Coming into the last week of the regular season, we've seen teams far exceed expectations (the Bengals and 49ers come to mind), as well as teams that have laid massive eggs (Eagles' fans would likely agree). Here are the results of my final regular season power rankings.
32. St. Louis Rams (2-13) - I really expected the Rams to take another step towards respectability this season, but injuries along the offensive line led to QB Sam Bradford battling injuries through most of the year, and their rush defense has been absolutely terrible. While they'll still need an Indianapolis win to avoid getting the #1 pick, no team is playing worse than the Rams right now.
31. Minnesota Vikings (3-12) - The Vikings got a road win against the Redskins this past week, but lost Adrian Peterson for the finale with a torn ACL and MCL. Toby Gerhart has played fairly well in AP's absense, but there could be a QB controversy, as Joe Webb has arguably out-performed first-round pick Christian Ponder at quarterback.
30. Indianapolis Colts (2-13) - The Colts have now won two straight following their come-from-behind win over the AFC South champion Houston Texans. This next week could be the last time we see WR Reggie Wayne in a Colts uniform, but if Peyton Manning is able to return healthy, you have to believe owner Jim Irsay will try to keep him around a little while longer, as he's still an effective receiver in this league.
29. Tampa Bay Buccanneers (4-11) - The Bucs tailspin continues after their 48-16 loss to Carolina, their ninth straight loss on the season. While he's not solely to blame, Raheem Morris will likely be looking for a new job, as a team that recorded ten wins last season has regressed more than any team in recent memory despite having essentially the same talent as the year prior.
28. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-11) - The Jaguars competed, but ultimately came up short against the Titans on Saturday. Until the offense gets better receiving weapons and offensive line play, Maurice Jones-Drew will have to continue to do it all. Speaking of MJD, aside from something ridiculous happening in week 17, he'll lead the league in rushing (1,437 yards through 15 games) despite teams continuing to load up the box to stop him.
27. Cleveland Browns (4-11) - The Browns have dropped five straight, but have been within shouting distance in the fourth quarter of their past three games (road losses to Pittsburgh, Arizona and Baltimore). Greg Little is starting to emerge as their top receiving threat, but there will be serious questions at QB and RB, as Colt McCoy has been very average this season, and Peyton Hillis could leave via free agency after this season.
26. Washington Redskins (5-10) - The Redskins knocked both Adrian Peterson and Christian Ponder out of the game for the Vikings, yet still fell at home. Mike Shanahan will likely look to take a quarterback in the draft, as Rex Grossman and John Beck are both better suited to be backups, and have a combined 17:23 TD-INT ratio.
25. Kansas City Chiefs (6-9) - After knocking off the previously unbeaten Packers last week, the Chiefs couldn't sustain their momentum in a three-point overtime loss to the Raiders that knocked them out of the hunt for the AFC West crown. They'll have to try and play spoiler, and Kyle Orton will have a chance to knock out the team that released him in their game in Denver to close out the season.
24. Chicago Bears (7-8) - The team has dropped five straight games, and truly misses both QB Jay Cutler and RB Matt Forte. The one bright spot has been the play of Kahlil Bell, who has amassed 186 yards rushing, 81 yards receiving and a touchdown the past two games. Its sad to see injuries derail what likely would have been a playoff team, but the storyline entering the offseason will be the contract status of Matt Forte, who will enter free agency after he and GM Jerry Angelo couldn't agree to a long-term deal.
23. Buffalo Bills (6-9) - The Bills shut down any hopes for a Denver comeback, intercepting Tebow four times, two of which were returned for scores in their 40-14 home win. Despite scoring 40 points, the team still struggled in the red zone, and kicker Dave Rayner had six field goal attempts (making four). C.J. Spiller racked up 111 yards on 16 carries, and has begun to shed the premature "bust" label that some were placing on him.
