NFL Power Rankings Week 14: Initial Standings Post-Thursday Night Football

Even in defeat on Thursday night, the Minnesota Vikings made a strong case for deserving an NFL postseason spot.

The Arizona Cardinals checked off all the boxes to handily beating them. They contained Adrian Peterson to 69 yards on 23 carries and moved the ball well through the air and on the ground against a short-handed defense. 

Yet it nearly wasn't enough, as Teddy Bridgewater threw for a career-high 335 passing yards. Often this season, Minnesota has looked lost when the opposition stymies Peterson, but it traded punches with a prominent Super Bowl contender to open Week 14.

The Vikings have lost three of their last four games, all to top NFC playoff contenders. Unlike the previous two defeats to the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks, however, they weren't in over their heads. As a result, they won't drop too far down the week's preliminary power rankings. 

Rank	Team	Record
1	Carolina Panthers	12-0
2	Arizona Cardinals	11-2
3	Cincinnati Bengals	10-2
4	New England Patriots	10-2
5	Denver Broncos	10-2
6	Seattle Seahawks	7-5
7	Kansas City Chiefs	7-5
8	Pittsburgh Steelers	7-5
9	Green Bay Packers	8-4
10	Minnesota Vikings	8-5
11	New York Jets	7-5
12	Buffalo Bills	6-6
13	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	6-6
14	Houston Texans	6-6
15	Atlanta Falcons	6-6
16	Indianapolis Colts	6-6
17	Oakland Raiders	5-7
18	Philadelphia Eagles	5-7
19	Washington Redskins	5-7
20	New York Giants	5-7
21	Chicago Bears	5-7
22	Detroit Lions	4-8
23	Miami Dolphins	5-7
24	Baltimore Ravens	4-8
25	Dallas Cowboys	4-8
26	Jacksonville Jaguars	4-8
27	St. Louis Rams	4-8
28	Tennessee Titans	3-9
29	New Orleans Saints	4-8
30	San Diego Chargers	3-9
31	San Francisco 49ers	4-8
32	Cleveland Browns	2-10

Fading Away

It's late enough to cut the politeness regarding everyone's playoff chances. While the dozen postseason participants are far from set, the league's laggards know they're going home once Week 17 ends.

The following three teams aren't quite at that level yet, but they're dangerously close. Optimistic fans are still clinging to hope, but neutral observers don't expect anything from these average (at best) organizations. Week 13 losses across the board sliced their chances from feasible to slim, and Week 14 defeats will place a nail in their coffins.

It will take a perfect finish—and also some outside help—to flip the switch on a sinking ship. More likely than not, they're another week or two from fading out of the picture altogether.

Atlanta Falcons

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

A 6-6 record would look perfectly reasonable for the Atlanta Falcons if they started 3-3. Yet a 5-1 start—fueled by victories against all four subpar NFC East squads—expanded expectations. 

Given the close nature of four of their five wins, including a 10-7 triumph over the Tennessee Titans, their regression shouldn't surprise anyone. Yet their fortune has drastically reversed in the other direction. During their five-game losing streak, opponents have outscored them by a combined 21 points.

From the Indianapolis Colts without Andrew Luck to the San Francisco 49ers, the Falcons had chances to build a comfortable playoff cushion. Instead, their offense has sputtered, averaging 17.2 points over those five games. Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan didn't sugarcoat their struggles, per ESPN.com's Vaughn McClure:

Because of his 11 interceptions over Atlanta's past eight games, quarterback Matt Ryan is taking a heavy portion of the blame. In a piece assigning equal responsibility to Ryan's teammates, ESPN.com's Bill Barnwell observed the offense's trouble establishing a vertical game:

"

Ryan isn't hitting plays downfield. After posting the league's 11th-best QBR on throws traveling 16 yards or more in the air -- what the league defines as "deep" passes -- during the first part of the season, Ryan's QBR on those same throws has fallen to 30th over the past six games. He hasn't thrown a deep touchdown pass since Week 3, and to their credit, the Falcons recognized this week that they need to create more big plays downfield.

"

After failing to fully exploit a favorable schedule, the Falcons now play their first of two matchups against the Carolina Panthers this weekend. If Ryan and Co. weren't laboring enough, they'll now face the NFL's No. 3 defense. Star cornerback Josh Norman shouldn't leave Julio Jones' side, and the Falcons don't have any other wideouts to keep Carolina honest.

Meanwhile, the soaring Seahawks get the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns and St. Louis Rams in order. Don't count on them surrendering their wild-card spot. Football Outsiders pegs Atlanta's playoff odds at a dim 3.1 percent, and that number is poised to drop even more after this weekend.

Oakland Raiders

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

Like in Atlanta, a hot start raised expectations to unobtainable heights for the Oakland Raiders. As a team searching for its first winning campaign since 2002, 4-3 might as well have been 7-0. Yet clear improvements will now get buried by a cold streak.

Even at 5-7, Oakland has cemented its highest winning tally since 2011, its second of back-to-back 8-8 seasons. It has located a franchise quarterback in Derek Carr and a terrific receiver in rookie Amari Cooper.

A No. 8 passing offense stands out as the Raiders' clear strong point. Unfortunately, the defense isn't nearly as potent at stopping the aerial game, ranking No. 28 against the pass. Defensive deficiency has led to the Raiders losing four of their last five, allowing 28.2 points per contest.

Some favorable tilts have guided Oakland into its metamorphosis from laughingstock to intriguing wild card. It bulked up the win column with victories over the Ravens, Browns, San Diego Chargers and Titans. A good thing, however, never lasts forever. Oakland must now close the season against three of the league's toughest squads:

Week	OPP	Record
14	at Denver Broncos	10-2
15	vs. Green Bay Packers	8-4
16	vs. San Diego Chargers	3-9
17	at Kansas City Chiefs	7-5

After teasing everyone with drastic improvement, the Raiders could end up settling for a 6-10 finish. Although not the drastic leap they wanted, it's still a step in the right direction.

Chicago Bears

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

The Chicago Bears, after narrowly losing to the Denver Broncos, knocked off the Green Bay Packers on the road. They're also the only team with a losing record to beat the Kansas City Chiefs, currently the hottest team in football.

Suddenly, the Bears had life. Just defeat the San Francisco 49ers, an easy enough task for a competitive club, and they're 6-6 with a manageable closing schedule. Not bad considering their 2-5 start.

Automatic wins don't exist in the NFL. Chicago lost in overtime after Robbie Gould shanked two field goals, including a potential game-winning kick from 36 yards out.

"Listen, everyone can make what they want of it," Gould told the Chicago Tribune's Dan Wiederer. "I'm pretty confident going out there and doing my job on Sundays. I've been doing it for a long time. I know how to rebound."

A kicker is an easy scapegoat when he doesn't do his one job, but let's not besmirch the good Gould name. Despite rating No. 12 in total defense, the Bears fare much worse in Football Outsiders' efficiency ratings, where they're placed No. 24. Head coach John Fox also called an ultra-conservative game against the 49ers, leading to 42 runs and a game tight enough to be decided by a field-goal attempt.

Even if they won, the Bears would be in the same predicament as Atlanta, only feeling peppier with their season instead rising upward. While Washington, Chicago's Week 14 opponent, leads the NFC East with an identical 5-7 mark, the Bears aren't as geographically lucky.