The NFL regular season is half over. Here are PFPod’s Midseason Power Rankings.

Think of PFPod’s Rankings as the half-breed love-child of traditional “Power Rankings” and the NFL playoff format: from Best to Worst, we rank the 8 divisional leaders and our two favorite wild card teams from each conference. Our Top 12 rankings give you all the fun of a college poll AND a meaningful outlook on the NFL playoff picture!

Top 4: Bye-week bound Divisional Leaders

1. Kansas City Chiefs. (8-0). All eight of the Chiefs’ wins have come against teams without winning records. In the second half of the season, KC will play five games against opponents above .500 (the Broncos and Chargers twice apiece, plus a game against the Colts). We’ll be shocked if the Chiefs finished better than 12-4.

2. New Orleans Saints. (6-1). After watching Drew Brees throw for five TDs last week, we started fantasizing about a Saints’ Super Bowl run that would pit Brees, the single season record-holder in passing yards, against a string of other QBs who have at least one of the 25 best performances for passing yards in a single NFL season. Imagine Matt Stafford leading the Lions to New Orleans for a duel between two of the three active QBs who have ever passed for 5,000 yards in a season. Brees could then face former NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers in the NFC Championship Game, before a dream rematch in the Super Bowl against Peyton Manning, whose record setting pace of nearly 6,000 passing yards this season would obliterate Brees’ current watermark of 5,476 yards.

3. Indianapolis Colts. (5-2). Coming of their bye week, the Colts have a pivotal game against the Texans on Sunday night. If Houston wins, the Texans would revive their hopes of winning the AFC South. Indy must win Sunday if they want the league to believe the Colts are ready to win a championship. Six-point home wins over Seattle and Denver just aren’t enough to convince us that the Colts are capable of winning the Super Bowl.

4. Seattle Seahawks. (7-1). Seattle’s offense struggled mightily against the Rams’ pass rush last week. While few teams in the NFL can get at Russell Wilson as quickly as the Rams did on Monday, the Seahawks should be worried about the Saints’ defense, which is averaging more sacks per game than St. Louis.

Best of the Rest: NFL Power Rankings 5-12

5. Denver Broncos. (7-1). While holed up in Billings, MT last weekend, I watched the Sunday Night Football game at Fiddler’s Green Sports Bar. The bartender was wearing an Elway jersey, and the waitress on duty had on her Shaun Alexander Seahawks’ jersey. And that’s when it dawned on me: if we get the Broncos and Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII, Montana police are going to be really busy on February 2 and 3.

6. Cincinnati Bengals. (6-2). In last week’s Power Rankings, John questioned my ranking of Cincy ahead of New England. Well, the Bengals just stomped a Jets team that one week ago bludgeoned Brady with his own man-purse. Advantage: Howard.

7. Green Bay Packers. (5-2). Eddie Lacy will be an X Factor in the postseason.

8. New England Patriots. (6-2). Tom Brady is on track to have his worst statistical season since 2006– the last time he did not make the Pro Bowl.

9. San Francisco 49ers. (6-2). The 49ers are still the weakest of the two-loss teams in the NFL right now. Colin Kaepernick has only thrown for more than 200 yards twice this season, and chances are, he won’t fare well in their next game against Carolina’s stingy defense.

10. Detroit Lions. (5-3). After playing three quarters of pitiful football, the Detroit Lions dropped 24 points in a miraculous 4th quarter comeback against Dallas. Is it just me, or does Matt Stafford’s game-winning touchdown seem like the pivotal moment that began the Lions’ 2013 playoff run?

11. San Diego Chargers. (4-3). The 3rd place team in the AFC West is chomping at the bit for their first game against the Chiefs. If Philip Rivers can avoid making turnovers (plural), the Chargers will sweep the season series.

12. Dallas Cowboys. (4-4). When your turnover margin is +4 in a game, you’re supposed to win. The Cowboys did not last week. Hence, the Eagles, Redskins, and Giants all remain in the hunt for the NFC (L)East title.

Howard, the usual author of the Power Rankings, is out in Montana this week shoveling manure or doing whatever it is one does in a land forsaken by God and man. I will do my best to fill his void. (Man did that come off sounding sexual.) Behold the Power Rankings NFL Week 8 edition.

1. Kansas City Chiefs. (7-0). And then there was one. The last of the NFL’s unbeatens, you can’t help but feel that they have benefited from a soft schedule and aren’t helmed by one of the league’s elite quarterbacks. Still, as the Big Tuna once said, “You are what your record says you are.” If that’s the case, then KC is the finest in the league.

