NFL Power Rankings Week 13: Initial Standings Post-Thursday Night Football
Somewhere in between the turkey and the pumpkin pie, the NFL’s pecking order changed Thursday.
A battle between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys for first place in the NFC East highlighted the three-game schedule on Thanksgiving, but there is plenty more Week 13 action on the horizon.
With that in mind, read on to see what the updated power rankings look like before Sunday’s games.
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32. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-10)
This is a rebuilding year for the young Jacksonville Jaguars, but they actually have a chance at a win Sunday at home against the New York Giants. Of course, a win would mean a step in the wrong direction in the race for the No. 1 draft pick, so be careful what you wish for, Jaguars fans.
31. Oakland Raiders (1-10)
The Oakland Raiders are fresh off their first win of the season, which is something of an accomplishment in itself. With Derek Carr at the helm at quarterback, there are bound to be more of those in the long-term future.
The key is getting through the 2014 growing pains first.
30. Tennessee Titans (2-9)
Three teams in, and we have already seen three rookie quarterbacks, which should say something about how difficult it is to win at the NFL level. Zach Mettenberger may have a lower ceiling than Blake Bortles and Carr, but the Titans are hoping he can develop into a serious throwing threat by the end of the year.
29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-9)
All praise the NFC South.
The 2-9 Tampa Bay Buccaneers would normally be in contention for the league’s most disappointing team, but they are right in the thick of the playoff race in the abysmal NFC South. A home win over the Cincinnati Bengals would do wonders for those chances.
28. Washington (3-8)
Let the Colt McCoy era begin.
The highlight of Washington’s otherwise bleak season was a victory in Dallas with McCoy playing quarterback, and he will get another chance Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts. Ironically, Washington plays Dallas again in the future, so McCoy could play the ultimate spoiler to its season.
27. New York Jets (2-9)
Whether it is Geno Smith or Michael Vick playing quarterback, the 2014 New York Jets are destined for mediocrity at best. Typically, the Jets could at least point to a strong defense, but that hasn’t even been the case in recent blowout losses to the Buffalo Bills.
The Jets are just playing the rest of the schedule out at this point.
26. Carolina Panthers (3-7-1)
The Carolina Panthers need a win off the bye in Minnesota, but the only way they are going to get it is if the offensive line actually protects Cam Newton. Thus far, Newton has been in danger health-wise every time he drops back to throw, which is a major reason he has struggled to put up respectable numbers and the Panthers have toiled near the bottom of the league.
25. New York Giants (3-8)
We know one thing about the New York Giants—Odell Beckham Jr. can catch the ball.
Highlight plays or not, the season is long over for Eli Manning and company, and they don’t even get a chance to play postseason spoiler in a Week 13 game with Jacksonville. A Giants team with nothing to play for may even be worse than the version football fans have seen for much of 2014.
24. Atlanta Falcons (4-7)
Not even terrible clock management, a leaky defense and an aging running back (Steven Jackson) can keep the Atlanta Falcons out of contention in the NFC South.
The Falcons are actually scary because of the offensive talent they have on paper, but the defense has struggled all year. What’s more, the coaching has been lackluster at best and cost the team its most recent game against the Cleveland Browns.
23. Minnesota Vikings (4-7)
Much like most of the teams on this list with a rookie quarterback, the Minnesota Vikings would likely be fine with 2014 being a rebuilding year that helps Teddy Bridgewater develop. Credit to the defense though for at least containing the mighty Green Bay Packers aerial assault in the last game.
22. Chicago Bears (5-7)
The Chicago Bears were a long shot to make the playoffs as it was, but their season virtually ended Thursday in Detroit.
Alshon Jeffery actually picked up two early touchdowns, and it looked like the offense was going to put together a complete game. Then it all unraveled against the Lions' stingy defense. Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times noted that the defense was even worse than the offense for the Bears, though:
Give the Bears credit for this—they looked a lot better than the last time they played on national television when they were destroyed by the Green Bay Packers.
