Power Rankings (Week 12)

(Change from last week shown in parentheses)

1. Steelers (-): Don’t be mad at the Steelers for having 3 straight games over teams with a total of 6 wins. They didn’t make the schedule. This team is the most well-rounded, consistent team in the league. They are undefeated through 10 games. To take them off the top spot of these rankings would be an insult to how impressive they have been all season long. They’ll be tested a few times down the stretch of their season, beginning with Thanksgiving night’s matchup against the Ravens.
2. Chiefs (-): It almost happened again, but almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. The Raiders took them down to the wire, but ultimately it was Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense proving how easy it is for them to get up and down the field and score points. This defense has now given up 31 points in each of its last 2 games, which would concern me more if Mahomes wasn’t as good as he is.
3. Saints (-): Sean Payton is awesome. No Drew Brees. The obvious move is start Jameis Winston. The Sean Payton move is start Taysom Hill, make him look awesome as a regular QB who just happens to be able to run, and prove that once again he’s an offensive genius. That being said, the offensive success with Hill at QB took a backseat in this last game to their lights out defense. The Falcons were held to under 250 total yards and just 3 field goals.
4. Bills (-): The Bills enjoyed a productive bye week, as the Dolphins loss gave them a full game breathing room in the division. As good as this team has been all year, it’s a little odd for a 7–3 team to only have a +7 point differential on the season. But, they’re 7–3, so that’s just nitpicking really.
5. Packers (-): There’s no such thing as moral victories, but the Packers did a lot to prove that they can compete with anyone in their overtime loss to the Colts. The Packers were outrushed 140–66, which has been the theme for their losses the past two seasons — essentially getting bullied by stronger, more physical teams. That being said, they put up 31 points against one of the better defenses in football. The problem in this one was their 4 turnovers. I trust an Aaron Rodgers-led team to fix that problem.
6. Colts (+3): The Packers may have proved a good amount in their loss, but the Colts proved even more with their win. This is a very good football team. Already boasting one of the top defenses in football, Philip Rivers and this offense have now put up over 30 points in 4 of their last 5 games. Rivers may be old, but this guy is still getting it done on an offense with no real number 1 guy. That appears to be making it difficult to gameplan against them.
7. Rams (+3): A truly great win by this team. Primetime, against a good team, and on the road — the Rams made a statement on Monday night. This defense might be the best in the league. They held the Buccaneers offense to 251 total yards on the day. I don’t think having Jared Goff throw the ball 51 times is a good formula for them moving forward, but that should be worked out. This team looks ready to compete deep into the postseason.
8. Seahawks (+6): The Seahawks are back. After going the whole season with their defense getting torn apart, they’ve now given up 23 and 21 points in their last two games. With Russell Wilson, I like their chances of winning most of those games. Jamal Adams being back has made all the difference. It was also nice to see Snacks Harrison playing. It may just be a coincidence, but he’s been active the past two weeks, which have been by far this team’s best defensive performances of the season.
9. Titans (+4): What a statement victory by this team who entered this game with a lot of question marks. Derrick Henry is just on another level than most of the backs in the league. His combination of strength and speed was on full display on that overtime TD run to win it. With the weather getting cold, this team is hoping they can recreate the magic they had at the end of last season, where they relied heavily on Henry, the play action passing game, and a strong defense to make it to the AFC Championship game. A big step to that would be winning this week when they have their 2nd matchup in 3 weeks against the Colts, who sit ahead of them in the AFC South standings due to currently owning the head to head tiebreaker.
10. Raiders (+2): I said it earlier and I’ll say it again — there are no moral victories. But… if there were, this was one of them. What a game by this Raiders team, and specifically Derek Carr, against the defending Super Bowl champs. It was their 2nd matchup of the year. The Raiders handed the Chiefs their only loss of the season, so certainly the Chiefs wouldn’t let that happen again. The Chiefs were coming off of their bye week. The Raiders dealt with Covid issues galore all week. Everything imaginable pointed to a convincing Chiefs victory. But this Raiders team held their own the entire game, Carr played incredibly, and this team really only made one mistake the entire game. That mistake was giving Patrick Mahomes the ball back with 1:43 left on the clock. One thing is for sure: the Chiefs do not want to see this team in the playoffs.
