NFL Power Rankings Week 14 – The Unlikely Victors

This past weekend in the NFL gave us a bunch of head scratching decisions and weird finishes. Some of them looked like pure genius, while other looked like pure foolishness. We even had history made in the midst of this wild and wacky weekend.

The next coming weeks couldn’t possibly duplicate this kind of craziness, could it?

 

1. Arizona Cardinals (10-2)
The Cardinals won games without their big time offensive players, Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins. Now the players are back for the stretch run, which makes the Cardinals very dangerous.

 

2. Green Bay Packers (9-3)
The Packers late bye week could work out in their favor. They’ve gotten a few players healthy and gives them a chance to focus on a long playoff run.

 

3. New England Patriots (9-4)
The Patriots resurrection continues, with Mac Jones completing two passes for 19 yards. The mystique of Bill Belichick has risen back to near supernatural levels. The many ways he can pull out a win in an NFL game is staggering.

 

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-3)
The Buccaneers win streak has reached three games and they’ve scored 30 points or more in all three games. Tampa Bay averages 31.4 points per game.

 

5. Kansas City Chiefs (8-4)
Would you believe the Chiefs’ defense has moved into the top 10 in total points allowed? They’ve allowed an average of 11.2 points per game over their five game winning streak.

 

6. Baltimore Ravens (8-4)
Baltimore just missed winning their ninth game of the season by a few inches (literally). They’re in a log jam of 8-4 teams and their last five games won’t be a walk in the park.

 

7. Tennessee Titans (8-4)
The Titans can get back on track after a week off when they play at home versus Jacksonville this Sunday.

 

8. Dallas Cowboys (8-4)
The Cowboys rank second in total points scored and first in total yards gained. They can open up a two game lead over Washington if they can defeat them on Sunday.

 

9. Los Angeles Rams (8-4)
The Rams snapped a three game losing streak by beating Jacksonville by 30. The competition will get a bit stiffer in the last few weeks, starting with a division foe in Arizona.

 

10. Buffalo Bills (7-5)
Since week five, Buffalo has traded a win for a loss every other week. They are officially the most up and down team in the NFL and they get to play Tom Brady next.

 

11. Los Angeles Chargers (7-5)
The Chargers have won two out of their last three, scoring a total of 82 points in the victories. They rank ninth in the NFL with 314 total points scored.

 

12. Indianapolis Colts (7-6)
The Taylor-Wentz combination is working in Indianapolis and they are hot on the Titans’ trail for the division lead. The franchise itself has done a great job of replacing players and re-tooling the roster the last few years.

 

13. Cincinnati Bengals (7-5)
The Bengals have now allowed a total of 116 points in their last three losses.

 

14. Washington Football Team (6-6)
Washington has vaulted themselves into the playoff picture with a four game win streak. They have a realistic chance of catching Dallas for the division lead, playing them twice down the stretch.

 

15. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5-1)
The Steelers are keeping their playoff hopes alive with a strong effort from T. J. Watt. He had 5.0 tackles, 3.5 sacks and one forced fumble versus the Ravens. Watt already has 16.0 sacks in 19 games played this season.

 

16. San Francisco 49ers (6-6)
The 49ers gave up a total 46 points during their previous three games (all victories). They gave up 30 points in a turnover filled game versus Seattle on Sunday. They have a +4 turnover margin on the season.

 

17. Las Vegas Raiders (6-6)
Las Vegas has dropped four out their last five games and they’ve failed to reach the 20 point mark in each loss.

 

18. Denver Broncos (6-6)
Vic Fangio had some questionable calls in the Broncos loss to the Chiefs. Their slim playoff hopes are fading fast, with some tough divisional matchups coming in a few weeks.

 

19. Cleveland Browns (6-6)
The Browns come off their bye week to face division leader Baltimore.

 

20. Philadelphia Eagles (6-7)
Gardner Minshew started for the injured Jalen Hurts and went 20-25 for 242 yards and two touchdowns. The Eagles might need Minshew for a few games with Hurts dealing with an ankle issue.

 

21. Miami Dolphins (6-7)
Which Dolphins’ team is the real Dolphins’ team? Was it the rag tag bunch of backups that lost six in a row or the dominant, defensive, move the ball on offense team that has peeled off five wins in a row?

 

22. Minnesota Vikings (5-7)
The Vikings have dropped two in a row, allowing a total of 63 points. They are ranked 25th in total points allowed.

 

23. New Orleans Saints (5-7)
The Saints have lost five games in a row, with a total of ten turnovers during that stretch. They had six total turnovers in the seven games prior to that losing streak.

 

24. Atlanta Falcons (5-7)
The Falcons missed a golden opportunity to put themselves right in the middle of the playoff race. They’re still close enough to be looking in, but they’re going to need a pair of binoculars soon.

 

25. Carolina Panthers (5-7)
Did the bye week give Cam Newton and the team some time to get on the same page? They’ll have a chance to prove it versus division rival Atlanta on Sunday.

 

26. Seattle Seahawks (4-8)
Seattle is pretty much out of the playoff picture, but they got a good performance from Russell Wilson and pulled out a win.

 

27. Chicago Bears (4-8)
When talking about coaching hot seats, there isn’t a hotter name than Matt Nagy. Chicago ranks 30th in total points scored and total yards gained under the tutelage of the (so called) offensive guru.

 

28. New York Giants (4-8)
I might sound like a broken record, but the Giants’ offense struggles once again after changing offensive coordinators. Maybe it just comes down to effort or talent on the field, which would be a head coach and general manager problem.

 

29. New York Jets (3-9)
Zach Wilson’s rookie season has been up and down and laden with injuries. He had a good game on Sunday, but ultimately the Jets currently do not have enough talent around him to be successful.

 

30. Houston Texans (2-10)
Houston has failed to score at least six points (two field goals) for the fourth time this season on Sunday. They average 13.6 points per game.

 

31. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-10)
The Jags have lost four in a row since their last win in week nine. They’ve scored a total of 48 points during that stretch.

 

32. Detroit Lions (1-10-1)
Detroit finally got in the win column! They’re probably still headed for the number one overall pick in the draft, but there’s cause for celebration in the Motor City.