JACKSONVILLE – Here are senior writer John Oehser's pre-Week 13 2015 NFL power rankings. And we all know how important these are:
1.Carolina Panthers (11-0) | 2 | And then there was one
2.New England Patriots (10-1) | 1 | How many injuries can they withstand?
3.Arizona Cardinals (9-2) | 3 | Who leads the NFL in scoring? These guys
4.Denver Broncos (9-2) | 5 | Defense good enough to win no matter the quarterback
5.Cincinnati Bengals (9-2) | 4 | Losing streak ends at two
6.Seattle Seahawks (6-5) | 12 | Time to make another late-season run
7.Kansas City Chiefs (6-5) | 15 | Who's the hottest team in the AFC? These guys
8.Minnesota Vikings (8-3) | 7 | Back in first place … can they hold it?
9.Green Bay Packers (7-4) | 6 | These offensive woes can't last, can they?
10.Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5) | 8 | If Big Ben can stay healthy at the end of the season …
11.Houston Texans (6-5) | 17 | Quietly, the Texans have started playing really, really well
12.Indianapolis Colts (6-5) | 14 | Maybe it's time to stop emphasizing Matt Hasselbeck's age
13.New York Jets (6-5) | 13 | Not out of this thing yet
14.Buffalo Bills (5-6) | 11 | Not out of this thing yet, either
15.Atlanta Falcons (6-5) | 9 | Coldest plus-.500 team out there
16.Washington Redskins (5-6) | 24 |Your first-place Washington Redskins
17.Chicago Bears (5-6) | 25 | Time to stop being surprised when they win
18.Detroit Lions (4-7) | 29 | Close to recovering from horrific start
19.Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-6) | 16 | They may be a year away, but things looking up
20.New York Giants (5-6) | 10 | It's never too late to save the season in the NFC East
21.St. Louis Rams (4-7) | 18 | Surprising mid-season slide for Jeff Fisher & Co.
22.Miami Dolphins (4-7) | 19 | Apparently no coaching job is safe in Miami
23.New Orleans Saints (4-7) |20 | Era may be ending quietly for New Orleans
24.Oakland Raiders (5-6) | 22 | Snapped three-game losing streak Sunday
25.San Diego Chargers (3-8) | 30 | Never count Philip Rivers out
- Jacksonville Jaguars (4-7) | 21 | All of that momentum … gone – for now
27.Philadelphia Eagles (4-7) | 23 | Bad, bad holiday for the Birds …
28.Baltimore Ravens (4-7) | 27 | Only loss in last four games was to Jaguars
29.Dallas Cowboys (3-8) | 26 | … and just as bad for the 'Boys
30.San Francisco 49ers (3-8) | 28 | Close, but not quite
31.Tennessee Titans (2-9) | 31 | Lost nine of 10 since opening day
32.Cleveland Browns (2-9) | 32 | Six consecutive losses
