Top 12 NFL regular season Power Rankings, 2014

[74_75_78_79_]

12-4 was the best record any team had in this campaign; and there were 5 such teams: Pats, Broncos, Cowboys, Packers, and finally the defending-Champs themeselves, Seattle, who I think will get the 1-spot despite a slight falloff from the previous year. Or will someone actually place Dallas above them due to their early road-win vs them? Does GB beating NE down the stretch automatically give Packers the higher spot between both? Not knowing what happens in the divisional vs Indy, do defending-AFC-champ, Broncos (with their 11 Pro Bowlers), stay in the top-5 in what would be Peyton’s last great year?

Outside the 12-4 teams mentioned, there were seven more teams that won at least 10 games - all making the playoffs except for the 10-6 Eagles. Do those very Birds push 7-8-1 division-winner, Panthers, out the way? Or do one of the four 9-7 non-playoff teams (Bills, KC, SD, Texans) have a bigger say? Yes, a total of sixteen winners in 2014; and I totally forgot that Cleveland started at 7-4! And they beat playoff-bound Steelers & Cincy during that stretch.

[74_75_78_79_]

1) Seahawks
2) Patriots
3) Packers
4 - tie) Cowboys & Broncos
6) Steelers
7) Colts
8) Bengals
9) Ravens
10 - tie) Cardinals & Lions
12) Eagles

Philly’s the one I had boxing-out 7-8-1 Carolina. They lost three-straight going into that finale but none of the 9-7 teams, nor 8-8s for that matter, could unseat them IMO. Bills & Texans, I guess, would be the 'honorable mention'. KC? Yes, they beat both Sea & NE, but the 2-4 finish hurts them as does SD's 1-3 finish. As I mentioned on the recent thread about 8-8 playoff teams, yes Panthers won their last four but all against weak competition. 12-4 second-seed the previous year, 15-1 SB-participant the following, but not an impressive overall campaign this particular year.

Yes, Pats lost at GB but how about the three-straight games leading up (and it was a close loss)? NE beats playoff-bound Broncos, Colts on the road, and Lions by a combined 119-50! Once that 2-2 start was out the way (losing at Arrowhead, 41-14, in Week #4), they beat also-playoff-bound Cincy, 43-17, to start a 10-1 run going into the finale in which they already clinched top-seed. I should place them '1b', but Seattle were defending-Champs; despite them being a bit off from the year before, they ended their season with such authority finishing 6-0 (a better finish than '13) - sweeping the Cards and winning at Philly (albeit vs Sanchez) in a game more-lopsided than the 24-14 final score indicated. I figured it'd be Hawks/Pats going into the post-season, and when both did make it, I figured a Hawks win even of it would be close. Pats were still looking for their first Lombardi in ten years. I thought that drought would continue.

Broncos were relatively 'bleh' compared to their previous two seasons. Didn't see losing to Indy coming, but something was off. Can't determine who was better between they and surprise Big D. Not too impressed with Indy not showing up against the 'big boys' - @Pit, NE, @Dal, but the 5-1 finish is enough to give them the nod over those who I place beneath them.

[ChrisBabcock]

The only 16 game season without any teams above 12-4 other than....... 1980! (A season that I've always found fascinating.) Also interesting was that the two playoff games on 1/4/2015 featured the same 4 teams as on 12/26/1970.

1. Seahawks... 39 points allowed in last 6 games. All wins.
2. Patriots... H2H over Denver and Indianapolis
3. Packers... Took care of business in the second half of the season other than the inexplicable loss to Buffalo.
4. Cowboys... Scored 38 or more every December game and seemed to have the "new triplets" in Romo/Murray/Bryant. But your opinion of something seeming "off" about the Broncos was how I felt about the Cowboys this year. Maybe I was expecting their usual implosion in the playoffs.
5. Broncos
6. Colts
7. Steelers... who swept the Bengals
8. Bengals... who swept the Ravens
9. Ravens... Not many quality wins down the home stretch.
10. Eagles
11. Lions
12. Cardinals... They had serious problems on offense after Palmer got hurt. Couldn't top 18 points in any of the last 7 games. I was tempted to sneak the Chiefs in here but I can't ignore the 9-1 start.

[74_75_78_79_]

The only 16 game season without any teams above 12-4 other than....... 1980! (A season that I've always found fascinating.) Also interesting was that the two playoff games on 1/4/2015 featured the same 4 teams as on 12/26/1970

Actually, 12-4 was also tops for any team in ’93 as well; and just three teams with that record - Buf, Hou, and Dal. Also applies to ’02; just Philly, GB, and TB. Maybe there’s another, or two, yet.

Amazing factoid about 1/4/15 and 12/26/70 producing same exact playoff games (each road team being the same as well)!! The ’99 ‘final four’ was almost the same as in ’79; Jags being odd-man-out along with it being Titans instead of Oilers.