Despite the Los Angeles Rams losing last weekend, they remain in first place in my Power Rankings because I think they just had a bad day at the office in Charlotte. They will bounce back.
The chasing pack of Seattle, New England and Denver have been joined by NFC North foes who will go head to head this weekend in Green Bay and Chicago.
- LOS ANGELES RAMS --
The Rams will clean up the three turnovers that hampered their chances against the Panthers. And when they do that, they remain a team capable of scoring 30 points per game.
- SEATTLE SEAHAWKS --
The Seahawks never had to get out of second gear, offensively, to beat Minnesota in Week 13. But the D played at full speed in a shutout, recording five sacks and four takeaways.
- NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS --
The Patriots are just taking care of business under the shrewd leadership of Mike Vrabel. They are not making mistakes, not losing silly games and boast an 11-2 record as a result.
- DENVER BRONCOS +1
The Broncos often play down to the level of their competition and get involved in tense tussles. But they also win those close games and now look seriously strong at 10-2.
- GREEN BAY PACKERS +2
The Packers put the NFL on notice with their win in Detroit on Thanksgiving Day. Jordan Love was sharp with four TD throws and Micah Parsons is the defensive force we all expected.
- CHICAGO BEARS +4
The Bears rushed for 281 yards and two touchdowns in beating the Philadelphia Eagles on Black Friday. This feel-good team has now won nine of 10 to become the NFC’s top seed.
- INDIANAPOLIS COLTS -3
The Colts are going in the wrong direction at the wrong time of the year. Indy have lost three of four, but that game against Houston could have gone either way. They’re not done yet.
- BUFFALO BILLS +1
Josh Allen remains Buffalo’s talisman and he has accounted for 30 offensive TDs. But the ground attack is key with the Bills running the ball 49.5 percent of the time (2 nd in the NFL).
- SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS +4
The Niners are looking good for the NFC playoffs as they boast a 9-4 record with four games to play. And Robert Saleh deserves credit for keeping an injury-hit defense afloat in 2025.
- DETROIT LIONS -2
The Lions are a hard team to completely write off because they simply have too much offensive talent. But they are struggling to stop opponents and their 7-5 record is not a fraud.
- PHILADELPHIA EAGLES -5
Offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo is on a volcanic hot seat because the Eagles have become really bogged down on his side of the ball. Can it be fixed in time to save the season?
- HOUSTON TEXANS +3
The Texans have won four in a row and are now just one game back from the AFC South leaders. With arguably the league’s best D, this would be a very dangerous playoff team.
- JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS +1
The Jaguars are the new leaders of the AFC South with an 8-4 record. Trevor Lawrence played well against Tennessee last week and he will be needed more and more down the stretch.
- BALTIMORE RAVENS -3
The Ravens saw their five-game winning streak shattered in Week 13. At 6-6, they remain computer favourites to win the AFC North, but do they have what it takes to make a real run?
- LOS ANGELES CHARGERS +2
The good news is that the Chargers are 8-4 as we move into the final straight of the regular season. But they could have done without Justin Herbert fracturing his non-throwing hand.
- DALLAS COWBOYS +2
The Cowboys look like one of the most confident and exciting teams in football right now. They face a big challenge at Detroit on Thursday night and have left no room for error.
- TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS +2
The Bucs ended their three-game losing streak with a win over Arizona on Sunday. They now face a big December with two contests against Carolina, who also have seven victories.
- KANSAS CITY CHIEFS -6
The Chiefs lost another close game and now cannot afford another defeat. After making a strong start against Dallas, the defense had few answers for Dak Prescott and his receivers.
- CAROLINA PANTHERS +1
Carlina are tough to figure out and Bryce Young is arguably the most up and down quarterback in the NFL. But this team will play meaningful December games. That’s progress.
- PITTSBURGH STEELERS -4
The Steelers have lost five of their last seven, the faithful are chanting, “Fire Tomlin” and Aaron Rodgers looks battered and bruised. That is not the springboard for a playoff run.
- MIAMI DOLPHINS --
The Dolphins have won four of their last five to improve to 5-7 on the season. They have perked up on offense and I think that means Mike McDaniel will get another shot in 2026.
- CINCINNATI BENGALS +3
According to NextGen Stats, the Bengals have just a two percent chance of making the playoffs. But they do have Joe Burrow and they are just two behind Baltimore and Pittsburgh.
- ATLANTA FALCONS -1
The Falcons have gone 1-6 since beating the Buffalo Bills in Week 6 and few teams seem to be able to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory quite like the wasteful Falcons.
- WASHINGTON COMMANDERS +4
Washington are not making the playoffs at 3-9 but they could be a dangerous spoiler down the stretch. Jayden Daniels will return soon and this team is playing hard with two OT losses.
- ARIZONA CARDINALS -2
If only the Cardinals knew how to finish. Sunday’s loss to Tampa Bay was their seventh defeat of the season by a single score.
- MINNESOTA VIKINGS -2
The Vikings are in quarterback purgatory and have to be kicking themselves for letting Sam Darnold out of the building. JJ McCarthy needs a big finish to calm some nerves.
- NEW YORK JETS +2
The Jets picked up a third win in a trying campaign and while their talent level must improve massively, they are building a culture by giving Aaron Glenn maximum effort every week.
- CLEVELAND BROWNS -2
At 3-9, the Browns are already casting one eye towards a huge offseason. That must result in the finding of a true franchise QB. But I don’t think a move away from Kevin Stefanski is needed at head coach.
- NEW YORK GIANTS -2
The Giants have some pieces and there is a lot to like about the game of rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart. This will be a coveted head coaching job this offseason.
- NEW ORLEANS SAINTS --
The only thing about this team that is going to keep my attention in the coming weeks is the involvement – and success – of Irish kicker Charlie Smyth.
- TENNESSEE TITANS --
There’s not much more to say about the Titans that I haven’t said already. They need strong leadership from their next head coach (maybe a Mike Vrabel type) and better O-line play.
- LAS VEGAS RAIDERS --
The Raiders are 2-10 and in a good position to attack the quarterback position in the 2026 NFL Draft. If they take a young passer, will he be working with veteran head coach Pete Carroll?