We are in the back straightaway of the NFL season, and teams are switching int fourth gear as the race to the NFL playoffs in both conferences is tighter than turn four at Talladega.
With the top two teams in last week’s power rankings going down, here’s how all 32 teams stack up heading into Week 14.
32. Carolina Panthers
Last Week: 32
Hang in there, Panthers fans- only five more weeks.
31. New England Patriots
Last Week: 31
The Patriots have allowed the fewest points in the league over the last four weeks- they’ve lost all four games.
30. New York Giants
Last Week: 30
Tyrod Taylor is possibly coming back in Week 14, so at least they’ll be somewhat watchable when the play the Packers on Monday night.
29. Washington Commanders
Last Week: 28
Bold strategy for the Commanders to go single-high against the Dolphins with the safety on the opposite hash. It ended with a long Tyreek Hill touchdown. I wonder who Ron Rivera can blame for that one.
28. Tennessee Titans
Last Week: 29
How in the name of Dolly Parton do you have two punts blocked in the same game? To add insult to injury, that’s been the most exciting thing the Titans have done all year.
27. Chicago Bears
Last Week: 27
It really feels like we’re about to watch the final five games of the Justin Fields era in Chicago. Another clean sweep of head coach, general manager, and quarterback may be coming.
26. New York Jets
Last Week: 25
I wish I could have been a fly on the wall to watch Zach Wilson basically say “Nah, I’m good” to Robert Saleh when he told him he was going to be the starter.
25. Arizona Cardinals
Last Week: 26
The Cardinals got their first win in Pittsburgh since Lyndon B. Johnson was in the White House, and they did so with a 99-yard drive.
24. New Orleans Saints
Last Week: 24
They allowed 21 points in the first nine minutes of the game, yet somehow found a way to make it competitive. Also, it may be time to hand the keys to Jameis because this “Carr” has no engine.
23. Atlanta Falcons
Last Week: 22
The NFC South as a whole should just be relegated to the new USFL-XFL league. Even when the Falcons win, they are so painful to watch every week.
22. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Last Week: 23
Congratulations to Mike Evans for his 10th consecutive 1,000-yard season. Acheving that in a win makes it all the sweeter.
21. Las Vegas Raiders
Last Week: 17
There was a lot of movement in the teens for the power rankings this week, causing the Raiders to move down. They are still technically in the hunt for a playoff spot, but it’s quite the long shot.
20. Los Angeles Chargers
Last Week: 18
It is so violently frustrating watching a talent like Justin Herbert get wasted on a team with mediocre players and junior high coaching. Never has a win felt as meaningless as their 6-0 win over the Patriots.
19. Cincinnati Bengals
Last Week: 20
So. Jake Browning, huh? The Bengals are still alive despite being without their superstar quarterback, Joe Burrow.
18. Pittsburgh Steelers
Last Week: 15
The Steelers didn’t look like they could be bothered to care about playing the Cardinals, and they got bullied out by a two-win team because of it.
17. Cleveland Browns
Last Week: 13
Joe Flacco? Sure, he may as well start a game this season. And oddly enough, he looked… pretty solid. The Browns didn’t win against the Rams, but that was the best quarterback play they’ve had all season, which is a hilarious statement.
16. Minnesota Vikings
Last Week: 16
For the Vikings’ sake, hopefully Josh Dobbs can rekindle some of that magic from a few weeks ago.
15. Green Bay Packers
Last Week: 21
The Packers have beaten the Lions and Chiefs in consecutive weeks, and Jordan Love is third in the NFL in EPA/play since Week 9. Look at the rest of their schedule- this is a playoff team.
14. Seattle Seahawks
Last Week: 14
The Seahawks lost to Dallas, but they showed that they aren’t going to roll over to teams that are seen as a tier above. They put up a ton of points and took the Cowboys to their limit.
13. Los Angeles Rams
Last Week: 19
Sunday was a reminder that when Sean McVay, Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, and Puka Nacua are all clicking, this is one of the most fun offenses in the NFL.
12. Denver Broncos
Last Week: 11
Russ tried cooking and he caught the kitchen on fire. Three interceptions for No. 3 led to a Denver loss to Houston.
11. Indianapolis Colts
Last Week: 12
Gardner Minshew is taking this team on one hell of a mullet ride. At 7-5, the Colts still hold the No. 7 seed in the AFC after an overtime win over the Titans.
10. Buffalo Bills
Last Week: 10
The Bills’ next two games are against the Chiefs and Cowboys- their season is on the line.
9. Houston Texans
Last Week: 9
It was another big game for C.J. Stroud, and a monstrous game for Nico Collins with 191 yards receiving. The loss of Tank Dell is a gut punch, but the Texans can still win a playoff game.
8. Jacksonville Jaguars
Last Week: 6
The loss to the Bengals doesn’t compare to the potential loss of Trevor Lawrence. Let’s all hope for the best for the Jaguars’ quarterback.
7. Detroit Lions
Last Week: 8
The Lions came out firing early and often. This team has the firepower to go toe-to-toe with anyone in the NFL.
6. Miami Dolphins
Last Week: 7
My goodness, Tyreek Hill is going to reach 2,000 yards, isn’t he? The Dolphins continue making light work of teams that are below them. Now, can they finish off strong and capture the AFC East crown?
5. Baltimore Ravens
Last Week: 3
So much went on involving the other four teams ahead of the Ravens while they were on their bye week. They remain in the top five, though, despite all the moving parts.
4. Dallas Cowboys
Last Week: 5
Dak Prescott is the NFL MVP, argue with a wall. He leads the NFL in EPA/play since Week 8, he’s fifth in the league in yards, and first in touchdowns. Plus, Dallas looks as good as anyone in football, and Dak is a huge reason why- give him his flowers.
3. Kansas City Chiefs
Last Week: 2
That’s two losses in three games for the Chiefs, who will head back home to host a Buffalo Bills team who needs a win more than Steve Austin needed to beat The Rock at WrestleMania.
2. Philadelphia Eagles
Last Week: 1
Every team has at least one game where they get whooped, for lack of a better term- the Eagles finally had theirs. Even in their loss to the Jets, the game was at least close. This one against the 49ers never felt like the Eagles were going to come out on top, though. Will we see a rematch in the playoffs? It feels very likely.
1. San Francisco 49ers
Last Week: 3
A lot of demons were exorcised by the 49ers on Sunday. Several players showed up wearing all black as a metaphor for a funeral, and they proceeded to beat the ever living hell out of the Eagles for three hours. Deebo Samuel continues to show that he is the second most valuable player on the 49ers’ offense behind Christian McCaffrey, and San Francisco ran away with a game they’ve had circled since the schedule released.
