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

In what felt like a playoff matchup come early, the Kansas City Chiefs took down the Oakland Raiders 21-13 on the Week 14 edition of Thursday Night Football. 

Kansas City had looked good coming in, but Oakland had looked great, riding a six-game tear before quarterback Derek Carr collapsed on the road, completing 17 of 41 attempts for 117 yards.

The Chiefs have wideout Tyreek Hill to thank for the season sweep of the Raiders. The breakout star scored a 36-yard touchdown in the second quarter, then took a punt back 78 yards to the house in the same frame, giving the team a lead it wouldn't let go of.

Here is a look at the power rankings after the encounter:

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

Winners of four in a row and having the necessary tiebreaker over the Raiders in the AFC West, the Chiefs sit as one of the best teams in football in the power rankings. Oakland, though, doesn't take much of a dive for having a strong streak snapped because it's still clutching 10 wins. 

If fans are lucky, Thursday was just a precursor to what's to come in Week 14. Here are a look at a few teams with much at stake.

Indianapolis Colts

Have the Indianapolis Colts come alive at just the right time?

It's hard to say, but winning three of their last four games sure doesn't hurt. Nor does a 41-10 embarrassment of the New York Jets on the road in Week 13.

Said embarrassment saw Andrew Luck throw four touchdowns and the defense pick off three passes. Should both areas continue at such a clip, the AFC South belongs to the Colts.

"It was a great night for everyone," tight end Dwayne Allen said, according to the Associated Press (via ESPN.com). "You hope that every night you go to play, it's a night like that. It's not realistic in the National Football League."

The Colts must carry the momentum into Week 14 and hope for the same strengths to show up big against the Houston Texans. Both teams sit at 6-6 in the AFC South, but Houston claimed a 26-23 victory against the Colts in Week 6. In that loss, Luck only threw one touchdown with an interception.

It seems much has changed between the two sides since. Houston has lost three in a row, while the Colts have scratched and clawed back to relevancy. With a sweep of the Tennessee Titans in the books and the potential to tie a season series with Houston and the Jacksonville Jaguars still left on the table, so too are the playoffs.

For the Colts, Week 14 is a do-or-die matchup from a postseason outlook.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are perhaps the most surprising playoff hopeful around this season. 

Tampa Bay started the year 1-3 but sit at 7-5 and have won four games in a row. This isn't because of some lucky weak schedule that others such as the New York Giants have benefited from—this was a stretch featuring road games against Kansas City and the San Diego Chargers and hosting the Seattle Seahawks.

Most of the credit during the stretch goes to quarterback Jameis Winston, who has six touchdowns to three interceptions over the four games, with a few of the passing scores timely, clutch throws.

His demeanor, captured by Scott Smith of the team's official website, says it all:

The Buccaneers have a serious shot at winning the NFC South. After splitting the season series with the Atlanta Falcons, also 7-5, the Buccaneers have an encounter with the New Orleans Saints in Week 14 before another in Week 16.

Those Saints have lost three of their last four games, meaning the red-hot Buccaneers have a shot at a season sweep and also get a shot at a sweep of the Carolina Panthers in Week 17.

Their situation isn't as make or break as the one the Colts face, but the Buccaneers could make a serious statement and put themselves in a position for an unexpected playoff push.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus. 

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