NFL Power 12: September

1 Indianapolis Colts-The Colts nab the top spot thanks to a relentless offense that refuses to lose speed despite the aging of two of it's greatest weapons, Peyton Manning and Reggie Wayne. If they can get anything out of their defense, they are easily the team to beat this season.

2 New Orleans Saints-The Saint emerged as the last team standing last season and it was a great story. As the Champs they deserve respect, which is why they are number two on this ranking as opposed to about 5 or six which is where I'd originally planned.

3  Baltimore Ravens-A revamped offense to go with the ever-steady defense, the sky's the limit for this team. The only question mark for them is whether all the new pieces can come together on the field.

4 Dallas Cowboys-Dallas looks to make it's mark as the premier team in the NFC this season but to do so, they need to overcome the inconsistencies that have plagued them in the past.

5 Minnesota Vikings-The Brett Favre era in Minnesota enters year two and the team is hoping it brings even greater success than last season. The reality is that they will need to depend more on their rushing and expect Favre to come down to Earth a bit.

6 Green Bay Packers-Aaron Rodgers is poised to take the NFL by Storm this season and following in his wake is a solid Packer squad that could make it far in the postseason.

7 New York Jets-With the return of Darrell Revis to the fold, the Jets are looking to let their defense do the talking this season. They will need solid production from their run game, however, to make it far in a tough AFC.

8 Atlanta Falcons-Atlanta is going to need a solid season from tailback Michael Turner if they expect to do anything this season. He was inconsistent last year after a brilliant year one with the Falcons but all signs point to him being back in top shape for this year.

9 San Diego Chargers-The Chargers are a team in flux, if not outright turmoil. Their number one receiver, Vincent Jackson, is a holdout on top of a three game suspension and they are entering their first season under Phillip Rivers without running back LaDainian Tomlinson. That being said, they are still a dangerous team with a solid defense and one of the premier quarterbacks in the league in Phillip Rivers.

10 Cincinnati Bengals-The Bengals look to take what they did excellent last season, running the ball, and add in a renewed commitment to the pass. To that end, they brought in Terrell Owens to bolster their receiving corps. A future Hall of Fame receiver, Owens still has enough left in the tank to give that boost Cincinnati is looking for.

11 New England Patriots-Always dangerous, the Patriots are a bit of a wild card in the AFC this season. Always a threat under coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady, their lack of a ground game and suspect defense may leave them on the outside looking in come playoff time.

12 Pittsburgh Steelers-Though the Steelers will be without franchise QB Ben Roethlisberger for the first four weeks of the season, this is still a very dangerous team with a top 5 defense and a myriad of offensive weapons. If they can go 2-2 in his absence, then they are in perfect position to make some noise once he returns.