2. New Orleans Saints. (6-1). It’s hard not to be high on the Saints this year. Their offense is explosive, their defense predatory and their perennial divisional foe, the Atlanta Falcons, have decided to see how the other half lives this season. The one cause for concern is a rather difficult remaining schedule, but a great team tends to triumph over merely good ones.

3. Indianapolis Colts. (5-2). As difficult as it was to stomach Sunday’s victory over the Broncos because Colts owner Jim Irsay was such a cocksucker about the whole affair, it was hard to ignore how in-command the Colts seemed for the majority of the game. Andrew Luck is everything he was expected to be, and his low salary cap hit has allowed a strong team to be built around him. Maybe that silver spoon alcoholic was right, after all.

4. Seattle Seahawks. (6-1). The Seahawks strike me as very similar to the Saints–Strong offense, disruptive defense and a great home-field advantage. The difference is that Seattle’s remaining schedule consists of several very-beatable teams, which could grease the skids for the road to the Super Bowl running through the Pacific Northwest.

5. Denver Broncos. (6-1). What a difference a week makes. While Denver is still scary, two things have become evident: Their defense isn’t very stout–with or without Von Miller–and anything short of an amazing game from Peyton Manning might not be enough to hang a win.

6. Cincinnati Bengals. (5-2). The kings of the AFC North are looking good again this week, with Andy Dalton possibly having turned a corner (until his next middling game). Perhaps no team in the league has benefited from the tumbling of the old guard like Cincinnati, who has managed to soar past Baltimore and Pittsburgh. A none-too-difficult remaining schedule should keep it that way, but at least one of the two remaining games against the Ravens will have to be won.

7. Green Bay Packers. (4-2). The best news for the Packers this week might be Jay Cutler’s injury, which could make their match-up with Chicago in a fortnight (yes, fortnight) that much simpler. While noticeably weaker than the six teams that precede them in this list, Aaron Rodgers is Aaron Rodgers, and the addition of Eddie Lacy to the backfield has done much to make his life simpler.

9. New England Patriots. (5-2). Honestly, I would have the Patriots at six, but Howard picked the order and I’m simply writing the article, so here at number nine they are. As much as everyone outside of the Bah-stin area delighted in seeing The Hoodie piss and moan about losing due to some obscure new rule, the Patriots are a team I’d never feel comfortable betting against. They simply have that “it” factor that guarantees they will play anyone in the league closely. Gronk‘s presence in the lineup can’t hurt, either.

10. San Francisco 49ers. (5-2). After starting the season 1-2 and falling off everyone’s radar, a funny thing happened to the 49ers: They kept winning. Now a game out of first in their division (well, down a tiebreaker to Seattle as well), the boys from the gay side of the bay are beginning to live up to their start-of-the-season hype. Still, there is little doubt a postseason trip to Seattle would end in anything other than another blowout, so San Fran probably has to clench the NFC West to preserve its Super Bowl dreams.

11. Dallas Cowboys. (4-3). Dallas plays in what’s possibly the league’s worst division (Christ help us all), and, well, someone has to win the damn thing. A triumph over the Eagles, the other passable team in the East, has cemented the Star’s position atop it for the moment. While it would be difficult to pick Dallas to make much postseason noise, and a season finale against the Eagles might allow them to give away their playoff hopes on the last day of the season yet again, the roster is powerful enough to play most teams well.

12. San Diego Chargers. (4-3). Playing in the same division as Denver and Kansas City has all but relegated the Chargers to a wild card run this year. Still, that isn’t elimination, and the squad had enough firepower to eliminate the Colts a few weeks back. Look for the Chargers to, if nothing else, play interesting spoilers going forward.

Heading into Week 7, we’re left with two undefeated teams in the NFL. Too bad for the Chiefs they’re in the Broncos’ division! KC’s best chance at making the Top 4 in our Power Rankings is supposed to be this Sunday, when Denver plays a tough road game at Indianapolis. Now that Jim Irsay has opened his dumb mouth, however, look for Peyton Manning to stomp the Colts in the worst homecoming that could ever happen to an NFL future Hall of Famer. Revenge is a dish best served cold… especially in the 4th quarter, when your team is already up 21 points…

Think of PFPod’s Rankings as the half-breed love-child of traditional “Power Rankings” and the NFL playoff format: from Best to Worst, we rank the 8 divisional leaders and our two favorite wild card teams from each conference. Our Top 12 rankings give you all the fun of a college poll AND a meaningful outlook on the NFL playoff picture!

