Week 17 – Power Rankings

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Without further ado, here are the Rankings heading into Week 17 as always, if you disagree with the Rankings, jump in and tell us why!

2009 Power Rankings: Week 17
	RK (LW)	TEAM	REC	COMMENT
	1 (1)	Colts	14-1-0	They created more of a stir than they could have imagined with their decision to pull their starters and sacrifice perfection.
	2 (3)	Chargers	12-3-0	The Colts’ loss provided fuel for those tabbing San Diego as the league’s best team.
	3 (2)	Saints	13-2-0	The first-round playoff bye could help the Saints regather themselves after a couple of tough defeats.
	4 (5)	Eagles	11-4-0	Thanks to the Vikings’ loss to the Bears, the Eagles are in the running for the NFC’s No. 2 seed and a first-round bye.
	5 (4)	Vikings	11-4-0	The Vikings seem more flawed with each passing week.
	6 (6)	Cardinals	10-5-0	A shot at higher seeding gives the Cardinals something to gain against the Packers in their Week 17 matchup.
	7 (7)	Bengals	10-5-0	The AFC North champs might rest some starters this week.
	8 (8)	Packers	10-5-0	They made a strong showing in their blowout win over Seattle, especially after a letdown loss at Pittsburgh.
	9 (10)	Cowboys	10-5-0	You get the feeling that this version of the Cowboys might win a playoff game.
	10 (9)	Patriots	10-5-0	If the Pats beat the Texans, they might have a third meeting with the Jets — if the Jets beat the Bengals.
	11 (11)	Ravens	8-7-0	The Ravens blew it in Pittsburgh. Now they have to capitalize in Oakland.
	12 (15)	Steelers	8-7-0	So this is what hell looks like. Too bad it’s too little, too late.
	13 (13)	Broncos	8-7-0	They still have all kinds of avenues into the playoff field, and not all of them even require a win.
	14 (19)	Jets	8-7-0	Talk about Christmas giving. The Colts benched their starters to give the Jets one win, and the Bengals might help New York’s playoff push by resting some players, too.
	15 (20)	Texans	8-7-0	To make the playoffs, the Texans have to beat New England and root for two of this group — Raiders, Chiefs and Bengals — to win.
	16 (17)	Falcons	8-7-0	Back-to-back winning seasons under coach Mike Smith is within reach despite a disappointing season.
	17 (14)	Titans	7-8-0	How many touches are they willing to give Chris Johnson as he chases the 2,000 rushing yards milestone in Seattle?
	18 (12)	Giants	8-7-0	With their 41-9 loss to the Panthers, the Giants seemed pretty small in their final showing in Giants Stadium.
	19 (21)	Panthers	7-8-0	Another week, another indication that Carolina can be a tough team when the quarterback protects the football.
	20 (16)	Dolphins	7-8-0	The Dolphins’ inability to contain quality passing teams cost them this season.
	21 (22)	49ers	7-8-0	The 49ers can become the first team since the 2006 Panthers and 2006 Packers to miss the playoffs with a 5-1 division record.
	22 (18)	Jaguars	7-8-0	Playoff berth or not, a Jags win at Cleveland would mean an 8-8 record and .500 finish that would surpass almost everyone’s expectations.
	23 (25)	Bears	6-9-0	They came up big Monday night. Too bad that hasn’t happened more often this season.
	24 (23)	Raiders	5-10-0	Do they put in a big effort to try to mess things up for the Ravens or look to get to the offseason ASAP?
	25 (26)	Bills	5-10-0	Since firing Dick Jauron, the Bills haven’t made a single bit of progress in finding his replacement despite dangling a big salary.
	26 (24)	Seahawks	5-10-0	The Texans, Bucs and Packers have outscored the Seahawks by a 106-24 margin in the past three weeks.
	27 (28)	Browns	4-11-0	Jerome Harrison suddenly is making quite a name for himself.
	28 (27)	Redskins	4-11-0	Will the Browns’ coaching staff be the next destination for Redskins coach Jim Zorn?
	29 (30)	Buccaneers	3-12-0	Road victories over the Seahawks and Saints could give Tampa Bay something to build around this offseason.
	30 (29)	Chiefs	3-12-0	A Chiefs upset of Denver could foil the Broncos and would affect a lot of AFC playoff permutations.
	31 (31)	Lions	2-13-0	The Lions have lost 20 straight games on the road. That’s all you need to know.
	32 (32)	Rams	1-14-0	Losing at home to the 49ers would give the Rams the first choice in the 2010 NFL draft.