2018 NFL Power Rankings: Week 13

NFL Power Rankings
J.J. Watt & Co. are in the midst of a surge up the AFC standings.. (Photo Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports)

We’ve reached the point where, aside from a catastrophic injury, the true contenders have made their presence known within the NFL landscape. Same goes for the bottom tier. But there continues to be a lot of movement inside the league’s middle class. Week 12 produced quite a few unexpected results, and that’s reflected here, in the most recent edition of the NFL Power Rankings.

2018 NFL Power Rankings: Week 13; Tier 1: Championship Hopes

1 New Orleans Saints (10-1; +153 point differential)

Richard: The Saints are remaining at number one after feasting on Falcon this Thanksgiving. Drew Brees continues to strengthen his case for MVP with four touchdowns on a day where the Saints split up duties pretty evenly with their impressive running game. All that being said, what separates New Orleans from the other top teams in the NFL is their defense. The Saints defense had four turnovers against Atlanta and kept Matt Ryan and the offense to 17 points. In the six games since their bye week, the New Orleans defense has recorded a take away in five of those games, having multiple turnovers in their last three games. This year’s playoffs may put the old adage “defense wins championships” to the test but the Saints have a good one just in case that proves to be true.

2 Los Angeles Rams (10-1; +107)

Shayne: Los Angeles had a well-earned bye week last week and gets back on the trail for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs this week against Chicago.

3 Kansas City Chiefs (9-2; +110)

Shayne: Kansas City was off last week but still got a victory in the form of Eric Berry finally returning to practice. Kansas City’s quest for home-field advantage continues this Sunday in Oakland.

Tier 2: Super Bowl Hopes

4 Los Angeles Chargers (8-3; +88)

Shayne: After a shocking loss to Denver last week, the Chargers got back on the schedule against Arizona. Philip Rivers completed an absurd 25 straight passes, finishing 28/29 overall with 3 TDs and the defense pitched a shutout after the first quarter, but bad news did strike in the form of Melvin Gordon spraining his MCL. Although the Chargers have a sizable lead on the first Wild Card spot, it’s important that Rivers and the defense continue posting good performances in the absence of their star running back, like the Steelers, Chiefs, Ravens, and Broncos linger in the next five weeks.

5 New England Patriots (8-3; +58)

Ryan: New England has a pretty interesting game against Minnesota this week. The Pats should come out on top, especially since they have home-field in this one. But it’s definitely no cake-walk. That comes next week when they’ll go against the Dolphins. Although to be fair, Miami has shown a propensity to play up their game when they play the Patriots. After that, however, Bill Belichick’s squad will travel to Pittsburgh with a highly-anticipated showdown with the Steelers. New England should’ve had any trouble hanging onto the AFC East title, but as far as their playoff seed, things could get really interesting between now and the end of the season.

6 Chicago Bears (8-3; +106)

Ryan: It never looks all that pretty, but the Bears just keep winning. Chicago has the Giants this week and the 49ers in Week 16. Other than those two games, their games are must-watch. The Bears play one of the most unique brands of football in the league. Between their running backs, creative play-calling, up-and-down quarterback play, and their dominant defense, this team seems like a low-risk roller coaster. There are ups and downs, but it stays within a comfortable zone. No loop de loops or anything out of the ordinary. Just a steady thrill ride. However, they can’t afford to hit too many lows between now and the playoffs.

7 Pittsburgh Steelers (7-3-1; +67)

Richard: In the opening weeks of the season, the Steelers were reportedly falling apart and coach Mike Tomlin had lost the team forever. Six wins later, Tomlin is a great coach again and who needs running back Le’Veon Bell. Although they lost Sunday to the Broncos, their playoff spot seems safe. They lead their division and the Ravens, who are one game and a tie behind, is starting a rookie quarterback. With an offense that can hold up to any other in the league, Pittsburgh should easily make up for their most recent loss, even if the reminding schedule includes the Chargers, Saints and Patriots.

8 Seattle Seahawks (6-5; +33)

Shayne: Seattle’s surprising surge towards a playoff spot continued on Sunday with a massive win over the Panthers, handing them their first home loss behind Russell Wilson’s heroics, 339 yards and 2 touchdowns on only 31 attempts. Tyler Lockett and David Moore, the recipient of Russ’ game-winning pass, continue to impress as reliable downfield targets and Chris Carson continues to separate himself as a lead back, and Seattle’s offense continues to perform like the little train that could. Seattle’s schedule sports of a mixture of easily winnable games (Cardinals, 49ers x2) and challenging games (Vikings, Chiefs), but if Russell Wilson continues playing at an MVP level, Seattle should find themselves in the postseason.

