It's Week 12 in the NFL; Time to Separate the Contenders From the Pretenders

Week 11 wasn’t quite as hectic as it has been, but it still had its’ moments. Houston upset Tennessee in a stunner, Buffalo got hit in the mouth by the Colts, and both, Dallas and Green Bay lost, although to good teams. Suddenly, the Patriots and the Chiefs are rising to the top and are playing as well as anyone in the league. And, coming out of nowhere, are the Colts and the Eagles. We are entering into the separation period, where we are going to decide who are the contenders, and who are the pretenders. It is put up or shut up time. Let’s update the divisions.

NFC EAST: Combined Record 19-22
Dallas 7-3 They are beat up on offense and have a short week as they play on Thanksgiving. Still a lock to win the division
Philadelphia 5-6: They have quietly crept up in the wild card race and their schedule is going to get easier. Can they win with the pressure on?
Washington 4-6: They have won two straight and are showing signs of life. Could be a spoiler down the stretch.
New York Giants 3-7: Not a good performance in Tampa on Monday night.

NFC NORTH: Combined Record 16-24-1
Green Bay: 8-3 The Packers have lost two out of their last three, but they played pretty good at Minnesota before losing a tough one.
Minnesota: 5-5 Biggest win of the year for the Vikings as they stayed in the wild card hunt. Best 5-5 team in the NFC.
Chicago: 3-7 They had the Ravens beat, but let them off the hook late in the game.
Detroit: 0-9-1 Another close loss for the hapless Lions.

NFC SOUTH: Combined Record 21-20
Tampa Bay 7-3: The Buccaneers bounce back with a victory over the hapless Giants. It’s time to prove themselves.
New Orleans 5-5: Just three weeks ago, the Saints were riding high after a win over the Bucs. Since then, they are 0-3.
Carolina 5-6: They lost at home to Philadelphia in a game they had to have. They just aren’t quite there, yet.
Atlanta 4-6: The Falcons have been simply, awful in their last two games.

NFC WEST: Combined Record 24-17
Arizona 9-2: The Cardinals got a very good win in Seattle and are back with the best record in the NFL.
Los Angeles 7-3: Do the Rams have hidden problems, or are they just in a slump? Stay tuned.
San Francisco 5-5: The 49ers got their 2nd straight win and are now in the playoff hunt. Didn’t seem possible two weeks ago..
Seattle 3-7: The Seahawks are probably going to clean house at the end of this season.

AFC EAST: Combined Record 19-23
New England 7-4: Look who”s back in first in the AFC East. The Patriots have won five in a row and are playing as well as anyone.
Buffalo 6-4: Another unexplainable loss loss for the Bills. They just got hammered by the Colts and have two games left with New England.
Miami 4-7: Third straight win for the Dolphins as they continue to play better.
New York Jets 2-8: The Jets are back to playing like the Jets.

AFC NORTH: Combined Record 24-16-1
Baltimore 7-3: The Ravens got an uninspiring win over the Bears, scoring with 30 seconds to beat another poor team.
Cincinnati 6-4: The Bengals broke their two-game losing streak with a good win in Las Vegas.
Pittsburgh: 5-4-1: Great effort in Los Angeles results in a tough loss.
Cleveland 6-5: At least they got a win which is what you are supposed to do. But 13-10 over Detroit is hardly inspiring.

AFC SOUTH: Combined Record 18-24
Tennessee 8-3: The unbelievable losses continue in the NFL. No one was playing any better than Tennessee and nobody was playing any worse than Houston. So of course the Texans came into Nashville and thumped the Titans.
Indianapolis 6-5: The Colts are playing well and got an impressive win at Buffalo. They are in the hunt for, at least, a wild card in the playoffs.
Houston 2-8: A totally unexpected win over the Titans.
Jacksonville 2-8: They are hoping to find a couple more wins in the final weeks of the season.

AFC WEST: Combined Record 23-18
Kansas City 7-4: The Chiefs have taken over the top spot in the division and they will not give it up for the rest of the season.
LA Chargers 6-4 Big win for the Chargers as they stay close to the Chiefs, and are in the chase for a wild card.
Las Vegas 5-5: The Raiders are falling into a hole they won’t get out of after three straight losses, two of them at home.
Denver 5-5: The Broncos had the week off and will battle the Raiders for last place in the division.