The Titans finally fell, and because of that, the Jets move up, and the Giants take over the #1 slot in all of the land. This really has people thinking that a possible Super Bowl match-up between the New York Giants and the New York Jets could be a possibility. Don’t sleep on the Steelers, Colts, or Patriots, who are all lurking; waiting for their chance.
The NFL Power Rankings for Week 13 of the 2008 Season:
1. (2) New York Giants (10-1) – Playing even better than they did last season, the defending Super Bowl champions take over the #1 spot and look like they could really set themselves up nicely with another win this week.
2. (1) Tennessee Titans (10-1) – They looked human again against the great Brett Favre, and get to recover this week against Detroit. Maybe it’s just what they need though.
3. (4) Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3) – The Steelers are still looking quite good, and have the best defense in football going for them now. They don’t slip in the rankings because of that dominant D.
4. (5) New York Jets (8-3) – They took out the undefeated Titans very handily, and made themselves quite well known again. There are a lot of chants out there now that they could be the best team in the AFC. Maybe? Not yet.
5. (6) Tampa Bay Bucs (8-3) – They are 5-0 at home, have only given up 180 points total (in 11 games), and are now 8-3. The Bucs are here to play!
6. (3) Carolina Panthers (8-3) – Their frustrating loss hurts the team a lot, and costs them the solo spot in first place. Now they will have to beat the Bucs in order to try and regain it, and need to if they want good seeding for the playoffs.
7. (7) Washington Redskins (7-4) – They beat Seattle in a ho-hum game that almost got away, but helped them hold on to second place in the tough NFC East.
8. (8) Baltimore Ravens (7-4) – Defense is the name of the game for the Ravens, and they are teaching people that they still know how to play it. Sunday was just another lesson, and this team is just getting better. Ed Reed for Hall of Fame petition starts here.
9. (9) New England Patriots (7-4) – Cassel to Moss for 6. That is getting to be a familiar call in Patriots games, and boy is this team looking good on offense. Nobody wants to have to play this team in the playoffs.
10. (10) Indianapolis Colts (7-4) – Peyton Manning is looking extremely good, and the Colts have visions of Super Bowl dancing in their heads. Can they keep it up? Week 13 will let us know for sure..
11. (13) Atlanta Falcons (7-4) – Another hard-fought win for the Falcons has them still performing better than expected, and this is a team that no longer cares about that former jailed quarterback.
12. (14) Dallas Cowboys (7-4) – The Cowboys are looking very good, and Romo teamed with Owens are really leading the offense well. They find themselves in third in the NFC East, but could move up quickly.
13. (11) Arizona Cardinals (7-4) – The Cardinals picked up another loss, but are still 4 games up on the rest of the NFC West, and just need a couple more wins to close this thing out.
14. (18) New Orleans Saints (6-5) – The Saints looked good again against the Packers on Monday Night Football, and are showing a little bit of energy again. Who knows how far this team could go if they can play some defense.
15. (20) Chicago Bears (6-5) – A week after scoring only 3, they only gave up 3 against the Rams this week. If they can keep playing defense like that, the struggling offense doesn’t have to do that much.
16. (16) Minnesota Vikings (6-5) – A good win for the Vikings has them looking pretty good, and the fans are cheering right along with them. They are in a virtual tie with the Bears now for the NFC North lead.
17. (19) Miami Dolphins (6-5) – They gave up 48 points to New England, and it seemed like the defense was non-existent. They are going to play themselves out of the post-season if they aren’t careful.
18. (22) Buffalo Bills (6-5) – They just flat out blew out the Kansas City Chiefs, and are showing that they might pose a chance at making the playoffs if they can pull it together this week and next.
19. (12) Denver Broncos (6-5) – The Broncos lost yet again, but still have found a way to stay in first place in the weak AFC West. They control their own destiny still, and need to put together some wins.
20. (15) Philadelphia Eagles (5-5-1) – It’s looking ugly, and McNabb and the Coach just don’t seem to be on the same page. It may be too late for the Eagles unless they can win out.
21. (17) Green Bay Packers (5-6) – A rough loss to the Saints really showed their weaknesses on defense, and they were very, very glaring. Rodgers could now have his work cut out for him when it comes to the playoffs.
22. (23) San Diego Chargers (4-7) – The Chargers were almost able to pull one out against the Colts, but couldn’t overcome the latest Peyton Manning heroics, and ended up losing on a last-second field goal. Very frustrating for the fans.
23. (21) Cleveland Browns (4-7) – Six points is not going to cut it, and it didn’t when that was all they could score against Houston. Quinn just simply needs more practice with this team. Maybe next year.
24. (24) Jacksonville Jaguars (4-7) – The defense didn’t hold up in a 30-12 loss to the Vikings. The Jaguars are quickly falling out of the realm of “good teams underperforming” and are turning into a bad team.
25. (25) Houston Texans (4-7) – They put up a very good defensive effort against the Browns by only allowing 6 points, and are showing they aren’t one of the doormats of the league anymore.
26. (26) San Francisco 49ers (3-8) – Even Mike Singletary is having trouble getting this team to perform. They do need to keep him on so that he has a full season next year to build off of.
27. (29) Oakland Raiders (3-8) – They finally picked up a win, even if it was an upset, and the team looked better than normal. Next they get a chance at the Chiefs. Is two in a row possible? Yes!
28. (26) Seattle Seahawks (2-9) – They are making games competitive, but they are still losing, and losing by 3 or 30 is about the same at this point of the season. Gone are thoughts of repeating as NFC West champion.
29. (28) St. Louis Rams (2-9) – A 27-3 loss to the Bears was just ugly. There is nothing positive to say about that output.
30. (30) Cincinnati Bengals (1-9-1) – They should just be happy they got to play on Monday night, because it’s the small victories that matter to them now.
31. (31) Kansas City Chiefs (1-10) – Getting blown out by the Bills couldn’t have been fun, but they should compete better against the Raiders this Sunday.
32. (32) Detroit Lions (0-11) – Another loss isn’t a surprise, but it looked like they might be able to compete before they threw it away on Sunday. Now they are rewarded with the Titans next.