9 Houston Texans (7-3; +34)

Ryan: This team just keeps rolling. And they shouldn’t stop this week as they take on the Browns. With Deshaun Watson, DeAndre Hopkins, and Demaryius Thomas on offense along with J.J. Watt and Jadaveon Clowney on defense, Houston has as much superstar-level talent as any team in the league. Over the course of a season and postseason, though, depth is tested. Despite all the elite-level players at premier positions, at some point, the Texans role players will have to win them a game. That could ultimately determine if they’re a true Super Bowl contender or if they’re destined for (another) premature exit.

Tier 3: Playoff Hopes

10 Indianapolis Colts (6-5; +52)

Ryan: We finally have Andrew Luck back in our football lives and at 100%. Or something close to 100%. It doesn’t hurt that the Colts smartly allocated a lot of resources to their offensive line. The defense may still be a question mark, but Luck stays pretty clean during games. And when that happens – as it often does – Indy is as dangerous offensively as just about anybody in the league outside of New Orleans.

11 Carolina Panthers (6-5; +5)

Richard: The Panthers chances at a playoff spot got a lot harder after losing to the Seahawks Sunday on a game-winning field goal in the closing seconds of the game. Cam Newton had only five incompletions in 30 attempts, raking up 256 yards through the air and 63 yards rushing. Christian McCaffrey also had 237 total yards. The rest of the team did not provide much else. The game was a perfect illustration of what has been the problem for Carolina all season. They depend heavily on Newton and McCaffrey for most of their offense without much else to support that side of the ball. In years past the defense was good enough to hold up to that way of playing but this year it has been largely inconsistent. With the wild card race becoming very crowded, the Panthers need either the offense to find players to support Newton or their defense to get back to playing like it’s 2015-2016.

12 Minnesota Vikings (6-4-1; +19)

Ryan: Despite their emergence as a threat to the NFC, albeit not entirely serious at this point, Minnesota still feels a step behind the Saints, Rams, and even NFC North-rival Bears. The Vikings looked primed for a wild card position, but they have plenty to work on in the meantime. One of Minnesota’s X-factors will be Dalvin Cook. If he can get going (and stay healthy), it’ll add a dimension to the offense that will make really dangerous.

13 Dallas Cowboys (6-5; +21)

Ryan: The Cowboys took over the top spot in the NFC East last week. That shouldn’t change any time soon, as it looks like Washington will continue to slide in the absence of Alex Smith. Dallas has inserted itself among the teams considered legitimate contenders. “America’s Team” might be considered a darkhorse at this point, but a win against the Saints on Thursday night would elevate them well beyond that status.

14 Baltimore Ravens (6-5; +73)

Richard: Do the Ravens have their quarterback of the future starting in the present? If the last two weeks are any indication, rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson has at least made it a reasonable question for head coach John Harbaugh to ponder. Joe Flacco’s production has declined steadily since winning the championship in the 2012-2013 season. The Ravens defense has kept up their side of the bargain giving up more than 24 points only twice all season. The offense needed a spark and Jackson has been delivering it. It may not be enough to hold on to the wild-card spot that Baltimore currently holds, but it’s a better chance than what Flacco was providing.

15 Denver Broncos (5-6; 0)

Shayne: Talk about one of the most confusing teams in the entire league, the Broncos are suddenly back to making a postseason run after running off back to back wins against current playoff teams, most recently Pittsburgh, after losing 6 games in 7 weeks. To be completely honest, the Steelers dominated this matchup and probably should have won, as Denver allowed them to accrue 527 yards and gave up a touchdown pass to a kicker, but Denver utilized the strategy of taking the ball away from their opponents while not turning it over themselves for the second straight week and won again. By winning games they weren’t supposed to, Denver has set themselves up in perfect position to steal a wild-card spot with easy games against the Andy Dalton-less Bengals, 49ers, and Raiders coming up, along with winnable games against the Browns and Chargers.

