NFL Power Rankings - Week 12

Still two unbeaten teams remain.  This is getting interesting.  One more week and we'll have gone the farthest into a season with two teams unbeaten.  Indy may have a tough time against Tennessee, as the revitalized Titans have yet to lose with Vince Young starting.

There are two divisional titles that are, for all practical purposes, set.  Our two unbeatens could still mathematically fail to win their respective divisions, but that seems unlikely.  A win by each of them clinches, as does a loss by Jacksonville and Atlanta.

This week's ranking [Last week's position]
1.  New Orleans Saints (11-0) [1] : Another strong win, and against one of their toughest opponents of the season
2.  Indianapolis Colts (11-0) [2] : More offense than I expected, but at least this margin was more than a score
3.  Minnesota Vikings (10-1) [3] : Destroyed the Bears to take commanding lead in NFC North
4.  Dallas Cowboys (8-3) [5] : Strong Thanksgiving Day victory
5.  San Diego Chargers (8-3) [6] : Quietly moving up the rankings
6.  Green Bay Packers (7-4) [7]
7.  New England Patriots (7-4) [4]
8.  Philadelphia Eagles (7-4) [9] : Nice win, even if it was against Washington
9.  Cincinnati Bengals (8-3) [10] : They swept the AFC North and have strong lead for the division title
10. Arizona Cardinals (7-4) [8]
11. Baltimore Ravens (6-5) [12]
12. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5) [11] : That game never should have gotten to overtime; had Big Ben played, they would have won in regulation
13. Denver Broncos (7-4) [21] : They got out of their rut by slaughtering the Giants, who couldn't maintain their improvement
14. Atlanta Falcons (6-5) [15]
15. San Francisco 49ers (5-6) [17] : Still in the playoff hunt
16. Tennessee Titans (5-6) [22] : Vince Young has brought this team to nearly .500!
17. New York Jets (5-6) [18]
18. Houston Texans (5-6) [16]
19. Jacksonville Jaguars (6-5) [14]
20. New York Giants (6-5) [13] : Back to their losing ways in a horrific loss!
21. Buffalo Bills (4-7) [29] : HUGE game for the Bills!
22. Seattle Seahawks (4-7) [23]
23. Miami Dolphins (5-6) [19]
24. Chicago Bears (4-7) [20] : Another pathetic performance by Jay Cutler
25. Carolina Panthers (4-7) [24] : Jake Delhomme looked pretty pitiful
26. Kansas City Chiefs (3-8) [26]
27. Washington Redskins (3-8) [27] : They tried, but couldn't upset the Eagles
28. Oakland Raiders (3-8) [26] : Slaughtered like a Thanksgiving turkey
29. Detroit Lions (2-9) [28] : The league is thinking of taking away Detroit's Thanksgiving Day game
30. Tampa Bay Bucs (1-10) [30]
31. Cleveland Browns (2-9) [31]
32. St Louis Rams (1-10) [32]

Division rankings
1.  AFC South [2] : One unbeaten team and the others closely clustered
2.  NFC East [1] : Two Top Ten teams, but the Giants are dragging them down again
3.  AFC North [4] : Three teams among the top twelve makes this a strong division, despite Cleveland
4.  NFC North [3] : Two teams in the Top Ten puts some punch into this division
5.  AFC East [5] : Not looking good for this division
6.  NFC South [6] : They have the best team in the league, but they suffer elsewhere
7.  AFC West [7] : If Denver can bounce back, this division can move up
8.  NFC West [8] : Although the 49ers make some noise, really this team is relying on Arizona to keep them in contention