NFL Week 14 Power Rankings

Five Quick Hits

* I love football in the snow. The highlights from Pittsburgh were beautiful.

* LaDainian Tomlinson's MVP chances took a nasty shot on Sunday. He's not out of it, but Shaun Alexander and Peyton Manning are probably the front-runners at this point.

* I'll give you a topic. Are the 2005 Seahawks Mike Holmgren's best team ever? Discuss.

* Does anyone not hate those courtroom beer commercials?

* If anyone is stupid enough to hire Mike Martz as head coach next year, I think that team might end up with a certain disgruntled wide receiver, as well.

***

The Packers/Lions game on Sunday night featured the worst call I have seen all season, the overturned safety that stole Detroit's victory. I suspect that the league encourages officials not to call safeties, because anything remotely borderline is always put in the field of play, but Mike Carey's call on the play was the difference in the game, and it was only one step up from outright cheating.

I'm not a Lions fan, or a bitter Packer Backer who was holding out hope for a high draft pick. There's just no way that wasn't a safety. Even if there hadn't been holding in the end zone — and there was — Samkon Gado intentionally fumbled the ball forward, which is against the rules and should have resulted in a safety. Gado's holy roller was incorrectly ruled a forward pass, but it was initially called as intentional grounding, which also would have resulted in a safety. After Mike Sherman complained, though, Carey said that Gado threw the ball away legally, which was plainly untrue. Worst call I've seen all year.

Two minutes later, Gado fumbled and Carey's crew incorrectly ruled the play down by contact. To cap things off, Carey failed to run 10 seconds off the game clock when Green Bay was penalized for an illegal shift with 0:25 left. He even lost the ceremonial coin, and had to borrow a quarter for the coin flip in overtime. The Packers won the toss and scored on their first possession. I don't believe Carey or his crew intentionally fixed the game for Green Bay, but only because if they had, they would have been more subtle.

On to the power rankings, and as usual, brackets indicate last week's rank.

1. Indianapolis Colts [1] — It's too early to begin best-of-all-time debates, but since the end of the Joe Montana Dynasty, the best team I have seen was the 1998 Broncos. This year's Colts are, I think, a little better than that. For years, I've worried that a team might go undefeated and automatically be declared the greatest in history. If the Colts go 19-0, though, they'll have a very strong case.

2. Seattle Seahawks [3] — A pretty clear choice for second right now, they've won nine in a row and beaten their last two opponents by a combined 83-3. Against San Francisco, they had 31 first downs and almost four times as much yardage as the Niners. If you're looking for a downside, they haven't really been tested much. The NFC West provides no competition, their toughest AFC matchup is against a Colts team that might not even play all its starters, and they met Philadelphia after its midseason collapse. Seattle squeaked by the Cowboys and Giants in games that might justly be considered flukes, and all their other tough games were at the beginning of the season. If the Colts don't give them 100%, Seattle might enter the playoffs without much real battle experience.

3. Cincinnati Bengals [6] — Marvin Lewis is a leading Coach of the Year candidate as the season enters its final weeks. So is Chicago's Lovie Smith. For years, it was clear that Lewis and Smith were head coaching material, and they were available for teams with openings, even interviewed a few times. But it took years before anyone finally gave them a chance. Not that Butch Davis, Dom Capers, Dennis Erickson, and Steve Spurrier weren't the best guys available, but ... well, actually, yeah, they weren't the best guys available.

4. New York Giants [7] — Turnovers sent the game to overtime, but they soundly beat the Eagles statistically. The Giants can clinch the NFC East with a Week 15 win and a Cowboy loss in Washington. Osi Umenyiora is a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year. Umenyiora won't win — Dwight Freeney or Brian Urlacher will probably take it — but he'll certainly get my consideration at year's end. I still don't get the Freeney hype. I've seen a lot of the Colts the last few seasons, and I've only seen Freeney have one great game, last year against Baltimore. Everyone says he's terrific, including people whose opinions I trust, so maybe I just catch Freeney on the wrong days, but it seems like he doesn't show up half the time. Against Jacksonville, he had a zero-zero day: no tackles, no assists. He wasn't even double-teamed most of the time.

