Week 13 Power Rankings
They say the season doesn’t start until Thanksgiving. That’s great to hear for teams such as the 49ers whose season hit a new low in Green Bay last week or the Bengals who spent their bye week wondering how on earth they are 4-7 with a historically good season out of Joe Burrow.
Other squads are hoping their strong starts will carry over to the home stretch like the Lions who are 10-1 and winners of nine straight and Kansas City who continues to wait until death is on the doorstep to win games.
Whether your team is in the first or second boat, have no fear because Thanksgiving is here. From here on out, every game is crucial for your playoff chances. It’s also crucial towards your power rank which was evident this week, as multiple teams’ positioning in the rankings tanked while others skyrocketed. Take a look at the full rankings below.
P.S. The panel picks will be out later tonight. Happy Thanksgiving!
32. New York Giants (down 3)
Record: 2-9
New York has waved the white flag with seven weeks to go by releasing Daniel Jones and starting Tommy DeVito and the locker room is turning Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen as a result. When it’s all set and done, this might be the worst season in the Giants’ storied history.
31. Jacksonville Jaguars (up 1)
Record: 2-9
The Jaguars did themselves a favor this week by not playing, although I’m not quite sure why they didn’t fire Doug Pederson while they were at it. Reality will set back in quickly for a team who has scored 6.5 PPG in their last two games—just half of an ugly four-game skid.
30. Las Vegas Raiders (down 4)
Record: 2-9
The Raiders have nothing to play for and it’s showing. They’re recipients of seven straight losses, Antonio Pierce’s eventual firing is inevitable, and worst of all, it looks as if Desmond Ridder will be starting against the Chiefs on Friday. I don’t care if you’ve enlightenment; if Desmond Ridder is your starting QB, you’ve got it all wrong.
29. Carolina Panthers (up 2)
Record: 3-8
I’ve been stubborn about moving Carolina out of the bottom two for a while, but I have to give them credit for going toe-to-toe with the defending champs. Bryce Young looks like a legitimate NFL quarterback, Chuba Hubbard is 5th in the league in rushing, and unlike the three teams below them, Carolina is playing with pride.
28. New England Patriots (down 3)
Record: 3-9
The Patriots fell apart against Miami, shedding light on the fact that besides Drake Maye, this roster is a disaster. Maye has nobody to throw to, his O-Line can’t protect him for three seconds, and Tua Tagovailoa diced their defense apart. Most of all, Jerod Mayo’s future in New England looks bleak. I’ve never seen a coach stare off into blank space as much as he does.
27. Tennessee Titans (up 1)
Record: 3-8
Will Levis had his best game of the season in a 32-27 win over the Texans. Every part of their offense was cooking, with Levis passing for 278 yards and Tony Pollard rushing for 119. Their defense held Joe Mixon to 22 yards on 14 carries and picked off C.J. Stroud twice. Tennessee has to be moved up.
26. Dallas Cowboys (up 4)
Record: 4-7
Dallas looked dead in the water a week ago but rebounded in a big way against Washington. They had success in all three phases; Cooper Rush had the highest passer rating of his career, the defense held Washington’s offense in check for most of the game, and their special teams scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns
25. Cleveland Browns (up 2)
Record: 3-8
Though I don’t expect Jameis Winston’s winter miracle on Thursday Night to be what we see out of the Browns for the remainder of the season, beating an 8-2 team in inclement deserves to be rewarded. Their win was a reminder that at their very best, Cleveland has the talent to compete with top teams, unlike many of the teams below them.
24. New Orleans Saints (no change)
Record: 4-7
New Orleans was on bye last week which keeps Darren Rizzi undefeated after three weeks. At the start of November, I was convinced that the Saints were the worst team in the league. However, the return of Derek Carr has impacted New Orleans’ success on offense, and the firing of Dennis Allen has energized their locker room.
23. New York Jets (no change)
Record: 3-8
New York remains at 23rd while they used last week to prepare for Seattle on Sunday. Despite having a worse record than New Orleans and Dallas, the Jets have had some of the worst luck in the league and although it’s beating a dead horse, their talent on both sides of the ball is undeniable.
