A Thanksgiving slate, combined with the first-ever NFL game on Black Friday, split up Week 12 of the 2023 NFL season. With teams like the Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, and others picking up wins, our Week 13 NFL Power Rankings will have a bunch of familiar faces at the top.
An offensive shootout between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans helped spice up the 1 o'clock slate of games, while a rain-soaked Buffalo Bills-Philadelphia Eagles battle was the marquee matchup of the mid-afternoon games. With players like Isiah Pacheco (2 touchdowns), C.J. Stroud (351 total yards), Kyren Williams (204 total yards), and Josh Allen (4 total touchdowns) putting together some of the best performances this week, it's safe to say Week 12 was stuffed full of surprises and impressive performances. So with that being said, let's jump into our NFL Power Rankings for Week 13 of the season.
Previous NFL Power Rankings: Week 12 | Week 11 | Week 10 | Week 9 | Week 8 | Week 7 | Week 6 | Week 5 | Week 4 | Week 3 | Week 2| Week 1
1. Philadelphia Eagles (no change)
It took overtime, but the Eagles moved to 10-1 on the year after their sloppy win over the Bills. An early deficit forced Philly to play from behind, but a strong second-half performance from Jalen Hurts brought this team back from the precipice of defeat.
The rain played a big part in the game, although the 71 combined points showed that the weather really didn’t slow the scoring down. Hurts connected with Devonta Smith, A.J. Brown, and Olamide Zaccheaus for scores and ran for two more touchdowns himself to help keep the Eagles atop our Power Rankings.
2. Baltimore Ravens (+1)
A primetime win moves the Baltimore Ravens up a spot in our NFL Power Rankings, but it wasn’t because of a strong offensive performance. The defense, which forced four turnovers on the day, harassed Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers, never allowing the talented quarterback to have a clean pocket. With the victory, the Ravens will hold onto the top seed in the AFC as they head into their bye week in Week 13.
3. San Francisco 49ers (+1)
The last game of the night on Thanksgiving saw the San Francisco 49ers travel to Seattle to face the Seahawks in a game that was one-sided from the jump. While Christian McCaffrey scoring twice should have been the big news of the game, that honor actually went to how well the Niners defense shut down Geno Smith and company.
While they did put up 13 points, Seattle only managed 220 yards of total offense. San Fran's pass rush was wreaking havoc all night long, sacking Smith six times in the win.
4. Detroit Lions (-2)
Helping kick off the famous Thanksgiving Day slate of games, the Detroit Lions donned their throwback jerseys and hosted the Green Bay Packers. Another turnover-prone game for Jared Goff, this time via three fumbles, helped put the Lions in an early hole they couldn't overcome.
While garbage time allowed Detroit to attempt an onside kick while being down only one possession, it was ultimately all for naught. A last-minute Week 11 win over the Chicago Bears was a sign of things to come for Detroit apparently, and their offense needs to be self-scouted if they want to correct their issues.
5. Kansas City Chiefs (no change)
An early 14-point deficit made things difficult for the Chiefs, but outscoring the Las Vegas Raiders 17-3 in the second half helped give the Chiefs their eighth win of the season. It was a fairly balanced attack, as Isiah Pacheco found paydirt twice, Rashee Rice put up his first career 100-yard performance, and Patrick Mahomes only needed to attempt 34 passes to lead his squad to victory.
6. Miami Dolphins (no change)
When this Black Friday game was originally put on the schedule, it pitted Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill against Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets. But with how the season played out, this matchup was far from an even one.
Both Hill and Jaylen Waddle went for over 100 receiving yards, Raheem Mostert found the end zone twice, and Jevon Holland returned a Hail Mary interception at the end of the first half 99 yards for a score, pushing Miami to an easy win.
7. Jacksonville Jaguars (no change)
If this is how the AFC South is going to look for the next seven-plus years, I think every NFL fan will sign up for that. A fantastic duel between Trevor Lawrence and C.J. Stroud resulted in Jacksonville earning win number eight this year.
Calvin Ridley followed up his strong Week 11 outing with another big day against the Texans, and he has found the end zone three times over the past two weeks. Jacksonville is now the second seed in the AFC, and things are looking quite good for them as they enter the homestretch of the season.
8. Dallas Cowboys (+1)
It was an uneventful win for the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving, as they easily handled the Washington Commanders at home. Another stellar passing performance from Dak Prescott (4 touchdowns) led the way, and the Cowboys, who are still two games back of the Eagles in the NFC East, are doing what they can to make sure they are at the top of the NFC Wild Card race.
9. Pittsburgh Steelers (+5)
In the first game of the post-Matt Canada era, the Pittsburgh Steelers offense accomplished something they had not done for a long, long time when they posted over 400 yards of total offense.
