NFL Power Rankings Week 14: Predicting Post-Monday Night Football Standings

Week 13 in the NFL delivered the first playoff team in the Los Angeles Rams and upset losses for what appeared to be postseason powerhouses in the Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Bears. 

Alongside those events came the firing of longtime Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy and the same quiet consistency from the New England Patriots that make them a bona fide Super Bowl contender year in and year out.

Ahead of a vital NFC East showdown between the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins on Monday Night Football, which teams have emerged from the pack and stand atop our NFL power rankings as Week 14 approaches?

Monday Night Football

Philadelphia will host divisional foes Washington at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN, a game that takes on greater significance for the defending Super Bowl champions in the wake of the Dallas Cowboys' upset win over the New Orleans Saints on Thursday.

The Eagles are 1.5 games back in the NFC East and have only lost one divisional game—against Dallas in Week 10. Losing would put the Birds even further in a hole, though, and make it tougher to forecast a path to the playoffs without a division title since Dallas also only has one NFC East loss.

Washington is without quarterback Alex Smith, who is recovering from a devastating leg injury that may spell the end of his career, and backup Colt McCoy did little to inspire hope in a three-interception performance against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving.

He could see greater success Monday night against a Philadelphia pass defense that's ranked 29th. The Eagles are only 23rd in sacks, with 28 through 12 weeks, which opens up a greater opportunity for McCoy to thrive.

How future Hall of Famer Adrian Peterson fares against the Eagles' 25th-ranked run defense will be the key to Washington's ability to move the ball and score.

With running back Josh Adams on track to play, per a report from NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, and desperation setting in, the Eagles still feel like a team destined to hang around until the very end of the season.

For better or worse.

Prediction: Eagles win, 26-17

Predicted Power Rankings

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

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Rams Clinch NFC West

The Los Angeles Rams became the first team this season to clinch a playoff berth with their 30-16 win over the Detroit Lions.

Todd Gurley rushed for 132 yards on 23 carries and scored two touchdowns on a day when quarterback Jared Goff was reasonably quiet (17-of-33, 207 yards, TD, INT). Defensive Player of the Year candidate Aaron Donald continued to impose his will, sacking Matthew Stafford twice and forcing a fumble.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Donald highlighted the role pass-rusher Dante Fowler has played in motivating the defensive players around him since his midseason trade from the Jacksonville Jaguars: "Like I said when [Fowler] first got here, any time you bring more playmakers to your team, you're going to be happy because those guys are going to make plays, then it's going to motivate other guys to make plays, then you got a bunch of guys that are flying around hungry."

The win was business as usual for the Rams, who have consistently had big plays from their star players to secure wins. When one does not play up to their standards, another sweeps in and picks up the pieces en route to another win.

It is a formula that has helped the team become the first to 11 wins this season and the first to win its division.

It remains to be seen whether or not the Rams can parlay their success in the regular season into postseason wins, but Gurley is the type of weapon who helps ice games late, and the defense has been making big plays late to help put away the opposition.

Those two elements are invaluable for a team seeking its first Super Bowl victory since 1999.

John Grieshop/Getty Images

Denver Surging

Do not look now, but the Denver Broncos are gaining momentum ahead of what the team hopes is a playoff berth.

Undrafted rookie running back Phillip Lindsay is a big part of that resurgence, as seen in the Broncos' 24-10 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. Averaging 8.3 yards per carry and scoring twice, Lindsay opened up plays in the passing game, where Case Keenum's solid play resulted in 151 yards and a touchdown.

The quarterback praised both Lindsay's play and humility to reporters:

"He ought to be in the Rookie of the Year category, Pro Bowl, all that stuff—he deserves all that. He's not playing for that. After the game, the coaches gave him and the offensive line a game ball, and he doesn't want it—he wants to give it to the offensive line. That's the kind of guy I want around. He's a special dude. He's going to be really good for us the last quarter of the season."

With Keenum continuing the hunt for some of that offensive magic that helped him lead the Minnesota Vikings to the NFC Championship Game a year ago, Lindsay will be integral to the offense's success.

The team will not blow anyone out and is not going to dazzle with an offensive display, but what it does have is a strong defensive unit led by Von Miller (1.5 sacks versus Cincy) and a running game benefitting from the play of Lindsay. As the cold weather begins to set in, this type of punishing, smashmouth football could help the AFC West squad sneak up on some teams and earn a playoff spot.

That would be far from expected, given the struggles the team faced earlier when the offense was not clicking and the defense was getting gashed by the run game.