NFL Power Rankings Week 12: Updated Standings, Predictions Before MNF

The NFL power rankings are becoming increasingly difficult to piece together due to the jumbled mess of teams hovering around .500. 

As we enter Thanksgiving week, there is a solid group of four teams at the top: the Dallas Cowboys, Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots and Oakland Raiders. Three of those four teams won again on Sunday, with the Raiders set to take the field on Monday night in Mexico. 

But after those squads, it's difficult to distinguish between the contenders and pretenders. 

Due to the lack of separation, many teams with losing records are still very much in the playoff hunt. Their seasons may feel like disappointments so far, but with so few teams pulling away from the pack, the playoff race remains wide open. 

Here's a look at the latest power rankings, followed by a closer examination of four teams in the middle which could rise to the top and contend or fall flat and wind up with an early draft pick:

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

14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have pulled off some impressive upsets in the Jameis Winston era, including Sunday's victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. But they have often followed up those victories with confusing defeats. 

The Bucs' win pulled them to 5-5 and just one game behind the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC South. They're on the verge of emerging as a serious contender, but they'll need to prove they have staying power now. 

Tampa Bay will host the Seattle Seahawks in Week 12, in what is likely the most important game of Winston's young career. With an upset over Seattle, the Bucs would have to be taken seriously as a viable threat in the NFC. 

If the Bucs beat the Seahawks, Winston would have the first three-game winning streak of his career.

16. Detroit Lions

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The Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns are the only teams in the league that have trailed in the 4th quarter in every game this season. The Browns are 0-11, while the Lions are 6-4. 

On one hand, the Lions are gaining valuable experience pulling off come-from-behind wins. But how long can they continue to pull off this magic?

At 6-4 and tied for the NFC North division lead, the Lions are clearly a playoff contender. But it's difficult to view them as a serious contender in the NFC when they continue to put themselves in precarious positions against teams like the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars. 

Unless the Lions begin to take early leads and control games from start to finish, it's tough to put them in the conversation among the top teams in the NFC.

21. Philadelphia Eagles

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At 5-5, the Eagles are still in the playoff mix. But they'll need to find a way to win on the road before they're taken seriously as a playoff contender. 

The Eagles are 4-0 at home this season, but just 1-5 on the road. The lone road victory was a Week 2 win over the struggling Chicago Bears. 

Quarterback Carson Wentz has shown a lot of positive signs of development during his rookie year, but in recent weeks, he has experienced more growing pains than the Eagles have been able to overcome. 

Through his first four games, Wentz posted a Total QBR over 50 in each game, according to ESPN. In the six games since, however, he's topped the 50-point mark—which is considered the average value in Total QBR—just once, in a win over the Atlanta Falcons. 

At the very least, Wentz needs to cut down on the mistakes and be less of a liability on the field in order for the Eagles to remain in the playoff hunt. 

22. Los Angeles Rams

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The Los Angeles Rams' loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday gave them a losing record as they head into Thanksgiving, continuing one of the NFL's longest standing traditions.

The Rams haven't had a winning record on Thanksgiving since 2003, back when Mike Martz was their head coach, Lovie Smith was still their defensive coordinator and Marc Bulger was in his first full season as their starting quarterback.  

It's amazing that current head coach Jeff Fisher, who is in his fifth season with the franchise, is apparently safe in his job despite his inability to snap this streak. Simply having a winning record by late November seems like a low expectation, and yet Fisher continues to fail and the team refuses to move on. 

On the bright side, Rams fans finally got a look at rookie quarterback Jared Goff, who made his first career start against the Dolphins. 

Goff earned a respectable Total QBR of 53.7, according to ESPN.com. However, his successful plays were primarily on the most simplistic play designs the coaching staff dialed up. According to Pro Football Focus' Nathan Jahnke, Goff really struggled throwing downfield:

"

Jared Goff on passes 10 or more yards in the air: 0 for 5

— Nathan Jahnke (@PFF_NateJahnke) November 21, 2016"

There wasn't much to get excited about from Goff's debut, but it's obviously far too early to have any concerns either. The Rams will get a chance to watch Goff develop down the stretch and hopefully begin to see some progress from week to week.