NFL Power Rankings Heading into Week 14

Photo Credit: USA Today Sports. (96)

It does not get much better than December NFL action.

In Week 13, Dak Prescott and the Cowboys won their 11th straight game of the season with a road win over the Vikings on Thursday Night Football. Carson Palmer led the Cardinals to a win over the Redskins as Palmer recorded his 3rd three touchdown game of the season. Tom Brady won his NFL record 201st game of his illustrious NFL career as the Patriots beat the Rams. Derek Carr led the Raiders to a comeback win against the Bills after being down by 15 points. Without Trevor Siemian, the Broncos bounced back with a victory over the now 2–10 Jacksonville Jaguars.

After thirteen weeks of the NFL season, here are the NFL Power Rankings heading into Week 14.

1. Dallas Cowboys (11–1) — Ranked #1 last week

• Cowboys can win offensive showdowns and they proved convincingly that they can be victorious in defensive battles too. The Cowboys offense totaled 264 yards and they had 13 1st downs but the defense stepped up in the Cowboys 17–15 win over the Vikings. Cowboys defense took care of business as they did not allow an offensive play over 25 yards and their red zone defense held the Vikings to one score in three trips. Credit to Sean Lee and the Cowboys on not breaking down in coverage and securing open field tackles. Cowboys will play the Giants next week and a victory will inch them closer to an NFC East title.

2. New England Patriots (10–2) — Ranked #2 last week

• It is remarkable that in this era of football with a ton of elite teams per season that a quarterback like Tom Brady can mount up multiple 10 win seasons in his career. With a victory over the Rams, Brady also picked up his NFL record 201st victory. The Patriots picked up their 10th victory of the season in a 26–10 win over the Rams in a game dominated by the Patriots defense as they held the Rams to 162 total yards. Without Gronk, the Patriots gameplan was all about Brady as he had 46 pass attempts but they did not forget about the Pats rushing trio as they had 29 rushing attempts. Due to the Raiders better win percentage in common games, the Patriots dropped back to the #2 seed in the AFC even with the win.

3. Oakland Raiders (10–2) — Ranked #3 last week

• At one point in the game, the Raiders were down 24–9 to the Bills and Chiefs fans were overjoyed at the possibility of taking back the AFC West and the #2 seed in the AFC. Instead, the Raiders offense scored four straight touchdowns and the defense sealed the game with stops in the 4th quarter. They showed strong adversity again to keep calm and claw their way back into the game without changing up the game plan. The Raiders will now look ahead to a Thursday Night showdown against the Chiefs with 1st place in the division and the 1st round bye on the line.

4. Kansas City Chiefs (9–3) — Ranked #4 last week

• For the Chiefs to beat the #1 offense in points per game Falcons, they would need plenty of help from defense not only in getting stops but also scoring. And they delivered. Eric Berry came through with two interception returns, one for a touchdown and one for a 2-pointer and that was all that the Chiefs needed. Matt Ryan and Julio Jones both had their typical standout games but they were held under their 32.5 points per game average. The Chiefs have not had a terrific pass defense like in previous seasons but a bend but don’t break defense is good enough to lead the Chiefs into a tight divisional battle with the Raiders and Broncos.

5. Seattle Seahawks (8–3–1) — Ranked #6 last week

• While the Seahawks got some sweet playoff revenge with a 33-point win over the Panthers, Earl Thomas left the game with an injury and it could possibly be the last time that we will ever see one of the greatest safeties over the last 20 years play. It was reported that Thomas’ injury was a leg injury with a devastating cracked tibia. The Seahawks already lost Marshawn Lynch to retirement and now another Seahawks legend could join him in walking away from the game. Just looking at this season, Seattle will just have to go next man up with Steven Terrell.

6. Denver Broncos (8–4) — Ranked #8 last week

• Broncos games as of late have not been “pretty” and it is all due to lackluster offensive play. With Trevor Siemian out, the Broncos had a difficult task of going with the rookie Paxton Lynch even considering the fact that they were facing the Jaguars 4th ranked pass defense. Well, it did not matter as the Broncos defense took care of business. The Broncos No Fly Zone defense held Blake Bortles to under 50% passing while Bortles’ two interceptions were the deciding factor in the game. Trevor Siemian should be back next week against the Titans and he will look to carry the strong momentum that he finished with against the Chiefs to the finishing line of the season with four games remaining for Denver.

