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Need2Speed
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We know what you're thinking. The Patriots have had successive close calls against two teams with sub-.500 records. They're no longer superhuman, no longer the best team to have ever been assembled in the history of mankind (hey, we love hyperbole around here!). "They've certainly lost some luster," ESPN.com senior writer Jeffri Chadiha said. And now they actually face a good team, a playoff-caliber team, in the Steelers.
So if the Pats are ever going to lose in the regular season, this is the week, right?
And if that happens, will they lose their No. 1 spot in the Power Rankings, a position they've held all season?
In a word ... no.
Thanks to their dominant play in their first 10 wins, the Patriots have built up a reservoir of credibility that would negate a single misstep. And one loss, mind you, would merely put them on the same plain, record-wise, as the Cowboys, a team the Pats beat 48-27 back in Week 6 (provided the Cowboys keep winning, of course).
So even if the Ravens hadn't called that timeout ... or been flagged for defensive holding ... or fallen three yards short of the Hail Mary miracle pass ... and had won Monday's game, the Patriots would still be No. 1.
"A road loss to the Ravens, though shocking, isn't enough to say they've fallen behind the Cowboys, a team they handled head-to-head," Hashmarks blogger Matt Mosley said.
So what would it take to knock the Patriots out of the top spot?
"It would probably take them to lose at least two of the next three," senior writer John Clayton said. "They've been the best team. They will be the best team. The fact that they can wrap up home-field advantage on Sunday is testimony to that."
Added Chadiha: "The Patriots would have to lose two games to fall out of my top spot -- or lose Tom Brady or Randy Moss for the rest of the year."
Scouts Inc.'s Keith Kidd said the Patriots would have to lose three games to drop down in his rankings. And as Kidd noted, that's not likely to happen. "The worst they could finish is 14-2 because they won't lose to either the Dolphins or Jets unless Brady blows out his knee."
So how would you rank the Patriots and the other 31 teams after Week 13? Click here to access SportsNation's ranking tool.
BIGGEST RISE: Buffalo Bills from 22nd to 15th.
BIGGEST DROP: Cleveland Browns from 7th to 11th; New Orleans Saints from 13th to 17th; Detroit Lions from 14th to 18th; Philadelphia Eagles from 15th to 19th.
1 (1) Patriots 12-0-0 So what's the Patriots' mindset now? Do they feel fortunate to have won despite not playing their best? Or are they worried that their weaknesses have been exposed? Either way, maybe we shouldn't just automatically pencil them in as champs.
2 (2) Cowboys 11-1-0 Not to get ahead of ourselves -- well, OK, we are -- but if the Cowboys reach the Super Bowl, just four players will have prior experience on the NFL's biggest stage: Terrell Owens, Tank Johnson, backup QB Tank Johnson and injured WR Terry Glenn.
3 (4) Colts 10-2-0 The Colts have been one of the most banged-up teams this season, but will they be the healthiest team when the playoffs start? With the AFC South all but secured, they can afford to let their injured players heal.
4 (3) Packers 10-2-0 The loss to Dallas doesn't help in the short term, but Aaron Rodgers' performance in place of Brett Favre has to warm the hearts of Packers fans looking long-range. For now, you can count on Favre for career consecutive start No. 250 against Oakland.
5 (6) Steelers 9-3-0 Since throwing a franchise-record tying five TDs against the Ravens, Ben Roethlisberger has thrown just five TDs passes in the past four games. He's also thrown five interceptions in that span. He'll need to play error-free at New England this week.
6 (5) Jaguars 8-4-0 The Jags are among the least penalized teams, but they were hit with eight (for 64 yards) in the loss at Indy. "It seemed like every time there was an opportunity for a flag to go, it went and it ended up going against us," Jack Del Rio said.
7 (8) Seahawks 8-4-0 OK, so the Seahawks haven't exactly faced a Murderer's Row. But a four-game win streak is a four-game win streak, no matter how poor the opponents. Now Seattle can wrap up the division by beating the Cards this week.
