With less than a handful of games left, it’s beginning to be crunch time for many of the teams in the NFL in the hunt for the playoffs. Some teams, like the Falcons, Patriots, Broncos, and Texans, have already locked up their division or at least a playoff berth.
It shouldn’t be a surprise the most, or all of these teams will be fixated somewhere in our top-five power rankings going into Week 14 of the NFL season.
Let’s check them out.
1. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons got over the proverbial hump last Thursday night, knocking off archrival New Orleans for the first time in two seasons. It was a big win, for a pure confidence standpoint for the Falcons. They dominated on defense, forcing five Drew Brees interceptions, and ended his consecutive streak of touchdown passes. Now, Atlanta is in firm control of trying to lock down home field advantage, going on the road to Carolina this week.
2. Houston Texans
The Texans are also 11-1 this season, and two games up on the nearest team in the AFC for home field in the playoffs. We could get a preview of a future playoff matchup on Monday Night Football this week, with the Texans taking on the New England Patriots. This certainly will have the feel of the postseason, and could be a telling sign for both.
3. New England Patriots
If the NFL went by our rankings, it would be the No.2 and No.3 teams playing on Monday Night Football. If it were College Gameday, they would be there on site. The Patriots clinched the AFC East division and will be making yet another routine trip to the postseason. Defensively, New England certainly appears to be improving on the back half of the year, and that bodes well for this showdown against Houston.
4. Denver Broncos
The Broncos also locked up their division on Sunday, clinching the AFC West. Peyton Manning and company appear to be on pace to make some postseason noise. Who would have thought that Manning would not have lost a step with his year off? Well, this guy did, and we knew that it would only be a matter of time before people were talking Super Bowl in Denver.
5. Chicago Bears
Really, there could be a number of teams to occupy the fifth spot in the power rankings this week, but we chose the Bears. We chose the Bears based on what we think they could be. When they play well, Chicago is a very difficult team to beat. They sit tied atop the NFC North with Green Bay for the time being.