5. San Diego Chargers [2] — I told Alex Spanos I'd keep them top-five if he doubled my weekly bribe. The Chargers laid an egg against Miami, no doubt, but they had more yards, twice as many first downs, and double the Dolphins' time of possession. San Diego has won five of its last six, and probably needs to sweep its last three to make the playoffs.

6. Denver Broncos [4] — Three weeks in a row, they've come out flat. This is not a problem that can't be solved, but it is a problem. The running game has slowed down, and they're resorting to screen passes to get the ball to their backs. If Brian Billick kicks a field goal on fourth-and-goal, the Broncos probably lose to Baltimore.

7. New England Patriots [15] — Corey Dillon's return is a big boost. The Patriots are virtually certain to be the AFC's fourth seed in the playoffs, meaning a first-round win would likely send them to Indianapolis. While nothing would legitimize a Colts postseason run like beating New England, I think Tony Dungy would probably prefer to avoid that matchup. This is still the last team to beat Indianapolis, and you don't want to meet Tom Brady in the playoffs.

8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers [12] — Four wins in their last five, and they now control their own destiny in the NFC South. Ronde Barber has had two monster games, and the resurgence of Cadillac Williams is definite cause for optimism. If they get a home game or two, the Bucs could be dangerous in the playoffs.

9. Kansas City Chiefs [9] — Willie Roaf is one of the few offensive linemen who can make headlines, and the difference he makes for the Chiefs has been well-publicized, but other teams have taken major dives without their top linemen, as well. The Jets' Kevin Mawae. New England's Matt Light. The Cowboys' Flozell Adams and Philadelphia's Hank Fraley, an absence that has made a huge difference, but been mostly overlooked. Roaf and Mawae are the best of that group, but offensive line injuries can destroy a team. In Week 15, the Chiefs take their 3-4 road record to New Jersey, where the Giants are 7-1. Bet the Giants.

10. Dallas Cowboys [11] — Huge win against Kansas City, but they need to exorcise their Week 2 demons against Washington. If the Cowboys win out, they're guaranteed of a playoff spot. That means road wins against Washington and Carolina, though, so don't book your tickets just yet.

11. Pittsburgh Steelers [13] — Got back to the running game, with typical results. Jerome Bettis scored two TDs, putting him only five behind Shaun Alexander for their respective careers. James Brown said this week that Bettis "has been rolling in Pittsburgh for 13 years." Unfortunately for Brown, that isn't true. Bettis was a Ram for the first three years of his career, and he's only been "rolling in Pittsburgh" for 9½ years. Incidentally, Alexander has been rolling in Seattle for just over five seasons.

12. Chicago Bears [8] — I've frequently used this space to criticize Kyle Orton and the Bears' offense, but you dance with the girl who brought you, and Orton is the girl who brought Chicago. Let's not forget, either, that Rex Grossman — who has 1,044 career passing yards and a 71.1 rating — isn't exactly Peyton Manning sitting on the bench. That doesn't mean Grossman can't come in if Orton struggles during a game, but you never bench the hot hand.

13. Minnesota Vikings [14] — Intercepted Ryan Fitzpatrick five times. It seems like there have been an inordinate number of five-interception games this year. Fitzpatrick, Daunte Culpepper, Brett Favre, Joey Harrington, and Orton all in one season? There have been a lot of four-pick games, too.

14. Carolina Panthers [5] — A 10-point loss to a good team doesn't normally merit this kind of drop in the rankings, but there were a lot of teams to move up. The Vikings have won six in a row, and I can't even fit them into the top 10. Injuries continue to be a problem for Carolina, and Jake Delhomme's inconsistency is becoming a major issue.

15. Jacksonville Jaguars [10] — Committed three vicious personal fouls in the second quarter, culminating in John Henderson's penalty for grinding Edgerrin James' head into the ground. I'm a little surprised the officials didn't throw anyone out of the game.

16. Atlanta Falcons [16] — Can beat bad teams. The teams Atlanta has beaten this year have a combined record of 36-68, and the only one with more than five wins is the Vikings, but that was pre-Brad Johnson. Atlanta's next two games are on the road against two 9-4 teams, Chicago and Tampa. Draw your own conclusions about the Falcons' playoff chances.

