BetUS Week 13 NFL Rankings

We’ve finished off all of our leftovers, thrown out the bird carcass and are ready for some December football. Week 13 is here and so are the BetUS Rankings. The Dolphins moved up the most spots following by Chicago, and the Patriots dropped the most places followed by Dallas. It’s crunch time, only a month left for teams to improve on the highly coveted BetUS list of supremacy. Oh, and if you are a member of the 1972 Dolphins: do you hear footsteps?  

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Rank   (LW)                           Team & Reason

32        (32)                              Houston Texans

One of the worst late-game collapses in history. How does Dom Capers still have a job? Clearly, they have cemented themselves as the worst team in the league- by far!

31        (31)                              New York Jets

They deserved a better fate than that Sunday night loss. Did you see the game stats? It’s puzzling how they found a way to lose that game to the Saints. Oh well, the race for Matt Leinart is looking good though. Imagine, New York could have Manning and Leinart for the next 10 years.

30        (29)                            San Francisco 49ers

Just when you thought Ken Dorsey might finally have turned the corner, he regresses. Maurice Hicks is definitely their future in the running game, so why the reluctance to demote Kevan Barlow? Mike Nolan: don’t be afraid to do it.

29        (28)                              Green Bay Packers

Another game in which the Pack were in it until the end. Samkon Gado showed up, but Brett Favre’s erratic twin did as well. The Packers have some pieces in place, we’ll just have to see if Favre is one of them in 2006. I wonder when they’ll announce Mariucci is taking over. 

28        (30)                              Tennessee Titans

Talk about turning back the clock. Air McNair back in effect. The Titans have a big play defense (even though they give up too many points) and they finally decided to use Travis Henry more. Good move. It’s enough with the Chris Brown backing already.

27        (24)                              Cleveland Browns

They took two steps forward and now four steps backward. A poor performance for the Browns in Minnesota. Their offense just isn’t even decent right now, particularly the passing game. We know Droughns isn’t the problem, so what is it? We’ll give you a hint: it rhymes with Pilfer, which is what he is doing by taking their money.

26        (23)                              Baltimore Ravens

Let me get this straight: they finally get a good game out of Jamal Lewis and Kyle Boller still can’t put together a 60-minute game? HELLO? THE GUY IS NOT EVEN A BACKUP QB IN THIS LEAGUE!

25        (26)                              New Orleans Saints

A win is a win, no matter if it was against a poor team who outplayed them. Nevertheless, let the people of Louisiana enjoy this one, as there aren’t many more of them expected.

24        (25)                              Arizona Cardinals

Yes, they lost and we are moving them up. However, the caliber of their Week 12 opponent was good, regardless of the fact they faced the backup quarterback. BetUS is just baffled as to why they are so reluctant to establish a running game. Kurt Warner always talks about how he is blessed. Darn right he is with Fitzgerald and Boldin to throw to.

23        (21)                              Detroit Lions

They fired the coach, the guy who has a track record of winning, the guy who goes out and draft the same position three years in a row, the guy who doesn’t sign quality players and stock the roster with usable parts. We’re just a little annoyed that the meathead linebacker keeps his job in the front office.

22        (27)                              Miami Dolphins

A nice road win on the other side of the country. The running game is looking fantastic with the resident Rastafarian returning to form. The defense is playing inspired even without Zach Thomas. The only drawback for Saban and company is they are removing themselves from the Leinart sweepstakes.

21        (22)                              St. Louis Rams

Now that was almost embarrassing in Houston. Yet here they are with a chance to finish over .500 and to develop yet another star quarterback in Ryan Fitzpatrick. Still, that defense has got to be upgraded in a big way for this franchise to get back on track.

20        (20)                              Buffalo Bills

They fought hard versus Carolina, but in the end Losman just isn’t ready yet to be a solid NFL rear pivot. Defensively, the Bills finally stepped up, but it’s McGahee and Losman that make this team tick- hence the fact they are under .500.

19        (17)                              Oakland Raiders

BetUS figured it was a matter of time before Kerry Collins regressed to his old ways of looking apathetic and throwing up ill-advised passes. A shaky defense and a sub par QB are holding them back.

18        (18)                              Washington Redskins

Another week and another week to talk about Washington not being able to hold a lead in the fourth quarter. It’s too bad, as they seemingly had things going well only a month ago. Now, where does Joe Gibbs go from here? He thought he had a tough defense, a good running game and a resurgent quarterback. Turns out he basically had a mediocre team.

