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Week 12 is upon us faster than Joey Harrington falling to the ground after getting sacked for the third time in a game. Week 11 was intense, as we saw the Bucs step up, the Falcons slide the other way and the Bills finally fall off of the radar.

The Jets were the biggest losers on our rankings list, while the Cardinals were the top gainers- not that difficult when you consider they were last in Week 11’s edition. The Bears jumped up a few spots, while the Falcons passed them going the other way.

We have some great games on the slate this week, so enjoy! Happy Thanksgiving!

All comments concerning the rankings can be sent to FaceOff@BetUS.com and we’ll post them in the Face Off section.

Rank   (LW)                           Team & Reason

32        (29)                              Houston Texans

Dom Capers should be fired. The Texan management team should be fired. If we could fire the owners we would as well. Poor Houston fans. Bring back the Oilers! Can Ernest Givens still do “the shake?”

31        (25)                              New York Jets

A shutout. A freakin’ shutout. That’s what it has come to in New York for the Jets. At least they’re still alive in the Leinart and Bush sweepstakes. In Brooks they trust and in Brooks they disgust. 

30        (30)                              Tennessee Titans

They hung in long enough with the Jags to suffer a heartbreaking loss. How disappointing have Chris Brown and Travis Henry been? Absolutely insane that this team does not have a better running game.

29      (31)                              San Francisco 49ers

It’s coming around. They’re not winning yet, but it’s coming around. Dorsey was decent and so too was the RB Hicks. The defense is good and the future all of a sudden doesn’t look so bleak by the Bay.

28        (28)                              Green Bay Packers

They had it and then they blew it on Monday night. Don’t punch the hall of fame ticket for Gado just yet. Favre and company are also in the Bush sweepstakes, as Ahman Green might never recover and return.

27        (24)                              Miami Dolphins

They had a terrible game in Cleveland, running into a team that finally gets it. Oh well, when Miami manages to get a QB they too will get it. Until then, these Dolphins are sinking each week.

26        (26)                              New Orleans Saints

A pretty good showing by Aaron Brooks for once last week in New England. It didn’t result in a win, but it was nice to see for a change. Brooks did it without an effective running game too. Too bad his defense couldn’t match his performance.

25        (32)                              Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals were clearly miffed at BetUS for putting them in the cellar on these rankings. Inexplicably, they played like a talented offensive team and put up 38 points and a win. Can you believe it? Too bad we fully expect them to get beat bad in Week 12 by Jacksonville.

24        (27)                              Cleveland Browns

The confidence and the wins are starting to come for Romeo Crennel’s team. These Browns are a player or two from really being something special. It’s a shame that these wins are going to rob them of a top eight pick.

Just when you think Brian Billick might get fired in midseason, his team comes through and pulls his neck out of the noose. That was an inspired win over Pittsburgh. It’s a shame they can’t play the Steelers every week. And make no mistake about it: the Ravens didn’t win because of Kyle Boller or Jamal Lewis, they won in spite of them.

22        (18)                              St. Louis Rams

The last two weeks have been two of the worst weeks in franchise history. Losing a big game in Seattle and then getting embarrassed at home versus the Cardinals. Bulger or Martin, something isn’t right in St. Louis. I wonder if Mike Martz is sad for his team or happy that he wasn’t the problem.

21        (21)                              Detroit Lions

They are the poster children for mediocre. Actually, in order to be mediocre you have to get near .500. The Lions will not touch .500 again for a long time. So we suppose they are the poster children for wanting to be mediocre.

20        (15)                              Buffalo Bills

Pathetic. Ridiculous. Appalling. Shocking. And these are just thoughts about the first half of Buffalo’s game last week in San Diego. Another overhaul is needed for this franchise. Didn’t we just go through this?

19        (20)                              Philadelphia Eagles

In spite of a bad quarterback, Philly almost pulled this one out. They battled hard and their defense is still clearly championship material. We moved them up one rung because they are definitely better than what is behind them on this list.

