Week 14: Power Rankings

Wow, what a great week of football. As games continued to be played we will continue to see what the postseason is going to look like. It’s crazy to think that the playoffs are almost here. It seems like just yesterday we were all excited for NFL kick-off.

This is the portion of the season where things start to get real interesting. Not only do we get to see teams fight to make the playoffs, we also see who will have the first few picks in the draft and where all the young collegiate talent will play their professional ball.

This past week featured a lot of close games. Most of the games this past week were decided by no more than a touchdown.There was the nail bitter in Kansas City, the overtime thriller in Canada (Atl vs Buf) and the shootout in Houston.

Here are my Power Rankings for week 14. Feel free to leave your comments and opinions below. Also, make sure you check back every Tuesday morning as I will continue to post my Power Rankings throughout the season.

Number 1: Seattle Seahawks (11-1) – Last Week 1

Great performance by the Seattle Seahawks on national television. I am so impressed with how quickly Russell Wilson got the NFL game. He is such an incredible quarterback. He continued his impressive season with a 310 passing yard performance and three touchdowns. He also had eight carries for 47 yards. Seattle will most likely earn home field advantage which is a very scary thought for other teams. They are by far the best and most complete team in the NFL.

Number 2: New England Patriots (9-3) – Last Week 2

For consecutive weeks the New England Patriots were forced to comeback from a two possession deficit. They had a shaky start, however, they were able to bounce back nicely yet again. Coach Belichick is one of the best coach in terms of making second half adjustments.

Number 3: Denver Broncos (10-2) – Last Week 3

The Broncos were able to hold off the Kansas City Chiefs late push in the fourth quarter. The Broncos are back in first place in the AFC West and will most likely receive a first round bye. It’s hard to stop Peyton when he is in that kind of zone. Let’s see if he can continue to play like that as the temperature continues to drop.

Number 4: New Orleans Saints (9-3) – Last Week 3

Wow! I picked Seattle to win the game, however, I did not see this coming. The Saints were completely outmatched in every portion of the game. I can’t recall the last time Drew Brees threw for under 150 yards in a game. Let’s see if the Saints can bounce back next week as they are set to take on the Carolina Panthers on Sunday Night football. The winner of that game will be in sole possession of first place in the NFC South.

Number 5: Carolina Panthers (9-3) – Last Week 5

For the eighth straight week the Carolina Panthers have come out on the victorious side. Cam Newton continues to play phenomenal football and in my opinion, has really put himself in the race for the MVP award. Next weeks game against the Saints is going to be a big one.

Number 6: San Francisco 49’ers (8-4) – Last Week 8

After going through a two game losing streak, the San Francisco 49’ers have been able to bounce back nicely. Not only have they won their two previous games, but Colin Kaepernick is playing tremendous football. In two weeks he has four touchdowns and no turnovers. He has been able to post a QB Rating of over 100 in each of these past two games.

Number 7: Cincinatti Bengals (8-4) – Last  Week 7

The Bengals were able to hold off the San Diego Chargers on Sunday with A.J. Green catching a 21 yard pass from Andy Dalton in the third quarter. They have a really good defense, however, this team will go as far as Andy Dalton will take them. He must continue to play turnover free and efficiently in order for this team to continue to have success.

Number 8: Kansas City Chiefs (9-3) – Last Week 6

After starting off the season 9-0, the Kansas City Chiefs have dropped three straight games, all of which were divisional match-ups. It seems as if the offense and defense has decided to switch roles. The offense is starting to click, while the defense has allowed 30 or more points in 2 out of their last 3 games.

Number 9: Detroit Lions (7-5) – Last Week 9

The Detroit Lions were able to roll through the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving afternoon. The Lions don’t normally win their football games on Thanksgiving, so it was nice to see them be able to earn a W.

Number 10: Philadelphia Eagles (7-5) – Last Week 11

A win for the Eagles on Sunday against a really good Arizona Cardinals team is a huge confidence boost. Philly has won four straight games and Nick Foles continues to look more and more like a franchise quarterback each week. He has still not thrown an interception all season and has revived this team from the dead.

Number 11: Indianapolis Colts (8-4) – Last Week 12

The Colts were finally able to play somewhat of a decent game against the Titans on Sunday. Even with everything seeming to go downhill, this team should be okay. Two of their last four games will be against the Houston Texans and the Jacksonville Jaguars. They should win 10 games, however, I am not so sure how well they will be able to fair in the playoffs without an offensive line. My guess, probably not very well.

Number 12: Arizona Cardinals (7-5) – Last Week 10

After falling behind by 17 points early in the game against the Eagles, the Cardinals were able to mount somewhat of a comeback before eventually falling to Philadelphia 24-21. The Cardinals continue to play really good football and Carson Palmer all of a sudden looks like Peyton Manning. They’re still in it and the final game against the San Francisco 49’ers might just decide the final playoff spot in the NFC.

Number 13: Baltimore Ravens (6-6) – Last Week 21

The Ravens are back. They have won three out of their last four games and are starting to get healthy. Torrey Smith is starting to get healthy, Jacoby Jones is good to go and Dennis Pitta is coming back. The defense has also transformed over the past couple of weeks and are playing great team defense. Don’t be surprised if they make a late season run.

Number 14: Dallas Cowboys (7-5) – Last Week 14

The Cowboys were able to hold off the Raiders on Thanksgiving in what actually turned out to be a great game. Both DeMarco Murray and Lance Dunbar both played very well and Tony Romo did just enough to put them over the top. Talk bad about Romo all you want, but at the end of the day he is one of the best quarterbacks in the National Football League.

Number 15: Chicago Bears (6-6) – Last Week 13

Tough loss for the Bears. They still find themselves just one game out of first place, but a loss to the Vikings can’t do much for their confidence. Two out of their last four games are against running teams and the last game is against Green Bay who should have Aaron Rodgers back. Chicago is in BIG trouble.

Number 16: Green Bay Packers (5-6-1) – Last Week 15

Let’s face it, Green Bay is nothing without Rodgers. This team is a below average team, however, they remain in the middle of the pack just because Rodgers isn’t playing. When he is healthy, they are a top ten unit.