1. New Orleans Saints (1) – The Saints got very lucky on Sunday but those are the necessary breaks when attempting to go undefeated. The game in Washington had "letdown game" written all over it; however I didn't think the Redskins would make that much of game out of things. New Orleans clinched their division with the win yesterday but Head Coach Sean Payton has gone on record stating that they are definitely going for the undefeated season. Kudos to him and his staff. Resting his players right now would be the worst thing possible right now.

2. Indianapolis Colts (2) – This was the second week in the last three that I picked against Indianapolis for my upset special and got screwed. Well, I can't say I was totally screwed since I was picking against the second best team in the league. Assuming they don't rest their starters, the Colts have a real good shot at 16-0, which has me slightly excited. Their final game is in Buffalo on January 3^rd and I'm trying to find one reason to not attend the game besides the weather being bitter cold and the game being completely meaningless for the Bills. Say the Colts are 15-0 heading into that game, I could probably score some cheap tickets and witness some form of history as Indy goes 16-0 or watch the Bills have one of the bigger upsets of the season as they end the Colts undefeated hopes. Again, give me one reason not to go. I got none.

3. Minnesota Vikings (3) – As someone who owns Adrian Peterson on my fantasy team, I just want to say thanks for his amazing 19 yard performance on 13 carries. All day baby, all day. I wouldn't worry too much if I were a Vikings fan though. They still have a strong hold on the second seed in the NFC and Brett Favre will definitely rebound from his sub-par performance. No way is he hitting any sort of wall, no way at all.

POTENTIALLY FRISKY PLAYOFF TEAMS

4. Cincinnati Bengals (4) – With the Ravens loss on Monday night, the Bengals are just one win away from clinching the AFC North. Read that again, it's simply amazing. If anyone other than a Bengals fan told you that was possible at the beginning of the season, they would have to be committed to the insane asylum.

5. San Diego Chargers (5) –The Chargers are quietly one of the hottest teams in the NFL right now. They are currently riding a seven game win streak and still have a one game lead in the AFC West. Denver seems to have rebounded from their mid-season slump so the Chargers will need to continue their winning ways or face the possibility of a road playoff game in the first round. It won't be easy for San Diego as their next three games are all tough. If they were to win all three, I might be making them my pick for the Super Bowl.

6. Arizona Cardinals (11) – The Cardinals absolutely impressed me with their win against Minnesota Sunday night. If they play like that, a second straight Super Bowl appearance is not out of the question. This week's game is surprisingly big for Arizona as they can clinch their second straight NFC West crown with a win against the 49ers.

7. Philadelphia Eagles (12) – With a big win in Atlanta, the Eagles are now in a first place tie in the NFC East. We've all seen this script before. Now whether or not it plays out the same is yet to be determined. I'll know a little bit more after this week's game in the Meadowlands.

8. Dallas Cowboys (7) – I'm trying my hardest to not pick on the Cowboys for yet another December loss but it is very difficult. Of their four remaining games, the only team they are facing that won't be in the playoffs is Washington. If Dallas still makes a late season run, it will be well deserved.

9. Denver Broncos (8) – Denver's wildcard chances are looking pretty good right now. I see the Broncos finishing 10-6 in a worst case scenario which should still be good for the playoffs. Who would've thought that before the season after the Cutler/McDaniel's mess that went on in the offseason?

10. New England Patriots (6) – Is this the end of a dynasty? I keep defending the Patriots for some odd reason and thinking that I still can't pick against them in the playoffs, but it's becoming more and more difficult to hold that thought while watching them lose games they should definitely win. Sunday's loss in Miami was killer because now both the Jets and Dolphins are just one game back in the division. Luckily for New England, they have four fairly easy games coming up on the schedule so I still don't seem them blowing their division lead.

12. Green Bay Packers (13) – The Packers are hot right now and that could be scary heading into the playoffs. Remember, it's not always the best team, but the one that is rolling along (2007 Giants).

13. Pittsburgh Steelers (10) – Sunday's loss was huge for Pittsburgh. Losing four in a row is never good, but it seems especially worse since two games were against division opponents and the other two were against the Raiders and Chiefs. Not sure how that happens but I am still not counting the Steelers out. I see them easily putting together a four game run and squeaking into the playoffs. After that, all bets are off. As I'm often reminded, their first Super Bowl win this decade was done as a six seed.

14. New York Giants (16) – I've flip flopped more times on the Giants this season than I have on going on a diet and working out. Ok, I haven't flip flopped that many times on the Giants, but it's getting pretty close. Every single time I want to write them off, they come up with a huge win and push their way back into the picture. Well guess what? I'm done writing them off. They will forever stay in this bracket until the end of the season.

15. Baltimore Ravens (9) – The Ravens suffered a crushing loss Monday night but they are still in the thick of things thanks to Oakland. The Ravens/Steelers game coming up soon will be huge and unfortunately for Baltimore, they won't be facing Dennis Dixon this time.

