We’re tempted to fill the Dominant Dozen with the 12 best teams in the AFC.
Seriously. The AFC is in the midst of a period of historic supremacy over the NFL’s senior circuit. The AFC leads the battle vs. NFC foes this year, 38-22, and has gotten the best of the battle every year since 1995. The AFC went 3-1 in interconference play last week, with the only victory coming from St. Louis – at the expense of the dreadful Raiders.
How bad is it for the NFC? Every single AFC division
has a winning record against NFC opponents this year, led by the AFC East, which is 12-4 over the NFC North. Even mighty 12-2 Chicago, the cream of the NFC crop, has suffered both of its losses to AFC opponents (Miami and New England). It's one reason why the top of the Dominant Dozen features the AFC's four division leaders. Are you going to put an NFC team in the mix at this point in the season?
The AFC has also won seven of the past nine Super Bowls. But it has a long way to go to catch up with the NFC’s period of supremacy: It won 13 straight Super Bowls, from San Francisco in Super Bowl XIX to Green Bay in Super Bowl XXXI.
THE DOMINANT DOZEN:
1. SAN DIEGO (previous rank: same)
Last week: LaDainian Tomlinson leapt tall buildings in a single bound in a 20-9 win over the Chiefs.
Cold, Hard Football Facts: Following his 85-yard TD run against Kansas City, LT is just the third ballcarrier in NFL history with more than 12 runs of 50 yards or longer. The others are
Jim Brown and Barry Sanders.
Next: at Seattle.
2. BALTIMORE (previous rank: 3)
Last week: Old friend Kyle Boller came off the bench to throw two TDs in a 27-17 win over the Browns.
Cold, Hard Football Facts: Opponents have converted just 59 of 200 attempts (29.5 percent) on third or fourth down, lowest rate in the NFL.
Next: at Pittsburgh.
3. INDIANAPOLIS (previous rank: 5)
Last week: The Colts beat the Bengals, 34-16, for their first December victory after four straight losses, dating back to Dec. 11, 2005.
Cold, Hard Football Facts: Indy moves up one spot to become
the sixth-worst run defense in the history of the NFL (5.38 YPA), after holding Cincy to 133 rush yards on 30 attempts. Still, the Colts have more wins over
quality teams than any franchise in football this year.
Next: at Houston. Indy is a perfect 9-0 against the Texans since Houston entered the NFL in 2002.
4. NEW ENGLAND (previous rank: 7)
Last week: The Patriots needed just 230 yards of offense to hang 40 points on the awful Texans.
Cold, Hard Football Facts: New England allows 13.8 PPG, which puts the defense second only to Baltimore and on pace to be the best in franchise history. The current record is held by the 2003 Patriots (14.2 PPG).
Next: at Jacksonville.
5. CHICAGO (previous rank: 2)
Last week: Comparisons to the 1985 Bears officially died after Tampa Bay’s immortal Tim Rattay torched Chicago for 28 second-half points. The Bears won in overtime.
Cold, Hard Football Facts: Chicago’s Tank Johnson has gone six days since his last arrest. Cincy coach Marvin Lewis reportedly offered two No. 1 picks for the troubled DT.
Next: at Detroit. Consider it an early Christmas gift, Bears fans.
6. JACKSONVILLE (previous rank: 4)
Last week: The Jaguars dominated the Titans in every imaginable category – except the one that matters – in a 24-17 loss.
Cold, Hard Football Facts: Jacksonville boasts the NFL’s best winning percentage
against quality teams (4-1; .800). But they’ve lost twice to the terrible Texans and once to the rebuilding Redskins.
Next: vs. New England. It's a rematch of the 2005 wild-card playoffs.
7. DALLAS (previous rank: 8)
Last week: Said Tony Romo after their 38-28 win over Atlanta: “There were a few plays out there that showed a lot of character.” Like Terrell Owens spitting on DeAngelo Hall.
Cold, Hard Football Facts: The Cowboys have the No. 5 scoring defense in the NFC (288 PA). It would rank 12th in the AFC – just 1 point ahead of the 2-12 Raiders.
Next: vs. Philadelphia (Monday). In this huge Christmas Day battle for first place in the NFC East, the Cowboys can wrap up the division with a win.
8. NEW ORLEANS (previous rank: 6)
Last week: In true NFC fashion, the Saints lost to the lousy Redskins, but clinched the NFC South title courtesy of Carolina's loss to an AFC foe (Pittsburgh).
Cold, Hard Football Facts: With one more victory, New Orleans will enjoy its first 10-win season since the glory days of the Jeff Blake-Ricky Williams Era (2000).
Next: at N.Y. Giants.
9. PHILADELPHIA (previous rank: 11)
Last week: The Eagles scored 22 fourth-quarter points to beat the Giants, 36-22. Philly's mayor has denied the rumor that he will erect a statue of Jeff Garcia on the steps of the city's art museum.
Cold, Hard Football Facts: The Philly offense has not missed a beat under Garcia, averaging 26.2 PPG. It averaged 25.7 PPG under Donovan McNabb.
