By Tom Morris With the ?holiday season? upon us, and generous yuletide cheer and goodwill one carol away from completely subjugating us for one more December, it?s fitting that the teams of the NFL start the gift-giving procedure. You just never expect them to start so early is all. Week 13 saw a few key teams give their games away, a few teams took advantage, and some others just plain seemed to give up. Your guess is as good as mine what comes of it. I can think of a few teams who are already wishing they had held on to their 2006 season receipts. In the NFC, where the postseason waters were already a tad murky, things are now so unclear even goggles don?t help. One thing is clear: Dallas, Chicago, New Orleans, and Seattle are the strongest teams. And Seattle just only barely fits the bill. But outside of that, you?d have to be a soothsayer to say you can predict which of the remaining 6 ? 6 part-timers make it to the playoffs. Carolina? They?re on their way down now after climbing their way up the ladder for so many weeks.. Losses to Washington and Philadelphia prove that they are far from meeting expectations, and when all?s said and done may have been doing a smoke and mirrors act on us this whole year. The Giants? They have lost four straight. Despite showing signs of life in a 3-point loss to division leader Dallas, the G-Men are sapped of confidence, unsure on offense, and using the sports media to grab for answers. Yeah, that always helps a player out. The Eagles? Garcia may have made a born-again outfit out of the flightless Eagles. But can you really say this team is airborne again? That defense, when put to the test (see: Indianapolis game, week 12) is defenseless. And until Garcia proves those 312 yards and 3 TDs is the rule, not the exception, I can?t put my money on them either. Atlanta? They somehow managed to get a sixth win against the Redskins, which temporarily stopped the bleeding. But this team has hemorrhaged its talent, leadership, and its trust in its quarterback, who sent hand signals to the Atrlanta fans to say how it?s making him feel. Great. No way they make it in. Then, of course, there are the 3 teams (Minnesota, SF, and St. Louis) who, at 5 ? 7, are only one game back, and 4 straight wins from playing in January. Can you really say any of them are worth watching play a meaningful game? That?s not nice to us fans. Now, in the AFC, where the NFL cream has normally been rising, a small contingent of teams have been giving their games away. Denver and Kansas City, who at 7 ? 4, had been making the wild-card race look estimable, both played poorly, and lost. Cincinnati, Jacksonville and the Jets did not. So that?s 5 teams at 7 ? 5. What will become of that logjam I couldn?t tell you. Or if I did, my word-count would soar into the three-thousands. But across both conferences, one thing is known: the division races are over. When Carolina lost to Philly Monday night, the envelope was sealed. In not one remaining division is there a team trailing the leader by less than 1 game. In fact, in only half of the eight divisions is the division so far decided by less than three games. Wow. So I suppose those were the biggest gifts of all. The gift of the division. It may divide the good from the bad, sure. But that united front of mediocrity they call the wild-card race better speed up soon. It?s been giving me ? a headache. Here?s your Rankings, everybody. Notice a small change, do you? Yep, that?s San Diego up top. Please, hold your applause until all the teams have finished the swimsuit competition. This Week?s Rankings: [ Last Week?s Ranking, W ? L Record, in Parentheses ] 1. San Diego Chargers (3), (10 ? 2) Here?s what LT had to say shortly after his 178 yards rushing led the Bolts to a win in punishingly cold Buffalo conditions: ?You know, every once in a while it's actually fun to play in weather like this.? And, ?You see NFL games like in Chicago?and it kind of looks cool.? OK, Mr. T. Whatever. Fact is, the guy could probably put up these numbers each week while encased in a twelve-foot block of ice. And now, with Merriman back in the mix, San Diego?s D is getting stronger (44 sacks), holding upstart Buffalo to 230 yards of offense enroute to their sixth sraight W. Oh, and for a team that?s 5 ? 0 at home, three of their last 4 games in San Diego must look awfully? ?fun?. 2. Indianapolis Colts (1), (10 ? 