7. Detroit Lions (8–4) — Ranked #9 last week

• For weeks, the Lions have had plenty of comeback wins but this week against the Saints, Detroit had their most impressive win of the season. The Lions were heavy underdogs but the defense proved many doubters wrong. The Lions held Drew Brees without a passing touchdown while also intercepting Brees three times. The Lions did not shut down New Orleans’ offense but rather contain them from putting on a touchdown show like the Saints did last week against the Rams. On offense, Golden Tate and the offense were prepared for an offensive back-and-forth duel as they totaled 422 yards. The Lions now have a two game lead in the NFC North over the Packers and Vikings.

8. Baltimore Ravens (7–5) — Ranked #12 last week

• The Ravens had their best statement win of the season with a victory over the red hot Miami Dolphins. On offense, Joe Flacco played his best game of the season with 381 passing yards and four touchdowns, both season highs for Flacco. On defense, they contained the Dolphins in all phases with three interceptions and holding the Dolphins rushing attack to 3.9 yards per carry. The Ravens will need this type of offensive performance next week when they matchup with the Patriots.

9. Pittsburgh Steelers (7–5) — Ranked #13 last week

• The Steelers came into the game with the top ranked red zone defense in the NFL and they proved again why they have been so successful. Against the Giants, the Steelers defense held them to 14 points in four red zone drives. The Steelers pass rush had yet another strong performance as they pressured Eli Manning in the pocket all game long and the Steelers recorded two sacks to bring their total to 13 sacks in their last three games. Ladarius Green was effective again with his first game with over 100 receiving yards this season while Le’Veon Bell totaled over 100 yards. The Steelers are playing great football and now their attention shifts to a road game against the Bills next week.

10. New York Giants (8–4) — Ranked #5 last week

• In the Giants six game win streak, they were able to score at least 20 points in five of those games. Against the Steelers, the Giants were held to just 14 points and an overall disappointing day on offense for the Giants. The Giants offense totaled 234 yards and just scored on two out four red zone drives. They abandoned the rushing attack in favor of trying to beat the Steelers with Eli Manning and the passing attack but it was ultimately unsuccessful. In a tight NFC wild card race, the Giants will need to quickly turn it around next week when they face the Cowboys.

11. Atlanta Falcons (7–5) — Ranked #7 last week

• You just never know which Falcons team you will watch on any given Sunday. In what felt like a must win game considering the surging Bucs are right behind them in the NFC South, the Falcons lost to the Chiefs 29–28 and now there is a two-team tie in the division between the Falcons and Bucs. The Falcons will face the Rams up next.

12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7–5) — Ranked #15 last week

• The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had five consecutive losing seasons but the streak is looking to end this season. Jameis Winston and the Bucs picked up their 4th straight win with a strong performance against the Chargers and now they currently hold a wild card spot and they are also tied with the Falcons for 1st place in the NFC South. The Bucs defense was the story again as key interceptions by Lavonte David and Keith Tandy helped the Bucs halt potential Chargers scoring drives in their 28–21 win. Whether you believe that they are contenders or pretenders, this Bucs team should be taken seriously in the wild card race.

13. Miami Dolphins (7–5) — Ranked #10 last week

• The Dolphins win streak game came to an end in an ugly loss to the Ravens. The Dolphins looked like the team that started out 1–4 as Ryan Tannehill threw three costly interceptions while Jay Ayaji was did not reach the 100 rushing yards mark for the 4th consecutive game. With the Dolphins defense, they were poor in pass coverage and pass rush. The loss took the Dolphins out of the current playoff picture.

14. Washington Redskins (6–5–1) — Ranked #11 last week

• Redskins fans are starting to feel uneasy after back-to-back losses by the Redskins. The Redskins defense have allowed 25 total points in the 4th quarter in their last two games and poor defensive play in crunch time has them out of the current playoff picture as the Bucs have taken the 2nd NFC wild card spot.

