The day of the backup quarterback ...Week 12 Power Rankings were as heavily influenced as ever by men who usually wear jerseys while holding clipboards and maybe even . No le s than five reserves reserved their right to air it out for their teams Sunday, with the results muddying up the ranks. And that's not counting having to come in for a series in Minnesota or Dallas starting a new/old quarterback in . The latter came out victorious, as did three of the backups: the ' , the ' and down in Houston ...Darn skippy, Adam. And Yates was good for a 0.5-spot rise.That was the most Bengals way to lose that I can imagine. Ryan Chitwood (@R_ChitwoodOX3) No, , Ryan.As for the rest of the teams and their normal dudes under center, see below. Feel free to let me know what looks right, and what looks like -- er, not right. is the place.Let the di sension commence!NOTE: The lineup below reflects changes from our .PREVIOUS RANKINGS: | | | | | | | | | | | Already getting lobbied to place the over the . The reason? Carolina's coupled with New England's What's ironic about this argument is that Bill Belichick's group won in the same fashion Monday night that Carolina has employed much of this year. Think about the ' one-score wins: Sure, there are fine football teams in that group, but it's not as though the have sprinted through their schedule. Oh, and by the way, the are the defending champs. Side note: is a rather large concern. So much for needing ... , who threw a career-high five touchdown pa ses is at least co-MVP with among writers, analysts and, most importantly, the concerned mothers of Nashville. On that note, kudos to the one who wrote into about last week, and even more kudos to Newton he technically didn't have to. Often, Newton has been subjected to different standards than other QBs around the league. Now people are recognizing No. 1 as much for his leadership as his rare talent. Another steady step up the rankings for the , who are now sturdily in the three-hole. What makes for a solid hitter #.233) Someone who has a balanced approach -- someone who can hit for power and take a few pitches, and who is generally better at hitting to all fields than the cleanup man. Tell me that doesn't describe Arizona under Bruce Arians. The Cards can run the football with two quality RBs, and distributes the ball while being able to connect deep when appropriate. Would love to see the win their first this season. But let's not put the victory beret before the headset. #Arians Don't let consume you, fans. Arizona has become a much more difficult place to play than it was even in the Kurt Warner era. Given that the game was decided by about five or six plays, don't go squeezing your wubby over Cincinnati's two-game losing streak. Here are some more reasons to stay calm: **a)** Going UN-defeated is OVER-rated. **b)** was by three points, with the ' secondary decimated. Various reports indicate that a senior drive-thru manager at Dairy Queen got a phone call about whether he could play free safety. **c)** This football team is not going anywhere. The will finish with at least a 12-4 record, win the AFC North and probably nab a playoff bye, too. /content:power-ranking Nice jump for a team that now has at least a fully operational QB at the reins -- the lack of which was the impetus for Thought handled himself extremely well before, during and after The might not have lit up the offensively, but the contest never appeared too heady for Osweiler, who was, all things considered, relaxed. Having that Denver defense behind you sure helps. Just wait until No. 94 Huge, huge win for the , who rode their franchise quarterback and pot-bellied tailback in Minnesota. I do not mean to deride , who, though he is clearly running with an extra load out there, also brought that load with him on Green Bay needed the balance against on a day when completed le s than half his pa ses (16 of 34 for 212 yards). Still, some of the throws Rodgers did complete were clutch, on-the-move darts that his team had to have. Week 11 brought a much-needed bye, at least for . A note about these late bye weeks: They provide teams like the -- -- with 13 days to put 10 games of bumps, bruises and playing through pain behind them. Last year, Pittsburgh's bye came in Week 12. Just so you know, Mike Tomlin's group went 4-1 down the stretch to win the AFC North. It's OK to still be excited about this team. These aren't the same old . This is only Mike Zimmer's second season in Minnesota; ditto . For almost all of last year, neither coach nor QB enjoyed 's services (or his fumbles). With the weather getting colder, clubs like the -- those that can run the football and play stingy defense -- are more viable. That rule is as applicable today as it was in 1961, when this franchise came into existence. So let's tap the brakes before granting the NFC North to the or losing confidence in the Vikes. Week 11 was an off week for the , who are in the sad-sack NFC East, for now. The key to New York being there (and staying there): the