Foxboro Blog Top 12: Week 17

With Week 17 bringing us a slate of tanking teams or resting starters, there wasn’t much activity in the Top 12 this week.  Six of last week’s twelve teams held firm. 

The big riser was the Jets, who went up a whopping two slots, while the Chiefs were the big fallers, dropping two as well. 

Eleven of the twelve playoff teams were represented on the rankings this week, with 7-9 Seattle being the only ones not on the list.  The Seahawks, by the way, haven’t cracked the Top 12 all year. 

The top seeds in the AFC and NFC hold the rankings top two slots.  Interestinly enough, the #2 seeds are ranked sixth and seventh.

Interestingly enough, each of the lower seeded road teams in this weekend’s four games are ranked higher in the Top 12 than their opponents.   The tightest is the #8 Jets at the #9 Colts.  Green Bay holds a five spot advantage over Philly, Baltimore is ranked seven spots higher than Kansas City, and the Saints come in at #3 with the Seahawks not even on the board.

Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
1		1	N/A	14-2	Bye Week
		The Patriots had absolutely nothing to play four and still hung their second largest victory of the season on Miami.  This is a very focused football team.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
2		3	1	13-3	Bye Week
		Will Atlanta’s dome field advantage be enough to get them to their 2nd Super Bowl?
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
3		2	1	11-5	@ Seahawks
		The 2-3 spot was a toss-up last week.  The Saints loss to the Buccs in Week 17 made this an easy decision.  Still, this is one defending champion that won’t go down easily.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
4		4	N/A	11-4	@ Chiefs
		There is one team in the AFC that really gives me pause as a Patriots fan.  Pats have won three of the last four against the Ravens.  All three wins were super-tight.  The loss was a horrific blow out.  It will not be any easy first game for New England if both Baltimore and Indy win in the Wild Card round.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
5		5	N/A	10-6	@ Eagles
		The Packers had everything to gain.  Chicago had nothing to gain.  I would’ve liked to see Green Bay dominate their Week 17 match-up a little more.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
6		6	N/A	11-5	Bye Week
		The Bears having a bye week in the playoffs may be the most surprising standings result of the seaosn.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
7		7	N/A	10-4	Bye Week
		Pittsburgh is finishing the year strong.  I definitely won’t be surprised to see them in the AFC title game.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
8		10	2	11-5	@ Colts
		After limping through the last quarter of the season, the Jets came on strong in Week 17.  Yeah, it was against the Bills, but a dominating game is a dominating game.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
9		8	1	10-6	vs. Jets
		Yes, the Jags bailed them out anyway, but Indy was pretty close to losing a game that could have determined their post-season fate.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
10		10	N/A	10-6	vs. Packers
		The Eagles are a tough team to figure out.  They have the ability to catch fire and end up in Dallas, or they could fizzle out in the Wild Card game.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
11		9	2	10-6	vs. Ravens
		I really don’t like the way KC finished the year, getting pummelled at home by Oakland.
Ranking	Team	Last Week	Change	Record	Next Game
12		N/A	N/A	10-6	Next Season
		Buccs are 10-6 and at home, while the Seahawks are 7-9 and in.  I feel your pain, Tampa.  The Pats were 11-5 in ’08 and got left out in the cold while the 8-8 Chargers were in.  The solution:  Two divisions per conference with the winners getting the first round byes.