17. Washington Redskins [17] — A great conference-record tiebreaker is keeping their false hope about the postseason alive. I've been very impressed by rookie CB Carlos Rogers, and Cornelius Griffin has looked very sharp. I've been thinking a lot about my all-pro team, and DT is going to be tough to decide. The two best, Griffin and Richard Seymour, missed a combined seven games, and I don't like to pick guys who have missed a bunch of time. Seymour has been back for a month now, but he doesn't seem 100%. Griffin, though, has been dynamite, and he'll probably make my squad in spite of the injury.

18. Miami Dolphins [20] — Three straight wins on the heels of three consecutive losses. After scoring a total of just 26 points during the losing streak, the Dolphins haven't been held below 23 in any game since. Chris Chambers, who has always shown the potential to be a top receiver, is finally displaying the consistent performance to be one.

19. Philadelphia Eagles [18] — I like Mike McMahon, but a 55.6 passer rating doesn't cut it in the NFL. Philadelphia has lost six of its last seven games, and Andy Reid is starting to lose the faith of his defensive players.

20. Cleveland Browns [21] — Four losses in their last five games, but those came against teams with a combined record of 41-24, and Charlie Frye had another impressive outing. The second coming of Otto Graham he is not, but Frye has shown promise even in the absence of a strong supporting cast.

21. Oakland Raiders [19] — In the wake of Marques Tuiasosopo's four turnovers this week, I wrote a haiku for Norv Turner:

You lost to the Jets
Do not blame Kerry Collins
What were you thinking?

22. Baltimore Ravens [24] — Dropped to 0-7 on the road. Ed Reed hasn't had much impact since returning from injury, but the defense kept up its end of the bargain, holding the Broncos to 12 points. Kyle Boller had three turnovers, and while it may be too early to give up on Boller entirely, the team at least needs to explore other options this offseason. If nothing else, a reliable backup is a must.

23. Arizona Cardinals [25] — Kurt Warner is putting up big numbers, but he's 2-7 as the starter. That may not be entirely his fault, since there's no running game, but Josh McCown was 2-2 with the same team. Maybe Dennis Green needs to be a little less enamored with Warner's passing, and commit to the ground game the way he would if McCown were under center.

24. St. Louis Rams [23] — Lost four of their last five, with the win a last-minute comeback in Houston. The defense has fallen apart in the year and a half since Smith left to become head coach in Chicago.

25. Buffalo Bills [22] — Four straight losses. Against New England, they had possession of the ball for under a third of the game, allowed four times as many first downs as they got, and were out-gained by over 300 yards. Quarterback J.P. Losman threw three interceptions, but he was also the team's leading rusher, with one scramble for seven yards. This is the second time in four games that something like this has happened to Buffalo.

26. New Orleans Saints [26] — Normally, mixing red and yellow produces orange, not green. The Saints have lost eight of their last nine, haven't topped 21 points in two months, and probably still don't have a shot at Reggie Bush.

27. Green Bay Packers [27] — During the Sunday night broadcast, Paul Maguire said, "There's only one guy I know in the National Football League I don't wanna give the ball back with two minutes left and that's Favre." Not that this is a news flash, but Maguire is either an idiot, or he's lying through his teeth. No sane person would pass up Tom Brady and Peyton Manning to run the two-minute drill.

28. Detroit Lions [28] — As fired up as I am about the heinous officiating, Detroit really didn't play a good game. The offense was limp and ineffective, and Gado ran all over the defense. This team has some talent, but no one plays together, and the team doesn't seem very motivated.

29. Tennessee Titans [29] — Beat Houston to improve to 4-9 on the year. To secure the victory, though, they needed Kris Brown to miss a chip-shot 31-yard field goal at the end of regulation. Beating Houston should not require luck, and this was a home game for the Titans. The defense got six sacks — everyone does against the Texans — but had no answer for Domanick Davis.

30. New York Jets [32] — John Abraham is making a late all-pro push for one of the league's worst teams. Curtis Martin will miss the rest of the season, and you have to wonder if this is the beginning of the end for him.

31. Houston Texans [31] — Keep an eye on that sack record. With three games left to play, David Carr has been sacked 61 times, for 376 yards. The record, also held by Carr, is 76-for-411.

32. San Francisco 49ers [30] — Last in the NFL in point differential, with -195. They have the NFC's worst scoring offense (186) and worst scoring defense (381). If they were in the AFC, they'd still have the worst defense, but the offense would be ahead of New York and Baltimore. There's a bright side to everything.