22. Miami Dolphins (5-10) - The Dolphins looked very good against the Pats, running out to a 17-0 halftime lead, but couldn't maintain their first half effort and fell 27-24 in Foxborough. QB Matt Moore continued his steady play, throwing for three touchdowns, and has at least made management think twice about drafting a quarterback this next year, as he's the #4 rated passer in the AFC with an 89.8 quarterback rating, and has a 15:7 TD-INT ratio.
21. Carolina Panthers (6-9) - The Panthers have won four of five games, and Cam Newton will likely be a runaway choice for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Newton is having the best rookie season for a QB in NFL history, as he already has the rookie rushing toucdown record (now at 14), and broke Peyton Manning's yardage mark this past week (now at 3,893 yards). This team could be scary good when they get some key players back from injury, and will be a team to watch next season.
20. Arizona Cardinals (7-8) - The Cardinals struggled for much of the game, and John Skelton threw three costly interceptions in their road loss to the Bengals. I'm keeping an eye on the quarterback situation in Arizona, as John Skelton hasn't necessarily put up great numbers, but the team has performed better in his starts than big acquisition Kevin Kolb.
19. San Diego Chargers (7-8) - With hope for the playoffs still alive, the Chargers allowed Matthew Stafford to throw for 373 yards and three touchdowns as they fell in Detroit 38-10. Norv Turner is likely on his way out, and GM A.J. Smith might not be far behind. There is talent on this team, but whoever the new coach is will need to get the most out of that talent, something nice guy Turner hasn't been able to do in his tenure.
18. Tennessee Titans (8-7) - The Titans eked out a home win against Jacksonville, keeping their slim playoff chances alive. Tennessee will need both Cincinnati and Oakland to lose, along with a win against the Texans in order to lock up the #6 seed.
17. Seattle Seahawks (7-8) - The 'Hawks gave San Francisco all they could handle, but the leg of David Akers (now the single-season record holder for field goals made) and a costly fumble by QB Tarvaris Jackson allowed the 49ers to salt the game away. In the loss, Marshawn Lynch continued to extend his franchise-record streak of consecutive games with a touchdown and topped 100 yards. Both his rushing touchdown and 100 yard rushing performance were the first of either the 49ers had allowed this season.
16. Philadelphia Eagles (7-8) - The Eagles were eliminated from playoff contention this past week, but got a 20-7 win over the Cowboys in Dallas. Michael Vick was solid, and DeSean Jackson again performed well with Vick playing, racking up 90 yards on five catches. The team is headed in the right direction, and if it doesn't turn the ball over, there's very few teams that can beat them. Its just too bad we'll have to wait until next season to find that out.
15. Oakland Raiders (8-7) - The Raiders got an important victory over the Chiefs on Sunday, and young wideouts Denarius Moore and Darrius Heyward-Bey combined for 164 yards and a touchdown in the win. The Raiders will need to win against the Chargers and: 1) a Denver loss to Kansas City to win the division, or; 2) the Bengals lose to Baltimore and either a Tennessee loss to Houston or a Jets win over the Dolphins. The Wild Wild West indeed.
14. New York Jets (8-7) - In the "Battle for New York" the Jets couldn't back up head coach Rex Ryan's braggadocio, falling to the G-Men 29-14. The Jets now have to beat the Dolphins, and have both the Bengals and Raiders lose in order to reach the postseason. If they aren't able to make the playoffs, that would be approaching the disappointment that Eagles' fans are feeling.
13. Denver Broncos (8-7) - The Broncos have now dropped two straight, and Tim Tebow had his worst game of the year, throwing four interceptions against the Bills. Denver can still lock up the AFC West with a win over the Chiefs, but have looked shaky in their past two outings.
12. Dallas Cowboys (8-7) - Dallas lost Tony Romo to an injured hand early in the first quarter of their 20-7 defeat to the Eagles, and their running game wasn't productive without both DeMarco Murray and Felix Jones, who missed the game due to injury. Romo is likely to play in the winner-take-all game for the NFC East title with the Giants, and will likely need a very good game, as the status of Jones is up in the air for the game.
