Week Thirteen Power Rankings

Two unbeaten teams, only five games to go.
Can either of these teams run the table? That is yet to be seen, but both have a very good chance of doing so. The question will be, when they both lock up the #1 seed in their respective conferences, will the Saints and Colts decide to bench their key players for the playoffs?
1. New Orleans Saints (11-0, LW: 2): I said they would take the top spot if they beat the Pats, and they dominated in every way possible. Drew Brees was fantastic, and the defence did a great job with Tom Brady. They may be unbeatable.
2. Indianapolis Colts (11-0, LW: 1): The Colts again didn't play well in the first half, but got another Manning come back to beat the Texans. Now they get the red-hot Titans and Vince Young, and this game will be better than it looked a few weeks ago. Doesn't it feel like the Colts just let teams get ahead because they know they can come back week after week?
3. Minnesota Vikings (10-1, LW: 3): The Vikings continue to dominate opponents, and will be a tough out come playoff time. The question will be whether or not Brett Favre can keep this going towards the end of the year. AP will have to pick up the slack.
4. San Diego Chargers (8-3, LW: 5): The Super Chargers are in peek form again, but will they be able to translate this into a deep playoff run? LaDainian Tomlinson will have to play this time around in the playoffs. They can only go so far without him.
5. Cincinnati Bengals (8-3, LW: 7): The Bengals didn't make it look pretty, but they got a big win over the Browns. This week they have to avoid a catastrophic meltdown against the Lions. What happened to the Carson Palmer that had five TDs against the Bears?
6. New England Patriots (7-4, LW: 4): The Patriots really didn't show up against the Saints. The offence wasn't productive, and the defence couldn't stop Drew Brees. They will have to rebound against the Jets, which shouldn't be hard.
7. Dallas Cowboys (8-3, LW: 8): The Cowboys move up a spot after dismantling Oakland, but they will have to continue the good play against the G-Men. Tony Romo will have to right the ship, or he and Wade Phillips' jobs will be in jeopardy.
8. Green Bay Packers (7-4, LW: 9): The Packers got the job done against the Lions, but will have a tougher time with the Ravens. Their Division hopes are gone, but they are in a good spot for a wild card. Aaron Rodgers is having a huge year.
9. Philadelphia Eagles (7-4, LW: 10): The Eagles needed to comeback against the Redskins, but they showed a lot of focus in getting the win. They have to keep winning to keep up with the Cowboys, but their schedule is brutal.
10. Arizona Cardinals (7-4, LW: 7): The Cards couldn't stop Vince Young on that incredible fourth-quarter drive. Now they have to turn their focus on keeping their two-game lead in the NFC West. It may be hard if Kurt Warner is out for a while.
11. Baltimore Ravens (6-5, LW: 14): The Ravens got a much needed win over the Steelers. It should not have taken overtime, but a win is a win. Joe Flacco and the offence will have to get rolling again if they play to make a playoff run.
12. Denver Broncos (7-4, LW: 16): Was this the end of the free-fall for the Broncos, or was it beating up on a weaker Giants team? They have a lot to prove this week in Kansas City. They must avoid a let down if they want to make the postseason.
13. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5, LW: 11): They played well despite not having their starting QB in the lineup. They definetely have to be impressed with the play of Dennis Dixon. The running game had to be better, and will have to step up down the stretch.
14. New York Giants (6-5, LW: 12): The Giants didn't even show up Thursday Night. They have to find their game as the Cowboys are coming down this week. Eli Manning and the troops have to win this game, or their season may be done.
15. Atlanta Falcons (6-5, LW: 15): No movement for the Falcons this week. Even with Chris Redman at QB, they shouldn't have been that close to the Bucs. Kudos to Redman for engineering that drive to win the game. He will need some help on offence if they are to beat the Eagles Sunday.
16. Jacksonville Jaguars (6-5, LW: 13): Yet again, the Jags let down their fans. They have to get more consistency from the QB position. They can't rely on Maurice Jones-Drew every week. They sure aren't looking like a playoff team after Sunday.
17. Tennessee Titans (5-6, LW: 18): The Rally continues. They are now only one game out of the playoffs, but their winning streak could be over this week with the Colts coming to town. Vince Young is becoming a heck of a quarterback.
18. San Francisco 49ers (5-6, LW: 22): The Niners just keep hanging in there. They have got improved play from Alex Smith, and it appears Vernon Davis is ready to shed his "bust" label. Now they travel to Seattle with their slim Playoff hopes on the line.
19. Houston Texans (5-6, LW: 19): The Texans again failed to win a big home game against the Colts. The defences play in the second half was inexcusable. Matt Schaub also struggled after half time. They are not quite ready for the big time yet.
20. Miami Dolphins (5-6, LW: 17): The Dolphins were rolling into a possible Wild Card slot, but after losing to the Bills, you have to wonder. The offence sputtered, and while Ricky Williams is tearing it up, I don't think they are a playoff team.
21. Carolina Panthers (4-7 LW: 21): The Panthers blew their last chance to get back in the playoff race. Now they have to go without Jake Delhomme for the rest of the year (potentially). Could this be a blessing in disguise?
22. Buffalo Bills (4-7, LW: 28): After a couple of heartbreaking losses, the Bills dominated in an upset over the Dolphins. Terrell Owens should be happy, but will it be enough to get him to come back next year?
23. Chicago Bears (4-7, LW: 20): The Bears are done, cooked, finished. Now they have to figure out what to do in the offseason to make them a contender next year. Could they be in the running for T.O.?
24. New York Jets (5-6, LW: 25): The Jets move up a spot, only because they got a win. They took advantage of a brutal Panthers team. If they get a win over the Bills Thursday night, they will be in the playoff hunt again.
25. Seattle Seahawks (4-7, LW: 26): The Seahawks go up a spot for beating the Rams. But does it matter at this point? They have a lot of work to do in the offseason. Justin Forsett is a star in the making.
26. Kansas City Chiefs (3-8, LW: 23): That is what they do after a huge upset? That was unexceptable against the Chargers. Jamaal Charles looks like a keeper, and the offence has been much better with Chris Chambers. They have a long way to go.
27. Oakland Raiders (3-8, LW: 24): The Raiders continue to look like a team with no future. Sure Bruce Gradkowski has been a bit better than JaMarcus Russell, but really, how good has he been? They have way too much money rotting on their bench.
28. Washington Redskins (3-8, LW: 27): The Skins kept it close, but couldn't stop the Eagles when it mattered. Jason Campbell has been OK given the state of the running game, but what a waste of a great defence.
29. Detroit Lions (2-9, LW: 29): The Lions got stomped again on Thanksgiving, so what else is new? Matthew Stafford should not have been playing in the fourth quarter, especially after the pick-six by Charles Woodson sealed the Packers victory. Good on him for sticking with it though.
30. St Louis Rams (1-10, LW: 31): They move up a spot simply because they are being competitive in their games. Kyle Boller will likely wrap up the year, than it is time to draft a QB early. They need to get someone to take pressure off Steven Jackson.
31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-10, LW: 30): They are lucky they got that miracle win over the Packers, otherwise, they wouldn't win a game. They are not going anywhere fast, and need to have a great draft in April.
32. Cleveland Browns (1-10, LW: 32): Speaking of going nowhere... The Browns get one of the worst Bengals performances of the year, and can't even keep close. Disgusting. They need to pick a QB (or draft one) and get some weapons for him over the offseason, or they will have consecutive last place finishes.