NFL Power Rankings Week 14: Latest 2014 Standings and Reaction for All 32 Teams

Some teams in the NFL handled all the tryptophan from the Thanksgiving turkey better than others during Week 13 of the NFL season.

After all, how else could fans explain the New York Giants blowing a 21-3 halftime lead to the Jacksonville Jaguars, of all teams? Or the suddenly very pedestrian-looking Arizona Cardinals losing to the Atlanta Falcons? Or Ryan Fitzpatrick emerging to throw an astounding six touchdown passes for the Houston Texans?

There are bound to be surprises every week in the NFL, and we saw plenty in Week 13. Read on to see how they changed the power rankings heading into Week 14 and the stretch run of the season.

32. Oakland Raiders (1-11) 

The Oakland Raiders received a crash course in reality in a 52-0 loss to the St. Louis Rams in Week 13 after winning their first game of the season in the last contest. That win against the Kansas City Chiefs may ultimately be the one thing between Oakland and an 0-16 record at the end of the year.

31. Tennessee Titans (2-10)

Eric Gay/Associated Press

Speaking of bad losses by one of the league’s bottom-dwellers, the Tennessee Titans managed to allow six touchdown passes from Fitzpatrick, including one to J.J. Watt, and were completely blown out by the Houston Texans.

Relying on a rookie quarterback (Zach Mettenberger) and running back (Bishop Sankey) is a difficult formula for this season, but the experience could pay off in the future).

30. New York Jets (2-10) 

ESPN Stats & Info pointed out just how bad this season has been for the New York Jets:

To be fair, New York almost beat the playoff-contending Miami Dolphins before collapsing in the fourth quarter, but this team still has serious problems. Geno Smith threw for a whopping 65 yards, and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight to the struggles until the Jets land a franchise quarterback.

29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-10)

Someone forgot to tell the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that you can only have 11 guys on the field at once. 

Were it not for an inexcusable penalty on the final drive, the Buccaneers would have worked their way into a game-winning field-goal attempt, but instead they lost yet again. This time it was to the Cincinnati Bengals in a game that was something of a metaphor for Tampa Bay’s entire disappointing season.

28. New York Giants (3-9)

A 21-3 halftime lead should be safe against any team, let alone the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

Alas, the New York Giants coughed the game away in the second half and guaranteed themselves a record of below .500. It was bound to happen eventually, regardless of the strength of the opponent, for this dismal Giants squad.

27. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-10)

The Jaguars leapfrog the Giants after picking up the head-to-head win, but they may have cost themselves a shot at the No. 1 pick. 

Ultimately, it is probably more important in the long run for this incredibly young roster to gain confidence with regular-season wins, so Jacksonville fans shouldn’t focus on the actual draft position yet. After all, it’s not like the team is going to take Marcus Mariota after drafting Blake Bortles a season ago.

26. Carolina Panthers (3-8-1)

Week 13 was another game and another loss for the Carolina Panthers, who haven’t won since they beat the Chicago Bears on Oct. 5. 

The offensive line is arguably the worst in the NFL, the defense can’t stop anyone and Cam Newton has regressed from last season (largely because of the lack of protection). At this point, the Panthers are simply going through the motions.

25. Washington (3-9) 

Colt McCoy didn’t win the game and also had a critical fumble that the Indianapolis Colts ran back for a touchdown, but he did throw for 392 yards and three touchdowns. If you combine that with the win he had over the Dallas Cowboys earlier in the season, he may be the best quarterback in Washington.

24. Minnesota Vikings (5-7)

The Minnesota Vikings' win over the Panthers featured two teams that are out of playoff contention but heading in different paths. 

The Vikings show pride every time they take the field and have won three of five games, which is a testament to a solid defense and an improving Teddy Bridgewater. Minnesota may not be one of the best teams in the league, but at least it is putting up a fight on a weekly basis.

23. Chicago Bears (5-7)

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

Just when the Chicago Bears teased their fans enough to draw them back in after two straight wins, they slammed the door shut on their postseason hopes with a blowout loss to the Detroit Lions. 

The Bears let superstar running back Matt Forte carry the ball five measly times the entire game against the Lions, even though they jumped out to an early 14-3 lead. That is a statistic that screams coaching or at least strategy change moving forward.

22. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5)

The Pittsburgh Steelers may not actually be a good football team. 

They lost a critical home game to the New Orleans Saints a mere two games after inexplicably losing to the Jets. Sandwiched in between was a narrow three-point win over the lowly Titans. Remember, this is the same Steelers team that lost to Tampa Bay earlier in the season as well and will be on the outside looking in at the playoffs if this keeps up.

21. St. Louis Rams (5-7)

The St. Louis Rams are the team that playoff contenders don’t want to play down the stretch. 

Behind a dangerous front seven and a suddenly resurgent running game (hello, Tre Mason), the Rams have the formula to control the tempo of a game. They destroyed the Raiders and have now won two of three (including one over the Denver Broncos). Games against the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks eventually await.

20. Atlanta Falcons (5-7)

Somehow the Atlanta Falcons not only beat the Arizona Cardinals, but they did it without the services of Roddy White. 

Cornerback Patrick Peterson was torched by Julio Jones, and Atlanta is in the driver’s seat of the abysmal NFC South with four games remaining. It will probably only take two more wins to clinch the division given what we have seen through the first 12 contests.

19. New Orleans Saints (5-7) 

The New Orleans Saints are right there with the Falcons in the NFC South after walking into Pittsburgh and coming away with the win. The most impressive thing about it was Jimmy Graham didn’t have a single catch, which meant there are other weapons on this Saints team stepping up down the stretch, such as Kenny Stills (162 receiving yards and a touchdown).

18. Cleveland Browns (7-5)

The Cleveland Browns lost to the Buffalo Bills Sunday in a critical game with wild-card implications, but all anyone could talk about was Johnny Manziel’s late-game appearance and touchdown. 

NFL on ESPN passed along a quote from head coach Mike Pettine on the subject:

Buckle up, Cleveland, because it may finally be Johnny Football time.

17. Houston Texans (6-6) 

NFL on ESPN passed along a rather amusing statistic, unless you are a fantasy owner of one of these wide receivers:

The Houston Texans completely dominated the Titans Sunday to stay alive in the playoff race, thanks largely to Fitzpatrick’s incredible efforts. If he can turn in performances half that good moving forward with a solid defense and running game, Houston will be a factor in the playoff race.

16. Miami Dolphins (7-5) 

The Miami Dolphins may just have the inside track at a wild-card spot, as ESPN Stats & Info noted:

Having an easy schedule and winning are two separate things, as the Dolphins nearly found out against the Jets Monday night. However, style points only matter in college, and this stingy defense and formidable running game did what was necessary to walk away with the victory.

15. Kansas City Chiefs (7-5)

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

It is hard to fault the Kansas City Chiefs for losing to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos, but the loss came on the heels of an inexcusable loss to the Raiders. The Chiefs are heading in the wrong direction in the playoff hunt at a less-than-ideal time and now have to travel to Arizona. 

That feels like a third consecutive loss is on the immediate horizon.

14. Buffalo Bills (7-5) 

Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller tried to give the Buffalo Bills some credit after they beat the Browns:

Buffalo’s defense is very good, and the running game has done enough to survive without some of its top options. As long as Kyle Orton makes the right throws and avoids crippling turnovers, the Bills will be a factor the rest of the season.

13. Baltimore Ravens (7-5)

The Baltimore Ravens’ secondary couldn’t hold up down the stretch against the San Diego Chargers, and they swallowed a difficult loss against a fellow AFC playoff contender. 

Those are the type of losses that come back to bite teams in the final week or two when playoff spots are decided. Things may get worse before they get better to with a critical trip to Miami on deck.

12. San Francisco 49ers (7-5)

It is safe to say that the Seattle Seahawks own the San Francisco 49ers, and they had some turkey on the midfield logo just to prove it after winning the Thanksgiving clash. 

The 49ers still largely have the same pieces on offense from last year’s team that reached the NFC Championship, but the results have not been the same. The defense is missing key pieces, and that certainly matters, but it is Colin Kaepernick’s inconsistency that is truly holding this still-talented team back before Week 14.

11. San Diego Chargers (8-4)

The San Diego Chargers may just be the NFL’s craziest roller-coaster ride.

They won five of six to start the season and looked like early Super Bowl contenders but then lost three in a row and appeared destined to miss the playoffs. However, they responded and just shocked the Ravens for a third consecutive win. 

