32. Carolina Panthers 2-12

What’s Jimmy Clausen doing? If he wins anymore games he’s doomed to be the quarterback of the Carolina Panthers for years, having no one to throw to except David Gettis, Brandon LaFell, and a suddenly ancient Steve Smith. In all honesty, if I were Clausen, I’d make sure this team could draft Luck so I could get traded to somewhere else like Miami or Tennessee or Arizona, anywhere with a better supporting cast. Fortunately for Clausen, the Bengals also won meaning the Panthers still have the inside track to the #1 pick.

31. Cincinnati Bengals 3-11

By snapping their 10 game losing streak beating the Browns, costing me 4 units in the process, the Bengals blew their best shot at getting the #1 overall pick. However, I’m not going to say what they did was foolish. You can’t expect this team to tank when you consider so many of their players and coaches won’t be back next year. They don’t care about the future of the franchise; they only care about themselves and in a league that shows no loyalty, that’s alright.

Guys like Carson Palmer, Cedric Benson, Terrell Owens, Chad Ochocinco are all playing for jobs right now as is Coach Marvin Lewis. Their season is over. They have nothing left to play for except themselves and trying to guarantee themselves a job next season. Look at Carson Palmer, if this team gets the #1 pick and drafts Luck, he’s done. He’s probably going to be cut as he’d be way too expensive to keep as a mentor, leaving him to look for work. He’d then have to move his family, which is always tough, to somewhere like Arizona or San Francisco and start anew.

You’re probably wondering why I would condone Clausen “tanking” to force himself out of town, but not the Bengals telling their players and coaches to tank. Clausen tanking is an individual choice. No one would be telling him to do it and it would be in the best interest of his career to do it, so I wouldn’t have any problem with it.

You’re also probably thinking, well that’s selfish and selfish people don’t make good quarterbacks. I don’t think it would be any worse than what John Elway did after he was drafted by the Colts or what Eli Manning did after he was drafted by the Chargers. Both of those guys still ended up winning Super Bowls. Look at Brett Favre. Favre’s a selfish guy. Selfish works in the NFL as long as it’s the right kind of selfish. The selfish that says, the most important thing in the world to me is winning. If I have to betray a few fan bases to do that, I will. That works.

30. Denver Broncos 3-11

Numbers won’t show it, but Tim Tebow had a very good NFL debut. He looked good almost every time he dropped back to pass, going 8 for 16 for 138 yards and a score, even though he had a 21 yard touchdown dropped by Lance Ball. NFL draft “experts” must think Tebow held the ball too long on that dropped pass by Ball. Tebow also added 75 yards and a score on the ground.

The problem was, his coach forgot to let him pass. Head Coach Eric Studesville, formerly a running backs coach, had one of the most conservative gameplans I’ve ever seen. Down by two scores late, the Broncos ran it on 3^rd and 8 with a backup running back who was averaging just over a yard per carry rather than letting Tebow air it out. All thing considered, the stupid gameplan, the Raiders crazy fans and tough pass rush, Tebow had a great NFL debut and it could be a sign of things to come.

I guess Tebow was a good boy this year because for Christmas he gets to face the Houston Texans and their terrible defense. Tebow should be able to showcase everything he has this week, provided his coach lets him and have a great game. If he does, and he closes out well against San Diego week 17, I fully expect Tebow to be the week 1 starter in 2011. I also expect them to hire someone like Jon Gruden who loves Tebow’s ability/has a man crush on him, to coach him up and build this offense around him.

29. Buffalo Bills 4-10

Believe it or not, this team is 4-2 in their last 6 since starting 0-8 and has only lost one game by more than a field goal since week 5, when they lost by 10 to the Jaguars, despite leading early in the game. This team is far from the sad sack team they appeared to be earlier in the season, though I’m not hopeful for any Bills playoff appearances anytime soon like some of their fans are. I think don’t think Ryan Fitzpatrick is the guy to get them there. Also, a rematch awaits this week with the 12-2 Patriots, who they hung within 8 points of week 3 and who they haven’t beaten since week 1 of 2003.

