Week 14 of the 2011 NFL season wrapped up and once again the Green Bay Packers remain undefeated. While they are the clear-cut number one team in the NFL, there is a logjam of teams sitting right behind them with 10-3 records. With no teams sitting at 9-4, it creates a very clear second tier of teams.
The San Francisco 49ers are among those 10-3 teams and at this point you could probably rotate most of them around and make a convincing argument for that ranking. The only exception is that Pittsburgh has to remain behind Baltimore given the Ravens series sweep. Some would say the Steelers have to be ahead of the Patriots as well given the single win, but I am less inclined to require that. The 49ers and Steelers square off on Monday Night Football so we will have some cleaning up at that point.
The Oakland Raiders were dropped one spot from No. 14 to No. 15 following their blowout loss at the hands of the undefeated Green Bay Packers. The Raiders have been extremely shorthanded on offense so the loss was not entirely unexpected. Nonetheless, it was not a pretty one as the Raiders defense struggled mightily for the second straight game. They host the Detroit Lions this Sunday in a huge game.
Here are the top ten according to ESPN's Week 15 NFL Power Rankings:
1. Green Bay Packers
2. Baltimore Ravens
3. New Orleans Saints
4. Pittsburgh Steelers
5. New England Patriots
6. San Francisco 49ers
7. Houston Texans
8. Atlanta Falcons
9. Denver Broncos
10. New York Jets