Week 14 Power Rankings
Week 13 was the most exciting boring week of the season. 12 of the 16 games were one-score games and the average and the average margin of victory was just 7.56—one of the slimmest weekly margins of the season. However, if you wanted to be a pessimist about week 13’s excitement level, you could easily do so. Only one betting underdog won this week (PIT) which hasn’t happened all year. With all of that considered, there wasn’t much movement throughout the rankings this week, especially given that there were only two matchups between projected playoff teams (BAL vs PHI and ATL vs LAC) That said, there are some crucial changes towards the top of the rankings that you won’t want to miss.
32. New York Giants (no change)
Record: 2-10
With the roster and the schedule that New York has, it’s unlikely they dig themselves out of last place anytime soon. At this point, they’re just fighting to get to 2-15 without their players rising up and revolting.
31. Jacksonville Jaguars (no change)
Record: 2-10
Jacksonville’s season hit a new low (if that was possible after losing by 46 to Detroit) when Trevor Lawrence was knocked out in a vicious hit by Azeez Al-Shaair. Now, it’s time for Mac Jones to stink it up which benefits nobody but Lawrence and the team’s draft position.
30. Las Vegas Raiders (no change)
Record: 2-10
Boy oh boy, where do I even begin? The worst offense in the league managed 340 yards passing against Kansas City and fumbled it all away on a boneheaded miscommunication between rookie center Jackson Powers-Johnson and quarterback Aidan O’Connell. We’ll see if they can bounce back, but I doubt things get better from here.
29. Tennessee Titans (down 2)
Record: 3-9
Tennessee was frisky in November—they went 2-2 and only lost to the Vikings and Chargers by ten points each, but they came back down to earth against a Washington team I thought was in trouble. Tennessee’s defense looked like a JV team in the first half of that game, and they need that unit to excel if they want to win games.
28. New England Patriots (no change)
Record: 3-9
Speaking of frisky, the Patriots have given opponents trouble aside from two weeks ago against Miami. They have multiple chances to make 4th down stops against Anthony Richardson and the Colts but failed to do so, leading to one of the more difficult-to-swallow losses of the year.
27. Carolina Panthers (up 2)
Record: 3-9
If the Patriots should have beaten Indianapolis, the Panthers absolutely should’ve beaten Tampa Bay. If it weren’t for Chuba Hubbard’s fumble in overtime, Carolina would be 4-8. However, they continue to raise their level of play. In their last four games, they’ve beaten the Giants and Saints and lost to the Chiefs and Bucs each by three points. That means something.
26. New York Jets (down 3)
Record: 3-9
I kept the Jets at 23rd for as long as I could, holding out hope that they were better than their record indicated, but after losing a game at home that the Seahawks were trying to hand them, I can’t defend the Jets anymore. This team stinks, their quarterback is ancient, the defense has motivation to try, and this is an epic failure of jet-sized proportions.
25. New Orleans Saints (down 1)
Record: 4-8
Darren Rizzi, otherwise known as “The Clogger,” saw his luck run out this weekend as the Saints fell to the Rams 21-14. Although the Saints’ players still looks more energized than they did under Dennis Allen, they are dealing with major health issues in their receiver core, and on both of their lines.
24. Cleveland Browns (up 1)
Record: 3-9
Monday Night might have been the most Jameis Winston performance I’ve ever seen out of Jameis Winston. 497 yards passing, four touchdowns, three interceptions, two pick-sixes, and a partridge in a pear tree. Jameis kept them in the game and lost it for them at the same time, but at least he has provided Cleveland an above-average passing attack unlike any of the quarterbacks of the teams ranked below the Browns.
23. Dallas Cowboys (up 3)
Record: 5-7
Don’t look now but—no, I’m kidding. Don’t buy into the Dallas playoff hype no matter how many time Micah Parsons mentions it on his podcast; it’s not going to happen. However, I cannot deny facts. The Cowboys have won two games in a row, their defense is getting healthy, and Cooper Rush is improving, and their special teams is one of the best in the NFL. These bottom ten teams have been the bottom ten for the last four weeks and Dallas has rightfully been elevated to the top of it.
22. Atlanta Falcons (down 2)
Record: 6-6
I’ve called it all season long: Atlanta is suspect and you shouldn’t believe in them. Now, the results are finally showing. Three straight losses with an average of 12 points per game, and no points scored in the fourth quarter are nowhere near good enough. Kirk Cousins looks very injured at the moment and Atlanta’s supporting cast isn’t good enough to pick him up. They continue to apply no pass rush and frankly aren’t doing anything right right now.