Next: at Dallas (Monday). The Eagles can clinch a playoff spot with a win.
10. DENVER (previous rank: 15)
Last week: Jay Cutler asked for a trade to an NFC West club following his breakout 37-20 win over the Cardinals.
Cold, Hard Football Facts: Denver's D surrendered 7.3 PPG through the first six games, but has allowed 26.5 PPG since.
Next: vs. Cincinnati. This is a pivotal game in the wild-card race, and the Broncos can clinch a spot with a win and some help.
11. CINCINNATI (previous rank: 9)
Last week: The myth of Cincy's strong defense was shattered in a 34-16 loss to the Colts.
Cold, Hard Football Facts: More good news for Denver’s Cutler: The Bengals allow 241.6 passing yards per game, dead last in the NFL.
Next: at Denver. Like the Broncos, Cincy can earn a wild-card berth with a win and some help.
12. N.Y. JETS (previous rank: 18)
Last week: The Jets stayed alive in the playoff hunt with a 26-13 victory over the Vikings. They enter the Dominant Dozen for the first time all season (after debuting at No. 26).
Cold, Hard Football Facts: Chad Pennington’s triumphant return from injury continued Sunday with a career-high 339 passing yards.
Next: at Miami (Monday night). The Dolphins have been giant killers, owning crushing wins over NFC powerhouse Chicago and AFC powerhouse New England.
THE TEPID TWENTY:
13. KANSAS CITY (7-7, previous rank: 12) – The Chiefs are officially the most inconsistent and frustrating team to root for in the history of football.
14. TENNESSEE (7-7, previous rank: 20) – Vince Young’s magic victory dust rubbed off on the defense, which scored three TDs in a 24-17 upset of the Jags. Young is 31-5 in his last 36 starts, dating back to his 2004 season at Texas.
15. SEATTLE (8-6, previous rank: 10) – Seattle fans should thank the NFL for putting their team in the NFC West back in 2002. Over the last two seasons, the Seahawks have played just seven games against quality opponents, posting a 4-3 record, but are poised for a second straight division title.
16. N.Y. GIANTS (7-7, previous rank: 13) – After going two consecutive games without an interception, Eli Manning threw two picks against the Eagles on Sunday, dooming the Giants to defeat.
17. ATLANTA (7-7, previous rank: 14) – The Falcons have the NFL’s all-time leading scorer (Morten Andersen) and a quarterback who set the rushing record for the position (Michael Vick), but if the season ended today, they’d miss the playoffs.
18. BUFFALO (7-7, previous rank: 19) – The 21-0 victory over Miami was Buffalo’s first shutout since its 31-0 victory over New England in Week 1 of 2003.
19. PITTSBURGH (7-7, previous rank: 16) – The Steelers have won three straight to battle back to .500, but have just one victory all year against a team with a winning record (New Orleans in Week 10).
20. MIAMI (6-8, previous rank: 17) – The long-awaited Cleo Lemon Era has begun. Miami has wins over New England and Chicago … and losses to Houston and Green Bay. Welcome to the NFL.
22. ST. LOUIS (6-8, previous rank: 23) – Pro Bowl quarterback Marc Bulger boasts the sixth-best passer rating in NFL history (90.3).
23. MINNESOTA (6-8, previous rank: 22) – The Vikings have surrendered more return TDs (punt, kick, fumble, interception) than any team in football – seven (tied with the Eagles).
24. SAN FRANCISCO (6-8, previous rank: 25) – Despite a 24-14 win over Seattle, the 49ers are on pace to surrender more than 400 points for the third straight season. From 1981 to 1997, they never surrendered more than 300 points in a season.
25. GREEN BAY (6-8, previous rank: 24) – The race is on: Brett Favre needs seven TD passes to tie Dan Marino’s all-time mark (420), and seven INTs to tie George Blanda’s record (277).
26. WASHINGTON (5-9, previous rank: same) – The Redskins’ profits have grown ten-fold under owner Daniel Snyder since he purchased the team in 1999. (The Redskins have not won a division title since 1999.)
27. TAMPA BAY (3-11, previous rank: 30) – Jon Gruden is waiting for Tony Dungy to retire so he can lead the Colts to the Super Bowl.
28. CLEVELAND (4-10, previous rank: same) – Cleveland fans are starting to pine for the glory days … when they had no team.
29. HOUSTON (4-10, previous rank: same) – See “Cleveland.”
30. ARIZONA (4-10, previous rank: 27) – Arizona has 12 rushing touchdowns over the past two seasons. San Diego Superman Tomlinson has 12 rushing TDs since Nov. 19.
31. OAKLAND (2-12, previous rank: same) – The Raiders offense (11.1 PPG) is on pace to become NFL’s worst since the 2000 Browns (10.1 PPG) and the franchise’s worst … ever.
35. DETROIT (2-12, previous rank: 32) – The Lions finished just behind Ohio State, Florida and Michigan in the BCS rankings. Matt Millen has demanded a playoff system to prove that Detroit is the best team in college football.
