1. Green Bay Packers (10-3): Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Drew Brees are still all solid quarterbacks, but the very best in all of football right now is Aaron Rodgers. So long as he stays healthy, the Packers have a shot at the Super Bowl this year.
2. New England Patriots (10-3): After a tough road loss at Green Bay a week ago, New England bounced back with a tough road win against San Diego. Up next on the slate is a home game against Miami, who beat them earlier in the season. Expect Brady, Belichick, and company to get payback and get one step closer to attaining home-field advantage in the playoffs.
3. Denver Broncos (10-3): Denver hasn't been playing great football the past 3+ weeks. Lucky for them, though, Kansas City has fallen apart, and San Diego, with a loss against the Patriots on Sunday night, is two back of the Broncos. So, as tough as things have been for Peyton Manning and company of late, their in good position to win the AFC West again.
4. Arizona Cardinals (10-3): It wasn't pretty and wasn't without it's share of controversy, but the struggling Cardinals got back on track with a big win against Kansas City on Sunday. Things won't get any easier for Arizona, as they head to St. Louis to take on the resurgent Rams on Thursday night. A loss there and a win by Seattle at home against San Francisco, and Arizona will be looking up at Seattle in the NFC West standings.
5. Seattle Seahawks (9-4): Over the past three weeks, Seattle is 3-0, and has beaten three potential playoff teams with the combined record of 26-13 (Arizona, San Francisco, and Philadelphia) by the combined score of 62-20. As for that "struggling" Seahawks defense, they now rank 1st in total yards allowed per game, 1st in passing yards allowed per game, 3rd in rushing yards allowed per game, and 2nd in points allowed per game. Yeah, it's official - the Legion of Boom is back.
6. Philadelphia Eagles (9-4): Philly is a solid football team. They're explosive on offense, have improved on both defense and special teams, and appear to be a team on the rise. However, they still seem to have trouble beating the best teams in the two conferences. They'll need to do that before they can seriously see themselves as Super Bowl contenders.
7. Detroit Lions (9-4): Granted, the last two games were against Chicago and Tampa Bay, but the offense still looks completely different with a healthy Calvin Johnson.With the defense continuing to play well and a rather favorable schedule down the stretch, a Wild Card spot may be theirs to lose.
8. Dallas Cowboys (9-4): If Dallas loses to Philly on the road this coming Sunday, they'll essentially be two back of the Eagles in the NFC East, with two games to play. Meanwhile, it's quite possible for Seattle, Arizona, and Detroit to all be 10-4 by week's end as well. It won't be impossible for the Cowboys to make the playoffs with a loss on Sunday, but they'll have to hope one of the two Wild Card teams falters in the final two weeks if they want to have a shot.
9. Indianapolis Colts (9-4): Andrew Luck played his worst game of the year and the Colts still found a way to beat Cleveland on the road. Indy is a pretty good football team, but they'll definitely need some help in the run game as well as on the defense when they start making moves in the off-season if they want to take that next step and compete for a Super Bowl.
10. Cincinnati Bengals (8-4-1): Largely due to the incredibly inconsistent play of Andy Dalton quarterback, Cincinnati's offense is one of the most inconsistent in the league. However, they're equally as inconsistent on the other side of the ball, and due to all of these inconsistencies, it's difficult to know what to expect from this team in the final three weeks. They remain half a game up on Pittsburgh and Baltimore, and a game and a half up on Cleveland, but that could all change after their road match-up with the Browns on Sunday. The Browns won their first meeting 24-3.
11. San Diego Chargers (8-5): The Chargers have a huge game at home against the Broncos on Sunday. With a loss, the Broncos will win the AFC West. With a win, however, there's still an outside shot San Diego could take the AFC West reigns away from Denver. They'd also be in good position for a Wild Card spot.
12. Baltimore Ravens (8-5): Baltimore's win against Miami on the road Sunday was huge. Now they travel back home to take on 2-11 Jacksonville, which should place them at 9-5, and in a decent position for at least a Wild Card spot.
13. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-5): With their impressive 42-21 victory over Cincinnati on Sunday, the Steelers made the AFC North THAT much more interesting. Their defense will have to start playing better if they want any shot at winning a game in the playoffs, however.
14. San Francisco 49ers (7-6): Under Jim Harbaugh, the 49ers have advanced to the NFC Championship game three straight years, even making the Super Bowl once. After losing to then 1-11 Oakland on Sunday, the odds of that happening again this year are not good. To make matters worse, the Niners will now travel to Seattle to take on a hot Seahawks team, a team they lost to on Thanksgiving 19-3.
