NFL Football Power Ratings

1. Green Bay Packers (15-1) – Green Bay elected to sit MVP candidate Aaron Rodgers, and they were still able to win their 15th game of the season. Matt Flynn came into the game and threw for six touchdowns, as the Packers downed Detroit 45-41. The Packers lone loss on the season came to the Kansas City Chiefs. Green Bay will sit during the first round of the postseason, and then host both the second round and the NFC title game.

2. New Orleans Saints (13-3) – The Saints beat Carolina on Sunday, but in the win finished with the third seed in the NFC. New Orleans saw their MVP candidate quarterback Drew Brees throw for nearly 400 yards and 5 touchdowns. Brees finished the regular season with over 5,400 yards. The Saints will now host the Detroit Lions in the first round of the postseason.

3. New England Patriots (13-3) – The New England Patriots finished the season with their 13th win of the regular season. After trailing 21-0 early, New England came back and scored the final 49 points of the season. Tom Brady finished the game with 338 passing yards and 3 touchdowns in the game. New England is the top seed in the AFC postseason and will await their opponent for the second round game. The Patriots would play the Broncos or Steelers if things held up the way they are supposed to.

4. San Francisco 49ers (13-3) – San Francisco clinched the second seed in the NFC with a 34-27 win over the St. Louis Rams. San Francisco lost just three games all season long, dominating the NFC West. The 49ers saw their receiver Michael Crabtree finish the game with 92 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns. San Francisco will take the first weekend of the postseason off, and prepare for their second round home game. The 49ers would host New Orleans if all the seeds hold up.

5. Baltimore Ravens (12-4) – The Baltimore Ravens held on to beat the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. Baltimore used a monster day from running back Ray Rice, as he finished with 191 rushing yards in the win. Baltimore finished the season winning six of their final seven games. With the win, the Ravens won the AFC North; via tiebreaker over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Baltimore will hold the second seed in the postseason, and sit during the first weekend.

6. Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4) – Despite a porous offense, the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Pittsburgh scored just a lone touchdown in the third quarter, which was enough for the win. Pittsburgh finished with a 12-4 record, and tied with the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North. Due to the Ravens beating the Steelers twice, Baltimore was declared the divisional winner. The Steelers will be the five seed, and start the postseason in Denver.

7. Atlanta Falcons (10-6) – The Atlanta Falcons put up a season high 42 points in the first half to move to 10-6 on the season. Matt Ryan did not even play in the second half, as he did enough during the first half. The Falcons bounced back from their tough loss on Monday Night to the New Orleans Saints. Atlanta is the fifth seed in the NFC, and will head to New York, to battle against the NFC East winning Giants in the first round of the postseason.

8. Detroit Lions (10-6) – Detroit put up 41 points, but it was not enough to down the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. The Lions allowed back-up quarterback Matt Flynn to throw for six touchdowns in the game. With the loss, the Lions fell to the sixth seed in the NFC postseason picture. The Detroit Lions will prepare this week to head to New Orleans, where they were downed earlier in the season, and take on Drew Brees and the Saints.

9. Houston Texans (10-6) – Despite a three game losing streak to finish the season, Houston is heading to the postseason. The Texans are the third seed, and will host the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round. In the loss on Sunday, the Texans lost their third string quarterback T.J. Yates to injury. Jake Delhomme, the former Carolina Panthers quarterback is the fourth string quarterback, and appears to be in line to start in the playoff game.

10. Cincinnati Bengals (9-7) – Cincinnati lost in week 17, but are still heading to the postseason. Despite losing several of their top offensive players from a season ago, the Bengals will play a 17th game. The Bengals garnered the sixth seed due to the different outcomes on Sunday. Cincinnati will play a very winnable game in the first round at Houston, against the Texans. The Texans have lost three straight games, and are playing for fourth quarterback of the season.

11. New York Giants (9-7) – The Giants won their final two games of the regular season to become NFC East champions. The season was up and down for Tom Coughlin and the crew, but in the end, they are heading to postseason. New York will host the Atlanta Falcons in the first round of the postseason this weekend. The Giants, despite winning the division ended with a negative point differential. On the season, New York allowed six more points than they scored.

