In a game many (including myself) believed had the potential to be the game of the year, the Patriots defeated the Jets in blowout fashion. A 45-3 blowout is something I feel safe in saying none of us saw coming. Which only solidifies the Patriots as the best team in the league and Tom Brady as NFL MVP at the moment. Some of the teams I rank 1-10 struggled against lesser competition, but pulled out the win in the end. Which is all that matters, but it won’t help them all that much in the standings. San Diego fought uphill all through the month of November to finally break in at the 10th spot last week, only to lose 28-13 to Oakland and find themselves right back on the outside looking in. We’ll see who took their spot in a few minutes.

Then, the worst kept getting worse for the most part. With 2 exceptions, we still have the same gang hanging around. Seattle seems to come through a revolving door and is back out this week after making Seahawk fans hold their breath, down 14-0 at one point. They went on to score 31 unanswered against league worst Carolina. Then, there’s America’s Team. Finally breaking out of the slums with a 38-35 overtime win over the staggering Colts. Yes, there are worse teams, even though Dallas is still only 4-8. You’re about to find out who.

In the MVP Race, I didn’t exactly keep you guessing as to who you’ll find in the #1 spot. Then again, if you were even wondering to begin with, you haven’t watched much football this season. It’s time to wave goodbye to Roddy White and Joe Flacco (also comes and goes through the revolving door), and welcome in 2 new (and probably overdue) candidates. One hasn’t been on the list for a while and the other hasn’t been on it all season. I nearly put him in last week, but his performance in Week 13 solidified his right to be mentioned.

So here you have them: The 10 best teams, 10 worst teams, and 10 most deserving MVP candidates with just 4 weeks left to decide the final standings.

Bottom of the Barrel

  1. Tennessee (NR) Everything has spiraled out of control for Jeff Fisher and the Titans, losers of 5 straight. The latest coming to Jacksonville, 17-6. Randy Moss continues to be of no use since joining them, and lately Chris Johnson’s performance has evaporated into thin air. This should be just what Indianapolis needs to rebound on this upcoming Thursday night’s game. Record: 5-7

  2. Minnesota (7) Brett Favre was knocked out of the game on just the 3rd play of the game, but that didn’t stop the Vikes from winning big over Buffalo, 38-14. Tavaris Jackson did throw 3 picks, but also found Sidney Rice for 2 touchdowns. Adrian Peterson returned from an ankle sprain to run for 107 yards and 3 TDs of his own. Everyone will be asking themselves what could’ve been if Brad Childress had been let go sooner. Record: 5-7

  3. Washington (NR) This team is another that has has fallen apart at the seams lately, but this one doesn’t come as much of a surprise to me. It was more a matter of when, not if. The Giants took them to the cleaners, 31-7 on Sunday and I expect the same when Tampa comes to D.C. next. Record: 5-7

  4. San Francisco (5) They lost convincingly to the Packers, 34-16, but move up 2 spots due to the competition showing up even worse this week. They’re now 2 games out of the dismal NFC West and I don’t hear any more playoff predictions coming from Singletary. Record: 4-8

  5. Denver (8) They might have given up only 10 points to the high-scoring Chiefs, but they only scored 6 themselves and Josh McDaniels was fired yesterday with no promising predecessor in sight. Here’s a team that has let a lot of talent go and will have a hard time finding an established coach interested in the job, which means an even harder time getting things turned around. Record: 3-9

  6. Detroit (4) The Bears had their hands full when they visited the Lions, down 20-14 at one point. Detroit let it slip away after giving up 10 points in the 4th quarter, but they move up 1 spot for once again showing up to play. Record: 2-10

  7. Buffalo (6) After showing more than enough heart in an O.T. loss to Pittsburgh last week, they came out and lost by 24 to Minnesota despite forcing 3 interceptions. Cleveland is their next opponent, and Peyton Hillis should be running downfield all day. Record: 2-10

  8. Arizona (3) Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the Cardinals. And that’s just not this week, but just about every week. A 19-6 loss to St. Louis makes it 7 straight in the L column with a chance to end it as they host Denver next. Right now, I have a feeling they would find a way to lose against anyone on any given Sunday though. Record: 3-9

  9. Cincinnati (2) The Saints took the defending Champs to the wire, which is respectable, but they still can’t find a way to get a win. A Drew Brees pass to Marques Colston gave New Orleans the 34-30 win with just 31 seconds remaining in the game. It doesn’t get any easier when the Bengals visit Pittsburgh on Sunday. Record: 2-10

  10. Carolina (1) They came out of the gates strong, going up 14-0 on Seattle. After that, it was all over. Seattle put up 31 unanswered and that was that. I picked Carolina to pull the upset in this one and they disappointed again. They host Atlanta next, not much chance there. Record: 1-11

Climbed Out: Dallas (9), Seattle (10)

Top of the Pops

  1. NY Giants (NR) Making their way back into the top 10 after San Diego’s disappointing play against Oakland drops them out. The Giants assaulted Washington 31-7 as Jacobs and Bradshaw both nearly had 100-yard games. Record: 8-4

