NFL 2012 Week 13 Power rankings

Surprisingly, the teams in the top half of the league didn't change much, although their positions shifted a bit.  The Giants didn't seem to fix their offensive woes after all, and Baltimore stumbled against Pittsburgh. In fact, it wasn't a great week for divisional leaders, although three division titles were crowned.

Top half of the league [Last week's position]
1.  Houston Texans (11-1) [1] : They were happy to play a normal four-quarter game
2.  Atlanta Falcons (11-1) [5] : The only NFC division crown was won by this team, who smothered the Saints offense on Thursday
3.  New England Patriots (9-3) [3] : They didn't score as much as I thought, but they still surpassed Miami to capture the division
4.  Denver Broncos (9-3) [6] : Owners of the third division title, their offense ran ripshod over the Bucs
5.  San Francisco 49ers (8-3-1) [2]  They have a losing record against divisional opponent St Louis
6.  Chicago Bears (8-4) [4] : They couldn't put away Seattle in regulation, and then couldn't stop them in overtime
7.  Baltimore Ravens (9-3) [7] : They fell to a Charlie Batch-led Steelers team.  WHOOPS!
8.  New York Giants (7-5) [8] : They are lucky teams around them fell, as they couldn't hold back RGIII and the Redskins
9.  Green Bay Packers (8-4) [11] : It wasn't pretty, but sometimes a win is a win
10. Seattle Seahawks (7-5) [10] : Their conquest of the Bears in overtime and the 49ers' loss puts them back in the division title hunt, and strongly holding the second wildcard spot
11. Cincinnati Bengals (7-5) [12] : They beat San Diego in a more defensive battle (yup, you read THAT right!) to move two games back from Baltimore
12. Tampa Bay Bucs (6-6) [9] : They may not have been able to stop Denver's offense, but their own offense showed up well
13. Washington Redskins (6-6) [13] : A one-point win over the Giants, and a staunch red zone defense that forced New York to kick three field goals, puts the Redskins in pouncing distance of the division title
14. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-6) [14] : Nice win over the Ravens to return to .500
15. Indianapolis Colts (8-4) [18] : They are preventing Houston from capturing the division title too soon, as their winning streak now stands at six games.
16. Minnesota Vikings (6-6) [17] : They're still in the NFC wildcard hunt, but things look bleak

Divisional Power Rankings [Last week's position]
1.  NFC North [1] : They've held this spot nearly all season, but their grip is slipping.  The Vikings are falling, the Lions can't get a run going, and Chicago has lost three of their last four.
2.  AFC North [2] : They're ready to take the lead, as they are the only division with three teams with positive point differentials.  Unless Minnesota wins by ten or Detroit by 18, that will remain
3.  NFC South [2] : Falls by the Saints and Bucs have made this division more vulnerable, but fortunately there is considerable space between them and Number 4...
4.  NFC West [4] : The race for the division title is tightening, and even St Louis is in the wildcard hunt
5.  NFC East [5] : They completely played within the division this week, so we can't really draw comparisons with other divisions.  Washington and Dallas are improving, though, so that looks promising
6.  AFC East [6] : The Jets won a baseball score (7-6) while the Bills nearly doubled up on Jacksonville.  There is some power left in this division after all!
7.  AFC South [7] : Houston and Indy continue to find it hard to compensate for Tennessee and Jacksonville
8.  AFC West [8] : Denver has won the division, and will likely be the only playoff team from this division

Divisional races
The AFC East, AFC West, and NFC South are clinched, but playoff berths are still the question.  I'll add those after the divisions.

AFC North:  Baltimore leads by two, but they have tough opponents for their next three games (Washington, Denver, and the Giants).  Cincy has it easier, with Dallas, Philly, and Pittsburgh. The Bengals could capture the lead going into their season-ending showdown with the Ravens.

AFC South  Houston leads by three, but they have New England next and still face the Colts twice.  If they beat Indy at home in the first meeting, they can clinch the division.

NFC East:  The Redskins tightened this race on Monday night, as New York leads by just a game.  The Redskins actually have the best divisional record, so a win and a Giants loss gives them the lead.  Washington plays Baltimore this week, though, so that may not be easy.  Next week the Giants have Atlanta, though, so the Redskins could capture the division lead next week.

NFC North:  Green Bay holds the tiebreaker over Chicago, and the Bears have some tough games ahead.  This division title has gained importance, as the 49ers loss means this division winner could capture the Number Two seed.  The Pack has the easier schedule, so look for them to win the division.

NFC West:  San Fran still leads, but it's down to a game and a half.  With games against Miami and Arizona remaining, they just need to have Seattle lose one, or beat Seattle in two weeks, to clinch.

AFC Seeds:  Houston leads the race for Number One by two games, but the Patriots are now the favorite for Number Two.  Denver could jump to Number Three, leaving the AFC North winner as Number Four.  The Colts are the likely Number Five (and two more wins should clinch that) while Cincy and Pittsburgh are battling for Number Six.

NFC Seeds:  Atlanta seems the likely top seed, leading San Fran by two and a half and the NFC North leaders by three.  Green Bay is likely to win three of their last four, forcing San Fran to win three if they want Number Two.  The NFC East winner is the likely Number Four, while Chicago leads the race for Number Five.  Seattle leads for Number Six, but if they stumble, the NFC East runner-up might capture it.  Tampa is also a possibility, but they are playing like they want to give it away.