Power Rankings: Shhh ... Packers have a big one coming up

Updated Nov. 27

Just once, wouldn't you love to hear an NFL player or coach say they have a big, maybe huge, game in front of them? Let's hear them talk about the importance of it instead of feeding us the tired old clichés about one game at a time.

Those of us in the Green Bay Packers' locker room following their Thanksgiving Day victory over the Detroit Lions tried to get the players to tell us about the importance of their meeting with the Dallas Cowboys this week. I tried a variety of ways to get somebody, anybody, to say it was big.

Brett Favre and Mike McCarthy are two big reasons for the Packers' success. (Getty Images)

Nobody would bite.

"One game I don't think is going to define us one way or the other," Brett Favre said. "It may have some implications in the playoffs, but we can't worry about that right now. Now we can concentrate on Dallas."

Said defensive end Aaron Kampman: "It's one game. That's how we see it."

That's not how we see it. We see it as the NFC's version of a Regular Season Super Bowl. A few weeks back we had the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC, and that one lived up to the hype.

This one will as well.

It's a special Thursday night at Texas Stadium between the 10-1 Cowboys and the 10-1 Packers. It is in no way or form just another game.

The Packers have lost eight consecutive games at Texas Stadium and haven't won there since 1989. But this is a different group from those teams, except for Favre. It shouldn't matter to the youngest team in the NFL. Most of these players were still in grade school when most of those games were played.

Both teams can score, which is why it will be a treat. The Cowboys are the second-highest scoring team in the league at 32.5 points per game, while the Packers are fifth at 26.5. Green Bay has averaged 33.5 the past four games.

For now, the Packers remain in the No. 2 spot in our CBSSports.com Power Rankings. That's mainly because when they are healthy they are better than the Cowboys on defense. The Packers give up 16.5 points per game, while the Cowboys give up 20.1

So the Packers stay ahead of the Cowboys. I'm not saying they will win Thursday -- you have to wait until Thursday for that pick -- but on an even field I would take Green Bay.

Poll Who will win Thursday night?   47%  Cowboys     53%  Packers     Total Votes: 83905

If the Packers don't have Charles Woodson, that will sting. Woodson, the best corner in the league this season, is iffy with a toe injury. That could change the way the Packers play since they rely so much on man coverage with Woodson and Al Harris when he is on the field.

A few weeks back, the Packers went to Denver and Kansas City and won games in tough environments in a six-day span. Now they are faced with back-to-back road trips on consecutive Thursdays. Last week, they dominated the Lions. This week, it's the NFC's Regular Season Super Bowl. The winner will likely have home-field advantage in the playoffs and probably the inside track to the real Super Bowl.

So is it just a game? Even if the players try to insist that it is, we know better.

This is big.

Too bad it's on The NFL Network, and much of the country won't be able to see it since it's not on some cable systems. As one Packers front office official said, "I bet the rush to get DirecTV this week in our state will be unreal."

It should be. We have a special game coming Thursday -- even if the Packers won't say it.

The Power Rankings through Week 12:

