Peyton Manning and the Broncos won for the tenth consecutive time and as a result, Denver took over the top spot in KP’s latest edition of NFL Power Rankings at The Wife Hates Sports.
The New England Patriots, despite a sluggish performance against the Jaguars, sit in second place, followed by the Houston Texans.
The Seahawks continued to gain significant ground on the field, yet remain in sixth place, just a few points behind the San Francisco 49ers, the team that Seattle beat handily on Sunday night.
The points are calculated over the season’s performance and here is where each squad ranks after Week 16, featuring some stats, notes, thoughts and figures for every team.
Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos have now won ten straight games
KP’s NFL Power Rankings: December 24, 2012
*Stats, records and information through Week 16 of the 2012 NFL season
1. Denver Broncos (269 points)
Denver’s last loss was at New England, all the way back on October 7th.
2. New England Patriots (251 points)
New England’s offensive numbers have kept them high on the ranking charts, but the team’s performance over the last two weeks has been far from stellar.
3. Houston Texans (231 points)
J.J. Watt leads the NFL in sacks with 20 ½ and has earned some MVP consideration.
4. Atlanta Falcons (225 points)
Atlanta’s 53 penalties are 18 less than any other team in the NFL this season.
5. San Francisco 49ers (207 points)
The 49ers may be a run-first team, but its 66.5% completion percentage is the third best in the NFL – and only Atlanta and Denver have a higher percentage this season.
6. Seattle Seahawks (200 points)
The Seahawks have scored 150 total points over its last three games and outscored opponents by 120 points during that span.
7. Green Bay Packers (194 points)
NFL Power Rankings: Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers are now the #2 seed in the NFC
The Packers have committed 40 penalties on first down, which is tied for the most in the NFL.
8. Cincinnati Bengals (157 points)
The Bengals have won six out of seven, allowing 13 points or less in each of the six victories.
9. Chicago Bears (152 points)
Chicago”s +16 turnover differential currently leads the NFC.
10. Baltimore Ravens (142 points)
The Ravens ended a three-game losing streak in grand fashion, putting up 533 total yards of offense against the struggling Giants.
11. Washington Redskins (135 points)
Washington’s 127 first downs via the ground game are more than any other team in the NFC.
12. Minnesota Vikings (97 points)
Adrian Peterson rushed for 86 yards against the Texans and is 102 shy of a 2,000-yard season.
13. Pittsburgh Steelers (82 points)
The Steelers received high marks for both its run and pass defenses, keeping them fairly high up the charts, despite not being playoff bound this season.
14. New York Giants (75 points)
The Giants have 1,619 kickoff return yards this season, which tops the NFL.
15. Indianapolis Colts (73 points)
The Colts have converted 7 of 8 fourth down attempts – an 87.5% mark – which is nearly fifteen percentage points higher than any other team in the NFL.
16. Dallas Cowboys (64 points)
The Cowboys have committed 116 penalties, which is tied with St. Louis for the most in the NFL.
17. Carolina Panthers (52 points)
Cam Newton has ten passing touchdowns and four rushing touchdowns over his last five games.
18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (45 points)
In his first season with the Bucs, Vincent Jackson has 1,334 yards receiving, which is currently ranked 4th among NFL receivers.
19. St. Louis Rams (42 points)
The Rams have successfully converted on 12 fourth downs, which is tied for the most in the NFL.
20. Miami Dolphins (40 points)
The Miami defense has allowed 13 points over its last two games versus Buffalo and Jacksonville.
21. New Orleans Saints (39 points)
The Saints get into shootouts almost weekly and the stats show it. New Orleans is 2nd in passing yards (307.9 ypg) and 31st in opposing passing yards (294.9 ypg).
22. San Diego Chargers (38 points)
The San Diego offense (23rd in passing yards and 27th in rushing yards) currently has no 1,000-yard rushers or receivers on the roster this season.
23. New York Jets (-1 point)
The New York offense has scored 10 points or fewer in six games this season.
24. Detroit Lions (-19 points)
Calvin Johnson set the single season receiving record over the weekend (passing Jerry Rice), and will have a chance to eclipse the 2,000-yard mark in Detroit’s final game.
25. Cleveland Browns (-38 points)
The Browns have allowed 72 total points over its last two games, both losses.
26. Buffalo Bills (-47 points)
The Bills are the only team in the NFL to have more than one punt return for a TD this season.
27. Philadelphia Eagles (-50 points)
Philadelphia’s minus-23 turnover differential is the worst in the NFC, and eleven lower than any team in the conference.
28. Arizona Cardinals (-58 points)
The Cardinals have only converted 25.2% of third downs during the season, by far the worst in the NFL.
29. Tennessee Titans (-88 points)
When compared to backup Matt Hasselbeck, Jake Locker’s completion percentage is six points less and his QB rating is approximately eight points lower.
30. Oakland Raiders (-90 points)
Carson Palmer will not play in Oakland’s final game due to injury, leaving either Matt Leinart or Terrelle Pryor to get reps at the quarterback position.
31. Kansas City Chiefs (-123 points)
Kansas City’s rushing performance against the Colts was the best for a losing team since 1944.
32. Jacksonville Jaguars (-155 points)
Cecil Shorts is just 21 receiving yards from his first career 1,000-yard season.
* All stats per NFL.com
The Wife Hates Sports NFL Power Rankings system has a method to its madness, attempting to be different and not just rank by popularity and record. It mixes a secret formula of eight completely different categories, meshed into a points system. The categories don’t just include team results regarding record, but how each team has performed on the road, as well as incorporating some statistics on both a team’s offense and defense, too.
Ha ha… nice zinger on the Jags, Rev. That was classic.
Thank you… and the same to you! Don’t sweat it, I figured that you were busy. As you have noticed… I had a few days off and some R&R time allowed me to finally get going on some posts…
Hope you get through things and find some time to relax and enjoy the holidays. Take care and talk soon
KP
Don’t worry Jaguar fans. When you land Tebow next year, you’ll move up in the rankings to 30.
Merry Christmas to you and the wife, sir, and sorry it’s taken me so long to get back to you on our email string. Work has been a bear.
Enjoy the egg nog.