Jim Lang's Week 16 NFL Power Rankings - sportsnet.ca

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TW	LW	Team	Our Take
1	1		With a five point lead in the third quarter of their game against the Jets - Jim Caldwell stunned everyone by benching Peyton Manning and putting Curtis Painter into the game. I was really surprised Caldwell made this "Dungy" decision so early in a game that was still in doubt. Manning wasn't taking a beating from the Jets defence and they were playing in their own dome. All sports radio in Indianapolis and all across North America were enraged over Caldwell's decision. Let's face it, when the Colts pulled their starters, they handed that game to the Jets. The basic feeling is that anything less than a win in the Super Bowl and the Colts season will be viewed as a failure. Now the Colts will finish the season with a meaningless game outdoors in Buffalo in bitterly cold weather. I can't see Caldwell letting Manning getting a lot of playing time in that game. The bottom line is that the Colts better win in the post-season.
2	2		The Chargers didn't just beat the Titans on Christmas night, they annihilated them. Philip Rivers, LaDainian Tomlinson and little Darren Sproles all had big games as the mighty Chargers won their 10th straight and extended their December winning streak to 18 games. Other than the fact the Chargers allowed Chris Johnson to run for over 100 yards, there wasn't a whole lot for Norv Turner to complain about. Unlike the Colts right now, there's nothing but love for the Chargers. Philip Rivers is playing the best football of his career and the Chargers are happily going about their business and getting ready for the playoffs.
3	3		To those who ripped me for dropping the Saints in the Power Rankings, consider what happened in their loss to the Bucs. Knowing that a win would lock up home field advantage in the NFC - the Saints went into halftime with a 17-3 lead. The Saints offence was shut out the rest of the way and their special teams were awful as the lowly Bucs stormed back to tie the game and then won it in over time with a 47 yard field goal. Saints owner Tom Benson thought Garrett Hartley's missed field goal at the end of the game was good and was getting ready to party. Think again. All of a sudden the Saints are dealing with a two-game losing streak. That Bears win over the Vikings is the only reason the Saints locked up the number one seed in the NFC. Sean Payton has some work to do.
4	4		Broncos fans won't like this, but you have to admit, that was a hell of a catch by rookie receiver Jeremy Maclin to set up David Akers game winning field goal. Donovan McNabb usually looks like he's having the time of his life. However, he did look a little stressed when Akers was lining up for that field goal. The final game of the regular season will see the Eagles take on the Cowboys with the NFC East title on the line. Thanks to the Bears win over the Vikings, the Eagles will also be playing for the second seed and the bye week. Even though they have some flaws on defence, the Eagles explosive offence has some people thinking that they could run the table in the NFC playoffs. A win over Dallas this week would go a long way to making people realize what the Eagles are capable of.
5	6		This is an amazing stat for a team who were one play away from winning the Super Bowl last year. With their victory over the Rams, the Cardinals franchise put together their first 10 win season since 1976. A big reason for the Cards re-birth in the valley of the sun is the amazing work of their ageless quarterback Kurt Warner. With his two touchdowns against the Rams, Warner joined Fran Tarkenton as the only other quarterback in NFL history to throw at least 100 with two different teams. It's interesting to note that the Cards host the Packers this week. It's very possible the same two teams will meet again at the University of Phoenix Stadium for the opening weekend of the playoffs.
6	5		Adrian Peterson is one of the most talented running backs in the NFL with the exception of one minor flaw: he can't hang on to the football. Monday night in Chicago, the Vikings had clawed back to tie the game and were in overtime, then Peterson fumbled again. Jay Cutler and the Bears took advantage of their great field position and won the game. Peterson has now fumbled seven times this year and leads the NFL with 20 fumbles since the start of his rookie season in 2007. Those fumbles, a missed extra point by Ryan Longwell, a slow start and a number of other reasons are why the Vikings lost their second straight and might have lost the second seed in the NFC. Yes, it was nice to see Brett Favre tie the game with some heroics at the end of regulation. But that doesn't overshadow some of the issues with the Vikings right now.
