2023 NFL Power Rankings, Week 13: Vikings Take a Big Tumble, Multiple Teams Take Huge Jumps
Josh Frey
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Week 12 of the NFL season is officially behind us, and it was certainly an eventful weekend.
The Minnesota Vikings, of course, took their sixth loss of the season as they fell to the Chicago Bears, leading to a big tumble in this week’s NFL power rankings. With the weekend behind us, here is the updated list of all 32 teams.
The Super Bowl Contenders
1. Philadelphia Eagles
- Last Week: 37-34 win vs. BUF
- Trending: —
- This Week: 12/3 vs. SF
The Eagles continue to just make plays at the perfect moments. Whether it’s a big defensive stop, a huge Jalen Hurts throw, or Jake Elliott hitting a 59-yard field goal, everything is bouncing Philadelphia’s way right now. It remains to be seen if this can be relied upon as a Super Bowl recipe, but the Eagles are 10-1 and hold the best record in the NFL by two games.
2. San Francisco 49ers
- Last Week: 31-13 win @ SEA
- Trending: —
- This Week: 12/3 @ PHI
Once again, the 49ers steamrolled their way through a lesser opponent on Thanksgiving afternoon. Improved health continues to prove that this San Francisco team should be taken very seriously heading into the playoffs, and now, their biggest test of the year comes against the Philadelphia Eagles on the road in a rematch of last year’s NFC Championship Game.
3. Baltimore Ravens
- Last Week: 20-10 win @ LAC
- Trending: +1
- This Week: Bye
The Ravens didn’t have a great game offensively by any means, and it’s rather clear that they miss Mark Andrews on offense. However, this defense continues to be one of the best in the NFL. As long as Lamar Jackson can play QB at a high enough level, this team is certainly in the mix for a Super Bowl.
4. Kansas City Chiefs
- Last Week: 31-17 win @ LV
- Trending: -1
- This Week: 12/3 @ GB
Kansas City proved that they are indeed capable of scoring in the second half. They rallied to score 17 points during the final 30 minutes against the Las Vegas Raiders, overcoming an early 14-0 hole to get the win. However, this continues to be an inconsistent team, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Whether it’s the first half or second half, the Chiefs always seem to have a dry spell in games this season. That needs to change before the playoffs.
5. Miami Dolphins
- Last Week: 34-13 win @ NYJ
- Trending: —
- This Week: 12/3 @ WSH
Granted, it wasn’t against a great team by any means, but it is still a bit promising that the Dolphins were able to go on the road and undoubtedly stomp an opponent. It stings that they lost Jaelen Phillips for the season right when this defense was getting hot, though.
6. Jacksonville Jaguars
- Last Week: 24-21 win @ HOU
- Trending: +2
- This Week: 12/4 vs. CIN
The Jaguars earned a hard-fought victory over their division rivals on Sunday, and it came without much a rushing attack to be spoken of. Trevor Lawrence largely played a masterful game throughout the afternoon, and Jacksonville’s defense stepped up to get four sacks of C.J. Stroud.
Strong Playoff Teams
7. Dallas Cowboys
- Last Week: 45-10 win vs. WSH
- Trending: —
- This Week: 11/30 vs. SEA
Once again, the Cowboys earned themselves a blowout win against a bad team. It has been the story of this Dallas team for the past two years, but until they prove that they can hang with the best teams in the league, there really isn’t a way to move them up any further.
8. Denver Broncos
- Last Week: 27-12 win vs. CLE
- Trending: +6
- This Week: 12/3 @ LAC
Well, the Denver Broncos might be back. This was a dominant win over one of the best teams in the AFC. Granted, the Browns were without Deshaun Watson, and they lost Dorian Thompson-Robinson during the game, but Denver’s defense wreaked havoc on Cleveland throughout this game. Most impressively, the offensive line largely took Myles Garrett out of the game.
9. Cleveland Browns
- Last Week: 12-27 loss @ DEN
- Trending: -2
- This Week: 12/3 @ LAR
It was an ugly loss for the Browns, but they were on the road and should still make the playoffs. Perhaps it’s Joe Flacco time at QB, but this team has won because of their defense all season. They’ll get back on track.