Top 4: Bye-week bound Divisional Leaders

1. Denver Broncos. (6-0). Peyton v. Luck this weekend. Hopefully the first installment of this matchup will not be the last.

2. Seattle Seahawks. (5-1). The Seahawk’s defense did not give up a touchdown last week. Let’s see if Seattle can keep Larry Fitzgerald and the Arizona Cardinals out of the end zone on Thursday night.

3. New England Patriots. (5-1). If the Pats’ comeback win over the Saints was a Super Bowl preview, we’re in for an awesome heavyweight rematch in February.

4. New Orleans Saints. (5-1). Too bad for the Saints that their December 2nd matchup with the Seahawks will be in Seattle. Right now New Orleans is an underdog to clinch home field advantage in the NFC.

Best of the Rest: NFL Contender Rankings 5-12

5. Kansas City Chiefs. (6-0). The Texans may not know who their starting QB will be this week, but the Chiefs’ defense has already choreographed a touchdown dance for their first pick six on Sunday.

6. Indianapolis Colts. (4-2). Don’t let San Diego’s win over Indy fool ya—Chargers’ Defensive Coordinator John Pagano is the brother of the Colts’ head coach Chuck. You had better believe that the Pagano sibling rivalry had something to do with last Sunday’s upset. The Colts still look like a 10 to 12 win team, and the clear favorite to win the AFC South.

7. Cincinnati Bengals. (4-2). The Bengals seized the outright lead of the AFC North in Week 6. Expect them to finish atop the division at the end of the season.

8. Green Bay Packers. (3-2). In a duel between $110+ million dollar quarterbacks, Aaron Rodgers beat Joe Flacco in Baltimore. How did the Ravens ever mistake Joe Cool for being the same caliber as Rodgers? Unfortunately for Baltimore fans, Flacco’s ballooning cap number in the 2014 and 2015 are likely to hamper the Ravens as much as Eli Manning’s staggering salary has ruined the Giants’ 2013 season.

9. Detroit Lions. (4-2). Detroit’s game against Cincinnati is the only other Top 10 matchup in the NFL this week. Let’s hope Calvin Johnson is healthy this week—simply put, the Lions are not a contender without Megatron.

10. Chicago Bears. (4-2). Chicago barely beat the winless Giants last week. Does anyone still buy the Bears as a serious Super Bowl contender? Don’t be surprised if the 49ers surpass the Bears in next week’s Power Rankings.

11. Miami Dolphins. (3-2). On their bye week, Miami watched every other 3-2 AFC squad lose. Though the Dolphins literally did nothing in Week 6 to move ahead of the Ravens, Titans, Jets or Browns, they still look better than the NFC East leader.

12. Dallas Cowboys. (3-3). Dallas battles Philly on Sunday for first place in the NFL’s worst division. Hey, at least the game will be entertaining: watch for these two teams to score more than 100 points combined on Sunday.

It’s been a topsy-turvy week in the NFL. The Pats and Seahawks fell from the ranks of the undefeated. Geno Smith lifted the Jets to a winning record. And Josh Freeman got dropped by Tampa before Minnesota picked him back up. Talk about a guy who can’t get away from his winter of discontent…

Think of PFPod’s Rankings as the half-breed love-child of traditional “Power Rankings” and the NFL playoff format: from Best to Worst, we rank the 8 divisional leaders and our two favorite wild card teams from each conference. Our Top 12 rankings give you all the fun of a college poll AND a meaningful outlook on the NFL playoff picture!

Top 4: Bye-week bound Divisional Leaders

1. Denver Broncos. (5-0). Football is a game of matchups, and NFL fans learned on Sunday that Jason Garrett’s offense can match blows with Peyton Manning’s. While Denver likely won’t see Dallas in the Super Bowl, Broncos fans should be worried about a potential matchup with the Saints’ high-flying offense.

2. New Orleans Saints. (5-0). It’s official: the Saints are The Team To Beat in the NFC.

3. Indianapolis Colts. (4-1). Indy’s impressive win over Seattle, coupled with a New England loss, has made Chuck Pagano’s team into a serious contender this year. Let’s see in Week 7 if Andrew Luck can hang with the guy he replaced, when Peyton and the Broncos come to Indianapolis for a very awkward homecoming.