contributions of many bit parts, like the oft-forgotten , , , and someone of the slightly bigger name variety, . Next up: which brings a chance to create space in the division. that, frankly, most people expected them to -- though not nece sarily behind two Maurice Gaines Jersey bills from . What a day for the undrafted kid out of Central Michigan, who ran 30 times for 209 yards, setting a single-game franchise rookie record, surpa sing the 207 put up by the great Curt Warner in a 1983 contest. Seattle, which joined the NFC in 2002, was a member of the AFC then, with Warner's prowe s helping the 'Hawks to what would prove to be their one and only appearance in the AFC title game. Tune in next week for more History Hour" ... Maybe we'll talk some Chris Warren. Not sure Rex Ryan has ever been hotter than he was I like Ryan getting fired up -- like the silver scruff, too. What's not to like is the state of , who looked largely inaccurate even before suffering an injury Monday night. So, Mafia, I turn to you: Can do enough to push Buffalo to a wild card if called upon? presents both a stiff challenge and a strong opportunity to bust a postseason move. posted five touchdown pa ses (a Bucs rookie record) despite completing le s than 20 total attempts -- quite the statistical feat, representing real bang for your buck. Scoring over 20 fantasy points without scoring a touchdown is even harder to do, but accomplished just that, thanks to his 235 rushing yards. How about converting 11 third and fourth downs while racking up 521 total yards on the road with a rookie quarterback? Rare indeed. If you started in fantasy you ARE that guy in the FanDuel-changed-my-life commercials. Ware is far from the only offensive player who's stepped up in the ' four-game win streak. Not that it matters when the defense goes out and plays like the 2000 . Or is it the 1985 ? Thirty-nine points yielded over the past 16 quarters of football = elite D in 2015 ... or any other year, for that matter. One more note for the road: Anyone remember Told ya. Who ever would have thought NFL analysts would one day debate whether the should start or to keep their winning ways going? Yet, that's precisely where Bill O'Brien's team sits right now. He made the correct choice, clearly, to start Hoyer over , who has yet to catch on anywhere since getting bounced in Houston. Was he right go back to Hoyer for Week 12, as he Who cares? Though their signal callers would be considered backups by 30 other NFL teams, the are right there with Indy atop the AFC South -- and improved quarterback play is a large part of the reason. The up-and-down story in New York continues (for both teams), as for and the . I can't believe I just typed that last line. Perhaps most disturbing from Sunday's game was the fact that both corners were burned for big plays. has been better than most CBs, but he's also far from the shutdown player he was in years past. Shoot, even was out there. couldn't compensate for the defensive breakdowns, leaving him unable to exact revenge on one of his 317 former teams. and are old enough to have made mixtapes for their girlfriends in high school and probably owned (Transformers for us poor kids) -- and they're apparently still quality enough, in their 40s, Even (32), who produced is long in the tooth. The old farts stay even with the in the suddenly exciting AFC South. Freefall for Atlanta, and it's deserved. These Power Rankings held fast with Dan Quinn's group despite a couple of close lo ses. Unfortunately, the let the NFL's AARP band come into their place and keeping them from gaining ground in At some point, people are going to realize cannot carry this team. Quarterback play has become as much a part of the i sue as the defense. When's the last time you could say that about Atlanta? The halcyon days of Joey Harrington? Another disappointing day for the , whose playoff hopes took another dive, this time . At 4-6, Oakland will have an uphill battle, with the streaking in the opposite direction and the likely unreachable in the AFC West at 8-2. The culprit was an anemic pa sing attack, which contributed untimely drops. Next up: against a rookie QB. Must win, baby. Who hoped for a different play call on late in ? Speaking directly to fans, who of course are pumped up about 's play in Year 1. But wasn't that a low-percentage call versus a stout defense? Langford had been held to just 25 yards on 13 carries by that ferocious front seven, so running up the gut out of the shotgun seemed ... curious. What would you have liked to see there? I say roll out on a run-pa s option. , -- sans the half-mullet and No voodoo needed in Miami, as the franchise QB led the back into NFC East relevance with No, Romo wasn't perfect, as evidenced by his two picks, but he didn't get much help in pa s pro; routinely beat the Dallas offensive line. The unit compensated in the run game, though -- firing out for a steady, plodding ground attack that ran the clock out on the . Yet another 4-6 team trying to get in position for