NFL Power Rankings Week 12: 2018-19 Conference Standings and Super Bowl Odds

Outside of one major injury, the NFL's Week 11 slate didn't change too much. 

Those who have played the season-long lines know fluctuations will happen, like the Carolina Panthers oddly going down at the hands of the Detroit Lions. They know pretenders like the Jacksonville Jaguars will keep fading while a steady presence like the Indianapolis Colts will keep marching toward the postseason. 

While the power rankings don't take a major hit as Week 12 approaches, oddsmakers continue to tweak the lines in an effort to protect the house. After combing through the updated lines, let's check the rankings and standings as the scheduled hits mid-November.  

2018 NFL Power Rankings and Super Bowl Odds

Rank	Team (Super Bowl odds)
1	New Orleans Saints (4-1)
2	Kansas City Chiefs (5-1)
3	Los Angeles Rams (13-4)
4	New England Patriots (13-2)
5	Chicago Bears (16-1)
6	Pittsburgh Steelers (10-1)
7	Los Angeles Chargers (12-1)
8	Carolina Panthers (33-1)
9	Houston Texans (25-1)
10	Washington Redskins (33-1)
11	Indianapolis Colts (80-1)
12	Tennessee Titans (50-1)
13	Minnesota Vikings (16-1)
14	Seattle Seahawks (45-1)
15	Green Bay Packers (66-1)
16	Baltimore Ravens (66-1)
17	Cincinnati Bengals (80-1)
18	Dallas Cowboys (50-1)
19	Detroit Lions (250-1)
20	Philadelphia Eagles (33-1)
21	Atlanta Falcons (80-1)
22	Miami Dolphins (250-1)
23	Jacksonville Jaguars (125-1)
24	Denver Broncos (250-1)
25	Cleveland Browns (250-1)
26	San Francisco 49ers (2000-1)
27	New York Giants (750-1)
28	Tampa Bay Buccaneers (750-1)
29	Buffalo Bills (1000-1)
30	New York Jets (750-1)
31	Oakland Raiders (2500-1)
32	Arizona Cardinals (1000-1)

Odds courtesy of OddsShark. 

Conference Standings

AFC 

Kansas City Chiefs 9-1
Pittsburgh Steelers 7-2-1
New England Patriots 7-3 
Houston Texans 7-3 
Los Angeles Chargers 7-3 
Baltimore Ravens 5-5 
Cincinnati Bengals 5-5 
Miami Dolphins 5-5 
Indianapolis Colts 5-5
Tennessee Titans 5-5 
Denver Broncos 4-6 
Cleveland Browns 3-6-1
Buffalo Bills 3-7
Jacksonville Jaguars 3-7 
New York Jets 3-7 
Oakland Raiders 2-8 

NFC

New Orleans Saints 9-1 
Los Angeles Rams 9-1 
Chicago Bears 7-3 
Washington Redskins 6-4 
Carolina Panthers 6-4 
Minnesota Vikings 5-4-1
Seattle Seahawks 5-5 
Dallas Cowboys 5-5 
Green Bay Packers 4-5-1
Atlanta Falcons 4-6 
Detroit Lions 4-6 
Philadelphia Eagles 4-6 
New York Giants 3-7 
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3-7
Arizona Cardinals 2-8 
San Francisco 49ers 2-8 

Forget it: Washington Redskins

Mark Tenally/Associated Press

The Washington Redskins are the team that suffered a major injury. 

Quarterback Alex Smith went down with a season-ending injury against the Houston Texans in Week 11, prompting the Redskins to immediately search the free-agent market for help: 

The Redskins will try to sell fans on the idea Colt McCoy can take over for the six-win team and make a difference, but bettors know, well, better. 

Smith wasn't exactly lighting up scoreboards with his 10 touchdowns and five interceptions, but his careful ways with the football allowed the offense to lean on 33-year-old Adrian Peterson to win games while taking control of the NFC East. 

Then there is McCoy, a 32-year-old former third-round pick with a 60.2 career completion percentage with 27 touchdowns and 23 interceptions while averaging only 6.6 yards per attempt. He's stepping into a situation where an offensive line is missing three starters, star tight end Jordan Reed has had a quiet season and not one wideout has stepped up to catch even 30 passes. 

A strong Redskins defense isn't going anywhere, but it is going to have more problems and be on the field longer with McCoy more likely than Smith to give the ball back to other teams. The Redskins have to make the change under center with four more NFC East games left on the schedule, so the division lead isn't sticking. 

Don't Panic: Los Angeles Chargers 

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

The Los Angeles Chargers finally came back down to Earth—but just slightly. 

A 23-22 loss to the Denver Broncos in a divisional game isn't the end of the world, even if those Broncos are underperforming this year. 

Which isn't to say the loss was pretty, not while losing on a last-second field goal. But Philip Rivers threw a pair of touchdowns and interceptions and the ground game simply couldn't get going against Denver's front, hence 3.7 yards per carry. 

But bettors shouldn't lose sight of the bigger picture, which was the Chargers rattling off six wins in a row, including going to Seattle and escaping with a win. They are still a seven-win team already and Rivers has played like an MVP, completing 67 percent of his passes with 23 touchdowns and six interceptions. 

Rivers' "worst" game of the season resulted in a one-point loss, yet he kept another trend alive and well: 

The Chargers still get these Broncos again and have winnable games against teams like Arizona and Baltimore, so it's not like the playoffs evaporated due to a one-point loss that snapped a six-game tear. 

In reality, the Chargers are still getting better defensively with Joey Bosa back and an elite quarterback is often what makes the difference in the playoffs, so no need for bettors to jump ship unless the Chargers start a negative streak. 

Worth a Look: Chicago Bears  

David Banks/Associated Press

Then there are the Chicago Bears, a team that sure seems like the exception to the comment about elite quarterbacks.

Which isn't meant to diss Mitchell Trubisky, but they just won despite his throwing one touchdown and two interceptions. He's had a superb jump this year, but a 25-20 win over the Minnesota Vikings showed the team is talented enough around the quarterback to win without him. 

Khalil Mack is a big part of the reason, of course: 

Mack's defense hasn't let up more than 22 points over the current four-game tear. Overall, the Bears only have losses to Green Bay, New England and Miami, with only the last one the real head-scratcher. 

First in the NFC North by a growing margin, the Bears still get iffy Detroit, New York Giants and San Francisco teams, not to mention Minnesota again. A strong defense and ground game is the recipe for wins in the cold this late in the season, something the Bears have rediscovered for the first time in what seems like a long time. 

Though the Bears might finish the season with four road games as opposed to a pair of home stands, a head start on the division and an offense with enough firepower to adapt and improve looks like a fun option at this payout.