Week 12 on the NFL season has come to a close. The top dogs showed grit and resiliency in puncturing their place at the top of the league.
Meanwhile, some teams will be heading to week 13 with more questions than answers, proving this upcoming week of play to be as crucial as ever before.
It’s time to take a look at where all 32 teams stack up ahead of week 13, as opposed to last week’s power rankings.
1. Detroit Lions (10-1) ↔
The Lions look unstoppable. They’ve held teams to zero touchdowns in their past 10 quarters of play, and all of this is being done with two defense stallwarths out of the lineup in Aidan Hutchinson and Alex Anzalone. This time around, despite another consistent performance by Jared Goff, it was the running attack that made the difference. Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery accounted for a combined three touchdowns and each averaged just over four years per carry. Detroit has their annual home matchup this Thursday on Thanksgiving against the Chicago Bears. They’ll look to win their 10th straight game in a row.
2. Buffalo Bills (9-2) ↔
The Bills had the week off after their big win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Josh Allen will lead Buffalo into a primetime matchup on Sunday night against the San Francisco 49ers. In looking to win their seventh consecutive game, the play of Khalil Shakir will be key as he continues to pace the team in targets and holds a sizable gap in receiving yards on the team.
3. Philadelphia Eagles (9-2) ↑1
Saquon Barkley belongs squarely in the MVP conversation. In the Eagles 37-20 road win over the Los Angeles Rams, Barkley made Eagles history and a career-high feat by accounting for 255 rushing yards, on top of 47 receiving yards, topping just over 300 total yards. He also rolled into the endzone for two touchdowns on his nearly 10 yards per carry day. Barkley now leads the league in carries and yards and is a major part of why Philadelphia has cruised to seven straight wins. As for Jalen Hurts, the turnover concerns are out of the rearview mirror, as he’s been much better at protecting himself on the run and not forcing anything. The Eagles have a big-time matchup against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.
4. Kansas City Chiefs (10-1) ↓1
In arguably the biggest surprise of the week, the overmatched Chiefs barely scraped by the Carolina Panthers. Despite being 10-1, their point-deferential ranks behind ten teams across the NFL. Now yes, they’re still winning, albeit close, but this win does bring up major red flags. They should be able to blow out the Panthers. But they didn’t. Kansas City is still atop of the AFC but momentum is slowing down and perception may start to change if they don’t pick up the pace. The Chiefs get another should be a winnable game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Black Friday.
5. Minnesota Vikings (9-2) ↑1
The Vikings took home another close victory to improve to 9-2, staying one game out from the division-leading Lions. An overtime win against the Bears was highlighted by the combined efforts of Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockensen. They combined for 276 yards on 15 receptions. Sam Darnold also threw for 330 yards and was turnover-free. The Vikings now have a four-game win streak that has come closer than expected against average to bad teams. Next, Minnesota gets a juicy matchup against the Arizona Cardinals.
6. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3) ↓2
In what was a snowy division affair, the red-hot Steelers fell to the Jameis Winston-led Cleveland Browns, 24-19 on Thursday night. Tough conditions resulted in a heavy run attack for both teams. Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, neither Jaylen Warren nor Najee Harris can muster any consistent pressure on the Browns’ defense. Despite the letdown, the Steelers have to stay grounded as they stay in Ohio to face the Cincinnati Bengals this Sunday.
7. Green Bay Packers (8-3) ↔
What would typically be a tougher matchup, the Packers decimated the Brock Purdy-less 49ers. Jordan Love didn’t have to do much, only throwing 23 times for 163 yards and two touchdowns. Josh Jacobs had another stellar day, carrying 26 times for 106 yards and three touchdowns. Jacobs is just shy of 1,000 yards on the season, something he hasn’t accomplished since 2022. Green Bay now has a Thanksgiving night showdown against the Miami Dolphins.
