NFL Power Rankings Week 15

The post season is really taking shape now. There are six teams that advance to the dance in the NFL. Please feel free to not the two playoff bound teams that do not have the honor of being on Just My Opinion:Just the Facts. Also note that they are both division leaders. (You may further wish to note that one of them is leading a division from which zero players were selected for the Pro Bowl. Not one man from a team in the NFC South will be in Hawaii!) With out further ado (or further noting) here are this weeks Power Rankings:

1)New England (13-0) Last week: 1

It seems that the weather may be conspiring to prevent Brady from overtaking some of the records he's chasing this year. With the inclimate climate in Foxboro the Pats had to go to the ground to beat the Jets 20-10. That leaves Brady with needing over 330 passing yards per game to hold the single season passing record for yardage, and at least 2 TD Passes per game (both to Randy so he can break Rice's record) to have his name next to the single season TD Passing record over Peyton. This and the pursuit of perfection should be enough to keep the Pats playing hard (as though Belichick would allow anything else) as they cruise into the post season. Final Foes: 1-13 Miami and 9-5 Giants. You should go 2-0. That's what most of us are hoping for. Whether we like the Pats or not, we want to see history being made. (if the Jets really wanted to hurt NE, they should have waited until this week to claim spying. That way we'd look back and question the whole season rather than the first game. Because they were caught week one, we can assume they've accomplished this feat without the use of any extra cameras on the sidelines. Don Shula thinks there should be an asterisk by this season because of "spy-gate." Of course he does! He was the coach of the '72 Dolphins!)

2)Green Bay (12-2) Last week: 3

Football fans say the NFL is more exciting because every game counts. Few things could prove that more true than last weeks match-ups. With a huge loss by Dallas there is a slight glimpse of hope that the 'Boys may have to head to GB for the playoffs! If Dallas loses either of the two games remaining and you don't, it's yours! And a 33-14 win over STL is some pretty good momentum. Final foes: 5-9 Chicago & 6-8 Detroit

3)Dallas (12-2) Last week: 2

A crushing defeat! Not only was it a loss, but it was to your division rival Eagles! TO must have been livid to lose to his former team! It was ugly, too. You didn't have the weather to contend with like Pitt/Jax, NE/NYJ, or Buff/Cleve. Just Tony's new girlfriend. Some say it was because your new flame Jessica Simpson was in the stadium that you played so terribly. They cite the fact that you played awful the last time a gal pal came to watch when Carrie Underwood was in the luxury boxes... Word of wisdom, tell them to watch it on your wide-screen plasma HD TV, they can see you better there anyway! You've got a playoff berth, but you're fighting for that number 1 spot in the NFC. Final Foes: 6-8 Carolina & 7-7 Washington

4)Indianapolis (12-2) Last week: 4

Well, you locked up the #2 seed in the AFC with a 21-14 win over Oakland. I'm not sure what's happening with your team. The score was 10-3 for most of the game and Oakland isn't very good. In fact, at one point they were leading 14-13 late in the game! Having to come from behind against the Raiders is no way to start the playoffs. Looks like you may be missing Harrison more than we first thought. Final Foes: 7-7 Houston & 8-6 Tennessee

5)Jacksonville (10-4) Last week: 5

JMO:JTF is proud of the call they made regarding your game. Pittsburgh had been undefeated at home this year at 7-0. You were reeling from the INDY loss and Pitt had something to prove after losing to NE. Yet, JMO:JTF was among the few that said that you, the underdog, was going to upset the big bad Steelers on their home turf, and you did! It was a close game, but you came out on top and those are the ones that are key to win! Finish strong and carry some of that fire into the hunt for the Bowl! Final Foes: 4-10 Oakland & 7-7 Houston

6)Minnesota (8-6) Last week: 6

While I expected you to send the Bears into early hibernation, they nearly chased you back to Greenland! You managed to pull out a win but made far too many mistakes that really would have burned you against a playoff caliber team. While the win keeps you in the hunt for the last playoff spot in the NFC, you've got some other teams itching to see you falter. You face one next week as you line up against your Final Foes: 7-7 Washington & 6-8 Denver

7)San Diego (9-5) Last week: 8

51 points! It's an accomplishment to score over 40. 51! This is the SD we wanted to see all year! A potent LT, a high scoring offense, and a string of wins in a row! You're headed to the post season and let's hope you get farther this year than last. I dunno though, your previous coach did amazing in the regular season, then lost in the playoffs. Does that mean you new coach will do just the opposite? Final Foes: 6-8 Denver & 4-10 Oakland

8)Pittsburgh (9-5) Last week: 7

What came as a surprise to many was not one to JMO:JTF. With the Pro Bowl selections out and some of your key players being snubbed, maybe this will be bulletin board material to get them to play harder. Cleveland is breathing down your neck trying to take the division from you. You can hold them off if you win out, but they are playing like the Browns of old. Don't look back, they're right behind you! Final Foes: 3-11 St. Louis & 4-10 Baltimore

9)Cleveland (9-5) Last week: 10

As professionals, you hate having to play in that kind of weather. As a non-professional, I wish I could've bundled up and played an all out smash-yer-face-into-the-snow game of tackle football with my friends in a blizzard like that! An impressive win 8-0 over Buffalo. A kicker who aims 25 feet to the left of the uprights only to have the wind curve it back in and hit the support bar again! The way you've been playing, I would not want to face you in these last two weeks. The post season may be different due to the lack of playoff experience on your team. But right now you are entertaining, playing great, and almost in the playoffs for the first time in years! Final Foes: 5-9 Cincinnati & 4-10 San Fransisco

10)New York Giants (9-5) Last week: 9

Here comes the end of the year slide. It was quite surprising to see you lose 22-10 to Washington. You'll need some better luck in the future... I'd tell you to break a leg, but you've already got that covered! Shockey, Petitgout, Kiwanuka, and Ward all out with fractures or breaks to their fibula (one of the two bones that connects the knee to the ankle). These are four major keys to victory for you. One would almost think you could weather losing Manning better than those four! You haven't yet secured a post season slot. You have to win one more. Better do it this week because the week after isn't looking too good! Final Foes: 7-7 Buffalo & 14-0 New England

Off: No one. While the Giants have lost some consistent contributors, I'd like to see what they can do against before they are removed entirely from the list. Besides, who would join the rankings in their place? TB? no. Seattle? uh-huh. TN? Absolutely not.

I saw the most pitiful spectacle this week. Miami beat Baltimore in overtime to win their first game of the season. They certainly should have lost this game. Had Baltimore gone for the win in the closing seconds rather than the tie, that would most likely have ended it. Baltimore got the ball first in OT and missed a game winning field goal. Then, inexplicably, the Raven safeties decided to take a lunch break as the Dolphins ran a short slant across the middle designed to gain 5-7 yards that went for 64 yards, a TD, and the end of their pursuit of pestilence. The sad part (besides their actually winning) was the celebration they held in the end zone following the touchdown. You'd think they just won the Super Bowl, the Rose Bowl, or perhaps even some minor really long sponsored illogically named bowl (the Sunshine State Firestone Snow Tires Rogain Mary Kay Bowl). Or perhaps some major milestone was achieve as a team (the 1000 win for example). Nope, they are now 1-13 and they are celebrating because they are still mathematically capable of 3-13. It almost brings a tear to one's eye...