The NFL Blog: 2012 Power Rankings (After Week 17)

Power Rankings After Week 17

1. Seattle 11-5 (2^nd)

2. San Francisco 11-4-1 (3^rd)

3. New England 12-4 (4^th)

4. Denver 13-3 (6^th)

5. Green Bay 11-5 (1^st)

6. Atlanta 13-3 (5^th)

7. Washington 10-6 (8^th)

8. Indianapolis 11-5 (10^th)

9. Minnesota 10-6 (14^th)

10. Houston 12-4 (7^th)

11. Baltimore 10-6 (9^th)

12. Chicago 10-6 (11^th)

13. New York Giants 9-7 (12^th)

14. Cincinnati 10-6 (13^th)

15. Dallas 8-8 (16^th)

16. Pittsburgh 8-8 (17^th)

17. St. Louis 7-8-1 (19^th)

18. Miami 7-9 (18^th)

19. Carolina 7-9 (20^th)

20. New Orleans 7-9 (15^th)

21. Cleveland 5-11 (21^st)

22. Tampa Bay 7-9 (22^nd)

23. San Diego 7-9 (23^rd)

24. Buffalo 6-10 (24^th)

25. Tennessee 6-10 (25^th)

26. New York Jets 6-10 (26^th)

27. Detroit 4-12 (27^th)

28. Jacksonville 2-14 (28^th)

29. Philadelphia 4-12 (29^th)

30. Arizona 5-11 (30^th)

31. Oakland 4-12 (31^st)

32. Kansas City 2-14 (32^nd)

Comments: Things finally calmed down in my power rankings for the final regular season edition. Just 19 of 32 spots experienced change this week; down from 25 last week. The top 17 spots in my rankings experienced change, but the bottom 12 spots remained the same this week. 11 teams moved up in my rankings this week, with 4 of those teams climbing more than 1 spot. 8 teams fell in the rankings this week, with 4 of those teams dropping more than 1 spot.

For the seventh straight week there was a change at the very top of my rankings. The Packers dropped out of the #1 spot after only one week atop the power rankings, falling 4 spots to #5. The Seahawks climbed 1 spot from #2 to take over the #1 spot in my rankings for the first time. Seattle ends the regular season as my #1 team; I never saw that coming.

At the other end of the rankings, Kansas City maintains the bottom spot in my rankings for a 3^rd straight week. The Chiefs end the regular season as my #32 team. 

The Minnesota Vikings made the biggest move up my rankings this week, climbing 5 spots from #14 to #9. The Saints took the biggest fall in my rankings this week, dropping 5 spots from #15 to #20. 

14 teams finished the regular season with winning records, 16 teams ended up with losing records, and 2 teams went .500. As it turned out, the 14 teams with winning records were the top 14 teams in my rankings, followed by the 2 teams at .500, and then the 16 teams with losing records. 

That wasn’t planned. I didn’t correct or adjust my rankings to make that happen, it’s just the way things ended up this season. I think one reason that no team with a winning record finished behind teams with non-winning records is that there was just 1 team at 9-7 this season (#13 New York Giants). 

The Broncos (#4) and Falcons (#6) ended up tied for the best record in the NFL at 13-3, winning the most games of any team in their respective conferences. The Jags (#28) and Chiefs (#32) tied for the worst record in the NFL at 2-14. 

13 teams won 10 or more games this season. The Bengals are my lowest ranked double digit win team at #13 (and my lowest ranked team with a winning record). 10 teams lost 10 or more games this season. The Browns are my highest ranked double digit loss team at #21. The Rams are my highest ranked team with a losing record at #17.