LEGIT SUPER BOWL CONTENDERS

1. New Orleans Saints (1) – The Saints escaped Atlanta with another tight victory and are now three away from the perfect regular season. In my not so professional opinion, their final test is this Saturday against Dallas; otherwise it should be smooth sailing. I haven't researched all the tie-breaking scenarios, but they do need to keep on playing since they don't have home field throughout the playoffs sealed yet. A win this week and a Minnesota loss would seal the deal on that though. On a somewhat alarming side note, the Saints haven't had a 100 yard rusher since Week Three in Buffalo. They may need some kind of a running game once the playoffs roll around.

2. Indianapolis Colts (2) – On the flip side, the Colts do have home field wrapped up throughout the playoffs so expect them to play some preseason ball for the final three weeks. Huge mistake if you ask me. Imagine the Colts resting the starters enough that Jacksonville gets a win this Thursday, which would basically give them a ticket to the playoffs, and then suffering some sort of upset loss in the second round to the hands of those same Jaguars. Crazier things have happened.

3. Minnesota Vikings (3) – Brett Favre was right, the Vikings did defeat the Bengals rather convincingly, but I'm not sure if that means Minnesota is a great team. They did nothing spectacular on offense and basically relied on the defense to shut down Cincinnati, which isn't exactly the hardest thing to do. They need to keep on playing well to have a shot at the number one seed in the NFC, but unfortunately will lose out on that because New Orleans most likely isn't going to lose two out of their next three games.

4. San Diego Chargers (5) – The Chargers are getting promoted to this bracket after winning their eighth straight game on Sunday. With Cincinnati's loss on Sunday, the Chargers now have a one game lead for the second seed in the AFC. They also face the Bengals this Sunday so they can clinch that second seed with a victory and a Patriots loss to Buffalo. Assuming they get the second seed and a first round bye, it sets up the inevitable matchup against Indianapolis in the AFC championship. If I'm a Colts fan, that is the scariest thing imaginable right now. The Chargers are definitely Super Bowl material right now.

POTENTIALLY FRISKY PLAYOFF TEAMS

5. Philadelphia Eagles (7) – With their fourth straight victory, the Eagles move up again in my rankings and into first place in the NFC East. Weeks ago I predicted that this division might be up for grabs in Week 17 when Dallas faces Philadelphia, but it not even get to that point if Philly keeps winning and Dallas keeps losing. The Eagles have an "easy win" coming up this week against San Francisco; meanwhile Dallas has a "sure loss" this week against New Orleans.

6. Cincinnati Bengals (4) – I'm starting to lose faith in the Bengals. They still have a pretty good hold on their division, but a first round bye went out the window this week when they lost in Minnesota. They could vault themselves back into the discussion with a win in San Diego this Sunday, but I'm not counting on it. Their magic number is still one for the AFC North crown so they should eventually get it sometime in the next three weeks. I'm guessing Week 16 against Kansas City as the magic day.

7. Arizona Cardinals (6) – So with a chance to clinch the division on national TV against a division team, the Cardinals give up seven turnovers in an ugly loss. This isn't exactly a good sign heading into the playoffs, unless they are trying to trick everyone again like they did last year.

8. Denver Broncos (9) – Denver moves up after a loss, but mostly because Dallas lost again. Denver gave Indianapolis a somewhat competitive game but I'm not sure if it was ever in doubt. Even after losing, they still have a firm grasp on the fifth seed in the AFC with two sure wins out of three remaining on the schedule. It would take a completely epic collapse for them to not be in the playoffs which is something I definitely wasn't saying before the season started.

9. Dallas Cowboys (8) – Dallas fell all the way to the sixth seed after Sunday's loss, but their only real competition are the Giants since the rest of the NFC pretty much sucks. The bad news is they were swept by the Giants this year and that could really come back and haunt them. If the Giants take care of business against a woeful Redskins team Sunday and the Cowboys lose Saturday night in New Orleans, they will officially be on the outside looking in. While that would be an epic disappoint for Dallas, it might be good in the long run as it would most likely spell the end of the Wade Phillips era.

