It was not a good week for New York football.
First, Tim Tebow orchestrated a 95-yard game-winning touchdown drive to send the Jets home from Denver with a 5-5 record. Then the Giants lost to the Eagles, who were without Michael Vick and Jeremy Maclin, completely diminishing what was once the biggest division lead in the NFL.
Then just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, with Justin Terranova away, I’ll be taking care of the Post Power Rankings this week.
There was not much change at the top of the rankings. The Packers were given a bit of a scare by Josh Freeman and the Buccaneers but survived to improve to 10-0. Aaron Rodgers is head and shoulders above every other NFL player and is leading a scary-good Green Bay offense.
San Francisco continued to roll with a 23-7 win against the Cardinals. The Saints and Steelers remained locked in at No. 3 and 4, respectively, and the Patriots round out the top five following their commanding 31-3 win against the Chiefs on "Monday Night Football."
1. Packers (10-0) (Previous Rank: 1) – The Thanksgiving game against the Lions will be the Packers’ toughest test the rest of this season. Well on their way to a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, only an undefeated season remains in doubt.
2. 49ers (9-1) (2) – Much will be said about the 49ers traveling all the way to Baltimore on a short week, but San Francisco is 4-0 on the road this season.
3. Saints (7-3) (3) – The bye week should allow Saints rookie RB Mark Ingram to get completely healthy. They boast the NFL’s top passing and overall offense.
4. Steelers (7-3) (4) – Ben Roethlisberger is still suffering from an injured thumb but says he will play through it this Sunday against the Chiefs.
5. Patriots (7-3) (5) – For all of the talk about the Patriots’ awful pass defense, they have playmakers in their secondary. Third-year cornerback Kyle Arrington leads the NFL with seven interceptions.
6. Ravens (7-3) (7) – Survived a tough game against the surprising Bengals. The offense finally clicked on all levels with QB Joe Flacco and RB Ray Rice providing balance, and WR Torrey Smith an explosive threat downfield.
7. Texans (6-3) (9) – A lot of action for the Texans during their bye week. WR Andre Johnson is expected to return from a hamstring injury and the team signed former Jets backup QB Kellen Clemens. I’m not certain Clemens is better than Matt Leinart, but whomever the signal-caller is, they will have weapons available.
8. Lions (7-3) (12) – Bounced back from a tough loss against the Bears to beat Carolina by two touchdowns. Problem is they needed Matt Stafford to throw five TDs and the offense to score 35 points in the second half to do so.
9. Bears (7-3) (6) – Injury to Jay Cutler hurts, a lot, but the Bears offense revolves around RB Matt Forte. Until the team gets on the line with recently waived Kyle Orton, Caleb Hanie will be taking the snaps in the Windy City.
10. Cowboys (6-4) (13) – How ‘bout them Cowboys? Not the best win in the world Sunday over Washington, but a recent surge has them in first place in the NFC East.
11. Bengals (6-4) (10) – Tough loss against the Ravens, but QB Andy Dalton has the Bengals in the playoffs right now.
12. Falcons (6-4) (14) – After starting the season 2-3, Matt Ryan and the Falcons have won four of their past five and could get lucky playing Minnesota without Adrian Peterson this week.
13. Giants (6-4) (8) – The Giants are 30th in the NFL in rushing offense and 20th in rushing defense. For all of the praise they received after defeating the Patriots, they deserve even more backlash following losses to San Francisco and Philadelphia.
14. Raiders (6-4) (15) – Carson Palmer seems to be a lot more comfortable in the Raiders offense than he was three weeks ago. Michael Bush has filled in nicely with Darren McFadden nursing an injury.
15. Buccaneers (4-6) (18) – Tampa Bay gave the Packers one of their biggest scares of the season. If LeGarrette Blount can get the run game going, an easy schedule can allow the Bucs to sneak into the playoffs.
16. Jets (5-5) (11) – No, you aren’t seeing things, Mark Brunell was taking first-team snaps this week. I do not think Rex Ryan will be Tebowing any time soon.
17. Titans (5-5) (17) – Even though Matt Hasselbeck couldn't finish Sunday's game against Atlanta and Jake Locker threw two TD passes, the veteran QB says he will start in Week 12.
18. Bills (5-5) (16) – As if losing to the Dolphins wasn’t bad enough, Buffalo lost Terrence McGee and Donald Jones for the season. After a 5-2 start, the Bills have lost three straight.
19. Chargers (4-6) (19) – If Philip Rivers cannot protect the ball from being turned over, the Chargers will not be able to win, even in a dismal AFC West.
20. Broncos (5-5) (20) – Say what you want about Tim Tebow, but he is a winner.
21. Eagles (4-6) (21) – Much needed win against the Giants gives the Eagles the best division record at 3-1.
22. Seahawks (4-6) (23) – Marshawn Lynch and Sidney Rice are two talented playmakers in Seattle’s offense, and the defense was able to sack Rams QB Sam Bradford five times. Could Seattle be a QB away from being a force in the NFC?
23. Dolphins (3-7) (26) – What would the Dolphins’ record be if Matt Moore had played all season? I don’t know but it’s a question definitely worth asking after Miami’s recent success. Defense hasn’t allowed more than 10 points in each of their three wins this season.
24. Vikings (2-8) (24) – There will be added pressure on Christian Ponder if Adrian Peterson misses any time with a high ankle sprain.
25. Rams (2-8) (25) – Even adding Brandon Lloyd hasn’t been enough to boost the Rams’ offense. St. Louis has scored 20 or more points once this season.
26. Panthers (2-8) (29) – For all of the praise Cam Newton has gotten, his turnovers have been killer. Another four interceptions in Week 11 were a major reason the Panthers blew a 13-point halftime lead against the Lions.
27. Redskins (3-7) (31) – Why Mike Shanahan ever went to John Beck is a mystery; Rex Grossman is the better option and showed why almost beating the Cowboys. Santana Moss may return this week after missing time with a broken hand.
28. Cardinals (3-7) (22) – Despite erratic play last week against the 49ers, John Skelton will get the start again in Arizona if Kevin Kolb is unable to play.
29. Browns (4-6) (30) – Cleveland picked up a win against the lowly Jaguars, which was much needed as the Browns’ schedule is absolutely brutal the rest of the season.
30. Jaguars (3-7) (27) – Speaking of Jacksonville, the only reason it made headlines this week is because of kicker Josh Scobee’s Twitter war with DeSean Jackson.
32. Colts (0-10) (32) – Hey! The Colts didn’t lose this week! (They were on a bye).
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