Week 12 in the NFL is already here! Before enjoying the Thanksgiving games tomorrow, check out the latest edition of our Power Rankings below.
1 – Philadelphia Eagles (1)
After a big primetime win in Kansas City, the Birds remain firmly at the top of the pecking order. Jalen Hurts is now the MVP frontrunner, Jalen Carter has the lowest odds at DROTY, and the team is the only one in the league with one loss. They’ve proven themselves with the win on Monday, and they’re officially the team to beat in the NFL. In Week 12, they’ll go up against a desperate Bills team that will be coming with all they have.
2 – Baltimore Ravens (5)
The Ravens dominated their division rivals from Cincinnati on Thursday, but it was a tough win to gauge due to the Bengals losing Joe Burrow. However, with the win and Burrow out, Baltimore’s path to the top of the AFC North got a lot clearer. Heading into Week 12, their largest competition is Cleveland, who has also lost their starting QB for the year. At this point, the Ravens should be focusing not on a division title, but a top seed in the whole AFC.
3 – San Francisco 49ers (3)
San Francisco has dominated in both games after their bye and will be riding high coming into their Thanksgiving matchup in Seattle. If the MVP wasn’t such a QB award, there’s a great chance that Christian McCaffrey would be garnering much more attention in that conversation than he is right now. With that being said, a personal award isn’t the end goal for anyone on this team. When it comes to chasing down a Super Bowl, they’ll remain right on track as long as they can remain healthy heading into the playoffs.
4 – Detroit Lions (4)
For the first time since 1962, the Detroit Lions are 8-2. The organization has been revitalized, but now that they’ve arrived on this stage, they’ll need to prove they can play with the big boys in the postseason. Until that opportunity comes, they’ll be knocking on Philadelphia’s door for the first overall seed in the NFC. Week 11’s game against the Bears wasn’t pretty for most of the afternoon, but the offence really proved themselves on the final two drives of the game. These guys just get it done.
5 – Kansas City Chiefs (2)
The Chiefs are still the Chiefs, but man, do they need a competent receiver. 34-year-old Travis Kelce is getting double covered while playing through injuries and when he can’t get open, Mahomes doesn’t have a reliable target on the field. If this defence wasn’t the best one Kansas City has had in the Mahomes era, the Chiefs would have probably picked up a few more losses this season. That being said, if the Chiefs had good receivers, they probably would have two more wins.
6 – Dallas Cowboys (6)
Another dominating win against a bad team. It sounds like a broken record at this point, but Dallas sure does expose the league’s bottom dwellers. The offence actually wasn’t quite as good on Sunday, but Tony Pollard did find the endzone for the first time since Week 1. Dallas hasn’t really needed his production against the bad teams, but when competition levels up, he’ll need to be able to produce on the ground for them.
7 – Miami Dolphins (8)
The Dolphins only won by a touchdown last week, but if it weren’t for a series of rare miscues, the game could have been a lot more lopsided. Having Jalen Ramsey back in the lineup made an immediate impact in the secondary, and it was Ramsey who put the game on ice with a late interception. Miami still hasn’t beaten a team with a winning record, but expect to see another win against a week opponent in Week 12. They’ll be playing Tim Boyle and the Jets at MetLife and are currently 9.5-point favorites.
8 – Jacksonville Jaguars (7)
Jacksonville got back in the win column on Sunday with a dominant effort against the Titans. They’re now 7-3 and at the top of the AFC South with the Texans trailing closely behind. The upcoming Week 12 game between the two teams should be a great indicator of where they’re at, and the Jags are currently two-point favorites despite the game being in Houston. The team has been solid this season, but the question at this point revolves around where the ceiling is. Will Trevor Lawrence be able to win the big games in the playoffs? They took one in fantastic fashion against the Chargers last year, but there are still much bigger fish to fry in the AFC.
9 – Houston Texans (10)
Speaking of the Texans, they’re next on the list. C.J. Stroud is almost a shoo-in for OROTY, and to be honest, he’s starting to deserve mentions in the MVP conversation. The future is extremely bright in Houston, but that doesn’t mean they can’t start making noise already this season. If they win against the Jags on Sunday, they’ll be at the top of the AFC South with a season sweep of Jacksonville. They may not be up to par on defence with the big dogs yet, but with Stroud slinging it, their offence can hang in there with a lot of teams.
10 – Cleveland Browns (9)
With Deshaun Watson joining Nick Chubb on the sidelines for the rest of the year, Cleveland is going to have to lean heavily on the defence for the rest of the season. The unit certainly makes the Browns a team no one wants to play, but the offence will need to figure something out if they want to do any real damage. The weapons are there, but the 13 points against Pittsburgh doesn’t instill much confidence. In Week 12, they’ll have a huge opportunity to prove themselves yet again against a red-hot Denver Broncos team.
Love the NFL? Create your own pool at any time in the season at http://officepools.com and check out the biggest winners and losers from the previous week here.