4. Seattle Seahawks. (4-1). The Seahawks have the 2nd best team in the NFC, not only based on record, but also because the NFC looks like a horse turd right. Seattle should be grateful that the NFL moved them out of the AFC West in 2002. Frankly, the Seahawks don’t even good look enough to win the AFC North, South or West.

Best of the Rest: NFL Contender Rankings 5-12

5. Kansas City Chiefs. (5-0). The Chiefs are on a fast track to having the best Wild Card team in the NFL. KC could even take over first place in the AFC West in Week 7, should the Colts can beat the Broncos. But don’t assume that the Chiefs will win their matchup with the reeling Texans two Sundays from now– the Chiefs struggled last week to beat the Titans, who started back-up QB Ryan Fitzpatrick for the first time this season. On a related note, we think Houston should keep T.J. Yates on the bench for at least two more weeks– Matt Schaub is still their best chance to beat the Chiefs in Week 7.

6. New England Patriots. (4-1). A perfectly timed downpour in Cincinnati last Sunday prevented Tom Brady from making a last-minute comeback against the Bengals. Gamblers take note: God does not want the Pats to play in the Super Bowl. Roger Goodell doesn’t want them in either— you don’t have to be a genius to realize that Aaron Hernandez’s Connecticut prison cell will be a short drive for any reporter attending Media Day at MetLife Stadium in February.

7. Cincinnati Bengals. (3-2). After shutting New England’s offense out of the end zone last week, the Bengals have ascended to the top of the AFC North. Yes, Cincinnati lost to Cleveland in Week 4, but a devastating injury to Browns’ QB Brian Hoyer has once again brought Cleveland into crisis. Unless Brandon Weeden can sustain the momentum that Hoyer kick-started in Week 3, the Browns are going to remain a distant third behind defending champs Baltimore in the AFC North.

8. Green Bay Packers. (2-2). A solid home win over the Lions has put the Packers back on track towards the NFC North title. That said, we’re still not convinced Aaron Rodgers has mastered running the West Coast offense without Greg Jennings.

9. Baltimore Ravens. (3-2). The Ravens earned a tough road win at Miami last week. Baltimore fans should still be worried about their offense, however: with a 23-16 lead late in the 4th quarter, Joe Flacco threw an ugly INT returned for a TD. We can’t blame Flacco entirely– Dolphins’ rookie Dion Jordan made a great play when he hit Joe Cool’s arm in the endzone. Also, why was Flacco dropping back deep in the endzone with a 7 point lead late in the 4th quarter? Yup, Jim Caldwell’s second half play-calling was subpar for the second week in a row…

10. Detroit Lions. (3-2). The Lions are the worst team in the NFC North when Calvin Johnson is inactive– yes, even worse than the Vikings when Christian Ponder is under center.

11. Chicago Bears. (3-2). Despite consecutive losses in their last two games, the Bears still have a great chance of winning their division. Chicago’s Week 8 matchup against Green Bay will have a major impact on the NFC playoff picture. BTW, the 49ers almost took this final Wild Card spot in the PFPod Power Rankings, but their spectacularly inconsistent play still worries us. A close home win over Green Bay, coupled with blowout losses to Indy and Seattle, won’t convince us to move San Fran into our Rankings right now. Frankly, we’re not even confident the 49ers will beat Arizona this week. Take note, San Fran fans: the 49ers beat Houston DESPITE Kaepernick’s failure to complete a pass in the 2nd or 3rd quarters. That’s not how you repeat as conference champions (even in the NFC)…

12. Dallas Cowboys. (2-3). Despite an outstanding performance against the Broncos, the Dallas Cowboys still have the worst record of any divisional leader. Technically, the ‘Boys now have a losing record. Tony Romo may have shown the ability to hang with Peyton Manning head-to-head, but would any of us be surprised if Dallas loses against the lowly Redskins this week?

With a month of football under our belt, Peyton’s on pace for 5,880 regular season passing yards. Eli and Big Ben are both about to lose out on Hall-of-Fame shrines. And Tim Tebow has cast a swamp curse on Blaine Gabbert and Jacksonville’s hapless franchise. How does ‘London Jaguars’ look and sound to you? I smell the easiest sponsorship money the NFL has ever made #BigPimpin #InAnFTypeV8

Think of our Contender Rankings as the half-breed love-child of traditional “Power Rankings” and the NFL playoff format: from Best to Worst, we rank the 8 divisional leaders and our two favorite wild card teams from each conference. Our Top 12 rankings give you all the fun of a college poll AND a meaningful outlook on the NFL playoff picture!

