As the NFL moves past week 12, NFL power rankings have been rolling out to give us an idea of how the league stacks up in the eyes of the media. SB Nation released their Week 13 NFL Power Rankings and have ranked the Oakland Raiders No. 13. They are coming off a win over the Chicago Bears that allowed them to maintain their one-game lead over the Denver Broncos.
The AFC West has split into two halves at this point. The Raiders are ranked 13th and the Broncos are ranked 15th while the Chargers are ranked 23rd and the Chiefs are ranked 25th. San Diego and Kansas City are both still alive in the playoff race, but three back with five to go does not exactly inspire a lot of confidence.
This would appear to be a two-horse race for now. The Broncos continue to come up with improbable wins behind Tim Tebow, Willis McGahee and their improving defense. They face some tough games the rest of the way, but how pessimistic could anybody really be given what the Broncos have done in recent weeks?
The Raiders find themselves dealing with numerous injuries, but they seem to be coming together behind Carson Palmer and Michael Bush. They have had some very ugly wins, but wins are wins when you are in a divisional dogfight. They travel to Miami to face the Dolphins in Week 13.
Here is the top ten according to SB Nation's Week 13 NFL Power Rankings:
1. Green Bay Packers
2. New Orleans Saints
3. Baltimore Ravens
4. San Francisco 49ers
5. Pittsburgh Steelers
6. New England Patriots
7. Houston Texans
8. Dallas Cowboys
9. Chicago Bears
10. Detroit Lions