NFL power rankings usually become pretty messy as the season progresses in the NFL due to so many new injuries, trades, and other variables that come into play. With that being said, I don’t think there has been a more crazy three weeks in football in a long time. Just to name a few things this week, the Bills gave up 41 at home to the Colts, the Texans won in Tennessee, and the Browns were barely able to overcome the Lions at home. With many top teams losing, the rankings have been jumbled up since just last week, and many may still be wondering what just happened. Here are your updated NFL power rankings.
NFL Power Rankings: Week 12
1) Arizona Cardinals (9-2) (Last Week: 4)
Colt McCoy has done it again. McCoy threw for over 325 yards and two touchdowns to see the Arizona Cardinals improve to 9-2 and an impressive 6-0 record on the road. While the Cardinals did play a Seahawks team that is scrapping the bottom of the barrel, they were able to get a big divisional win on the road without their star quarterback Kyler Murray. The defense did a good job keeping Russell Wilson in check and they get a much-needed bye this upcoming week. Arizona has a nice tune-up matchup against the Bears before having to face the Rams again.
2) Kansas City Chiefs (7-4) (7)
Is Kansas City fully back yet? It’s hard to place this team due to their underwhelming wins three of the past four weeks. With that in mind, wins are wins, and they had a tough matchup against a good Dallas Cowboys offense. Dak Prescott did struggle and Ezekiel Elliott did get hurt in this game. However, the Chiefs’ defense stepped up. The offense still has work to do, as they could only muster 19 points, but much of that had to do with kicker Harrison Butker missing a field goal and an extra point.
3) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-3) (8)
Although the New York Giants stuck around a little longer than many thought they would, Tampa Bay’s defense stepped up down the stretch. This game was never really in doubt, due to Tom Brady and the Buccaneers’ offense being able to move the ball at will. This was a nice rebound week for Tampa after two straight embarrassing losses. The Bucs are back in the win column for the first time since October 24th and have a tough matchup against Jonathan Taylor and company in Indianapolis next week.
4) Green Bay Packers (8-3) (2)
The Green Bay Packers had a trap game against the rival Vikings and fell right in. The Packers finally played a team with a solid running game for the first time since Week 1 and it showed. This defense that was touted as “great” by some was exposed with the inability to simply sit back on the pass. The offense came alive late, but once again, special teams played a big role, as a missed Mason Crosby field goal cost the Packers in a game where they lost by three points. Keeping that in mind, if Darnell Savage had been able to hold onto a late interception, this game likely would’ve vaulted the Packers to a 9-2 record.
5) New England Patriots (7-4) (9)
In a season where the New England Patriots started the season 2-4, they are already alone atop the AFC East. This defense completely shut down the Falcons, thanks in part to the Falcons’ own missteps, on the way to a 25-0 win in Atlanta. Mac Jones was efficient as always and the running game looked excellent. While this was only a two-possession game heading into the later portions of the fourth quarter, there was no mistaking that the Patriots were in their own class. This team is rolling and will have a big test against a reeling Titans team this upcoming week.
6) Los Angeles Rams (7-3) (6)
The Los Angeles Rams got the perfectly placed bye week after two straight embarrassing losses at home. With an extra week to recover and scout, they will be in a good position heading into next week at Lambeau. If the Rams can get back on track, they should be good to go with the Jaguars on deck the week after.
7) Baltimore Ravens (7-3) (10)
The Ravens were down Lamar Jackson and Marquise Brown and still went on the road to beat the Chicago Bears. It was far from a pretty performance, but what do you expect from a team throwing out a 23-year-old quarterback against this Bears defense? With a 7-3 record and divisional games in their next three, Baltimore has a real shot to all but clinch their division by Week 15 or 16. Seeing how banged up this team is, they would surely love the ability to rest some of their starters for another playoff run.
8) Dallas Cowboys (7-3) (5)
There really isn’t anything positive to take from this game for Dallas Cowboys fans. Although they were missing Amari Cooper and lost CeeDee Lamb during the game, this offense was much worse than it should’ve been. Dallas lost to the Chiefs even worse than a Packers team who started a quarterback in his first game. While the Chiefs only put up 19 points, much that can be attributed to Kansas City’s own ineptitude rather than the Cowboys’ defense making plays.
9) Tennessee Titans (8-3) (1)
Well, that escalated quickly. Tennessee came into Sunday’s game on a six-game win streak, with impressive wins over the Bills, Chiefs, Colts and Rams. The Titans put in so much work to rinse out the bitter taste of a loss to the New York Jets. In the end, they compounded it with a loss at home to the Houston Texans by two possessions. Ryan Tannehill was horrible, throwing four interceptions and just one touchdown. With that performance, it’s easy to see why the Titans struggled to get anything to work offensively. While Tyrod Taylor is certainly an underrated quarterback, there is no excuse for being down 19-0 halfway through the third to this Texans team. They’ll need to regroup quickly, as they have a road matchup with the Patriots next week.
10) Indianapolis Colts (6-5) (15)
Jonathan Taylor is the perfect example of why to not put too much stock into draft “experts” all the time. Ludacris questions about his college workload sent him to the Indianapolis Colts in the second round, and the rest is history. Head coach Frank Reich finally realized he should keep feeding the beast, and boy was he rewarded. Taylor not only had five touchdowns, he also had over 200 all-purpose yards. With a solid defense that held Josh Allen and the Bills to just 15 points, the Colts may just be the most dangerous team in the NFL right now, and they are rising the NFL Power Rankings.
11) Los Angeles Chargers (6-4) (14)
12) Buffalo Bills (6-4) (3)
13) Cincinnati Bengals (6-4) (17)
14) San Francisco 49ers (5-5) (18)
15) Pittsburgh Steelers (5-4-1) (11)
16) Las Vegas Raiders (5-5) (13)
17) Cleveland Browns (6-5) (16)
18) Minnesota Vikings (5-5) (20)
19) Philadelphia Eagles (5-6) (23)
20) New Orleans Saints (5-5) (12)
21) Denver Broncos (5-5) (19)
22) Washington Football Team (4-6) (27)
23) Carolina Panthers (5-6) (22)
24) New York Giants (3-7) (26)
25) Chicago Bears (3-7) (21)
26) Seattle Seahawks (3-7) (25)
27) Atlanta Falcons (4-6) (24)
28) Miami Dolphins (4-7) (28)
29) Houston Texans (2-8) (31)
30) Jacksonville Jaguars (2-8) (29)
31) New York Jets (2-8) (30)
32) Detroit Lions (0-9-1) (32)
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