MATHEMATICALLY IN IT (BUT REALLY OUT OF IT)

15. Tennessee Titans (15) – It was a fun story while it lasted, but the Titans playoff hopes came crashing down on Sunday. Even if they finish 9-7, which would be amazing after starting 0-6, there is no way they are making the playoffs. I just don't see 9-7 being good enough. Denver will have one wildcard with a possible 10-6 record, and the other will probably belong to Pittsburgh after they run off four straight wins and also finish 10-6.

16. Atlanta Falcons (14) – This season for Atlanta can officially be labeled as a major disappointment. In their defense, without Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, and Roddy White, not much could be expected against the Eagles. If the Falcons have any hopes of making the playoffs again, they absolutely have to beat the Saints this week. I don't like their chances.

17. Miami Dolphins (19) – The Dolphins had themselves a nice little Sunday with their win against the Patriots. The tie-breaker scenario is going to be a mess if they finish with the same record as New England, which is a definite possibility. To put it simply, assuming both teams win this Sunday, the Dolphins and their fans will be rooting very hard for the Bills to pull an upset in Week 15.

18. Jacksonville Jaguars (17) – How many times can I write these rankings and mention the pathetic crowd in Jacksonville? If/when the Jags move to L.A., I better not hear one person complain about it. The Jags haven't sold out one game this season and it's not looking good for the next two. That really is a new level of embarrassing for the city of Jacksonville.

19. New York Jets (21) – Even when Mark Sanchez does something good, he still screws it up. Not sliding to get the first down against Buffalo was smart at the time because he kept the drive alive, but he also hurt himself in the process which could have a negative impact on the remainder of the Jets season. The Jets were going to beat the Bills anyways so not sliding for the first down really was a bonehead move. The fact that he was a top 10 pick in the NFL draft and still doesn't know how to properly slide is alarming, or at least it would be if I were a Jets fan.

20. Houston Texans (18) – The Texans were on life support before this Sunday but they are officially done now. Of course we'll still have to talk about them because they will win the next two games, pull their record to 7-7, get their fans all riled up, and then ultimately lose at least one of their remaining two games to seal another non-winning season. Fun times in Houston.

21. San Francisco 49ers (20) – Like I stated above, their season is on the line this Sunday. I see no possible way for them to even sniff the playoffs besides winning their division, which seems to be the norm in the NFC West, so they better bring their best this week. Even if they do win, it still isn't looking overly good for them.

22. Buffalo Bills (22) – It was another amazingly boring game for the Bills in Toronto as they fell to the Jets. I expect a win this Sunday in Kansas City which worries me. Anytime I expect the Bills to do something, they usually do the opposite. I did have a realization the other night during the game, which may or may not have been induced by alcohol, but after this season I've decided to be overly positive about the Bills. That's right; I'm going to turn into the biggest homer ever. You've been warned.

23. Carolina Panthers (23) – Although I was wrong on my pick of the Panthers, I don't feel totally wrong seeing that Matt Moore played about as well as I thought he would. I just didn't think Josh Freeman would do his best Jake Delhomme impersonation and throw five interceptions. It says a lot about your team when you beat one of the worst teams at home by 10 points and were handed five turnovers. In other words, the Panthers are still a pretty bad team. I understand the whole living in Carolina thing that would appeal to Bill Cowher, but honestly, what else could he see in the Panthers? He would be crazy to take that job.

BOTTOM OF THE BARREL

24. Chicago Bears (24) – Sometimes I really enjoy writing these rankings. For instance, I had no idea the Bears even played yesterday until I checked the box scores while writing this.

25. Seattle Seahawks (25) – This is just my opinion, but having Mike Holmgren come back in some sort of Bill Parcells type role with Seattle isn't going to fix their problems. I really can't imagine how anybody in Seattle would be excited for that.

26. Oakland Raiders (29) – I can't help but wonder what Oakland's record would be if they started Bruce Gradkowski all season. I know it wouldn't be a winning record, but it would have to be better than 4-8. It's almost funny to think that the Raiders have the same record as the Bills and started JaMarcus Russell for over half the season. Excuse me while I go throw up.

27. Washington Redskins (26) – The Redskins did precisely what bad teams do; snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. As a Bills fan, I've seen it happen so many times that I've lost count. I'd feel bad for fans in Washington, but honestly, I don't. Go a full decade without the playoffs and then talk to me.

28. Kansas City Chiefs (27) – How bad are the Chiefs? I'll find out for sure this Sunday.

NOTE: I don't mean this as any type of cop out, but I just don't know what to write about these four teams anymore. I've spent this past 12 weeks or so basically making fun of them, ripping on their poor QB play, and stating the obvious. I saw approximately 27 seconds combined from the games these four teams played yesterday. So on that note, I'm lumping them together and I'm done with them.

29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (28)

30. St Louis Rams (30)

31. Detroit Lions (31)

32. Cleveland Browns (32)