With the Regular Season over and the Postseason looming, the Academy takes one final look at where your favorite teams fell for the year and where the ones who survived stand entering the weekend:
Week 17 Final Power Rankings
1. (1) Green Bay Packers (15-1): The whole adage of “Offense sells tickets, Defense wins championships” may well be put to the test this year. After allowing 41 points against the Lions this year. The top three teams in the playoffs this season have notoriously bad defenses, including Green Bay. It’s been the offensive production that guided them to the top of their divisions. Will it be the same laser show that guides them to the Lombardi trophy, or will a more traditional, defensively-based team snag the brass ring this year? Time will tell.
2. (2) New Orleans Saints (13-3): After breaking practically every offensive record in the book in the past two games, maybe the NFL “experts” better hold off on naming Aaron Rodgers league MVP just yet.
3. (3) New England Patriots (13-3): The defense is abysmal, but Brady’s offensive assault more than makes up for their shortcomings. When your leading receivers include a Tight End, the options are limitless. Thankfully, the #1 seed ensures that The Patriots will have seven days to get their porous defense in check.
4. (4) San Francisco 49ers (13-3): The 49ers now have a week to regroup, which is good, because the St. Louis Rams should never have come within one score of sending the Saints on a first-round bye. The defense needs a wake-up call.
5. (6) Baltimore Ravens (12-4): The Raven’s understated running game may well make them the sleeper team in the AFC. Bill Belichick doesn’t want to let his guard down around these guys.
6. (5) Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4): Ben Roethlisberger’s well-being is going to be a major focal point for the Steelers going forward. An unhealthy Roethlisberger means production suffers which means the weight of the world is on the Pittsburgh’s more than capable, but inevitably exhaustible defensive effort.
7. (10) Atlanta Falcons (10-6): The offense is no issue. But going up 42-0 in the first half to win by a margin of 45-24 in the second half is definitely cause for concern with regard to their defense.
8. (8) Houston Texans (10-6): The injuries to their starting and back-up quarterbacks are finally starting to catch up with them, and at the most inopportune time. After an incredibly foolish decision by Jake Delhomme gave them their third consecutive loss, how foolhardy can the Texans afford to be against a hungry Bengals team?
9. (7) Detroit Lions (10-6): The Lions have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of on the heels of Sunday’s game. They hung with the league’s best and gave them all that they could handle. If Matthew Stafford can maintain the intensity level of his recent performances, the Lions will be a handful for Drew Brees and the Saints on Saturday night, and for any subsequent team they may end up playing against.
10. (11) New York Giants (9-7): Statistically, Eli Manning had the best season of his career. With Jason Pierre-Paul, Osi Umeniyora, Mathias Kiwanuka and Justin Tuck on the front line, the defense is solid. The receivers, particularly Victor Cruz, have been on fire as of late. They’re riding the momentum from eliminating the Cowboys from the playoffs on Sunday night. Yet something still seems hollow about their performance, possibly a ramping up of the secondary and an improvement to the running game. Either way, Sunday’s game against the Falcons will not be a cakewalk.
11. (12) Tennessee Titans (9-7): If Hasselbeck can stay healthy, the Titans might make the extra push next season and make it further into January. Having only missed on a technicality, Titans fans can rest assured that Jake Locker has proven to be a solid insurance policy.
12. (9) Cincinnati Bengals (9-7): What a season for the Cincinnati youth movement. With a rematch against the T.J. Yates-led Texans on the horizon, the Academy suspects that A.J. Dalton may not be finished yet.
13. (17) Philadelphia Eagles (8-8): The 2011 Eagles finished the way they should have played all season long. Hopefully they don’t take their eyes off the prize next season. After all of the rampant criticism, they pulled a respectable second place thanks largely to the anemic performance of those within their division.
14. (21) San Diego Chargers (8-8): Must be nice to be Norv Turner. Missed the playoffs two years running, still hasn’t elevated Philip Rivers to the status that was expected of him and still gets to keep his job. I suppose if you keep another division rival out of the playoffs, it doesn’t matter if you miss out yourself...
15. (20) Chicago Bears (8-8): There’s a valuable lesson to be learned here; If after ten games, you’re still very much alive in the playoff race, but your starting quarterback is suddenly incapacitated--FIND AN ESTABLISHED QUARTERBACK. After starting 7-3, quarterbacks whose names weren’t Jay Cutler delivered the Bears to a 1-5 finish. Totally avoidable, the question is--Why?
16. (19) Arizona Cardinals (8-8): Arizona learned the hard way that this is not 2010 and that in a season where an NFC West team actually made an effort to perform well, 8-8 won’t win the division.
17. (15) New York Jets (8-8): Mark Sanchez’ days in East Rutherford may be numbered after the Jets’ woeful finish this season.
18. (16) Denver Broncos (8-8): Pathetic. Head Coach John Fox had better thank Norv Turner and the Chargers profusely for allowing them to fall backward into the AFC West title and limp into the playoffs. Tebow’s performance hasn’t done the job for the last three weeks and Sunday afternoon against Pittsburgh will be no different. Expect a justifiably quick exit.
19. (13) Oakland Raiders (8-8): A win would have secured the AFC West and sunk Tebow-Mania for seven months. Too bad Raider Nation is bred for disappointment. Hue Jackson is on the war path, and rightfully so. With the late Al Davis no longer calling the shots, expect heads to roll in the offseason.
