We are now 14 weeks into this NFL season, and we are getting a great look at who the contenders and pretenders are. In this week’s NFL Power Rankings, we put the microscope on the Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, and Dallas Cowboys, who are all putting themselves in a great position down the stretch.
For the Browns, they are getting an eye-popping output from quarterback Joe Flacco, who was watching games on this television just three weeks ago. The Broncos have now won six of their last seven games and are just one game back of the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West, and the Dallas Cowboys are riding the high of dismantling their NFC East rival on Sunday Night Football.
With just four weeks of regular season action left to go, can these three teams continue to trend in the right direction? Where do they currently sit in this week’s NFL Power Rankings?
32
Carolina Panthers (1-12)
New owner David Tepper has ran the Carolina Panthers into the ground.
31
New England Patriots (3-10)
They beat the Trubisky-led Steelers, but the Patriots are still among the league’s worst.
30
New York Giants (4-8)
Tommy DeVito is a cool story, but the Giants are very obviously entering a rough time for the franchise.
29
Washington Commanders (4-9)
Ron Rivera has four more games as an NFL head coach.
28
Arizona Cardinals (3-10)
How many more wins can the Cardinals sneak out this season?
27
Tennessee Titans (4-8)
Where do Mike Vrabel and the Titans go from here?
26
Las Vegas Raiders (5-8)
What interim head coach Antonio Pierce has been able to do since the firing of Josh McDaniels has been fun, but this team still has a bit of a rebuild in front of them.
25
Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6)
They have lost two in a row to the lowly Cardinals and Patriots. This team is full of frauds.
24
New Orleans Saints (6-7)
Even in a lackluster NFC South, this Derek Carr-led team cannot seem to field a consistent threat.
23
Atlanta Falcons (6-7)
The Falcons need a quarterback but are putting themselves in a position to be out of reach of a top one by the time April’s draft comes around.
22
Minnesota Vikings (7-6)
We can officially stop giving the Browns grief for getting a fifth round pick out of a quarterback who has now been benched by two different teams.
21
New York Jets (5-8)
Zach Wilson did what?
20
Chicago Bears (5-8)
With the Browns up next, we will find out if Justin Fields is just cutting up mediocre defenses or if he has turned a bit of a corner in Chicago.
19
Los Angeles Chargers (5-8)
After another bad loss, this time to the Broncos, it is apparent this regime is a lame duck waiting for the season to end. This franchise lacks a football culture.
18
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-7)
Baker Mayfield isn’t breaking any records, but he may be doing just enough for the Buccaneers to win the abysmal NFC South.
17
Seattle Seahawks (6-7)
The Seahawks are amid a skid and now are without the lifeblood of their team in Geno Smith as well. Their season is likely over.
16
Indianapolis Colts (7-6)
In a position to grab ahold of the fifth seed in the AFC, Gardner Minshew and the Colts lay an egg in Cincinnati.
15
Los Angeles Rams (6-7)
On the verge of beating the high-flying Ravens, the Rams are still in a position to win nine games and potentially steal a playoff spot in the NFC.
14
Green Bay Packers (6-6)
Can quarterback Jordan Love continue on his Pro Bowl surge as the Packers now find themselves in the driver’s seat toward a playoff spot?
13
Houston Texans (7-6)
Still well ahead of their rebuild schedule, a bad loss to a bad Jets team puts the Texans in a tougher battle to lock down a playoff spot. And now they might be without the obvious AFC Rookie of the Year in C.J. Stroud.
12
Jacksonville Jaguars (8-5)
After back-to-back losses to backup quarterbacks, the Jaguars are trending toward the pretenders category.
11
Cincinnati Bengals (7-6)
If Jake Browning can keep up the great story, the Bengals may just backdoor themselves into a playoff spot. The last two games of the season, however, will be tough ones for them to win.
10
Cleveland Browns (8-5)
The Browns can compete with anybody with the level of quarterback play Joe Flacco has given them.
9
Denver Broncos (7-6)
Now winning six of their last seven games, the Broncos face a tough stretch over their last four. However, this is an opportunity to separate themselves as actual contenders.
8
Detroit Lions (9-4)
Jared Goff and the Lions have experienced a bit of Jekyll and Hyde disease over the past month, and it won’t get easier for them this week with the Broncos next up.
7
Kansas City Chiefs (8-5)
After dropping their third game in four weeks, the Chiefs need to figure it out fast as they are limping into the playoffs. They are getting no help from their wide receiver corps either.
6
Buffalo Bills (7-6)
Here come the Bills. But is it too little too late for them?
5
Miami Dolphins (9-3)
We will find out what kind of team the Dolphins are over their final three-game stretch against the Cowboys, Ravens, and Bills.
4
Philadelphia Eagles (10-3)
Jalen Hurts cannot stop turning the football over and the Eagles’ defense is floundering.
3
Dallas Cowboys (10-3)
Dak Prescott continues his MVP campaign as the Cowboys are solidifying themselves as one of the NFL’s best.
2
Baltimore Ravens (10-3)
The Ravens have proven themselves to be the best team in the AFC this season since dramatically losing to the Browns four weeks ago.
1
San Francisco 49ers (10-3)
The 49ers are back to looking like the NFL’s juggernaut again. A San Francisco, Cowboys rematch may be in order at the end of the tunnel.
