National Football Post's Joe Fortenbaugh Evaluates Bloguin Week 13 Power Rankings

Week 13 is in the books and it offered up quite a bit of upsets. With that in mind our bloggers racked their brains stacking up the teams from top to bottom.

We wanted to revisit with an expert in Joe Fortenbaugh from the National Football Post to see what he thought of our rankings in week 56 Previous to National Football Post, Joe worked at JB Sports, a leading agency for NFL players, so basically he has major blogger street cred. Below is his take:

There are 5 teams that are 8-4 and they're ranked 6th through 11th. Do any of these teams not make the playoffs at this point?

A: There is a very good chance at least one of those teams will miss out.  The Cardinals and Patriots will be playing in January because they are going to win their respective divisions.  I know the Pats have been struggling lately, but they have enough talent to finish strong down the stretch.

I'd say to be cautious of the Broncos, but the Ravens, Steelers and Texans just keep losing games making Denver's road to a wildcard berth easier.

The key will be what happens in the NFC East.  The Eagles and Cowboys fall between 6 and 11, but the Giants are sitting at 12 and play the Eagles this weekend.  All three of those teams won't make the playoffs (assuming Green Bay keeps winning) so someone will be sitting at home come January.

My money is on another Dallas collapse.  They just lost to New York and have San Diego, New Orleans, Washington and Philadelphia coming up.  That is not an easy road.

8 of our top 12 teams play each other this weekend. Who you got winning these big games.

A: As I mentioned above, I think the Cowboys are going to fall apart again this year, so I'll take the Chargers this Sunday.

I also like Minnesota over Cincinnati.  The Vikings are extremely difficult to beat at the Metrodome and are going to be very focused coming off their loss at Arizona.

You have to like the Colts over the Broncos.  Indy's at home and hasn't lost all year.  I like what Denver has done this season, but I just can't see myself picking the upset.

The Sunday night game should be the best matchup of the week.  I'll take the Birds over the G-Men.  Philly has won three straight vs. New York (including last year's Divisional Playoff game at the Meadowlands) and is always a strong team in December.

Most overrated and underrated teams in this week's rankings?

A: Without question the Jaguars are the most overrated team in this week's power rankings.  The teams Jacksonville has beaten this season have a combined record of 29-55.  That is terrible.

Keep in mind that they are 0-2 on the west coast (Seattle, San Francisco) and have been outscored 61-3 in those two games.

It's tough to find an underrated team in this week's rankings, but I'll go with the Steelers.  Yes, they lost to the Raiders and are now 6-6, but Troy Polamalu makes a huge difference in that lineup.  They'll beat the Browns on Thursday night and then begin their playoff push.

The Ravens, Steelers, and Falcons have all been teams in the top 5 but have now fallen to 15 and below in addition to coming off of losing weeks. Who will finish hard and make the playoffs out of the bunch?

A: You can eliminate the Falcons right now because they'll get thrashed by the Saints this weekend and may decide to shut down quarterback Matt Ryan for the season following the loss.

The Ravens have the most favorable schedule of that group moving forward, but their defense is vulnerable and Flacco has been a mess lately.  However, you have to give them the edge over Pittsburgh due to 1) their remaining schedule and 2) because they have already beaten the Steelers.

The highest team to not make the playoffs will be _____ and the lowest team to make the playoffs will be _____ . How come?

A: The highest team to miss out will be Dallas at No. 11.  You can just smell another December collapse in the air.

The lowest ranked team to make the playoffs will be the Ravens at No. 15.  Their final four games (Detroit, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Oakland) is friendly enough to give them an opportunity.  However, they will have to win all of them for a chance to play in Janauary.

What team ranked 20 or below is dangerous to play the role of spoiler down the stretch?

A: Washington at No. 26.  They still have the Giants and Cowboys on their schedule and both games are at home.  Those games will be extremely important for both New York and Dallas.  Look for at least one win from the ‘Skins in those two games.

What game or games can you look at say its a bubble game and the winner will likely make the playoffs and the loser is probably out?

A: Miami vs. Jacksonville is the only one that means the world to both teams.  However, problems will arise for the loser of the Philly-NYG game and San Diego-Dallas game.

If you're coaching the Colts and the Saints and get to 14-0, do you go for the perfect season?

A: As long as home field is locked up, I play my starters for a half in both games and then shut them down.  Going 16-0 would be great, but there will be a ton of extra pressure on your shoulders heading into the playoffs to run the table.  In addition, you risk an injury to one of your star players who got you to this point.  Most people probably wouldn't agree with me, but I don't care about history, I care about winning the Super Bowl.  The best way to win the big game is to be healthy, rested and with as little distractions as possible.  Going 16-0 will only bring more questions and more expectations entering January.

Always great to get Joe's thoughts. Til next week!