28. Arizona Cardinals 4-10

John Skelton is 35 for 76 for 387 yards, no touchdowns, and a pick this season. On paper, he hasn’t appeared better than Derek Anderson, but on the field he actually has been. He has a stronger arm and is opening things up for the running game. He’s also being more careful with the ball with only one pick in 76 throws. Finally, and most importantly, he’s getting the ball to Larry Fitzgerald. He also doesn’t laugh during blowouts and then blow up on the media when they call him out for it.

Skelton, a 4^th round rookie out of Fordham, is certainly the best quarterback on the roster right now, but they will have to address the position in the offseason. They could draft a rookie like Ryan Mallett in the first, but thanks to some happenings in recent weeks, Ken Whisenhunt might not have to go the rookie route. This is a veteran team and Whisenhunt’s job is unfortunately on the line. He’ll have his choice of several veterans this offseason including Carson Palmer, Kyle Orton, Donovan McNabb and if he doesn’t want one of those he can choose a younger player with more experience than a rookie like Jimmy Clausen, Matt Flynn, or Kevin Kolb.

27. Cleveland Browns 5-9

What happened to the Browns? This team beat the Pats and Saints with Colt McCoy, yet when they get McCoy back, even with an improved defense thanks to the breakout play of Joe Haden, McCoy couldn’t even beat the Bengals. The Bengals and their banged up defense stacked the line and were able to keep Peyton Hillis in check and forced McCoy to beat them. He wasn’t able to. This might be just a bump in the road of an impressive career by McCoy, but it is also concerning. Teams might continue to follow that method, taking away Hillis and forcing McCoy, who doesn’t have the strongest arm, to beat them deep.

26. Detroit Lions 4-10

The Lions seem to have the bad combination of a poor offensive line, a trio of quarterbacks made of glass, and a division with the world’s best pass rushers. Matt Stafford has suffered two separate shoulder injuries, Shaun Hill has broken his arm and his finger, and now Drew Stanton has suffered a shoulder injury. Good thing Hill is expected back this week, otherwise I don’t know what they would have done at the position. Call up Daunte Culpepper or Joey Harrington for old time’s sakes? How about JaMarcus Russell? That would have been funny. Maybe the Vikings would be willing to loan them Brett Favre. After all, the Lions did loan them their stadium for a week.

However, in spite of all these injuries, this team is still playing very well. They sit at 4-10 with a differential of -21 and would be 4-9 with a differential of +17 if it weren’t for that one 44-6 blowout against the Rams. They have lost a total of 7 games by 8 or fewer and have played good football in almost every game. They are likely getting another top 5 pick to rebuild, er build on defense this April and with a healthy Matt Stafford in 2011, they could be playoff contenders, provided that not everything goes wrong like it did this season.

25. Houston Texans 5-9

Either this team has quit on Coach Gary Kubiak or they just don’t know how to win. I think it’s a little bit of both after all their comebacks that didn’t lead to wins, they just don’t care anymore and don’t give any energy of Kubiak. That’s probably a good thing. Their strong records to close out seasons in recent years have always saved Kubiak’s job, even though Kubiak has never led this franchise to the playoffs.

This year, without a strong finish, Kubiak will be toast and a real coach will be brought in, someone who knows how to win and can turn Matt Schaub into a winner. His body language hasn’t been the body language of a winner these past few years.

24. Tennessee Titans 6-8

Going into this season, if you had asked me to name the 3 safest coaching jobs in the NFL, I would have said Bill Belicheck, Sean Peyton, and Jeff Fisher. Fisher had been the Titans coach for forever, the longest tenured coach in the NFL, and always had this team overachieving. When Fisher benched Vince Young and put him on IR, I knew it would either be Vince Young out or Jeff Fisher out and I knew that meant Young was toast.

However, this team has quit on Fisher since Young was benched. The locker room is very pro-Young, especially top receiver Kenny Britt, who was recently fined by Dictator Roger Goodell for having a towel that read #10 VY in support of Young. Even with this last win, I think that Fisher could be in trouble. It still say it’s less than a 50% chance that Fisher isn’t back for his 18^th straight season as head coach, but it’s looking a lot more likely than it was to start the season that Fisher is either fired in favor of Young or quits because owner Bud Adams (Vince Young’s BFF) forces Fisher to keep Young around and start him.

