Raiders make a top-10 run in Week 12 power rankings

The Packers' dominance has taken some of the intrigue out of the NFL's elite class this season, but the playoffs still figure to contain those five or six new entries that somehow make the 12-team field each and every year. Count on it.

Sure, we've seen plenty of Green Bay, New Orleans, Baltimore, New England, Pittsburgh and Atlanta in recent Januarys, and they're all headed for playoff repeats. But it's been so long since we've seen San Francisco and Oakland in the postseason that we can't really remember what that looks and feels like. Same for Detroit if the Lions fight their way in, and even saying Houston Texans and playoffs in the same sentence is foreign to the tongue. Denver, Dallas and Cincinnati also would represent fresh blood of varying levels in the postseason.

The next five weeks will tell the whole story, but January is going to have plenty of sizzle. It always does. Green Bay may be the best for now, but the rest is still worth paying close attention to in the final month of the season.

Now on to this week's rankings...

Week 12 NFL Power Rankings