Written By Jordan Rosas
1. New England Patriots (8-4)
Last Week: 1
High: 1
Low: 26
At this point, what more can you ask for? After last week, the Titans held the #1 seed in the AFC. This week, the Patriots beat them 36-13. Sure, we can point out that plenty of the teams New England has beat have had injuries, but that’s not the Patriots’ fault. They can only play who’s on their schedule. Through 12 weeks, they hold the best point differential in the league at +146.
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-3)
Last Week: 2
High: 1
Low: 9
For weeks now, I’ve been talking up the Colts. The Bucs proved how good of a team Indy really is. They also proved that they’re a little bit better. Leonard Fournette has elevated himself from serviceable starter to Pro-Bowl candidate. This team is on fire, and they’ve already proven that they can go all the way.
3. Green Bay Packers (9-3)
Last Week: 6
High: 1
Low: 20
In a potential NFC Championship game preview, the Packers beat the Rams 36-28. Unfortunately for Rams fans, it was a typical Matt Stafford vs Aaron Rodgers matchup. As long as Rodgers is healthy and available, Green Bay isn’t going down without a fight.
4. Arizona Cardinals (9-2)
Last Week: 4
High: 1
Low: 6
I owe the Cards an apology and a retraction. Last week’s article mistakenly listed them as 8-3. After their bye this week, they remain 9-2, just as they were last week, despite my clerical error. It’s truly amazing how well this team has performed despite what ought to be crippling injuries. At +108, they hold the best point differential in the NFC.
5. Kansas City Chiefs (7-4)
Last Week: 5
High: 1
Low: 26
Was it a bad time for a bye week? The Chiefs have experienced extreme highs and lows this season, and their bye came smack dab in the middle of a much needed hot streak. They currently control their destiny as they sit in first place in the AFC West, but the rest of the division is only a game behind. Can they keep up their momentum after the bye?
6. Baltimore Ravens (8-3)
Last Week: 7
High: 2
Low: 14
The Ravens cling to a very slim lead as the #1 team in their division and the entire AFC, but 4 INT games from Lamar Jackson simply aren’t good enough to win in the post-season. They’ve had their strings of injuries, and the fact that they sit where they due despite such adversity should be viewed as a massive accomplishment. The AFC still has no clear favorite, even though they’ve outperformed expectations, if they can somehow find a way to dig a little deeper, a Super Bowl could be in the cards.
7. Indianapolis Colts (6-6)
Last Week: 3
High: 3
Low: 27
This one hurts. A lot. Sure, the Colts proved they’re tough as nails by hanging with the defending champs, but at 6-6, they can’t afford moral victories anymore. Indy really needed to capitalize on the Titans loss, but instead they remain 2 games behind for the division. The Colts are at least far more competitive than their record suggests, and could be a very dangerous wild card team, but they need to get in first.
8. Buffalo Bills (7-4)
Last Week: 15
High: 1
Low: 15
Do the injury riddled Saints count as a good team? If not, the Bills still have yet to beat a good team, outside of Kansas City on their worst day. As frustrating as they’ve been, considering this roster should have had the AFC all but wrapped up by now, the Bills are still right in the thick of things. This week’s game against New England might be the most consequential Monday night game of the season. It should tell us a lot about what we can expect from this squad come January.
9. San Francisco 49ers (6-5)
Last Week: 10
High: 9
Low: 26
Honestly, how on Earth is this team still alive? They’ve endured damn near every injury a team could have to deal with, and yet they’re not only in playoff position, but also somehow peaking at the right time. Kyle Shanahan is a friggin’ genius. I could probably count on one hand the coaches that could MAYBE produce similar results with the talent given. Deebo Samuel, their top receiver, was used almost exclusively as a runner. What other coaches are able to feed the ball to their playmakers under any circumstances?
10. Cincinnati Bengals (7-4)
Last Week: 13
High: 7
Low: 23
There’s going to be some serious heartbreak in this division because of how inconsistent it is. Cincinnati hit Pittsburgh worse than the collapse of the Steel Industry. That being said, CIncy has had plenty of forgettable games as well. They’re dangerous when hot, but probably too streaky to be a real playoff threat.
11. Minnesota Vikings (5-6)
Last Week: 8
High: 8
Low: 23
It’s hard to justify putting a team with a losing record this high, but allow me to try anyway. The Vikings have yet to lose badly. Every game has been competitive and close, for better and for worse. Now 4 games behind Green Bay, winning the division is a pipe dream, and even holding onto the final wild card spot will be tough. Still, this is a team that can hang with anyone in the league, and that makes them dangerous. Even without Dalvin Cook, let’s remember that Alexander Mattison put up 100 yard games both times he was called to start in place of Cook last year.