22. Indianapolis Colts (down 1)
Record: 5-7
At five wins, Indianapolis doesn’t belong with the bottom 10 teams, but they didn’t do themselves any favors by scoring six points against the Lions—a disappointing step back from the strong offensive performance that Anthony Richardson led against the Jets. The Colts are the worst of the mediocre teams.
21. Chicago Bears (up 1)
Record: 4-7
Caleb Williams and the Bears looked good against Minnesota, albeit in a loss. Still, their offense had only scored 27 points twice all season prior to week 12 and with Thomas Brown as the offensive coordinator, Williams has played well, completing 70.5% of his passes, and throwing for 285.5 YPG to go along with two touchdowns last week.
20. Atlanta Falcons (down 1)
Record: 6-5
You’re probably thinking that 20th is low for a talented team with a winning record. I can’t get behind Atlanta after two straight disastrous losses to the Saints and Broncos and the fact that they could easily be 3-8 and 4-7 if they lost a few of the games they miraculously won at the start of the season. Most of all though, I’m incredibly concerned about Kirk Cousins’ mobility.
19. Los Angeles Rams (down 4)
Record: 5-6
I’m finally coming around to the Matthew Stafford decline. I didn’t want to admit it but Stafford hasn’t shown his takeover ability this season, has been horrible in the redzone, couldn’t win without Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp, and had only thrown for nine touchdowns up until two weeks ago. I had no choice but to dock the Rams who have had strong quarterback play for the majority of the last ten years.
18. San Francisco 49ers (down 5)
Record: 5-6
The Niners are similar to Stafford in the sense that it took a blowout loss to demote them after a long season of dwindling hope. With Brock Purdy, this team’s ceiling is the divisional round, and without him, their ceiling may as well be the floor based on how they played against Green Bay last week.
17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (down 3)
Record: 5-6
Don’t look now, but five of Tampa’s last six games are against Carolina (twice), Las Vegas, New Orleans, and Dallas. They sunk to 4-6 after the tough part of their schedule and surrendering injuries to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Now, they’ve got Evans back, a confident Baker Mayfield, and a team that has experience coming from behind to win the NFC South just one year ago.
16. Cincinnati Bengals (up 1)
Record: 4-7
I will stay put on my Bengals being good theory—they continue to put up gawky offensive numbers with Joe Burrow at the helm and have the NFL’s lowest luck rating. They’re due to win a few of their close games soon and what better place to start than against the Steelers, who are 6-2 in one-score games this year.
15. Miami Dolphins (up 1)
Record: 5-6
The Dolphins haven’t beaten any teams over .500 in their three-game winning streak, but I’m still buying into this team even if they don’t pull off a win against Green Bay tonight. Miami looks much more like their old self—big plays down the field, lots of De’Von Achane, and good vibes on the sidelines.
14. Washington Commanders (down 3)
Record: 7-5
The Commanders are officially in free fall after losing their third straight game in embarrassing fashion. Jayden Daniels is dealing with a multitude of injuries and their defense is finally coming back down to earth; they’ve allowed 29.3 PPG in their last three games. Washington needs a win this week more than any other team.
13. Arizona Cardinals (down 1)
Record: 6-5
I don’t take much stock in messy division games like the one the Cardinals and Seahawks played on Sunday. Though Kyler Murray was awful, he’s played great in November and will continue to prosper when he’s back inside of a dome. Despite the loss, Arizona’s defense looked solid, holding Kenneth Walker to 41 yards on 16 carries and 16 total points for Seattle.
12. Seattle Seahawks (up 6)
Record: 6-5
I was skeptical to pay the Seahawks respect after a seemingly fluky win over San Francisco, but off the back of a defensive masterclass against Arizona, I have to admit that Seattle’s defense is the real deal. In a division where all four quarterbacks are at a very similar level, it will most likely come down to defense. Seattle’s looks the best right now.
11. Houston Texans (down 2)
Record: 7-5
It might be time to accept that Houston isn’t going to contend for a Super Bowl this year. When you look at their roster, it’s not much different from last year when they were lucky to win 10 games. The biggest concern is obviously C.J. Stroud’s subpar play—he hasn’t had a 100 passer rating in six weeks.