21. St. Louis Rams (4-7)
The St. Louis Rams are the spoiler that no contender should want to play down the stretch because of their strong defense. That defensive line and front seven as a whole has the potential to wreck an offense (just ask Peyton Manning), and the Rams have proved capable of pulling off upsets with wins against the Denver Broncos, San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks.
20. New Orleans Saints (4-7)
Let’s not beat the NFC South is bad theme into the ground, but the New Orleans Saints should be better than 4-7. Drew Brees is still one of the league’s best quarterbacks, Jimmy Graham is fairly good at his job and the home crowd is still among the loudest in all of sports.
However, a vulnerable defense makes life particularly difficult, regardless of other factors.
19. Houston Texans (5-6)
Ryan Mallett is out for the season, which means it’s back to Ryan Fitzpatrick for the Houston Texans. Fitzpatrick discussed the situation, via ESPN.com.
"There's a lot of times you don't have that opportunity. Something was taken away from me, and I didn't know if I'd get a chance to go out there and play again. So [there's a] renewed sense of excitement and energy."
The running game and defense have both been strong all season, so there is still a chance for Houston to climb back into the wild-card race, even with mediocre quarterback play. It needs a victory over the Tennessee Titans Sunday to do that.
18. Buffalo Bills (6-5)
The Buffalo Bills are playing a meaningful game in late November, and the fans should respond accordingly Sunday when they welcome the Cleveland Browns to town.
Between a talented defense and an offense that is fresh off a blowout win over the Jets, the Bills have plenty of momentum on their side. They need to keep it going Sunday in a critical game for wild-card purposes.
17. San Diego Chargers (7-4)
The San Diego Chargers have been up and down all season, but they are finally starting to at least get a couple pieces back from injury, including running back Ryan Mathews. Whether Mathews and quarterback Philip Rivers can propel the offense to a victory or not in Baltimore Sunday will go a long way toward any playoff hopes behind the Denver Broncos in the AFC West.
16. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-4)
Speaking of up-and-down teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers have some of the league’s most impressive wins and confusing losses all in the same season. Three of the five remaining games are against fellow AFC playoff contenders in Cincinnati and Kansas City, so Ben Roethlisberger and company have the chance to play themselves right into the postseason.
15. Miami Dolphins (6-5)
Don’t look now, but the Miami Dolphins are alive and well in the playoff race, especially if they get a win in Week 13 against the Jets. Ryan Tannehill and Lamar Miller have spearheaded the offense, but the defense needs to impress after struggling all game the last time out against Peyton Manning and Denver.
Plenty of squads have struggled to contain the Broncos, but the Dolphins need a bounce-back win Sunday to stay in the playoff race.
14. Kansas City Chiefs (7-4)
If the Kansas City Chiefs get the lead, they are one of the best teams in the league.
Jamaal Charles will work the clock while the strong defense will make life difficult for the opposing offense trying to come back. However, if Alex Smith needs to make plays downfield like he did in the recent loss to the Raiders, the Chiefs are vulnerable.
13. Cleveland Browns (7-4)
Believe it or not, the Cleveland Browns are serious playoff contenders.
Josh Gordon is back for an offense that has done just enough to win on multiple occasions this season, including the last game against the Falcons. The biggest problem for the Browns’ postseason dreams may be the remaining schedule with trips to Buffalo, Carolina and Baltimore and home games against Cincinnati and Indianapolis still remaining.
12. San Francisco 49ers (7-5)
The San Francisco 49ers have scored a measly 36 combined points in their last three games, which is a serious problem because the defense has been playing well (it didn’t give up 20 points in any one of those three games). NFL on ESPN highlighted one of the problems:
The offense looks lost on the field, which is actually incredible considering the number of weapons it has at its disposal. If it wasn’t for the formidable defense, things would look a lot bleaker for the 49ers.
11. Dallas Cowboys (8-4)
Remember when everyone was worried that the Dallas Cowboys were using DeMarco Murray far too often early in the season. Well, maybe they had the right idea, as ESPN Stats & Info pointed out:
Dallas was completely dominated in all facets of the game Thursday, and that should count for something in these rankings. Despite the loss, Dallas is still sitting in a nice position for the wild card at least because of the head-to-head win over the Seattle Seahawks.
