NFL Week 13 Power Rankings
Josh Frey
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In a very late edition of the NFL power rankings, find out where your team landed after another week of games. Between Thanksgiving games, COVID woes, and even a game played without a team having an actual quarterback, this feels like one of the stranger weeks the NFL has ever seen.
- Pittsburgh Steelers
Last Week: 19-14 win vs BAL
Trending: —
Next Week: 12/7 vs WSH
The Steelers won a close game on Tuesday afternoon, and with that, they moved to an impeccable 11-0 on the season. Big Ben rolled the offense down the field a couple times, and the defense forced a first quarter pick-six of Robert Griffin III.
- New Orleans Saints
Last Week: 31-3 win @ DEN
Trending: —
Next Week: 12/6 @ ATL
If the Saints didn’t win as easily as they did, it would have been concerning. Taysom Hill wasn’t very good to say the least, but Latavius Murray had an incredible day to help carry the New Orleans offense. This game shouldn’t have been played in these circumstances, and this is the result.
- Kansas City Chiefs
Last Week: 27-24 win @ TB
Trending: —
Next Week: 12/6 vs DEN
The Chiefs offense was incredible through 15 minutes. Patrick Mahomes and Tyreek Hill connected for over 200 yards and two touchdowns in the quarter, but after that quarter, Tampa Bay seemed to figure them out a little bit. They never really got a running game going, and Mahomes made a few sloppy throws. They still got the win though, and now they get a matchup with potentially still QB-less Denver.
- Buffalo Bills
Last Week: 27-17 win vs LAC
Trending: —
Next Week: 12/7 @ SF
Buffalo controlled this game throughout, and the defense did a great job of shutting down Austin Ekeler in his return. The secondary stopped the Justin Herbert/Keenan Allen connection very well too, allowing just four catches and 40 yards on Allen’s 10 targets.
- Tennessee Titans
Last Week: 45-26 win @ IND
Trending: ↑1
Next Week: 12/6 vs CLE
Tennessee, mostly Derrick Henry, put away the Colts by the time halftime rolled around. Henry had three first half scores, and the Titans were in cruise control for the entire second half. The defense stepped up much more than they did in these team’s first matchup. Nyheim Hines was held to 29 rushing yards; a much different storyline from the game a couple weeks ago.
- Green Bay Packers
Last Week: 41-25 win vs CHI
Trending: ↑6
Next Week: 12/6 vs PHI
Aaron Rodgers was vintage once again Sunday night, and the defense made some big plays to really put this game out of reach. The defense is still the biggest question mark for this team, but they made a statement on the national stage with this win.
- Seattle Seahawks
Last Week: 23-17 win @ PHI
Trending: ↓2
Next Week: 12/6 vs NYG
Seattle scored two first half touchdowns, but after that their offense was mostly held in check. They kicked three second half field goals; all immediately following Philadelphia turnovers. The positive here is that Chris Carson returned to the lineup this week. If he can stay healthy, that will significantly bolster their running game.
- Arizona Cardinals
Last Week: 17-20 loss @ NE
Trending: ↓2
Next Week: 12/6 vs LAR
The Cardinals defense played decent for most of this game, but the offense really struggled. Arizona scored once in the final three quarters, and they missed a late fourth quarter field goal that would have potentially sent this game to overtime. It allowed New England to march the 18 yards that they needed to kick their own field goal to win the game.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Last Week: 24-27 loss vs KC
Trending: ↑2
Next Week: Bye
If the first quarter of this game didn’t happen, the headline would be how Tampa Bay’s defense did a pretty good job of containing Kansas City’s offense. Now, this might just be due to Kansas City taking it down a gear after they got off to the blazing start, but it’s still noteworthy. Tom Brady was still pretty bad once again, throwing two more interceptions, but the fact that this game was close by the end speaks volumes to this team’s ability to adjust.
- Indianapolis Colts
Last Week: 26-45 loss vs TEN
Trending: ↓2
Next Week: 12/6 @ HOU
The Colts are still a really good team, but their defense had a bad game against Tennessee. Combine that with Jonathan Taylor being out with COVID, and the Colts were going to lose this game. Nothing would go right for this team, including an attempted onside kick at the end of the game that A.J. Brown returned for a touchdown. DeForest Buckner also missed this game which absolutely impacted their defense’s ability to defend Derrick Henry.