10. New England Patriots (10) – The Patriots beat Carolina in unconvincing fashion. There is some real trouble in New England these days but it would still take quite a bit for them to completely miss the playoffs. How bad are things for New England right now? I am actually optimistic that Buffalo can beat them this Sunday, and the Patriots are a team that has completely dominated this division series this decade.

I'm not going to pile on Randy Moss for quitting on his teammates and sulking like a teenage girl this past week, but I have to wonder if the honeymoon is over for Moss and the Patriots. For all the T.O. bashing that goes on, at least he is still trying on a bad Buffalo team. I'm sure he would kill to be playing for a division leader right now.

11. Baltimore Ravens (11) – The Ravens took care of business on Sunday but would still be out of the playoffs if they started today. Luckily for them, they don't. They have two winnable games in the next three, with the Steelers being the only tough game remaining. And to be honest, I'm being nice by saying the game against Pittsburgh will be tough.

12. Green Bay Packers (13) – It may have been ugly but Green Bay got their fifth straight win and now have a stranglehold on the fifth seed in the NFC. Interestingly enough, they play the Cardinals in Arizona in Week 17 and that might be the exact matchup we get in the first round of the playoffs. If that is the case, I see the Week 17 game being a backup filled snoozer unless Green Bay needs to win to get in. The thought of a Minnesota rematch in the playoffs literally has my drooling on my keyboard.

13. Miami Dolphins (17) – The Dolphins win against Jacksonville was huge for their playoff chances. In fact, their chances at defending the AFC East crown are definitely in discussion right now. They are one game back of New England with no more division games remaining and all three teams remaining on their schedule currently with a below .500 record. With a win against Tennessee this Sunday and a New England loss against Buffalo, Miami would actually vault into first place and control their own destiny. Of course, a loss against Tennessee will further muddle the AFC playoff picture.

14. New York Giants (14) – Like a sure thing, I move the Giants into this bracket and they lose again to further push their playoff chances out the window. Like I said last week though, I refuse to move them out of this bracket for the rest of the season. Mostly because they are definitely still in the race. Like noted above in the Dallas section, they have a somewhat easy win coming up against Washington, while Dallas is facing the best team in the league. If things made sense and went the way they should go, the Giants will actually have the sixth seed by this time next week.

15. Jacksonville Jaguars (18) – Jacksonville is still in the playoff the picture after losing to Miami; however the lead is getting slim. In fact, they are tied with Miami and Baltimore at 7-6 and Miami now has the all valuable head-to-head tie-breaker. With Denver pretty much coasting to the five seed and Baltimore having a somewhat easy road to the six seed, I am thinking Jacksonville pretty much needs to win out to make the playoffs.

MATHEMATICALLY IN IT (BUT REALLY OUT OF IT)

16. Pittsburgh Steelers (15) – I didn't want to move Pittsburgh into this bracket but I really had no choice. They need quite a few teams to lose and they need to win out to even sniff the playoffs right now. Their final three games on the schedule are all against teams with a winning record, two of which are in the thick of the AFC playoff race. It's not out of the question that things fall into place and they squeak in, but it isn't looking good. Assuming they were to miss the playoffs, I think the losses against Kansas City, Oakland, and Cleveland can be directly to blame. You need to take advantage of those easy games on the schedule.

17. Tennessee Titans (15) – I'm dropping the Titans down even further because even though they won, they playoff chances seemed to have gotten worse. I didn't realize this before, but all seven of their losses came within the AFC which is a killer when it comes to tie-breakers. Granted they are 3-0 against the NFC West this year, but um, that isn't saying a whole lot besides the one win against Arizona. I suppose this is where I should mention that the win against Arizona was a last minute miracle finish and the Cardinals were without Kurt Warner.

18. New York Jets (19) – Is it possible for Rex Ryan to win and just show a little bit of class? The only interview clip I saw on ESPN was him shoving it in the face of the media for saying the "J-E-T-S Jets Jet Jets are a M-E-S-S". This just in Rex, a win against Tampa Bay doesn't exactly mean you're a great team. Need I remind you that the Bills also beat Tampa Bay? Oh wait, the Bills also beat the Jets too. On a very interesting side note, I read this morning in the AFC East blog on ESPN that Mark Sanchez has pretty much single handedly kept the Jets out of the playoffs to this point. In summary for those who don't want to click on the extra link, the Jets are first in the NFL in rushing offense and first in total defense, yet are on the outside looking in. Why is that?

