyle Orton he will be in the playoffs though!

18. (16) Seattle Seahawks (7-8) – Even though the Seahawks have been eliminated from playoff contention, this team looks to be heading in the right direction under the direction of Pete Carroll.

19. (21) Oakland Raiders (8-7) – The Raiders walked away with a win in KC thanks to Richard Seymour blocking 2 FG’s himself. Oakland will need help to make the playoffs though. 

20. (17) Arizona Cardinals (7-8) – The Cardinals were oh so close to beating the Bengals and probably should have if Early Doucet didn’t trip on his own feet wide open in the end zone.

21. (20) Kansas City Chiefs (6-9) – A devastating loss to the Raiders where they had two FG’s blocked has to hurt. But Kyle Orton and the Chiefs have a chance to play spoiler again this weekend against Tebow and the Broncos.

22. (24) Carolina Panthers (6-9) – The Panthers have to be excited about their future with Cam Newton as their QB. If they can build a solid defense, this team could be very dangerous.  

23. (22) Miami Dolphins (5-10) – The Dolphins had Tom Brady and the Patriots in their grasp in the first half and then decided to let go for whatever reason. This team looks better, but is still finding ways to lose football games.

24. (26) Buffalo Bills (6-9) – The Bills got back to their winning ways by forcing turnovers and taking advantage of them on offense. It worked in the beginning of the year and will work now.  .  

25. (23) Chicago Bears (7-8) – The Bears actually played the Packers well in the 1^st half and then killed themselves with a few costly turnovers that Aaron Rodgers quickly turned into points. 

26. (25) Washington Redskins (5-10) – The Redskins not only lost to the Vikings, but they took both AP and Ponder out of the game. As Dave Damashek would say, “SHAMEEEEEE!!!!!”  

27. (28) Jacksonville Jaguars (4-11) – Literally the only good thing about Jacksonville is MJD. Teams know MJD will be getting the ball and he still manages to put up great numbers. 

28. (29) Cleveland Browns (4-11) – The Browns have finally gotten Peyton Hillis going again, but they can’t seem to manage a football game and it cost them a win against the Ravens.

29. (27) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-11) – I don’t know what is going on in Tampa Bay. This team has been extremely disappointing; I just hope Raheem Morris doesn’t take the blow.

30. (30) Minnesota Vikings (3-12) – The Vikings won but at what cost? They lost Adrian Peterson, Christian Ponder and also a shot at the #1 overall 2012 draft pick.



31. (31) St. Louis Rams (2-13) – The Rams got shutout again this season. The only good thing about this is that if the Colts keep winning St. Louis may end up with the #1 overall pick.


32. (32) Indianapolis Colts (2-13) – THE COLTS WIN AGAIN! 2 IN A ROW!!! Dan Orlovsky for MVP! (Okay maybe the last one was a little crazy.) If the Colts keep this up, they may not get the chance to draft Andrew Luck. Settle down Indianapolis!