Updated Dec. 16
There are no Super Bowl favorites anymore.
The New York Giants and Tennessee Titans, who we anointed as the teams that would meet in Tampa in seven weeks, have fallen on tough times.
The Titans were upset by the Houston Texans on Sunday and the Giants have lost two consecutive games, including a 20-8 defeat at Dallas on Sunday night.
That isn't exactly rolling into the postseason.
Both can still lock up the top seed in their respective conferences this week with victories, but now there are questions.
Do the Titans throw it well enough? How hurt is Albert Haynesworth and when will he be back? What happened to the Giants' offensive line against the Cowboys? Do they have the same ability to score without Plaxico Burress?
The Titans play host to the Pittsburgh Steelers next Sunday in a game featuring the league's top two scoring defenses. But Haynesworth is out with a knee injury that will be an enormous -- as in 340 pounds enormous -- hit for the Titans.
If the 12-2 Titans win, they lock up the AFC's top seed. If they don't, the Steelers can steal it with a victory the following week at Cleveland.
The Giants play host to the Carolina Panthers, a team that has won three consecutive games to get to 11-3, the same record as the Giants. The winner takes the No. 1 seed in the NFC. If the Giants were to lose and then lose to the Vikings in Week 17, there would be a chance they could even lose a first-round bye.
It's amazing how quickly things change in the NFL. That's why it's also imperative to be hot going into the playoffs.
The Giants, of all teams, know that well. They got hot at the right time in 2007, won three consecutive playoff games on the road, and then beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl. That team peaked at the right time.
This one doesn't seem to be.
Neither are the Titans. They've lost two of their past four games, prompting some speculation that the magic has gone for Kerry Collins.
My theory is they've always been too run reliant. That helped protect Collins. Now they need to open it up more.
Collins can do it. He has to show it, though.
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If they don't have a capable passing game come January, it won't matter anyway. The running game and defense win championships, but you have to be able to throw it to score.
The Giants did it last year, the Colts the year before that and the Steelers the year before that. They threw to score and then ran to win.
After losing this week, the Titans and Giants each drop down a notch in our CBSSports.com Power Rankings, with a new team at the top in the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Even though the Giants won at Pittsburgh on Oct. 26 -- which should put them higher than the Steelers -- the fact the Giants have lost two consecutive games factors into my decision.
The Titans are second, with the Giants third.
But if things turn around for those two this week, one of them could be back at the top. Then we'll start it all over again, that talk about the Titans and Giants in the Super Bowl.
They better just hope they haven't cooled too much at this critical point in the season.
The Power Rankings through Week 15:
| 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. | ||||||||||
