2011 NFL Power Rankings: Week 16

Updated: December 20, 2011, 1:41 PM ET

ESPN.com

Week:

The Packers are a prominent part of this week's theme, and not because they just suffered their first loss of the season.

A year ago at this time, Green Bay was 8-6, banged up and had yet to clinch a playoff spot. Few could have predicted it, but Aaron Rodgers and Co. were about to go on a magical run that included a Super Bowl title and a 13-game winning streak to start 2011.

Is a similar rise -- 8-6 to Super Bowl champion -- in store this season? Let's take a look at the possibilities.

The Bengals, Broncos, Cowboys and Jets all stand at 8-6. None has clinched a postseason berth, but three of the four (Dallas, Denver and New York) control their destinies.

Of the group, our voters (ESPN.com's John Clayton, ESPN.com's Ashley Fox, AFC South blogger Paul Kuharsky, NFC West blogger Mike Sando and AFC East blogger James Walker) believe Dallas (No. 10) has the most potential, but not by much. Denver, the Jets and Cincinnati are Nos. 11, 12 and 13, respectively.

So are any of the 8-6ers poised to take off? No one knows for sure; we do know many quality teams stand in their way.

Still, there's always a chance someone will find lightning in a bottle. It's happened before.

2011 Power Rankings: Week 16
RANK	TEAM / RECORD	TRENDING	COMMENTS
1	Packers 13-1	-- Last Week: 1	Now that the perfect season is over, the Packers need to get healthy on offense and clinch home field. (Clayton)
2	Saints 11-3	1 Last Week: 3	With five more TD passes, Drew Brees is gaining ground on Aaron Rodgers in the MVP race. (Sando)
3	49ers 11-3	3 Last Week: 6	Their 15-game streak without allowing a rushing TD matches the 1985-86 Bears for the longest since the 1970 season. (Sando)
4	Patriots 11-3	1 Last Week: 5	If the Patriots win their final two games, the road to the Super Bowl goes through Gillette Stadium. (Walker)
5	Ravens 10-4	3 Last Week: 2	All of Baltimore's losses have come against teams currently without winning records. (Walker)
6	Steelers 10-4	2 Last Week: 4	The accuracy of QB Ben Roethlisberger (three INTs on Monday night) isn't the same on a bum ankle. (Walker)
7	Texans 10-4	-- Last Week: 7	Was the Carolina game just a dud, or a sign things to come? (Kuharsky)
8	Falcons 9-5	-- Last Week: 8	Overhyped early in the season, the Falcons appear close to meeting their potential this season. (Sando)
9	Lions 9-5	2 Last Week: 11	Matthew Stafford is becoming legendary for his ability to come back. Four 13-point-or-more comebacks. Incredible. (Clayton)
10	Cowboys 8-6	4 Last Week: 14	If they beat the Eagles and the Jets beat the Giants on Saturday, the Cowboys will win the NFC East. (Fox)
11	Broncos 8-6	2 Last Week: 9	The Broncos are not on par with the Patriots, but they still rank as the best of the AFC West and a playoff team. (Kuharsky)
12	Jets 8-6	2 Last Week: 10	The Jets are more lucky than good. They still control their playoff destiny despite an ugly loss to Philadelphia. (Walker)
13	Bengals 8-6	2 Last Week: 15	The Bengals are hanging around the postseason race in case the Jets slip up. (Walker)
14	Chargers 7-7	4 Last Week: 18	The Chargers face a tough finish with trips to Detroit and Oakland, but they're hardly dead yet. (Kuharsky)
15	Seahawks 7-7	5 Last Week: 20	Tarvaris Jackson has three TD passes without an INT over the Seahawks' last three games, all victories. (Sando)
16	Giants 7-7	4 Last Week: 12	The Giants have lost five of their last six and still can win the NFC East by winning out. (Fox)
17	Cardinals 7-7	2 Last Week: 19	Arizona has trailed in the second half of every game this season, winning seven of them. (Sando)
18	Eagles 6-8	3 Last Week: 21	Unless they get help from the Cowboys and Giants, the Eagles' push for the playoffs will be too little, too late. (Fox)
19	Raiders 7-7	3 Last Week: 16	They could be regretting their late failures against the Lions for a very long time. (Kuharsky)
20	Titans 7-7	7 Last Week: 13	Their conservative approach in Indianapolis helped the Colts break a long losing streak. (Kuharsky)
21	Bears 7-7	4 Last Week: 17	Lovie Smith isn't ready to announce a QB change, but be ready, Josh McCown. (Clayton)
22	Chiefs 6-8	3 Last Week: 25	It's hard to debut with a stronger impression as the top man than Romeo Crennel did. (Kuharsky)
23	Dolphins 5-9	-- Last Week: 23	RB Reggie Bush needs 27 yards for his first 1,000-yard season. (Walker)
24	Panthers 5-9	-- Last Week: 24	Cam Newton has taken the Panthers from 32nd to top 10 in yards, first downs, red zone offense and scoring. (Sando)
25	Commanders 5-9	2 Last Week: 27	After a character win on the road against the Giants, the Redskins close the season with games against Minnesota and Philadelphia. (Fox)
26	Bills 5-9	4 Last Week: 22	The Bills' seven-game losing streak is the longest in the AFC. (Walker)
27	Jaguars 4-10	1 Last Week: 26	The Jaguars met incoming owner Shahid Khan. Now they need to do better to impress him. (Kuharsky)
28	Browns 4-10	1 Last Week: 29	In what's been a wild year, the Browns can now add a quarterback controversy between Colt McCoy and Seneca Wallace to the list. (Walker)
29	Buccaneers 4-10	1 Last Week: 28	With trips to Carolina and Atlanta ahead, the Bucs could take a 10-game losing streak into the offseason. (Sando)
30	Vikings 2-12	-- Last Week: 30	It's hard to say what looks worse -- the offense or the secondary. (Clayton)
31	Rams 2-12	-- Last Week: 31	Kellen Clemens posted the Rams' highest single-game NFL passer rating of the season Sunday. (Sando)
32	Colts 1-13	-- Last Week: 32	Their defense was effective and opportunistic in a win over the Titans, and Donald Brown provided the necessary offense. (Kuharsky)
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