Top 4: Bye-week bound Divisional Leaders

1. Denver Broncos. (4-0). The Broncos are best in the AFC West. They could beat the Chiefs three times this season (if necessary). Just ask the Eagles who kicked Chip Kelly’s ass harder these past two weeks: Andy Reid or Peyton Manning?

2. Seattle Seahawks. (4-0). The Seahawks looked vulnerable for the first 52 minutes of this game. But a late game collapse by Houston let Seattle back in the game. Let’s see how they fare against the Colts’ stingy defense in Week 5: Indy gave up fewer than 13 points/game in September.

3. New Orleans Saints. (4-0). Monday night matchup on December 2: NO at SEA. We will see if Seattle can hang with the Saints’ high-octane offense late in the season.

4. New England Patriots. (4-0). Despite Tom Brady looking like Tony Romo on a 4th quarter fumble, the Patriots earned a tough road win this week against Atlanta. BTW LaGarrette Blunt– excuse me, Blount– could be the best ball carrier to play behind Brady since Corey Dillon took the rock for 1600+ yards in 2004. Yes, Blount could be the difference maker on a cold January night in Denver.

Best of the Rest: NFL Contender Rankings 5-12

5. Kansas City Chiefs. (4-0). The Chiefs might not even beat the Redskins in December. Don’t expect this team to finish better than 11-5.

6. Detroit Lions. (3-1). If the Lions can win at Green Bay this week, Detroit will gain a huge advantage in the NFC North. Bears and Packers fans needn’t worry though– the Lions are perfectly capable of blowing it (as usual). That said, we still think this Detroit team is different: they’re one of the few NFC teams with enough talent to match the Saints’ offense, and/or to outflank the Seahawks’ defense.

7. Indianapolis Colts. (3-1). The Colts took clear lead of the AFC South this week, primarily because of a regrettable injury to Titans’ QB Jake Locker (out 4-6 weeks, according to ESPN). While Tennessee took second place in the AFC South, Houston plunged to third in the division, thanks to Matt Schaub throwing another interception returned for a touchdown– his third such negative scoring drive in September. It wasn’t all bad in Houston last week– Texans’ fans can take solace in the resurgence of RB Arian Foster during the loss to Seattle. Foster’s 171 yards from scrimmage put Houston’s starting RB back on the radar as one of the top dual threats in the NFL.

8. Chicago Bears. (3-1). Chicago has already circled November 10 on the calendar: their rematch with Detroit in Week 10 is a MUST-WIN. You know, it’s a must-win game if Chicago wants to control its own destiny in the event of a two-way tie atop the NFC North… jk! The NFC sucks, so both the Bears and Lions seem destined for Wild Card Sunday. Let’s see if Green Bay (or even Minnesota) can snatch that second Wild Card spot in the NFC.

9. Miami Dolphins. (3-1). Mike Sherman isn’t your father’s Bill Callahan. But he’s pretty close. We won’t pay much attention to this team unless it beats New England during the regular season.

10. Carolina Panthers. (1-2). The last Wild Card spot in the NFC is very much up for grabs. We didn’t find the 49ers’ victory over a woeful Rams’ team convincing enough to move San Fran ahead of Carolina, who were on bye last week. We’re already looking to the November 10 matchup at Candlestick Park between the Panthers and the 49ers: this game will greatly impact the NFC Wild Card race.

11. Baltimore Ravens. (2-2). This week’s headline: Rookie QB defeats reigning Super Bowl MVP. E.J. Manuel outplayed Joe Cool in Buffalo on Sunday, while the Ravens’ play-callers inexplicably forgot to run the ball for their first 25 offensive plays in the second half. Does anyone in Baltimore remember how to run the playaction pass? On a related note, Norv Turner just turned a third string QB into someone capable of scoring against Marvin Lewis’ defense. Don’t be shocked if Cleveland seizes first place in the division next week.

12. Dallas Cowboys. (2-2). Football’s worst division is only gonna get worse in Week 5. Peyton Manning expects to stomp Monte Kiffin’s son in the testicles, just like Mike Tyson once did. Did I say Tyson? I meant Arizona State.

