When it comes to Creative Misfortune Power Rankings, production is combined with potential to determine a team's true strength compared to the rest of the league. Winning isn't the only factor, but it is one of the most important components of the rating. I don't believe teams can be powerful if they consistently lose, even to other great teams.
The Forked Few~
Abandon hope and fortune all ye who rank here
# 32 - Houston Texans (previous: 28)
The Texans have completely missed their playoff window. Blow them up now and start over in 2014.
# 31 - Atlanta Falcons (previous: 31)
The Falcons showed some life against the Saints.
# 30 - Jacksonville Jaguars (previous: 32)
Two wins and the Jaguars are on the move! At least, I'm sure, Maurice Jones-Drew hopes to be on the move once the offseason gets here.
# 29 - Minnesota Vikings (previous: 30)
When you are ahead by 16 points in the 4th quarter and you end the game tied, that's worse than a loss. A loss would have been better for the Vikings, because the tie is just going to hurt their 2014 draft position.
# 28 - Washington Redskins (previous: 27)
RGIII just isn't the same and the Redskins are doing little to help him gain his confidence back.
The Creatively Challenged~
Folly remains ever their mistress
# 27 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (previous: 29)
Interesting that Tampa Bay is suddenly playing like they care and want to win. Just think if they had played like that all season?
# 26 - New York Giants (previous: 26)
The Giants 4-game winning streak couldn't have been snapped by a better team.
# 25 - Oakland Raiders (previous: 25)
Oakland is still one or two years away from truly challenging the better teams in the AFC.
# 24 - Cleveland Browns (previous: 23)
Wow, Josh Gordan! An impressive performance on an otherwise humbling day for the Browns.
# 23 - Buffalo Bills (previous: 22)
At 4-7, the Bills have virtually no shot to make the playoffs, especially with a lot of road games remaining on their schedule.
# 22 - New York Jets (previous: 17)
The Jets showed a lot of promise, but now they seem to be finally playing as well as everybody thought they would.
# 21 - Pittsburgh Steelers (previous: 24)
After a very slow start, Pittsburgh has turned the corner and is now driving for a playoff spot. I doubt they can get there, though.
The Remarkably Average~
Dancing the fine line between misfortune and glory
# 20 - Miami Dolphins (previous: 16)
The Dolphins lost a heartbreaker against Carolina and are now fading fast in the AFC East division race.
# 19 - St. Louis Rams (previous: 21)
I don't know what has gotten into the Rams, but they are playing outstanding football lately.
# 18 - San Diego Chargers (previous: 19)
San Diego won a shootout over the Chiefs, which is good, but they should be concerned that their defense gave up 38 points to Kansas City, a strong team not known for their offensive prowess.
# 17 - Baltimore Ravens (previous: 20)
Without an offense, the Ravens have no shot of making the playoffs, let alone repeating as Super Bowl champions.
# 16 - Tennessee Titans (previous: 18)
The Titans look good enough to finish the season 8-8 or 9-7 and just miss the playoffs.
# 15 - Green Bay Packers (previous: 15)
Because they were so far behind, a tie is as good as a win… but then they had the lead in the final minutes of the game and failed to hold on to it, so the tie is as good as a loss, too.
# 14 - Chicago Bears (previous: 11)
If the Bears don't have good defense, they will start fading as injuries continue to take their toll.
# 13 - Detroit Lions (previous: 10)
With the division wide open for their taking, the Lions laid an egg at home against the woeful Buccaneers.
The Fortunate Seven~
The best of those not yet elite
# 12 - Philadelphia Eagles (previous: 12)
They fell to second place in the NFC East during the bye week, but they are still very much alive - and may be the team to beat - in the division with only five games remaining.
# 11 - Dallas Cowboys (previous: 14)
A huge win on the road and a clutch performance by Tony Romo on the final drive of the game. Wins like that can propel a team to greatness.
# 10 - Indianapolis Colts (previous: 8)
Could the loss of Reggie Wayne really be that big of a hit to this team's psyche? The Colts have not looked the same since they defeated Denver weeks ago.
# 9 - Arizona Cardinals (previous: 13)
The Cardinals are quietly becoming the team nobody wants to face.
# 8 - Cincinnati Bengals (previous: 7)
A late season bye week should be just the refresher the Bengals need to make their final push towards a division title and the AFC playoffs.
# 7 - San Francisco 49ers (previous: 9)
After a few rough weeks, San Francisco seems to have gotten back on course, but the passing game is still an issue and the biggest reason they will be nothing more than a wild card at best.
# 6 - Carolina Panthers (previous: 5)
Cam Newton is willing this team into the playoffs.
The Creative Elite~
Wielding misfortune at its finest
# 5 - New England Patriots (previous: 6)
The Patriots are winning with no-name players, great coaching and outstanding, clutch play from the few superstars they do have left on the roster.
# 4 - Kansas City Chiefs (previous: 3)
Two straight losses and a potential third straight when the Broncos come to town. If they keep losing, people will soon forget their 9-0 start.
# 3 - New Orleans Saints (previous: 4)
The Saints didn't have quite as long to prepare for their epic Monday Night matchup with the Seahawks as Seattle did, but they should come to the Pacific Northwest eager to silence the 12th Man.
# 2 - Denver Broncos (previous: 2)
The Broncos may have lossed in New England, but they learned two very powerful lessons in that game… 1) they can run the ball effectively even when the passing game struggles and 2) take the wind!
# 1 - Seattle Seahawks (previous: 1)
A bye week and an extra day to prepare should give Seattle more than enough opportunity to gain a complete stranglehold of home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs… unless Drew Brees has something to say about it.
Week 12 Power Ranking Awards:
The Free Fallers - New York Jets (-5), Miami Dolphins (-4), Houston Texans (-4), Detroit Lions (-3), Chicago Bears (-3)
The Biggest Movers - Arizona Cardinals (+4), Dallas Cowboys (+3), Baltimore Ravens (+3), Pittsburgh Steelers (+3), San Francisco 49ers (+2)
Maintaining The Status Quo - Seattle Seahawks (1), Denver Broncos (2), Philadelphia Eagles (12), Green Bay Packers (15), Oakland Raiders (25), New York Giants (26), Atlanta Falcons (31)
Creative Misfortune Super Bowl XLVIII Favorite ~ After Week 12
Seattle Seahawks
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