What a fabulous weekend! Playoff eligible teams in the NFC won, ending up making the seedings look just like last week. The Texans continued their late season collapse and fell from top seed to Number Three.
I'll rank the twelve playoff teams, and then include the top non-playoff teams to round out this week's power rankings.
Playoff Power Rankings [Last week's position]
1. Denver Broncos (13-3) [1] : The top seed in the AFC got there on the strength of an 11-game winning streak. Peyton Manning has adjusted to the new team and new scheme,. and he is as dangerous as ever.
2. New England Patriots (12-4) [3] : The AFC's second seed has the most potent offense in the league, and their defense isn't half bad. They proved that with a final week shutout.
3. Atlanta Falcons (13-3) [2] : The NFC's top seed lost two of their last five games, and struggled against the Bucs. Their chances to reach the Super Bowl depend upon how well they turn things around during their bye week.
4. Seattle Seahawks (11-5) [6] : They may be a wildcard, but they showed more fire these past few weeks than any other NFC team. They will be dangerous, despite a poor road record.
5. San Francisco 49ers (11-4-1) [7] : I'm sure they're happy St Louis isn't in the playoffs! Their defense came alive in the last couple of weeks, so they are entering the playoffs on a high note.
6. Green Bay Packers (11-5) [4] : They didn't give Adrian Peterson the rushing record (although a couple of their defenders insinuated they would), but they gave him too much of a cushion. Or perhaps they just wanted the Bears to be eliminated. Whatever, they failed to get the bye week they sorely needed, so now their sore bodies must battle on Saturday.
7. Houston Texans (12-4) [5] : They fell from first seed to third seed in one week. That is an indication that they collapsed. They also have a losing record in the month leading up to the playoffs.
8. Cincinnati Bengals (10-6) [10] : Once thought to be a longshot for the playoffs, the Bengals stiffened up in the latter portion of the season.
9. Washington Redskins (10-6) [11] : Their 7-game winning streak is the best in the NFC, and second only to Denver's among the playoff teams.
10. Baltimore Ravens (10-6) [9] : How far has Baltimore fallen? They have the worst record of any playoff team throughout December (1-4) and are decimated with injuries.
11. Minnesota Vikings (10-6) [12] : They outplayed Green Bay, and Christian Ponder has been a stellar leader the past two weeks.
12. Indianapolis Colts (11-5) [13] : I'd place them higher, but their negative point differential still concerns me. They find ways to win, though, and could advance.
Best of the rest [Last week's position]
13. Chicago Bears (10-6) [8] : Still the most dangerous defense in the league, and the return of Earl Bennett gave them another receiving threat.
14. New York Giants (9-7) [14] : They were inconsistent, but their dominating performance against Philly showed that they still have the right stuff
15. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-8) [17] : They had some trouble, but they can still put together a strong game
16. New Orleans Saints (7-9) [16] : Defense still needs some work, but if they had started the year better, they might have been in the playoffs
Divisional power rankings [Last week's position]
1. NFC North [1] : They commanded most of the year, and finished as the only division with three teams who won at least ten games. Defense and a strong running game were the game plan in Chicago and Minnesota, while strong passing attacks and designed coverages were the stalwarts in Green Bay and Detroit. Despite a poor record, Detroit was a tough competitor. If their two playoff teams didn't have to face off in the first round, they could have both reached the NFC title game.
2. NFC South [2] : Despite contributing only one playoff team, they are the only division without a team who suffered losses of ten game or more. Their teams may not have been consistent, but they all had flashes of brilliance.
3. AFC North [3] : Like the NFC North, they have only one team with a losing record, and for a while their top three dominated the AFC
4. NFC West [4] : Two playoff teams, each with eleven wins, and a surprisingly competitive Rams team late in the season
5. NFC East [5] : Home of parity, three teams had a shot at the division title until the final week. Dallas was an early power, and the Giants could often threaten at points of games. Dallas was also a dangerous 4th quarter team this season who you could rarely discount.
6. AFC East [6] : The Jets offense was deplorable, but Miami and Buffalo show promise -- they just need to show it more consistently.
7. AFC South [7] : The presence of two playoff teams is offset by the dismal performances of Tennessee and Jacksonville, the latter which gets the first pick in the draft.
8. AFC West [8] : Denver could have still won with an 8-8 record (although they did much better than that), which shows how bad the rest of the division is.
Playoffs -- First round
We have some strong wildcards this season. I am tempted to pick ALL of the wildcards this week, but I'll hold back on that exuberance, as that has only happened once before.
Saturday games:
Cincinnati Bengals (#6 seed) at Houston Texans (#3) : The AFC Wildcards have definitely outplayed their playoff opponents over the past month. Cincy still has some issues, but Houston has been playing BENEATH themselves for weeks. It almost seems like they don't believe in themselves, an issue that will cause problems in the high-stress playoff environment. Matt Schaub has gone from being one of the league's most accurate passers to a mediocre one, while Andy Dalton has gained some of his rhythm. I like the momentum the Bengals have established coming into the playoffs, and I think Houston's two-game losing streak is a terrible prelude to the playoffs. BENGALS, 24-17
Minnesota Vikings (#6) at Green Bay Packers (#3) : In their two previous match-ups, Adrian Peterson has rushed for over 400 yards. Christian Ponder is getting better, and the Vikings are on a strong four game winning streak. They seem the logical choice to win the game, especially considering the number of injured players on the Packers. However, this weekend's game proved tough for some of the Vikings, and they may be nearly as banged up as the Packers. Green Bay was coming on later in the game. While the hostile confines of Lambeau Field is not a detriment to the Vikings, I think the Pack will benefit some from the home crowd, at least to squeeze past the Vikings. PACKERS, 26-24
Sunday games:
Indianapolis Colts (#5) at Baltimore Ravens (#4) : The Ravens have been utterly atrocious in December! While some of their woes can be attributed to injuries, that doesn't seem to cover it completely. The Colts, on the other hand, have been rejuvenated by the healthy return of their coach. The Colts don't win by much, but they do find ways to win. COLTS, 27-24
Seattle Seahawks (#5) at Washington Redskins (#4) : This could be the most intriguing of all of the first round playoff games. Both teams have been strong in the latter part of the season. Washington comes in on a seven-game winning streak, Seattle on a five-game streak. Both have a sturdy with a dynamic offense. Both rookie quarterbacks (RGIII and Russell Wilson) are dangerous by either passing or scrambling, although Wilson's arm seems a bit stronger while Griffin is normally a bit faster. I said "normally" because he was hampered with an injured knee on Sunday, and that may be the difference in the game. Dallas didn't key on that enough, but it was obviously that Griffin's mobility was reduced. Trust Pete Carroll to zero in on that, and let the dynamic Seahawks offense, which has been the most powerful of any in December, force Griffin to have to keep moving. SEAHAWKS, 34-27
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