The power rankings are back after a one week hiatus. I want to apologize for that hiatus, but it really wasn't my fault. You see, I started writing the rankings last week and took a look at Brady Quinn's stat line from the Detroit game and immediately blacked out and fell face first on the keyboard. Luckily, I woke up just in time for the games this week, so let's get to it.

LEGIT SUPER BOWL CONTENDERS

1. New Orleans Saints (1) – Wow. What else can I say about the Saints? They took the biggest game of the season and simply blew New England out of the water. Take a quick peek at their remaining schedule and you'll see that they are a legit shot to finish 16-0. And with that, cue the Mercury Morris footage.

2. Indianapolis Colts (2) – Did anybody actually think Houston was going to beat Indianapolis? Even with the 20-7 lead at halftime, everybody had to know the Colts were going to come back. They are just too good and Matt Schaub is just too shaky to ever win an important game. The Colts are five games away from a perfect regular season but they still have some tough games remaining. Combine that with the fact that they already won the AFC South; I don't see 16-0 happening.

3. Minnesota Vikings (3) – The magic number for the Vikings and the NFC North crown sits at two. The next two games for Minnesota are clearly the hardest of the five remaining so they might have to hold off the celebration just a little bit (but they will win the division eventually).

POTENTIALLY FRISKY PLAYOFF TEAMS

4. Cincinnati Bengals (5) – The Bengals slipped up a bit against Oakland but slightly redeemed themselves against Cleveland on Sunday. They now have a full two game lead in the AFC North, actually 2.5 games if you factor in the division head-to-head tiebreaker, so they are sitting pretty right now. With a win this Sunday against Detroit they can officially clinch a winning season.

5. San Diego Chargers (8) – The Chargers have been on a roll lately and have already matched their win total from last season. Seeing how an 8-8 Chargers team upset the Colts last season in the Wildcard round, I wouldn't put it past the Chargers to really make some noise this year. I fear for whoever plays them in the opening round.

6. New England Patriots (4) – I really wanted to leave the Patriots at number four because quite simply, I still would have a very difficult time picking against them in the playoffs. Maybe it's me, but I just can never fully think that a Tom Brady team won't get it done when it truly counts. However, they had to drop for now because of their performance on Monday Night. I was willing to accept the loss to Indianapolis but they didn't even stand a chance in New Orleans.

For the time being, look at some of these results from last season:

- Pittsburgh (14) at Tennesse (31)

- Indianapolis (24) at Pittsburgh (20)

- Indianapolis (23) at San Diego (20)

- Arizona (7) at New England (47)

- Minnesota (35) at Arizona (14)

What is the point of this exercise? The point is to prove that regular season results don't always carry over to the playoffs. Indianapolis beat San Diego during the regular season but lost to the same exact team in the same exact stadium in the first round of the playoffs. Arizona got absolutely manhandled by one non-playoff team and one Tarvaris Jackson led team, yet still won the NFC Championship and came very close to winning the Super Bowl. My point is, don't be so quick to bury the Patriots just yet. I'll leave it at that.

7. Dallas Cowboys (9) – It's the dreaded month of December for the Cowboys and Tony Romo. The worst (or best) part is that the schedule isn't kind to them at all. The Giants aren't a good team at all, but never underestimate them in a division game at home. After that, Dallas has the Chargers and Saints in back-to-back weeks. If they win the division it will definitely be earned.

8. Denver Broncos (7) – Denver finally got back in the win column with a Thanksgiving blowout of the Giants. Three of their five remaining games are against the Chiefs and Raiders so a wildcard spot is looking pretty good for Josh McDaniel's bunch.

9. Baltimore Ravens (10) – Baltimore got a huge victory Sunday night against the hated Steelers, but they will need to play much better if they want to continue their push for the playoffs. They won't get to face a third string QB making his first career start every week.

10. Pittsburgh Steelers (6) – The Steelers suffered a big letdown Sunday night but it was to be expected with Dennis Dixon making his first career start. I will give credit where credit is due and Dixon played well for the most part in getting the game to overtime which is more than I thought would happen at kickoff. However, when the going gets tough, the young QB usually makes a costly mistake that gives away the game, which is exactly what Dixon did. Pittsburgh has two easy games coming up against Oakland and Cleveland so you can't count them out just yet. One thing I'll be interested in seeing is how they respond from Hines Ward calling out Ben Roethlisberger. I guess the one thing I don't understand is if Ward is going to do all this talking about how it was essentially a playoff game; shouldn't he contribute more than three receptions and 47 total yards?

11. Arizona Cardinals (11) – Not only did the Cardinals completely screw over my picks by losing at Tennessee, but Kurt Warner completely screwed over my fantasy team with his late game scratch. Luckily I was able to put in Matt Leinart so I didn't completely lose out. On a side note, if it wasn't for having Twitter on my phone and following ESPN's Adam Schefter, I wouldn't have known in time that Warner was inactive. Just another advantage of new social media.

12. Philadelphia Eagles (12) – Believe it or not, the Eagles still control their own destiny. They sit only one game back of Dallas and still face the Cowboys at home in Week 17. According to my math, if the Eagles won out and the Cowboys only loss came against Philadelphia in the final week, the Eagles would own the tie-breaker due to the division record (since a win would give them a head-to-head split).

13. Green Bay Packers (14) – The Packers are hanging on to the last wild card spot in the NFC but they are going to have some tough games coming up, including this Monday night when the face Baltimore. If they can go 4-1 down the stretch then the playoffs shouldn't be an issue. Maybe at that point they will get a rematch against Minnesota. I bet FOX is praying for that right now.