7	7		No matter how well the Cowboys are doing and no matter how big of a lead they have, coach Wade Phillips always looks so confused standing on the sidelines. With the way Tony Romo is playing, it doesn't really matter how confused poor old Wade is looking, the Cowboys will be alright. Romo was incredible in the month of December and will look to carry his hot hand into January and into a crucial game against the Eagles this week. A win and Romo and the Cowboys will capture the NFC East and at least one home playoff game at that incredible billion dollar stadium. For an undrafted free agent from a tiny school in New Jersey, it's amazing to think that Miles Austin has emerged as one of the best receivers in the NFL.
8	8		Lost in another solid effort by quarterback Aaron Rodgers and a win that locked up a playoff spot was the quiet emergence of the Packers running game. With the bitter winds turning all of America into a frozen tundra, the Packers running game has turned into a real asset heading into the post season. Ryan Grant and Brandon Jackson combined for four rushing touchdowns in the Packers win over the Seahawks. With it looking like the Packers path to the Super Bowl will take them on the road, their running game will be a key asset going forward. That, and that golden right arm of Rodgers. AJ Hawk will never have an easier interception than that lame excuse for a pass by Matt Hasselbeck.
9	9		It really is remarkable to see what Randy Moss is capable of when he's motivated and feels like playing up to his abilities. Moss and Tom Brady had so much fun carving up the Jaguars secondary that at one point they were seen falling all over themselves laughing their heads off on the sideline. Brady threw four touchdowns, three of them to Moss, as the Patriots clinched the AFC East. Despite his issues with motivation, Moss does lead the NFL wtih 13 receiving touchdowns. If the Pats can establish some kind of consistent running game and some kind of a pass rush; then they will be fine. But as Dennis Hopper once said; "if" is the middle word in life. As in, if all those things don't come together, I don't know how long the Patriots can survive in the post season.
10	10		First things first, hats off to the Bengals for getting into the playoffs for only the second time in the last 19 years. However, there are some cracks emerging from the Bengals early season armour. In the last five weeks they've beaten the Chiefs, Browns and Lions. They've lost to the Vikings and the Chargers. Now the Bengals defence has lost stud rookie linebacker Rey Maualuga after he broke his left ankle. Up next, they're in the Meadowlands to take on a Jets team that is a win away from the post-season. I think Carson Palmer and the Bengals need a convincing win to head into the playoffs with some confidence and momentum. But the feeling is that Marvin Lewis will rest a lot of his starters. Another lucky break for the Jets.
11	11		I am pretty sure John Harbaugh didn't give Ravens tackle Oniel Cousins a hug after their loss to the Steelers when the lad took two penalties and had an awful time blocking the Steelers LaMarr Woodley. Then again, if the Ravens had played that game with even a little bit of mental discipline, they would have won. I still can't believe Derrick Mason dropped that sure touchdown in the end zone. The throw from Joe Flacco was perfect and there was no one around him. Now the Ravens have to go to Oakland in a "win and you're in" scenario. Assuming the Ravens don't have another game filled with mental mistakes and stupid penalties, they should be alright. Getting Ed Reed healthy is an absolute must.
12	NR		If there's one team that knows how to win in the playoffs, it's the Steelers. For the last two weeks, the Steelers have taken it right down to the wire and have come up a winner. To get into the post season, the Steelers need to beat the Dolphins this week and get help. Excuse me, the Steelers don't need help, they need divine intervention. If the defending Super Bowl champions fall short of the playoffs this year, they can look back to a loss to the Chiefs in week 11 and a loss at home to the Raiders in week 13 as their downfall.
Honourable mention goes to Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart after he shredded the Giants for 206 yards and a touchdown. But my star of the week goes out to Bears quarterback Jay Cutler. Playing against his idol on Monday night, Cutler threw four touchdowns including the game winning 39 yarder in over time as the Bears beat the Vikings. The entire New York Giants. Playing in their final regular season game at Giants stadium, the G men were punked by the Carolina Panthers. What a brutal effort by the Giants, in all phases of the game. More like, teams that need to man up. The Saints need to snap out of it or their dream season is going to come to a crashing halt in playoffs. The Vikings have a lot to work on before the start of the season. Hats off to the Carolina Panthers. With nothing to play for, the Panthers have beaten the Vikings and Giants in consecutive games. Back up quarterback Matt Moore has thrown for 470 yards, six touchdowns, zero interceptions and has a QB rating of 131.8 the last two weeks. Jake who?

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