8 (9) Buccaneers 8-4-0 There's absolutely no reason for the Bucs not to finish on an eight-game win streak. They're halfway there and have four subpar opponents left on the schedule. If the Pack doesn't take care of business, the Bucs could sneak into that second NFC spot.
9 (10) Chargers 7-5-0 The Chargers, closing in on the AFC West title, may be becoming one of those teams you don't want to face in the playoffs (hey, we said maybe). "There is a lot of confidence heading into the next four weeks," center Nick Hardwick told the U-T.
10 (11) Giants 8-4-0 Eli Manning says, "It's easy to forget bad plays." Well, yeah, especially when you make so many of them that they start to run together. But hey, give him credit for rallying the troops to a win at Chicago.
11 (7) Browns 7-5-0 Argue all you want about whether Kellen Winslow's Hail Mary catch should have counted. But for the first 59 minutes at Arizona, the Browns were their own worst enemy. "We didn't deserve to win," WR Braylon Edwards told the Plain-Dealer.
12 (12) Titans 7-5-0 Albert Haynesworth comes back after missing three games with an injury. The Titans end their three-game losing streak. Amazing how much better this team plays when their star defensive tackle is on the field.
13 (18) Vikings 6-6-0 Forget Bill Belichick. It's Brad Childress who's running up the score. With a 32-point lead on the Lions, Childress called for a fake field goal, and later a halfback option pass. He said it was to give future opponents something to worry about. Right.
14 (19) Cardinals 6-6-0 Gotta like the Cards' grittiness. They've lost three defensive starters to season-ending injuries the past three weeks. WRs Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin are banged up. Yet they keep hanging around. Huge game against Seattle this week.
15 (22) Bills 6-6-0 Keep an eye on RB Fred Jackson. Making his first career start, Jackson rushed for 82 yards (5.1 average per carry) and added 69 more in receptions in the win at Washington. "I definitely wanted to prove myself," he told the Buffalo News.
16 (16) Bears 5-7-0 So Devin Hester is human, after all; he had just 35 yards in returns against the Giants. Even worse, he let a sure 81-yard TD pass in the second quarter bounce off his left shoulder pad, a momentum-changing mistake.
17 (13) Saints 5-7-0 Credit Sean Payton for being a stand-up guy. He made a bad decision in calling a gadget play against the Bucs, and he owned up to it. "That's my fault for putting them in that position right at that point of the game," Payton said.
18 (14) Lions 6-6-0 A month ago, the Lions' game against the Cowboys looked like a potential playoff preview. Now it just looks like another Lions loss as they continue to unravel after a 6-2 start. Jon Kitna's 10-win guarantee will soon be dead.
19 (15) Eagles 5-7-0 You were impressed with A.J. Feeley against the Pats ... and depressed after watching Feeley against the Seahawks. So what does the two-game rollercoaster ride mean? That's there no QB controversy when Donovan McNabb returns.
20 (17) Broncos 5-7-0 So who's going to run the ball for the Broncos? Travis Henry could face a suspension this week if he doesn't win his appeal. Selvin Young has an arm injury and Andre Hall has a high ankle sprain, although Hall vows to be ready for KC.
21 (20) Commanders 5-7-0 Nice gesture to honor Sean Taylor by starting with just 10 men on defense Sunday. But why not tell the Bills before the game? How bad would everyone had felt had they scored? In fact, it didn't even seem like Joe Gibbs knew about the tribute.
22 (21) Texans 5-7-0 We hate to keep pointing out the improved play of Mario Williams, but his 2-1/2 sacks against the Titans gives him a team-record 8-1/2 this season. That's just a half-sack less than Michael Strahan and a half more than Jason Taylor.
23 (26) Panthers 5-7-0 That year-long drought at home is finally at an end ("That wasn't just a monkey, it was King Kong," John Fox told the Observer), so it's time to make a playoff push. But the schedule isn't favorable; the last four opponents are a combined 35-13.