Heading into Week 4, the NFL is down to seven undefeated teams. Another seven teams are tied for sixth place in the NFC, despite their losing records. Looks like the NFC East isn’t alone in its mediocrity– more than half the Conference is committed to finish September in an underwhelming fashion. Here’s to hoping for better quality games in October! September looked a little too much like extended preseason for a few playoff teams from last postseason (not naming names, but you know who we talkin’ bout…).

Think of our Contender Rankings as the half-breed love-child of traditional “Power Rankings” and the NFL playoff format: from Best to Worst, we rank the 8 divisional leaders and our two favorite wild card teams from each conference. Our Top 12 rankings give you all the fun of a college poll AND a meaningful outlook on the NFL playoff picture! Yes, football fans, you can have your cake and eat it too. At least until you bitch about us dissing your team.

Top 4: Bye-week bound Divisional Leaders

1. Denver Broncos. Let’s see if Chip Kelly’s high speed system can keep pace with Peyton’s no huddle offense in their Week 4 matchup. Probably not. Until Kelly’s system beats one of Cam Newton’s teams, we’re gonna question its championship potential.

2. Seattle Seahawks. The creme de la NFC has an intriguing game against the Texans this week. Can the Texans (or anyone else) figure out how to score more than 20 points on Seattle’s defense?

3. New Orleans Saints. The Saints are on a mission. They will settle for nothing less than a Super Bowl trophy ceremony between Jonathan Vilma and Roger Goodell. In the Octagon.

4. New England Patriots. The Pats’ air attack should only get better from here.

Best of the Rest: NFL Contender Rankings 5-12

5.Chicago Bears. The Bears haven’t played a perfect game yet, but Chicago still has a perfect record. Intradivisional rivals Detroit will say a lot about say about that this Week.

6. Miami Dolphins. Stats from MIA’s win over ATL do not show a sustainable style of offense. That said, their two early road wins and this upset against a Steven Jackson-less Falcons’ squad could give this Dolphins’ team the cushion it needs to limp into a wild card berth.

7. Kansas City Chiefs. Wake us up when they play Denver in Week 11. Then we’ll talk about KC’s championship prospects.

8. Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens beatdown the Texans last week, but an ugly first half performance on offense was quickly erased by two vintage Ravens’ touchdown returns from special teams and their middle linebacker. To Flacco’s credit, his ball control offense worked effectively to keep the ball out of Houston’s hands in the second half. But make no mistake: this team needs Ray Rice healthy. (Editor’s note: Apologies to Cincy fans for breaking this tie in favor of Baltimore. The Bengals have looked consistently better than the Ravens so far this young season. Nevertheless, Ohio’s Other Lovable Losers will have to beat the defending Champs head-to-head if they want to grab PFPod’s AFC North Tiebreaker of the Month).

9. Houston Texans. Yes, Houston, you have two salary cap problems. The guaranteed money owed to Schaub and Foster over the next three seasons could cripple this franchise. Meanwhile, Indy and Tennessee look ready to eclipse the defending divisional champs. Kudos to Jake Locker for leading a game-winning last minute TD drive last week. Let’s hope your Week 1 performance against Pittsburgh was the fluke. Also, we think the national media outlets overhyped the Richardson trade . Yes, the Colts gained a serious goal line threat, but Willis McGahee will average more yards per rush this season than Richardson ever did in a Browns uniform. In other words, 3.6 yards per carry.

10. Dallas Cowboys. The NFC East leaders are looking better than any NFC wild card wannabes. For now.

11. Detroit Lions. Even if you don’t believe in Detroit, the Lions are one of only five NFC teams with a winning record. But don’t doubt this team’s ability to win during the playoffs– if Matthew Stafford can make it through the season, this team could make it way to the NFC Championship Game.

12. Carolina Panthers. Yeah, they looked extremely disappointing in Weeks 1 and 2. But every other 1-2 team in the NFC lost this week. And yes, we really do think the Panthers’ 38-0 win against the Giants could be a turning point for their season. That said, we’d be stunned if Carolina finished better than 9-7.

Dropped from rankings: Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers
New to Top 12: Detroit Lions, Carolina Panthers

With two weeks of football under our belts, PFPod.com can now debut its first Contender Rankings of 2013. Think of our Contender Rankings as the half-breed love-child of traditional “Power Rankings” and the NFL playoff format: from Best to Worst, we rank the 8 divisional leaders and our two favorite wild card teams from each conference. Our Top 12 rankings give you all the fun of a college poll AND a meaningful outlook on the NFL playoff picture! Yes, football fans, you can have your cake and eat it too. At least until you bitch about us dissing your team’s crappy division.