17        (19)                              Philadelphia Eagles

Mike McMahon is not the answer long term, but he is decent. The defense is still great. But Philly's finally getting some production on the ground with Westbrook that carried the Eagles in Week 12 and it’s the ground game that will enable them to stay around .500.

16        (16)                              Minnesota Vikings

Another week and another win for a team climbing back into the playoff race. It’s amazing what turning the ball over less will do for your overall team morale. The defense has tightened up, the running game is moving a little better and the players now believe again. Brad Johnson has done wonders for the Vikes. It’s too bad they couldn’t move up on this tough BetUS list this week.

15        (8)                                New England Patriots

There are some things even coach Belichick cannot fix. A struggling running game, a defense not coming up with as many big plays and a quarterback feeling the pressure to be perfect right now. It all adds up to the Pats going through a rough patch that even they might not be able to recover from. It’s a good thing they pretty much have the division sewn up.

14        (15)                              Kansas City Chiefs

A very good win against a team that can still be dangerous. Kansas City is still looking up at a playoff spot, but this week’s game against Denver will go a long way towards telling us if they deserve to move up or if this is the best number they’ll reach in these rankings.

13        (14)                              Atlanta Falcons

Beating up on a bad team doesn’t prove anything to the Vick doubters out there. Atlanta has to show up for the big games and win them consistently. It’s all about the aerial game, as the Falcons must stretch defenses better to get back on track and contend.

12        (12)                              Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Don’t blame Matt Bryant Bucs fans. Chris Simms and the boys should have scored a few more points in this one and moved the ball more effectively. Nevertheless, that missed field goal was a back-breaker, one that could affect this team as they move forward.

11        (13)                              Jacksonville Jaguars

A very gutsy effort versus a pesky Cardinals team. We’d like to see Jacksonville blow away inferior opponents, but that just doesn’t happen. At 8-3, we have to take them seriously. Apparently, it doesn’t matter if it’s Garrard or Leftwich in there. Getting a healthy Fred Taylor (which is sort of like winning the lottery) will be key in their success down the stretch.

10        (11)                              San Diego Chargers

Another week and another win for the juggernaut that is San Diego. A fantastic running game saved a bad Brees game in Week 12. But, BetUS believes the key to the Chargers continuing their postseason push will be for their defense to create more turnovers. The offense can’t do it every week people.

9          (5)                                Dallas Cowboys

A setback versus Denver shouldn’t vault them out of the top ten, as Dallas is for real. Arguably, they outplayed the Broncos on national television. No matter, if the Cowboys win in New York this week then all is right in Big D.

8         (6)                                 Pittsburgh Steelers

They were out coached, out rushed and outplayed on Monday night. However, give Roethlisberger another week or two to get back into the swing of things before thinking the Steelers have peaked too soon. But make no mistake about it: they are in a dog fight to make the postseason.

7        (9)                                  Cincinnati Bengals

Another sloppy game on defense, but their offense is on fire. You figure sooner or later defensive wiz Marvin Lewis will tweak the defensive side and have the Bengals Super Bowl bound. All we know is Carson Palmer has a certain Canton quality.

6        (10)                                Chicago Bears

It’s amazing how a team can climb into the BetUS top six with absolutely no offense. Yet, here they are, at number six with a bullet. Talk about a dominating defense, it’s the stuff legends are made of. Lovie and the boys will always be underdogs to sexy teams in this league, but they should not be taken lightly.

5          (3)                                New York Giants

It's always tough when you miss three field goals in a game that had so many playoff implications. Regardless, the Giants must regroup and focus on beating Dallas this week to grab a stranglehold on the division. If not, this could be the worst two weeks of the year for Big Blue. We believe they are a top tier team, but if they lose this week then things look pretty bleak.

4          (7)                                Seattle Seahawks

Despite their opponent’s three missed field goals, the Seahawks did play a good game against top competition in Week 12. We have no choice but to now believe they are a good team. Still, something tells the BetUS crew that if they don’t get home field advantage they are toast.

3          (4)                                Carolina Panthers

The defense is looking good, but the offense is a little worrisome. Nevertheless, this team is good enough to beat anyone. It all hinges on Jake Delhomme and how effective he can be from game-to-game.

2          (2)                                Denver Broncos

They had luck on their side on Thanksgiving, but good teams do have that. Denver has to stop giving up that one big play per game on defense and their second and third receivers must be better in order to think Super Bowl.

1          (1)                                Indianapolis Colts

The Colts are legitimate threats at the undefeated streak of the ’72 Dolphins. Their offense is on fire and their defense does enough to keep them in games. With a bye in the playoffs and all games in the RCA Dome, it would take a miracle for them not to reach the Super Bowl.