16 Washington Redskins (6-5; -9)

Ryan: Washington has lost two in a row and has a match-up with Philadelphia on the slate next. Though maybe not the most intriguing game, the ramifications cannot be understated. The loser may, in fact, be firmly on the outside of the playoff picture while the winner continues to hang onto postseason hopes by the skin of their teeth. A game featuring two desperate teams can often be entertaining no matter the circumstances.

17 Cincinnati Bengals (5-6; -71)

Richard: The Bengals began their season 4-1. Things were looking up at that time, and the Steelers were looking like they were going to implode. Then Wide receiver AJ Green missed some time and Cincinnati lost a few games. Now in the middle of losing five of their last six, they put quarterback Andy Dalton on IR. The Bengals are starting Jeff Driskel at quarterback in the first start of his career. Cincinnati is on course to keep losing games with a first-time starter and their best offensive weapon questionable to play on Sunday.

Tier 4: Hoping for Hope

18 Atlanta Falcons (4-7; -27)

Richard: There’s no shame in losing to the Saints at New Orleans on Thanksgiving. Not reaching 20 points in three straight weeks while playing the Browns in one of those weeks is not good but calling that shameful may be a bit strong. The fact that future Hall of Fame wide receiver Julio Jones most memorable plays the last few weeks have been tackles that he has had to make after quarterback Matt Ryan throws an interception, is a shame. The time has come to re-evaluate this team. The quarterback hasn’t looked like the MVP that he was in 2016 and whether that be because they lost offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan after that season or just that Matt Ryan has fallen off and is never going to be that player again, the Falcons have a lot of things to fix to compete with the division rival Saints next season.

19 Tennessee Titans (5-5; -11)

Ryan: For a few weeks now, this team has been reeling. They lost to Indianapolis in a rout. Then got beat by the Texans with an only marginally better effort. This week, they have the Jets. It’s unfortunate for a team with playoff hopes to be in this position, but this week is a bit of a totem pole game. Which is to say: the outcome of Titans-Jets will be symbolic of how far down the NFL hierarchy Tennessee has dropped, or it’ll be a sign that they still have a lot to play for.

20 Philadelphia Eagles (5-6; -23)

Ryan: Philadelphia’s playoff hopes may be taking their last gasps. A win over Washington this week could prolong hopes, if only temporarily, but this is a team that just couldn’t get it on the right track all year. They justifiably risked a lot to win the Super Bowl last year. With players missing time this season and/or not having the benefit of a full offseason to get properly back to full health, this season was the sacrifice for last season’s success. Though missing the playoffs is an obvious disappointment for the reigning champs, it’s a trade everyone – whether fans or employees of the team – should accept.

21 Green Bay Packers (4-6-1; -3)

Ryan: Chances the Packers could make the playoffs took a devastating blow with a loss to the Vikings. Green Bay could still take advantage of a relatively weak schedule to wiggle their way into the outskirts of the playoff picture. Still, aspiration of postseason play is dwindling here faster than Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy’s relationship, as it seems. There’s a decent amount of young talent here, but this is an organization with one eye on the future.

22 Miami Dolphins (5-6; -60)

Ryan: For this team, what to do next offers an especially unique conundrum. They appeared to be solidly in re-building mode last offseason after getting rid of Jarvis Landry, Ndamukong Suh, and others. But they hung onto some other veterans like Cameron Wake. And they still don’t know what they have in a quarterback as Ryan Tannehill put in yet another perplexing season. Is there a foundation to re-build around or be further torn down? That’s essentially the question Miami’s upper-management has to be asking.

23 Cleveland Browns (4-6-1; -30)

Richard: Not all 4-6-1 are created equal. The Browns haven’t had the smoothest of seasons. They fired their head coach and offensive coordinator and finally gave up on wide receiver Josh Gordon. Through it all, the Browns look to have finally found their quarterback in Baker Mayfield and have the building blocks for a good defense going forward. They have only lost two games by more than 3 points this season and are on a two-game winning streak. Cleveland won’t make the playoffs but that was never the goal. In terms of heading in the right direction, the Browns are exceeding all expectations.

Tier 5: One-Piece Away Hope

24 Detroit Lions (4-7; -48)

Ryan: Matt Patricia’s first year in Detroit has not gone according to plan. They’ve shown an ability to be a hard team to beat, specifically during the game against the Patriots. The Lions will be one of the more interesting teams to watch this offseason. How they behave will tell you how they see themselves. They may never get over the hump with Matthew Stafford under center (and with his contract), but they’ll likely continue to try. It may prove to be a fool’s errand.