21. Chicago Bears (no change)
Record: 4-8
I’d take the Bears over the Falcons in a heartbeat if it’s one game. They’ve been one of the best 4-8 teams in recent memory—the Hail Mary, the blocked kick, the Vikings’ game-winning field goal, and now Matt Eberflus’ departing disasterclass have somehow all resulted in losses. Thomas Brown has Caleb Williams looking like a different player and I believe they’ll get one on the road against San Fran this week.
20. San Francisco 49ers (down 2)
Record: 5-7
It’s finally time to accept the 49ers season is not going anywhere. They are far too injured, but it goes beyond CMC and Brandon Aiyuk. Against the Bills, only three of their 11 defensive starters in the Super Bowl played a snap. It seems like a dark cloud of doom chose to hover over the 49ers this year. The big storm is finally starting.
19. Indianapolis Colts (up 3)
Record: 6-7
Let’s give Indy credit. They’ve stacked six wins with one of the worst quarterback situations in the league. Now, they’ve only won two of their last six and they came on game-winning two-point conversions versus the Jets and Patriots, but when you’re fighting for a playoff spot, a win is a win.
18. Cincinnati Bengals (down 2)
Record: 4-8
I’ve finally accepted that the Bengals stand no chance of reaching the playoffs as they now sit 3.5 games back of Denver. But I’m still not ready to admit that this is a bad team. Joe Burrow is having an MVP season, and the Bengals have averaged a whopping 35 PPG in their last four despite going 1-3 in that stretch. With an offense that good, they can’t possibly be worse than any team below them.
17. Los Angeles Rams (up 2)
Record: 6-6
I don’t believe in the Rams, but they continue to win road games to get back to .500 and that deserves a little bit of credit. They have so many good tools on offense that it’s clear that the common denominator for their inconsistency is Matthew Stafford—he’s 36 and not the same as he was three years ago. Still, they have a great coaching staff and defense that will bend but don’t always break.
16. Miami Dolphins (down 1)
Record: 5-7
Right now, the Dolphins are the biggest threat to beat out the Broncos for the 7th seed if there is one. They are the most well-rounded of all the teams in the hunt, and whether you like it or not, Tua is playing some great ball. They’ve got three straight games either indoors or in Miami where they should get back on track headed into week 17.
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (up 2)
Record: 6-6
I said it when they were two games back of Atlanta and I’ll say it again now that they’re tied—Tampa is going to win this division. They are a much better team than the Falcons. When Mike Evans is in the lineup, the Bucs are 6-3, baker Mayfield is clearly playing better football than Kirk Cousins. This team was 4-7 last year and finished 9-8. I think we’re in for another sprint to the finish line.
14. Arizona Cardinals (down 1)
Record: 6-6
If Arizona doesn’t make the playoffs, they might look back upon the fourth quarter in Minnesota as the reason why. Leading 19-6, they gave up 10 straight to the Vikings. Then, at 19-16 with three minutes left, they have a 4th and 4 and elected to kick the field goal. Sam Darnold drove the Vikings down the field and scored the game-winning TD. It was a choke that they couldn’t afford with Seattle and Washington both picking up wins over the weekend.
13. Seattle Seahawks (down 1)
Record: 7-5
Seattle didn’t show many signs of sloppiness, poor O-Line play, or turnovers in their victories over San Francisco and Arizona. This game was different. They took a W and placed it in the hands of Jets but Breece Hall fumbled it away, and the Seahawks recovered the W for their third straight victory. It wasn’t pretty, but Seattle is showing that they can win an imperfect fashion.
12. Houston Texans (down 1)
Record: 8-5
The Texans won, but in the minds of some for their fans, a 3-point win over the hapless Jags in a game in which C.J. Stroud looked begrudgingly average is a loss. Stroud is outside the top-15 in nearly every QB metric and he has few excuses now that Nico Collins is back healthy. If it weren’t for their stout defense, Houston might have a losing record.
11. Washington Commanders (up 3)
Record: 8-5
That was an A+ performance at home against the reeling Titans. Washington needed to establish their run game to take some of the weight off Jayden Daniels’ shoulders—or ribs for that matter—and they did so by rushing for 267 yards on 45 attempts. Washington now sits comfortably in the 7th spot in the NFC with some momentum under them heading into their bye.