2) We?ve all been talking for weeks about Indy?s troubles stopping the run. Sunday it caught up with them. In a game any Colts team of the last four years won, Vince Young ran and threw the ball at will in the second half, almighty Peyton threw two picks, and the game was sealed on a jaw-dropping 60-yard field goal off the monster boot of Rob Bironas. Yeah, tell me you put money on THAT outcome. That?s two amazing comebacks in a row for an impressive Titans club that has a very bright future, and two frustrating losses in three weeks for a Colts team wondering if this trend will continue. 3. New England Patriots (4), (9 ? 3) It?s hard to decide. Admire this Pats team for a never-say-die attitude that pulls them through even the sloppiest, least energetic of games. Or wonder when this sometime stumbling squad will use up all its mulligans. They squeaked by the worst team in he NFL Sunday, finally gaining their first lead when Corey Dillon ran his third TD of the day. But all day the Pats continued with the clumsy turnovers that have lagued them all season (12 INTs, 12 fumbles). Don?t expect Brady to pull that rabbit out against any of the better teams of the NFL. 4. Baltimore Ravens (2), (9 ? 3) This game was like the NFL?s version of ?Face Off?, with the Bengals beating the Ravens at their own game. McNair struggled all day to move the chains against a Cinci. team that is turning more than a few heads. A team with a defense as stout as Baltimore?s (29 takeaways, 41 sacks, 13.3 pts./game) needs more consistent production from their other 11 guys if they want to stand up to the AFC playoff teams that know how to get the ball into the endzone. They should still have the division locked up, though. After KC next week, they close out the season against Cleveland, Buffalo, and Pittsburgh. 5. Dallas Cowboys (6), (8 ? 4) I thought twice about moving the Cowboys above the sinking Bears. But in the end, Dallas overcame 2 Tony Romo interceptions to win with thir offense, while Chicago?s defense simply bailed out Rex all day. Superlatives follow Romo everywhere he goes these days. But the jury is not out on him yet. Let?s see how he responds to the pressure of being the MAN atop the NFC East, on his way to his first playoff game in his first year behind center. But as a team, these guys are Jekyll to their Mr. Hyde of only six weeks ago. The Tuna?s got to be feeling pretty good abut himself these days for dropping Drew when he did. Now a huge game against the Saints is next. 6. Chicago Bears (5), (10 ? 2) I know exactly how good Chicago?s defense was Sunday. My Fantasy opponent had them on his team. Every Minnesota possession, it seemed, resulted in a pick, a fumble, three consecutive sacks, and so on, and so on. They revealed the Vikings? every weakness, then shoved their faces in them. It almost makes one forget about Wretched Rex?s 34 yards passing and 3 INTs. Almost makes you forget, but doesn?t. He?s not just an average. Right now he?s downright awful, and watching Lovie painstakingly try to spin it to a positive is torturous. No, you?re not 10 ? 2 with Rex as your quarterback. You?re 10 ? 2 in spite of Rex at quarterback. 15 turnovers by him alone in 8 games means something?s got to change now. 7. New Orleans Saints (7), (8 ? 4) We have to remember: this team won three games last year. Three. What a difference it makes to have a new QB, a great new coach, and a group of receivers so numerous they travel in their own plane. Officially ranked #1 in team offense now, at a hair above 400 yards a game, the Saints are looking like the Bengals of last year. Solid team defense playing handmaiden to a quarterback who is having a dandy of a season (65.9 % completions, 3568 yards passing). And while the injury to Joe Horn may prove costly, the belated arrival of Reggie Bush (4 TDs Sunday) means that offense is only getting better by the week. 8. Cincinnati Bengals (10), (7 ? 5) It looked as if they would get consecutive shutouts. Not so fast. A late TD by Baltimore ended that stat line, but didn?t stop the Bengals from winning their third straight, by a collective margin of 74 ? 23. It was that embarrassing 49 ? 41 loss to San Diego that started the turnaround. And this is no fluke. Carson Palmer is finding his receivers, but the defense gets all the credit here, passionately shutting down each opponents? running game. Cinci. is in the lead for the wild card by virtu of the tiebreaker, but their remaining schedule is rigorous. If they can overcome that to make the playoffs, then look out is all I can say. 9. Seattle Seahawks (11), (8 ? 