In related news, I think the Titans will still continue to put in effort for the rest of the season like they did last week. Offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger is continuing to serve his role as offensive coordinator despite being diagnosed with cancer late last month. The Titans gave him the gameball after their win over the Texans last week. I can’t see any way they don’t play their hearts out for Heimerdinger these last two weeks, considering Heimerdinger is there giving his all despite fighting for his life despite going through chemo.

23. Minnesota Vikings 5-9

Well, I guess Brett Favre’s career wasn’t over. Favre made a surprise start in the manner that only he could, waking up on gameday, after being ruled out earlier in the week, and deciding he wanted to play a meaningless game with a severely sprained throwing shoulder.

However, Favre’s latest comeback might be short lived. Favre went down with a concussion in the first half and was relieved by rookie Joe Webb, who was supposed to start in the first place. This week, if Favre wants to start, he’ll have to be cleared by doctors and can’t decide for himself that he wants to play so it appears that Favre’s 1 consecutive starts streak will end this Sunday against the Eagles.

The public’s reaction to Favre’s decision was a negative one. Comments such as, he should just give it up, and that he’s being mean to the kid who was supposed to start. However, I love this. Favre is the good kind of selfish. He wants to win and play football and doesn’t care if it’s pretty or who he steps on to get there. That’s what’s made him a great quarterback in his career. That and his unbelievable toughness which was shown once again last week.

22. San Francisco 49ers 5-9

The 49ers are 4-3 in their last 7 after starting 1-6 and with a win over the Rams this week, they could have the inside track to win the division, if the Seahawks lose to the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay. In that case, all they’d have to do to win the division is beat the lowly Cardinals in San Francisco. Considering this team has switched quarterbacks three times this year and lost their top offensive player, Frank Gore, a few weeks ago for the season, that would be amazing, but again it just shows how bad this division is.

21. Washington Redskins 5-9

Before the Cowboys game, I tweeted that starting Rex Grossman over Donovan McNabb was a huge mistake and that Rex Grossman is never the answer (unless that the question is who is the worst quarterback to ever start in the Super Bowl). After Grossman’s 25 for 43 for 322 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 2 picks against Dallas, I stand by that.

Grossman isn’t the long term answer. He had one good game against a 30^th ranked Dallas passing defense. In fact, he gets Jacksonville’s 32^nd ranked passing defense this week, so he could have another good game. Two good games against two bad defenses doesn’t mean he’s the longterm answer and unless he is, that move by Shanny to bench McNabb is absolutely moronic. The Redskins just signed McNabb to a 5 year extension about a month ago. Benching him for Grossman is just going to look so stupid unless Grossman turns out, somehow to be a franchise quarterback. My money is against that.

The right move would have been to ride out the season with McNabb and get him a better supporting cast in the offseason. Now they have to try to move McNabb and his giant salary and if they can’t, they’ll have to cut him and eat 10 million dollars, or try to reconcile with McNabb, which seems unlikely. That will leave them with Grossman, which will likely leave them forced to draft a quarterback and pay him big money in 2012. Again, if Grossman becomes the franchise guy, I’ll eat these words, but until he does, my stance is that the move to bench him was moronic.

20. Dallas Cowboys 5-9

Somehow this passing defense has gotten worse since they fired Wade Phillips. In 6 games with Garrett as head coach, they’ve given up 373 yards to the Giants, 263 yards to the Lions, 333 to the Saints, 365 to the Colts, 258 to the Eagles, and now 286 to Rex Grossman and the Redskins, making Grossman look like the 2^nd coming of John Elway, or at the very least Jake Plummer, and causing a ridiculous backdoor cover.

However, because of Garrett’s offensive genius, this team is 4-2 with wins over the Giants and the Colts and 2 losses by a field goal each to the Saints and the Eagles. Garrett has made Jon Kitna look like an above average quarterback, as Kitna is 128 for 186 for 1601 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 4 picks in 6 games with Garrett. If Garrett can do that with Kitna, imagine what he can do with Romo next year, assuming they don’t do something stupid like not bring Garrett back next year.

