NFL Power Rankings 2014: Predicting Post-Week 13 Standings

Let's hope no NFL contenders are claustrophobic. With five weeks remaining in the season, the playoff picture on both sides can't get any more crowded.

In the AFC, nine teams hold six or seven wins entering Thanksgiving weekend. If the postseason started today, five of those squads would be left in the cold. Meanwhile, two 7-4 NFC clubs would bitterly watch the 4-7 Atlanta Falcons host a playoff match in the Wild Card Round.

Late into the season, the difference between the fourth-best and 17th-rated team remains minuscule, and the pecking order will surely keep changing after every weekend. A few brewing bouts will amend the playoff outlook and mount a select few victors on the elite pedestal.

Let's update the current power rankings entering Week 13.

Date	Away	Home	Prediction
Thur., 11/27	Chicago Bears	Detroit Lions	23-14 DET
Thur., 11/27	Philadelphia Eagles	Dallas Cowboys	34-27 DAL
Thur., 11/27	Seattle Seahawks	San Francisco 49ers	17-16 SEA
Sun., 11/30	San Diego Chargers	Baltimore Ravens	27-20 BAL
Sun., 11/30	Cleveland Browns	Buffalo Bills	23-21 BUF
Sun., 11/30	Tennessee Titans	Houston Texans	14-13 TEN
Sun., 11/30	Washington Redskins	Indianapolis Colts	30-17 IND
Sun., 11/30	New York Giants	Jacksonville Jaguars	27-13 NYG
Sun., 11/30	Carolina Panthers	Minnesota Vikings	20-16 MIN
Sun., 11/30	New Orleans Saints	Pittsburgh Steelers	34-28 PIT
Sun., 11/30	Oakland Raiders	St. Louis Rams	23-20 STL
Sun., 11/30	Cincinnati Bengals	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	23-13 CIN
Sun., 11/30	Arizona Cardinals	Atlanta Falcons	20-14 ARI
Sun., 11/30	New England Patriots	Green Bay Packers	31-27 NE
Sun., 11/30	Denver Broncos	Kansas City Chiefs	30-24 DEN
Mon., 12/1	Miami Dolphins	New York Jets	24-6 MIA

32. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-10)

The Jacksonville Jaguars have hit a depressing level where only allowing 23 points in a 20-point loss to the Indianapolis Colts feels like an accomplishment. Formerly the offense's lone bright spot, Denard Robinson managed 25 rushing yards on 14 carries.

31. Oakland Raiders (1-10)

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In his past four games, Darren McFadden amassed 84 rushing yards on 40 carries. Latavius Murray needed four touches to gain 112 yards against the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night. What took the Oakland Raiders this long to play him?

Now that they have a win on the ledger, nobody needs to feel guilty about ranking them above the Jaguars. 

30. New York Jets (2-9)

When the New York Jets last played the Buffalo Bills, a barrage or interceptions compelled Rex Ryan to bench Geno Smith for Michael Vick. In Round 2 of the AFC East clash, Vick dug his way back to the bench by going 7-of-19 for 76 yards and a pick.

This is all Buffalo's fault.

29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-9)

A year can change everything. NFL on ESPN detailed Josh McCown's free-fall facing the Chicago Bears after leaving them for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this season.

With Tampa Bay far out of the playoff discussion, another such dud will jettison McCown back to the bench for the younger Mike Glennon.

28. Tennessee Titans (2-9)

The Tennessee Titans' woes against the run continued on Sunday, when they relinquished 130 yards and a touchdown on the ground to LeSean McCoy. They now rank last with 145.4 rushing yards allowed per contest.

27. Carolina Panthers (3-7-1)

Returning from their Week 12 bye with a six-game winning drought, only the New York Giants have gone as long since their last victory. By the way, the Carolina Panthers could lead the NFC South on Monday.

26. Washington Redskins (3-8)

After totaling 77 net passing yards against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, it's getting tougher to give Robert Griffin III the benefit of the doubt. Pro Football Focus' Mike Clay shows how much Washington's offense has stuttered with Griffin running the show this season.

And to think there existed a time when people argued if they'd rather have him or his Week 13 opposing quarterback, Andrew Luck.

25. New York Giants (3-8)

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In his last four games, rookie wideout Odell Beckham Jr. has grabbed 31 receptions for 503 yards and five touchdowns. His 609 receiving yards leads the Giants despite delaying his pro debut until Week 5.

24. Minnesota Vikings (4-7)

Everyone who let Teddy Bridgewater fall to the end of Round 1 feels validated now, as the rookie quarterback has tallied a mediocre 6.45 yards per attempt this season. It's far too early to make such a snap judgment, but the neophyte took eight games to produce his first multi-touchdown outing.

23. St. Louis Rams (4-7)

Who would have picked the St. Louis Rams to go 3-3 during a six-game stretch pitting them against the entire NFC West and the AFC West sans Oakland? Knowing the NFL, this is where they now lose to Oakland after having played all winning squads since Week 2.

22. Chicago Bears (5-6)

Against one of the NFL's worst defenses, the Bears compiled just 204 total yards. If not for Tampa Bay's turnovers giving the offense golden field position, Chicago would be enduring full disaster mode heading into its Thanksgiving game in Detroit.

21. Atlanta Falcons (4-7)

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The worst part about picking playoff teams based on divisions? The geographically base alignments aren't even geographically accurate. How are the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East and the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC South?

Although the Atlanta Falcons are incredibly fortunate to lead the NFC South, they could have three, maybe four straight wins if Mike Smith took a Clock Management 101 course.

