NFL Powers!

The NFL Power Rankings for Week 12 of the 2008 Season:

1. (1) Tennessee Titans (10-0) - They had to prove themselves under pressure during a second-half come-back, but a 24-14 win over Jacksonville puts them at 10-0 now.

2. (2) New York Giants (9-1) - They dismantled the Ravens 30-10, and looked like they are definitely going to be the team to beat from here on out. The defending super bowl champions show no sign of slowing down.

3. (3) Carolina Panthers (8-2) - A 31-22 win over Detroit is just about an expected out-come, but things are sure to be tougher against Atlanta and Green Bay in the coming weeks.

4. (4) Pittsburgh Steelers (7-3) - In a defensive struggle they proved they can win the close games, knocking off San Diego 11-10 (or 18-10 depending on whether you agree with officials).

5. (8) New York Jets (7-3) - Another impressive win, coming in New England this time, and the Jets are really flying high. Favre had another good game, and 258 more passing yards to add to his career totals.

6. (9) Tampa Bay Bucs (7-3) - A 19-13 home win over the Vikings gives them a little momentum heading towards the end of the season, and Garcia is looking pretty good still.

7. (5) Washington Redskins (6-4) - A tough loss to the Cowboys in a 4th quarter melt-down puts them back to 6-4, and could be considered playing for their lives at Seattle on Sunday. Because after that, they play New York and then Baltimore, so it's not an easy road ahead.

8. (6) Baltimore Ravens (6-4) - After beating up some weaker teams, they got brought back down to reality with a humbling by the Giants. Let's see how well they can re-group against Philadelphia on Sunday.

9. (7) New England Patriots (6-4) - The Thursday night loss to the Jets was despite 400 yards passing from Cassel and the offense looked good; but just not good enough.

10. (12) Indianapolis Colts (6-4) - The Colts are still on fire with another win (33-27 over Texans) with Peyton Manning throwing for another 320 yards. They are definitely looking much stronger than earlier in the season.
11. (13) Arizona Cardinals (7-3) - They probably scared some fans along the way, but they took care of the defending NFC West champs, and are sitting pretty for a division title this season.

12. (15) Denver Broncos (6-4) - An important win over the Falcons shows that Cutler can win on the road, and that this team isn't just going to vanish into the night. Important games against the division are coming up soon.

13. (10) Atlanta Falcons (6-4) - A tough loss to the Broncos at home could be costly as the NFC playoff picture takes shape. They need to bounce back quickly if they want to keep pace.

14. (19) Dallas Cowboys (6-4) - Jerry Jones predicted it, and the Cowboys came away with a must-win game over the Redskins. With Romo back at quarterback they played well, and look to take that energy into their games against San Francisco on Sunday.

15. (11) Philadelphia Eagles (5-4-1) - There is no excuse for coming away with a tie against the Bengals, and the Eagles are not looking as good as they should if they want a playoff berth.

16. (17) Minnesota Vikings (5-5) - With even the offense going flat, they lost to the Bucs. It wasn't pretty either, and they need to win this week or the season is basically over for the Vikings.

17. (18) Green Bay Packers (5-5) - Just when you thought the Packers were done, they blow out the Bears and re-gain some fans. They need to keep that momentum flowing on Sunday if they want the NFC to take them seriously again.

18. (20) New Orleans Saints (5-5) - The up-and-down season continues, this time with a win over the Chiefs, as Brees threw for 266 more yards. Playoffs anyone?

19. (21) Miami Dolphins (6-4) - The Dolphins beat another weak team by taking out Oakland 17-15, and it may be time to take notice that Pennington and Ronnie Brown are having good seasons.

20. (14) Chicago Bears (5-5) - The wind sure was taken out of their sails against the Titans, because they came out flat against the Packers and got blown out of the water (3 to 37). Just plain ugly.

21. (25) Cleveland Browns (4-6) - One week after Lewis said the Browns quit, the team rebounded to pound the Bills. Quinn is making this team very interesting to watch now, and now they are worth tuning in to!

22. (16) Buffalo Bills (5-5) - What looked like a very promising season is quickly slipping away from the Bills. They had better get this turned around right away.
23. (22) San Diego Chargers (4-6) - A tough 11-10 loss against Pittsburgh sets them back again, but leaves them still in second place for the AFC West. This week is an important game against Indianapolis if they still want a chance at the playoffs.

24. (24) Jacksonville Jaguars (4-6) - They played the Titans tough, but fell late, and could be looking at a top 10 draft choice next season with some rough match-ups coming up for the Jaguars.

25. (23) Houston Texans (3-7) - They continue to look good while losing, but the losses are really starting to mount up, and this season is turning into yet another wash-out.

26. (28) San Francisco 49ers (3-7) - They broke the log-jam at the bottom of the NFC West to prove that they are the best of the worst. Hopefully more wins are in the future for Singletary's crew.

27. (26) Seattle Seahawks (2-8) - It looked like they might provide a challenge to Arizona in the 4th quarter, but they ultimately choked it away to their 8th loss (already).

28. (27) St. Louis Rams (2-8) - Getting blown out by San Francisco is never a good thing, but this team could be playing for the #1 pick now. Bulger threw for 295 more yards, but if nobody saw it, did it really happen?

29. (29) Oakland Raiders (2-8) - No, 156 yards by Russell is not good enough, not near good enough. Another loss, this time to the Dolphins means that Oakland is heading towards the top of the draft again.

30. (31) Cincinnati Bengals (1-8-1) - They pulled out a tie against Philadelphia. How in the world did they do that? Needless to say, this could be the highlight of their season.

31. (30) Kansas City Chiefs (1-9) - At least the losses are becoming expected now, and at least they have Johnson back. Now the least they could do is offer some refunds to season ticket holders.

32. (32) Detroit Lions (0-10) - At least they made it respectable, and Culpepper did have moments where he looked good against Carolina. But let's face it, 0-10 is oh and ten.