NFL Power Rankings Week 12: Initial Standings Post-Thursday Night Football

You may not believe it without seeing it with your own eyes, but Week 12 kicked off with the Oakland Raiders defeating the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday Night Football, earning their very first win of the season. The end result of that contest was highly unexpected, and the league's hierarchy underwent some significant alterations. That trend is likely to continue through Sunday.

This week is full of pivotal matchups pitting AFC and NFC powerhouses against each other. The Detroit Lions take on the New England Patriots, the Arizona Cardinals meet the Seattle Seahawks and the Miami Dolphins travel west to take on the Denver Broncos. Rest assured, the league's pecking order will look significantly different in the wake of these contests.

So, where do the NFL's 32 teams stand prior to the impending Week 12 action? Take a look at the current pecking order before more dramatic shifts are made in the wake of this week's remaining 14 games.

32. Jacksonville Jaguars

Sorry, Jacksonville. The Raiders earned a quality win Thursday, moving up a spot in the rankings. The Jaguars are well-rested coming off a bye week. Unfortunately, they're about to run into the Indianapolis Colts. With Allen Robinson lost for the season, Jacksonville's offense may take a step back, so things don't look good for this team in Week 12.

31. Oakland Raiders

Thursday was the Raiders' Super Bowl, and the team came together to defeat the Chiefs and end its winless drought in 2014. Derek Carr orchestrated a very nice game-winning drive, and he proved there is still hope for the future of the Raiders.

30. Washington Redskins

There may not be another team in the league in as much turmoil as the Redskins. Robert Griffin III played so poorly in Week 11 that there were chants calling for Colt McCoy. Don't expect that to end in Week 12 with a matchup against a solid San Francisco 49ers defense on the horizon.

29. Tennessee Titans

Rookie quarterback Zach Mettenberger appears to be coming along nicely. Sure, he's still missing throws from time to time, but he's playing much better than a typical sixth-round selection. Perhaps he can take advantage of a porous Philadelphia Eagles secondary.

28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Head coach Lovie Smith is about to return to his old stomping grounds when the Buccaneers take on the Chicago Bears Sunday. This coach knows Jay Cutler's tendencies, and Tampa Bay may be able to take advantage of that and earn a big road win.

27. New York Jets

The Jets don't have any kind of answer at the quarterback position on their current roster. Michael Vick is simply a band-aid, and Geno Smith is just plain bad. Luckily, there's a nice crop of first-round quarterbacks in the 2015 draft class.

26. New York Giants

If Eli Manning can avoid throwing another five interceptions against the Dallas Cowboys this week, the Giants may have a chance. Actually, considering how poor New York has looked during its current five-game skid, a win over Tony Romo's squad is unlikely.

25. Carolina Panthers

It's almost a shame the NFC South is bad enough that the Panthers are in contention right now. The way Cam Newton has looked lately, Carolina may be better off shutting him down for the remainder of the season to allow him to regain his health. After all, here's another look back at the quarterback's telling quote, via Sunday Night Football:

24. Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings have a tall order in Week 12 as the red-hot Green Bay Packers come to town. There aren't many teams capable of keeping up with Aaron Rodgers, and Minnesota certainly isn't one of them. Losing by a single-digit margin would be a big moral victory here.

23. St. Louis Rams

It should be interesting to see which version of this Rams team shows up in Week 12 against the San Diego Chargers. Jeff Fisher appears to have this squad headed in the right direction, so expect St. Louis to keep things close on the road.

22. Chicago Bears

Here's a not-so-bold prediction: The Bears will beat the Buccaneers if Cutler avoids throwing more than one interception. Turnovers have plagued this team, and its quarterback is the No. 1 culprit. There's far too much talent in Chicago to warrant a 4-6 record.

21. New Orleans Saints

Speaking of talented teams with bad records, what is wrong with the Saints this year? The defense has completely crumbled, and the offense hasn't been nearly as potent as in past seasons. A loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night would mark three straight home defeats.

20. Buffalo Bills

The Bills have a nice shot to rebound in Week 12 against the Jets. The last time these teams faced off, Kyle Orton and Sammy Watkins had field days. Another big performance from that duo is necessary to revive this sinking ship.

However, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Buffalo will have to wait a day longer due to some crazy November snow:

19. Houston Texans

Ryan Mallett performed better than most expected in the Texans' Week 11 victory over the Cleveland Browns. However, he'll have another tall task against some good Cincinnati Bengals cornerbacks on Sunday. This game could very well make or break Houston's season.

18. Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons aren't really good at anything right now, but they've managed to muster a couple wins. Sure, that sounds harsh, but this team isn't lighting it up on offense or playing solid defense. There's no winning formula in place, so a clash against Cleveland Sunday should be interesting.

17. San Diego Chargers

San Diego is a hurting football team right now. Several key injuries were very noticeable in Week 11 when this team barely managed to defeat the Raiders. The Rams are highly unpredictable, so the Chargers must find a way to improve before Sunday.

16. Cleveland Browns

A bad loss to the Texans in Week 11 saw the Browns fall from first to worst in the AFC North. Not much divides the four teams in this division, so a strong rebound against the Falcons is necessary to keep any kind of playoff hopes alive.

15. Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks are coming off a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs after letting Jamaal Charles run all over them. While the Arizona Cardinals don't have that kind of running game, expect a tough contest due to their superior defense. A home loss here could mean no postseason for Seattle.

14. Baltimore Ravens

Baltimore doesn't play until Monday night against a reeling Saints team that does not want to drop its third straight at home. This will be a tough contest for the Ravens, and a loss here would be a major setback in a highly competitive AFC North.

13. Miami Dolphins

Miami may not be able to catch the New England Patriots in the AFC East this season, but it is in great shape for a wild-card berth. However, the team's toughest challenge of the season comes in Week 12, as the Dolphins travel west to face off against Peyton Manning and the Broncos.

12. Kansas City Chiefs

Everything was set up for the Chiefs to absolutely dominated the Raiders on Thursday. However, this team wasn't up for the challenge, falling short by four points against an inferior opponent. The loss kills all of the momentum Kansas City previously established and once again raises this question: Are the Chiefs for real?

11. San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers have defeated some good teams this season, but they haven't been overly impressive otherwise with a 6-4 record. Luckily, this team has a chance to come away with a big victory against a visiting Redskins team in Week 12.

10. Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh has been a difficult team to pinpoint this season. Ben Roethlisberger had his short stint of huge games and Le'Veon Bell just teed off on the Titans, but this team has had trouble putting it all together at times. Still, the Steelers are in great shape heading into their bye week.

9. Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals are having a perplexing season. They were torched in Cincinnati by the Browns in Week 10 but followed that up with a decisive victory in New Orleans. This team sits atop the AFC North right now, but it really needs to keep its momentum going in Week 12 against the Texans. Having Giovani Bernard back on the field is a great step in the right direction, via ESPN's Coley Harvey:

8. Indianapolis Colts

Indianapolis is coming off a brutal loss to the Patriots and now holds just a one-game lead over the Texans in the AFC South. Luckily, a favorable contest against the Jaguars is coming at the right time, giving the Colts a chance to establish a nice cushion once again.

7. Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles were really exploited by the Packers in Week 11. Mark Sanchez was awful, the team's running game is still struggling and the secondary is getting burned constantly. If Philadelphia isn't careful, the Titans could steal one in Week 12.

6. Detroit Lions

Detroit's offense couldn't do much of anything in Week 11 against the Cardinals. That doesn't bode well considering it must face a Patriots team that has scored at least 42 points in each of its last three contests. Matthew Stafford may need the game of his life to pull out a win here.

5. Denver Broncos

The Broncos were given a gift by the Chiefs and maintain their top spot in the AFC West heading into Sunday. Now, Manning must overcome his team's injuries and find a way to win against a good Miami pass defense, securing the top spot in the division.

4. Dallas Cowboys

Dallas returns to action following a well-timed bye week. Romo was given some much-needed rest as he recovers from a back injury, and DeMarco Murray should be ready to further extend his lead over the NFL's other running backs in a contest against a soft Giants defense.

3. Green Bay Packers

The way Rodgers is playing right now, the Packers may hold the league's scariest offense. The last time this team faced off against the Vikings, the quarterback was pulled early in the game due to a huge lead. Not much has changed since, so we could see another dose of Matt Flynn in Week 12.

2. Arizona Cardinals

Arizona proved many doubters wrong and won a big game with Drew Stanton under center. The quarterback played well, but his two interceptions were concerning. There's no doubt this is a well-rounded team, but a contest in Seattle will be very tough for the inexperienced signal-caller.

1. New England Patriots

The Patriots took down the Colts with ease in Week 11, further cementing the fact they are the league's best team heading into Week 12. New England features a balanced offense with the emergence of Jonas Gray and a defense anchored by veteran Darrelle Revis. There's also that Tom Brady guy under center. He's pretty good as well.