Making an evaluation of an NFL team in the power rankings at this point in the season is about as good a time as any. We have seen them play for 14 weeks already and understand the things they do and don't do well.
In addition to that, we will likely not see them get any better because as playoff berths are won and lost, star players will not be appearing in games as often as they normally would, though the Green Bay Packers may want to keep their pursuit of perfection alive.
That is why now is the perfect time to evaluate those few teams who have been hot and will continue to see their stock soar at the end of this week's games.
Here are three teams whose upward momentum will continue into Week 16.
New England Patriots (10-3)
I have the Patriots at No. 2 in my rankings right now, so it's not like they can climb much higher. However, some fans and analysts seem to be down on them because their secondary is the worst in the NFL.
That would be fine except the fact the Packers rank 31st in pass defense and no one breathes a word about it.
The Patriots are going to end up with 13 wins and be the top seed in the AFC playoffs for the second consecutive season. I don't know if they will win a game when they get there-I reserve judgment on that until the matchup is determined-but it is hard to argue with that many wins.
And, oh by the way, Tom Brady , Rob Gronkowski and Wes Welker are pretty good.
Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3)
When they aren't playing the Ravens, the Steelers are pretty good. They aren't dominating the way you would expect given the level of talent they have, but winning is the most important thing and they are doing a lot of that.
Monday night against San Francisco will be a great litmus test for both teams, but I think the Steelers are stronger on both sides of the ball right now.
They are sitting at No. 6 in the rankings right now, though that will obviously go up next Tuesday. It's going to be hard for them to win the AFC North, but they might be the most dangerous team in the conference.
Atlanta Falcons (8-5)
When the Falcons started the season 2-3, everyone jumped off the bandwagon. Now they have won six of their last eight games, and there is a crowd gathering around the Georgia Dome waiting to see if they are back.
There are still problems with the secondary and consistency from Matt Ryan , but they have the potential to be one of the top teams in the NFC. If they can keep everyone healthy down the stretch, they will be a dangerous out come playoff time.
An easy game against the Jaguars on Thursday night is going to be a great momentum builder for this team as they try to catch up to the Saints in the NFC South.
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