Not much to say here, other than let’s get right into the latest edition of the 2012 NFL Power Rankings going into Week 12 of the season.
1. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons did not play well against Arizona at home on Sunday, which included five Matt Ryan interceptions. Despite all of the mistakes though, Atlanta was able to overcome those and remain undefeated at home. The Falcons are now 9-1 on the season and will get a chance to close out the division over the next few weeks on the season with division games on the horizon beginning with Tampa Bay on the road this week.
2. Houston Texans
The Texans survived against a one-win Jacksonville team at home this past weekend, and really had their opportunities to let it slip away. But in the face of unexpected adversity, this team certainly showed resilience. The Texans will just try to put this one behind them and move forward on this short week with a game on Thanksgiving against the Detroit Lions.
3. Denver Broncos
The Broncos are a team that continues to get better every week. After an expected slow start to the season as Peyton Manning and his new teammates got acquainted, things really look to be rolling now. Denver is in firm control of the AFC West right now, and has a very favorable schedule coming down the stretch with the potential to challenge Houston for home field in the postseason.
4. New England Patriots
The Patriots hung 59 points on Indianapolis, and frankly it could have been more than that if they wanted to really push it late in the game. But what has to be very encouraging for Bill Belichick, is that the offense wasn’t doing all the scoring. The defense and the special teams added a few touchdowns of their own, making for a very nice rounded win in which all phases of the game were solid.
5. San Francisco 49ers
No starting quarterback? No problem. In fact, the 49ers might have their new starter in Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick torched the Chicago Bears en route to a 32-7 victory on Monday Night Football. If San Francisco can find a way to play offense like this more often, combined with that defense, the 49ers might be Super Bowl bound.