NFL Power Rankings, Week 14

After watching the top four teams in the AFC square off and do battle this past weekend, with the Steelers and Patriots coming away victorious in wildly divergent statement games, I found myself formulating potential Super Bowl matchups for the first time this season. It is, after all, getting to be that time of year.

But first, a quick reminder or two: In the AFC, form usually holds. In the NFC, anything goes. You follow me? Allow me to explain. In the AFC, three teams have owned the Super Bowl the past nine seasons: The Patriots (four trips), the Steelers (two) and the Colts (two). With the lone exception of the 2002 Raiders, everyone else was just playing for pride and a little playoff money.

But in the NFC, that's where things get interesting. Nine different teams have represented the conference in the Super Bowl the past nine years, and it's that stat that makes you eye teams like Atlanta and Green Bay and start to think it's going to be the Falcons or Packers' turn this time around. And when all is said and done, I think Atlanta and Green Bay indeed wind up with the NFC's top two playoff seeds.

If you were paying attention there, I think you got my drift. It's either Patriots or Steelers in the AFC, and Falcons or Packers in the NFC. As for the other 28 teams in the NFL, thanks for playing our game. Now on to this week's rankings...

NFL Power Rankings, Week 14