NFL Power Rankings

By Tom Torrisi
SportsTicker Pro Football Editor

(Last week's rankings in parentheses)
1. (1) New England Patriots - Game now available on almost all stations except The Weather Channel, which still may provide scoring updates on "Local on the 8s."
2. (2) Indianapolis Colts - If someone in your fantasy league owns Jim Sorgi, now you know why.
3. (3) Dallas Cowboys - Injury to T.O. ominous sign heading into postseason?
4. (5) Jacksonville Jaguars - Becoming everyone's trendy choice for the playoffs - and the public usually whiffs on trendy picks.
5. (6) San Diego Chargers - Philip Rivers needs work on both his passes and trash talking. Both are easy to bat down.
6. (7) Pittsburgh Steelers - Najeh replaces Fast Willie in backfield. Football's version of the Tortoise vs. Hare?
7. (4) Green Bay Packers - Brett Favre says team was bothered by weather last week? These are not your father's Packers.
8. (9) New York Giants - To play or not to play? It always helps to have a built-in excuse to lose.
9. (11) Seattle Seahawks - Well-positioned to make surprising postseason run.
10. (12) Tennessee Titans - Not many teams feel lucky to be playing at Indy on final weekend.
11. (8) Cleveland Browns - Opportunity knocked and Browns left it at the door.
12. (10) Tampa Bay Buccaneers - There's a "Closed" sign in the window until Giants arrive for wild card matchup. 13. (15) Philadelphia Eagles - Some teams play out the string better than others.
14. (17) Washington Redskins - They may not want to be reminded that every other team that controlled their own destiny has flopped.
15. (13) Minnesota Vikings - Wild card was theirs to lose and they gave it away in style.
16. (14) New Orleans Saints - Sure, they still have a shot at playoffs. And Roger Clemens is going to admit he had a shot ...
17. (16) Houston Texans - Chance for first .500 finish in franchise history. Hold the applause.
18. (20) Arizona Cardinals - Biggest problem in the desert is that Kurt Warner is convinced he can start somewhere next season.
19. (21) Detroit Lions - A sample question of a first-grade IQ test in Detroit: Which team does not belong on this list? A) Red Wings; B) Tigers? C) Lions? D) Pistons?
20. (19) Buffalo Bills - Eventually, emotion and effort do give way to (lack of) talent.