15. Green Bay Packers (6–6) — Ranked #20 last week

• After a tough four game losing streak in which the Packers defense allowed at least 30 points in every game, they have bounced back to allow 26 total points in their last two games. Aaron Rodgers has looked more relaxed in the pocket as he has not been forced to carry the team with over 40 pass attempts per game. The Packers NFC North title hopes are still in their grasp while they are also just one game back of the Bucs for the 2nd wild card spot.

16. Buffalo Bills (6–6) — Ranked #14 last week

• The Bills held a strong 24–9 lead and then the collapse began. The Raiders scored 29 unanswered points and they handed the Bills their 3rd loss in their last 5 games. The story of the game was the Raiders offensive line winning the line of scrimmage battle over the Bills defensive front as the Bills did not sack Derek Carr and they were only able to get two quarterback hits. The Bills are on pace for their 2nd straight 8–8 season under Rex Ryan and for a team full of Pro Bowl type talent on offense and defense, they have surely underperformed.

17. Arizona Cardinals (5–6–1) — Ranked #24 last week

• David Johnson is the NFL’s most underrated and underappreciated player in the NFL. Johnson defines consistency as he has totaled at least 100 yards from scrimmage in every game this season. Against the Redskins, Johnson was instrumental in the Cardinals must win game as he totaled 175 yards and scored two touchdowns. Watch out Bucs, the Cardinals are coming for the last wild card spot.

18. Indianapolis Colts (6–6) — Ranked #22 last week

• Andrew Luck returned with one of the best games of his career. Luck completed over 70% of his passes and he had his 8th career game with at least four touchdowns. It was a superb all-around performance by the Colts as their pass coverage did not allow any deep passes by Ryan Fitzpatrick and Bryce Petty while their offense looked like the 2014 Colts offense. The Colts will have a crucial AFC South matchup against the Texans next week.

19. Minnesota Vikings (6–6) — Ranked #16 last week

• The Vikings freefall out of the playoff race continued with a 17–15 loss to the Cowboys. The Vikings have now lost six of their last seven games. At this point, all Vikings fans can look forward to is the return of Adrian Peterson. Bradford has not been awful but he has not been superb either and the offense has not been effective over the last month. Scoring 28 total points against division leaders Cowboys and Lions will not get it done.

20. Houston Texans (6–6) — Ranked #17 last week

• The Texans just can not get in rhythm on offense. Tough weather did play a factor but the Texans scored 20 or fewer points for the 8th time this season. Three of the Texans last four games will be against divisional opponents and if they want to clinch the division for the 2nd straight year, this offense needs some big plays rather than the same ineffective short passes and inconsistent run game.

21. Tennessee Titans (6–6) — Ranked #19 last week

• The Titans were in their bye this week and they will have the Broncos up next. With a win over Denver, Tennessee will claim 1st place in the AFC South… from rebuild to potential division winners.

22. New Orleans Saints (5–7) — Ranked #18 last week

• Drew Brees’ performance against the Lions was a huge shock in week 13. Credit to the Lions defense for tight downfield coverage throughout the game as Brees would end up throwing a season high three interceptions and he had his first game this season without a touchdown pass. The Saints had a golden opportunity of sneaking into a wild card spot if the Saints beat the Lions and Bucs and if the Redskins would drop back-to-back games but now the Saints will have to battle back to stay in the playoff race. With Drew Brees at quarterback, never count them out.

23 Cincinnati Bengals (4–7–1) — Ranked #26 last week

• The Bengals performance against the Eagles reminded fans of the glory days that was the 2015 season when they won the AFC North title. The Bengals had a solid vintage performance as they came away with three interceptions and four game-changing sacks against the Eagles. On offense, Andy Dalton had his 2nd game this season with at least 300 passing yards and two touchdown passes. While they picked up their first win in over a month, playoff hopes are nearly finished as the Steelers and Ravens look to battle it out for the division crown.

