NFL Power Rankings Week 12: Slip up at the top

How good was week 11 in the NFL? There were one-score games across the slate, and we saw a matchup of two of the best quarterbacks the NFL has ever seen when Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen faced off in a game that could have huge consequences on both the playoffs and our power rankings…

It's another season of humiliation for Giants fans, who have to watch two of their former stars, Saquon Barkley and Xavier McKinney, play lights out for their new teams while the Giants bench Daniel Jones and turn to Tommy DeVito once again. We have to assume Brian Daboll won’t be the head coach next year, right?

The Detroit Lions are a wagon and there’s no shame in losing to them, especially at Ford Field. Losing 52-6 and playing as if you’ve already lost the game is a tough look for Doug Pederson and his team.

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We said when the Raiders drafted Brock Bowers that he was a great player and would do well from the jump, but tight end isn’t an impactful enough position to take that early in the draft. We don’t often pat ourselves on the back for getting predictions right, we’re going to here, though.

Will Levis has shown signs of maturity in the last couple of weeks, even if his lack of pocket presence leads to him taking unnecessary hits. The Titans will be hoping he continues to improve, as it will make their offseason planning a lot easier.

Per Yahoo Sports, former Texas running back Jonathan Brooks is set to make his first NFL appearance in week 12 which could be an exciting addition to the Panthers’ offense. That a second-round RB making their debut two-thirds of the way through the season is a bright spot for Carolina tells you everything you need to know.

As Diante Lee wrote for The Ringer, “Any team that allows 34-year-old Taysom Hill to gain over 100 yards of offense in a quarter needs to face some kind of disciplinary action from the NFL.” We couldn’t agree more.

Cooper Rush looked much better in his second start of the season after struggling against the Eagles last week. Unfortunately, even with Rush’s improvements, the Cowboys lost by 24 as their run defense once again couldn’t stop anything.

There is a dearth of talent in New England right now, making them a hard team to project in the short to medium term. However, Drake Maye is showing why he was drafted so early, which should give Pats fans a reason to keep tuning in.

Frank Schwab wrote this about the Jets in his power rankings for Yahoo Sports, “We’re not discussing the 2024 Jets in depth in this space anymore. Other outlets love talking about them incessantly if you are seeking that. The Jets are just a bad, irrelevant team.” So out of respect, we won’t be adding anything more.

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When your offense needs 34-year-old Taysom Hill to carry it, there’s something not quite right. Hill played well against the Browns and deserves his plaudits, but it’s not a sustainable strategy.

The Bengals simply cannot win games despite excellent play from Joe Burrow and the rest of the skill position players. The once highly touted Lou Anarumo has struggled as defensive coordinator this year after a talent drain left his unit without quality starters at numerous positions.

The Bears, and more importantly, Caleb Williams, looked better following the change at offensive coordinator, even if it wasn’t enough to get the win. With the playoffs looking unlikely for Chicago, the rest of the season should be all about maximizing Caleb Williams’ exposure to the NFL.

The Dolphins got a nice win agains the lowly Raiders on Sunday, but there are signs things are not all well in Miami, as Tyreek Hill looks less and less like the unstoppable deep threat he once was. The season may have looked over when Tua had to miss so much time through concussion, but the playoffs aren’t out of sight yet.

The Colts’ decision to bench, and then un-bench Anthony Richardson looks to have paid off with the former first-round pick looking like a new man against the Jets. Richardson was making plays with his arm that previously he would have missed, and his size and his athleticism proved too much to handle in the run game.

The Niners keep playing teams close, but they are now 1-3 in their division and have a huge hill to climb if they want to make the playoffs. Brock Purdy continues to play well, but he doesn’t do enough to change the game when things aren’t working perfectly around him.

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The Seahawks got a much-needed win against the 49ers in what could have huge ramifications for the division. The NFC West has three 5-5 teams and the Cardinals, who currently sit top, are only 6-4. This should be a fun division to watch.

Speaking of the NFC West… The Rams have Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp back and the difference is staggering. Mat Stafford is happy to spam throws to his two main targets every play if he needs to, and why not? The Rams welcome the Eagles into LA for Sunday Night Football this week, which should be a great watch.

The Bucs are still in the playoff hunt, even if it’s more due to the Falcons losing games than Tampa winning them. We could see a world where the Bucs get hot down the stretch and win the division again.

When they’re good, they’re very good, and when they’re bad, they allow Bo Nix to go 28/33 for 307 yards and four TDs. The Falcons can’t generate pressure on opposing QBs, with only 10 sacks on the year. It’s hard to win in the NFL with that lack of production.

The Texans’ MNF demolition of the Cowboys was significant, as they haven’t been dominating teams as we perhaps expected they would this year. The Cowboys are so bad, we aren’t willing to put the Texans back among the elite, but there’s optimism again.

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Maybe Bo Nix and the Broncos’ offense just feasted on a bad Falcons defense, but if that performance was a sign of things to come, Denver could be a feisty wild card team.

The Cardinals have played much better than we expected them to this season, and lead their division as a result. Their 2-0 record in the NFC West puts them in a great position to reach the playoffs, and they won’t be an easy team to beat if they get in.

The Commanders were out-gained 434 yards to 264 against the Eagles as their rushing defense had no answer for Saquon Barkley in the fourth quarter. Jayden Daniels didn’t have the best performance of his nascent career as it looked like he was bothered by some small injuries. Still, what a season for Washington.

The Packers got the win against the Bears thanks to a late field goal block, a loss, even in those circumstances, could have had brutal implications on their season. Somehow, they are 7-3 and third in their division, such is the strength of the NFC North.

Don’t look now, but the Chargers are 7-3 and have a 93% chance to make the playoffs, per DVOA. They let the Bengals back into the game after getting up early, which will have given Jim Harbaugh some sleepless nights, even if they did grind out the win eventually. This is a legit team.

We keep expecting the Vikings to slip up, yet they continue to win games and are now 8-2 with a +72 point differential, which is a stat we think has some value in separating contenders from pretenders.

We have been high on the Ravens all year, even when they started 0-2. There have just been too many signs they are fallible against the top teams for us to have as much confidence in them now, as we did to start the season. The defense is a real worry.

The Steelers are the AFC’s Vikings for us, as we sort of keep assuming they won’t win or aren’t an elite team, and then they go and prove us wrong week after week. It wasn’t pretty against the Ravens, but that’s just Steelers football, baby!

The Eagles are once again in the race for the number one seed in the NFC, and this time it doesn’t look quite so fragile. Saquon Barkley has been worth every penny, and so has Vic Fangio for that matter. It was an offseason of change in Philly, and so far, almost all of them worked.

We still assume the Chiefs will be making at least the AFC Championship game, and we’re trying hard not to overreact to their only loss on the year, it just felt like it had been coming for a while. There are some similarities to the Eagles last year who collapsed down the stretch, but we don’t see that happening to the Chiefs who are too talented and well-coached.

Josh Allen once again cemented himself as one of the best to ever do it with a great performance against a defense that had suffocated most teams. The Bills are legit, once again. Could this finally be their year?

After suffering decades as one of the worst franchises in football, this utter dominance must feel like a blessing for Detroit fans. This team doesn’t just beat you, they steal your lunch money and send you home crying.

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