NFL Power Rankings Week 12: Eagles still No. 1, Bengals fall
Some were grateful to improve their playoff position, while other teams suffered injuries that changed their outlook on the season. Mackenzie Salmon has all the movers and shakers from week 12.
NFL power rankings entering Week 12 of the 2023 season (previous rank in parentheses):
1. Eagle (1): On Monday night, C Jason Kelce earned his long-awaited victory over former coach Andy Reid and current brother Travis Kelce. Philly’s schedule won’t slow down next month, but the reigning NFC champs have proven it – perhaps and most importantly, to themselves? – that they can beat anyone, anywhere.
2. Chiefs (2): Of course, if WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling plays at the end of the game – or Taylor Swift could have – Reid would be 5-0 against his former team and set a KC record with 125 regular season wins. The defending champions will certainly come back…but there’s still a lot of work to be done to recapture the AFC’s No. 1 seed from Baltimore. A generally forgiving run of games down the stretch should help achieve that end.
3. 49ers (3): Brock Purdy, “Mr. Irrelevant,” faced the No. 1 draft pick QB in each of the last three games and won twice. His next three meetings will be with second-rounders before facing 2019 top pick Kyler Murray in Week 15. All of these opposing passers face a San Francisco defense weakened by the loss of All-Pro S Talanoa Hufanga (torn ACL).
4. Ravens (5): Baltimore’s best running game is in great shape, with Lamar Jackson now the first quarterback in league history to rush for at least 500 yards in each of his first six seasons. RB Gus Edwards already has 10 TDs, after a total of nine in the last three years. But a passing game at No. 20 is a better hope that TE Isaiah Likely can capably replace injured All-Pro Mark Andrews.
5. Cowboys (7): CB DaRon Bland’s next pick-six will give him the NFL’s single-season rushing record, which is great. However, WR CeeDee Lamb is the only Dallas player with more TDs (6) than Bland’s four…which isn’t great.
6. Lions (6): A team with no NFC North crowns to its name has won seven straight division games for the first time since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. They can extend that streak to eight on Thanksgiving by beating Green Bay.
7. Dolphins (8): CB Jalen Ramsey is already making a measurable impact on the emerging defense, intercepting three passes in the three games since returning from knee surgery in July. “He’s the best corner in the league, man,” Miami WR Tyreek Hill said Sunday.
8. Texans (9): Victory over Jacksonville on Sunday and Houston takes first place in the AFC South. And it’s not just rookie quarterback CJ Stroud doing his job. LB Blake Cashman is a tackling machine (19 vs. Arizona), while highly touted CB Derek Stingley Jr. caught his first pass of 2023, matching his disappointing rookie year.
9. Jaguars (11): Regarding the resulting divisional battle in Houston? The Jags have lost 10 of 11 against the Texans, although their only win this year came on New Year’s Day at NRG Stadium.
10. Shades of Brown (4): Why is DE Myles Garrett able to get MVP traction? He is on pace for 22 sacks, seven forced fumbles and about 50 pressures. For a team with such a depleted offense, why not consider making him the first defenseman to receive this hardware since Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor in 1986?
11. Bills (14): The offensive resurgence on Sunday was fantastic. But what if newly signed CB Rasul Douglas intercepted two passes — ending a seven-game losing streak for Buffalo — and recovered a fumble? Takeaway machine. Imagine if he played against Josh Allen…
12. Steelers (12): Sunday’s loss in Cleveland ended Pittsburgh’s nine-game winning streak in contests decided by one point. But perhaps frustrated RB Najee Harris and Co. can build a sizable lead against the Burrow-less Bengals in Week 12 in Cincinnati? If not, well – I need something else since the “Blame Canada” excuse is gone.
13. Aries (19): A receiver tandem of Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua is nice, but LA hasn’t gained more than 220 yards through the air in the last six games.
14. Seahawks (13): LB Bobby Wagner played 12 seasons and compiled at least 100 tackles in all of them after Sunday. See you in Canton sometime – BWagz.
15. Broncos (23): I’m still wondering where Minnesota defenders thought Denver WR Jerry Jeudy was going to throw that ball. But perhaps such a juke is in order after the Broncos faked a death early in the season.
16. Stallions (17): After the bye week, only two of Indianapolis’ last seven opponents (Pittsburgh and Houston) are over .500. Sleep with these guys at your own risk.
17. Chargers (15): A win in Week 12 would make QB Justin Herbert 30-30 as an NFL starter in the regular season. Beat Baltimore by two points and the Bolts have scored and given up the same number of points since he became the starter in Week 2 of the 2020 season.
18. Vikings (16): Joshua Dobbs’ extremely awkward season continues: The quarterback is the first in NFL history to have both a TD pass and a run in his first three games with one team.
19. Raiders (18): The AFC’s least productive rushing offense (79 yards per game) was a season-low 36 yards on Sunday. Confusing, especially given that interim HC Antonio Pierce has identified franchise RB Josh Jacobs (the league rushing champion in 2022) as a player Las Vegas should build around.
20. Cardinals (27): QB Kyler Murray’s next game with both a rushing and passing TD would give him 18 in his career and mean he trails only Cam Newton (31 games) and Allen (25) in a player’s first five NFL seasons ) would leave the most behind.
21. Buccaneers (21): WR Mike Evans needs 220 more receiving yards to reach at least 1,000 in all 10 of his NFL seasons. Never done it before.
22. Saints (22): As the only NFC team to complete its interconference schedule, the normally rested New Orleans squad must begin picking up wins and tiebreakers in a crowded NFC South.
23. Titans (24): Why do they burn the play that results in a TD pass to Pro Bowl DT Jeffery Simmons when they’re down 27 points?
24. Falcons (25): None of their last seven opponents currently have a winning record. In golf, this would be a “moving day” for Atlanta.
25. Packers (26): QB Jordan Love’s 322-yard passing burst on Sunday surpassed his previous career best by 33 yards. Thank you, Chargers defense.
26. Bengals (10): All due respect to Jake Browning, but Cincinnati appears to be dead without QB1 Joe Burrow.
27. Jets (20): All due respect to Zach Wilson…and Tim Boyle…but the NYJ appears to be dead in the water without QB1 Aaron Rodgers. Until they aren’t?
28. Bears (28): After returning to the squad on Sunday, Justin Fields appeared to be back in top form, rushing for at least 100 yards for the fifth time in his three-year career. Only Jackson (13 games) and Michael Vick (10) have more quarterbacks in NFL history.
29. Patriots (30): After losing two Super Bowls to the Giants, Bill Belichick can get revenge on Sunday. An infinitesimal amount of revenge.
30. Giants (32): They are 2-0 against Washington and 1-8 against the rest of the league. All four of Big Blue’s first-half TDs this season also came against the Commanders, who also brought out HC Brian Daboll’s lighter team when it came time to evaluate rookie QB Tommy DeVito.
31. Commanders (29): At least if embattled HC Ron Rivera tells his players to take a shower in Dallas on Thanksgiving… they’ll be able to do it.
32. Panthers (31): They have not yet secured the top pick of the 2024 draft – for Chicago. But Carolina is certain to face its sixth straight losing season since owner David Tepper took control of the franchise in 2018.
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