- Cleveland Browns
Last Week: 27-25 win vs JAX
Trending: ↑4
Next Week: 12/6 @ TEN
In a vacuum, beating the Jaguars isn’t all that impressive. That said, this is a game that past Browns teams would have found a way to lose. As the saying goes, this is not your father’s Browns team. Cleveland is now 8-3 and must be taken seriously with how good their defense has been this year, especially when Myles Garrett is on the field.
- Los Angeles Rams
Last Week: 20-23 loss vs SF
Trending: ↓2
Next Week: 12/6 @ ARI
Jared Goff had a bad day against the Niners defense, and that really was the determining factor. Cam Akers ripped off a 61-yard touchdown run, but other than that, the Rams didn’t give him many opportunities. He rushed eight other times in this game for 23 yards. Next week is a must win at this point against Arizona.
- Las Vegas Raiders
Last Week: 6-43 loss @ ATL
Trending: ↓7
Next Week: 12/6 @ NYJ
This game feels similar to Indy’s game; what could go wrong, did go wrong. Derek Carr lost three fumbles, and Vegas had six total turnovers. That in and of itself is a recipe for disaster against any NFL team, and Atlanta is still one of the better offenses in the league. They’ll get back on track against the Jets next week.
- New York Giants
Last Week: 19-17 win @ CIN
Trending: —
Next Week: 12/6 @ SEA
The Giants have been terrible in close games this year, losing all 5 one possession games that weren’t against the Washington Football Team. They got a big win on Sunday to keep pace with Washington in the division, and albeit it’s against the Joe Burrow-less Bengals, sometimes you just need to do whatever it takes to win.
- Baltimore Ravens
Last Week: 14-19 loss @ PIT
Trending: ↓2
Next Week: 12/8 vs DAL
This game probably went about as well as Baltimore could have hoped given the circumstances. They kept it competitive, but it’s really hard to picture this team making the playoffs right now, given their COVID situation, and that they may need to get to 11 wins just to make it.
- Miami Dolphins
Last Week: 20-3 win @ NYJ
Trending: —
Next Week: 12/6 vs CIN
Ryan Fitzpatrick started this week for Tua Tagovailoa, who was out with a thumb injury, and he played well enough to beat the Jets. Devante Parker was open all afternoon, and if Miami wants to make a playoff run, they might be better off playing Fitzpatrick this season. The defense is still very good as well which should be good enough to beat Cincy.
- San Francisco 49ers
Last Week: 23-20 win @ LAR
Trending: ↑2
Next Week: 12/7 vs BUF
Once again, Kyle Shanhan and the 49ers prove to be the most resilient team in the league. They got a great win against the Rams, suddenly finding themselves a game out of the final wild card spot. The only issue is they are in the…unique position of not knowing where their home game against Buffalo will be played this week.
The county of Santa Clara has banned contact sports for three weeks which means the Niners have to find a new stadium to play in. They are the most resilient team, but this might just be too much to overcome at this point.
- Houston Texans
Last Week: 41-25 win @ DET
Trending: ↑2
Next Week: 12/6 vs IND
Deshaun Watson was great in the Thanksgiving win over Detroit, and Houston is showing that they are a much better team than their record shows. Remember, they started their season with three games against the Chiefs, Ravens, and Steelers.
- Carolina Panthers
Last Week: 27-28 loss @ MIN
Trending: ↓1
Next Week: Bye
The Panthers had so many opportunities to close this game out, but they just couldn’t do it. Teddy Bridgewater’s return to the Land of 10,000 Lakes was soured by the close loss. The two defensive touchdowns normally would be enough to win, but the offense got very little going for most of this game.
- New England Patriots
Last Week: 20-17 win vs ARI
Trending: ↑1
Next Week: 12/6 @ LAC
The Patriots’ defense was the star this week against Arizona while Cam Newton struggled once again. The win might be enough to put them in some headlines this week, but they shouldn’t be considered a playoff contender in the AFC.
