With Week 11 of the NFL’s 2008 regular season complete, the season is rapidly approaching its home stretch.

With many close races remaining in the majority of the league’s divisions, as well as in each conference for wild card spots, it is becoming do-or-die time for many teams.

The Philadelphia Eagles, after tying the Cincinnati Bengals last week, find themselves last in their division and just short of a playoff berth. The Eagles’ opponent this week, the Baltimore Ravens, currently occupy the AFC’s last playoff spot by virtue of tiebreaker. With several teams within striking distance, the Ravens can’t afford many more performances similar to last week’s.

The race isn’t the only close one in the league. Some divisional battles are tight and figure to come down to the wire. The AFC East is a prime example of that, with all of its teams separated by two games or less. The New York Jets currently occupy the division’s top spot, but three different teams have led the division this season and could continue to trade it amongst themselves.

On the Rise

Dallas Cowboys – With Tony Romo back in the lineup the Cowboys earned redemption from their division rivals, the Washington Redskins. Romo’s performance was far from spectacular, but his presence helped open up the run game as the Cowboys pulled into a three-way tie for the last wild card spot in the NFC.

On the Decline

San Diego Chargers – The Chargers’ slow start was branded just that, merely a slow start from a good team. Many expected this team to rebound after its bye and challenge the Broncos for the division in the weak AFC West. Well, it is now Week 12 and the Chargers sit at 4-6, two games behind the Broncos. The Bolts, a team who has been one of the league’s best rushing teams for several years, can’t run the ball. To add to their troubles, they cannot stop the pass either. Unless an immediate turnaround takes place it will soon be too late for this team.

Rankings (previous rank in parentheses)