8. Baltimore Ravens (8-4) ↔
It wasn’t a must-win, but the Ravens road win over the Los Angeles Chargers, 30-23, was much needed in delivering some much-needed faith into the team. Derrick Henry did what Derrick Henry does…run through everyone. On 24 rushing attempts, he eclipsed 140 yards. A powerful running game on top of a balanced and efficient passing game by Lamar Jackson, leaves Baltimore still close in line behind the Steelers for the AFC North crown.
9. Denver Broncos (7-5) ↑3
The Broncos have remained one of the best stories this season. Sean Payton and the rest of their coaching staff have tremendously executed a surprising campaign with rookie quarterback Bo Nix under center. In the past three games, Nix has averaged 231 passing yards, thrown eight touchdowns, and tossed zero interceptions. Nix has made outstanding improvement from the start of the season and seems to get better every time out there. He’s even closing the gap with Jayden Daniels for Offensive Rookie of the Year. Another key to the Broncos success has been the defense, which is ranked third in yards allowed and first in sacks. Denver’s next game is on Monday night against the Browns.
10. Los Angeles Chargers (7-4) ↓1
The Chargers were far from good last Monday. The offense struggled against a rather easy-to-figure-out Ravens defense. A potential sign of concern falls with the Chargers having to adapt to more of a passing game due to being down by two scores at one point. This has become a run-first team under Jim Harbaugh, and while we know just how good Herbert is, the difference in gameplan can look drastic when the rushing attack isn’t working as wanted, and the defense is letting up easy points, which has been unlike them this season. Hopefully, this game can be viewed as an outlier as the Chargers still remain an overlooked team in the crowded AFC.
11. Seattle Seahawks (6-5) ↑3
Have the tides turned in Seattle? After losing five out of six, the Seahawks snatched two key divisional wins over the 49ers and Cardinals. Against the Cardinals, the Seahawks relied on the defense in a surprisingly low-scoring game, giving up no touchdowns and only six points on the day. Now, the Seahawks sit in first place in the NFC West. With a contest coming up against the lowly New York Jets, a win there coupled with the rest of the division falling short in harder week 13 matchups, Seattle can begin to separate itself in the short term of the division.
12. Washington Commanders (7-5) ↓2
It may be time to panic in Washington. The Commanders have now dropped three games in a row, this time losing to a not-very-good Cooper Rush-led Dallas Cowboys squad. Granted it is a division game, but Washington was also home and at one point was down 20-9 late in the fourth quarter. Now yes, the Commanders deserve some respect for miraculously coming back due to a long Terry McLaurin score, but the missed extra point by Austin Seibert sealed what was a shocking loss. With the Eagles soaring at the right time, the Commander’s hopes of winning the division are starting to slowly dwindle. And with other NFC teams getting healthy, the Commanders could find themselves in a tough situation late in the season, one that involves them fighting for their postseason lives. If they want to change course, Jayden Daniels has to be better and the defense has to regroup. Washington stays home to take on the Tennessee Titans this week.
13. Houston Texans (7-5) ↓2
Similarly to the Commanders, the Texans are playing poorly at the wrong time. The Texans were upset at home against the two-win Titans, 32-27. Even though there are a lot of different areas to point at as to why the Texans are underperforming, all eyes are on the shaky play of upstart C.J. Stroud. Stroud already has more interceptions this season than last and has thrown five of them compared to three touchdowns in the past three games. Something is not clicking with the offense. Some key injuries are going on, but if not only the quarterback is struggling but also the offensive line is having trouble protecting said quarterback, then it’s going to be hard to win football games, even with such a talented team. Houston meets the bottom-feeding Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
14. Arizona Cardinals (6-5) ↓1
Coming out of the bye, the Cardinals should’ve looked crisp and rejuvenated, especially while riding a four-game winning streak. But Arizona did not look like that and instead managed only six points against a middling Seahawks defense. In the past few seasons, the Cardinals have had the reputation of starting well and then falling apart in the latter part of the season. Even though there is a new coaching staff in place, those late-season woes still cause some pause within fans. The Cardinals are hoping that’s not true but things won’t get easy for them, as they visit the Vikings on Sunday, followed by a massive matchup against the Seahawks once again.