12. Tennessee Titans (8-4)
Last Week: 9
High: 1
Low: 27
The Titans will attempt to limp into the post-season by resting on their laurels, after losing their top 3 offensive playmakers. They just got tossed around in a consequential game against the Patriots, and the Colts are playing great. They’re doing all they can, but they’re like Lightning McQueen after blowing a tire in turn 4 on the final lap of the Piston Cup Race.
13. Denver Broncos (6-5)
Last Week: 17
High: 11
Low: 25
Well, well, well, lookie here. The Broncos are tied with the rest of the AFC West at 6-5, just a game behind the Chiefs. Anything could happen here. The Broncos lack the ceiling of the other offenses, but they’ve been consistently doing what they can. They’re not a great team, but if ever there was a year for a consistently average team to sneak through, this is it.
14. Los Angeles Chargers (6-5)
Last Week: 12
High: 3
Low: 14
Ouch. Instead of challenging for 1st place in the division, the Chargers are now in a 3 way tie for silver. The AFC is the most competitive it’s been in a very long time, and that means the chances of LA winning the division are similar to their chances of missing the playoffs entirely.
15. Los Angeles Rams (7-4)
Last Week: 14
High: 1
Low: 14
Worried that I overreacted and dropped them too low a few weeks ago, I’ve refrained from dropping them much further, but it’s getting harder to cut them slack. OBJ had 10 targets, which is normal for WR1s, let alone WR2s, so the excuse of him not knowing the offense yet is no longer valid. They’re on a losing streak, and it bookends their bye week. That they weren’t able to right the ship with an extra week to prepare is alarming. I got a lot of heat for criticizing the QB trade, but I’ve held fast that Detroit fleeced the Rams. Stafford is showing why he never won anything in Detroit, and the Rams don’t have a 1st round draft pick until 2024…
16. Las Vegas Raiders (6-5)
Last Week: 28
High: 5
Low: 28
Just win, baby. That’s the Raider motto. Don’t ask questions, just score more than the other team. The Raiders did just that in Jerryworld, and as a result, they remain right in the thick of the AFC playoff race. They’ve had more than their fair share of issues this season, but once the playoffs start, it’s a blank slate for everyone. Can the Raiders finish top 7 in the conference though?
17. Dallas Cowboys (7-4)
Last Week: 11
High: 2
Low: 17
It’s not that the Cowboys are bad, it’s just that they don’t have their starters. I’m not worried that they can’t beat a struggling team without their top 3 WRs. I am worried about the availability of said top 3 WRs going forward. If Dallas can field a healthy roster, they’ll shoot right back up to the top of the standings. If not, Dem Boyz can expect more bitter Thanksgiving leftovers.
18. Washington Football Team (5-6)
Last Week: 18
High: 15
Low: 27
Is Washington a threat? Even though the NFC East was a cakewalk last year, they did win the division, and Dallas is struggling with injuries. Certainly they’re a long shot to go all the way, but they’re definitely good enough to play spoiler down the stretch. They lack clear star power, but their depth has allowed them to cover for their injuries well. Props to them for pulling off the ultra rare defensive 2 point conversion.
19. Miami Dolphins (5-7)
Last Week: 23
High: 12
Low: 31
Folks, the Dolphins have rattled off 4 straight wins and they’re just 2 games below .500. I mentioned weeks ago that a 10-7 finish was still in play. So far, that’s still the case. Remember, this team had 10 wins last year and was considered the biggest threat to the Bills in the AFC heading into the season. With a divisional win over New England in week 1, and 2 Buffalo vs New England games still to come, things could get very interesting.
20. Cleveland Browns (6-6)
Last Week: 20
High: 3
Low: 20
Not another Browns dad blasting Baker Mayfield on social media… Baker completed less than 50% of his passes, but Kareem Hunt, along with all Browns rushers, averaged under 3 yards per clip. Considering Hunt’s off-field issues, he’s lucky to still be playing NFL ball at all. Papa Hunt might want to bit his tongue on this one. With OL stud Jack Conklin hurt, things don’t look to get any easier for the offense. Still, if they can hang neck and neck with the #1 seed in the AFC, anything’s possible.
21. Philadelphia Eagles (5-7)
Last Week: 16
High: 13
Low: 23
Are Jalen Hurts and the Eagles good or not?? A week after marching in on the Saints, Hurts completed less than 50% of his passes, with 3INTs and no TDs. They got Miles Sanders back, but are now without Jordan Howard. Unless Dallas collapses, this kind of inconsistency will likely have Philly on the outside looking in come playoff time.
