At this point, the playoff picture is beginning to come into focus. There are still a couple of divisions up for grabs, but for the most part, teams know that they have it just about locked up. What remains to be seen are the wild card winners and the seeds that each team garners once reaching the postseason.
Let's take a look at the power rankings for each team around the NFL heading into week 13. As always, LW = last week's ranking.
1. Green Bay Packers (11-0) (LW: 1): The Packers are now 5 wins away from a perfect regular season. The question on everyone's minds is: can they now go on and repeat their playoff success?
2. New Orleans Saints (8-3) (LW: 3): The connection Drew Brees show is a spectacle that everyone should be forced to watch. Fortunately, it was on display for the entire nation on Monday Night Football and boy was it a sight to see. The Packers may have to go through this explosive offense in a week one rematch once the playoffs begin.
3. New England Patriots (8-3) (LW: 5): Despite the fact that the Pats are starting a list of no-names in their secondary, they continue to win games with Tom Brady under center. It's looking like another division title for Bill Belichick and friends.
4. Baltimore Ravens (8-3) (LW: 6): The Ravens won a huge game over the 49ers on Thanksgiving day, allowing them to retain the lead in the AFC North. Is it safe to say that John Harbaugh > Jim Harbaugh?
5. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3) (LW: 4): The Steelers dropped this week because of the great play surrounding them and their poor performance against an even poorer Chiefs team. They forced four turnovers by Tyler Palko and could only manage to score 13 points on Sunday night. That is not the Steelers team we are accustomed to seeing.
6. San Francisco 49ers (9-2) (LW: 2): The 49ers lost to a good team and many of their flaws were exposed in Baltimore. They allowed nine sacks to the Ravens, Frank Gore rushed for 39 yards and Alex Smith only passed for 140 yards. It will be interesting to see how they cope with these new found weaknesses.
7. Houston Texans (8-3) (LW: 7): The good news is that the Texans were able to squeak by the Jaguars. The bad news is that rookie T.J. Yates is now their starting signal caller. Matt Leinart is already down and out for the season after fracturing his collarbone. Look for them to sign a veteran to come and compete for the starting job.
8. Oakland Raiders (7-4) (LW: 9): The Raiders and their offense were unable to punch in touchdowns, instead settling for a franchise record six field goals from Sebastian Janikowski. Carson Palmer passed for over 300 yards and looks to be settling in.
9. Dallas Cowboys (7-4) (LW: 10): A last second field goal helped the 'Boys edge out the surging Dolphins on Thanksgiving. With a Giants loss, the Cowboys now have a full game lead on the Giants.
10. Cincinnati Bengals (7-4) (LW: 12): The Bengals remain in the race for the playoffs after narrowly defeating their in-state foes, the Browns. A.J. Green might be one of the most overlooked first round draft picks from the 2011 draft.
11. Atlanta Falcons (7-4) (LW: 14): Roddy White and the Falcons carved up the Vikings, who were without Adrian Peterson. In my last week's power rankings, I remember writing that White had a big game there, too. They will vie for a wild card spot and possibly a divisional crown all the way through.
12. Chicago Bears (7-4) (LW: 8): The loss of Jay Cutler has really hurt this team. Caleb Hanie did not look good at all, throwing three INTs in his starting debut. They may need some more help at the QB position if they hope to make the playoffs.
13. Denver Broncos (6-5) (LW: 15): Tim Tebow and the Broncos have done it again. Through all of these amazing victories (he is 5-1 as a starter), many have overlooked the play of rookie linebacker, Von Miller. He gets my vote for defensive rookie of the year.
14. New York Jets (6-5) (LW: 17): J-E-T-S Jets, Jets, Jets! A final minute drive to cap off the victory over the Bills keeps the Jets alive within the division. Mark Sanchez actually looked pretty good, throwing 4 TDs and only 1 INT.
15. Tennessee Titans (6-5) (LW: 18): Another late game drive propelled the Titans to a victory over the Bucs. Chris Johnson rushed for a season high 190 yards, which was easily the biggest headline of the day.
