NFL Week 13 Power Rankings Feature Jets, Patriots Locked In Top Spots Leading Into Epic Monday Night Showdown

The Jets and Patriots have been in a deadlock atop the AFC East standings and, consequentially, the NFL Power Rankings.

But this time next week, there will be one definitive leader.

Tom Brady and the Pats welcome Mark Sanchez and the Jets to New England on Monday night for a showdown that is, to date, the biggest game of the 2010 NFL season. Both teams enter the game at 9-2, and the winner takes a giant leap toward getting home-field advantage in the postseason.

Meanwhile, the Atlanta Falcons have turned into the class of a weak NFC, and sit right up there with the Patriots and Jets at 9-2. Don't look now, but Boston College product Matt Ryan could play Brady in the Super Bowl — giving fans in Chestnut Hill a bit of a decision to make.

But all that's speculation — there's still five weeks left in the regular season.

NFL Power Rankings
1 Last week: No. 1 Record: 9 – 2	New York Jets The Jets haven’t gotten many style points in the last month, but they'll earn a season's worth if they can beat the Patriots.
2 Last week: No. 2 Record: 9 – 2	New England Patriots Wide receiver Wes Welker is enjoying his best stretch of the season, catching 23 passes for 237 yards and three touchdowns in the last three weeks, but he'll likely get manned up with Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis next week.
3 Last week: No. 3 Record: 9 – 2	Atlanta Falcons Matt Ryan has orchestrated game-winning drives in the last minute against two of the Falcons' last three opponents, the Ravens and Packers.
4 Last week: No. 4 Record: 8 – 3	New Orleans Saints Even though the Saints averted disaster and won Thursday, their blown lead against the Cowboys could be another sign of the complacency that can come with a Super Bowl hangover. That had been an issue earlier in the season, so we'll see how the Saints respond Sunday against the Bengals.
5 Last week: No. 6 Record: 8 – 3	Baltimore Ravens The Ravens have already beaten the Steelers once this season, so a second win would basically guarantee a division championship, and likely, a first-round bye.
6 Last week: No. 5 Record: 8 – 3	Pittsburgh Steelers The Steelers' issues have been a little more apparent in the last month, but with games against the Ravens and Jets in the next three weeks, Pittsburgh can reestablish itself as a legitimate Super Bowl contender with a couple of wins.
7 Last week: No. 11 Record: 6 – 5	San Diego Chargers If the Chargers are reverting to their same old ways — a terrible start followed by a red-hot finish — why should we believe their playoff fate will be any different?
8 Last week: No. 13 Record: 8 – 3	Chicago Bears It's still hard to buy into a team with a paper-thin offensive line and a mistake-prone quarterback, but the Bears earned their loudest victory of the season against the Eagles.
9 Last week: No. 7 Record: 7 – 4	Green Bay Packers This team won't do anything in the playoffs if quarterback Aaron Rodgers is its only reliable rusher.
10 Last week: No. 8 Record: 7 – 4	Philadelphia Eagles Sunday marked just the sixth time this season that quarterback Michael Vick played wire to wire, and it was Philly's first loss in such circumstances.
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