10. Denver Broncos (up 4)
Record: 7-5
Denver a top-10 team? Well, who would you put ahead of them? Bo Nix has eight touchdowns and no interceptions in his last three games, with two of those games being over 270 yards passing. Sean Payton is working his magic on the Broncos defense. Denver is 4th in defensive DVOA.
9. Los Angeles Chargers (down 1)
Record: 7-4
Don’t overreact to the Chargers’ loss to Baltimore on Monday Night Football. They only lost by seven and had some very unlikely drops destroy their chances. LA still has one of the best QB-coach combos in the league and a top defense as long as they aren’t facing Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry. The next two weeks against the Falcons and Chiefs will tell us a lot about the Chargers.
8. Pittsburgh Steelers (down 2)
Record: 8-3
Pittsburgh was due for a loss after four straight wins to open Russell Wilson’s Steelers’ tenure. I’m not concerned about how good they are—snowy AFC North games are pretty much 50-50—, but I’m concerned about where they will find wins in their last six games. They faced Cincinnati twice, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Kansas City, and Cleveland.
7. Minnesota Vikings (no change)
Record: 9-2
Much like Cinderella, Sam Darnold has miraculously staved off pumpkin mode by piecing together two straight quality starts on the road against good defenses, including a game-winning drive against Chicago in overtime. Still, I don’t believe 9-2 is truly reflective of how good the Vikings are. They’re 6-1 in one-score games and they’ve only beaten two teams with winning records.
6. Green Bay Packers (up 4)
Record: 8-3
My only complaints about Green Bay are Jordan Love’s turnover-heavy style of play and their defense’s dependency on turnovers. Otherwise, I like everything about this team. Love has a high ceiling, Josh Jacobs is averaging 100.5 YPG in his last four, and the wide receiver core offers Love a variety of targets. They are generating pressure with their pass rush and they finally have a competent kicker. I trust Matt LaFleur to make the most of his assets.
5. Baltimore Ravens (no change)
Record: 7-4
Don’t look how but Baltimore is tightening things up on defense. In their last four games, they held Denver to 10, had a stinker against Cincinnati, but came right back and held the Steelers to 18 points (their lowest with Russell Wilson), and the Chargers to 16 points until the refs handed LA a late fourth-quarter touchdown. Lamar Jackson has shown no signs of slowing down, given the Ravens a Super Bowl ceiling.
4. Philadelphia Eagles (no change)
Record: 9-2
Anyone who reads the power rankings regularly knows that I have been reluctant to move the Eagles up the rankings all season. That trend continues here, for I don’t believe a Nick Sirianni-coached team can overcome the talent that Philly has enough to be ahead of Buffalo. But let’s celebrate the talent for what it is. Saquon Barkley is on pace for one of the best seasons of all time by a running back, Jalen Hurts has been a difference maker, and out of nowhere, the Eagles’ defense has become one of the best in the NFL.
3. Buffalo Bills (down 1)
Record: 9-2
Buffalo has won six games in a row, most notably their 30-21 victory over Kansas City heading into their bye week. I still worry about their receiver depth; who will Josh Allen throw to on a 3rd and 8 in the playoffs? I’m also rightfully pessimistic about Buffalo’s chances against Kansas City in the playoffs, but it’s undeniable that the Bills will be in the mix in January.
2. Kansas City Chiefs (up 1)
Record: 10-1
KC moves up due to a win and the activation of Isiah Pacheco, who the Chiefs have missed since week two when he fractured his fibula. Kansas City squeaked by Carolina, but it’s clear they are trying to do just enough to win while saving the best of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce for the playoffs. My one concern of the Chiefs is that their defense has quietly slipped to middle-of-the-pack.
1. Detroit Lions (no change)
Record: 10-1
There’s no argument here. Detroit has a historically good point differential, points per game, offensive DVOA, and get this: since losing Aidan Hutchinson, the Lions are allowing 2.9 fewer points per game. Even though I’m no Jared Goff enthusiast, the Lions look virtually perfect right now.