Speaking of Kitna, I think the most underrated story of the 2010 NFL season that has Kitna is 457 yards away from becoming the 34^th player all time to pass for 30,000+ yards. Jon Kitna. That Jon Kitna. The Jon Kitna who has never made a Pro-Bowl or won a playoff game. With two games left against Arizona and Philadelphia, he could get those yards easily.

19. St. Louis Rams 6-8

I don’t know what’s happened to Sam Bradford in these past two weeks, but he’s clearly regressed late in his rookie year. 18 for 32 for 231 yards and 2 picks against the Saints in a 18 point loss in New Orleans is understandable, but 21 for 43 for 181 yards and 2 picks at home against the Chiefs in a 14 point loss is clearly a regression. I don’t know if it’s the fact that Bradford has never played this much football in a season and has hit a rookie wall, though that’s more common in running backs and wide receivers, but he has regressed in the last two weeks.

In the longterm, it’s probably just a speed bump. I still think Bradford will be a fine quarterback, among the top 10 in the league. However, in the short term it hurts. They were supposed to beat the Chiefs. Now they have to win against the 49ers and Seahawks in the next two weeks to make the playoffs. 49ers in St. Louis probably won’t be much of a problem, but the Seahawks game could be. The Seahawks aren’t that good, but Bradford would be still be a rookie going to face a veteran team in Seattle, a tough place for rookies to win, in essentially a play-in game for the playoffs. That’s not going to be an easy win.

18. Oakland Raiders 7-7

So the Raiders go 5-11 or worse for 7 straight years and the one year the Patriots have their pick they’re going to go 7-9 or better. I guess I shouldn’t complain as a Pats fan considering it’ll still be a top 15 pick, and we got it for an aging Richard Seymour, and we are still 12-2 and Super Bowl favorites without him. So, in that case, I’d like to congratulate the Raiders. This year has been a step in the right direction, definitely. With a win against Kansas City week 17, they can sweep the division and finish at .500, both of which are no minor feats.

17. Miami Dolphins 7-7

The Miami Dolphins officially were eliminated from the playoffs last week, losing to the Bills by 3 at home, dropping to 1-6 at home in the process, which makes no sense to me. I think it’s relatively certain that the Dolphins will at least bring in competition for Henne this offseason. Henne has really struggled on the season, failing to control his huge arm. He’s thrown 16 picks to 14 touchdowns and has struggled to lead drives as the Dolphins only have 21 offensive touchdowns in 14 games this season. Only Arizona and Carolina have fewer offensive touchdowns this year. 

16. Seattle Seahawks 6-8

After the Rams loss to the Chiefs, the Seahawks are now my pick to win the NFC West. If they beat the Rams week 17, no matter what happens to either team week 16, they win the division, unless the 49ers win out. In fact, they actually want the Rams to beat the 49ers. If the Rams beat the 49ers, the 49ers will be eliminated and then all the Seahawks would have to do is beat the Rams.

15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 8-6

The self-proclaimed best team in the NFC is collapsing right now. Their defense is terrible without Aqib Talib and Gerald McCoy. They lost to Detroit last week, dropping their record to a mere 8-1 against .500 teams. They should be 7-7 overall right now, but the Redskins special teams decided to explode in that game so the Buccaneers won. The Buccaneers also have 5 wins of 3 or fewer, including 1 win against the Rams by a mere point. They haven’t beaten a team with a winning record. This team is clearly worse than their 8-6 record. They’re not making the playoffs. The good news, they are a year ahead of schedule. They weren’t supposed to be more than a 6 or 7 win team this year. Next year, we’ll see what they have with a tougher schedule as they attempt to make the playoffs.

14. Jacksonville Jaguars 8-6

Poor Jaguars. They just lost their biggest game in 5 years, a chance to eliminate the Colts in the division race and clinch the division for themselves, but Maurice Jones Drew was unable to get established against the Colts terrible run defense, rushing for a mere 46 yards on 15 carries. Now they trail the division and the Colts control their own destiny.