11. New York Giants (8-7) - In a must-win game, the Giants beat up Jets QB Mark Sanchez, and Eli Manning connected with Victor Cruz on a NFL record-tying 99 yard touchdown pass in their victory over in-city rival New York Jets. The Giants are likely going to be slight favorites over the Cowboys, but will need balance in the offense to keep DeMarcus Ware from being able to pin his ears back and rush Eli Manning.
10. Houston Texans (10-5) - The Texans have the #3 seed locked up, but suffered a comeback loss to the Colts on Thursday night. The running game continues to be productive, but will need to open up their offense more and allow T.J. Yates to throw enough to keep defenses honest. The potential return of WR Andre Johnson should help a passing attack that has looked less than impressive the past two weeks.
9. Cincinnati Bengals (9-6) - The team continues to defy any notion that this is a rebuilding year, and were it not for Cam Newton's ridiculous season, Andy Dalton would likely be a runaway Offensive Rookie of the Year. Fellow rookie A.J. Green is continuing to make big plays, and the defense has been playing good football lately. Going into the last week of the season, the Bengals control their own destiny for the sixth and final AFC playoff spot, but will need a signature win at home against Baltimore, who will be trying to lock up a first-round bye with a win.
8. Atlanta Falcons (9-6) - The Falcons got decimated by Drew Brees and the Saints on Monday night, but still wrapped up a postseason berth after the Bears loss to the Packers on Sunday night. Matt Ryan has continued to throw the ball well, but their pass defense will need to improve to avoid another brief postseason appearance.
7. Detroit Lions (10-5) - The Lions locked up their first playoff appearance since 1999, and Matthew Stafford has thrown for a combined 764 yards and 7 touchdowns the past two weeks. The lack of a running game is concerning, and their defense has struggled against the run, but the Lions are a dangerous playoff team with a passing attack that has seen Stafford throw for over 4,500 yards and 36 TD through 15 games.
6. Baltimore Ravens (11-4) - The Ravens have had shaky performances the past couple of weeks, and narrowly escaped with a 20-14 home win over the Browns. The Ravens have struggled some in pass protection this season, and are not a very good road team (3-4), so establishing Ray Rice and the running game early will be a key for them in their game against the Bengals, as well as in the playoffs.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers (11-4) - Pittsburgh was able to easily handle a beat-up Rams team with Charlie Batch at quarterback. My concerns for this team are their ability to protect the quarterback, as well as being able to establish a consistent running game. The health of Ben Roethlisberger and Maurkice Pouncey will have a big impact on what this team can do in the playoffs, but their defense is still championship caliber.
4. New England Patriots (12-3) - New England came out for the second half of their game against the Dolphins trailing 17-0, and staged a furious comeback to win 27-24. Tom Brady is on pace to pass Dan Marino for second on the single-season passing yards, and has three legitimate receiving weapons (Welker, Gronkowski, Hernandez) that make game-planning a nightmare for opposing defensive coordinators.
3. San Francisco 49ers (12-3) - San Francisco held on to beat a very game Seahawks team that had already beaten Baltimore and Philadelphia in Seattle this season. While their conservative offensive gameplans aren't exciting to watch, they play a ferocious defense that has surrendered just one rushing touchdown on the season, and are unsurprisingly #1 against the run. This team is built for postseason play, and will be a tough out for whoever they face.
2. New Orleans Saints (12-3) - Drew Brees' amazing season continued Monday night, as he passed Dan Marino's single season passing record, and now has thrown for 5,187 yards and 41 TD through 15 games. Like Brady, Brees has a great receiving corps, and a running back committee that has each back bring something different to the table. This team is nearly unbeatable at home (7-0), and averages a whopping 40.4 points per game in the Superdome.
1. Green Bay Packers (14-1) - The Packers locked up the NFL's best record and homefield throughout the NFC playoffs with a 35-21 home win over the Bears. Aaron Rodgers threw for five touchdowns in the game, and should have Greg Jennings back for the playoffs, only adding to an already potent passing attack that has seen Rodgers throw for 4,643 yards, 45 TD and only 6 interceptions. While Brees should (rightfully) get serious consideration, Rodgers would be my choice for MVP.
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