- Minnesota Vikings
Last Week: 28-27 win vs CAR
Trending: ↑3
Next Week: 12/6 vs JAX
Not sure if even the Vikings themselves know how they pulled out this win, but nonetheless, it was a very important one to keep their season alive. Dalvin Cook was held in check for the first time in a while, but Kirk Cousins was great, especially on the last touchdown drive. It also seemed like a coming out game for Olabisi Johnson, who has been nonexistent in the offense this year. We’ll see how he does with Adam Thielen back in the lineup this week.
- Chicago Bears
Last Week: 25-41 loss @ GB
Trending: ↓5
Next Week: 12/6 vs DET
This game was not even as close as the score represents. Mitch Trubisky was terrible for a majority of this game. The game was 41-10 going into the fourth quarter, and Trubisky threw two garbage time touchdowns. David Montgomery got going, breaking 100 yards on just 11 carries, but that is to be expected against Green Bay’s atrocious rush defense. It seems like this blowout is the beginning of the end for Chicago’s season.
- Washington Football Team
Last Week: 41-16 win @ DAL
Trending: ↑2
Next Week: 12/7 @ PIT
Washington absolutely humiliated the Cowboys on Thanksgiving. Antonio Gibson ran all over the defense for 115 yards and three touchdowns. The defense also forced two more turnovers and continues to be one of the best in the league. Next week is a showdown with the best defense in the league, Pittsburgh.
- Los Angeles Chargers
Last Week: 17-27 loss @ BUF
Trending: ↓2
Next Week: 12/6 vs NE
The Chargers offense struggled against Buffalo this week, which is kind of to be expected for a rookie quarterback. The fact that they couldn’t get any running game didn’t help things, either.
- Cincinnati Bengals
Last Week: 17-19 loss vs NYG
Trending: ↑1
Next Week: 12/6 @ MIA
Cincinnati’s first game without Joe Burrow certainly could have gone worse. The offense was sluggish, but the defense stepped up against the Giants in a big way. It wasn’t enough for a win, but any progress for this defense is good progress.
- Atlanta Falcons
Last Week: 43-6 win vs LV
Trending: ↑4
Next Week: 12/6 vs NO
This game might be the biggest anomaly of this entire season. Let’s be clear; the Falcons are not a good football team. They are even further from being a good football team without Julio Jones and Todd Gurley in the lineup. However, they just happened to catch Derek Carr on a day where he apparently had butter layered on his hands.
- Denver Broncos
Last Week: 3-31 loss vs NO
Trending: ↓4
Next Week: 12/6 @ KC
Again, this game should never have been played. The fact that Denver went without a quarterback is ridiculous, and any outcome other than this against a good defense would have been insanely impressive.
- Detroit Lions
Last Week: 25-41 loss vs HOU
Trending: ↓1
Next Week: 12/6 @ CHI
Detroit’s defense was awful against Deshaun Watson this week, and while Adrian Peterson had a very good game, the offense didn’t look as fluid without Kenny Golladay and D’Andre Swift.
- Philadelphia Eagles
Last Week: 17-23 loss vs SEA
Trending: —
Next Week: 12/6 @ GB
Honestly, the defense played pretty well considering it was against Seattle. On the other hand, Carson Wentz still hasn’t played well, and the whispers of Jalen Hurts getting starter reps at quarterback are turning into soft exclamations. I said it at the beginning of the year, and I’ll say it again, this is what happens when you have two starting-caliber quarterbacks on your team.
- Dallas Cowboys
Last Week: 16-41 loss vs WSH
Trending: ↓2
Next Week: 12/8 @ BAL
You’d think a week after Ezekiel Elliott had a great game in a win, Dallas would get the hint and keep feeding him the ball. Instead, he carried just 10 times for 32 yards. The fact that Dallas gave up 41 points to one of the worst offenses in the league is more than concerning as well.
- Jacksonville Jaguars
Last Week: 25-27 loss vs CLE
Trending: —
Next Week: 12/6 @ MIN
The Jags came oh so close to pulling off an upset against Cleveland, but they fell just short. James Robinson added to his great season with another impressive performance against a good defense, but at this point, Jacksonville is just hoping the Jets accidentally win a game.
- New York Jets
Last Week: 3-20 loss vs MIA
Trending: —
Next Week: 12/6 vs LV
The Jets have scored so few points this season that they and the Broncos, who are the second worst scoring team in the league, have a larger difference in points scored than the Broncos and Browns.