Power Rankings
Current		Team	Previous
	1	Patriots · Trends	11
	They get Tom Brady back. They have the deepest team in the league. Oh, and they have the best coach. Add it up, and it's no wonder they are Super favorites.
	2	Steelers · Trends	1
	The champions are loaded again and will be in the thick of it come playoff time. They didn't do much to improve their offensive line, though, which has to be a concern.
	3	Colts · Trends	7
	Peyton Manning is back healthy again, so they are a real contender again. The addition of Donald Brown to the running game will give it more explosiveness. The key will be the return to health of major defensive players.
	4	Cardinals · Trends	2
	They've done some nice things in the offseason, including adding corner Bryant McFadden and drafting Beanie Wells to carry the football. They will be a playoff team again and maybe they'll finish in Miami.
	5	Eagles · Trends	4
	They've had a wonderful offseason, adding key players like tackles Jason Peters and Stacey Andrews and loading up in the draft with speed and quickness. They will be tough to stop on offense.
	6	Giants · Trends	5
	They fortified the defense with some key free agents and added a speed receiver in Hakeem Nicks to the passing game. Tom Coughlin will have this team in the playoffs again.
	7	Titans · Trends	6
	They haven't done a lot, and losing Albert Haynesworth will hurt. The other thing is their division is tough. They also have to get more big plays from their passing game.
	8	Ravens · Trends	3
	Joe Flacco will be better in his second season as a starter and that defense will once again be among the best. They do have to take their passing game up a notch.
	9	Falcons · Trends	9
	It's all about the defense for the Falcons. Adding Tony Gonzalez makes the offense complete and the draft was loaded with defensive picks to help the other side. They aren't going away.
	10	Saints · Trends	19
	This is another team that has improved its defense in the past four months in terms of talent. Now new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has to bring it all together.
	11	Chargers · Trends	10
	This is still a deep, talented team. If Philip Rivers continues to develop, the Chargers will easily be the class of the AFC West.
	12	Texans · Trends	17
	The Texans have a lot of important pieces in place. As long as Matt Schaub can stay healthy, they might be ready to make a real playoff push.
	13	Panthers · Trends	8
	They will be the same team: Run heavy and play tough defense. Is that enough? Jake Delhomme has to play better.
	14	Bears · Trends	18
	Getting Jay Cutler is the steal of the offseason. He makes them a real playoff threat. Yes, I do believe that.
	15	Cowboys · Trends	14
	They have talent, but something just seems to be off. I don't think they're as good as the Eagles or Giants in their own division, which is why they are down this low.
	16	Bengals · Trends	24
	Getting Palmer back makes them dangerous and the defense will be better around him. I like the Bengals as a sleeper team. I really do.
	17	Vikings · Trends	13
	Quarterback. It's all about the quarterback. Whether it's Sage Rosenfels or Tarvaris Jackson, that position has to be better. Words of advice: Stay away from that guy named Favre.
	18	Packers · Trends	23
	The move to a 3-4 under new coordinator Dom Capers will be one to watch closely. If that side of the ball plays better, Aaron Rodgers might get them to a playoff game.
	19	Bills · Trends	22
	Can Terrell Owens make them a playoff team? That might be stretching it, but they will be better on offense.
	20	Seahawks · Trends	28
	New coach Jim Mora takes over a veteran team that was hurt by injuries last season. They need to keep Matt Hasselbeck healthy. If they do, they will push the Cardinals.
	21	Jets · Trends	16
	How long does it take to get Mark Sanchez ready? If he's what they think he is, they will be better than expected. If not, it's a redshirt season and they will win six games.
	22	Buccaneers · Trends	15
	Who plays quarterback? Whoever it is has to be better than what they had last season. There are also some age concerns on defense. New coach Raheem Morris faces a challenging first season.
	23	Redskins · Trends	25
	They're the fourth team in a four-team division. That will make it tough to win eight games.
	24	Jaguars · Trends	26
	They've made some nice moves to fix the offensive line, and now it's time for the offense to do more. The defense also needs young players to step up, especially end Derrick Harvey.
	25	Broncos · Trends	20
	They're excited about Kyle Orton. I'm not. I think he's OK. They better hope the defense plays better than a year ago or it won't matter who quarterbacks the Broncos. I do like Knowshon Moreno.
	26	Dolphins · Trends	12
	They are the step-back team this season. But in 2010, look out. I think Chad Henne will take over at some time this season.
	27	49ers · Trends	21
	It's all quarterback with the 49ers. Can Shaun Hill or Alex Smith get the job done? If not, they'll stay down here all year long.
	28	Raiders · Trends	27
	It's all about JaMarcus Russell. If he plays an entire season to the level of expectations, the Raiders will be better. I think he can. But they have other issues.
	29	Chiefs · Trends	29
	They landed their quarterback in Matt Cassel and have added a few players to help, but new coach Todd Haley faces a big task in getting this offense to play like his Arizona unit did.
	30	Browns · Trends	30
	New coach Eric Mangini will build this team the way he wants it. But one has to wonder if that's a good thing considering his Jets history.
	31	Rams · Trends	31
	The Rams were a disaster last year. New coach Steve Spagnuolo has a lot of work to do. They're at least a year away.
	32	Lions · Trends	32
	They have their franchise quarterback to build around, and Jim Schwartz will do a good job, but there's a lot of work still to be done.