At the beginning of this NFL season, in the AFC, many thought that Cleveland, Buffalo, Kansas City and Tennessee would win the four divisions. Cleveland is having a hard time staying at .500 thanks to injuries to everyone from the offensive line to Baker Mayfield and both Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. Buffalo has not had injury problems but nonetheless has had a tough time putting a consistent product on the field. As a result, Baltimore and New England are leading those respective divisions. In the NFC, a line has appeared between the threesome of Tampa Bay, Green Bay and Arizona — and everyone else.
Check out our updated NFL power rankings in the wake of the Thanksgiving weekend.
NFL News: Updated Power Rankings after Week 12
#1 Arizona Cardinals (9-2)
The Cardinals come out of the bye in the hope that Kyler Murray will be able to return to lead the offense, and that DeAndre Hopkins will be back running routes. Head coach Kliff Kingsbury has had his name thrust into the discussion about the head job at Oklahoma, but that’s the closest thing approaching a distraction for this club.
#2 Green Bay Packers (9-3)
Pass rusher Za’Darius Smith, cornerback Jaire Alexander and left tackle David Bakhtiari are almost back in the lineup, which will help the Packers a lot down the stretch.
#3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-3)
Shaq Barrett showed up huge on Sunday, with two sacks — including a strip-sack that was a major turning point. Barrett had had a three-game sack drought going, but if he can start terrorizing quarterbacks again, the Buccaneers will be even harder to deal with.
#4 Baltimore Ravens (8-3)
Yes, the Ravens have a lot of wins, but very few of them seem easy. Remember, they needed a miracle on 4th and 19 AND a 66-yard field goal to beat…Detroit.
#5 New England Patriots (8-4)
Monday night will give us New England at Buffalo. New England has played more consistently as of late, and the winner will be the divisional front-runner.
#6 Kansas City Chiefs (7-4)
Kansas City has the lead in the AFC West, thanks to the disappearance of the Chargers and the Raiders. However, their offense struggles to put up more than 20 points per game.
#7 Buffalo Bills (7-4)
Buffalo can demolish bad teams — but they can’t beat good teams. They can shed that reputation when the Pats show up on Monday.
#8 Dallas Cowboys (7-4)
CeeDee Lamb and Amari Cooper should return on offense this week, although Ezekiel Elliott (knee) will sit against the Saints. That’s OK, because Tony Pollard has been faster and more explosive this season anyway.
#9 Cincinnati Bengals (7-4)
Yes, Cincinnati has embarrassed Pittsburgh twice and Baltimore on the road. However, they have also conceded games to Chicago, the Jets and to Cleveland — by 25 at home. However, the consistency is building in the right direction.
#10 L.A. Rams (7-4)
OBJ showed up for the RAms this week, catching five balls for 81 yards, including a 54-yard streak for a touchdown that showed that he still has elite speed. However, Matthew Stafford has started turning the ball over, which is a problem.
#11 San Francisco 49ers (6-5)
Eli Mitchell has turned into a key player for the Niners. He missed a game with a broken finger and returned to post 133 yards on the ground and a touchdown against Seattle.
#12 Tennessee Titans (8-4)
Ten wins shouldn’t be a problem, as the Titans still play Jacksonville and Houston once each. However, they are missing Derrick Henry, Julio Jones and A.J. Brown, and no offense can compete week in and week out missing so many stars.
#13 Indianapolis Colts (6-6)
The Colts have won some tough games this season, but they still have Arizona and New England on the schedule. Carson Wentz has improved significantly over last year, but how far can he take his team?
#14 Las Vegas Raiders (6-5)
Hunter Renfrow picked up 134 receiving yards out of the slot against Dallas, a major factor in the Raiders’ upset win. Can they keep using this new weapon?
#15 Cleveland Browns (6-6)
Jack Conklin tore a patella tendon in his knee on Sunday night, and the offense could not stand the loss of its starting right tackle. In a dozen possessions at Baltimore, they scored exactly 10 points.
#16 Minnesota Vikings (5-6)
Dalvin Cook goes back on the shelf with a torn labrum and dislocated shoulder. The only way he comes back in 2021 is if it looks like the Vikings can make a playoff run. Can they?
#17 Pittsburgh Steelers (5-5-1)
The tie against Detroit was followed by a debacle at Cincinnati. At this point, the Steelers need a lot of help to get a win, and they’re not getting it.
#18 Denver Broncos (6-5)
Javonte Williams ran for 54 yards and a score and had 57 receiving yards — and he’s still behind Melvin Gordon on the depth chart. If the Denver staff lets Williams play more, the Broncos will upset more teams.
#19 L.A. Chargers (6-5)
Justin Herbert has 10 picks through 11 games; in 2020, he had 10 picks all season. He has not figured out which throws not to make, and the errors are uglier in his sophomore season.
#20 Washington Football Team (5-6)
Thanks to that win over Seattle, Washington is currently the seventh seed in the NFC. Their defense has returned after wandering around for the first third of the season, and Taylor Heinicke’s enthusiasm is infectious.
#21 New Orleans Saints (5-6)
Taysom Hill will now start at quarterback as Dallas comes to town on Thursday. It was clear that Trevor Siemian was not the answer, despite some big touchdown passes.
#22 Philadelphia Eagles (5-7)
Jalen Reagor dropped two touchdown passes for the Eagles in their loss to the Giants, including a drop on fourth down at the goal line in the waning seconds. In seven of the team’s 12 games, he has no more than 12 receiving yards. He had four catches for five yards across four games — and he still takes the field for the majority of Philly’s offensive snaps. That needs to change.
#23 Miami Dolphins (5-7)
Miami sees the Giants and the Jets the next two weeks, which means that turning a 1-7 start into a 7-7 record is definitely possible. Then they face New Orleans (and their gimpy offense) and Tennessee. Then they play New England to finish — and the Pats might rest some starters if they can sew up the bye. So the playoffs are definitely a possibility.
#24 Carolina Panthers (5-7)
Cristian McCaffrey’s ankle injury has him back on the shelf for the rest of the season. With him out, it won’t matter that Superman is back at quarterback.
#25 Chicago Bears (4-7)
There is some young talent in that Chicago offense — Justin Fields, David Montgomery, Cole Kmet, Darnell Mooney and Khalil Herbert are all exciting. Kmet and Mooney combined to catch 13 passes for 188 yards in the team’s win over Detroit on Thanksgiving.
#26 Atlanta Falcons (5-6)
Kyle Pitts has not had more than four catches per game in the last five weeks and averages just 38 yards per game. The Falcons picked an extremely talented tight end; can they get him involved?
#27 Seattle Seahawks (3-8)
A six-game winning streak could give the Seahawks a 9-8 finish, but Russell Wilson doesn’t look like himself, and without Wilson, they don’t win.
#28 N.Y. Giants (4-7)
Saquon Barkley no longer looks explosive, as his ACL tear may have rendered him mortal. He is averaging 3.6 yards per carry and 7.3 yards per reception. The physical wear and tear are growing on him.
#29 N.Y. Jets (3-8)
The Jets posted five sacks against Houston, which was a major step forward.
#30 Jacksonville Jaguars (2-9)
Trevor Lawrence has neither the O-line nor the skill players around him for the team to determine whether he will be an amazing franchise quarterback
#31 Houston Texans (2-9)
The most recent bizarre headline out of Houston is the suspension of Justin Reid for violations of team rules. Should the Texans be irritating their top players?
#32 Detroit Lions (0-10-1)
Once again, Detroit hung in there and didn’t fall to Chicago until the game’s last drive. It’s just that lack of answers on offense that has to have the team frustrated.
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