18        (17)                              Washington Redskins

That’s two weeks in a row the Skins have choked. Washington choked their way right out of the playoff hunt and Joe Gibbs better not choke on his own anger. What happened to that so-called stingy defense? Do they only play three quarters of football now?

17        (22)                              Oakland Raiders

A very nice win in Washington. The defense is starting to come around, while Jerry Porter has been even better than Moss this season. Too bad the Raiders dug such a huge hole. That loss to the Chiefs really ruined their playoff hopes.

16        (19)                              Minnesota Vikings

The Vikes are moving in the right direction. Sure, they still can’t quite tackle all of the time. Sure, their wide receivers are average at best. But, their special teams and their running game are slowly pulling them up these rankings.

15        (16)                              Kansas City Chiefs

Way to go Dick Vermeil. Way to run up the score against the worst team in the league in Week 11. We hate to tell you this old man, but piling on the points in Week 11 will not erase losses compiled prior. The Chiefs’ offense is back on track, but their defense is the same old tired story.

14        (10)                              Atlanta Falcons

Michael Vick is not a leader yet in this league. He had his team back and in the lead in the fourth quarter. Yet, he couldn’t quite finish off his opponents. That Falcons playmaking defense from 2004 is not quite the same in 2005.

13        (13)                              Jacksonville Jaguars

Byron Leftwich had a career game in Week 11. But, their defense was suspect against a sub par offense. Sure, they won the game. But, it’s that lack of killer instinct that worries us.

12        (12)                              Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Well, they cemented themselves as a contender, that’s for sure. But, did they beat a team on the way down, or did they beat a good team because they were better? Time will tell. But one thing’s clear: Chris Simms will be an NFL QB for a long time.

11        (11)                              San Diego Chargers

A tremendous performance against a team that has decided to pack it in. The Chargers are poised for a playoff run, but they can’t afford to take even one week off from here on in. The competition is tight that they couldn’t even move up one spot after scoring 48 points!

10        (14)                              Chicago Bears

Now that was impressive. Chicago is for real. The only problem is that so too are the teams ahead of them on this list. Who do we rank below them?

9        (9)                                  Cincinnati Bengals

The offense was there, but the defense apparently had a bye week in Week 11. The Bengals have a tough schedule down the stretch and will be hard pressed to stave off Pittsburgh and make the postseason. 

8          (7)                                New England Patriots

The problem with New England right now is that everyone is gunning for them when they see Patriots on their upcoming schedule. Still, the Pats won in Week 11 and will win their division easily. It just doesn’t look very pretty right now, that’s all.

7          (5)                                Seattle Seahawks

Barely beating the 49ers is not good. But, we have to remember that Seattle has nothing to play for right now except home field advantage. Virtually securing a playoff spot so early could be disastrous down the stretch.

6          (4)                                Pittsburgh Steelers

Ouch, now that loss in Baltimore was ugly. The Steelers blew one of the supposed easy games on their schedule. Provided Big Ben comes back and is in fine form, they’ll be fine.

5          (8)                                Dallas Cowboys

It wasn’t pretty, but Dallas is starting to do something all good teams must do: beat inferior teams with relative ease. It’s starting to look good in Big D for some meaningful January action.

4          (2)                                Carolina Panthers

Talk about an implosion. Everybody who is anybody thought the Panthers would keep on rolling. Instead, the Bears rolled over them. Was it a blip on the screen or a sign of things to come? We’ll see this week in Buffalo.

3          (6)                                New York Giants

Big Blue is back on track. Coach Coughlin rallied the troops and made certain they didn’t mess around with the Eagles. The Giants are looking good right now. Eli is the only rear pivot in the entire league with a touchdown pass in every game. Take that Peyton!

2          (3)                                Denver Broncos

If it wasn’t for the Colts, everyone would be talking about this team. Nevertheless, Denver is raising some eyebrows and no one is questioning the Cleveland trade anymore, or talking about firing Mike Shanahan.

1          (1)                                Indianapolis Colts

The offense is back people. But, the defense is fading- and fast! Indy is beatable, and maybe, just maybe, Pittsburgh can knock them off on Monday night.