NFL Football Power Rankings

1. San Diego Chargers (-4) Not only did the Colts give up their perfect season and NFL-record 23-game winning streak on Sunday, they also surrendered the #1 spot in our power rankings. The Chargers mean business, and few teams are playing better than Phillip Rivers’ team is right now. They play Jason Campbell and the struggling 4-11 Redskins next week, which should be a piece of cake.

2. Indianapolis Colts In my humble opinion, the Colts should have kept their starters in the game against the Jets on Sunday at least through most of the fourth quarter and tried to win that game. If I were an Indy fan — in the stands or at home — I’d be super pissed about now. Nevertheless, they’re headed to the playoffs with a first-round bye and are sitting at the #2 spot pretty much only because the Bolts are on fire at this point… and cause the Colts are a bunch of quitters.

1. Indianapolis Colts (-5.5) The Colts have commandeered the #1 spot from the New Orleans Saints this week after keeping their perfect record in tact with a 35-31 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars last Thursday night. This Sunday, Peyton Manning and company will take on the Jets at home, where they’ll attempt their NFL-record 24th straight win.

2. New Orleans Saints (-14.5) Dropping their first game of the season to the Dallas Cowboys Saturday night dropped the Saints to the #2 spot this week. Next up? A bye week The Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

3. San Diego Chargers (+3) The Chargers just keep on winning games, with Sunday’s 27-24 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals counting as their ninth consecutive. I’m starting to detect a bit of a swagger in Philip Rivers’ walk. They’ll play the Tennessee Titans on Christmas Night, where they’ll face the challenge of taking ten in a row.

1. Indianapolis Colts (-7) Stealing the top position back from the Saints, Peyton Manning’s Colts are a flawless 13-0 after their 28-14 victory over the Denver Broncos. Heading into Jacksonville this Thursday night, they have a great shot at continuing their season-long hot streak.

2. New Orleans Saints  (-7) The difference between the Saints and the Colts is that Indy hasn’t struggled to win any football games lately. After narrowly beating the Atlanta Falcons last week, they’re hanging in at the #2 spot simply due to their perfect record. Since the Cowboys seem to freeze in December, you can count on a Saints home win this Saturday.

3. Minnesota Vikings (-7) The Vikings overcame the biggest challenge of their final four games last Sunday, coming away with a 30-10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Again, the only reason they’ve been stuck at the #3 spot for the past eight weeks is because the two teams ahead of them have remained unbeaten. Look for the Vikes to move to 12-2 after their contest at the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

1. New Orleans Saints In one of the craziest games played all season long, the Saints came away with a 33-30 victory over the Washington Redskins to stay undefeated at 12-0. Since the Colts have had a couple close calls as well, we’re gonna let these guys stay at the top. However, if they blow it against the Falcons next week, you can be sure they’ll lose the honor.

2. Indianapolis Colts (-7) As the only other unbeaten team in all of football, the Colts pulled out #12 with a dominating 27-17 win over the Titans. Next Sunday’s game against the Broncos should be a good one, but Indy is a fairly heavy favorite.

3. Minnesota Vikings (-6.5) Even after a shocking 30-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals in the Geriatric Bowl, Brett Favre’s Vikes remain at the #3 spot. With some key defensive injuries suffered this week, get ready for an exciting game against the Bengals at Mall of America Field on Sunday.