22. New York Giants (4-7)
Last Week: 27
High: 18
Low: 30
They’re certainly not a good team, but they at least manage to be entertaining for the New York faithful. It doesn’t matter how far out of the playoffs a team is, divisional wins are always exciting. It’s been a cursed season from the jump, with the star RB and pretty much every pass catcher missing time, but there’s at least reason for optimism looking ahead… At next season.
23. Chicago Bears (4-7)
Last Week: 26
High: 16
Low: 26
It’s hard to give credit for barely beating the Lions, especially when that was mostly due to the Lions choking, but at 4-7, the Bears are only a game out of 2nd place in the division. Andy Dalton was fine for a backup QB, but he received no help from the run game. Asking too much from a backup QB is a great strategy to lose a football game, and it almost worked for the Bears.
24. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-5-1)
Last Week: 22
High: 7
Low: 24
That was the worst Steelers loss in like, 30+ years. They’re hovering around .500, but it’s the end of the Pittsburgh dynasty, if it can be called that. Ben Roethlisberger looks completed washed up, and they still have no clear successor ready to go. They’re better than the remaining teams, but their ceiling looks pretty bleak.
25. New Orleans Saints (5-6)
Last Week: 24
High: 2
Low: 25
The Saints’ #1 WR won’t play a single snap this season. They were down to their 3rd string QB and RB, and to make matters worse, they were missing their best O-Line guys. That doesn’t excuse Marshon Lattimore getting carved up like Thanksgiving turkey by Stefon Diggs in the red zone, but every corner in the league watching that was just thankful it wasn’t them out there.
26. Carolina Panthers (5-7)
Last Week: 19
High: 7
Low: 28
Was Cam Newton saying “I’m back” or “I’m bad?” After an atrocious 5/21 for 92 yards and 2 INTs, the former MVP was benched for PJ Walker, who’s awful stat line of 5/10 for 87 and 1 INT was somehow an upgrade. To make matters worse, Christian McCaffrey is now out for the season. It’s now 2 years in a row that he’s been derailed by injuries. The star playmaker may be washed up, along with Newton. There are some juicy college coaching gigs that could tempt HC Matt Rhule. It’s bad in Carolina.
27. Seattle Seahawks (3-8)
Last Week: 21
High: 8
Low: 27
They suck. I’m not going to say it’s all Russell Wilson‘s fault, but he hasn’t been an upgrade over Geno Smith. In the 3 games Smith started, the Seahawks went 1-2, but never lost by more than 3 points. They’re 2-7 with Wilson starting. He didn’t target DK Metcalf at all in the 1st half and the star WR didn’t record a single catch until after the 2 minute warning in the 4th quarter.
28. Atlanta Falcons (5-6)
Last Week: 31
High: 17
Low: 31
It’s amazing that this team somehow has 5 wins with how bad they can be. For the 3rd week in a row, the Falcons had more punting yards than passing yards. The Falcons are somehow just a tie breaker with Minnesota away from a wild card seed right now, which is crazy. They currently sit 2nd in the NFC South despite the 2nd worst point differential in the NFC, at -103.
29. New York Jets (3-8)
Last Week: 30
High: 28
Low: 32
In a battle between bad and worse, the Jets were bad. 2nd overall pick Zach Wilson went 14/24 for 145 yards, no TDs, and an INT, although he did have a rushing TD. The run game was surprisingly effective, but Wilson hasn’t done the team many favors in the passing game. They beat the Texans, but it was the Texans. The Jets have the worst point differential in the league, at -135.
30. Houston Texans (2-9)
Last Week: 24
High: 24
Low: 32
Last week I worried that I overreacted by moving Houston too high, and this week, the Texans proved my concern was justified. They just lost to the Jets. It’s going to be hard for everyone in this organization to justify why they should keep their jobs after this season.
31. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-9)
Last Week: 29
High: 25
Low: 32
The Jaguars weren’t awful in this game, they just weren’t good. Somebody needed to step up and be a difference maker, and no one did. That opened the door for the Falcons to steal another win for themselves. I have to think at this point Urban Meyer is at least considering the open college positions, if not actively pursuing them.
32. Detroit Lions (0-10-1)
Last Week: 32
High: 24
Low: 32
I’ve given Dan Campbell about as long of a leash as possible, because he really inherited an awful situation. He’s rightly earned credit for getting the team to play hard and stay competitive week in and week out. At some point though, opportunity knocks, and a good coach has to steal a win where they can. This was absolutely a winnable game, and the loss falls on Campbell. He prepares his team to play better than expectations during the week, but then blows the in-game coaching decisions, very reminiscent of Anthony Lynn‘s time with the Chargers. I wonder what ever happened to that guy? Oh wait, he’s Campbell’s offensive coordinator. It would seem Lynn’s awful luck has followed him to Detroit.
Check out how this week stacks up against last week rankings, HERE!
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