Power Rankings: Dominant teams suck drama out of December

Updated Dec. 11

What's left to decide?

We have three weeks left in the regular season and the playoff field is pretty much set. We basically have one playoff spot in each conference to be decided.

Philip Rivers came through to keep San Diego on track to repeat as AFC West champ. (Getty Images)

Division races? We have none.

So much for important December games. The two hottest things going are whether the New England Patriots will go undefeated and whether the Miami Dolphins will go winless.

Can we start the playoffs now? We can pretty much map out the playoffs.

Let's start with the AFC. The Patriots will have the top seed, the Colts the second. They get byes. That means barring major changes, the first week will have the Steelers and the Chargers playing home games. Either the Jaguars or Browns will play in San Diego, and the other, or even Buffalo, will play in Pittsburgh. The Steelers and Chargers can still lose out in their division races, but it isn't likely.

Ho-hum.

The NFC isn't much different. The Cowboys and Packers will get first-week byes. That leaves the Seahawks and the Bucs to likely host first-round playoff games. The fourth seed will play host to the Giants, the third will play host to the team that sneaks in as the sixth seed. That team will come from a group consisting of Minnesota and a handful of others, with the Vikings having the inside track.

So what's left to decide? Only playoff positioning in both conferences and probably one playoff spot.

Oh, boy.

What happened to great division races being decided on the final week? What happened to parity, where all fans had hope with three weeks left?

Poll Which of the teams likely to get a bye will be upset in the playoffs?   12%  Colts     23%  Cowboys     31%  Packers     18%  Patriots     15%  None of them     Total Votes: 69238

Here's what happened: There are four dominant teams, eight others that are good and the rest aren't.

That makes for a top-heavy league and top-heavy CBSSports.com Power Rankings. The top four teams are the elite of the rankings. We have New England, Dallas, Indianapolis and Green Bay.

On paper, it appears those four will be the four teams in the conference championship games in just over a month.

What has given us any indication that it won't be that way?

Most years, there is a team that makes a surprise playoff run. But it sure doesn't look that way this year. Then again, we know better than to try and think we can predict the playoffs already.

But you do have to admit that the only drama of the final three weeks is New England's greatness, Miami's ineptness and two playoff spots.

January can't get here soon enough. Even that looks predictable because of the Big Four.

The Power Rankings through Week 14:

Power Rankings
Current		Team	Previous
	1	Colts · Trends	1
	They won four games in November by a total of 10 points. They're not dominating, but they are winning.
	2	Saints · Trends	2
	They get a major test next week when the Patriots come to town for a Monday night game. Is that the end of the unbeaten season?
	3	Vikings · Trends	3
	Brett Favre might be having his best season. Who said he would flop? Oh, me.
	4	Patriots · Trends	5
	They bounced back nicely against the Jets and have a two-game lead in the division, but the Saints will be a great barometer for where they are now.
	5	Cowboys · Trends	7
	They beat the Redskins, but they still looked off. They'll get it going Thursday against the Raiders.
	6	Bengals · Trends	4
	What was that in Oakland? That reminds us a little of why they're still the Bengals. They had no business losing that game.
	7	Chargers · Trends	9
	They are rolling again after a slow start. What else is new for this team? They are the class of the AFC West, just like we thought they'd be.
	8	Cardinals · Trends	10
	They played a decent road game against the Rams, even if they made it interesting in the end. The running game is getting cranked up, which is great for the playoff run.
	9	Eagles · Trends	11
	They snapped a two-game losing streak against the Bears to keep their playoff chances solid. This is the time when the Eagles usually get it going.
	10	Steelers · Trends	6
	They just haven't looked that good this season. Something is off. It might be wise to work on that kickoff coverage.
	11	Giants · Trends	12
	Eli Manning's big game saved their season against Atlanta. Now they face a tough road game at Denver on a short week.
	12	Broncos · Trends	8
	Was their start a fraud? It sure looks like it. They aren't playing well on either side of the ball, but especially on offense.
	13	Jaguars · Trends	16
	If the playoffs started today, they'd be in. Wow. They aren't winning pretty, but they're finding a way.
	14	Packers · Trends	17
	Losing Al Harris and Aaron Kampman for the season will impact that defense in a big way. It's good that the offense is playing better now to help offset it.
	15	Falcons · Trends	14
	They have three consecutive homes games to turn their season back around. The defense just gives up too many big plays.
	16	Dolphins · Trends	21
	Chad Henne is growing up. As he does, they will be better. The playoffs are still possible. But don't lose at Buffalo.
	17	Ravens · Trends	15
	They've been a disappointment so far. If they lose to the Steelers this week, they can say goodbye to the playoffs.
	18	Texans · Trends	13
	That loss at home to the Titans is a big hit to their playoff chances. They just never got it going on offense. Kris Brown choked two weeks in a row. Now the Colts come to town.
	19	Titans · Trends	22
	They are somehow still alive at 4-6. Winning four consecutive games after opening 0-6 is impressive. Vince Young is doing a nice job.
	20	Jets · Trends	18
	Mark Sanchez is playing like a rookie. But it doesn't mean he should sit down. He needs to grow and playing is the right way.
	21	Panthers · Trends	19
	They will likely have a new coach next season and that could mean the end for Jake Delhomme. He just isn't good enough.
	22	Bears · Trends	20
	Is Lovie Smith in trouble? He might be. Cutler sure hasn't lived up to the expectations. He needs help.
	23	49ers · Trends	23
	They can forget the playoffs now. The rest of the season is about finding out if Alex Smith is the long-term answer at quarterback.
	24	Bills · Trends	25
	Perry Fewell's first game showed a team that will still fight. And there was a Terrell Owens sighting. Amazing.
	25	Seahawks · Trends	24
	Count this team as one of the biggest flops of the season. But injuries have played a big part. Is Mike Holmgren coming to the rescue?
	26	Chiefs · Trends	26
	They're on a two-game winning streak. Beating the Steelers is a big step for this young team. The Chiefs are improving.
	27	Redskins · Trends	27
	The best thing to come out of the Cowboys loss is that Jason Campbell played better. They're still fighting.
	28	Raiders · Trends	28
	Say hello to the bench, JaMarcus Russell. Bruce Gradkowski is the guy the rest of the way.
	29	Lions · Trends	31
	Matt Stafford showed against the Browns that he was the right pick last April. They have their building block.
	30	Rams · Trends	29
	Do you feel sorry a little for Steven Jackson playing on this team? He's having a huge season. And now Marc Bulger is out? Ouch.
	31	Buccaneers · Trends	30
	Josh Freeman played like a rookie against the Saints, but he will have those days. It's hard to believe that's a Bucs defense we've been watching. It tells us why Jim Bates was fired.
	32	Browns · Trends	32
	The good news is Brady Quinn is looking better. The bad news is the defense regressed. They have a long way to go to being able to compete for a playoff spot.