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NFL Power Rankings Week 14: Latest 2019 Standings and Reaction for All 32 Teams
December 3, 2019
The NFL playoff race is far from settled—only the New Orleans Saints have clinched their division—but the picture is beginning to clarify.
With the Seattle Seahawks winning on Monday night, there are now five teams with a 10-2 record, and there are 19 sitting at .500 or below.
Seattle's win also dropped the San Francisco 49ers from the NFC's No. 1 seed to the fifth seed in a matter of hours.
So how does the NFL stack up with just a quarter of the season remaining? Here, we'll take a look at the current standings, some of the most interesting storylines coming out of Week 13 and power rankings for all 32 teams.
NFL Power Rankings, Post-MNF
1. Baltimore Ravens
2. New Orleans Saints
3. Seattle Seahawks
4. San Francisco 49ers
5. New England Patriots
6. Green Bay Packers
7. Buffalo Bills
8. Minnesota Vikings
9. Houston Texans
10. Kansas City Chiefs
10. Los Angeles Rams
12. Tennessee Titans
13. Pittsburgh Steelers
14. Dallas Cowboys
15. Chicago Bears
16. Oakland Raiders
17. Indianapolis Colts
18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
19. Carolina Panthers
20. Cleveland Browns
21. Philadelphia Eagles
22. Denver Broncos
23. Jacksonville Jaguars
24. New York Jets
25. Los Angeles Chargers
26. Arizona Cardinals
27. Detroit Lions
28. Miami Dolphins
29. Atlanta Falcons
30. Washington Redskins
31. Cincinnati Bengals
32. New York Giants
Bills Win, Patriots Lose
The Buffalo Bills embarrassed the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving, putting Dallas' title hopes into a tailspin. The dominant victory also moved Buffalo to 9-3 and just one game behind the New England Patriots in the AFC East.
The Bills are just a game back because the Patriots lost to the Houston Texans on Thursday night—in relatively one-sided fashion.
Buffalo will travel to take on the Patriots in Week 16, and there's a very real chance the game could decide the division. In the grand scheme of things, that fact alone is huge. The last time New England didn't win the AFC East was in 2008, when Tom Brady was sidelined with a torn ACL.
One could argue the Bills are the better team at this point in the season too. While both have a playoff-caliber defense, Buffalo's offense has started to make positive strides. When quarterback Josh Allen is playing efficient football—as he did while dropping 26 points on the Cowboys—Buffalo is hard to contain.
Brady and the Patriots, meanwhile, have averaged just 18 points per game over the past month and have labored to produce even that many. It's too early to call this a changing of the guard in the AFC East, but the possibility does exist.
The Ravens Are the Best Team in Football
OK, so there's no definitive proof that the Baltimore Ravens are the best team in the entire NFL. However, their win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday solidified them as the top team in the AFC and suggests they're at least playing the best football of anyone right now.
Baltimore hasn't lost since Week 4 and has started to flourish offensively. Quarterback Lamar Jackson is nearly unstoppable, and even the Baltimore defense—a maligned unit early in the season—has rounded into form.
The Ravens defense has allowed an average of just 12.6 points over its last five games.
Still, it's Jackson and his dual-threat ability that is concerning the Bills heading into Week 14.
"Very talented player," Bills head coach Sean McDermott said, per Matt Parrino of NewYorkUpstate.com. "I don’t think there's been a defense that's cracked the code to this point, so to speak."
Buffalo will host Baltimore in the early-afternoon slot on Sunday.
The Bengals Won a Game!
After coming close multiple times this season—they've lost by a touchdown or less six times, to be exact—the Cincinnati Bengals finally got into the win column in Week 13.
What's interesting is that Cincinnati actually dominated the New York Jets, who came in on a three-game winning streak. The Jets offense, which had scored 34 points per game during that streak, mustered a mere six against the Bengals.
While Cincinnati still has the NFL's worst record, it may no longer be the worst team in football. For at least a week, it's rising in the rankings above the New York Giants, who haven't won since Week 4 and who have some notable issues arising.
Perhaps the biggest issue for New York is that it's been far too easy for opposing defenses to contain running back Saquon Barkley. The second-overall pick in last year's draft has rushed for just 544 yards in nine games while averaging a pedestrian 4.0 yards per carry.
With rookie quarterback Daniel Jones struggling with turnovers—he has 21 in 11 games—Barkley's struggles have made it nearly impossible for the Giants to remain competitive.
The only problem for Cincinnati is that it's now in danger of losing out on the first overall pick in the 2020 draft.
AFC, NFC Standings
AFC
1. Baltimore Ravens 10-2
2. New England Patriots 10-2
3. Houston Texans 8-4
4. Kansas City Chiefs 8-4
5. Buffalo Bills 9-3
6. Pittsburgh Steelers 7-5
7. Tennessee Titans 7-5
8. Oakland Raiders 6-6
9. Indianapolis Colts 6-6
10. Cleveland Browns 5-7
11. Jacksonville Jaguars 4-8
12. Denver Broncos 4-8
13. Los Angeles Chargers 4-8
14. New York Jets 4-8
15. Miami Dolphins 3-9
16. Cincinnati Bengals 1-11
NFC
1. New Orleans Saints 10-2
2. Seattle Seahawks 10-2
3. Green Bay Packers 9-3
4. Dallas Cowboys 6-6
5. San Francisco 49ers 10-2
6. Minnesota Vikings 8-4
7. Los Angeles Rams 7-5
8. Chicago Bears 6-6
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 5-7
10. Philadelphia Eagles 5-7
11. Carolina Panthers 5-7
12. Detroit Lions 3-8-1
13. Arizona Cardinals 3-8-1
14. Atlanta Falcons 3-9
15. Washington Redskins 3-9
16. New York Giants 2-10