24. Philadelphia Eagles (5–7) — Ranked #21 last week

• Carson Wentz is a special quarterback but he is still just in his first year in the NFL and he can not carry this team week after week. In the Eagles 18-point loss to the Bengals, Wentz threw a career high 60 pass attempts and a career high three interceptions. Without much helping with the rushing attack and an unreliable defense that has allowed over 25 points in their last three games, it will all just result in another potential losing season for the Eagles.

25. San Diego Chargers (5–7) — Ranked #23 last week

• The season of missed opportunities continues for the Chargers. Coming into their home game against the red hot Bucs, the Chargers had lost all of their games by eight points or less. Add another game to that list as the Chargers dropped their 7th game of the season to Tampa Bay by a score of 28–21. The Chargers allowed 11 straight points in 4th quarter as it was another 4th quarter collapse by San Diego. Phillip Rivers just can not do it all, especially in an injury-plagued season by the Chargers.

26. Carolina Panthers (4–8) — Ranked #25 last week

• The Panthers definitely missed Luke Kuechly this week. The Seahawks rushed for over 200 yards including a 45-yard touchdown run by Thomas Rawls that essentially sealed the game. In a game that required Cam Newton to carry the team, he struggled to do so and inaccuracy was once again the highlighted issue as Cam completed 43% of passes. Looking ahead to the NFL Draft, wonder what the Panthers will plan to do with their selection… Leonard Fournette?

27. Chicago Bears (3–9) — Ranked #29 last week

• In a game between two of the worst teams in the NFL, the Bears proved that well… they are not as bad as the 49ers. The Bears pass defense had a day off as 49ers quarterbacks completed just four pass attempts. With the Bears offense, rookie Jordan Howard recorded his 5th game with at least 100 rushing yards while on defense, rookie Leonard Floyd recorded his 7th sack. The Bears future is bright with two solid talents with Howard and Floyd.

28. Los Angeles Rams (4–8) — Ranked #27 last week

• On the same day that the Rams gave Jeff Fisher a two year contract extension, the Rams lost their 8th game of the season and they clinched their 13th consecutive non-winning season. Who knows why the Rams gave Fisher a contract extension considering that there has not been any growth or progression from this Rams team even though they are stacked with solid talents on offense and defense. And with the offense, I should change that to a “developing offense” because that is what they showed against the Patriots. Jared Goff struggled to move the ball as he was inaccurate all game long and just did not challenge the Patriots secondary.

29. New York Jets (3–9) — Ranked #28 last week

• The Jets should give a refund or at least a team store gift card to the fans that came out to see the Monday Night Football beatdown loss. The Jets defense could not contain Andrew Luck as he orchestrated the offense to 41 points. The loss clinched the Jets 4th losing seasons since 2007. As of now, Jets should rotate between Petty and Hackenberg and begin to watch dozens of hours of film on the top 50 prospects in anticipation of another top five pick in the NFL Draft.

30. Jacksonville Jaguars (2–10) — Ranked #30 last week

• The Jaguars game against the Broncos went just as expected. The Jaguars were able to put together two scoring drives for 10 points but that was it as Blake Bortles completed 45% of passes for 181 yards and two interceptions. The Jaguars favored a more balanced offense as the Jaguars called for over 35 rush attempts but it was not enough. 2–10 is just not acceptable for this Jaguars team.

31. San Francisco 49ers (1–11) — Ranked #31 last week

• If you missed this game, you missed an “extraordinary” quarterback battle and Chip Kelly was generous enough to showcase both QB’s. Colin Kaepernick started the game going 1–5 for 4 passing yards. Chip Kelly then brought in Blaine Gabbert, who went 4/10 for 35 yards. 49ers fans probably can not make up their mind on who they want in the draft. One week their defense is allowing over 150 rushing yards and the other, their QB’s are playing one of their worst games of their career. This year’s QB class is not as strong as in other years but there will be plenty of talented linebackers and defensive lineman available in the draft.

32. Cleveland Browns (0–12) — Ranked #32 last week

• Browns fans were not disappointed this week due to their bye week so, it was a good week for them. The Browns will look for their 1st win of the season next week as they host the Bengals.