Week 14 NFL Power Rankings

Here are some NFL power rankings for Week 14 of the 2008 NFL season. Last week's rankings are in brackets.

1 (1) New York Giants (11-1) Plaxico who? While Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the rest of New York lost their minds over the whole Plaxico Burress/Harris Smith controversy, the Giants calmly went about their business and dismantled an emotional Redskins team at home.

2 (4) Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3) The Steelers win over the Patriots was a statement game if there ever was one. The Steelers essentially said they are the team to watch in the AFC. And if you take your eye off their dominating defense, you might end up like Wes Welker.

3 (2) Tennessee Titans (11-1) Yes, they got back on the winning track, but they beat the Lions.

4 (6) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-3) The Bucs are 6-0 at home this season. Of course, their next two games are on the road against the Panthers and Falcons. If they can survive that, they'll be in great shape for the playoffs.

5 (5) Carolina Panthers (9-3) The Panthers won in a shootout against the Packers. They won't be able to get away with that against the Bucs next week, so their defense needs to step up.

6 (3) New York Jets (8-4) That whole Jets/Giants Super Bowl hype sure died down quickly, didn't it? Funny how a home loss to a beatable Denver Broncos team can do that.

7 (7) Indianapolis Colts (8-4) Peyton Manning continues to play big, but he's going to need some more support from the running game.

8 (8)  Baltimore Ravens (8-4) Another dominating defensive performance, holding the Bengals to three points.

9 (11) Atlanta Falcons (8-4) Next week's matchup with the Saints is going to be an offensive showcase. Who would have thought that we'd be talking about Matt Ryan possibly holding his own in a shootout with Drew Brees?

10 (10) Dallas Cowboys (8-4) An easy Thanksgiving win against the Seahawks gives them three consecutive wins. They now have 10 days to prepare for their next game against the Steelers. They're going to need it.

11 (9) New England Patriots (8-4) The Pats have to be admired for fighting valiantly through Tom Brady's injury. Still, Sunday's home loss to the Steelers proves they're no longer among the AFC's elite.

12 (12) Washington Redskins (7-5) Clinton Portis is starting to wear down and their next game is against the always tough Baltimore Ravens. Not a good combination.

13 (16) Minnesota Vikings (7-5) The Vikes couldn't have asked for a better result Sunday. They dominated the Bears at home to take first place in the NFC North. On top of that, they get to play the Lions next week. 

14 (15) Miami Dolphins (7-5) The Dolphins are playing three beatable teams in the coming weeks. Expect them to make a run for a division title.

15 (20) Denver Broncos (7-5) The picture of inconsistency. They beat the Falcons and Jets, but lose to the lowly Raiders.

16 (14) Arizona Cardinals (7-5) The Cards have dominated their division but are 3-5 overall against the rest of the league. Does that sound like a recipe for playoff success?

17 (18) New Orleans Saints (6-6) The Saints have enough offensive juice to make a playoff run, but will it be too little too late?

18 (17) Buffalo Bills (6-6) Lost a critical game to the lowly 49ers. Not a good sign.

19 (13) Chicago Bears (6-6) A debilitating loss to the Vikings hurts their playoff hopes.

20 (22) Philadelphia Eagles (6-5-1) Donovan McNabb is back in everyone's good books. Don't count on it to last.

21 (19) Green Bay Packers (5-7)  The Packers have the strongest brand loyalty in sports. This year may test that loyalty. You can't pin this year's failure on Aaron Rodgers. The Packers defense has been terrible.

22 (23) Houston Texans (5-7) Dare we say that Mario Williams may not have been such a bad draft pick after all?

23 (21) San Diego Chargers (4-8) Maybe Chargers fans can drown their sorrows by watching a new movie about Ryan Leaf?

24 (25) San Francisco 49ers (4-8) A gutty win in Buffalo proves that Mike Singletary may someday be a good NFL head coach. Whether he's a good head coach right now remains to be seen.

25 (24) Jacksonville Jaguars (4-8) When the players aren't turning on each other, they're turning on head coach Jack Del Rio. Their loss to the Texans proves the team need a serious attitude adjustment.

26 (26) Cleveland Browns (4-8) They have scored six points in their last two games. GM Phil Savage will no doubt fire Romeo Crennel to save his own hide.

27 (27) Oakland Raiders (3-9) Just when you thought the Raiders might turn things around, their hopes fall into a Black Hole.

28 (31) Kansas City Chiefs (2-10) Showed they had a shred of dignity by beating the Oakland Raiders.

29 (28) Seattle Seahawks (2-10) Did anyone think they had a chance against Dallas on Thanksgiving?

30 (29) St. Louis Rams (2-10) You know you're in bad shape when the only good news coming out of your team is that "Mr. Irrelevant" is in your starting lineup.

31 (30) Cincinnati Bengals (1-10-1) The Bengals really couldn't care less. Chad Ocho Cinco was too busy shopping on Black Friday to bother preparing for last week's game.

32 (32) Detroit Lions (0-12) Just four more weeks until they go make history with a  0-16 record.