NFL Power Rankings: Week 12
Back to 3 in the Elite tier, with the Chiefs slowly pulling away a bit. They just keep stringing together impressive performances. The Eagles won, but once again it was a bit of a lackluster performance. I think they’ll miss Dallas Goedert for a bit. And the Bills won as well, keeping them tied atop the loaded AFC East.
They’re tied with the Dolphins. Miami’s unstoppable offense can keep up with Kansas City and Buffalo. The Ravens, Bengals and Titans all won their games. These are the 4 teams that can truly challenge the top two. The Ravens have simply been dominant at times. The Bengals have been there and are explosive. And the Titans grind out wins with a style that poses a real challenge to the top dogs.
In the NFC, the 49ers are my biggest threat to the Eagles. They’ve been great since getting CMC and simply have so many weapons offensively. The Cowboys annihilated the Vikings, potentially proving that Minnesota has been a fraud all season. I don’t buy it. I like both of these teams with Dallas’ defense and with Minnesota’s all around team. But I do think San Francisco poses the most serious threat of the 3.
After the Elite and Threats, I really think there’s a big gap. I’m nervous that the Seahawks may have been exposed in their last game against the Buccaneers, and that they’re not as good as they’ve played so far this season. The Bucs, on the other hand, may be trending upwards and could sneak into the Threats tier. The Chargers had another solid game end in heartbreaking fashion on Sunday Night against the Chiefs. There’s a world where they could become a threat, but it seems like if something can go wrong for them, it will.
The Patriots simply own the Jets. It’s very difficult ranking this tier because New England has looked horrific at times, but they’re record says they’re relevant. The Jets also have a solid record, but now have a disastrous QB situation. Fortunately they don’t play the Patriots anymore. The Giants were absolutely pushed around by the surging Lions, but the records are still in the Giants’ favor. The Commanders continue to win games and the Falcons up and down season is back on the upswing.
Cancel the Packers. It’s as simple as that. Beating the Cowboys two weeks ago was fool’s gold. They stink. So do the Bears. It’s amazing how good Justin Fields has looked this past month, and yet, the Bears have lost 4 straight. Jeff Saturday has the Colts playing decent football as they try to turn their season around. I once again struggle to rank the Broncos who may have the biggest discrepancy between their own offense and defensive in league history. The Cardinals are officially very, very bad. The Steelers had an almost unrecognizable game as their offense performed quite well but their defense couldn’t get a stop. And the Jaguars had a bye, which seems like a good time to ask this: why does it feel like Trevor Lawrence is getting a bit of a pass for his subpar performance so far in his young career? Something to think about.
Nice win by the Saints over the Rams. Both teams truly stink though. And if Stafford is out for a while this Rams team may not win another game this season. At least they’ll have a high draft pick (oh wait…). Nice win by the Raiders. The Browns get Deshaun back next week. The Panthers play defense decently. And the Texans are a professional football team.
