As Week 14 arrives, the NFL Playoff race is truly heating up. The Houston Texans and Chicago Bears became the first two teams officially eliminated and many others will suffer the same fate in the coming weeks. We will soon see which teams can make a run and what teams will fall apart. As the playoff picture starts to become a bit clearer, here are your updated NFL Power Rankings for Week 14.
NFL Power Rankings for Week 14
1) Philadelphia Eagles (11-1) (Last Week: 2)
The Philadelphia Eagles had played four teams under .500 in their last five games heading into their home matchup with the Tennessee Titans. Many wondered if they’d be able to answer the call after winning by a combined eight points over the last two weeks. The Eagles answered the bell and more, as they dominated the Titans, 35-10. They scored 21 unanswered to end the game and Jalen Hurts threw for over 380 yards and three touchdowns. If Philadelphia can play this way by the time the postseason comes around, there is little question they will be heavy favorites in the NFC.
2) Kansas City Chiefs (9-3) (1)
The Kansas City Chiefs suffered a tough loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on the road and now have ceded the top seed in the AFC back to the Buffalo Bills. When plays needed to be made, neither the offense nor the defense could answer the call. With four of their final five games coming against teams below .500, the Chiefs are still very much alive in the hunt for the top seed in the AFC. Unfortunately, their loss this past week has eliminated all margin for error and has knocked them off of the top spot in the NFL Power Rankings.
3) Buffalo Bills (9-3) (3)
No games are easy against the New England Patriots, but the Buffalo Bills did as good of a job as they could on Thursday night. After falling behind 7-3, the Bills scored 21 unanswered points on their way to a 24-10 victory. Buffalo has now won three straight after dropping two in a row earlier this season, and they have important divisional matchups on deck against the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins over the next two weeks. If the Bills can go 2-0, the AFC North will be all but theirs.
4) Cincinnati Bengals (8-4) (4)
For as much as the Cincinnati Bengals have struggled at times this season, they showed on Sunday that they are a true threat in the AFC and the kryptonite of the Kansas City Chiefs. For the third straight time, Joe Burrow has gotten the best of Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. With Lamar Jackson injured and the Bengals now tied with the Baltimore Ravens for the lead in the AFC North, the Bengals have a good shot to take the division title.
5) Minnesota Vikings (10-2) (5)
Once again, the Minnesota Vikings were able to eke out a close victory. While the Vikings are 10-2, questions have to be asked as to how good this team really is. Their point differential this season is just +10, and while every team needs a bit of luck, it’s clear that Minnesota has had more than their fair share. The only question for Minnesota is how long it’ll last if they can’t start to pull away from their opponents.
6) San Francisco 49ers (8-4) (6)
It seems that no matter what is thrown the way of the San Francisco 49ers, they somehow manage to continue to produce. While San Francisco picked up a solid win over Miami, questions have to be asked about San Francisco now without Jimmy Garoppolo. Brock Purdy looked solid, but he’s their third-string quarterback at the end of the day. It’ll be interesting to see what moves the 49ers make to shore up their quarterback problem so they can try to make a deep run in the playoffs once again.
7) Miami Dolphins (8-4) (7)
On Sunday, the Miami Dolphins got off to the best start imaginable against the 49ers thanks to a 75-yard touchdown pass to Trent Sherfield on the first play from scrimmage. When Jimmy Garoppolo had to be removed from the game with what would turn out to be a broken foot, the game was Miami’s for the taking. Instead, they fell flat and lost 33-17 to San Francisco. Tua Tagovailoa struggled mightily and the running game was nonexistent. If Miami’s defense can’t stop rookie quarterback Brock Purdy, they may be in for a tough time down the stretch.
8) Baltimore Ravens (8-4) (8)
The Baltimore Ravens may have beat the Denver Broncos, but they did, unfortunately, lose their star quarterback Lamar Jackson to injury. Luckily, it seems his injury is minor, but that doesn’t help an offense that has already been struggling for the last few weeks. With their next four games coming against opponents under .500 before a Week 18 showdown with the Bengals, can the Ravens keep pace atop the AFC North and hang onto a top-10 spot in the NFL Power Rankings?
9) Dallas Cowboys (9-3) (9)
Going into the fourth quarter, the Dallas Cowboys were struggling to pull away from the Indianapolis Colts as they held on to a slim two-point lead. Thanks to the Colts’ offense falling apart and Dallas’ defense taking advantage, the Cowboys rattled off 33 unanswered points on their way to a 54-19 win. Once again, Dallas struggled with consistency and has yet to show us which team they truly are. This looks to be more of the same for the Dallas Cowboys.
10) New York Jets (7-5) (10)
The New York Jets may have lost a heartbreaker to the Vikings, but they clearly found their future quarterback. New York’s offense has looked completely revamped behind White, who threw for over 300 yards for the second straight start. While he did throw two interceptions, one did come on their last shot to the end zone for the win. With the Bills and Detroit Lions on deck, the Jets will hope to split the two and stay in the thick of the AFC playoff race.
