NFL Week 12 Power Rankings

Added by Vin D'Anton on November 20, 2012.

1. Houston Texans (1): Yes it was a division game. Yes they still won. Still, the defense shouldn’t get burned the way they did. Hopefully this was just a hiccup for their sake. Interesting Thanksgiving matchup against a desperate Lions team. 

2. Atlanta Falcons (2): If you want to say they were lucky to win, then Matt Ryan was unlucky with some of those interceptions. The division is most likely still theirs, but the Saints are hot and they have to play Tampa twice. 

3. Baltimore Ravens (4): No matter who is playing quarterback for the Steelers they will always be tough to beat. The Ed Reed suspension is hogwash and could make a difference at San Diego next week. 

4. Green Bay Packers (5): Well they should part thank the Bears for handing the division back to them and thank themselves for playing great while hurt. They actually seem to play better when half the roster is out. They’re going to win the North. 

5. San Francisco 49ers (6): Now what do they do? Colin Kaepernick is going to become a fan favorite. While 49ers fans will see it as a plus, it can easily cause a problem in the locker room among other things. 

6. New England Patriots (7): Wow, what a beat down. Wow, what an injury. No need to worry when you have the greatest coach of the modern era. 

7. Chicago Bears (3): Maybe Brian Urlacher was right about how important Jay Cutler is to this team. He adds a confidence that is obviously not there with Jason Campbell. Get well soon Jay. 

8. Denver Broncos (8): Sheesh, will Peyton Manning ever be happy? He’s a man on a mission and seems hungrier than ever. 

9. Pittsburgh Steelers (9): Cut them some slack for almost beating the Ravens with an injured back-up. Even with Charlie Batch this week they will beat the Browns no problem. 

10. Seattle Seahawks (11): Let’s get a dominant road win for once against the free falling Dolphins this week and show us something. Russell Wilson needs a good road performance to prove himself. 

The New Orleans Saints, led by QB Drew Brees, are one of the NFL's hottest teams heading into Week 12.

11. Indianapolis Colts (10): I’m cutting them slack too. While that was a rough loss, it was a great lesson as well. They will put it back together and make the playoffs. 

12. New York Giants (12): Unreal. The NFL schedule makers must sit in a room and giggle when they make up their schedule. This can get ugly if Green Bay beats them down. 

13. New Orleans Saints (13): I pity the fool who said they was out of it! Drew Brees is so much fun to watch and I feel is not being appreciated due to the Sean Payton nonsense. Way to back up the talk Drew. 

14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (14): It’s frustrating because they could easily be 8-2 or even 9-1. Only Dallas dominated them while the other three losses came down to literally the last play. Vincent Jackson is playing out of his mind this year. 

15. Minnesota Vikings (15): Back on the grind this week and they better hit it hard. The division is out of reach so they will only get in with the sixth seed. Adrian Peterson can carry them there. 

16. Dallas Cowboys (16): Ten first downs off of penalties and a flukey rule propelled them to a win. They weren’t happy with themselves afterwards which shows they are hungrier than people perceive. With the Giants a mess, they can easily take the East. 

17. Cincinnati Bengals (20) OK so maybe I crucified their season to early but come on, can it really happen? I still doubt it. 

18. Washington Redskins (23): Do we pick up the towel? 

19. Arizona Cardinals (18): Ken Whisenhunt must be nuts with that quarterback change Sunday. A big QB change needs to come this offseason. 

20. Detroit Lions (19): That was a game they had to have. Matthew Stafford needs to stop looking like a poor man’s Brett Favre. 

21. Miami Dolphins (17): Ryan Tannehill is growing up so this was expected as every draft guru knew he was going to be a project. Watching Chad Henne tear up the Texans must have made ‘Phins fans sick. 

22. Tennessee Titans (22): They can stay in the hunt if they avoid an upset at the scrappy Jags this week. I’m feeling like they have another blowout win in them this week. 

23. New York Jets (25): Does anyone else feel like they only won because Brian Schottenheimer was calling plays for the Rams? 

24. Buffalo Bills (27): Nice win for those great fans in primetime. Ryan Fitzpatrick is still nothing special and will lose games for them down the stretch. 

25. St. Louis Rams (21): They only lost because…yeah, that Schottenheimer guy. 

26. San Diego Chargers (26): Philip Rivers is beyond being a loose cannon and Norv Turner can only deal with it so much. Too bad he’ll lose his job and not Rivers. 

27. Philadelphia Eagles (24): At least the Nick Foles love fest can go away for a week. That defense is a joke and became worse after the Juan Castillo firing. Speaking of firing; when will the next one happen? 

28. Carolina Panthers (28): What a mess. That speaking of firing thing may apply to this team as well. 

29. Cleveland Browns (29): Is there any team that a football fan feels more bad for than the Browns? You knew it wasn’t over when they took the lead with 1:07 left. 

30. Oakland Raiders (30): So is anyone else going to show up other than Carson Palmer? Can’t feel bad for a guy who whined his way out of his old job though. 

31. Jacksonville Jaguars (32): Cecil Shorts is a playmaker and Justin Blackmon finally broke out. All they need is an offensive line and a healthy Maurice Jones-Drew to have a complete offense. 

32. Kansas City Chiefs (31): You knows it’s bad when a great fan base like KC is covering their heads with paper bags and wearing black to make a statement. Time to clean house.

vindanton@gmail.com

@VinDanton