16. Detroit Lions (7-4) (LW: 13): The Lions were beaten by the Packers, but not before Ndamukong Suh managed to earn himself a suspension for kicking an opposing player. Their playoff hopes are quickly dwindling.
17. New York Giants (6-5) (LW: 11): I am almost certain that the Giants decided not to have their defense play on Monday night. They surrendered 49 points to the Saints and 363 passing yards, four passing touchdowns and one rushing TD to Drew Brees. Eli Manning played well, but they'll need more than that if they want to make the postseason.
18. Buffalo Bills (5-6) (LW: 16): The best thing to come out of the Bills' loss to the Jets was Steve Johnson's TD celebration. Ryan Fitzpatrick finally stepped up, passing for 264 yards and three touchdowns. This team will really miss Fred Jackson, who was recently placed on IR, down the stretch.
19. Arizona Cardinals (4-7) (LW: 25): The Cardinals received contributions from many of their young players against the Rams on Sunday, but none greater than that of Beanie Wells' 228 yards rushing. He broke a franchise record for single game rushing yards.
20. Philadelphia Eagles (4-7) (LW: 19): Vince Young passed for 400 yards and the Eagles still lost the game. People were yelling "fire Andy!" in hopes that Andy Reid will be relieved of his duties as head coach after the season. The City of Brotherly Love doesn't look too friendly right now.
21. San Diego Chargers (4-7) (LW: 20): Speaking of fans that want their team's head coach to be fired, how ya doin' Bolts? Norv Turner may be looking for employment after the 2011 season. The Chargers have now lost six straight games.
22. Cleveland Browns (4-7) (LW: 21): The Browns led the Bengals going into the fourth quarter, but were unable to avoid the 'Red Rifle' on his path to victory. Peyton Hillis finally returned from injury to rush for 65 yards, which was a welcome sign for fans.
23. Seattle Seahawks (4-7) (LW: 22): Anytime your team loses to Mike Shanahan and the 'Skins, you know you did something wrong. Tarvaris Jackson was underwhelming due to his pectoral injury (and lack of talent), which led some to speculate that the Seahawks may see what QB Josh Portis has to offer.
24. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-7) (LW: 23): LeGarrette Blount and the offense seemed to play well against Tennessee, but the defense allowed Chris Johnson to run all over them. It doesn't appear that they have any shot at making the playoffs this year after coming so close in 2010.
25. Washington Redskins (4-7) (LW: 27): The 'Skins not only won their game, but Mike Shanahan announced that Roy Helu will be the starting running back going forward. That's good news for fantasy owners that have been getting Shanahaned all season long.
26. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-8) (LW: 24): Maurice Jones-Drew is about all this team has in terms of manufacturing offense. Rookie QB Blaine Gabbert was benched in the fourth quarter in favor of Luke McCown, which is even more bad news for a struggling football team. Jack Del Rio is as good as gone.
27. Miami Dolphins (3-8) (LW: 26): After going on a three game winning streak, the Dolphins finally lost a game to the Dallas Cowboys on a game winning field goal. Matt Moore tore up the opposing defense for 288 yards and Brandon Marshall actually had a good day with 103 yards receiving.
28. Carolina Panthers (3-8) (LW: 29): Way to go, Panthers! You managed to beat the worst team in the league. With that win, the Panthers ended their 12-game road losing streak.
29. Kansas City Chiefs (4-7) (LW: 28): After the Chiefs picked up Kyle Orton off of waivers, Kansas City fans rejoiced. Unfortunately, he wasn't the one that played against the Steelers. That job belonged to Tyler Palko, who turned the ball over four times. With so many injuries, it was hard to imagine this team ever having a chance at making the playoffs.
30. St. Louis Rams (2-9) (LW: 30): The Rams allowed Patrick Peterson to return his second punt return for a TD this year. They also allowed Beanie Wells to rush for 228 yards against them. Steve Spagnuolo may not be back as head coach next season, either.
31. Minnesota Vikings (2-9) (LW: 31): Without Adrian Peterson, what does this team truly have? Christian Ponder made a couple of good passes and is showing some promise for the future.
32. Indianapolis Colts (0-11) (LW: 32): The Colts have now lost to one of the worst road teams in the league to drop to 0-11. What will they do next?