2009-10 NFL Power Rankings – Week 12

Welcome back to the MikesPickz NFL Power Rankings!

The Steelers’ hopes at winning the division were shot to death when the Chiefs beat them in overtime last week, that was assuming the Bengals would be able to beat the lowly Raiders. If there is one thing I learned last week, you can never assume in the NFL. The Bengals lost to the Raiders and that gave the Steelers some hope. The bad news is that Polamalu is injured and Roethlisberger suffered an injury during the OT. Roethlisberger has still not been ruled out for Sunday, but he will not be 100% either way.

I can not wait for Monday Night Football this week. The undefeated Saints will host the New England Patriots, in what should be a high scoring and explosive game. It has the possibility to be the best game of the entire season.

Now on to the rankings:

This week the rankings will be short because of the holiday, but do not worry, back to normal next week.

*Tiers are teams that are within 20 points of each other using my formula*

Tier 1

1. —Colts– Another close one.
2. —Saints– Still undefeated, with toughest test against the Patriots this week.
   Tier 2

   ---

3. —Vikings– Favre = MVP
4. Patriots– The Patriots were motivated against the Jets.
5. Chargers– The Chargers are a great football team.
   Tier 3

   ---

6. —Cards– Hopefully Warner won’t miss much time (if any), they need him.
7. Bengals– Loss to the Raiders was a set-back, but they are still solid.
8. Cowboys– The Cowboys’ offense has gone on vacation.
9. Eagles– McCoy is a solid replacement for Westbrook and Jackson is fast!
10. Packers– They only allowed 2 sacks last week, but the 49ers are at the bottom in total sacks.
11. Steelers– It’s crazy how different they are without Polamalu.
12. Ravens– They gave the Colts a run for their money.
13. Jaguars– Never pretty, but a win is a win. They are looking at the wild card right now.
    Tier 4

    ---

14. Texans– They still have hope for a winning season.
15. Dolphins– Ricky Williams has still got it and he is looking as good as ever.
16. Titans– Vince Young knows how to win.
17. Giants– The Giants were lucky to hold on against the Falcons.
18. Broncos– 0-4 since starting 6-0. Orton has to step up as a leader for this team.
19. Falcons– Matt Ryan continues his sophomore slump.
    Tier 5

    ---

20. Chiefs– 3-2 in their last 5 and on a 2 game winning streak.
21. —49ers– They need to play the first half as hard as they play the second half.
22. —Jets– Mark Sanchez is a rookie, in case you forgot.
23. Panthers– They missed their playoff opportunity against the Dolphins last week.
24. —Bears– Cutler needs to protect the ball better.
25. —Bills– There was a T.O. sighting last week, too bad they lost.
    Tier 6

    ---

26. Seahawks– Maybe next season.
27. Raiders– Another surprising upset. The Bengals can ask the Eagles about big upsets.
28. —Redskins– Their defense will continue to keep them in games, but they will need offense to win games.
    Tier 7

    ---

29. Rams– Bulger going down might hurt, but it might help. At least Jackson is still there.
30. Bucs– Johnson looked like a rookie against the Saints, but I think he will be a solid Pro in the future.
31. Lions– Great comeback (twice) against the Browns. They need to take it slow with Stafford’s injury.
    Tier 8

    ---

32. Browns– The Browns officially have no hope and no luck. Maybe in 2012.

That will do it for the Week 12 rankings. As I said before, next week they will be back to normal.

I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving!