It was a weird week of football in Week 12 with a lot of low scoring, putting defense front and center. The Week 12 NFL Power Rankings see quite a bit of fluctuation as well, seeing as how some highly rated teams surprisingly lost.
The Tennessee Titans kicked off the week with a TNF win over the Green Bay Packers, the Buffalo Bills snowmobiled their way out of the Buffalo snowstorm and won in Detroit, and the Dallas Cowboys made up for a disappointing loss last week with a drubbing of the eight-win Minnesota Vikings this week. On the flip side, the New York Giants fell at home to the Detroit Lions, the New York Jets only scored three measly points, and the Las Vegas Raiders won the AFC West underwhelming bowl against the Denver Broncos. The Kansas City Chiefs then finished off Sunday with a comeback win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
Previous NFL Power Rankings: Week 11 | Week 10 | Week 9 | Week 8
Here are the Week 12 NFL Power Rankings, starting with the Philadelphia Eagles.
1. Philadelphia Eagles
It may have been a much closer game than it needed to be, but a win is a win for the Eagles, helping put their loss to the Washington Commanders from Week 10 in the rearview mirror. Jalen Hurts helped lead the comeback for the Eagles, and they showed enough moxie to keep the top spot in the Week 12 NFL Power Rankings.
2. Buffalo Bills
Having to overcome a snowstorm for the ages in Buffalo, the Bills made their way to Ford Field to “host” the Cleveland Browns. While they had a slow start, they eventually made this not a very close game in the end — but Josh Allen’s UCL injury may be more of an issue than the team is letting on, due to some passing-game limitations.
3. Kansas City Chiefs
Anytime the Chargers and Chiefs meet up for a game, it always has some fireworks with it — and their Week 11 matchup was no different.
A 13-point first half for Kansas City left them facing a deficit to Los Angeles, but a miraculous comeback in the fourth quarter led by Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce helped overcome that deficit and earn their eighth win of the year to take full control of the AFC West.
4. Miami Dolphins
Some R & R was on the menu for the Miami Dolphins in Week 11, and they receive a nice welcome back off break by hosting the Houston Texans in Week 12. Tua Tagovailoa and company look to be humming right along on offense, and Mike McDaniels has united his team for a postseason run.
5. Dallas Cowboys
It is one thing to put up a dud to a struggling team like the Green Packers, but the Dallas Cowboys did everything you could ask for in an attempt to get over that game. By handing everything they had to offer to the Minnesota Vikings in a 40-3 drubbing, it is very easy to see that the Cowboys are for real.
6. Minnesota Vikings
Short memories are important in the NFL, and no moment is more important to have that outlook than after the Week 11 blowout for the Minnesota Vikings. No protection for Kirk Cousins, the running game was unable to get going, and a pass-heavy game plan was made inefficient by playing from behind — lots of things this team needs to improve. The Vikings now have a negative point differential on the season despite being 8-2.
7. Baltimore Ravens
Struggling to beat the lowly Carolina Panthers is likely not what was on the bingo card for the Baltimore Ravens this week, but Lamar Jackson’s legs were enough to get things across the finish line.
8. Cincinnati Bengals
Another week without Ja’Marr Chase saw another big game for Tee Higgins (9 receptions for 148 yards), but a Joe Mixon concussion put a damper on a win over the struggling Pittsburgh Steelers. Keep an eye on Mixon to see if he can return next week right away or if he is forced to miss time.
9. Seattle Seahawks
The bye week for the Seattle Seahawks came at a good time after dropping their Germany matchup to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With matchups against the Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Rams, and Carolina Panthers upcoming, there is a great chance to make a run at the division crown for Seattle.
10. New York Giants
Not a great opponent to fall to if you are the New York Giants, and losing on a day when everyone else in the division wins certainly is not helpful. Daniel Jones threw two costly interceptions, and they were unable to get Saquon Barkley going, contributing to their offensive futility against the suddenly hot Detroit Lions.
11. Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans helped put any doubts to rest with their TNF victory in Lambeau Field, relying on a heavy passing output from Ryan Tannehill. Rookie Treylon Burks looked awesome in extended action, and he very much should continue to excel as Tannehill’s top target.
12. San Francisco 49ers
Their Monday Night Football blowout of the Arizona Cardinals seemed pretty satisfying, especially with how well their offense looked. Jimmy Garoppolo executed the limited chances he was given, Christian McCaffrey extended his streak of either 100 total yards or a TD scored, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle both hauled in 2 scores, and Deebo Samuel pushed through some leg issues to run for a TD to get in on the fun.
13. Los Angeles Chargers
A hot start in their SNF divisional matchup staked them out to a 20-13 halftime lead, and the Los Angeles Chargers looked like the team we expected them to be when the season began. Welcoming back both Keenan Allen and Mike Williams was a sight for sore eyes, but Williams was lost to another lower-body injury just as he looked to get back into the game plan.
14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The bye week for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers helped the team get over all of the travel back from Germany, and they look to try and keep the foot on the gas pedal moving forward. The NFC South division is really theirs to lose, but their season has been a struggle up to this point so far, so they need to make some headway if they want to get into the playoff picture as a real threat.