a wild-card stretch run. The problem for this particular 4-6 team? No offense, Fin fans, but your team has no offense. Miami went 1-for-10 on third down and gained just 210 yards in total. wasn't helpful. carries just threw a touchdown pa s to as I was typing this sentence. But let's not relive Look at the bright side, 'Skins faithful: At 4-6 ... your team's right in the thick of the division race! If only the could cover as well as the media has covered the crappine s of the NFC East ... If there is something, anything, to be made of a season of cold, hot, then cold streaks by the , now is the time. They'll have to do it which isn't the worst news. With Dennis Allen stepping in as defensive coordinator, facing the offensively challenged is helpful. Allen was last a DC in Denver, back when the rode the defense as much as they did Tebowmania to the playoffs. giveth ... and giveth away. And when Philly's backup quarterback wasn't throwing the ball right to like they were the intended targets, defensive backs made sure not to cover any of 's targets. How do you let a rookie quarterback throw five touchdown pa ses at your house, especially when you're spending Philadelphia: where free-agent corners' skills go to die. So I gue s is Gargamel. In the fierce Thursday night contest of the ' defense made the plays when it absolutely had to have them, with as well as Interesting that, for the second year in a row, Jacksonville beat the at home How about that AFC South race? Sure looked like was woozy on that final drive Sunday. His head appeared to hit the turf, and next thing you know, was warming up on the sideline. Yet, Keenum remained in the game. Not surprisingly, Jeff Fisher chose to stick with his new starter, who narrowly mi sed on a throw to before -- a turnover that allowed the to eventually Tuesday morning quarterbacking aside, St. Louis is now in the 4-6 mora s with seemingly everyone else in the NFL. Don't be getting Martha Firestone Ford fired up. Ever since she addre sed the media regarding the state of the team, the have taken down not one but two decent teams in a two-week stretch. While the playoffs are out of reach, why can't hope at least be within grasp of this organization? It starts on defense, an area that was putrid but has risen to the occasion as of late. We're holding out hope for to parallel that development. The Expre s slowed to a halt in the Great Northwest , but make no mistake: This is Gabbert's team -- and second chance -- the rest of the way. And it might be his chance to lay claim to the ' starting QB gig going forward. (News flash to those who zone out on Saturdays: The Niners surprisingly ) Gabbert was mostly solid in Seattle. The run defense was, uh, mushy. Michael Carter, Bryant Young and Dana Stubblefield could have played better than the ' front did Sunday. I mean, like, right now, as middle-aged men. As disappointing as this season has been, Baltimore has been nothing but competitive. Seriously, Unfortunately, seven of those results have been lo ses. Fortunately, the latest result with the succe sfully traversing the end-game scenario that has cursed the team time and again this season. Unfortunately, Oof. If the injury situation gets any worse for this roster, Ozzie Newsome will be getting on the horn with Vinny Testaverde, Duane Starks and Jim Leonhard to fill the depth chart. Although was disappointing, perhaps losing wasn't the worst thing in the world. No one wants to play for next year, but what would Tenne see do in the postseason if it were to win the AFC South at 7-9? Amazing that one lo s can push a football team out of the division race and into the race for the No. 1 overall pick. And based on how played Thursday night, this organization has much to look forward to. No matter what, at least we'll always have this ... Cool photo!: Jags QB Blake Bortles and Titans' Mariota meet in pregame w/awesome jerseys on. Big Joe (@BIGJOEONTHEGO) Cleveland flies up the rankings (... which, of course, means they were on a bye). The big news of the off week in Cleveland was at quarterback. Well, perhaps "ascension" is a bit strong, given Mike Pettine's lackluster desire to go with Johnny Football in the first place. ***(UPDATE:** that will start against the on Monday, with Manziel serving as the third quarterback. that he was considering benching Manziel after images surfaced that appeared to show Manziel holding a champagne bottle at a club in Austin, Texas.)* While all that goes on, many fans have failed to notice the brilliant play of -- his seven touchdowns has begun to seep into any and all conversations regarding the state of the . Not sure many people outside San Diego realize how decimated this team has been by injuries. Most relevant is whether the healthy guys on the field play for their coach with no postseason at the end of the tunnel. Don't be shocked if the Bolts Getting within 15 yards of a running back catching the ball out of the backfield would be a nice start. Follow Elliot Harrison on Twitter . Alonso Person Jersey