19. Atlanta Falcons (16) – The Falcons lost their second straight game which put them at 6-7, and remarkably enough, are still very much in the NFC playoff picture. Then again, the Bills could still win the AFC East and I could still win the lottery.

20. Houston Texans (20) –Houston got another late season win when it was just too late for them to do anything worthwhile. For me personally, I'm hoping they win out so Gary Kubiak can keep his job for at least one more season. The less teams vying for a Head Coach this offseason, the better.

21. San Francisco 49ers (21) – With their season on the line, the 49ers responded with a convincing win against the division leading Cardinals. The Niners still need plenty of help to see to get to the playoffs, but with last night's win, they are definitely in the discussion.

22. Buffalo Bills (22) – The Bills got their fifth win of the season in Kansas City, but it was incredibly painful to watch. Just ask the 25,000 fans who actually showed up for the game. On a positive note, rookie safety Jairus Byrd got his league leading ninth interception and the Bills had a solid day on the ground from both Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch. On a negative note, Ryan Fitzpatrick looked brutal again and further confirmed that he is nothing more than a decent backup. If I were calling the shots, Brian Brohm would get the start in the final two weeks. The Bills really need to see what they have in the kid before they hit the offseason. There will be limited options in free agency and the draft, so it would be nice to know if they have a decent QB already on the roster or they need to go get someone.

23. Carolina Panthers (23) – The Panthers have a brutal finish to the season and could be looking at 5-11 once everything is said and done. That doesn't bode well for John Fox but I'm hoping the Carolina front office gives him the benefit of the doubt and lets him stay for at least one more year. Is it his fault that Jake Delhomme got injured and Matt Moore is starting? Is it his fault Jake Delhomme sucks when playing? Is it his fault that Jake Delhomme got a massive contract extension after destroying the Panthers in the playoffs last year?

BOTTOM OF THE BARREL

24. Chicago Bears (24) – The Bears are not a good team.

25. Seattle Seahawks (25) – Neither is Seattle. They did so a solid job in allowing Matt Schaub to go off for fantasy owners at the perfect (or not so perfect if you were against him) time.

26. Washington Redskins (27) – The Redskins are worse than the two teams above, which isn't saying a whole lot. But hey, Daniel Snyder has tons of money so a big name coach will definitely want to coach there.

27. Oakland Raiders (26) – I should've known that the Raiders would follow up a big road win with a total crapfest at home. It's what they do these days.

28. Kansas City Chiefs (28) – Matt Cassel is horrendous. I was never really impressed with him when I watched him New England, but of course he looked good because of all the weapons he was surrounded with. Without those weapons in Kansas City, he is definitely showing why he was a seventh round draft pick. Good things the Chiefs didn't overreact in the offseason and give him a big contract extension before watching him play more games without Randy Moss and Wes Welker.

29. Cleveland Browns (32) – Congrats to Cleveland for finally beating Pittsburgh after 12 consecutive losses. This might even be a rivalry again if this keeps up.

30. Detroit Lions (31) – I know having Detroit doesn't make a whole lot of sense because they got absolutely manhandled in Baltimore, but it's really a case of the two teams below them actually being worse. Yes I know St Louis beat them in a head to head matchup, but that doesn't always tell the whole story.

31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (29) – I really have no idea how they will settle this tie for the first overall pick. Do they actually follow tie-breaker procedures or do they flip a coin? If they flip a coin, it's going to be a nerve racking flip to see who gets Ndamukong Suh.

32. St Louis Rams (30) – I read some brief talk about St Louis being a possible destination for Michael Vick once Philadelphia releases him in the offseason. I'm not sure what to make of that. I've kind of warmed up to the thought of Vick playing in Buffalo. If anything else, games might be more exciting. Plus he is an experienced QB that has won in the league to a certain extent, something the Bills haven't had behind center since Drew Bledsoe. Hypothetically speaking, if the Rams and Bills were to offer Vick a similar deal and he had to choose, can anybody think of any reason why he would pick the Rams? I can't.