Week 12 NFL Power Rankings: The Denver Broncos Crash in AFC West

New Orleans and Indianapolis Find Ways to Win Again in Week 11 NFL Schedule

The week 12 NFL power rankings are very familiar at the top, but as with the week 11 power rankings, the week 12 installment has a lot of shuffling going on around the middle of the pack. One team that is in serious peril now are the Denver Broncos, which have now lost four games in a row, and with it the lead in the AFC West. The San Diego Chargers on the other hand, continue to show how talented they are on offense, and as we have noted in our prior power rankings, they are going to be a team to contend with as the NFL Playoffs loom near. Unfortunately for some teams like the Seattle Seahawks, the season is over for them now.

At the top of the week 12 NFL power rankings we once again have the New Orleans Saints, who continue to find ways to win even while dealing with injuries. Missing Reggie Bush last week, the Saints still looked fluid on offense, and while Drew Brees has his stats take a hit, the Saints pushed their record to 10-0. Likewise, the Indianapolis Colts were able to escape with another win as Peyton Manning led the Colts to a 10-0 start. It's not an easy week for either team in the NFL schedule, as the Saints play the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football, and the Colts have to go to Houston to play on Sunday. Some are predicting upsets in both games.

We had predicted good things for the Cincinnati Bengals this season, but they embarrassed themselves with a loss to Oakland in week 11, and showed that they still have room for improvement. They get to play Cleveland this week, but with Brady Quinn suddenly finding himself, they had better approach with caution. The loss could have cost them in the week 12 NFL power rankings, but Denver crashed once again (just like last season) and Pittsburgh couldn't take advantage in their loss to Kansas City. It drops the AFC down a peg, as many of the top NFC teams found a way to win and make things interesting in the playoff picture.