Week 17 NFL Power Rankings

Written December 24, 2008 by Jack Jones

nfl-power-rankings-bf-122408 (#1) The Tennessee Titans proved their might last week over the surging Pittsburgh Steelers. The most impressive part? They did it without their defensive star, Albert Haynesworth. This week the Titans are 3 point favorites at Indianapolis.

(#2) You can officially stop worrying about the New York Giants. It wasn’t pretty on Sunday night, but it was a gutsy win over the Carolina Panthers. Best team in the NFC? Check!

(#3) What can be said about the Steelers that hasn’t already been drilled into our brains? They have a great defense. Their offense is average, at best. They are still a dangerous team come playoff time, if only Big Ben can hang on to the ball.

(#4) The Panthers showed just how dangerous they are by pushing the defending champs to their limits. Offensively this team is a steam-roller, but the defense showed some obvious holes last Sunday night.

(#5) It’s taken everyone a while to notice the Colts this year. They aren’t blowing teams out or running up amazing stats. What they are doing is winning close games and coming from behind to win. That should give Indy a nice edge come playoff time.

(#6) The Ravens defense kept their Superbowl hopes alive last week, totally throwing the Cowboys off of their game. That should have been an emotional game for the Cowboys, seeing as it might be the last game ever played in Texas Stadium, but the Ravens are the ones that looked like they were playing with a purpose. Baltimore is favored by 12.5 over Jacksonville this Sunday.

(#7) The Falcons are my favorite story in the NFL this season. Just a year after the Mike Vick and Bobby Petrino debacles, Atlanta will play in the post season in 2008. They earned their playoff birth in style on Monday Night Football against the probably-playoff-bound Minnesota Vikings.

(#8) New England is playing great football right now. Unfortunately for them, even if they get to 11 wins this season, they may miss the playoffs. It would be a crime to keep them out at 11-5, but the way the NFL playoffs and tie-breaker system works, we may not get to enjoy the Patriots in the post season for the first time since the 2000 season.

(#9) Is anyone else have trouble figuring out the Cowboys this year? Their offense looks great one game, then terrible the next. Their defense sacks Eli Manning 8 times one week, then comes back and gives up 33 to the Ravens. I guess their performance matches the team’s personality: unpredictable.

(#10) The Tampa Bay Bucs defense doesn’t look so intimidating all of the sudden. They’ve lost 3 straight and will now need a win and a Dallas loss this week to make the playoffs this year.

(#11) At 10-5 you might be wondering why the Dolphins aren’t ranked higher than #11 in the power rankings. The answer? Miami’s schedule. They’ve only 2 of their 10 wins have come against opponents with a winning record.

(#12) The Vikings have come a long way on short odds to put themselves in position for the playoffs. They missed a huge chance on Monday night to shore up a playoff spot. Instead they have to defeat the New York Giants in order to earn a playoff birth. The Vikings are 6.5 points favorites over the Giants in week 17.

(#13) Chicago Bears (9-6)

(#14) New York Jets (9-6)

(#15) Philadelphia Eagles (8-6-1)

(#16) New Orleans Saints (8-7)

(#17) Washington Redskins (8-7)

(#18) Arizona Cardinals (8-7)

(#19) Buffalo Bills (7-8)

(#20) San Diego Chargers (7-8)

(#21) Denver Broncos (8-7)

(#22) Houston Texans (7-8)

(#23) San Francisco 49ers (6-9)

(#24) Jacksonville Jaguars (5-10)

(#25) Green Bay Packers (5-10)

(#26) Seattle Seahawks (4-11)

(#27) Cincinnati Bengals (3-11-1)

(#28) Oakland Raiders (4-11)

(#29) Cleveland Browns (4-11)

(#30) Kansas City Chiefs (2-13)

(#31) St. Louis Rams (2-13)

(#32) Detroit Lions (0-15)

This NFL betting season our experts can help you beat the NFL odds with their top of the line NFL football picks! Start winning today with an NFL picks package from any one of our football experts.

If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:

No comments yet, but your thoughts are welcome!

Comments

Got something to say?