15. Miami Dolphins (7-6): Miami made a good run at it, but will need to display more consistency on offense and also in their rush defense if they want to be a serious playoff contender in the years ahead.
16. Kansas City Chiefs (7-6): This has been the streakiest team in football this year. Kansas City started the year 1-2, then went 6-1, and are now 0-3 in their past three games. If they lose again to Oakland on Sunday, that'll drop them to 7-7 and likely out of the playoff discussion. Yes, Oakland may be 2-11, but one of those two wins came against the Chiefs on Thursday night football.
17. Buffalo Bills (7-6): Buffalo made things interesting at the end of the game against the Broncos, and ended Peyton Manning's touchdown-pass-in-consecutive-games streak, but still wound up with the "L." They'll now have to take on the hottest quarterback in all of football, Aaron Rodgers, at home this coming Sunday. With an upset in that game, the Bills will still be in the playoff discussion. With a loss, however, they'll have to start thinking about next year.
18. Houston Texans (7-6): Don't look now, but the team who had the #1 pick in last year's draft is 7-6 and with a road win against AFC South leader Indianapolis on Sunday, would pull to within one game of the Colts in the division. Even if they lose that game, however, Houston has to see this season as a success. It's not every day a 2-14 team turns around and goes 7-6 the following year and is in the playoff discussion with three weeks left to go in the season.
19. Cleveland Browns (7-6): Cleveland is 1-3 in their past four games and quarterback Brian Hoyer is looking like the team's quarterback of the future as much as Santa Claus looks GQ cover-worthy. If they lose to Cincinnati this coming weekend, they can kiss their playoff hopes goodbye and may start Johnny Manziel in their final two games. If the Browns win, however, that will improve them to 8-6, drop the Bengals to 8-5-1, and make the final two weeks very interesting in the division for all four teams in it.
20. St. Louis Rams (6-7): It's really a shame this team was so banged up all year. It would have been fun seeing a healthy Rams squad go up against the other NFC West teams. Just think, if the Rams played in the NFC South (St. Louis is more south than west), they'd be in first place.
21. Minnesota Vikings (6-7): This is a team that shouldn't be taken lightly. They're solid on defense and have enough on offense to compete in most games. While the Chicago Bears appear to be on the decline in the NFC North, Minnesota appears to be on the rise.
22. New Orleans Saints (5-8): I honestly have nothing more to say about this team. They play the Bears next week. Given both teams' track records, I suppose the first one to 40 wins.
23. Chicago Bears (5-8): Ditto...
24. Atlanta Falcons (5-8): Well, they're still in first place in the NFC South, so that's nice, I guess...
25. Carolina Panthers (4-8-1): Uh, where was that team on Sunday the rest of the year? Carolina appeared to place on their 2013 season helmets and played like the 12-4 team from a year ago, in dominating New Orleans on the road by the final score of 41-10. If they beat Tampa Bay this coming week, sadly enough, they'll still be right in the thick of the playoff discussion.
26. New York Giants (4-9): Tom Coughlin's crew should be mighty proud that they didn't lose to Jacksonville and Tennessee in back-to-back weeks, teams with the combined record of 4-22. Way to go! Now they get to take on 3-10 Washington...
27. Washington Redskins (3-10): I guess the good news for Washington is they know, of all three quarterbacks that have started for them this year, none of them will be their guy moving forward. However, with their track record, I could definitely see the troubled Jameis Winston landing here.
28. New York Jets (2-11): They've only lost their last two games by the combined score of 46-37. We'll see if that close-but-no-cigar rhetoric will keep Rex Ryan and Geno Smith around for another year. Oh, my Magic 8-Ball is telling, "What, are you f**king stupid?" So, nevermind...
29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-11): With a loss on the road against Carolina on Sunday, at 2-12, Tampa Bay would officially be eliminated from playoff contention in the NFC South. Yes, you read that correctly, and yes, that's very sad.
30. Oakland Raiders (2-11): Derek Carr is showing signs of improvement, as is the Raiders defense. Oakland may be 2-11, but are 2-1 in their past three, and the two teams they've beaten have a combined record of 14-12 (Kansas City and San Francisco).
31. Tennessee Titans (2-11): At this point, it appears as if the Titans' final showdown with the Jacksonville Jaguars may ultimately determine who the worst team in football is this year.
32. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-11): Ditto, except replace "Jacksonville Jaguars" with Tennessee Titans. There, that does the trick.
2. New England Patriots (10-3): After a tough road loss at Green Bay a week ago, New England bounced back with a tough road win against San Diego. Up next on the slate is a home game against Miami, who beat them earlier in the season. Expect Brady, Belichick, and company to get payback and get one step closer to attaining home-field advantage in the playoffs.
3. Denver Broncos (10-3): Denver hasn't been playing great football the past 3+ weeks. Lucky for them, though, Kansas City has fallen apart, and San Diego, with a loss against the Patriots on Sunday night, is two back of the Broncos. So, as tough as things have been for Peyton Manning and company of late, their in good position to win the AFC West again.
4. Arizona Cardinals (10-3): It wasn't pretty and wasn't without it's share of controversy, but the struggling Cardinals got back on track with a big win against Kansas City on Sunday. Things won't get any easier for Arizona, as they head to St. Louis to take on the resurgent Rams on Thursday night. A loss there and a win by Seattle at home against San Francisco, and Arizona will be looking up at Seattle in the NFC West standings.
5. Seattle Seahawks (9-4): Over the past three weeks, Seattle is 3-0, and has beaten three potential playoff teams with the combined record of 26-13 (Arizona, San Francisco, and Philadelphia) by the combined score of 62-20. As for that "struggling" Seahawks defense, they now rank 1st in total yards allowed per game, 1st in passing yards allowed per game, 3rd in rushing yards allowed per game, and 2nd in points allowed per game. Yeah, it's official - the Legion of Boom is back.
6. Philadelphia Eagles (9-4): Philly is a solid football team. They're explosive on offense, have improved on both defense and special teams, and appear to be a team on the rise. However, they still seem to have trouble beating the best teams in the two conferences. They'll need to do that before they can seriously see themselves as Super Bowl contenders.
7. Detroit Lions (9-4): Granted, the last two games were against Chicago and Tampa Bay, but the offense still looks completely different with a healthy Calvin Johnson.With the defense continuing to play well and a rather favorable schedule down the stretch, a Wild Card spot may be theirs to lose.
8. Dallas Cowboys (9-4): If Dallas loses to Philly on the road this coming Sunday, they'll essentially be two back of the Eagles in the NFC East, with two games to play. Meanwhile, it's quite possible for Seattle, Arizona, and Detroit to all be 10-4 by week's end as well. It won't be impossible for the Cowboys to make the playoffs with a loss on Sunday, but they'll have to hope one of the two Wild Card teams falters in the final two weeks if they want to have a shot.
9. Indianapolis Colts (9-4): Andrew Luck played his worst game of the year and the Colts still found a way to beat Cleveland on the road. Indy is a pretty good football team, but they'll definitely need some help in the run game as well as on the defense when they start making moves in the off-season if they want to take that next step and compete for a Super Bowl.
10. Cincinnati Bengals (8-4-1): Largely due to the incredibly inconsistent play of Andy Dalton quarterback, Cincinnati's offense is one of the most inconsistent in the league. However, they're equally as inconsistent on the other side of the ball, and due to all of these inconsistencies, it's difficult to know what to expect from this team in the final three weeks. They remain half a game up on Pittsburgh and Baltimore, and a game and a half up on Cleveland, but that could all change after their road match-up with the Browns on Sunday. The Browns won their first meeting 24-3.
11. San Diego Chargers (8-5): The Chargers have a huge game at home against the Broncos on Sunday. With a loss, the Broncos will win the AFC West. With a win, however, there's still an outside shot San Diego could take the AFC West reigns away from Denver. They'd also be in good position for a Wild Card spot.
12. Baltimore Ravens (8-5): Baltimore's win against Miami on the road Sunday was huge. Now they travel back home to take on 2-11 Jacksonville, which should place them at 9-5, and in a decent position for at least a Wild Card spot.
13. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-5): With their impressive 42-21 victory over Cincinnati on Sunday, the Steelers made the AFC North THAT much more interesting. Their defense will have to start playing better if they want any shot at winning a game in the playoffs, however.
14. San Francisco 49ers (7-6): Under Jim Harbaugh, the 49ers have advanced to the NFC Championship game three straight years, even making the Super Bowl once. After losing to then 1-11 Oakland on Sunday, the odds of that happening again this year are not good. To make matters worse, the Niners will now travel to Seattle to take on a hot Seahawks team, a team they lost to on Thanksgiving 19-3.
15. Miami Dolphins (7-6): Miami made a good run at it, but will need to display more consistency on offense and also in their rush defense if they want to be a serious playoff contender in the years ahead.
16. Kansas City Chiefs (7-6): This has been the streakiest team in football this year. Kansas City started the year 1-2, then went 6-1, and are now 0-3 in their past three games. If they lose again to Oakland on Sunday, that'll drop them to 7-7 and likely out of the playoff discussion. Yes, Oakland may be 2-11, but one of those two wins came against the Chiefs on Thursday night football.
17. Buffalo Bills (7-6): Buffalo made things interesting at the end of the game against the Broncos, and ended Peyton Manning's touchdown-pass-in-consecutive-games streak, but still wound up with the "L." They'll now have to take on the hottest quarterback in all of football, Aaron Rodgers, at home this coming Sunday. With an upset in that game, the Bills will still be in the playoff discussion. With a loss, however, they'll have to start thinking about next year.
18. Houston Texans (7-6): Don't look now, but the team who had the #1 pick in last year's draft is 7-6 and with a road win against AFC South leader Indianapolis on Sunday, would pull to within one game of the Colts in the division. Even if they lose that game, however, Houston has to see this season as a success. It's not every day a 2-14 team turns around and goes 7-6 the following year and is in the playoff discussion with three weeks left to go in the season.
19. Cleveland Browns (7-6): Cleveland is 1-3 in their past four games and quarterback Brian Hoyer is looking like the team's quarterback of the future as much as Santa Claus looks GQ cover-worthy. If they lose to Cincinnati this coming weekend, they can kiss their playoff hopes goodbye and may start Johnny Manziel in their final two games. If the Browns win, however, that will improve them to 8-6, drop the Bengals to 8-5-1, and make the final two weeks very interesting in the division for all four teams in it.
20. St. Louis Rams (6-7): It's really a shame this team was so banged up all year. It would have been fun seeing a healthy Rams squad go up against the other NFC West teams. Just think, if the Rams played in the NFC South (St. Louis is more south than west), they'd be in first place.
21. Minnesota Vikings (6-7): This is a team that shouldn't be taken lightly. They're solid on defense and have enough on offense to compete in most games. While the Chicago Bears appear to be on the decline in the NFC North, Minnesota appears to be on the rise.
22. New Orleans Saints (5-8): I honestly have nothing more to say about this team. They play the Bears next week. Given both teams' track records, I suppose the first one to 40 wins.
23. Chicago Bears (5-8): Ditto...
24. Atlanta Falcons (5-8): Well, they're still in first place in the NFC South, so that's nice, I guess...
25. Carolina Panthers (4-8-1): Uh, where was that team on Sunday the rest of the year? Carolina appeared to place on their 2013 season helmets and played like the 12-4 team from a year ago, in dominating New Orleans on the road by the final score of 41-10. If they beat Tampa Bay this coming week, sadly enough, they'll still be right in the thick of the playoff discussion.
26. New York Giants (4-9): Tom Coughlin's crew should be mighty proud that they didn't lose to Jacksonville and Tennessee in back-to-back weeks, teams with the combined record of 4-22. Way to go! Now they get to take on 3-10 Washington...
27. Washington Redskins (3-10): I guess the good news for Washington is they know, of all three quarterbacks that have started for them this year, none of them will be their guy moving forward. However, with their track record, I could definitely see the troubled Jameis Winston landing here.
28. New York Jets (2-11): They've only lost their last two games by the combined score of 46-37. We'll see if that close-but-no-cigar rhetoric will keep Rex Ryan and Geno Smith around for another year. Oh, my Magic 8-Ball is telling, "What, are you f**king stupid?" So, nevermind...
29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-11): With a loss on the road against Carolina on Sunday, at 2-12, Tampa Bay would officially be eliminated from playoff contention in the NFC South. Yes, you read that correctly, and yes, that's very sad.
30. Oakland Raiders (2-11): Derek Carr is showing signs of improvement, as is the Raiders defense. Oakland may be 2-11, but are 2-1 in their past three, and the two teams they've beaten have a combined record of 14-12 (Kansas City and San Francisco).
31. Tennessee Titans (2-11): At this point, it appears as if the Titans' final showdown with the Jacksonville Jaguars may ultimately determine who the worst team in football is this year.
32. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-11): Ditto, except replace "Jacksonville Jaguars" with Tennessee Titans. There, that does the trick.
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