A feat that had not been hit once in the Canada era, it now happens in the first game after he was fired – it feels like it’s more than just a coincidence. The Steelers will look to build off of this performance after picking up a huge win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
10. Cleveland Browns (-2)
Gross games are all the Browns will likely be involved in the rest of the season after having lost Deshaun Watson for the rest of the year to a shoulder injury. Rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who threw for 134 yards and a touchdown before his exit, was knocked out early with a concussion and replaced by P.J. Walker for the remainder of the game.
Unable to do much on the ground or through the air, it was a pretty dreadful all-around performance for Cleveland, who falls to 7-4 on the year and needs to rebound next week on the road against the Los Angeles Rams.
11. Houston Texans (-1)
It was a tough loss for the Texans, as their Week 12 bout with the Jaguars was an impressive AFC South matchup. With Stroud yet again looking like the real deal under center, he accounted for three touchdowns, two of which went to Tank Dell and Nico Collins in the air.
While a last-second field goal from Matt Amendola hit the crossbar and came up short, the Texans fought back from a double-digit, second-half deficit, which showed that this team will likely be a threat in the AFC Wild Card race.
12. Indianapolis Colts (+3)
A forced fumble of Baker Mayfield by Samson Ebukam sealed the deal for the Indianapolis Colts, who held on to earn their sixth win of the year. Gardner Minshew was nothing special (one rushing touchdown, 251 passing yards), but his connection with Michael Pittman Jr. (ten receptions for 107 yards) was just what the Colts’ offense needed to get close to the top-10 of our NFL Power Rankings.
13. Denver Broncos (+3)
Another week, another strong performance from the Denver Broncos, who this time relied on the legs of Russell Wilson in their home win. 11 carries and a touchdown for Wilson helped get the Broncos into the lead, a lead they would never relinquish in their win over the Browns.
14. Seattle Seahawks (-3)
It was a pretty dreadful offensive performance from the Seahawks to close out Thanksgiving, as their home game against the Niners went awry from the start. A strong first-half performance from Christian McCaffrey buried this team, and Geno Smith gutting this one out while playing through an elbow injury made this offense a tough watch.
It will be interesting to see how long Kenneth Walker III is out for, as Zach Charbonnet did an alright job in his stead, racking up 18 touches and 58 yards. Seattle will need all the help they can get as they look to bounce back against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night Football in Week 13.
15. Buffalo Bills (-3)
In a must-win game for the Bills, they left the door open just long enough for the Eagles to not only force overtime, but to also take home the win in overtime. A herculean performance from Josh Allen (420 total yards, 4 total touchdowns) wasn’t enough to get the job done, and the Bills must treat the rest of their games as must-win contests.
Sean McDermott seems to be struggling to get his team to get over the hump, the hump that has held them back for too long. If this team falls short of even making the postseason this year, there may be some hard conversations had this offseason.
16. Minnesota Vikings (-3)
A hapless, interception-heavy performance handed the Minnesota Vikings their sixth loss of the year, this time against the Bears. Joshua Dobbs threw four interceptions, and while not all of them were his fault, the offense was stuck in the mud all game.
Now sitting at .500 heading into their bye week, it will be interesting to see how this team looks moving forward.
17. Green Bay Packers (+4)
Thursday's Thanksgiving Day win over the Lions marked the first winning streak of the 2023 season for the Packers, as they have steadily been climbing up the ladder in our NFL Power Rankings list. Jordan Love was on his A-game against Detroit, carving them up like your Thanksgiving turkey.
A first-play bomb to Christian Watson set the aggressive tone for the Packers early on, and Love, who threw for three touchdowns and had a turnover-free outing, has this offense clicking on all cylinders as they throw their hat into the NFC Wild Card race.
18. Atlanta Falcons (+6)
Desmond Ridder suited up as the Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback this week, but it was rookie running back Bijan Robinson who stole the show. A two-touchdown performance from Robinson, with one on the ground and one through the air, was enough to push this offense to the finish line in a big NFC South game against the New Orleans Saints.
19. Los Angeles Rams (+1)
An easy divisional win over the Arizona Cardinals helped the Rams earn their second consecutive victory and keep pace with other squads at the bottom of the NFC Wild Card race. A four-touchdown outing from Matthew Stafford was certainly a feel-good moment for him, but Kyren Williams’ return from the injured reserve was what caught everyone's attention
Averaging almost nine yards per carry on 16 totes, combined with over 10 yards per reception on six catches, Williams had a huge day in both areas for this offense, propelling the Rams into the top-20 of our NFL Power Rankings.