The playoffs are back on the table.

10. Dallas Cowboys (8-4)

There is no way the Dallas Cowboys finish 8-8 again, right?

After the blowout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles Thursday, the Cowboys fell from atop the NFC East to the wild-card race. With games against the Bears, Eagles, Indianapolis Colts and Washington remaining, there are no surefire victories, especially with Tony Romo at less than 100 percent. 

This certainly didn’t look like a playoff team on Thanksgiving.

9. Arizona Cardinals (9-3)

Injuries may finally be catching up to the Arizona Cardinals, and replacement quarterback Drew Stanton threw two more interceptions in Sunday’s loss to the Falcons. 

He has actually thrown a pick in his last three games, which is a drastic change from the ball-control offense the team featured earlier in the season. It feels inevitable now that the Seattle Seahawks will eventually win this division.

8. Detroit Lions (8-4)

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

The struggling Detroit Lions offense got the exact recipe it needed on Thanksgiving—a date with the Chicago Bears defense. 

The Lions hadn’t scored a touchdown the two games before that, so it is difficult to put too much stock into one performance against one of the league’s worst defenses. However, Calvin Johnson finally looks healthy, which is the key to the team’s entire offensive production and postseason hopes.

7. Indianapolis Colts (8-4)

The Indianapolis Colts defense struggled to stop McCoy and Washington, which is the glass-half-empty way of looking at the team’s dominant win. 

The glass-half-full approach would point to the 49 points and five touchdown passes from Andrew Luck and acknowledge that this is one of the league’s most dangerous offensive attacks. That is the approach these power rankings will take for now.

6. Cincinnati Bengals (8-3-1)

Many left the Cincinnati Bengals for dead after an embarrassing loss to the Cleveland Browns at home, but they have won three games in a row since and finally have a bit of breathing room atop the AFC North.

The Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard combination in the backfield gives Cincinnati some thunder and lightning, and A.J. Green is finally starting to look like the All-Pro wide receiver we know he can be moving forward. This is still a dangerous team in the AFC.

5. Seattle Seahawks (8-4)

They’re officially back. 

The defending Super Bowl champs made mincemeat of the San Francisco 49ers offense Thursday and are in a prime position to eventually pass the struggling Cardinals for the NFC West title. That could mean home playoff games in front of the 12th man, which is a problem for the rest of the league.

4. Philadelphia Eagles (9-3)

The Philadelphia Eagles erased any doubts about who the best team in the NFC East is with a dominating performance in Dallas. If they can do it again when the Cowboys make the return trip to Philadelphia, we could be talking first-round bye territory for Chip Kelly’s bunch. 

Philadelphia’s offense can score on anyone, but it has its stiffest test of the season against the resurgent Seattle defense in Week 14 in a possible playoff preview. The outcome will tell us plenty about both sides.

3. Denver Broncos (9-3)

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

Manning has himself a new offensive weapon in running back C.J. Anderson, who ran for 168 yards in the win over the Kansas City Chiefs. 

Chris Burke of Sports Illustrated had the perfect take on that developing situation:

The last thing this powerful offense needs heading toward the playoffs is another weapon. Manning has his team positioned to at least earn the No. 2 seed in the AFC, although a looming Monday Night Football showdown later in the season with the Bengals could prove critical.

2. New England Patriots (9-3)

When the top two teams in the league square off, the loser is bound to assume the No. 2 spot in the immediate aftermath.

The New England Patriots bounced back from an early 13-0 deficit in Lambeau Field to make a game of their 26-21 loss to the Green Bay Packers. It felt like a Super Bowl preview, and the crowd responded accordingly, making life particularly difficult on Tom Brady and the Patriots offense. 

A neutral-field rematch would be a treat for football fans everywhere.

1. Green Bay Packers (9-3)

All hail the new No. 1 in the power rankings.

Aaron Rodgers put on an absolute clinic against the Patriots and finished with 368 passing yards and two touchdowns. The home crowd certainly helped, but this offense is a well-oiled machine that will be incredibly difficult to top in the playoffs, especially at home. The emergence of Davante Adams alongside Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb in the passing game makes the Packers even more dangerous. 

For now, they are your Super Bowl favorites.

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