10. Pittsburgh Steelers
- Last Week: 16-10 win @ CIN
- Trending: +5
- This Week: 12/3 vs. ARI
It’s pretty ironic that in the first game without Matt Canada as the offensive coordinator, Pittsburgh gained over 400 yards of offense and finally outgained an opponent this season. Pat Freiermuth was heavily involved in the passing game, and this should continue in order to get Kenny Pickett some easy throws.
11. Houston Texans
- Last Week: 21-24 loss vs. JAX
- Trending: -2
- This Week: 12/3 vs. DEN
The C.J. Stroud hype train slowed down a bit this weekend, but Houston came within inches away from tying this game to force overtime. It should not be overlooked that this was a very competitive football game, proving that Houston belongs in this playoff conversation. They now get a pivotal home game against the red-hot Denver Broncos.
12. Detroit Lions
- Last Week: 22-29 loss vs. GB
- Trending: -2
- This Week: 12/3 @ NO
Well, the past few weeks haven’t exactly been great for the Detroit Lions, but it hasn’t exactly mattered considering their NFC North opposition hasn’t gained much ground on them. Still, this Lions offense needs to start putting drives together and eliminate the turnovers if they want to make a deep run.
The “Swing” Teams
13. Buffalo Bills
- Last Week: 34-37 loss @ PHI
- Trending: -2
- This Week: Bye
This has been a year from hell for the Buffalo Bills. Even in a game where it seemed like they should have rolled to a win, they let Philadelphia get back into the game, and a 59-yard field goal sent it to overtime. Buffalo had another chance to score a touchdown to end the game, but Josh Allen and Gabe Davis weren’t on the same page. The Bills are a decent team, but is it just too little too late?
14. Indianapolis Colts
- Last Week: 27-20 win vs. TB
- Trending: +5
- This Week: 12/3 @ TEN
Jonathan Taylor had a vintage Jonathan Taylor game against the Buccaneers, rushing for 91 yards and a pair of touchdowns, dragging Tampa Bay defenders with him every step of the way. Gardner Minshew made a few great plays as well to earn this victory. Don’t look now, but the Colts are the No. 7 seed in the AFC.
15. Los Angeles Rams
- Last Week: 37-14 win @ ARI
- Trending: +6
- This Week: 12/3 vs. CLE
The past couple weeks have completely changed the trajectory of the Rams season. Matthew Stafford had a masterful performance against the Cardinals on Sunday, and their defense stepped up to make some big plays. LA is back in the playoff picture, folks.
16. Green Bay Packers
- Last Week: 29-22 win @ DET
- Trending: +7
- This Week: 12/3 @ KC
Jordan Love has come back to life in recent weeks, and all of a sudden, the Packers are just half a game out of the playoff picture in the NFC. Their defense came away with a couple pivotal turnovers to get this win, and if that continues to happen, Green Bay may just be able to pull this thing off.
17. Minnesota Vikings
- Last Week: 10-12 loss vs. CHI
- Trending: -5
- This Week: Bye
The Josh Dobbs honeymoon officially ended on Monday night. Minnesota’s offense was atrocious throughout their loss to the Bears, and despite a heroic defensive effort, the Vikings weren’t able to get a much-needed win before their bye.
18. Seattle Seahawks
- Last Week: 13-31 loss vs. SF
- Trending: -2
- This Week: 11/30 @ DAL
Seattle, we have a problem. The Seahawks are nosediving right now after another bad divisional loss, and now, they have to go on the road and play the Cowboys.
19. Cincinnati Bengals
- Last Week: 10-16 loss vs. PIT
- Trending: -6
- This Week: 12/4 @ JAX
The Jake Browning experience got off to a bad start. Cincinnati is technically still in the playoff hunt, but it’s hard to imagine that they will win too many games with how their offense looks right now.
20. Los Angeles Chargers
- Last Week: 10-20 loss vs. BAL
- Trending: -2
- This Week: 12/3 @ NE
Zay Flowers scoring that touchdown at the end probably stung Chargers fans to no end. It was another week, another very strange loss for this LA team. The defense held up as long as they could, but in the end, the offense could not string enough drives together.
