Foxboro Blog Top 12: Week 13

The Top 12 was supposed to be a celebration of the Patriots’ dominance, instead, it’s become a weekly reminder that this team just keeps finding new ways to lose.  How much longer until the Pats fall off the map completely?  I’m thinking loss this week to the Panthers would probably do it.  But then again, if that happens, they’ll have much, much more to worry about than their standings in my arbitrary NFL rankings.  With five of last week’s Top 12 losing in Week 13, there’s going to be a fair amount of shifting going on, as well as some new faces popping up on our panel.  Without further ado, here’s the Top 12….

Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
1		1	0	12-0	@ Falcons
		A win is a win when you’re trying to go undefeated.  The Saints survived a scare, but that’s bound to happen to any team who’s looking to go undefeated.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
2		3	1	12-0	vs. Broncos
		I’ll get you next time Gadget!  Next time…   I’m done predicting when it will happen, and am just resting assured that this team’s luck is going to run out at some point.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
3		4	1	9-3	@ Cowboys
		I could easily see these guys hoisting the Lombardi in February.  It’s mostly a matter of how cursed you believe New Orleans is.  I mean, could the SAINTS really go 19-0?
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
4		2	2	10-2	vs. Bengals
		Minnesota definitely got knocked down a few notches after their loss to Zona.  Suddenly my statements about not beating good teams don’t seem so unfair after all.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
5		8	3	8-4	@ 49ers
		The Cardinals have frisky written all over them.  Nobody’s expecting back-to-back Super Bowl runs from them, but you have to like the way they handled the Vikings..
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
6		6	0	9-3	@ Vikings
		Again, is there any more valor in Cincy beating the Browns and Lions than the Patriots losing to the Saints and Dolphins?  Maybe Cincy comes out of those two games at 1-1 at best.  Then again, they did lose to the Raiders only weeks ago.  Bottom line – I could’ve easily flip-flopped them and the Patriots, but then I’d be dropping them a spot after a loss and looking like a total homer.  Just remember this the next time there’s a questionable call.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
7		5	2	7-5	vs. Panthers
		The Patriots have found some pretty ugly and awful ways to lose games.  My only hope is that the next four weeks of relatively easy competition allows them to remember how to play football again.  Last year’s team peaked in Weeks 14-17 as well.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
8		9	1	8-4	@ Giants
		Dallas and December are a bad combo.  The Eagles and the NFC East title may be the perfect match this year.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
9		7	2	8-4	vs. Chargers
		A brutal schedule mixed with December ghosts from seasons past are the perfect recipe for a monster collapse in Big D.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
10		11	1	8-4	@ Bears
		Green Bay has put together a nice streak.  I’m expecting it to continue next week against Chicago.  They could find themselves in the middle of these rankings fairly soon, and beating Arizona at the end could get them near the top.  It will be a very telling four weeks to end the year…
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
11		N/A	N/A	8-4	@ Colts
		Even if Denver loses to Indy and Philly, at 10-6, that should still be plenty good enough for a wild card.  Let’s just say the Broncos are the #1 team I’d rather not see coming to Foxboro in January.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
12		N/A	N/A	7-5	vs. Dolphins
		It was a toss up between the Jags and Miami.  I went with Jacksonville because A. The Patriots lost that game more than the Dolphins won it, and B. I think the Jags are getting the W this Sunday.