4) OK, so Hasselbeck?s back. Shaun Alexander too. That bodes well for the NFC champs, right? Sure, credit where credit is due. But this team really needs a proper test. Their last four opponents, week 9 to now: Oakland, St. Louis, San Fran, Green Bay, Denver. Denver was imposing, but now?not so much. Gets tougher from here on out, right? Wrong. Arizona and the Niners again. Will they ever play a good team before the playoffs start? Week 16, vs. San Diego. But by then they?ll have the division wrapped up, and will also be so damn soft you could melt ?em with a stare. 10. Kansas City Chiefs (9), (7 ? 5) Kansas City played a Browns team that had just been shut out by Cinci., 30 ? 0. The Chiefs have a blast moving the ball as well, as Trent Green ?with his 4 TD passes-- serves notice to the league that his concussion is a distant?uh?memory. But letting Charlie Frye and his understudy Derek Anderson light up the Cleveland sky for 31 points and an overtime victory. A huge blow to their playoff hopes, and now they have back-to-back games against Baltimore and San Diego. Now that?s just not fair. By the time week 15 in Oakland rolls around this team may have already missed the postseason boat. 11. Jacksonville Jaguars (14), (7 ? 5) Now that?s much better. David Garrard found a little mojo Sunday against a gritty Miami team, which folded under the pressure created by the 4th-ranked Jacksonville defense. Still, it was their turn to play well. Here?s how it?s gone: thrash Tennessee, lose by 3 to Houston. Stomp on the Giants, lose by 3 to Buffalo. Now after this win over Miami, do we expect them to lose by a field goal to Indy? Call your bookie. Might actually be a solid side bet. 12. Denver Broncos (8), (7 ? 5) If it weren?t for a Champ Bailey, a dominating offensive line, and Tatum Bell, the Broncos wouldn?t even be on this list. The professional debut of Jay Cutler proved to be more of the same fans had come to expect with Jake snaking around at QB. And while Cutler finally started to loosen up toward the end, it was too late to try to compensate for his 2 picks and one fumble, accounting for three of Denver?s 5 turnovers on the night. In the end they made an average Seattle team look good. And if Cutler doesn?t blossom, fast, Denver will be looking ahead to 2007 before 2006 is up. 13. New York Giants (13), (6 ? 6) Well, as far as I can tell, there has been not one high-stakes melodrama coming out of the Giants? locker room this week. And they lost, too! Maybe their owners offered cash bonuses to layers if they all clammed up for seven days. Or, and here?s a thought, things are actually on the mend at the Meadowlands. They lost 23 ? 20, to a good Cowboys team, and must hang their heads after atrocious clock management to end the game. But there were signs of serious improvement. And with the rest of the NFC racing each other to the bottom of the wild-card race, the G-Men still have a shot. Carolina, New Orleans, and Philly up next. Which Giants team will show up for those games? 14. New York Jets (15), (7 ? 5) The Jets are doing what nobody expected. And if it weren?t for the New Orleans Cinderellas blazing a path to the NFC champinship, the Jets might just be the biggest pleasant surprise of the NFL this year. How can a team with the 23rd-ranked offense, and 25th-ranked defense, be 7 ? 5, with an edge to make the postseason? Beats me. But with the way Mangini?s squad is going, we may not see the bubble burst until those playoffs begin. 15. Philadelphia Eagles (NR), (6 ? 6) Donovan who? Jeff Garcia silenced that huge faction of football fans who?ve been hating on him since his days as a Niner fizzled out. He may not have been a trailblazer early on, but as the game progressed, Garcia?s professional football portfolio improved. He started to find Stallworth and Reggie Brown and Westbrook (each one caught a TD pass), threw for 312 yards with zero INTs, and the Philly defense was scrappy enough to rattle Jake Delhomme into throwing the game away in the fial minutes. All of a sudden, this capsized ship is righting itself, and at 6 ? 6 the Eagles deserve just as much credit as do any of the other 3 feet-shuffling 6 ? 6 wild-card contenders.