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-6) ↑4
The Buccaneers’ favorable remaining schedule is giving Tampa Bay some much-needed hope in turning things around. It also helps when star wide receiver Mike Evans is back on the field. In his first game back since week seven, Evans led the team in yards, showing virtually no sign of rust. The Bucs are not a team to be slept on. Baker Mayfield is having another great season, and when healthy, this team beat the top dog in the league right now, the Lions. They also won a playoff game a year ago. If the Bucs win the games they’re supposed to, a postseason berth seems well within reach.
16. Atlanta Falcons (6-5) ↑1
The Falcons had the week off to lick their wounds after the embarrassing 38-6 loss against the Broncos. Atlanta holds a slim one-game advantage over the Bucs in the NFC South, and with the division as a whole getting stronger with the aforementioned Bucs and New Orleans Saints getting healthier, a win against a good Chargers squad is vastly necessary to keep standing.
17. Miami Dolphins (5-6) ↑3
Miami did what they had to do. Win a game they should win against the Patriots. Now competition gets tougher for the Dolphins, as a Thanksgiving tilt at Lambeau Field with the Packers awaits them. If the Dolphins can pull out a win there, the Tua train may be on the right track to self-correcting their season after an injury-prone and rollercoaster first half of the year.
18. San Francisco 49ers (5-6) ↓3
Brock Purdy was supposed to make the start in the 49ers game against the Packers. However, that was not the case, as Brandon Allen made the start in a blowout loss. The 49ers now sit at 5-6, something Kyle Shanahan has not had to deal with in the past few seasons. San Francisco is tethering on a potential disaster with their remaining schedule looking difficult as well, with not only an upcoming date with the Bills, but matchups with the Lions, Cardinals, Rams, and Dolphins still upon them. It’s going to be an interesting last half of the season in the Bay Area.
19. Los Angeles Rams (5-6) ↓3
There’s really no sugarcoating this one. The Rams didn’t play well against the Eagles. In a game that could’ve landed them in a tie for first place in the NFC West, they squandered that opportunity in a double-digit defeat. Matthew Stafford was sacked five times and the bad rushing defense looked worse than ever. The Rams have to gain some type of consistency if they want to mimic what happened last season. Week 13 finds them on the road against the Saints.
20. Indianapolis Colts (5-7) ↓2
It was a tall task for Anthony Richardson and the Colts to halt the near-perfect Lions. After a promising 3-0 start at the end of the first quarter, the Colts were outscored 24-3 for the 45 minutes. Indianapolis remains a couple of games out of the division lead and wild card. Fortunately, the Colts have an easy rest of the way. They finish off with games against the Giants, Titans, Jaguars, and this week’s battle in Foxborough against the Patriots.
21. Cincinnati Bengals (4-7) ↔
The Bengals had their bye week after another close loss that sent them three games under .500. If this was any other team, they’d be written off as unable to turn things around and get back into the playoff picture. But the Bengals’ talent is what is keeping them at least relatively in the discussion. Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins can turn things around. The offense is not the issue as Burrow is having an MVP type of season with a 27 touchdown to four interception ratio. It’s been the defense that has continuously let them down. In a recurring theme, the defense will be looked at to step it up when the Bengals host rival Pittsburgh on Sunday. A loss there and things are toast.
22. Dallas Cowboys (4-7) ↑2
The Cowboys deserve all the credit in the world for how they played against the Commanders. Rush had a career day, going for 247 yards and two touchdowns in the win. The offensive line protected Rush, only allowing one sack and the defense performed well enough to secure the upset, turning the Commanders over three times. Dallas will continue their annual tradition of hosting a game for Thanksgiving day, this time against the Giants.
23. Chicago Bears (4-7) ↓1
It was another heartbreaking loss for the Bears on Sunday, this time at the hands of the Vikings. The Bears scored 17 points in the fourth quarter and justifiably it’s right to give Caleb Williams some praise. He threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns, each score coming in the final seven minutes of play. Regardless of his play though, the Bears still lost and that makes it four straight defeats after their Hail Mary loss against the Commanders. Things have certainly changed for the worse since that epic ending. The going gets tougher as Chicago travels to Detroit on Thanksgiving.