12. Tennessee Titans (9-7) – Tennessee did their part in week 17 beating the Houston Texans. Tennessee did not get enough help from other AFC opponents to reach the postseason. The Titans allowed Houston to score a touchdown late in the game, but held them out of the end zone on the two point conversion to seal up the victory. The Titans were led in touchdowns by receiver Nate Washington; with 6.

13. Philadelphia Eagles (8-8) – Philadelphia won their final four games of the season, and finished with a .500 record. The Eagles were 4-8 and a total disaster just a few weeks ago. The Eagles finished the season with a 34-10 win over Washington, scoring 21 in the final quarterback. The Eagles will now make a decision on their head coach Andy Reid, who many expect to return next season. Philadelphia played the game on Sunday without their top rusher LeSean McCoy, who finished with 1,309 rushing yards.

14. Dallas Cowboys (8-8) – The Dallas Cowboys season ended in a disappointment again, as they fell in week 17 to the Giants. The Cowboys were held scoreless in the first half, but then moved the game to 21-14. After failing to tie the game, Dallas allowed New York to score the final 10 points of the game in the loss. The Cowboys ended the season at 8-8 under Jason Garrett. Dallas will now look to restructure their team for the 2012 season.

15. Chicago Bears (8-8) – Lovie Smith and the Chicago Bears finished the season at .500. The Bears, a year removed from winning the NFC North, and playing in the NFC title game had to win their final game at Minnesota to reach that mark. Chicago snapped their five game losing streak with the four point win in Minnesota. The Bears spent the final six games of the season without their quarterback Jay Cutler. Chicago had a +12 point differential on the season.

16. Arizona Cardinals (8-8) – After a horrible beginning to the season, the Arizona Cardinals ended the season on an upswing. The Cardinals won seven of their final nine games. The Cardinals finished in second place in the NFC West, and finished the season with a .500 record. Arizona won four games in overtime this season. The Cardinals played Josh Skelton behind center for much of the season half of the season. Skelton finished with over 1,600 yards and 10 touchdowns.

17. New York Jets (8-8) – Rex Ryan and the New York Jets fell flat on their face in the final three weeks of the season. The Jets were 8-5 and in control of the final wildcard spot. With the three straight losses, the Jets were eliminated from the playoff chase. New York fell 19-17 at the hands of the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. The Jets hope before the start of next season, quarterback Mark Sanchez can get control of his knack of turning the football over too many times.

18. Denver Broncos (8-8) – By default, the Denver Broncos won the AFC West. Denver was downed by Kansas City 7-3, as Tim Tebow only passed for 60+ yards in the loss. The Broncos lost their final three games, but won the tiebreaker of teams that finished with an 8-8 record. Denver will host the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the postseason. The Broncos, despite making the postseason were outscored by a total of 91 points in the 16 games played.

19. San Diego Chargers (8-8) – If the rumors of Norv Turner being fired are true, he certainly went out with a bang. The Chargers went to Oakland and downed the Raiders, and sent them packing for the season. San Diego saw their quarterback Phillip Rivers finish the season with over 4,300 yards. The Chargers would like to have back the string of six straight losses earlier in the season. San Diego scored a divisional high 406 points on the season.

20. Oakland Raiders (8-8) – The Oakland Raiders saw the Denver Broncos lose, and only needed to beat San Diego to get into the playoffs. Instead the defense faltered, and then the offense turned the ball over, and the Raiders lost their shot. Instead, Oakland finished in a three way tie in the AFC West with San Diego and Denver. The Raiders broke the National Football League record for penalties in a season. Oakland beat the previous record of 158 penalties, and over 1,300 yards.

21. Kansas City Chiefs (7-9) – Romeo Crennel had the Chiefs playing well in the final few weeks of the season. The Chiefs beat Chicago, Green Bay and Denver under the leadership of Crennel. In the win, the Chiefs lost their top receiver Dwayne Bowe to a neck injury. He went to the sideline along with top quarterback Matt Cassell, and top running back Jamaal Charles.  The Chiefs scored just 212 points on the season, which was one of the worst in all of the National Football League.

