Sorry, San Francisco. As the Kansas City Chiefs discovered two weeks ago, any team that loses to the Raiders will be severely punished in the Denver Post’s Power Rankings. What’s scary about the NFC is there is a chance an 11-5 team doesn’t make the playoffs while a 6-10 team from the NFC South hosts a first-round playoff game.
That must change, NFL. Put a fix in there that any division winner with a losing record has to be the No. 6 seed and open on the road. On to the Power Rankings:
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| AFC | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Team | Record | Reason | Last Week |
| 1. |  |
10-3 | All this talk about how Tom Brady doesn’t have Peyton Manning’s quality targets. Manning doesn’t have anyone like Julian Edelman or Gronk. | 1 |
| 2. |  |
10-3 | Two tough road games at San Diego and at Cincinnati up next. It’s a shame Manning’s TD streak had to end so close to the record. The Broncos could be in a position to start Brock Osweiler in week 17 vs. Oakland. | 2 |
| 3. |  |
9-4 | Andrew Luck gave up 14 points on a fumble the in end zone and a pick-six. Yet, he still rallied late for a victory at Cleveland. He is so much like John Elway it’s scary. | 3 |
| 4. |  |
8-5 | Impressive must-win in Miami, especially after they were down 10-0. Elvis Dumervil had 3.5 sacks and is now tied with Justin Houston for a league-leading 16.0. | 6 |
| 5. |  |
8-5 | Impressive rout of the Bengals in Cincinnati. Le’Veon Bell scored three touchdowns: two off 105 yards rushing; one off 50 yards receiving. DeMarco Murray has 1,998 yards rushing (1,606) and receiving (392). Bell has 1,925 (1,231 rushing, 693 receiving). | NR |
| 6. |  |
8-4-1 | After winning three in a row on the road, they were predictably flat back home against the Steelers. A.J. Green had a monster game in defeat with 11 catches and 224 yards, including an 81-yard touchdown. | 5 |
| 7. |  |
8-5 | Their defense showed up against the Patriots until their secondary broke down late. Philip Rivers got picked off on the same defensive end-drop play that got Manning earlier this year. San Diego’s last home game is Sunday against the Broncos. | 4 |
| 8. |  |
7-6 | They won two in a row since Ryan Fitzpatrick got his QB job back. Arian Foster isn’t as funny as he thinks, but he got his fourth, 1,000-yard rushing season in five years. | NR |
| **Fell out of the top 8: Buffalo Bills (7), Miami Dolphins (8) | ||||
| NFC | ||||
| 1t. |  |
10-3 | Almost fell asleep at halftime up 31-7 against Atlanta, but they have the NFL’s best quarterback in Aaron Rodgers and there is not a close second. | 1 |
| 1t. |  |
9-4 | After holding the Eagles’ offense to 14 points in Philly, the Seahawks’ defense is again dominant. The matchup of the year would be Seattle’s defense vs. Rodgers’ Pack in the NFC championship. | 2 |
| 3. |  |
9-4 | They beat the lowly Bears and Bucs by identical 34-17 scores in back-to-back weeks. They’re No. 2 in total defense to Seattle, but Seattle is No. 2 to Detroit in scoring defense. | 4 |
| 4. |  |
10-3 | Arizona’s defense came through against the desperate Chiefs to snap a two-game losing streak. Drew Stanton engineered two, fourth-quarter scoring drives to turn a 14-6 deficit into a 17-14 win. They’ll finish with division games against the Rams, Seahawks and 49ers. | 6 |
| 5. |  |
9-4 | Mark Sanchez was no match for Seattle’s defense. The Eagles got one nine first downs and 139 yards against Seattle while giving up 440. | 3 |
| 6. |  |
9-4 | Tony Romo (21-of-26, three TDs, zero INTs) and DeMarco Murray (32 carries, 179 yards, one TD) were near perfect against the Bears last Thursday. Game Sunday at Philly could determine the NFC East champ. | 5 |
| 7. |  |
6-7 | They beat Oakland (52-0) and Washington (24-0) in back-to-back weeks. Still surprised the Broncos scored only seven against them? Probably have them too low in the power rankings. | NR |
| 8. |  |
6-7 | The Vikings are benefiting from a last-place schedule, as they haven’t beat a team with a winning record. But there is hope in rookie QB Teddy Bridgewater, who threw an 87-yard TD pass in overtime to beat the Jets. | 8 |
| **Fell out the top 8: San Francisco 49ers (7) | ||||