14. Atlanta Falcons (13) – Atlanta is on the outside looking in, but are still being considering in the discussion for the playoffs. Personally, I'm not so sure right now. They have been struggling quite a bit and Matt Ryan has already been ruled out for the game against Philadelphia, which is a pretty big game in terms of the playoffs. I'll leave them in this bracket for now, but if the Eagles hand them another loss they will be finished in my eyes.

15. Tennessee Titans (23) – The Titans are rolling right now and have vaulted up my rankings since the last time I wrote them. I have no problem putting a 5-6 team in the frisky group because that is exactly what Tennessee is right now. After this week's game against Indianapolis, they have the Rams, Dolphins, Chargers, and Seahawks. Assuming at by Week 16 that San Diego has their division wrapped up, I can easily see the Titans finishing 9-7 and snatching up a wild card berth. In fact, beating Indianapolis is definitely in the discussion this week.

MATHEMATICALLY IN IT (BUT REALLY OUT OF IT)

16. New York Giants (15) – True story. I was finishing up my second Thanksgiving meal of the day last Thursday as the clock hit 7:45. Those of us at the table began discussing the game between the Giants and Broncos that was coming up. I began stating that the Giants are traveling to the West Coast on a short week and will most likely lose. I then added that I picked the Giants so they will definitely lose. I then proceeded to change my pick to Denver as fast as possible on my phone. Sometimes things are just too easy.

17. Jacksonville Jaguars (17) – Sometimes I need to trust my instincts a little more. For instance, I was ready to write off Jacksonville about five weeks ago but kept being talked back into them as they won a game here and there. Well, that is no more. I'm done with Jacksonville. It's not happening this year.

18. Houston Texans (16) – Have the Texans ever won a big game? Ever? Every time they put together a little winning streak and start discussing the playoffs, they immediately fall flat on their face. When you're at home and up 20-7 on the division leader, you don't blow that lead. Well, unless you're a Houston Texan.

19. Miami Dolphins (18) – If the Dolphins want to blame anybody for losing in Buffalo on Sunday, they can blame the coaches. How else do explain the decision to let Ricky Williams throw the ball after he had run all over the Bills to get inside the five? Not to mention he was still running them over in the second half before they started letting Chad Henne throw the ball and wheels came flying off. It's a simple concept. The Bills pass defense is good, their run defense isn't. If you want to beat them, run the ball.

20. San Francisco 49ers (21) – The Niners had themselves a nice little Sunday with a victory against Jacksonville and an Arizona loss against Tennessee. They are still a full two games behind Arizona with one game remaining against them, so they will need a little help. Luckily they still have Seattle, Detroit, and St Louis on their remaining schedule.

21. New York Jets (20) – Did the Jets actually win on Sunday or did Jake Delhomme just gift wrap the game instead? Hard to say but I'm going with the latter choice. Mark Sanchez should be thanking his lucky stars that this Thursday's game against Buffalo is in the dome in Toronto and not in Ralph Wilson Stadium.

22. Buffalo Bills (25) – It was nice to see a Bills victory but I think people are getting way ahead of themselves. Perry Fewell shouldn't (and won't) be the permanent coach once this season is over. He sure has the Bills looking better than they were under Dick Jauron, but I think it's more a lack of Jauron than Fewell himself. No offense to Coach Fewell.

23. Carolina Panthers (19) – The Panthers will be lucky to finish the season with six victories. After this week's game against Tampa Bay, they have the Patriots, Vikings, Giants, and Saints to finish off the season. At what point does Jake Delhomme get benched?

BOTTOM OF THE BARREL

24. Chicago Bears (22) – Jay Cutler has been awful for the Bears this season. This has been his worst season so far as his 20 interceptions are a current career high for one season and his 74.4 QB rating is currently a career low. As a Bills fan wanting Mike Shannahan to be the coach, the Bears concern me. Lovie Smith has to be on his way out and if he is, the Bears would be very smart to pair Shannahan and Cutler up again.

25. Seattle Seahawks (24) – I know the Seahawks won on Sunday but I really have no idea if they looked good or it was just because they played the Rams. I guess my lack of interest has to do with the entire NFC West. What a horrible division.

26. Washington Redskins (26) – Firing Jim Zorn is a foregone conclusion for the Redskins so they will be in the discussion for one of the big name coaches. For me personally, I don't understand what would attract them to the team. They have an owner who throws his money around more foolishly than a drunken guy at a strip club, they definitely don't have a QB, so what is so great about coaching in Washington? Bigger market? More media scrutiny? Higher expectations? Crazy owner breathing down your back? Please, enlighten me.

27. Kansas City Chiefs (28) – I can see the Chiefs finishing with four victories at a minimum which means my prediction before the season of 6-10 is looking pretty good with a few upsets along the way. They still have two games against Denver which means at the very least they could play spoiler and ruin a rival's playoff chances.

28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (27) – The Bucs are one of those ferociously bad teams but you can tell they are just a little dangerous. Like if I'm the Jets and play them in two weeks, I'm not 100% sold on it being an easy victory. It's kind of sad that it took this long for them to start Josh Freeman but I guess it's better late than never.

29. Oakland Raiders (29) – The Raiders still have games against Washington and Cleveland remaining on the schedule, but my gut is telling me that they have maxed out their win total for the season. I would be nervous that they will take a QB in the draft that I'd like to see in Buffalo, but that would be banking on Oakland doing the right/smart/logical thing come April.

30. St Louis Rams (30) – I don't think I've seen one second of live Rams football this season and that is probably for the best. I did see the opening game for the UFL so I imagine it was about the same.

31. Detroit Lions (31) – The Lions almost made their Thanksgiving day game exciting and a huge upset, but they forgot to play the remaining 58 minutes. Oops.

32. Cleveland Browns (32) – I really have nothing to say about Cleveland at this point of the season. Just look at the picture of the "Mangenius" to the right. That says it all.