NFL Power Rankings - Week 13

We had some interesting upsets, but there wasn't as much position movement as you'd expect.  The gap between the top teams and the others is very large.  New Orleans need overtime to remain unbeaten, but their perfect season continues.  Both unbeatens may face challenges this week.

This week's rankings [Last week's position]
1.  Indianapolis Colts (12-0) [2] : They easily maintained their perfect record, vaulting over the Saints
2.  New Orleans Saints (12-0) [1] : They needed overtime to win
3.  Minnesota Vikings (10-2) [3] : They lost, but had such a large gap over the teams below them
4.  Cincinnati Bengals (9-3) [9] : The Bengals clinch the AFC North with a win, thanks to their unbeaten divisional record, and look to lock the second seed in the AFC
5.  San Diego Chargers (9-3) [5] : The team who could give Cincy a battle for second seed, the Chargers want that bye week
6.  Green Bay Packers (8-4) [6] : Nice win over the Ravens, the Pack sneak closer to the division-leading Vikings
7.  Philadelphia Eagles (8-4) [8]: The Eagles are happy that the Giants beat Dallas, and a commanding defeat of Atlanta makes them one of the most dangerous teams right now
8.  Dallas Cowboys (8-4) [4] : They lost their lead in the NFC East, and their defense needs to regroup
9.  New England Patriots (7-5) [7] : Another close loss - something's wrong in Boston
10. Arizona Cardinals (8-4) [10] : Strong victory over Minnesota gives them breathing room over the 49ers for the division title
11. Denver Broncos (8-4) [13] : They're coming back to life
12. Baltimore Ravens (6-6) [11] : Their playoff hopes are dwindling
13. New York Jets (6-6) [17] : Chasing the struggling Patriots for the division title
14. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-6) [12] : Three consecutive losses puts the defending Super Bowl champs in grave danger of missing the playoffs
15. New York Giants (7-5) [20] : Stunning victory over Dallas keeps them in the playoff hunt
16. San Francisco 49ers (5-7) [15] : They're losing pace on both the division title and the playoffs
17. Jacksonville Jaguars (7-5) [19]
18. Houston Texans (5-7) [18]
19. Miami Dolphins (6-6) [23] : Hotly in the hunt to replace New England atop the division
20. Seattle Seahawks (5-7) [22] : Making a late rush for the playoffs
21. Atlanta Falcons (6-6) [14] : Horrible loss against Philly - they couldn't go anything!
22. Tennessee Titans (5-7) [16] : The winning streak is over
23. Chicago Bears (5-7) [24]
24. Carolina Panthers (5-7) [25]
25. Oakland Raiders (4-8) [28] : Solid victory over the Steelers keeps Oakland mathematically eligible for the playoffs
26. Buffalo Bills (4-8) [21] : Looking bad for the Bills
27. Washington Redskins (3-9) [27] : Now we start the list of teams eliminated from playoff contention
28. Kansas City Chiefs (3-9) [26]
29. Detroit Lions (2-10) [29]
30. Cleveland Browns (2-10) [31] : Hey, where was that offense all season long?
31. Tampa Bay Bucs (1-11) [30]
32. St Louis Rams (1-11) [32]

Division rankings [Last week's position]
1.  NFC East [2] : The division race is heating up with two teams in the Top Ten
2.  AFC South [1] : Tennessee's fall hurts the division
3.  AFC North [3] : Baltimore and Pittsburgh are sliding, and so might this division
4.  NFC North [4] : Two teams in the Top Ten support the division
5.  AFC East [5] : Another tight division race, but only one team has a winning record
6.  AFC West [7] : With Oakland's improvement, could the division follow?
7.  NFC South [6] : Atlanta's fall leaves the unbeaten Saints as the only team with a winning record
8.  NFC West [8] : This division is becoming uninteresting

Divisional races:
AFC East:  Very tight race.  Too much can still happen in four weeks.  New England leads by a game, but their recent problems put that in jeopardy.
AFC North: Cincy holds the tiebreaker over everyone with their unbeaten divisional record.  One more win, or losses by both Baltimore and Pittsburgh, hands the division title to the Bengals
AFC South: Already won by Indianapolis
AFC West: The Chargers lead by one game, and hold the tiebreaker against Denver.
NFC East: Philly and Dallas are tied, with the Giants only a game back.  Like the AFC East, this is a tight race.
NFC North:  The Vikings hold a two-game lead over Green Bay.  Nobody else has a shot at the title.  Minnesota holds the tiebreaker over the Pack, so two more wins by Minnesota seals it.
NFC South: Already won by New Orleans
NFC West:  Arizona leads by three games.  They don't have a tiebreaker advantage over San Francisco, so the 49ers could still sneak in, but I doubt it.

Wildcards:
AFC:  Denver and Jacksonville leads the pack, but the many 6-6 teams still have a shot.  The 5-7 teams have an outside possibility, and even Oakland is still alive.
NFC:  Green Bay and the NFC East runner-up hold the advantage.  The Giants and Falcons still have a chance.  The 5-7 teams are possibilities, but they can't afford to lose.