Top 4: Bye-week bound Divisional Leaders

1. Denver Broncos. Peyton Manning has been the best offensive player in the league so far. And we’re still waiting for him to show up in the first half of a game! Broncos fans should Thank Eli for hosting big brother in NYC last weekend–Manning Bowl III might have been Denver’s walk-through for this year’s Super Bowl at the new Giants’ Stadium.

2. Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks’ bludgeoning of the defending NFC Champs in Week 2 signals a big problem for the rest of the conference: if Seattle gains home field advantage during the playoffs, there may not be a team capable of derailing their Super Bowl aspirations.

3. Houston Texans. Houston has not looked like the team it did a year ago, but they’re 2-0, and they have a shot to take down the defending champs in Baltimore this week. Look for Ed Reed to inflict a little bit of regret on his former franchise.

4.New Orleans Saints. Last week’s razor thin margin of victory against a mediocre Tampa Bay squad shouldn’t worry Saints’ fans–bizarre lightning delays are as good an excuse as a road team can get for a less than satisfying performance. Look for N’awlins to bounce back with a better game this week.

Best of the Rest: NFL Contender Rankings 5-12

5. New England. Before the season started, the Pats had a clear path to a playoff bye. This perennial powerhouse looked hungry for redemption before the dust had even settled from their season-ending loss in the AFC Championship game. But New England’s offense had the worst off-season in NFL history: Belicheck’s innovative strategy to create coverage mismatches for his top-shelf tight ends has unexpectedly disappeared. With Gronk sidelined day-to-day, and Hernandez for 25 to life, Tom Brady has been relegated to an extended preseason with a relatively fresh receiving corps. Where’s Wes Welker when you need him, New England?

6. Chicago. The Bears have not looked convincing in their two come-from-behind wins, but they are one of only three undefeated teams remaining in the NFC. As the season progresses, however, we would not be surprised if Green Bay, Detroit, and/or Minnesota finished ahead of them in the division. BTW, it is a travesty that the NFC East will get a team into the playoffs ahead of, well, anyone in the NFC North.

7. Miami. Ryan Tannehill’s surprising KO of Andrew Luck’s hapless Colts has kept the Dolphins undefeated. It seems unlikely that the Fins’ record will stay unblemished this week, though–a date with the Falcons should diminish Miami’s hope for a playoff berth.

8. Atlanta. The best 1-1 team in the NFL has to be the Falcons. Their Week 1 loss to the Saints was nothing more than a great advertisement for the divisional rematch in November. Atlanta’s victory over the Rams was a little disconcerting, however; a game that had looked like a blowout in the making nearly slipped from the Falcons late in the fourth quarter. This Atlanta team had better figure out how to finish strong–Falcons’ fans are getting tired of watching Mike Smith’s team falling flat on its face during the playoffs.

9. Kansas City. Chiefs fans might be a little miffed that we placed their undefeated team behind the one-loss Falcons, but let’s all be real here: your win against Jacksonville does not compare to their narrow defeat at New Orleans. That said, a victory against the high-flying Eagles would do a lot to catapult KC in our view.

10. Baltimore. The defending champs have not looked good in its first two games. The defense is still trying to form its identity in its first season EVER without Ray Lewis, and the offense is hoping that Joe Flacco can adapt to life without Anquan Boldin. For now, the Raven’s best chance at a repeat begins with their crummy divisional opponents. Cincinnati has looked strong enough to win the division, but the only thing the Steelers and Browns are gonna win this year are high draft picks for 2014.

11. Green Bay. Sure, it’s hard to say that Green Bay is better than the 49ers team that beat them in Week 1. But San Francisco won’t regain Contender status until they bounce back from the beatdown they took in Seattle on Sunday night. In the meantime, the Packers have looked solid in both games. Their dominating first half against Washington may be a sign that this team has figured out their formula for balancing Aaron Rodgers’ passing attack with an effective running game.

12. Dallas. Congratulations to the Dallas Cowboys for having the least unimpressive team in football’s sh*ttiest division. Sure, the Eagles are right there with the ‘Boys in the middle-third of NFL teams; but for now, we’re gonna bank on Monte Kiffin’s defense taking Dallas into December. Philadelphia is flying high on Chip Kelly’s offense for the moment, but even he doesn’t know if any football player can keep this pace up for more than 13 games a season.