Cohen's Week 14 NFL Power Rankings

Week 13 was a watershed week in the current NFL season. Not only did we see major upsets and playoff dreams tarnished, i.e. the Jets lose to Denver, the Bears loss to Minnesota, but we had to sit through the Plaxico Burress drama as well. Even with this mess, the Giants found a way to get past all of the distractions and win their game in Washington on Sunday. How the Burress problem will affect the Giants down the road will unfold in the fullness of time.

1) N.Y. Giants (11-1): The aforementioned Giants find themselves in an interesting prediciment. Can they get around these major distractions created by Burress and Antonio Pierce this past weekend? Time will tell. Without Burress, the Giants lose a valuable down field threat, who opened up lanes for the other receivers to make plays. The Giants will have to become more conservative in their approach offensvily with short precision passes from Eli Manning to the likes of Senorice Moss and Steve Smith. It won't be easy. The Giants should be okay for the rest of the regular season, but don't be suprised that this issue comes back to bite them in the ... playoffs.

2) Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3): Is there any doubt? The Steelers are the second best team in football and the best team in the AFC. With their impressive 33-10 triumph over the Patriots, the Steelers made it known that they will, indeed, be around in late January. Ben Rothlisberger played decently against the Patriots but still needs to pick it up a bit if Pittsburgh is to go back to the Big Game for the second time in four years. The Steeler "D" has been terrific all year, and it showed last week with five turnovers and four sacks of Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel.

3) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-3): The Bucs just keep rolling; they may not have much in the way of an offense, but it is the Bucs defense that is paving the way to the NFC's number two seed. The Bucs forced three Drew Brees interceptions and held New Orleans high powered offense to a measly 18 first downs. The Bucs travel to Carolina to take on a Panther team that has been great at home this year; can they pull of an upset?

4) Carolina Panthers (9-3): Nice job is noteworthy when the Cats go into Green Bay in the frigid cold and steal one from the Packers for their ninth win of the year. Running back DeAngelo Williams is making a case from Rookie of the Year consideration with 955 yards rushing this season. Speaking of MVP's: Julius Peppers has had a huge comeback season with 11 sacks, which leads the team. The Panthers have a pretty favorable schedule, but if they are to win the South and take the number two seed, they must beat Tampa Bay on Monay night.

5) Tennessee Titans (11-1): I am still not convinced by the Titans. A 47-10 thrashing of the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving did not prove a thing. The Titans are an empty football-suit team this year. Once the playoffs start, the Titans will see real competition and probably won't be good enough to compete when the games really count!

6) Indianapolis Colts (8-4): Peyton and Company continue their rise to the top of the AFC. After a slow start to the season, the Colts have won five in a row, and, with an easy schedule, should win out to finish 12-4. The Colts are easily the most dangerous team in the AFC. Don't be shocked if they make a run to the title game again. Manning is playing well; he's sixth in the league in passing yards, with 2,948 yards, and could be in line for his third MVP award this season if the Colts make the playoffs.

7) Atlanta Falcons (8-4): The league's most unconscious football team continues to baffle the world. Atlanta had another dominating road victory in San Diego as rookie quarterback Matty Ryan completed 73 percent of his passes in the game, and running back Michael Turner rushed for 120 yards in the effort. The Falcons have been an impressive 3-3 on the road this year with wins in San Diego, Oakland and Green Bay. These guys could be a tough out if they should get to the playoffs because they are playing like a team with nothing to lose.

8) Baltimore Ravens (8-4): This is another team that is led by a rookie quarterback who is having a stellar season. Joe Flacco has completed 61 percent of his passes this year and has been sacked only 23. Sounds awful but that's pretty good for a rookie. It also helps that the Ravens have the second best defense in the NFL. Baltimore is 7-2 in the AFC; however, they face a tough ending schedule with games against the Redskins, the Steelers and the Cowboys on the horizon. STAT: The Ravens have outscored their opponents 70-10 in their last two ball games.

9) Dallas Cowboys (8-4): The Cowboys took care of business on Thanksgiving against the putrid Seahawks and now face the litmus test of the season when they play the Steelers and Giants in back-to-back weeks. If Dallas wins both of these games, watch out for the 'Boys in the postseason. A loss or two losses in this stretch and it is curtains for Jerry Jones' team.

10) N.Y. Jets (8-4): The Jets season is now hanging by a thread. A week ago, the Jets were in good position to grab the number two seed away from the Steelers, now, after a loss to Denver, the Jets will be lucky to win the AFC East. If the Jets should flounder in one of their next three matches, they will be playing for everything in their final game of the year against former mate Chad Pennington and the Dolphins. That is a prospect the Jets would like to avoid.