And when I say poor Jaguars, I say that sarcastically. They are the league’s worst team against the pass. They aren’t very good. They haven’t had one impressive win. The beat the Colts and Jaguars are miracle plays at the end of regulation. The only three teams they’ve beaten by more than 10 were the winless Bills, who led for most of that game, the Wade Phillips Cowboys, and the Titans. This team just got what was coming to them.

13. Green Bay Packers 8-6

Matt Flynn was unable to complete the miracle upset of the Patriots in Aaron Rodgers’ absence, thanks to the Patriots awesome pass rush, which always seems to come out clutch (see Manning, Peyton), but the good news for the Packers is, they get Aaron Rodgers back this week and still control their own destiny to make it as a wild card despite the fact that the Bears have clinched the division. Also, Flynn’s strong performance might be enough for some QB desperate team (and trust me, there are plenty) to forget that he was facing a below average Patriots defensive squad, who was unprepared, and trade a mid rounder for Flynn this offseason to compete for the starting job.

12. New York Giants 9-5

The 2^nd half swoon continues. So far, in their last 6 games, they have lost to Dallas and Philadelphia, had to comeback to beat Jacksonville, beat a non-existent Washington team and a non-existent or homeless Minnesota team, and then blew a huge 21 fourth quarter lead against division rival Philadelphia in a game that would have given them control of the division, but instead they sit here essentially eliminated.

The way they are playing right now, I don’t trust this team in the playoffs, even with their amazing front four. Their offense leads the league with 35 turnovers, something that cannot be stated enough. Also, who have they beaten? Everyone crowned them NFC favorites after their 6-2 start, but their most impressive win in that stretch was a Chicago team that played terribly that night and Houston. Combined that overrated start, with an underrated 2^nd half swoon, and you get a terribly overrated team. This week at Green Bay will be huge.

11. Indianapolis Colts 8-5

2 weeks ago on Thursday Night Football, Colts against the Titans, I sat there and watched a panel of “experts” say that the Colts were done and that the Jaguars would win the division. Now, 2 weeks later, the Colts control their own destiny in the division thanks to wins over the Titans and Jaguars. With the return of Joseph Addai to finally stabilize their running game, “experts “now love the Colts. Funny how times change.

This has certainly been the Colts most trying season in a while. Peyton Manning had to endure “experts” saying he was done, a running game that simply fell over for a 1 yard carry everytime they got the ball, tons of injuries in the receiving corps and an equal amount of drops per game, an offensive line that couldn’t protect him.

Now he finally sees the light at the end of the tunnel. This is still a scary team going into January because of their experience and because, for the first time since their Super Bowl winning year, they won’t be able to sit starters week 16 or week 17. Peyton Manning’s fantasy owners probably appreciate that one too.

10 San Diego Chargers 8-6

The Chargers continued their December dominance, improving to 21-1 in Philip Rivers’ career in December and getting their 6^th 20+ point victory this season, by beating the 49ers 34-7. However, they’re no longer my pick to win the division. I think the Chargers will win out and probably get at least 1 if not two more 20+ point victories in the process, over Cincinnati and Denver.

However, I was counting on the Rams to beat the Chiefs. They didn’t. The Chiefs still control their own destiny and with two home games (Tennessee, Oakland) left, and having an undefeated home record, I think they win this division at 11-5, leaving the Chargers at 10-6 to fight for a wild card spot. With the way the Ravens and Jets played last week, I don’t think they get one of those two, which means I think the San Diego Chargers will miss the playoffs this season.

9. Kansas City Chiefs 9-5

That 9-5 record is aided by an unbelievable easy schedule. The only two +.500 teams they’ve beaten are San Diego in week 1 form and Jacksonville, who was starting Todd Bauman. That being said, they have clearly exceeded expectations and I think I have been a tad harsh on Matt Cassel this season. I’m not ready to call him the type of quarterback who can win a Super Bowl if everything goes right around him, but that was a gritty win over a tough Rams team on the road last week, 11 days after an emergency appendectomy.