10. Baltimore Ravens (7-4)
The Baltimore Ravens have quietly lived under the radar all season, and they are in perfect position to seize the AFC North by season’s end. While Cincinnati and Pittsburgh still have to play each other twice, the Ravens have winnable games against the Jaguars, Texans and Browns to finish the season.
That could be enough to win the division and play the role of dark-horse contenders in the postseason.
9. Detroit Lions (8-4)
The defense has carried the Detroit Lions all season, but it was the offense that did much of the heavy lifting Thursday in a win over the Bears.
Calvin Johnson scored two touchdowns and looked like a dominant force again, which is unfortunate news for the rest of the NFC playoff contenders. If he gets back to his old ways to go along with what looks like an impressive defense, the Lions could hit their peak in the final few weeks.
8. Cincinnati Bengals (7-3-1)
The Cincinnati Bengals are often dismissed because of their struggles in prime-time games, but they are one of the best teams in the league when nobody is watching during afternoon contests.
The running game is eighth in the entire NFL thanks to the emergence of Jeremy Hill, and A.J. Green and Mohamed Sanu help stretch the defense in the passing game. If the secondary tightens up down the stretch, the Bengals could find themselves in the playoffs yet again.
7. Seattle Seahawks (8-4)
A very popular narrative this week will likely be the return of the Seattle Seahawks after the prime-time win over the 49ers. After all, they are the defending Super Bowl champs and have the talent to do it again this season.
The defense was dominant Thursday, which is par for the course against the 49ers, via ESPN Stats & Info:
If Marshawn Lynch, Russell Wilson and the rest of the running game finally pulls it together, the Seahawks could be the biggest threat to the Packers in the NFC.
6. Indianapolis Colts (7-4)
Maybe the 7-4 Indianapolis Colts, which get a middling Washington team in Week 13, have simply feasted on a weak schedule in a weak division, but Andrew Luck’s transcendent talent makes it hard to pick against the Colts on a weekly basis. The running game needs to get going without Ahmad Bradshaw before the season is over, though, to keep defenses honest.
5. Philadelphia Eagles (9-3)
Matt Miller of Bleacher Report didn’t hesitate to credit Philadelphia Eagles coach Chip Kelly during Thursday’s blowout win:
It is hard to argue with Miller there. The Eagles ran their uptempo attack against Dallas and completely dominated the entire game behind impressive performances from LeSean McCoy, Jeremy Maclin and Jordan Matthews.
If the defense, which has been particularly reliant on turnovers this season, can play at a consistent level, Philadelphia is a Super Bowl threat.
4. Arizona Cardinals (9-2)
I am going to keep the Arizona Cardinals at No. 4 even with the Eagles’ dominant win simply because the Cardinals deserve a chance to respond in Week 13. The stingy Cardinals defense will be tested by Matt Ryan and the Falcons in Atlanta, and this game suddenly feels even more important because of the resurgence of Seattle right behind the Cardinals in the NFC West.
3. Denver Broncos (8-3)
The Denver Broncos brought Peyton Manning to the team to win games like the one he will face Sunday in Kansas City.
The crowd will be rocking with first place in the AFC West on the line, but Manning still has Demaryius Thomas, Julius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders and others at his disposal. How he uses them Sunday will go a long way toward determining Denver’s chances at a division crown and first-round bye in the postseason.
2/1. Green Bay Packers (8-3)/New England Patriots (9-2)
Plan your schedules accordingly because the Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots play each other Sunday in a potential Super Bowl preview. More importantly, they play each other for the top spot in my power rankings.
The two teams are quite similar in the fact that they rely on a dominant quarterback wearing No. 12 to direct ruthless offenses. Whether it is Rob Gronkowski, Jordy Nelson or Randall Cobb making the receptions, the playmakers are more than capable of making Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers look good as well.
If there is one glaring weakness to watch in this game for either team, it is the Packers’ 30th-ranked rushing defense. Don’t be surprised if the Patriots try to exploit that right from the beginning of the game as a way of keeping Rodgers on the sideline and the Green Bay fans quieter early on.
There is certainly nothing wrong with a Super Bowl type of game in late November.
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