MY POWER RANKINGS (WEEK 13)

December 2nd, 2009 10:37pm PST

My Power Rankings

(Updated prior to Thanksgiving games)

1. (1.) New Orleans (11-0): The Saints buried the Patriots on Monday night on both sides of the ball. Brees and the offense overwhelmed the Pat's defense and Brady was never able to get going. The Saints looked destined.

2. (2.) Indianapolis (11-0): The Colts do one thing, just win with Peyton's arm. Peyton Manning has made an art out of winning, even if it doesn't look artistic a not so pretty win counts the same. Right now Peyton has an outside shot at Marino's record for passing yards in a season; he's on pace to pass for 4,967-yards.

3. (3.) Minnesota (10-1): The common theme among the top teams in the league; great quarterback play. The Vikings have one of the greatest, but did anyone expect to see Favre play this well; 24 touchdowns, 69.3 completion percentage, only three picks and a passer rating of 112.1 (ranks second behind Brees).

4. (4.) Cincinnati (8-3): The Bengals have yet to resemble the best team in the AFC, but going undefeated in one of the toughest divisions they have to be considered. Quietly the Bengals defense has emerged as one of the toughest this season allowing on 15 points per games, which ranks number one.

5. (6.) San Diego (8-3): Don't look now, but one of last season's forgotten stories has re-emerged as one of this season legitimate contenders. The Chargers have reeled off six straight wins and are easily one of the more dangerous teams as tne playoffs near.

6. (8.) Dallas (8-3): It was only a few weeks ago many critics were getting ready to write off Romo and the Cowboys winners of six of their last seven. Since their week four loss to Denver quarterback Tony Romo has played exceptional throwing 13 touchdowns to only three picks.

7. (10.) Philadelphia (7-4): The Eagles and quarterback Donovan McNabb have not been as dominant this season, but with so many weapons they continue to keep post season aspirations alive. The Eagles ranked 7th in the league in scoring this season with nearly 27 points per game.

8. (5.) New England (7-4): The Patriots may look down after losing big to the Saints, but with the leagues 4th ranked offense they are far from out. With Brady leading the second ranked passing offense, the Pats will still be one of the most feared entering the postseason.

9. (7.) Arizona (7-4): Like the Patriots the Cardinals looke well on their way to making the post season and despite their recent loss (minus Warner), they will still be a very dangerous team in the playoffs.

10. (NR) Green Bay (7-4): The Packers are one of the recent surprise teams to re-enter the post season conversations. By winning their last three games the Packers are now 7-4 and in contention for a wild-card spot.

By David Ortega

Check back every week for more of my "Power Rankings!”

MY NFL HEADLINES: WEEK 13

December 1st, 2009 8:37pm PST

My NFL Headlines

Broncos find form again

After staring the season with a six game winning streak the Broncos found themselves on the wrong end of a four game losing streak entering their Thanksgiving matchup with the Giants. Thanksgiving came more in the form of Christmas for the Broncos when their Thursday night matchup concluded. McDaniels and company were filled with much cheer following their 26-6 victory over the Giants. The Broncos were impressive on both sides of the ball totalling 373 yards of offense while limiting the Giants to only 267 yards; very similar to their 6-0 start.

Titans rely on the arm of VY
The have the NFL's leading rusher in Chris Johnson (1,396-yards) was not needed against the Cardinals in week 12, although he did post a hefty buck-fifty (150-yards) on the ground Sunday. Tennessee was led by their former number one draft pick Vince Young who not only led the team to its' 5th straight victory, but passed for a scintilating 387-yards and a score. His Sunday performance culminated with a heroic 99-yard drive that ended with a 10-yard game-winning touchdown pass. Young is now 23-11 as a starter in his career and has won his last nine straight starts.

Bolts keep charging
The San Diego Chargers continue to enjoy their residence atop the AFC West division and on Sunday they continued their dominance. Led by quarterback Philip Rivers (317 yards, 2-touchdown passes) and running back LaDanian Tomlinson (2-rushing touchdowns) the Chargers blitzed the Chiefs 43-14. The Bolts defense also came to play forcing four turnovers and limiting the opponents to only 180-yards passing. The Chargers are clearly in control of the West and with a six game win streak look to be one of the hot teams heading toward the post-season.

Colts persevere once again
It never matters if it's pretty or not, a win is a win; just ask the 11-0 Colts. After week 12 Peyton Manning and company found a way to get in the win column once again. Trailing big in the first half 17-0, Manning and the Colts offense stayed the course by on four drives in the second half, which included 28 unanswered points. Manning passed for 244 yards and threw three touchdowns to lead the cause on offense, but a defensive touchdown scored by linebacker Clint Session may have proven to be the difference. The biggest difference was the tale of two halves; after surrendering 20 points in the first half the Colts defense held the Texans in check except for a late meaningless touchdown once the game was pretty much decided. The Colts may be living on the edge, but with both offense and defense contributing they will be tough to stop in the post season.

Vikings riding the arm of Favre
The Vikings have not chamged their philosophy at all this season. In their last four games (all wins) the Vikings are averaging 34 points per game and have scored 12 touchdowns by pass. In the same span they have run the ball 125 times and thrown the ball 134 times. Favre has only been sacked four times in the last four games, so when he is not pressured he's incredibly effective and the offense is incredibly productive. The Vikings offense has Adrian Peterson's legs to carry them, but right now they are riding Favre's arm; 12-touchdowns, 1,193-yards, and 136 points scored in their last four wins!

Saints are unstoppable

It was billed to be one of the biggest matchups this season and it was certainly hyped that way, but it didn't take long for Drew Brees and the Saints to take the sails out of the competitive spirit of this Monday night matchup. The Patriots struck first, but the Saints struck loudest and with more frequency. In the end, the Saints proved they do have a complete team; a high powered offense that rang up 38 points and 480 net yards and a defense that sacked Tom Brady twice, forced three turnovers and held one of the leagues highest scoring teams to only 17 points. Even if the Saints don't finish the regular season undefeated, they look like the perfectly built team to make a post season run!

By David Ortega

Check back every week for more of my “NFL Headlines!”