1. Tennessee Titans (10-0) (1) – Over the last two weeks the Titans have shown resilience and poise when behind, as well as the ability to move the ball through the air. This team truly doesn’t appear to have any weak links. This week's game against the Jets will be a true test.
2. New York Giants (9-1) (2) – The Giants easily disposed of the Ravens last week and will face another surprising team, the Arizona Cardinals, this week. New York’s dominance this season has been remarkable, and it is hard to argue against this team as the NFC’s finest.
3. Carolina Panthers (8-2) (3) – At 8-2, many would find it difficult to question the Panthers’ legitimacy as one of the NFC’s best. but after two straight disappointing performances, there may be some concern. The Panthers have produced sub-100-yard results through the air in each of their last two games, only to be bailed out by the defense and running game. With two of their next three matchups against divisional opponents, the Panthers will need to be sharper.
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-3) (4) – A hard-fought victory against a desperate Chargers team must have remedied the Steelers after a disappointing loss to the Indianapolis Colts the previous week. The Steelers have faced a difficult schedule for much of the season and have shown that they are truly one of the league’s best teams.
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-3) (5) – After trailing for much of the first half, the Bucs’ defense stepped up and shut out the Minnesota Vikings for the entire second half, en route to a 19-13 victory. Now it is revenge time, as Jeff Garcia faces his former club, the Detroit Lions.
6. Dallas Cowboys (6-4) (8) – Last week’s victory was important for more than just division and conference position. It provided a boost to the team’s confidence and evidence that they can compete for a playoff spot. The Cowboys remain one of the league’s most talented teams and have the weapons to beat any opponent.
7. Arizona Cardinals (7-3) (8) - The Cardinals keep winning, although their schedule has been far from challenging. Also, their tendency to let opponents back into games cannot happen against stiffer competition. This week’s matchup against the Giants will be a true barometer for this team.
8. Indianapolis Colts (6-4) (10) – The Colts have rattled off three straight wins and put themselves into a playoff stop. Their running game seemed to get on track last week and if they can fix their problems against the run, they will be tough to beat.
9. New York Jets (7-3) (13) – The Jets continue to impress and are one of the league’s hottest teams. They have won four straight, three of which came against divisional opponents – none bigger than last week’s victory against the Pats.
10. Washington Redskins (6-4) (6) – Losing to the Cowboys at home was a tough pill to swallow for the Redskins, especially considering their defense only allowed 14 points. Going forward, this team needs to throw the ball deep more often, or the opposition will continue to take away their short routes.
11. Atlanta Falcons (6-4) (7) – The Falcons suffered their first home loss of the season last week as their offense failed to exploit the Broncos’ struggling defense. Two of their next three games come against the Panthers and New Orleans Saints, so their fate could be decided by Week 14.
12. Philadelphia Eagles (5-4-1) (9) – I don’t know which is more alarming, the fact that the Eagles couldn’t beat the Bengals or the fact that Donavan McNabb didn’t know that there are ties in the NFL. If he would have known, would he have pushed harder to score on his possessions?
13. New England Patriots (6-4) (12) – Losing a close game to the Jets is certainly not sitting well with this squad. Matt Cassel had his breakout performance on national TV and the same could be said for first-round pick Jarod Mayo.
14. Miami Dolphins (6-4) (18) - The Dolphins have ripped off four straight wins and put themselves in a position to compete for their division as well as a wild card spot. This week’s contest against the Patriots will be an important one.
15. Green Bay Packers (5-5) (17) – The Packers made a statement by beating the Chicago Bears 37-3 last week, declaring that they are still the best team in the NFC North. Ryan Grant seems to be heating up and the defense continues to be terrific. This team’s 5-5 record may be a bit deceiving.
16. Denver Broncos (6-4) (20) – With two consecutive wins, the Broncos seem to have snapped out of their slump. This team doesn’t appear to have a challenger for the AFC West, so if they can keep up their play the playoffs are almost a certainty.
17. Baltimore Ravens (6-4) (14) – There is certainly no shame in losing to the Giants, but the Ravens weren’t even competitive. This team is much better than many expected them to be but there are some concerns about their ability to compete with top-end teams.
18. Chicago Bears (5-5) (15) – The Bears got demolished by the Packers last week. They were unable to move the ball and struggled against the run, an area in which they have excelled at this season. After watching the Packers exploit them, it’s hard to envision the Bears as contenders in the division, despite the fact that they are still tied for its lead.
19. New Orleans Saints (5-5) (22) – The Saints managed to win last week despite a mediocre performance from Drew Brees (well, mediocre by his standards). This team needs Reggie Bush back in the lineup, especially considering their next three matchups are against the Packers, Bucs and Falcons.
20. Minnesota Vikings (5-5) (19) – The Vikings squandered more than a halftime lead in last week’s loss to the Buccaneers: they threw away their chance to gain the lead in the NFC North.
21. Cleveland Browns (4-6) (23) – The Browns have looked much more competitive with Brady Quinn under center, although Quinn was far from impressive last Monday. Nevertheless, this team is 1-1 under Quinn and the most important stat when measuring quarterbacks is wins.
22. Buffalo Bills (5-5) (19) – Marshawn Lynch had a terrific game, but the team’s other playmaker, Lee Evans, had no catches and was thrown to only once. This team has lost four straight and needs to wake up before it’s too late.
23. San Diego Chargers (4-6) (21) – Easily the league’s most disappointing team this season, the Chargers have not played up to their potential. This team, on paper, can stack up with any in the league but on the field, they are falling short. If they can figure out a away to fix their running game, they will improve.
24. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-6) (24) – Many hoped that the Jags would take the next step towards challenging the Colts for the AFC South, but not only are they still not challenging the Colts, they aren’t even close to the new division leader.
25. Seattle Seahawks (2-8) (25) – Having Matt Hasselbeck back helped, but his three interceptions didn’t. This team figures to improve with the return of its quarterback, but at 2-8 there really isn’t anything left to play for except pride.
26. San Francisco 49ers (3-7) (29) – The 49ers won, and won big, against the St. Louis Rams last week. The win will surely be a confidence=builder for this team but until they beat more competitive opponent, this team can still be considered one of the league’s worst.  
27. Cincinnati Bengals (1-8-1) (30) – The Bengals haven’t lost in two weeks. That’s something that would have been hard to imagine saying a few weeks ago. This team has been competitive against decent teams recently and will have the Steelers this week.
28. Houston Texans (3-7) (31) – The Texans seem to be unable to compete with Sage Rosenfelts at quarterback, and, despite the fact that Matt Schaub may be back soon, it is much too late to salvage this disappointing season.  
29. Oakland Raiders (2-8) (26) – The Raiders kept in close against the Dolphins last week but still lost a two-point contest. The Raiders have dropped four consecutive games, mainly due to the fact that they’ve scored two touchdowns total in those four games.
30. Kansas City Chiefs (1-9) (27) – The Chiefs offense seems to be getting better, and Tyler Thigpen is showing that he could be an option at quarterback going forward. Still, the defense is nothing short of terrible.
31.  St. Louis Rams (2-8) (28) – The Rams got blown out, again, last week. The loss of Orlando Pace will make life even more difficult for this struggling offense.
32. Detroit Lions (0-10) (32) – Daunte Culpepper has got the offense operating at a slightly higher level, but the defense still cannot stop anyone. They have two promising prospects in Calvin Johnson and Kevin Smith, but there is a lot of work that needs to be done to turn this team around.