22. Seattle Seahawks (7-9) – The Seattle Seahawks took Arizona to overtime, but were beat, ending their chances at finishing at .500. The Seahawks completed the season with a 7-9 record, and third place in the NFC West. Marshawn Lynch finished the season with over 1,100 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. Seattle finished with a +6 point differential, which was improve from last season, when they won a playoff game.

23. Carolina Panthers (6-10) – The Carolina Panthers had a fairly positive season come to a crashing end on Sunday. The Panthers fell 45-17 in New Orleans. The Panthers defense was unable to slow down Drew Brees and the Saints offense. Offensively for Carolina, Cam Newton could not figure out the tough New Orleans defense. The Panthers had a great improvement under first year head coach Ron Rivera and rookie quarterback Cam Newton.

24. Miami Dolphins (6-10) – The Miami Dolphins did the job they wanted to do. The Dolphins beat the New York Jets at home, and eliminated them from playoff contention. The Dolphins, following a 0-7 start won six of their final nine games of the season. The Dolphins also finished with a positive point differential of +16. The Dolphins will look to hire a new head coach in the next weeks, and prepare for their 2012 draft strategy.

25. Buffalo Bills (6-10) – The Buffalo Bills got off to a great start, but it went downhill fast. The Bills scored the first 21 points of the game, but saw New England answer with 49 in a row. Buffalo finished the season with a 6-10, and tied with Miami for third in the AFC East. Due to the Dolphins beating them twice, the Bills fell to fourth place. Buffalo won just one road game all season long; coming in the opening week; at the Kansas City Chiefs.

26. Washington Redskins (5-11) – Washington was blasted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the season finale. The Redskins were unable to slow down Philadelphia quarterback Michael Vick, as he went off for over 300 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Redskins lost 10 of their final 12 games on the season. The Redskins scored 288 points on the season, and allowed 367.

27. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-11) – The Jaguars wrapped up the 2011 season with a win over the Indianapolis Colts. The win was the second of the season for Jacksonville over Indianapolis. The Jaguars saw their top running back Maurice Jones-Drew rush for 169 yards in the win. Maurice Jones-Drew wrapped up the rushing title in the National Football League. Jacksonville will look for a new head coach this off-season after firing Jack Del Rio.

28. Minnesota Vikings (3-13) – Minnesota had chances to win the game at home on Sunday, but fell short. The Vikings lost their quarterback Christian Ponder, and late in the game turned to Joe Webb. Minnesota finished the season 3-13 on the season, and wrapped up the third pick in the draft. The bright spot for the Vikings was the play of Jared Allen, who finished ½ sack behind Michael Strahan for the NFL record in a single season.

29. Cleveland Browns (4-12) – The Cleveland Browns 2011 season came to an end on Sunday with a 13-9 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The loss for Cleveland was their sixth straight, and ninth in their final ten games.  The Browns finished the season with the second least points scored in the AFC. The Browns scored 218, which was only better than the Kansas City Chiefs

30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-12) – Raheem Morris and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are breathing a sigh of relief that the 2011 season has come to an end. The Buccaneers gave up a season high 42 points in the first half of the loss to the Falcons on Sunday. The Buccaneers lost their final ten games of the season, and allowed a league high 494 points on the season. The Buccaneers next question will be whether Morris comes back as head coach next year or not.

31. Indianapolis Colts (2-14) – Indianapolis put up a fight, but came away on the wrong end of a 19-13 decision to the Jaguars. The Colts saw Austin Collie catch 9 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown. The Colts’ with the loss had their two game winning streak snapped. With the loss, Indianapolis wrapped up the #1 pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. Will Indianapolis select Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck to be the replacement for Peyton Manning?

32. St. Louis Rams (2-14) – The Rams closed their season with their 14th loss of the season. Despite St. Louis scoring 27 points, they were unable to down the San Francisco 49ers. The Rams 27 points were the most in a single game since the win over the Saints on Halloween. St. Louis will now turn their attention to the 2012 NFL draft. The Rams will receive the #2 pick in the draft. The question will be – Will Steve Spagnulo still be the head coach in St. Louis?