21. Las Vegas Raiders
- Last Week: 17-31 loss vs. KC
- Trending: -1
- This Week: Bye
The Raiders seemed like they were going to pull off a huge upset when they jumped out to a 14-0 lead, but their defense couldn’t keep the Chiefs down during the second half. Maxx Crosby’s injury limited their ability to get to Patrick Mahomes, and the Chiefs QB took full advantage.
22. Atlanta Falcons
- Last Week: 24-15 win vs. NO
- Trending: +7
- This Week: 12/3 @ NYJ
The Falcons let Bijan Robinson cook all afternoon, and if they continue to do that, this team should be the favorite to win the NFC South. It will likely lead to a Wild Card exit, but still, this team has plenty of playmakers to gather some wins down the stretch.
23. New Orleans Saints
- Last Week: 15-24 loss @ ATL
- Trending: -6
- This Week: 12/3 vs. DET
Derek Carr lost this game when he threw a 92-yard pick-six to Jessie Bates during the first half. New Orleans has struggled to remain consistent on offense all season, and they cannot afford to give up 14-point swings if they are going to win games.
On the Outside Looking In
24. Tennessee Titans
- Last Week: 17-10 win vs. CAR
- Trending: —
- This Week: 12/3 vs. IND
Tennessee can still get themselves back into the playoff hunt, but they desperately need to get a win next weekend against Indianapolis. Based on what we saw from them on Sunday, it doesn’t seem likely to happen. They were lethargic on offense for much of the afternoon, and Derrick Henry simply has too many miles on his legs.
25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Last Week: 20-27 loss @ IND
- Trending: -3
- This Week: 12/3 vs. CAR
Had Rachaad White not broken off a 38-yard run, this game would have looked much uglier for Tampa Bay from a rushing standpoint. The Buccaneers cannot rely on Baker Mayfield to carry them to victories, but that is exactly what they tried to do on Sunday.
26. Chicago Bears
- Last Week: 12-10 win @ MIN
- Trending: +1
- This Week: Bye
Chicago may have won on Monday night, but they gave the Vikings every chance in the world to capture this game and win handily. The offense is only capable of moving the ball via screen passes, and eventually, this is going to get snuffed out. Credit to the Bears defense, though. That group looks like they are figuring some things out.
27. New York Giants
- Last Week: 10-7 win vs. NE
- Trending: -1
- This Week: Bye
Tommy DeVito led the Giants to another win, but New York still doesn’t look like a team that is going to be able to string enough wins together and get back into the playoffs. Maybe they can prove me wrong after their bye.
28. Arizona Cardinals
- Last Week: 14-37 loss vs. LAR
- Trending: -3
- This Week: 12/3 @ PIT
This game proved that simply getting Kyler Murray back in the lineup isn’t going to solve all the problems in Arizona. Their defense remains one of the leakiest units in the NFL, and they need to fix this offensive line to give their QB a chance.
29. New York Jets
- Last Week: 13-34 loss vs. MIA
- Trending: -1
- This Week: 12/3 vs. ATL
At least we know now that Zach Wilson isn’t any worse than Tim Boyle. The Jets again struggled to string drives together against the Dolphins, and this offense remains in shambles.
30. Washington Commanders
- Last Week: 10-45 loss @ DAL
- Trending: —
- This Week: 12/3 vs. MIA
The fact that Dallas blew out the Commanders proved what everyone was thinking: this team isn’t very good. Sam Howell has shown promise this year but trading away their best two pass-rushers has driven Washington down towards the bottom of the league.
31. New England Patriots
- Last Week: 7-10 loss @ NYG
- Trending: —
- This Week: 12/3 vs. LAC
Bill Belichick has played all his cards this season. Both Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe got into this game, and both threw pretty grisly interceptions. The defense is decent enough, but without any offense, this team is going to continue to struggle.
32. Carolina Panthers
- Last Week: 10-17 loss @ TEN
- Trending: —
- This Week: 12/3 @ TB
The Panthers lost again and fired a whole slew of coaches in the aftermath. Things aren’t great in Carolina, and it would be surprising to see them win again this season.
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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.