25 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-7; -44)

Richard: Tampa Bay is back baby. Back to what you may ask. Back to not knowing what they are doing. Just a few weeks ago the Bucs knew that they needed to look for a new quarterback in the draft. Quarterback Jameis Winston was on the bench and couldn’t be played in order to avoid injury because if he did get injured his contract would become fully guaranteed. After cooling off from a hot start, quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick was the stop gap until next season. As bad teams so often do, Tampa Bay couldn’t stick to the script and began changing quarterbacks on a half by half basis with the replacement quarterback having mild success when coming in. That little bit of hope, with a win against a bad 49ers team this past Sunday, is enough for this team to keep trying to win games even if it’s better for them to lose games and help their draft positioning for a new quarterback.

26 Jacksonville Jaguars (3-8; -46)

Ryan: Things just seem to keep getting worse for the Jaguars. Though there are many candidates, this is a team that deserves to be in the conversation for biggest disappointment of 2018. They might be getting a pass in that department, however, since their reputation has been a long list of disappointments with the sporadic burst of success. All thing considered, this is a team in desperate need of a top-down roster evaluation. If the coaches and management can’t properly grade the players in-house, they can’t be trusted to right the ship going forward. It’s a cycle that’s become all too common in Jacksonville.

27 New York Giants (3-8; -51)

Ryan: Will the end of this season (finally) bring the end to the Giants’ Eli Manning era? Quarterback situation notwithstanding, there isn’t a whole lot going in the right direction for the Giants. Though they looked pretty good in the weeks prior to Week 12, winning games against the 49ers and Buccaneers. But they fell back to earth against the Philadelphia. Even though Odell Beckham Jr. talked up playoff aspirations, those conversations can now be put to bed. Going forward, one has to wonder how long the losing can go on before their star wide receiver really makes a mess of the situation.

Tier 6: No Hope (For Now)

28 Buffalo Bills (4-7; -111)

Ryan: The sudden outbursts of production from this team might be one of the most confusing aspects of any NFL team this season. But Buffalo shouldn’t use that to justify any urge to maintaining the status quo. This is still a team that needs to be stripped down to its core before being built back up.

29 New York Jets (3-8; -60)

Ryan: It seems funny now that after Week 1 we took a Jets victory over the Lions as a sign that New York has gone up a tier in the NFL hierarchy. That has proven to be flat-out wrong. The Jets are now nearing the end of yet another year where they end near the bottom of the NFL in any meaningful area. They’re not a good offensive team; they’re not an especially good defense team.

30 San Francisco 49ers (2-9; -54)

Shayne: The 49ers’ backslide (read: the race for the #1 pick in the draft) resumed in a post-bye week stinker against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that made Jameis Winston actually look like a viable franchise quarterback. The Niners clearly have no stock in the season after the injury to Jimmy Garoppolo, but it’s encouraging to see young players such as Matt Breida (14 carries, 106 yards, 3 catches for 34 yards) and Dante Pettis (4 catches, 77 yards, 1 touchdown) turn in good performances in a losing effort. The 49ers #1 pick tour travels to Seattle this Sunday.

31 Arizona Cardinals (2-9; -138)

Shayne: At this point in the season, the Cardinals should be worried about getting their young players reps while getting smoked by superior teams, and even that has been a mixed bag. Josh Rosen only attempted 19 passes against Los Angeles for a pedestrian 105 yards, but Christian Kirk caught 4 of those balls, Robert Nkemdiche showed signs of life with 2.5 sacks and Haason Reddick recorded 8 tackles. With Green Bay, Detroit, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Seattle on the docket, wins won’t come often for Arizona to finish the season.

32 Oakland Raiders (2-9; -140)

Shayne: Jon Gruden’s Raiders continue to be hapless, this week getting outclassed on all three phases by the Baltimore Ravens, giving 416 yards (242 rushing) of offense, only compiling 246 yards of offense with Derek Carr’s longest completion going for 16 yards, and giving up a punt return touchdown to Cyrus Jones Jr. Year one of 10 for Gruden looks more and more like a lost season every week and perhaps most alarming, the Raiders look like a team that should be in the market for a new quarterback, as Carr simply does not appear to be an amicable match with Gruden’s offense.

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Ryan lives in Wisconsin. He was raised on a steady diet of whole milk, cheese, sports, WWF/WWE wrestling, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

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