The Week 11 games didn’t trigger significant movement in the power rankings.
Which means either that the rankings held form this week, or that we were too lazy to do it right.
There’s only one way to find out which approach we took.
1. Atlanta Falcons (No. 1; 8-2): If the Falcons lose to the Packers on Sunday, it’s fairly safe to say that Mike Smith won’t be getting fired.
2. New York Jets (No.2; 8-2): Getting lucky against so-so teams isn’t a good sign for the playoffs, when all the so-so team will be watching from home.
3. New England Patriots (No. 3; 8-2): The only thing standing between the Pats and a fourth Super Bowl could be a playoff date with the Ravens.
4. Baltimore Ravens (No. 4; 7-3): The altercation between quarterback Joe Flacco and receiver Derrick Mason reportedly started when Mason told Flacco to shave . . . his unibrow.
5. Green Bay Packers (No. 5; 7-3): Even if the Packers don’t win another game, they’ll be handing out rings commemorating their sweep of Brett Favre.
6. Philadelphia Eagles (No. 6; 7-3): If Philly’s receivers could catch, the Eagles would have beaten the Giants by 30.
7. New Orleans Saints (No. 10; 7-3): Without home games in the playoffs, there will be no repeat.
8. Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 11; 7-3): Like last year, the Steelers have plenty of injuries. Unlike last year, the replacements are stepping up.
9. New York Giants (No. 7; 6-4): The Giants need Tiki to call out Tom Coughlin again.
10. Indianapolis Colts (No. 8; 6-4): Peyton Manning seems to be wearing his frustration face a lot more often than usual.
11. Chicago Bears (No. 13; 7-3): Beat the Eagles, and then we’ll take the Bears seriously.
12. Kansas City Chiefs (No. 15; 6-4): With a soft schedule down the stretch, the Chiefs may not have to win the division to make the playoffs.
13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 18; 7-3): Anyone who picked the Bucs to win seven of their first 10 should volunteer to take a drug test.
14. San Diego Chargers (No. 16; 5-5): One of these years, the Chargers won’t be able to count on starting slowly and making a late run. But it’s not this year.
15. Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 19; 6-4): If the Jaguars make the playoffs, I’ll burn my toupee.
16. Miami Dolphins (No. 12; 5-5): Before anyone offers Bill Parcells $5 million a year to fix their franchise, we hope they took a long look at the current state of the Dolphins.
17. Oakland Raiders (No. 9; 5-5): There you are. We had looked everywhere.
18. Tennessee Titans (No. 17; 5-5): Maybe Jeff Fisher can get Brad Childress to give Vince Young a hug.
19. Cleveland Browns (No. 14; 3-7): Maybe Mike Holmgren won’t have to leave Cleveland to return to coaching, after all.
20. Seattle Seahawks (No. 20; 5-5): Pete Carroll shrugged off Sunday’s loss by reminding himself that the Seahawks need only one more win to become bowl eligible.
21. St. Louis Rams (No. 21; 4-6): With more wins in the bank than 2008 and 2009 combined, who cares about losing at home to the best team in the league?
22. Washington Redskins (No. 23; 5-5): Beating Tennessee won’t do much to erase the misery of that Monday night meltdown.
23. Dallas Cowboys (No. 25; 3-7): The only way the Cowboys will “run the table” is if they move their treadmills to the kitchen.
24. Houston Texans (No. 22; 4-6): “But we beat the Colts in Week One” may not be enough to keep Gary Kubiak employed.
25. Buffalo Bills (No. 29; 2-8): It figures that the Bills would find a way to blow their shot at the first overall pick in the draft in the first year of a rookie wage scale.
26. San Francisco 49ers (No. 24; 3-7): And they’re still very much alive for the NFC West crown.
27. Denver Broncos (No. 26; 3-7): From 6-0 to 5-15.
28. Minnesota Vikings (No. 27; 3-7): Chilly, the UFL is calling.
29. Arizona Cardinals (No. 28; 3-7): The Cards’ best sellout strategy? “Only [insert] home games left for Larry Fitzgerald in Arizona!”
30. Detroit Lions (No. 30; 2-8): Thank you, tryptophan.
31. Cincinnati Bengals (No. 31; 2-8): They’re great when down by 20, and as we now know horrible when up by 20.
32. Carolina Panthers (No. 32; 1-9): John Fox is crossing off the remaining games like a prisoner with a calendar.