24. New Orleans Saints (4-7) ↓1
The Saints had the week off. They will now be heading into week 13 on a two-game winning streak, each with Derek Carr back in the lineup. Carr has played turnover-free football in those two starts and has averaged nearly 260 yards in that span, with four touchdowns thrown. New Orleans now play their third straight home game, this time against the Rams.
25. Cleveland Browns (3-8) ↑2
Jameis Winston has now secured two upset victories since replacing the injured Deshaun Watson. The Browns have beaten top contenders in the AFC, the Ravens, and now the Steelers. Cleveland came back into form on defense during the snowy night, sacking Russell Wilson four times. The defense stepped up on a night where the Browns should’ve lost after committing three turnovers. Nick Chubb was counted on to wrap up the win, racking up 20 carries for two touchdowns.
26. Tennessee Titans (3-8) ↑3
Will Levis was sacked eight times! Yet still, the Titans pulled off one of the more eye-popping results of the week. The Titans’ defense showed out, holding the Texans to 260 total yards, compared to Tennessee’s 369 yards. Tony Pollard had a great day on the ground with 119 yards and a touchdown, and Levis recorded his ninth and 10th touchdown of the season. The Titans have the Commanders on deck for week 13.
27. New York Jets (3-8) ↓2
Thankfully, the Jets had the week off. Turmoil continues to run like wildfire in the organization, with reports even speculating that Aaron Rodgers could be shut down for the season. Rodgers’s future with the Jets remains blurry, as reports are also suggesting that the Rodgers era in New York may be coming to a justifiable end. The Jets will try to push that aside though against the Seahawks at MetLife Stadium.
28. New England Patriots (3-9) ↓2
On the heels of a valiant effort against the Rams, the Patriots fell to the Dolphins 34-15. It was a tough day at the office for New England on all sides of the field. They turned the ball over a couple of times. Drake Maye was inconsistent. And the rushing attack was an afterthought. New England hopes to find more balance against the Colts on Sunday.
29. Carolina Panthers (3-8) ↓1
Even though they ended up losing, the Panthers deserve a hefty round of applause for putting up an incredible fight against the defending back-to-back champion Chiefs. Bryce Young wasn’t perfect. Chuba Hubbard wasn’t anything special. But the Panthers were turnover-free and showed resilience. A close loss like this may be something that can build Carolina up with positivity for the last stretch of the season. They’ll look to start that journey this week against the Buccaneers.
30. New York Giants (2-9) ↔
Say goodbye to the chicken cutlets for now. Tommy DeVito provided no spark for the hopeless Giants. With Daniel Jones not only benched but released, the Giants came into their home matchup with Tampa Bay with no real optimism for the franchise. In a 30-7 loss, New York had 245 yards of offense compared to 451 for the Bucs. Simply put, the Giants predictably looked bad all over the field. The Giants will now place Drew Lock under center for a late afternoon Thanksgiving showdown with the Cowboys.
31. Las Vegas Raiders (2-9) ↔
The Raiders season continues to take even more hits. Gardner Minshew is out for the season. In comes, once again, Aidan O’Connell. The Raiders 29-19 loss to the Broncos had only one positive. That was Jakobi Myers, who had 10 catches on 15 targets for 121 yards. It’s his second 100-plus-yard game in the past three contests. The Raiders will continue their season in Kansas City on Friday.
32. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-9) ↔
The Jaguars were off this week and Doug Peterson still has a job. If a move was to be made during the season, it was expected to be this past week. It did not happen and many are anticipating a move to be made at the end of the season, with legendary coach Bill Belichick being floated around as a potential replacement. Additionally, surgery is rumored to still be on the table for Trevor Lawrence. If that happens, expect this disastrous season to get even worse. The only bright side, if you consider this one, is a number one draft pick that could lead them to versatile star Travis Hunter.
