Watching the Field

As we move through the playoffs, why not keep an eye on the final edition of the philosophically suspect power rankings I've published on the site each week? This weekend saw several teams relegated to underdog status by the rankings rise up and deliver a sucker-punch to a favorite, and so the 19-spot gap between the best and the worst of the playoff field remains:

1. Indianapolis Colts (14-2)
2. Minnesota Vikings (13-3)
3. San Diego Chargers (13-3)
4. New Orleans Saints (13-3)
5. Houston Texans (9-7)
6. Cincinnati Bengals (10-7)
7. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7)
8. New England Patriots (10-7)
9. Green Bay Packers (11-6)
10. Baltimore Ravens (10-7)
11. Dallas Cowboys (12-5)
12. Philadelphia Eagles (11-6)
13. Denver Broncos (8-8)
14. Tennessee Titans (8-8)
15. Atlanta Falcons (9-7)
16. San Francisco 49ers (8-8)
17. Arizona Cardinals (11-6)
18. Miami Dolphins (7-9)
19. Jacksonville Jaguars (7-9)
20. New York Jets (10-7)
21. Carolina Panthers (8-8)
22. New York Giants (8-8)
23. Washington Redskins (4-12)
24. Chicago Bears (7-9)
25. Cleveland Browns (5-11)
26. Buffalo Bills (6-10)
27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-13)
28. Oakland Raiders (5-11)
29. Kansas City Chiefs (4-12)
30. Seattle Seahawks (5-11)
31. St. Louis Rams (1-15)
32. Detroit Lions (2-14)

Final 2009 Entirely Non-Deriddean Achivement-Centered Rankings of 53-Man Football-Playing Associations

1. Indianapolis Colts (14-2)
2. Minnesota Vikings (13-3)
3. San Diego Chargers (13-3)
4. New Orleans Saints (13-3)
5. Houston Texans (9-7)
6. Cincinnati Bengals (10-6)
7. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7)
8. New England Patriots (10-6)
9. Green Bay Packers (11-5)
10. Baltimore Ravens (9-7)
11. Dallas Cowboys (11-5)
12. Philadelphia Eagles (11-5)
13. Denver Broncos (8-8)
14. Tennessee Titans (8-8)
15. Atlanta Falcons (9-7)
16. San Francisco 49ers (8-8)
17. Arizona Cardinals (10-6)
18. Miami Dolphins (7-9)
19. Jacksonville Jaguars (7-9)
20. New York Jets (9-7)
21. Carolina Panthers (8-8)
22. New York Giants (8-8)
23. Washington Redskins (4-12)
24. Chicago Bears (7-9)
25. Cleveland Browns (5-11)
26. Buffalo Bills (6-10)
27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-13)
28. Oakland Raiders (5-11)
29. Kansas City Chiefs (4-12)
30. Seattle Seahawks (5-11)
31. St. Louis Rams (1-15)
32. Detroit Lions (2-14)

Entirely Non-Deriddean Achivement-Centered Rankings of 53-Man Football-Playing Associations Through 15 Weeks

1. Indianapolis Colts (14-0)
2. New Orleans Saints (13-1)
3. Minnesota Vikings (11-3)
4. San Diego Chargers (11-3)
5. New England Patriots (9-5)
6. Cincinnati Bengals (9-5)
7. Baltimore Ravens (8-6)
8. Philadelphia Eagles (10-4)
9. Tennessee Titans (7-7)
10. Houston Texans (7-7)
11. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-7)
12. Denver Broncos (8-6)
13. Green Bay Packers (9-5)
14. New York Giants (8-6)
15. Dallas Cowboys (9-5)
16. Atlanta Falcons (7-7)
17. San Francisco 49ers (6-8)
18. Arizona Cardinals (9-5)
19. Miami Dolphins (7-7)
20. Carolina Panthers (6-8)
21. Jacksonville Jaguars (7-7)
22. New York Jets (7-7)
23. Washington Redskins (4-10)
24. Oakland Raiders (5-9)
25. Chicago Bears (5-9)
26. Cleveland Browns (3-11)
27. Buffalo Bills (5-9)
28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-12)
29. Seattle Seahawks (5-9)
30. Kansas City Chiefs (3-11)
31. St. Louis Rams (1-13)
32. Detroit Lions (2-12)