NFL Power Rankings: Week 12

I know the Titans still haven’t lost, but how awesome would it be if the Super Bowl was New York versus New York. In the Jets case, it would be like a Hollywood movie ending. The wily, old veteran comes out of “retirement” to lead a scruffy team to the Super Bowl. In the preseason, the Giants obviously didn’t get as much love as they deserved, even though they were the defending champs, but they were expected to make the playoffs. Nobody picked the Jets to do very much this year. Other than Brett Favre and Kris Jenkins, the team didn’t look all that much different from the squad that only won four games in ’07.

The Yankees and Mets faced off in the “Subway Series” back in the 2000 World Series, but the Jets and Giants have never played each other in the Super Bowl. Is this the year?

1. (1) Tennessee Titans [10-0]: Ten down, nine to go. Look out ’72 Dolphins?

2. (2) New York Giants [9-1]: The G-men have won five in a row since that hiccup against Cleveland and four of those wins are against possible playoff teams.

3. (4) Carolina Panthers [8-2]: Delhomme didn’t even crack one hundy in the Panthers close win over Detroit. Should we be concerned about his recent play against terrible teams?

4. (3) Pittsburgh Steelers [7-3]: The NFL’s first 11-10 game was also one of the most bizarre in league history.

5. (6) Tampa Bay Buccaneers [7-3]: Don’t leave out 38 year-old Jeff Garcia in “the year of the old quarterbacks” discussion, he’s also playing great.

6. (7) Arizona Cardinals [7-3]: No team in the NFL is running away with their division faster than the Cards. They may have a playoff spot clinched in a few weeks.

7. (8) New York Jets [7-3]: New York versus New York in the Super Bowl? It’s really not out of the question.

8. (9) New England Patriots [6-4]: Barely lost the battle of the AFC East to the Jets; next comes a huge game at Miami.

9. (5) Washington Redskins [6-4]: What happened to the Redskin’s offense the last two weeks? Oh yea, Clinton Portis is playing with a bum knee and nobody else seems to want to step up.

10. (12) Dallas Cowboys [6-4]: Tony Romo is back and he’s out to prove that there is no Jessica Simpson jinx.

11. (13) Atlanta Falcons [6-4]: I think someone needs to start a petition to bring back the “Dirty Bird” dance made famous by Jamal Anderson.

12. (14) Baltimore Ravens [6-4]: The Ravens defense has fifteen interceptions. The Broncos, Cowboys, Lions and Bills have a combined fifteen interceptions.

13. (15) Indianapolis Colts [6-4]: The Colts sans running game still look to be headed toward the playoffs.

14. (16) Miami Dolphins [6-4]: The ‘Fins will be out to prove they are for real against the Pats, my guess is they aren’t.

15. (10) Chicago Bears [5-5]: Maybe the bears should draft another quarterback in April.

16. (11) Philadelphia Eagles [5-4-1]: Donovan Mcnabb didn’t know there were ties in football? I mean, it’s not like he’s been in the NFL for 10 years.

17. (18) Denver Broncos [6-4]: What has become of the Denver Broncos? I can’t remember two years in a row that they didn’t have a thousand yard rusher.

18. (19) Minnesota Vikings [5-5]: Jared Allen is a naughty boy and needs to go to the principal’s office immediately.

19. (20) Green Bay Packers [5-5]: Ryan Grant was un-stop-able on Sunday.

20. (17) New Orleans Saints [5-5]: Saints finally picked up a “W” on the road. They need to do that far more often if they want to stay in the playoff hunt.

21. (17) Buffalo Bills [5-5]: With a shudder from Scott Norwood, the Bills continue their freefall down the rankings.

22. (22) Jacksonville Jaguars [4-6]: Every week brings a new disappointment to this preseason playoff pick.

23. (23) San Diego Chargers [4-6]: See Above.

24. (25) Cleveland Browns [4-6]: The Browns just missed becoming the first team in NFL history to lose three games in a row when leading by at least 13 points.

25. (24) Houston Texans [3-7]: Houston has lost four games by seven or less points. Quadruple ouch.

26. (29) San Francisco 49ers [3-7]: Thunderous spanking of St. Louis proves that even at the very bottom, some teams are just way worse than others.

27. (28) St. Louis Rams [2-8]: At least the city can be proud that Albert Pujols was named National League MVP.

28. (29) Oakland Raiders [2-8]: Good news: Shane Lechler is having a pro bowl season for the Raiders. Bad news: he’s the punter.

29. (30) Seattle Seahawks [2-8]: Tight End John Carlson is still leading the team in yards. Too bad he only has 337 yards in ten games.

30. (32) Cincinnati Bengals [1-8-1]: A tie is better than a loss. Take that, Kansas City and Detroit! To celebrate let’s all do the “Icky Shuffle.”

31. (31) Kansas City Chiefs [1-9]: I want to say mean things about the Chiefs, but Tyler Thigpen is looking better and better each week. It’s not like he has much around him to help.

32. (33) Detroit Lions [0-10]: I really don’t see the Lions winning any of the rest of their games. I guess there has to be one team that overlooks the Lions, but who?

Chris Osburn is a 26 year old freelance writer and The Father Life‘s resident beer columnist. On top of that, he writes about professional lacrosse for insidelacrosse.com. He’s also written for Genesee Valley Parenting Magazine, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, and ESPN.com. “Osburn on Tap” appears monthly in THE FATHER LIFE. For questions, comments, or if you have a story idea for Chris, visit his website http://www.chrisosburnwrites.com.

Article image by: Paige Foster, SXC