Week 14 NFL Power Rankings: All Aboard the Tebow Train

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. Aaron Rodgers (pictured above) is having a magical season in every sense of the word.

By Wesley Kaminsky

In Week 14, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers stayed undefeated, the Eagles got rocked in Seattle, and Tim Tebow led another fourth quarter comeback for the Broncos. Yeah, it was just your average week in the 2011 NFL season.

If you are not a Tebowist by now, than you should become one. There’s something special about this kid, and he has turned around the entire Broncos season. He’s helped lead a five game winning streak for the Broncos and has them in first place. You can’t tell me you don’t want to see him in the playoffs. I, for one, wouldn’t want to play him come playoff time.

While Tebow has been impressive though, no player in the NFL is playing better than Aaron Rodgers right now. You just get the sense that he is not going to let the Packers lose this season. Just ask the Giants about that one. At 12-0, they have four more games to go for an undefeated season. I’d put my money on them to do it.

1. Green Bay Packers (1, 38-35): 12-0. The Packers got past their two biggest tests of the year with tough road wins at Detroit and at New York. It might have something to do with that Rodgers guy. (Next game: vs. Oakland)

2. New Orleans Saints (3, won 31-17): 9-3. Drew Brees is having an MVP type season for the Saints; it’s just too bad Aaron Rodgers has been even better. (Next game: at Tennessee)

3. New England Patriots (2, won 31-24): 9-3. It has to be a concern that the Patriots secondary gave up 353 yards passing to Dan Orlovsky. (Next game: at Washington)

4. Baltimore Ravens (4, won 24-10): 9-3. The Ravens are in the driver’s seat to win the AFC North, but two tough road tests in San Diego and Cincinnati await. (Next game: vs. Indianapolis)

5. San Francisco 49ers (5, won 26-0): 10-2. With that win, the 49ers clinched the NFC West title. Now they must focus on getting a first round bye. (Next game: at Arizona)

6. Pittsburgh Steelers (6, won 35-7): 9-3. They dominated the Bengals on Sunday, and even with two losses to the Ravens, have a real shot at winning the AFC North. (Next game: vs. Cleveland on TNF)

7. Houston Texans (7, won 17-10): 9-3. No team has had to go through as many significant injuries as the Texans this season, but they just continue to keep winning. Gary Kubiak and Wade Phillips deserve a lot of credit. (Next game: at Cincinnati)

8. Dallas Cowboys (8, lost 19-13): 7-5. Jason Garret icing his own kicker cost the Cowboys the game. Next they try to hang on to first place against the Giants on Sunday Night Football. (Next game: vs NYG on SNF)

9. Denver Broncos (15, won 35-32): 7-5. You can hate on Tim Tebow all you want, but you cannot deny the facts: He’s 6-1 since taking over as quarterback of the Broncos. (Next game: vs. Chicago)

10. Atlanta Falcons (10, lost 17-10): 7-5. The Falcons couldn’t beat a short-handed Texans team and now get another big road test in Carolina. (Next game: at Carolina)

11. New York Jets (16, won 34-19): 7-5. They may have saved their season with that win in Washington. They should win their third straight this week against the Chiefs. (Next game: vs. Kansas City)

12. New York Giants (14, lost 38-35): 6-6. That’s four straight losses for the Giants, and next up is their biggest game yet: at Dallas with first place on the line. (Next game: at Dallas on SNF)

13. Oakland Raiders (9, lost 34-14): 7-5. They got embarrassed in Miami and it gets even tougher this Sunday at Lambeau. (Next game: at Green Bay)

14. Chicago Bears (11, lost 10-3): 7-5. The injuries just keep piling up for the Bears, who now have lost Matt Forte to a sprained MCL. (Next game: at Denver)

15. Detroit Lions (12, lost 31-17): 7-5. The amazing 5-0 start seems like a lifetime ago for the Lions. Jim Schwartz needs to get his team disciplined before it’s too late. (Next game: vs Minnesota)

16. Cincinnati Bengals (13, lost 35-7): 7-5. Even with two losses to the Steelers and one to the Ravens, the Bengals are still sitting with the final wild card spot. Can they hold on? (Next game: vs. Houston)

17. Tennessee Titans (17, won 23-17): 7-5. It took awhile, but Chris Johnson has finally arrived for the 2011 NFL season. Welcome back. (Next game: vs. New Orleans)

18. San Diego Chargers (22, won 38-14): 5-7. Where has that Philip Rivers been the entire season? The Chargers are two games back with four games to go to win the AFC West. (Next game: vs. Buffalo)

19. Miami Dolphins (20, won 34-14): 4-8. The Dolphins are going to be a problem the rest of the season for every team they play. (Next game: vs. Philadelphia)

20. Arizona Cardinals (25, won 19-13): 5-7. The defense played great, as the Cardinals won their second straight game. (Next game: vs. San Francisco)

21. Seattle Seahawks (24, won 31-14): 5-7. That’s now eight straight games that Marshawn Lynch has scored a touchdown for the Seahawks. That’s “Beast Mode” for you. (Next game: vs. STL on MNF)

22. Buffalo Bills (18, lost 23-17): 5-7. That’s now five straight losses for the Bills, and the playoff drought will continue in 2011. (Next game: at San Diego)

23. Carolina Panthers (28, won 38-19): 4-8. With three rushing touchdowns on Sunday, Cam Newton broke Steve Grogan’s record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a season. A star has been born in Carolina. (Next game: vs. Atlanta)

24. Kansas City Chiefs (27, won 10-3): 5-7. Thanks to a Dexter McCluster hail mary catch in the first half, the Chiefs snapped a four game losing skid. That was the definition of an ugly win. (Next game: at NYJ)

25. Philadelphia Eagles (19, lost 31-14): 4-8. A 31-14 blow-out loss in Seattle officially ended the Eagles season (playoff hopes at least). How does Andy Reid survive this? (Next game: at Miami)

26. Washington Redskins (23, lost 34-19): 4-8. The Redskins let one slip away against the Jets, and now get to host the Patriots a week later. Rex Grossman vs. Tom Brady–what a quarterback duel. (Next game: vs. New England)

27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (21, lost 38-19): 4-8. Much like the Rams, the Bucs came into this season with so much promise, and it’s been a disaster. (Next game: at Jacksonville)

28. Cleveland Browns (26, lost 24-10): 4-8. Simply put, there’s not much hope if you are a Browns fan right now. (Next game: at Pittsburgh on TNF)

29. Minnesota Vikings (29, lost 35-32): 2-10. Christian Ponder played well, but cost the Vikings the game with that late interception. (Next game: at Detroit)

30. Jacksonville Jaguars (30, lost 38-14): 3-9. The Jaguars biggest mistake was passing on Tim Tebow in last years draft. Blaine Gabbert is not the answer. (Next game: vs. Tampa Bay)

31. St. Louis Rams (31, lost 26-0): 2-10. Remember when this was supposed to be a promising season for the Rams? They have taken a giant step back. (Next game: at Seattle on MNF)

32. Indianapolis Colts (32, lost 31-24): 0-12. The Colts have four more chances to try to avoid a winless season in 2011. Don’t hold your breath. (Next game: at Baltimore)

Stay tuned for the next edition of TheSportsKraze.

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