NFL Power Rankings: Week 12

The thing about power rankings this late in the season is that bad teams tend to lose, and good teams tend to win. Early in the year, there is a ton of movement because teams haven’t established themselves as good or bad, and being a week-to-week league, unusual results often occur. This past week, seven of the eight lowest-ranked teams all lost, and the only reason it wasn’t eight out of eight is because the Giants had a bye. Here are the power rankings for this week..

Detroit Lions: 

Some people will think this is long overdue, while others may feel it’s a travesty that Buffalo isn’t No. 1. That’s what makes a good sports debate. Goff and the running game look unstoppable. 

Buffalo Bills: 

They beat the man, but they have been beaten twice this season. By a hair, they are just short of the top spot. Josh Allen is making a strong case for MVP. 

Kansas City Chiefs: 

A tough road loss has dropped the two-time defending champs two spots on this list. Mahomes and the crew will be just fine. 

Pittsburgh Steelers: 

Nobody on the planet, including Mike Tomlin, would believe the Steelers would be the No. 4 team in the league this season. Russell Wilson has fit in nicely. 

Philadelphia Eagles: 

Don’t sleep on the Eagles…they are having a sneaky great season. Saquon Barkley is the perfect addition to this dynamic offense, and at the moment, they are my pick to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.

Minnesota Vikings:

After their two-game blip, the Vikings seem to be back, but I question Sam Darnold at QB…I have much more faith in Jared Goff, Jalen Hurts, or Jordan Love.

Green Bay Packers: 

And speaking of Love’s Packers. They won by the skin of their teeth on Sunday, but a win is a win.

Baltimore Ravens: 

For all of Lamar Jackson’s greatness, he cannot win a big game and cannot beat the Steelers, who have owned him through the years. Don’t look now, but they have four losses.

Los Angeles Chargers: 

Is this the year to believe in the Chargers? With Jim Harbaugh at the helm, this could be their year to make a deep playoff run. They have an interesting matchup this week against a Ravens team coming off their tough loss.

Seattle Seahawks: 

Seattle has been a resilient team all season. They won an important road game in San Francisco, keeping them in the mix for the NFC West. Geno Smith led a huge drive for them at the end of last weeks game. 

Houston Texans: 

The Texans had lost three out of four games, plummeting out of the top 10. With their win over the Cowboys, they are on the cusp of clawing back in. C.J. Stroud has Nico Collins back, and that should help. 

Washington Commanders: 

Washington lost a tough divisional game against the Eagles, which has dropped them out of the top 10. Jayden Daniels needs to get them back on track against the Cowboys.

Los Angeles Rams: 

The Rams have been a feisty bunch, and when Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua are both healthy, they have a dangerous offense capable of beating anybody.

Denver Broncos: 

The Broncos have also been a feisty bunch and have outperformed expectations this season. If the season ended today, the Broncos would be in the playoffs and a lot of it is thanks to Bo Nix.

Arizona Cardinals: 

In the division with the most parity, the leaders are only in the middle of the pack, with the Seahawks and Rams ahead of them. Kyler Murray has played very well lately. 

San Francisco 49ers: 

It’s hard to believe the 49ers are only ranked 16th and the lowest-seeded team in the NFC West, but here they are. They need Christian McCaffrey to get things going. 

Atlanta Falcons: 

The Falcons should be running away with the division, but they’ve lost their last two games. Kirk Cousins is playing inconsistently. 

Miami Dolphins: 

The Dolphins have now won two in a row and face the hapless Patriots this Sunday…who have never defeated Tua Tagovailoa. 

Indianapolis Colts: 

Anthony Richardson had the best game of his career. It will be interesting to see how he follows up this week against the Lions.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 

Tampa is coming off a bye, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. They were on a four-game losing streak before this week, and Mike Evans is returning. 

Cincinnati Bengals: 

It’s a shame, with talents like Joe Burrow and ja’Marr Chase, the Bengals season is all but over.

New Orleans Saints: 

The Saints keep hanging around in the NFC South. They’ve now won two in a row and are within two games of taking over first place. Derek Carr has held things together. 

Chicago Bears: 

The Bears have now lost four in a row, and it will be interesting to see if the team can stick together or if they start to take on more water and fall apart the rest of the season. Caleb Williams doesn’t strike me as a leader, at least not yet.

Carolina Panthers: 

Carolina has shown some life lately, but they face the Chiefs coming off a loss this week…Good luck with that, Bryce Young, and company.

New York Jets: 

The Jets fired their HC and GM, and there was a report that the owner wanted to bench Aaron Rodgers back in September. Yup, that sounds like the Jets.

Dallas Cowboys: 

How about those Cowboys? Jerry Jones has come out and said his coach isn’t going anywhere this season. His coach also doesn’t have a contract beyond this season. Change is coming in Big D. Both Cooper Rush and the offense are terrible. 

Cleveland Browns: 

The Browns only have two wins and are facing the first-place Steelers. Unless Pittsburgh has a huge letdown after their win over the Ravens, it will be another loss for Cleveland. Jameis Winston should at least throw for plenty of yards. 

Tennessee Titans: 

It wasn’t that long ago that the Titans had King Henry and Mike Vrabel. This team doesn’t know how to win games. WIll Levis just doesn’t appear to be “the guy”. 

Jacksonville Jaguars: 

The Jaguars remain the strangest story of the year, hitting absolute rock bottom, losing 52-6 to the Lions. At some point, they will be firing some of their staff, and they may have to ask themselves if Trevor Lawrence should be their QB next year. 

New England Patriots: 

The Patriots just lack too much talent pretty much everywhere, on both sides of the ball…and their coaching staff looks hapless. Drake Maye has been improving.

Las Vegas Raiders:

Tom Brady’s investment isn’t showing dividends yet…this is truly one of the worst teams in the league. Their lone bright spot is Brock Bowers. 

New York Giants: 

And now, for the worst team in the league…they have benched Daniel Jones and replaced him with Tommy Devito. I don’t think Tommy Cutlets will make a difference.