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Jim Lang's Power Rankings: December 2, 2008

TW LW Team Our Take
1 1 Plaxico who? If Mister Burress wants to go around shooting himself in the leg at Manhattan nightclubs, then the Giants are better off without him. Missing Burress didn't bother Eli Manning and the Giants at all as they walked into Fed Ex Field and beat up on the Redskins. The shot of Jim Zorn tossing his headset down on the sideline in anger said it all. The Giants are just so much better and so much tougher than any other team right now. The Giants are so good that I don't think missing Burress will hurt them. What might hurt them is if linebacker Antonio Pierce finds himself in trouble after this incident.
2 2 Pity the poor Lions as the Titans took out their frustrations on the winless losers from Detroit. Chris Johnson and LenDale White each ran for over 100 yards and each scored two touchdowns. Jeff Fisher and the Titans are now focusing on locking up home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Next week, the Titans take on Ken Dorsey and the injury riddled Browns. A win and the Titans lock up the AFC South. Kerry Collins, take a bow.
3 4 I don't remember if I ever seeing the Bill Belichick era Patriots get physically man handled the way they did at the hands of the Steelers. Mike Tomlin's crew literally pounded the Patriots into their own turf. The team with the toughest schedule in the NFL is now 9-3 and on the verge of an epic game with the Cowboys on Sunday. The Steelers scary duo of James Harrison and Lamarr Woodley have combined for 25 and half sacks. I love watching receiver Santonio Holmes play.
4 5 With rain soaked cheerleaders and a rain soaked field, the Bucs and their first class defence were able to come up with a big win over the Saints. The Bucs are now a perfect 6-0 at Raymond James Stadium. Jeff Garcia and the Bucs will discover their true worth on Monday when they take on the Panthers in Carolina. If there ever was a time for Monte Kiffin's famed defence to rise to the occasion, this is it.
5 3 In a strange game filled with strange plays, the NFL's strangest team, the Denver Broncos, walked into the rain covered turf in the Meadowlands and beat the Jets. Go figure. Now that their five game winning streak is over, Brett Favre and the Jets have to think of a way to beat the 49ers on the road in No-Cal. The way Mike Singletary has the 49ers playing; this won't be an easy game for the Jets. It will be interesting to see if Favre and the Jets have a bounce back game and prove to everyone that they are the true contender in the AFC that everyone thinks they are.
6 6 That might go down as one of the ugliest wins in recent Colts history. Thanks to a defensive touchdown by Robert Mathis, the Colts were able to beat the Browns. As ugly as it was, it still counts in the standings. Peyton Manning's 125 yards passing was his lowest total since he only played a half of football in last year's regular season finale. The Colts have now won five straight and have made themselves serious contenders for the AFC Wild Card. The schedule certainly works in the Colts favour as they take on the Bengals and the Lions over the next two weeks.
7 10 In the aftermath of their win over the Seahawks on Thanksgiving, the Cowboys are dealing with two potentially major injuries. Linebacker DeMarcus Ware has a bad knee and running back Marion Barber injured his toe. Ware leads the NFL with 15 sacks and Barber is one of the key pieces to the Cowboys offence. The Cowboys better hope at least one of them is good to go Sunday when they take on the Steelers this week. After the Steelers, it's the Cowboys and the Giants. Yikes.
8 NR OK, I admit I was way too harsh in dropping the Panthers out of the top 12 last week. However, after struggling to beat the Raiders and the Lions and then losing to the Falcons, the Panthers earned my undying respect with the way they came back with a huge effort on the road in Green Bay. DeAngelo Williams made some Fantasy Football players downright giddy with his four touchdown performance. The truest test of what the Panthers are really made of will come Monday night when they host the Bucs in the ultimate showdown to determine the winner of the NFC South. It will be fascinating to watch how Steve Smith battles with the Bucs Ronde Barber.
9 11 The best rookie nobody knows about, Joe Flacco, completed 19 passes in the Ravens win over the Bengals. Five of those completions went to Mark Clayton who had the kind of game Fantasy Football receivers can only dream about. Clayton caught five passes for 164 yards and a touchdown. Clayton also threw a 32 yard touchdown to fellow receiver Derrick Mason. The Ravens have now won six of their last seven games. The next two weeks are a grind for the Ravens as they take on the Redskins and the Steelers.
10 10 I'm really torn here. I honestly can't decide what the better story is this year in the NFL. Is it the Dolphins coming back from 1 and 15 to their current record of 7 and 5? Or is it the amazing story of the Falcons and their sterling 8 and 4 record? Like Joe Flacco, Matt Ryan is a raw rookie in the NFL. However, I think Ryan is the better quarterback. Just imagine what he could do playing on a team with the defence like Flacco has with the Ravens. What Ryan does have is an amazing running back in Michael Turner. Young Mister Turner took great pleasure in going back to San Diego and sticking it to his old team.
11 7 It's one thing to see the Patriots lose. It's quite another to see them get manhandled the way they did against the Steelers. Tackle Matt Light got beaten badly by James Harrison, who then proceeded to sack Matt Cassell and strip the ball. Wes Welker got crushed by Ryan Clark and had to leave the game. Cassell didn't get a lot of help, but he's still the guy who threw two interceptions and lost two fumbles. I'm not sure if having a healthy Tom Brady in the lineup would have made a difference. The Patriots get a bit of break the next two weeks with games against the Seahawks and the Raiders.
12 NR What an amazing sequence of events in a football game. Jared Allen and the Vikings defence came up with a huge goal line stand against the Bears. Then Gus"freaking" Ferrotte hit former Bear Bernard Berrian with a 99 yard touchdown. I am not sure who deserves a game ball more. Jared Allen and his 3 sacks and 8 tackles. Or, super stud Adrian Peterson for his 28 carries for 131 yards and a touchdown. I will go with Allen who is really beginning to make an impact with the Vikings defence. 7 and 5 should become 8 and 5 after the Vikings take on the Lions this week. Running behind his enormous offensive line, Peterson leads the NFL in rushing and is showing no signs of slowing down.