10. Denver Broncos (no change)
Record: 8-5
Two words: Sean Payton. How about two more: Vance Joseph. These two coaches are one of the best coaching tandems in the league this season. They’ve squeezed every last drop of production out of their defense and quarterback and are now in the same position as Washington after a Monday Night triumph over the Browns.
9. Los Angeles Chargers (no change)
Record: 8-4
As far as win go, the Chargers’ 17-13 victory over the Falcons was on the low end of the impressiveness scale. However, it showed that the defense can win games for them unlike in past seasons. LA was outgained by 350 yards to 187, but they forced four turnovers and held Atlanta to 3-for-14 on third down. That’s a winning recipe.
8. Minnesota Vikings (down 1)
Record: 10-2
Aside from surrendering the game-winning kick against Detroit in week six, the Vikings have improbably repeated their late-game magic from 2022 when they were 11-0 in one-score games. Minnesota pulled out another win from the jaws of defeat against Arizona on Sunday, putting them at 7-1 for the season. They now have a luck rating of 2.8, keeping pace with the Chiefs who are up to 3.4.
7. Baltimore Ravens (down 2)
Record: 8-5
It’s hard to keep defending Baltimore after they show concerning inconsistencies in game after game. All season long, their defense has bene the problem. On Sunday, their kicking game single-handedly handed the Eagles the win. Against the Steelers and Browns, the offensive playmakers have disappeared. The Ravens can still go toe-to-toe with the best teams when all three phases are clicking, but they need to establish some consistency and time is running out.
6. Pittsburgh Steelers (up 2)
Record: 9-3
Pittsburgh continues to prove people like me wrong. I figured that if Cincinnati was guaranteed to put up 30-35 points, the Steelers would have to match and would have no chance of doing so. But Russell Wilson showed the world that he’s still got that vintage Russ performance in him with a 414 yard performance in game where Pittsburgh scored 44 points. It turns out the Steelers don’t always have to win ugly.
5. Kansas City Chiefs (down 1)
Record: 11-1
I don’t care that the Chiefs won, I don’t care that Daniel Carlson would’ve missed the field goal anyway, I don’t care that Isiah Pacheco is just coming back from injury, I don’t care that Taylor Swift hasn’t used up all of her black magic yet, I don’t care about any of it. There’s no denying that the Chiefs have winning pedigree but the mistimed snap by the Raiders was straight luck. The Chiefs have by far the worst point differential for an 11-1 team in history, and usually I’d be reluctant to drop them so far, but their defense has been slipping all season long. I’d confidently take the top four teams over them in one game.
4. Green Bay Packers (up 2)
Record: 9-3
The Packers are on the rise and tomorrow they are going to slay the dragon on away turf in Detroit. Yep, you heard it here first. Green Bay has no weaknesses—they have the best quarterback in the NFC, one of the best home-field advantages in the league, a well-rounded offense, and great pass rush and turnover inflicting secondary, and (finally) a competent kicking game with Brandon McManus knocking the rock through the uprights.
3. Philadelphia Eagles (no change)
Record: 10-2
I debated putting the Eagles at #2 but stuck with #3 only because the Bills didn’t deserve to slide. However, it’s clear now that this Eagles team is the real deal and I feel like a fool for not buying in until this week. Their defense has been the best in the NFL in their 8-game win streak and their offense refuses to turn the ball over. And we all know about Saquon Barkley. I’m not sure if Nick Sirianni has done anything this season besides pump up his guys on the sideline, but kudos to him for getting out of the way and letting the players cook.
2. Buffalo Bills (no change)
Record: 10-2
You could have closed your eyes and just listened to Cris Collinsworth’s constant moans from the broadcast booth and you would’ve known that the Bills manhandled the 49ers. They’ve now beaten the last Super Bowl teams in back-to-back games by a combined 34 points, and don’t seem to have any weaknesses much like the Eagles and the Packers. So, what’s the difference between the Bills and those teams? Josh Allen.
1. Detroit Lions (no change)
Record: 11-1
Strangely enough, I’m very concerned about the Lions’s defense. They started to fold in the second half against the Bears and I believe they’re one or two injuries away from see their defensive ranks slip drastically. But I’m not going to deny a team that has won 10 straight, has the best offense, and seems to have to best vibes of any team in the league.