15. New England Patriots
It was far from pretty, but a last-second punt return score was all that the New England Patriots needed to squeeze past the Jets in a divisional struggle. A 10-3 slugfest was not must-see TV, and even though Mac Jones (23-of-27 for 246 yards) was highly accurate, they were unable to do much on offense as a whole.
16. New York Jets
QB play will continue to be the top issue plaguing the New York Jets, made apparent yet again with Zach Wilson’s putrid performance. Locker room drama looks to be showing its ugly head again for NYJ’s offense, so things may have already hit their peak this year for Robert Saleh and his team.
17. Washington Commanders
Taylor Heinicke has been named the starter moving forward for the Washington Commanders, and they are a better team with him at the helm instead of Carson Wentz. Facing an uphill battle to be relevant this year, the Commanders have been exceeding expectations lately and look to continue that.
18. Atlanta Falcons
Holding their own at home against the Bears was an impressive way to win their Week 11 affair, even with Kyle Pitts’ injury. Marcus Mariotta connected with Drake London on an early TD, and the former Oregon Duck QB looked solid, if unspectacular, all day.
19. Arizona Cardinals
Kyler Murray missed another game, so it was the Colt McCoy show for the Cardinals, and by the time the game was over, McCoy looked to really be over it. Constantly forced to run for his life due to the relented 49ers pass rush, the Cardinals failed to do much on offense. Lone bright spots were both DeAndre Hopkins and Greg Dortch hauling in nine passes each from McCoy, helping overshadow the fact that Rondale Moore was lost for the entire game on the first play.
20. Chicago Bears
The pieces are coming together for the Chicago Bears, but they just cannot string everything together when they need it. Justin Fields was a bit less efficient than the past few games but still looked good, and David Montgomery enjoyed a handcuff-free afternoon on his way to a strong showing. Let's hope Fields' shoulder injury isn't too much.
21. Jacksonville Jaguars
On bye for Week 11, the Jacksonville Jaguars don’t see much movement in the Week 12 NFL Power Rankings. Stuck in mediocrity for the time being, Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne will need to start making some things happen if they want to even factor into the postseaso manhunt in the AFC.
22. Detroit Lions
A three-game winning streak has brought the Detroit Lions back into relevancy this season, while also taking them out of the hunt for the top pick. As Dan Campbell continues to get buy-in from his players, it looks like it may finally be fun to play football in Detroit, but don't expect to seem them make too much noise in the NFL Power Rankings.
23. Indianapolis Colts
What an upset win this would have been over the Eagles if Jeff Saturday and his roster would have pulled this off. Matt Ryan produced solid numbers, Michael Pittman Jr. returned to relevancy, and Jonathan Taylor had a strong showing, so this offense is not the issue here for the Indianapolis Colts.
24. Los Angeles Rams
Matthew Stafford and his injuries seem to be finally catching up with him, as he suffered a concussion against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. In a matchup of two underachieving squads, the Rams came out behind the eight-ball yet again — the Super Bowl hangover is alive and real.
25. Green Bay Packers
The season for the Green Bay Packers has been over for over a month, even with their upset win over the Cowboys last week. Jordan Love deserves to earn some playing time sometime soon here over Aaron Rodgers, as this team needs to see what they have in potentially their next starting QB.
26. New Orleans Saints
Andy Dalton will remain the team’s starting QB for the foreseeable future, even with Jameis Winston being healthy, and Dalton looked pretty stout against the Rams. His connection with rookie Chris Olave has blossomed over the season, and he looks to be a superb long-term offensive addition for this team, even as they hover near the bottom of the Week 12 NFL Power Rankings.
27. Las Vegas Raiders
In a matchup between two putrid franchises, the Las Vegas Raiders were able to hold off the Denver Broncos in overtime on the back of two Davante Adams touchdowns. Derek Carr looked good, and it must have been weird for Josh McDaniels to experience a win while being dressed in black and silver.
28. Carolina Panthers
Surprise, surprise — Baker Mayfield is not the long-term solution at QB for the Carolina Panthers. As this team struggles to find any sort of potential solution at signal caller, they will continue to dominate the basement in the NFC on their way to a top-10 draft pick.
29. Pittsburgh Steelers
Najee Harris finally had one of those games that made us realize why he was drafted as high as he was, both in real life and in fantasy football. Kenny Pickett helped expand his connection with fellow rookie George Pickens, and looked good doing it — this may have been one of Pickett’s best professional games (if basing it solely on decision-making and not stats).
30. Denver Broncos
Not much positive to talk about here for the Broncos. Russell Wilson continues to struggle, as does the entire offense, and they were unable to stop an equally bad offense in the Raiders. The play-calling role has shifted away from Nathaniel Hackett, so maybe this team will experience some sort of revelation and actually look like a competent franchise moving forward … but likely not.
31. Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns, at least on paper, should not be a three-win team, but someone has to keep the Steelers company at the bottom of the AFC North. Amari Cooper and Nick Chubb have been this team’s lone bright spots, and nothing looks to be changing that moving forward.
32. Houston Texans
The team that likely will not leave the cellar of this list finishes last in our Week 12 NFL Power Rankings as well. Even against an average team in the Commanders, they were unable to do much to stop them. The 2023 NFL Draft cannot come soon enough for this team, as they continuously must keep looking toward the future.
Follow Us
Subscribe