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

Power ranking teams in the NFL is no simple task, folks.

You might assume the No. 1 slot is an easy selection after watching the Los Angeles Rams outlast the Kansas City Chiefs in a wild 105-point shootout Monday night. But then what about the New Orleans Saints? They're the other one-loss squad still standing, and all they've done the past two weeks is thump their opponents—including the reigning Super Bowl champs—by a combined score of 99-21.

Every spot on the rankings forces one into a similar debate. Even the 32nd slot, which was seemingly destined for the Oakland Raiders, is up for discussion after their road win over the Arizona Cardinals.

We'll sort through everything here, though, while also examining the latest conference standings and Super Bowl odds (courtesy of OddsShark).

2018 NFL Power Rankings and Super Bowl Odds

1. New Orleans Saints (5/2)

2. Los Angeles Rams (7/2)

3. Kansas City Chiefs (11/2)

4. New England Patriots (7/1)

5. Pittsburgh Steelers (8/1)

6. Chicago Bears (16/1)

7. Houston Texans (25/1)

8. Los Angeles Chargers (15/1)

9. Minnesota Vikings (33/1)

10. Carolina Panthers (50/1)

11. Seattle Seahawks (66/1)

12. Indianapolis Colts (50/1)

13. Green Bay Packers (66/1)

14. Baltimore Ravens (50/1)

15. Dallas Cowboys (50/1)

16. Washington Redskins (150/1)

17. Denver Broncos (300/1)

18. Tennessee Titans (75/1)

19. Cincinnati Bengals (250/1)

20. Philadelphia Eagles (66/1)

21. Atlanta Falcons (150/1)

22. Miami Dolphins (300/1)

23. Detroit Lions (300/1)

24. Jacksonville Jaguars (250/1)

25. New York Giants (300/1)

26. Cleveland Browns (250/1)

27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1000/1)

28. Buffalo Bills (1000/1)

29. New York Jets (750/1)

30. San Francisco 49ers (1000/1)

31. Oakland Raiders (2500/1)

32. Arizona Cardinals (2000/1)

Conference Standings

AFC

Kansas City Chiefs (9-2)

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

Los Angeles Rams (10-1)

New Orleans Saints (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)

The Chicago Bears Are...

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

Good. No, like, really good.

The all-in push to acquire Khalil Mack has transformed this defense into a modern Monsters of the Midway reboot. This unit is third in yards allowed per game (314.4) and fourth in points per game (19.5). It's also as disruptive as they come, sitting tied for fifth in sacks (32), first in interceptions (18), tied for first in forced fumbles (17) and first in defensive touchdowns (five).

"The Bears defense believed even before the early-September trade for Mack that it would be one of the best in the league," ESPN.com's Dan Graziano wrote, "but the impact of Mack's arrival has been elevating that confidence to unforeseen levels."

This offense is maturing ahead of schedule, too.

There are still growing pains, of course, but Mitchell Trubisky looks like a different player in his sophomore season. He's added six points to his completion percentage (59.4 to 65.4), more than doubled his QBR (31.6 to 74.8) and scored more than twice as many touchdowns in 10 games (23) than he did in 12 last season (nine).

Between Trubisky, Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen, Chicago can take multiple forms in the rushing game. There's no shortage of options through the air, either, as five different players have multiple touchdown catches.

Add it all up, and you get a plus-99 scoring differential that trails only the New Orleans Saints, Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City Chiefs.

The Indianapolis Colts Are...

Jeff Roberson/Associated Press

Interesting.

After Week 6, when a loss to the New York Jets dropped Indy's record to 1-5, we would have said dead in the water. But that's no longer the case.

The Colts haven't lost since, giving them a four-game winning streak bettered only by the Saints, Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers. While a soft patch in the schedule has helped, the brilliant quarterbacking of Andrew Luck and emergence of Marlon Mack have perhaps played the biggest role in this surge.

Luck, of course, is the headliner, and with good reason. He's riding a seven-game streak with three or more touchdown passes, which is a performance of historic proportions in its own right. But lately, he has bolstered those scoring strikes with elite-level ball control and accuracy. He's thrown just one interception in his past four games (had eight in the first six) and completed 74.1 percent of his passes over that stretch.

Mack hasn't had the same consistency or eye-catching numbers. But he has averaged 87 rushing yards and a rushing score per game during this streak. Jordan Wilkins and Nyheim Hines have also kept this from being a one-man show in the backfield.

Indy still must prove it can hang with the elites. This winning streak includes triumphs over the Buffalo Bills, Oakland Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans, so not exactly murderers' row. Still, a healthy Luck is always a threat, and the Colts look like they have more talent around him than previously thought.

The Atlanta Falcons Are...

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Finished.

This shouldn't be possible, since both Matt Ryan and Julio Jones appear to be at the height of their powers. But the offense falls a tick below elite—ranking 29th in rushing yards per game isn't helping—and that becomes a huge problem when the defense ranks among the league's worst.

The average Atlanta opponent goes for 405.2 yards and 27.6 points per game. Andy Dalton and Baker Mayfield both threw three touchdown passes against this defense; Jameis Winston burned it for four. Injuries haven't helped—both safeties are done for the year, Deion Jones hasn't played the last nine games—but that doesn't make the numbers any less damaging.

Atlanta has just four wins in 10 games. Three of them were one-score victories, including games against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Giants. This hasn't looked like a playoff team for most of the year, and it may have its bubble burst during this upcoming stretch against the Saints, Baltimore Ravens and Green Bay Packers in consecutive weeks.