20. Las Vegas Raiders (-3)
While they got out to an early 14-point lead, the Raiders were not able to hang on against the Chiefs, dropping only their second game of the year at home. Strong performances from Aidan O’Connell (248 yards, 1 touchdown) and Josh Jacobs (20 carries for 110 yards and a touchdown) helped lead this offense, but only putting up three points in the final two quarters makes it tough to win any game, especially when your opponent is the Chiefs.
21. New Orleans Saints (-3)
304 scoreless yards from Derek Carr pretty much set the tone for the Saints, as they had a lot of empty yards that didn’t result in anything. Combine that with a pick-six from the Falcons that ended a Saints drive that was in the red zone, and it's easy to see why they dropped their second consecutive game.
22. Cincinnati Bengals (-3)
Jake Browning did not look half-bad in his first start after Joe Burrow’s season-ending wrist injury, but he didn’t do enough to beat the Steelers. Four sacks and an inability to get the running attack going hurt this offense, and with Ja’Marr Chase only catching four passes, it was an uphill battle all game.
23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-1)
A ten-point fourth quarter helped get the Buccaneers rally back in their Week 12 game against the Colts, but a sub-par performance (199 yards, 2:1 TD:INT) from Baker Mayfield held this offense back.
Finding Mike Evans for two touchdowns was one of the few offensive bright spots, and Rachaad White rushed for 100 yards on only 15 carries, but he wasn’t involved in the passing attack as much as usual for whatever reason.
24. Los Angeles Chargers (-2)
This was another game in which the Chargers had a chance to earn a much-needed win, only to watch it turn into yet another missed opportunity. While a late touchdown helped make this a one-possession game again, missed opportunities and inefficient performances from Justin Herbert (because of the pass rush) and Austin Ekeler doomed them.
25. Chicago Bears (+2)
While they failed to put up a touchdown all game, the Chicago Bears did just enough to earn Matt Eberflus his first NFC North division win in 10 tries. Justin Fields was running for his life all game, but his deep ball to DJ Moore late in the fourth quarter set up the Bears for their game-winning field goal.
26. Tennessee Titans (+2)
A tune-up against the one-win Carolina Panthers was just what the Tennessee Titans needed, and Derrick Henry took on the load for the offense yet again, finding the end zone twice.
Rookie Will Levis didn’t do a whole lot in the win (185 yards), but he was an efficient game manager – and that was all he needed to do Sunday.
27. New York Giants (+2)
In a matchup of two of the worst teams in the NFL, the New York Giants won the ‘Toilet Bowl’ over the New England Patriots. Rookie Jalin Hyatt led all receivers with 109 yards (on five receptions), and while Saquon Barkley (52 total yards) was shut down, Tommy DeVito fought through six sacks to help lead this team to its fourth win of the year.
28. New York Jets (-3)
If you had many, if any, expectations for Tim Boyle in his first start for the Jets, hopefully they weren’t good ones. A two-interception outing for Boyle, who also fumbled twice but didn’t lose either, destroyed whatever slim chances the Jets had to make this a game.
With the rumored report of Aaron Rodgers targeting a late-December return, will the Jets even be in the playoff hunt at this point? Their fall in both the standings and our NFL Power Rankings makes it feel like a Rodgers return wouldn't change the course of this team all that much.
29. Washington Commanders (-3)
A blowout loss for the Commanders guaranteed some coaching changes, as both defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio and defensive backs coach Brent Vieselmeyer were let go after their Thanksgiving loss.
While they could be seen as unfair targets to blame after both Montez Sweat and Chase Young were traded at the deadline this year, the defense has been quite underwhelming in 2023 after a strong 2022 campaign.
30. Arizona Cardinals (+1)
The lack of rushing work for Kyler Murray has to be expected as he continues to work his way back after suffering an ACL injury, but it certainly leaves a gaping hole in Arizona’s offensive attack. Sunday’s blowout loss to the Rams was a mess, especially since they scored eight points in the first quarter and six points in the fourth quarter.
Murray is likely still finding his footing, and this team was always going to be playing for next season, but hopefully they can figure out a few things over their final few games of the season
31. New England Patriots (-1)
A last-second miss from rookie kicker Chad Ryland booked the ninth loss of the year for the New England Patriots, this time at the hands of the Giants. With two rookie quarterbacks highlighting the top of the 2024 NFL Draft class, it's worth wondering whether or not they will try finding their quarterback of the future again with Mac Jones completely falling apart.
32. Carolina Panthers (no change)
Another loss knocked the hapless Panthers down to a 1-10 record, and that was the final straw for Frank Reich, who was fired after just his 11th game with the team. The offense has been tough to watch this year, especially the offensive line, and Bryce Young is not having any favors done for him, leaving the Panthers as your basement dwellers in our NFL Power Rankings yet again.
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