20. New Orleans Saints (4-7)

So much for that mystical home-field advantage. The New Orleans Saints have now dropped three straight inside the Superdome. Facing four losing teams (three from the NFC South) in December, however, could propel the struggling Saints to a playoff berth at 7-9 or 8-8.

19. Houston Texans (5-6)

"So, umm, hey Ryan Fitzpatrick. No hard feelings for benching you three weeks ago, right? We need you back in there as a five-game placeholder, but you get to play the Jaguars twice."

18. Buffalo Bills (6-5)

Those Bills sure looked rusty after missing practice time during a game originally scheduled to occur at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Or maybe they were rested. Or maybe they're just better than the awful Jets and Allen Iverson knew what he was talking about.

17. Cleveland Browns (7-4)

Josh Gordon compiled 120 receiving yards in his 2014 debut, but he and Brian Hoyer were often not on the same page. They connected on eight of 16 attempts, and Hoyer threw two fourth-quarter interceptions looking Gordon's way. 

16. San Diego Chargers (7-4)

Oakland and St. Louis were just what the doctor ordered following a three-game losing streak, but the fun stops there for the San Diego Chargers. Starting with the Baltimore Ravens this Sunday, they face a deadly slate of five teams with a 7-4 record or better.

15. San Francisco 49ers (7-4)

Everyone is back on the 49ers bandwagon, but look closer at their three-game winning streak. They defeated teams with a combined 10-25 record by a 4.3-point average margin.

They need to top the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday in order to sniff the top 10. 

14. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-4) 

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Currently on pace for 128 receptions, Antonio Brown would corral the second-most catches in a single season behind Marvin Harrison's 143-catch 2002 campaign. He can become the first man to 100 receptions this year by reeling in 12 against the Saints.

13. Miami Dolphins (6-5)

Why exactly should losing to the Denver Broncos by three points deject the Miami Dolphins down the power rankings? In a losing effort, they once again proved capable of hanging with anyone. They previously beat the New England Patriots in Week 1 and suffered a similar three-point shortcoming to the Green Bay Packers.

12. Detroit Lions (7-4)

The Detroit Lions have outscored opponents by 101 fewer points (seven) than the Packers (108). A top-10 offense in each of the past three years, they now rank No. 21, failing to score more than 24 points in a game since Week 1. 

11. Baltimore Ravens (7-4)

After struggling mightily on the ground last season, the Ravens have enjoyed a rushing renaissance behind Justin Forsett, who torched the Saints for 182 yards and two touchdowns on Monday night.

ESPN Stats & Info proved the 29-year-old is the NFL's most efficient running back.

10. Cincinnati Bengals (7-3-1)

Giovani Bernard is back on the field, but Jeremy Hill is making a strong case to seize the starting slot anyway. He's averaging 4.9 yards per carry to Bernard's 3.9. They'll occupy a timeshare for now, but don't expect Bernard to re-assume his full-time role.

9. Kansas City Chiefs (7-4)

No NFL team can ever get too comfortable. Winners of seven of their last eight, the Chiefs were caught off guard on Thursday night against the Raiders.

However fluky the outcome, Oakland exposed a leaky rushing defense that has now allowed an NFL-worst 5.0 yards per carry. Opponents should eschew the pass and exploit the glaring weakness.

8. Seattle Seahawks (7-4)

Russell Wilson continues to dial up his scrambling game, already tallying a career-high 644 rushing yards. Per ESPN's Britt McHenry, San Francisco defensive coordinator Vic Fangio offered up high praise for Wilson's abilities outside the pocket.

Given his career-low 7.13 yards per passing attempt, those extra gains with his legs help amend a fluttering aerial assault.

7. Indianapolis Colts (7-4)

The Colts picked the right game to cough up six fumbles. Although the Jaguars stripped Andrew Luck four times, they recovered half of their forced fumbles and failed to convert any into a touchdown.

6. Dallas Cowboys (8-3)

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Poor Tony Romo always chokes when it matters most. Wait, he led the Dallas Cowboys to a come-from-behind win over the Giants with a late touchdown drive? And ESPN's QBR, per NFL on ESPN, measures him as the league's best second-half quarterback this season?

It's so inconvenient when very basic math easily squashes a lazy, inaccurate narrative.

5. Philadelphia Eagles (8-3)

Out of 11 teams with a turnover margin worse than minus-two, only the Philadelphia Eagles hoist a winning record. They've counteracted those giveaways by scoring four touchdowns on takeaways and another four on kick and punt returns.

4. Arizona Cardinals (9-2)

When they've needed a running game the most, Andre Ellington has produced 89 rushing yards combined over the past three games. A year removed from generating 5.5 yards per carry, the sophomore's average has plummeted all the way to 3.3.

3. Denver Broncos (8-3)

Peyton Manning sees Miami's top-notch defense, and he raises 257 yards and four touchdowns. And just for fun, C.J. Anderson is going to tack on a career-high 167 rushing yards.

2. Green Bay Packers (8-3)

The top-two teams in this week's rankings will collide this Sunday at Lambeau Field, where the Packers haven't lost this season. If Aaron Rodgers and Co. sustain their hot hand at home, they'll enter Week 14 with the No. 1 spot.

1. New England Patriots (9-2)

Don't, however, bet against the Patriots, who have outscored the Broncos, Colts and Lions by a combined 69 points over the past three weeks. Riding a seven-game winning streak with six double-digit wins, no team looks more ferocious than the Pats.