11. Buccaneers (-5): Who are the Buccaneers? Because it seems like every week it’s a different team. They dominate some teams, and then they look awful against others. Tom Brady threw two of the worst passes I’ve ever seen from him on his two interceptions Monday night. I don’t if he’s old and can’t see anymore or simply felt the pressure and knew he had to get rid of the ball, but those two throws were horrific. Still this defense is opportunistic and there are weapons all over the field on offense. And that’s why on certain weeks they look like the best team in football. But it’s mind-boggling the inconsistency that this team has shown this season.
12. Ravens (-5): Lamar Jackson and this Ravens team need to adjust and need to do so quickly. Everyone knew that defensive coordinators would have a plan this year to contain this offense that was so dominant last year. What is so surprising is that 10 games into their season, it doesn’t seem like the Ravens are willing, or able, to change. This loss was different than their others in that they actually held a two score lead in the 3rd quarter. Usually when they lose it’s because they get down early. With how well some of the other teams in the AFC are playing, I have no confidence that this team will make the playoffs. To be fair, after this week, 4 of their last 5 games of the season come against teams with 3 or fewer wins on the season. But man, this team has to be one of the biggest disappointments of this season.
13. Cardinals (-2): It was a disappointing loss to the Seahawks for this Cardinals team. Coming into the game with an opportunity to take sole possession of 1st place in the NFC West, the Cardinals looked overmatched. Kyler Murray was contained, which contributed to the rushing attack being nonexistent. Still, this is a good, exciting team that plays sub-.500 teams the rest of the way, other than their two games against the Rams. Look for this team to be playing football in January.
14. Browns (+1): This team knows its path to wins. Give the ball to one of their two elite backs, set up a few play action throws for Baker, limit mistakes, and play solid defense. They’re not playing flashy football, partially because their last 3 games have all come in what I like to call football weather, but they’re winning games and in a good spot in the AFC. Let’s see if they can avoid a letdown this week against the Jaguars.
15. Dolphins (-7): I’ll admit it: I may have gotten a little too excited by this team in last week’s rankings. They showed Sunday that they’re simply not there yet. This is a good football team, and one slip up doesn’t change that. But this is not an elite football team. For the first time in his career, Tua looked overmatched, which is to be expected for a rookie QB. This defense didn’t look great in this one either, aside from standing strong in the red zone. But they were outgained on the day 459–223. That’s not very good. Still, their next two opponents have a combined two wins on the season, so they are still in a good spot at this point in the season.
16. Vikings (-): The Vikings had a great opportunity to get back to .500 and have a realistic shot at the playoffs, and they blew it. They didn’t play particularly bad, but they showed why they started the season 1–5 in this last game. Their defense is simply not what it has been in recent years. On the bright side, Kirk Cousins has been quietly balling out the past month or so.
17. Panthers (-): It was a dominating victory for this scrappy, well-coached Panthers team. They’ve competed all season despite a lack of overwhelming talent. This is a team that should be excited about its direction, even though this season is long over with for them.
18. 49ers (+1): The 49ers come out of their bye week with back to back games against 7–3 teams. It’s possible that they’ll look better as they look to be getting Raheem Mostert back. The problem is their running game hasn’t really been the issue for this team. Still, they’re well-coached and I expect them to finish the season playing competitive football.
19. Bears (+2): It’ll be interesting to see who is behind center for this team when they play the Packers on Sunday night. Do they stick with Nick Foles with the offense looking as lifeless as it has, or do they go back to Mitchell Trubisky, who at least gives them some threat with his ability to scramble. I’d go with the latter because it can’t look any worse than it has.
20. Giants (+3): It was a productive bye week for the Giants who all of a sudden are a half game out of the division lead, along with the rest of the NFC East. I stand by this statement: this is the best team in that division. It may be too little too late with as many close losses as this team has had this season, but they do get a very winnable game against the Bengals this week.
21. Falcons (-3): What a bad loss by this team. There’s no other way to put it. They were off of their bye, against a division rival, after winning 3 of their last 4. They were playing the Saints without Drew Brees for the first of two times in the next three weeks, and had a realistic opportunity to make their December games mean something. And they just didn’t show up. Offensively, they were held to under 250 total yards and turned the ball over twice. Defensively, they allowed Taysom Hill to go 18 of 23 on them through the air. This loss ended the Falcons season, officially.
