NFL Power Rankings

12/22/2009 6:20 AM -  gogobroncos

Well Folks, the playoffs start soon and there’s only two more weeks of the regular season, so it’s time for the final 2009 edition of the NFL Power Rankings.

This was the weekend the West was won, with both Arizona and San Diego clinching their respective divisions. The Cowboys ended the Saints’ win-streak to stay alive in the playoff hunt and the Packers have won 5 of their last 6 games to sneak back into the playoff picture.

As usual, you’re always welcome to give us hell for this on the show. . . The Fantasy Exchange

1. Indianapolis Colts (14-0) The best offense in the league that’s lead by the best quarterback. The only potential down-side for Indy is their very beatable secondary that might get exposed in the playoffs.

2. New Orleans Saints (13-1) I’ve actually been a Saints-hater the whole year and even though the Cowboys woke up out of their slumber to upset New Orleans, it’s not stopping me from rating the Saints as one of the top teams in the league.

3. Minnesota Vikings (11-3) The Vikes are still one of the best teams in the NFC, despite losing to the Panthers and the Chilly/Favre “heated discussion”. They’ll get their offensive line issues worked out by the time the playoffs roll around.

4. New England Patriots (9-5) These aren’t the same Super-Pats but they’re still a very good team that will always be a dangerous post-season opponent. I’m never ruling out a team with the Hoodie, the Brady, or the Bundchen.

5. San Diego Chargers (11-3) The defense is starting to catch up to Phillip Rivers and the offense but they’re still giving up too many points. The bottom-line is that they have a great shot at clinching the other first round bye with one more win.

6. Arizona Cardinals (9-5) The running game is showing signs of life and they still have the best WR corps in the league. Darnell Dockett is one of the best defensive lineman in the entire league and gives them an X-factor on that side of the ball.

7. Philadelphia Eagles (10-4) Just when I complain that they need to get DeSean Jackson more involved on offense, they go off with 5 straight wins. This team will definitely make some noise in the playoffs.

8. Dallas Cowboys (9-5) When will they just put an end to the charade and let Jason Garrett coach the team is my only real question here but we’re still talking about a strong team that has a lot of fire-power on offense.

9. Cincinnati Bengals (9-5) The Bengals have cooled down of late but their running game is still getting the job done and the defense has been keeping them in most games. If there’s a team MVP, it should be the O-Line.

10. New York Giants (8-6) The G-Men are starting to play better football but nothing’s said and done just yet. Eli Manning has been getting the job done with 900 yards passing and 8 TDs in the last three games.

11. Denver Broncos (8-6) The Raiders? WTF! I don’t even want to get started on what’s wrong with the defense but at least the passing game is starting to work. It could be another season missing out on the playoffs for Denver fans.

12. Baltimore Ravens (8-6) These guys will always be in the hunt as long as they have #52 leading the team out onto the field. Joe Flacco has a ton of upside but he still has lapses in his performance with poor decisions.

13. Green Bay Packers (9-5) I’m still not letting anybody forget that this team lost to Tampa Bay earlier in the year but the Packers have won 5 of their last 6 games and they’ve got a good shot to land a playoff spot w/ a win Sunday.

14. Miami Dolphins (7-7) Take your pick w/ any of these .500% teams! The Dolphins really aren’t that far off but I’m really liking their future more than their present. They just don’t have enough on offense to hang w/ the big boys.

15. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-7) Roethlisberger is back to form but it may be too little too late, as this version of “Steelers-Light” simply can’t cut it without Polamalu and his Head Shoulders w/ the 7 different cleansers.

16. Houston Texans (7-7) Like the Titans and Jags, the Texans are cursed with playing in the same division as Peyton Manning. Gary Kubiak could be looking at the end of his tenure as head coach if he doesn’t win out.

17. New York Jets (7-7) “‘We’re out of it. . . oh wait, what?” Despite their head coach being a pis-poor statistician, the Jet’s do have a long-shot to make the playoffs but it’s pretty much out of the picture.

18. Atlanta Falcons (7-7) It’s too bad for Falcon Fans because this team has a good nucleus of players and I love the coaching. They’re going to make some noise in 2010 if they can add to the O-Line in the draft.

19. San Francisco 49ers (6-8) I really love the way this offense has adapted to the quarterback change and it’s really helped the team’s over-all play. Their post-season dreams are over but there’s a bright future here.

20. Tennessee Titans (7-7) This team really showed its resolve going 7-1 after losing 6 straight games to start the year. This is a very well coached team that got a lot of bad breaks (literally) injury wise.

21. Jacksonville Jaguars (7-7) Once again, cursed by having to play the best team in the league twice. We’re seeing the end of Jack Del Rio’s tenure as the Jags’ head man and it’s a damn shame because it’s not all his fault.

22. Carolina Panthers (6-8) Nice win against the Vikings but it’s too little too late. John Fox may have put the final nail in his proverbial coffin w/ that Jake Delhomme contract extension. I’m still not sure who thought that was a good idea.

23. Chicago Bears (5-9) Yikes! That’s about all I can say about Cutler’s performance. He’s forcing throws, the offensive line is terrible, and last Sunday Cutler had a QB rating of 7.9 . . . “fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life son.”

24. Seattle Seahawks (5-9) There’s talent on this team, you’ve just gotta look really hard to find it. Seriously, it’s been another year full of injuries and unfulfilled expectations. Talk about a team that needs to start from scratch.

25. Buffalo Bills (5-9) They really need to find the answer at QB here because it’s not Trent Edwards or Ryan Fitzpatrick. The Bills do have some talent on defense but they’re still a mess on offense at this point.

26. Washington Redskins (4-10) This team is a failed experiment and it’s too bad because they have a lot going for them on defense but the problems may not be all on the field in this situation. Maybe Shanny can revive the offense.

27. Oakland Raiders (5-9) JaMarcus Russell is a total fraud and his win against Denver means nothing more than the Broncos are chokers. The Raiders do have a ton of talent but they’ve still got a long way to go.

28. Cleveland Browns (3-11) The team has all of the sudden started to play like a real NFL franchise should. They looked like the ’85 Bears against Pittsburgh on Monday night and have seemed to turn a corner as of late.

29. Kansas City Chiefs (3-11) I’m thinking the Chiefs might like to have a mulligan on the Matt Cassel trade/contract. The guy just hasn’t been very consistent throwing the ball but it’s not like his supporting cast has been great either.

30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-12) Josh Freeman has finally plateaued and while he does have a lot of upside, he’s making enough rookie mistakes to keep the Bucs in contention for a top-5 pick in April’s draft.

31. Detroit Lions (2-12) The Lions have their sites set on a top pick April’s draft and it’s to be hoped they invest it in a blue-chip offensive lineman. Matt Stafford has potential but that’s provided that he lives to see next year.

32. St. Louis Rams (1-13) It looks like St. Louis is the future home of Ndamukong Suh, who’s being billed as the number one over-all selection in the draft. Steven Jackson is going to waste with such a terrible franchise.

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