24 (25) Ravens 4-8-0 The Ravens can moan about the officiating, but they were their own worst enemy against the Pats. Ed Reed's fumble cost them at least three points. Kyle Boller's interception was a momentum shifter. And not all of their 13 penalties are debatable.
25 (23) Bengals 4-8-0 The Bengals clinched their 16th non-winning season in the last 17 years. Even worse, they've done it so early that for the first time since Marvin Lewis became coach, the final month is basically meaningless, except for those needing job security.
26 (27) Raiders 4-8-0 Baby steps. That may be the best way to sum up JaMarcus Russell's first action as a NFL QB. He wasn't spectacular, but he wasn't spectacularly bad, either. "I think I did good. A few plays, two drives," Russell told reporters.
27 (24) Chiefs 4-8-0 The Chiefs have been shut out in the fourth quarter in their last four games, which helps explain why they're all but out of the playoff hunt. "I'm tired of it and don't want to play this style of football," TE Tony Gonzalez told the KC Star.
28 (29) Rams 3-9-0 Should the Packers and Steelers be worried? They play at St. Louis later this month, and the Rams have finally figured out how to win at home. In fact, St. Louis may no longer be the patsy it appeared to be just a month ago.
29 (31) Jets 3-9-0 Jets DE Shaun Ellis was so livid about being betting-line underdogs at Miami that, after beating the Dolphins, he told the NYPost: "I hope we made them eat their words." Uh, beating the NFL's worst team isn't exactly reason to cop an attitude.
30 (28) 49ers 3-9-0 The discussion in SF centers on Mike Nolan's sideline tantrum after seeing his team gave up a 73-yard interception return for a TD against Carolina. Is he passionate or out of control? Either way, he can't be having much fun this season.
31 (30) Falcons 3-9-0 The Falcons have been outscored 90-36 in the last three weeks and coach Bobby Petrino is putting his players under the microscope to see how they react under adverse circumstances. "Let's make sure who's with us and who's not," he told the J-C.
32 (32) Dolphins 0-12-0 Early signs are not good for rookie John Beck. He has yet to get the Dolphins into the end zone in his three games since becoming the starting quarterback. But let's face it -- the Dolphins problems did not begin with him.
So if the Pats are ever going to lose in the regular season, this is the week, right?
And if that happens, will they lose their No. 1 spot in the Power Rankings, a position they've held all season?
In a word ... no.
Thanks to their dominant play in their first 10 wins, the Patriots have built up a reservoir of credibility that would negate a single misstep. And one loss, mind you, would merely put them on the same plain, record-wise, as the Cowboys, a team the Pats beat 48-27 back in Week 6 (provided the Cowboys keep winning, of course).
So even if the Ravens hadn't called that timeout ... or been flagged for defensive holding ... or fallen three yards short of the Hail Mary miracle pass ... and had won Monday's game, the Patriots would still be No. 1.
"A road loss to the Ravens, though shocking, isn't enough to say they've fallen behind the Cowboys, a team they handled head-to-head," Hashmarks blogger Matt Mosley said.
So what would it take to knock the Patriots out of the top spot?
"It would probably take them to lose at least two of the next three," senior writer John Clayton said. "They've been the best team. They will be the best team. The fact that they can wrap up home-field advantage on Sunday is testimony to that."
Added Chadiha: "The Patriots would have to lose two games to fall out of my top spot -- or lose Tom Brady or Randy Moss for the rest of the year."
Scouts Inc.'s Keith Kidd said the Patriots would have to lose three games to drop down in his rankings. And as Kidd noted, that's not likely to happen. "The worst they could finish is 14-2 because they won't lose to either the Dolphins or Jets unless Brady blows out his knee."
So how would you rank the Patriots and the other 31 teams after Week 13? Click here to access SportsNation's ranking tool.
BIGGEST RISE: Buffalo Bills from 22nd to 15th.
BIGGEST DROP: Cleveland Browns from 7th to 11th; New Orleans Saints from 13th to 17th; Detroit Lions from 14th to 18th; Philadelphia Eagles from 15th to 19th.