22. Patriots (+2): And just like that, the Patriots are back to being a bad football team. Coming into this game winners of two straight, they had a golden opportunity against a 2-win Texans team to get back to .500 and be on the fringe of the AFC playoff race. They didn’t take advantage. Cam threw the ball well, they didn’t turn the ball over, but they just didn’t make enough plays when it mattered most. I wonder what Bill Belichick is going to do to fill his days in January this year?
23. Chargers (+2): It was only a 6 point victory over a winless Jets team, but the Chargers continue to show that they’re a fun team to watch and much better than their record indicates. Justin Herbert is having a rookie season for the ages. He’s certainly got a bright future, along with the rest of this team.
24. Broncos (+4): What a stellar performance by this defense against Tua and the Dolphins. This game was not nearly as close as the final score indicates. Had the Broncos converted in the red zone, this would have been a laugher. Nonetheless, it was an impressive victory against a hot, good Dolphins team. The running game was fantastic. Drew Lock did just good enough. Overall, just a nice win by this team that showed it’s going to compete hard down the stretch.
25. Eagles (-5): Another very disappointing performance by a team that was essentially gifted the easiest path possible to a home playoff game. Carson Wentz is officially not the answer for this team. He can’t continuously make the same mistakes week in and week out and not be held accountable. The Eagles still hold the division lead, and Wentz does give this team their best chance at holding onto it, but he has played such poor football this season.
26. Lions (-4): In classic Lions fashion, they entered a very important game against an XFL QB leading a very average-at-best team, and got shut out, ruining Thanksgiving for the world. The Lions could’ve gotten back to .500, making their annual Turkey Day game significant, but instead Matt Patricia and this coaching staff showed once again that they should’ve never been brought back this season. Say what you want about key starters being out. Sure, that obviously played a role in this. But this is the NFL. There’s no excuse for that performance. Expect Patricia to be fired if the Lions get embarrassed on national TV on Thursday. It’s a good thing for him that fans aren’t allowed at their games.
27. Texans (-): Deshaun Watson is so good at football. It would be awesome to see him play with an elite talent at WR, like a DeAndre Hopkins-level talent… He’ll have a great opportunity to once again showcase his talent on national tv as they play the Lions on Thanksgiving, who just made an XFL-level QB look like an All Pro.
28. Cowboys (+2): Don’t look now but the Cowboys have strung together a few competitive games in a row, and sit just a half game behind the Eagles for the NFC East lead. The offense looks competent again with Andy Dalton at QB. The ground game was explosive. And the defense at least hung in there. Their Thanksgiving battle against the Football Team is going to be the most watchable matchup of two 3–7 teams in the history of the league.
29. Football Team (-): Speaking of the Football Team, they got a nice win this week to stay alive in the NFC East division hunt. It was against a bad Bengals team, and Joe Burrow did get hurt, but they still won it convincingly. People have had to deal with a lot in 2020. There’s no team that epitomizes that more than this group. They dealt with a name change for their franchise, their head coach dealing with cancer, and Alex Smith returning to the football field after his gruesome injury a few seasons ago. Maybe all the stars are aligning for them to win the division this year.
30. Bengals (-4): Such a shame seeing Joe Burrow get hurt in this game, ending a very promising rookie season for him, and casting doubt on whether or not he’ll even be suiting up in 2021. Without Burrow, winning games the rest of this season will be very tough, all but ensuring that they’ll be drafting near the top next season again. Maybe that’s a good thing though, as there appears to be glaring holes on that offensive line that need to be addressed.
31. Jaguars (-): They were held to 206 total yards of offense and turned the ball over 4 times. That’s not ideal if you’re trying to win football games. On the hand, if you’re looking to stay alive in the Trevor Lawrence sweepstakes, keep doing what you’re doing.
32. Jets (-): Is there a reason why 37 year old Frank Gore is even on this team, let alone carrying the ball 15 times. I just don’t get it. Who is it benefitting? Him? The team? Of all the puzzling things about this organization, this is certainly towards the top.