The Denver Broncos finish the regular season on top of the T

The Denver Broncos finish the regular season on top of the TSN.ca NFL Power Rankings, after going back-and-forth with the second-ranked Seattle Seahawks over the last six weeks of the campaign. Making a big jump in the final rankings, the Green Bay Packers vaulted from 19 to nine after getting quarterback Aaron Rodgers and wide receiver Randall Cobb back in the lineup. The Packers defence remains questionable, especially while missing linebacker Clay Matthews, but Rodgers gives them a chance in the postseason. A couple of also-rans, the Tennessee Titans and New York Jets, were mediocre, but more competitive than expected. As a result, the Titans moved up from 21 to 16 and the Jets from 24 to 18 in the final rankings. One of the seasons biggest surprises, the Kansas City Chiefs, lost five of seven down the stretch and fell from six to 11 in the rankings. After coughing up their shot at the postseason, the Chicago Bears dropped from 11 to 17, and the Miami Dolphins, who came back to earth in the final two games, dropped from 13 to 21. All of this weeks rankings include mention of the teams preseason rankings and where some differences were observed from the preseason ranking to the final ranking. As mentioned, the Chiefs were the big surprise, up from 26 in the preseason, while the Houston Texans were the biggest disappointment, plummeting from a fourth-place ranking down to the bottom of the list by seasons end. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Evander Kane Jersey .C. -- Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith has been ruled out for Sundays game against the Atlanta Falcons. Brent Burns Jersey . -- Omar Infante walked past the visiting clubhouse at Kauffman Stadium, where he dressed so many times as a member of the Detroit Tigers, and slipped on a crisp, new Kansas City Royals jersey. http://www.sharkssale.com/. Globo TV and other news outlets said early Monday that Scolari will not remain as coach after the national teams failure to win the World Cup at home. Joe Thornton Jersey . The 40-year-old midfielder was put in charge on Tuesday when David Moyes reign ended after 10 months with the defending champions in seventh place in the English Premier League. Custom San Jose Sharks Jerseys .Cowboys owner Jerry Jones seems to be leaning the fiscally responsible way.Let me put it like this: Its going to be a challenge, Jones said of re-signing both of Dallas biggest potential free agents.WINNIPEG -- The experiment is only a couple of games old, but new Winnipeg Jets coach Paul Maurice says hes leaving Dustin Byfuglien at forward for now. "Im going to leave him there until I . . . see something that I need to change," he said Tuesday. "That may be next week, that may be next month, that may be never. But Im not making a decision until I need to." Maurice was impressed with how Byfuglien played in Winnipegs 5-1 win over the Phoenix Coyotes on Monday night. "I think I have a pretty good handle on what hes capable of doing and I think you saw that," the coach said after a short but intense practice. Byfuglien had two assists versus Phoenix and remains the third highest-scoring defenceman in the league with 37 points. He still jumps back in on the point on power plays although at even strength he plays forward. "Sometimes its a little tough to stay on the point but its good I get out there a little more," Byfuglien says. "Im more comfortable on D so its a lot easier to go back there and just feel comfortable and know that Im doing a lot better." Although he played forward with the Chicago Blackhawks, Byfuglien says he still doesnt feel all that comfortable in the role with the Jets. "Definitely not. It will take a few weeks for that one." Maurice was pleased overall with the energy level the team showed Tuesday and says there may be too much focus on Byfuglien, in particular if he makes a mistake when many other players in a similar position go unnoticed. "We are a far better hockey team with Dustin Byfuglien at forward or at D playing close to his abilities," Maurice said. "Thats my goal. . . At the end of the day, if Ive got a guy I feel can play at the back end and up front, then thats (a) best-case scenario." Maurice replaced Claude Noel, fired on the weekend as thhe Jets floundered and lost five in a row.dddddddddddd Noel left the new coach a note that Maurice said he didnt get a chance to read immediately. But after reading it Monday, he had nothing but praise for his predecessor. "The point was there are very special people here, its a great town, he made that point, great organization and great players. When you get fired, youre dealing with a lot of tough emotions. For him to take time, that just shows how much he cares and the quality of man that he is. . . "He grew to love the team and the town and he was a good coach." He said he wants to thank Noel for the good work that he did with the team that might have gone unappreciated with his firing. "And Im speaking from experience." Maurice was fired by the Carolina Hurricanes (twice) and the Toronto Maples Leafs. After the win the players were a lot more upbeat than they have been for weeks, although they know it was just one game. "It was good to get back on track but this is a process so we need to bring that same level of energy every night," said forward Blake Wheeler, who enjoyed hearing cheers instead of jeers from fans. "Its been tough. We know when we deserve to get booed off the ice. We know when we deserve to get cheered on." The word "playoffs" even re-entered the Jets vocabulary, although at 20-23-5 theyre still tied on points for last place in the Central Division with the Nashville Predators. "Our goal at the start of the year was to make the playoffs and youre never out of it until youre out of it," said rookie forward Mark Scheifele, the teams No. 1 draft pick in 2011 who has seven goals and 24 points so far this season and sits fifth among rookie scorers in the NHL. "Theres still a lot of games left. All we have to do is make a good push and play as a team." ' ' '