20. (14) Dallas Cowboys (8-8): After coughing up the division once again, Tony Romo has proven that his only consistency is his inconsistency. Time for a more efficient quarterback, Jerry.
21. (24) Kansas City Chiefs (7-9): Technically, the Chiefs have to interview candidates to fill the head coaching position, but Romeo Crennel has done a superb job to put his name at the top of the list. Holding everyone’s favorite media magnet to 60 passing yards, a fumble, an interception and six completions on 22 attempts was an excellent start.
22. (18) Seattle Seahawks (7-9): Tarvaris Jackson is a perennial letdown. He gives the Seahawks just enough to be unpredictable and upset the division standings to a degree, but Seattle will not return to the top of the division so long as he’s at the helm.
23. (25) Miami Dolphins (6-10): They fulfilled their spoiler role this week, but the team is in shambles. Their defensive anchor retired, and like it or not, Matt Moore is NOT the quarterback of the future. A lot hinges on whether or not Miami can land Jeff Fisher in the head coaching position.
24. (22) Carolina Panthers (6-10): Cam Newton finished the season on a sour note, but prior games indicate that the future could be fun to watch. Drew Brees and Matt Ryan may have some healthy competition in the NFC South in a season or two.
25. (23) Buffalo Bills (6-10): Tom Brady exacted revenge on Sunday for the embarrassing loss to what looked like a promising Bills team earlier this season. That was expected. What wasn’t expected is that Chan Gailey’s squad would spiral into the cellar, slipping into a 1-7 tailspin after an encouraging 5-3 start.
26. (27) Jacksonville Jaguars (5-11): Blaine Gabbert certainly took his knocks this season. Hopefully the experience puts the Jaguars back in contention in 2012 or 2013.
27. (26) Washington Redskins (5-11): The Redskins are desperately hoping for luck to swing their way, so as to exchange one R.G. (Rex Grossman) for another R.G. (Robert Griffin III) in the NFL Draft.
28. (28) Cleveland Browns (4-12): They held their hated rivals to 13 points; unfortunately, they only scored on three field goals themselves. Enjoy your Top 5 pick, Cleveland.
29. (29) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-12): Rallying for half of your opponents points after allowing them to post a 42-0 lead BEFORE halftime doesn’t mean you didn’t quit. Raheem Morris was fired for their poor performance and half of the roster should be waived for their dismal October to December performance.
30. (30) Minnesota Vikings (3-13): You can't help but feel bad for Jared Allen. One sack short of Strahan's all-time mark AND they dropped the game to an essentially captain-less Bears team. Hopefully they make good use of the third overall pick.
31. (31) Indianapolis Colts (2-14): Andrew Luck...Welcome to Indianapolis. This is Peyton Manning, he'll be your mentor for the next three seasons.
32. (32) St. Louis Rams (2-14): Where to start? Probably with the defense. Who's the top defensive prospect coming out of the draft this year?
Power 12 Rankings Entering Wild Card Weekend
1. New Orleans Saints-They’ve been putting up absurd numbers all season long and look practically unstoppable, but defeating them is not an entirely impossible task.
2. New England Patriots-How far can Brady take them in spite of a struggling D?
3. Atlanta Falcons-The mantra is “Rise Up”. Can they do so through the NFC Playoff bracket and find themselves with a ticket to Indianapolis in a month?
4. New York Giants-The wave of momentum they rode into this weekend after knocking Dallas out was substantial, but it’s subsiding fast. With Julio Jones and Roddy White on the opposite side of the line of scrimmage, the secondary will be very busy Sunday.
5. Baltimore Ravens-Enjoy the one week vacation, after securing the #2 spot in their victory over Cincinnati, Ray Lewis and company can rest assured knowing a rematch with the Bengals isn’t imminent. Due to seeding, The Steelers, Texans or, dare I say it...Broncos await.
6. Green Bay Packers: Aaron Rodgers is breathing a sigh of relief that the #1 seed was locked up in Week 16. Drew Brees and the Saints will have to wait for the NFC Championship to visit Lambeau. In the meantime, The Frozen Tundra will serve as the destination for either the Giants, Falcons, or worse, a rematch with a very game Lions team.
7. Pittsburgh Steelers: A Steelers victory this weekend is practically a sure thing, but if Roethlisberger can’t perform at 100%, expect a low-scoring affair with the Broncos on Sunday.
8. Detroit Lions: After giving the Packers a run for their money last Sunday, this may be the Cinderella team that no team, perhaps not even the Saints, are adequately prepared for.
9. San Francisco 49ers: Jim Harbaugh has done a fantastic job coaching his squad this season. But the offense has to be more prolific to keep up with their unbelievably stingy defense if they expect to last past the Divisional Round.
10. Houston Texans: How much can you honestly expect from a third-string quarterback in the playoffs, especially one that dropped the final three games of the regular season?
11. Cincinnati Bengals: They have the potential to upset a team or two, but with six of their seven losses coming against teams they would inevitably meet in the playoffs (the seventh being a potential Super Bowl opponent), can they silence the doubters?
12. Denver Broncos-After tripping into the playoffs, a lackluster performance by Tebow will result in one-and-done. If the Broncos go with a quarterback in the first round of the draft, we’ll have an idea of just how short Tebow’s leash will be next season.
Wild-Card Predictions:
Bengals over Texans, 23-19
Lions over Saints, 51-45 (OT)
Falcons over Giants, 34-17
Steelers over Broncos, 16-10
Until Next Week, readers.