  2. Philadelphia (8) They’ve done nothing to deserve a 1-spot drop, but that’s just how it goes sometimes. They defeated the Texans in a back and forth game until late, 34-24. Their next game is no cake walk as they head to Dallas for the Sunday night showdown. Record: 8-4

  3. Baltimore (4) A slugfest with Pittsburgh ended with them giving up a 10-6 lead with 1:30 left to go to lose 13-10. Always seems to be a tight, low-scoring game when those teams get together. They’ll go to Houston for the Monday nighter next week. Also no gimme. Record: 8-4

  4. Chicago (6) I have to drop them a spot here after having their hands full with Detroit and Drew Stanton. I know they can’t all be blowouts, but a more convincing win was in order from a team that’s supposed to represent the NFC North. They host New England next. Should be interesting. Record: 9-3

  5. Green Bay (7) Despite trailing the Bears in the North, I do still believe they’re the better team and will win the division when it’s all said and done. Aaron Rodgers put up more great numbers in a 34-16 win over the Niners, and they’ll go to Detroit next where we should see more of the same. Record: 8-4

  6. NY Jets (3) I do not envy the Miami Dolphins next week. The Jets should come out more than prepared after having their swagger put in check by the Pats on Monday night in front of the entire world. Record: 9-3

  7. Pittsburgh (9) They make a big leap frog back to where they were after the close call against Buffalo. I had my doubts with an injured Roethlisberger, but he showed up as did the defense on Sunday night against Baltimore. They now control their own fate as they hold a one game lead over the Ravens. Record: 9-3

  8. Nawlins (5) Even though it took til the final minute for them to get the win over Cincinnati, they move up 2 spots here as they’ve been on a big roll and established themselves as not just a one hit wonder. They host the Rams in Week 14 and aren’t stupid enough to take them lightly. They have a division title to chase down, so they can’t afford to. Record: 9-3

  9. Atlanta (2) Down 24-14 to Tampa Bay, they found a way to come back and get the job done. Tampa was my possible upset alert of the week, but I believed in the end the Falcons would prove to be too much. Atlanta’s obviously a stronger home team, but this win against a division foe spoke volumes about their ability to overcome adversity. Record: 10-2

  10. New England (1) I can’t believe the nerve and stupidity of ESPN, ranking Atlanta over the Patriots. Did they not see them rip the Jets limb from limb? I’m as unbiased as they come and don’t understand how any team ranks higher than the Pats right now. Record: 10-2

 Fell Out: San Diego (10)

MVP Race

  1. Peyton Manning (6) Barring an impressive showing against Tennessee this Thursday night, Peyton Manning is in serious jeopardy of being out of the top 10 altogether. I never thought that would be possible. He did complete 36 of 48 passes against the Cowboys, but threw another 4 INTs. He held the top spot for the longest of any player this season and now finds himself at the other end of the spectrum.

  2. Maurice Jones-Drew (NR) The Jags’ running back has exploded onto the scene in the past 4 to 5 weeks, and had maybe his most impressive game against the Titans this past Sunday. He didn’t find the endzone, but carried the ball 31 times for nearly 200 yards. 186 to be exact. A big reason why the surprising Jags find themselves alone at the top of the AFC South.

  3. Jamaal Charles (9) Facing the weak Denver run defense, Charles carried 21 times for 116 times and moves up to 8th. The Chiefs opened up a 2-game lead in the AFC West thanks to Oakland handling San Diego.

  4. Arian Foster (7) His 83 yards on 22 carries may have only been average, but he also contributed a touchdown on the ground and in the pass game. That’s enough to keep him as the top running back on this list at the moment. But the 2 previously mentioned are breathing down his neck.

  5. Drew Brees (NR) Long overdue for Brees to return to the list, he had just 5 incompletions against Cincinnati. 24 of 29 for 313 yards and 2 touchdowns to go along with a 120 passer rating.

  6. Mike Vick (5) 2 scores through the air and 1 on his feet, 103 passer rating and 350 total purpose yards. He did throw his 2nd pick of the season, so let’s hope he’s not making a habit of it. The fumbles have got to stop also or he’ll soon drop.

  7. Philip Rivers (2) Just 23 of 39 against the Oakland secondary, but a respectable 280 yards. 1 score and 1 pick. Overall, these next 3 QBs are leading their respective teams better in my opinion.

  8. Aaron Rodgers (4) Another great passing day for the Green Bay signal caller, but also picked up nearly 10 yards a carry on 4 rushes. 298 through the air and 3 scores against San Francisco. 

  9. Matt Ryan (3) He only completed half of his passes, threw for 205 yards, 2 scores and 2 INTs…but when it counted, he drove his team down the field for the necessary points to earn the win over Tampa Bay.

  10. Tom Brady (1) Another week at the top for Brady. Easy decision as he passed 21/29 for 326 yards and 4 scores on a Jets defense that just isn’t supposed to allow those types of numbers from an opposing QB.

Fell Out: Roddy White (8), Joe Flacco (10)

And those are the rankings. Feel free to comment and/or post how you see it.