Now if only Todd Haley used Jamaal Charles as much as he should. Charles has 9 fewer carries than Jones, but 475 more yards, averaging 6.3 per as opposed to 3.9 by Thomas Jones. Charles is also the superior pass catcher with 26 more catches for 291 more yards and one more score than Jones. Charles had 126 yards in the win over the Rams, but Jones still doubled his carries, getting 62 yards in the process, not even half as many as Charles.

8. Chicago Bears 10-4

That win over the Vikings was fairly impressive, but I still can’t get some of their ugly losses out of my head (NY Giants, New England, Washington) and I still can’t say they’ve had an impressive win. These next two weeks will be key in proving they are for real, against the Jets and the Packers. If they win both, they will get a first round bye. If they lose both, they’re looking at being the 3th or 4^th seed and facing someone like the Giants (again) in the first round. That would not be what they want to see, especially off a two game losing streak with no impressive wins this season.

7. New Orleans Saints 10-4

Just when I thought I understood this team, they go and lose to the Ravens in Baltimore. With a game against the Falcons this week, they could be looking at a 2 game losing streak and going into the playoffs as a 5 or 6 seed at 11-5 or 10-6 (depending on Tampa Bay week 17). This is clearly not the same team they were last year and I don’t know if they’ll be able to turn it on at the right time.

6. New York Jets 10-4

Huge win for the Jets. If they had lost to the Steelers, they would be looking at a possible 4 game losing streak going into their week 17 game against Buffalo, had they lost to the Bears in Chicago week 16. That would have been a huge confidence killer for this team, not to mention that they would be at risk of missing the playoffs completely with San Diego and Kansas City both playing well. Now they have their first impressive win under their belt since early this season and a ton of confidence heading into Chicago this week (even with the little Rex Ryan foot fetish distraction) and look to have the playoffs locked up.

5. Baltimore Ravens 10-4

I picked the Ravens to make the Super Bowl before the season and they did nothing but disappoint me for the first week 14 weeks of the season. Stupid penalties, mistakes, turnovers, bad gameplans, all of those things were keeping them from being the elite team they could be. Until last week, when they finally got their first very impressive win of the season, beating New Orleans. That has to be a huge confidence builder for this team, especially considering the Steelers lost.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers 10-4

They lost last week, but you can easily argue that they would have won if Troy Polamalu played, which he will in the playoffs. With games against Carolina and Cleveland left, and controlling their own destiny to the #2 seed and a first round bye, they’re still in good shape heading into the playoffs. This team has played well against good teams this year and are still a scary playoff team with Big Ben, James Harrison, Mike Tomlin and a healthy Troy Polamalu.

3. Philadelphia Eagles 10-4

After their amazing comeback, the Eagles now have the inside track to the #2 seed and a first round bye, and I expect them to carry that momentum into the playoffs. They are the only NFC team this year who has beaten Atlanta, the clear NFC favorite right now, and they did so in impressive fashion, by multiple scores, even without Michael Vick. The question remains, can they go into Atlanta and win. They’re probably the team with the best shot at beating the Falcons in Atlanta, something that’s only happened once in Matt Ryan’s 20 career starts, but I’d still bet against it.

2. Atlanta Falcons 12-2

This week’s game is huge for them. Not only would it give them the series sweep over their hated division rival and clinch them both the division and homefield, but it would keep the fear of the Georgia Dome intact. If they lose, all of a sudden teams start feeling like they can go into Atlanta and do the same, whereas right now, they definitely fear having to play a playoff game in the stadium where Matt Ryan has only lost once in his career.

1. New England Patriots 12-2

They slept walked through the Packers game and still beat a talented team starting their somewhat talented backup quarterback. Tom Brady didn’t have the best game, but turned it on when he needed it and showed why he is the MVP of the league this year. Plus, I mean, they still scored 30 points in their sleep against a good Green Bay defense, going their record 6^th straight game in a row without a turnover.

I mean really, was there any doubt he could march this team down the field against the Packers tough defense late? Unlike Vick, Brady has played all season and he has played at a higher level. He should be the clear MVP. And this team is the clear Super Bowl favorite.