Following week 13, we take an updated look at the NFL power rankings for week 14.
1) New England Patriots 10-2 prev:2
With the Eagles win streak coming to an end, the Patriots proved to the league once again that they are the best team in the NFL. Their defense continues to shut down opponents.
2) Minnesota Vikings 10-2 prev:3
Who would have thought that the Vikings, led by Case Keenum, would be in the position that they are in now? They are on a seven game winning streak and positioned as the one seed in the NFC.
3) Philadelphia Eagles 10-2 prev:1
The Eagles winning streak came to end as they lost in Seattle on Sunday. They have a great roster but as much as it pains me and Eagles’ fans like me to say it, the Eagles have only beaten one team that currently has a record above .500.
4) Pittsburgh Steelers prev:5
The rivalry between Pittsburgh and Cincy continued Monday night as the Steelers got a comeback win. They continue to win games, but losing Ryan Shazier is a big loss.
5) Los Angeles Rams 9-3 prev:4
The Rams’ successful season continued in week 13, beating the Cardinals. They are now tied for first in points scored this season with Philly, the team they will face in week 14.
6) New Orleans Saints 9-3 prev:7
New Orleans got an important win in week 13, beating the Panthers to regain control of the NFC south. Both Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara have gained over 1,100 yards from scrimmage this season as their run game has allowed Drew Brees to not need to carry the team as much as he has in the past.
7) Seattle Seahawks 8-4 prev:12
Seattle won last Sunday night in Seattle to snap the Eagles’ win streak. They have been the best team in the NFL in December in recent years so it wouldn’t be surprising to see them go on a late season run.
8) San Diego Chargers 6-6 prev:9
The Chargers continued their streak, tying the Chiefs and Raiders for a three way tie in the AFC west. To be fair, they beat Cleveland; however, they’ve been showing that their defense is capable of carrying them to the playoffs.
9) Jacksonville Jaguars 8-4 prev:10
Jacksonville’s dominant defense was at it again in week 13, holding the Colts to just 10 points. Calais Campbell has established himself as a top candidate for Defensive Player of the Year.
10) Carolina Panthers 8-4 prev:6
Carolina lost a crucial one to the Saints last week, falling behind in their division. If they want to remain viewed as a real Super Bowl threat, they will have to win this week when they play Minnesota.
11) Atlanta Falcons 7-5 prev:8
Atlanta lost at home to Minnesota in week 13. With their loss and Seattle’s win, Atlanta dropped out of the playoff picture.
12) Tennessee Titans 8-4 prev:11
Tennessee won another game that felt close in week 13, beating the Texans. Despite being four games over .500%, their plus minus on the season is minus 16.
13) Baltimore Ravens 7-5 prev:13
Baltimore’s offense exploded to beat the Lions 44-20 in week 13. Their offense has many options and their defense is one of the best in the NFL. Their defense will lose a big part of their secondary because Jimmy Smith is out for the season.
14) Detroit Lions 6-6 prev:14
Detroit lost in a blowout last week to Baltimore. They have no margin for error as they are two games out of the six seed in a talented NFC. Likely no playoffs this season for Detroit.
15) Green Bay Packers 6-6 prev:21
Led by Brett Hundley, the Packers beat the Bucs in overtime. Green Bay is another team that can’t afford another loss. The hope in Green Bay is that Aaron Rodgers will come back and provide a spark in the last few weeks of the season.
16) Oakland Raiders 6-6 prev:20
Oakland beat a Geno Smith-led New York Giants in week 13. They will play the collapsing Chiefs in week 14 for a potential lead in the AFC west.
17) Dallas Cowboys 6-6 prev:19
Dallas finally got back in the win column in week 13, beating Washington on Thursday night. Despite the win, they have basically no chance of seeing playoff football this season.
18) Cincinnati Bengals 5-7 prev:18
Cincy blew another lead to Pittsburgh Monday night as they were winning at the half but couldn’t close out the victory. Even if they win out, their playoff hopes are all but dead.
19) Buffalo Bills 6-6 prev:15
Buffalo was blown out by New England and Tyrod Taylor was injured putting interception machine Nathan Peterman back in the game. This is the worst case scenario for a team trying to make a playoff run.
20) New York Jets 5-7 prev:23
New York finally won after dropping four in a row. Josh McCown continues to perform well but they should start looking at the draft if they want to find their future quarterback.
21) Kansas City Chiefs 6-6 prev: 17
Kansas City lost to the Jets as they continued to slide further and further down the rankings. Andy Reid could be on the hot seat if their collapse takes them out of the playoffs.
22) San Francisco 49ers 2-10 prev: 29
22 probably seems high for a two win team but the 49ers looked the best that they’ve looked all season in week 13. Jimmy Garoppolo could be the quarterback of the future there in San Francisco.
23) Arizona Cardinals 5-7 prev:22
The Cardinals have been very unimpressive all season. Blaine Gabbert is their quarterback and the future of this team is unclear.
24) Washington Redskins 5-7 prev:16
Washington got wrecked by Dallas last Thursday, all but eliminating themselves from the playoffs. Kirk Cousins likely isn’t a Redskin in 2018 so the plan for the Redskins is uncertain.
25) Houston Texans 4-8 prev:25
The Tom Savage train is a dead end. The Texans will just have to wait until next season to compete when Deshaun Watson returns.
26) Miami Dolphins 5-7 prev:28
Miami won for the first time since week 7 last week, beating Denver by a lot. Under Jay Cutler, they have one of the worst offenses in the NFL.
27) Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4-8 prev:24
Tampa’s disappointing season continued in week 13, losing in overtime to Green Bay. The Bucs clearly have a future, but still need to fit the pieces to the puzzle this offseason.
28) Indianapolis Colts 3-9 prev:27
The Colts lost another game last week, losing to the Jaguars. Wouldn’t be surprising if Chuck Pagano was fired by the Colts this offseason.
29) Chicago Bears 3-9 prev:26
Chicago lost on a last second field goal to San Francisco in week 13. Their defense hasn’t been terrible, but their offense is one of the worst in the NFL.
30) Denver Broncos 3-9 prev:30
Denver has now lost eight straight after losing to the struggling Miami Dolphins. If they want to compete next season, they need to find a better quarterback.
31) New York Giants 2-10 prev:31
Giants fans were the happiest they’ve been all season on Monday. No, they did not win Sunday but head coach Ben McAdoo was fired. Finally!
32) Cleveland Browns 0-12 prev:32
Don’t act surprised.
