With four weeks in the regular season, there is still a lot to sort out down the stretch in the NFL. Can Buffalo hold off Miami in the AFC East? Can the Patriots grab a wild card? When will Drew Brees return? Which Rams team will we see from week to week? Are the Packers overrated? Will Jerry Jones really fire Mike McCarthy after just one season?
Let’s look at the latest NFL power rankings as you consider your sports NFL betting for this weekend’s games.
NFL News: Power Rankings after Week 13
#1 Kansas City Chiefs (11-1)
The scariest part about the development of Patrick Mahomes is that he has the arm to do all of the things you’re not supposed to do — throw off your back foot, throw across your body while rolling left, throw back across the field — and have those passes make it to receivers in clutch situations. There’s no scarier team in the league right now — but this team is letting inferior teams stick around too long. Hopefully that doesn’t bite them in the playoffs.
#2 New Orleans Saints (10-2)
The Saints have gone 8-0 in games not started by Drew Brees in the last two years. That’s a testament to Sean Payton’s coaching — and building a complete roster with depth.
#3 Pittsburgh Steelers (11-1)
How will Pittsburgh respond to losing at home to Washington on Monday? That will determine whether they slide even further next week.
#4 Buffalo Bills (9-3)
The Bills are playing with confidence and swagger, and they get a shot at the Steelers at home on Sunday night.
#5 Green Bay Packers (9-3)
The Packers keep winning games, but eventually they’re going to run into some winning squads. Eight of their nine wins have come against sub-.500 teams.
#6 Cleveland Browns (9-3)
The Browns have started to see their passing game come alive. They already had a dominant running game, which carried them through the elements during some dreadful home game weather in October and November. But if you liked what Baker Mayfield was able to do in the first half against Tennessee, you’re excited about December and the postseason for the Browns.
#7 Indianapolis Colts (8-4)
The recipe for success in Indianapolis is this: defense first, use the run to set up opportunities for the pass, and don’t turn the ball over. It’s worked, for the most part, but there are enough flaws in the system right now to keep the Colts from being elite.
#8 Miami Dolphins (8-4)
How is this team 8-4? They have an ironclad defense, and they have two decent quarterbacks in Ryan Fitzpatrick and Tua Tagovailoa.
#9 Los Angeles Rams (8-4)
The question for this team is which version of Jared Goff will show up from week to week.
#10 Tennessee Titans (8-4)
How on earth do you follow up a huge win over Indianapolis by giving up 38 points in the first half to the Browns? This is a team that has a consistency problem.
#11 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-5)
Tom Brady’s back is against the wall as far as making the postseason. If you need reminders of how he does with his back against the wall, count those rings he stacked up in New England.
#12 Seattle Seahawks (8-4)
This is a team with a dynamic offense, unless they forget to block. They have an aggressive defense, unless they forget to rush the passer. The lack of attention span has to frustrate Seahawks fans.
#13 Baltimore Ravens (7-5)
I would be impressed by the almost 300 rushing yards the Ravens piled up against Dallas, but the three worst performances by the Dallas defense against the run in the 60-year history of the franchise have all taken place this season. Still, though, the Ravens are a dangerous, physical team.
#14 Minnesota Vikings (6-6)
The Vikings are surging toward a possible wild card, but they really need to get to ten wins to feel good about that postseason slot. Can Kirk Cousins keep his hot streak going? Can Dalvin Cook keep pounding the ball?
#15 New England Patriots (6-6)
The Patriots are playing gritty defense, and Cam Newton has that jalopy of an offense doing just enough to get wins. We’ll see what they can do against the Rams on Thursday night.
#16 Las Vegas Raiders (7-5)
The Raiders would be 6-6 if the New York Jets hadn’t handed them a Hail Mary at the end of the game on Sunday.
#17 Arizona Cardinals (6-6)
If you bottle up Kyler Murray as a runner, the Cardinals can’t beat you, at least not right now. What will Kliff Kingsbury’s next adjustment be?
#18 San Francisco 49ers (5-7)
The 49ers are definitely giving all they have with so many starters out to injury, and Kyle Shanahan has shown that he can improvise with the best.
#19 New York Giants (5-7)
Joe Judge has the Giants playing hard on both sides of the ball, and we’re seeing just how far effort can carry a team that has serious deficits in talent.
#20 Washington Football Team (5-7)
The front seven in Washington has helped convert the whole team into a gritty unit that is delivering against team with much better rosters.
#21 Detroit Lions (5-7)
Matthew Stafford threw for over 400 yards for the first time this season and the tenth time in his career on Sunday, as interim head coach Darrell Bevell took the blinders off what had been a conservative offense. How far can Bevell take this intriguing group?
#22 Chicago Bears (5-7)
It’s sad to see how many times the Bears have failed to find a decent starting quarterback in the years since…Jim McMahon?
#23 Carolina Panthers (4-8)
I love what Teddy Bridgewater is doing for the Panthers this season. The next task for Matt Rhule is to install a defense.
#24 Atlanta Falcons (4-8)
Raheem Morris has lit a fire under the Falcons. They won’t make the playoffs, but they can make life interesting for the contenders they play down the stretch.
#25 Denver Broncos (4-8)
I still don’t know how this team beat Miami. John Elway needs to find another franchise quarterback for this team.
#26 Houston Texans (4-8)
Hopefully the Texans can build more effectively around Deshaun Watson with Bill O’Brien out the door.
#27 Philadelphia Eagles (3-8-1)
The Jalen Hurts experiment continues this Sunday. I don’t see him emerging as the next franchise quarterback in Philadelphia, but he won’t take as many bad sacks as Carson Wentz has.
#28 Los Angeles Chargers (3-9)
The Chargers are another team that needs to install a coherent defense to support an offense that has a chance to contend.
#29 Cincinnati Bengals (2-9-1)
It will be interesting to see what Brandon Allen can do with the Bengals’ offense with the Swiss-cheese Dallas defense coming to town on Sunday.
#30 Dallas Cowboys (3-9)
The morning drive commentators on Dallas sports radio station The Ticket’s Thursday show described the Cowboys’ defensive line as “awful,” “terrible” and “very poor.” That’s the unit on defense that has had the fewest injuries this season, too. Just another week under Jerry Jones.
#31 Jacksonville Jaguars (1-11)
Mike Glennon gives the Jaguars more of a chance to win than Jake Luton did.
#32 New York Jets (0-12)
Four more weeks until the Jets win the Trevor Lawrence Lottery.
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