NFL Power Rankings, Week 12: Rams take turn in No. 1 spot; Chiefs nosedive out of bye

The Rams took a major step toward winning the NFC West with Sunday's dramatic victory over the Seahawks, and they're just behind the Eagles in the race for the top seed in the conference. That head-to-head loss at Philadelphia back in Week 3 could end up being the difference, but the Rams have now shown a few times this season against tough opponents that they can win games without the offense carrying the load. Forcing four Sam Darnold interceptions and keeping Seattle out of the end zone for the game's first 57 minutes was a watershed performance for a defense that has generated eight takeaways in the three games since the bye. Matthew Stafford and the offense should be fine, although watching them struggle on third downs and get progressively worse as Sunday's game went on was surprising.

The bye week allowed the Colts to recharge a bit after the loss to the Steelers and the close-shave win over the Falcons overseas, but they must hit the ground running this week, with a game against the desperate Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. There's some mystery over the health statuses of two of their more important defenders, DT DeForest Buckner (neck) and CB Charvarius Ward (concussion), so the picture is muddled a bit. There are also offensive concerns over the play of Daniel Jones the past few weeks, as the quarterback has cooled off noticeably after a blistering start. But the Colts still have Jonathan Taylor and a beefy offensive line to fall back on, and it doesn't feel right now like this Indy team will suddenly implode.

The Lions might have hurt themselves with their own over-aggressiveness, but the Eagles certainly had a lot to do with that. Philadelphia's relentless pressure has been the new calling card of a defense that has reached another plateau since the bye. That's now two straight games in prime time where the Eagles have held a playoff-contending opponent to single-digit points. The trade acquisition of Jaelan Phillips looks like a gem of a pickup, with the edge rusher making his impact felt in both games since his arrival in Philly. Watching the Eagles swat Jared Goff's passes left and right made you think that, for a team to beat the reigning Super Bowl champions, it must be strong in the trenches. Sure, the Eagles' offensive lulls are hard to ignore, but they do control the lines of scrimmage in most games. Doubt them at your own risk.

Sam Darnold had a nightmare outing on Sunday, with four interceptions and a shocking lack of urgency on the final drive that could have delivered a victory for the Seahawks in a game they never led. For Darnold, it must have felt like a reprise of the playoff loss to the Rams last January, with picks replacing sacks as his downfall this time, and now Seattle probably has to beat Los Angeles in the Week 16 rematch and hope for some luck to avoid being a wild-card team. The Seahawks' defense was pretty lights out most of the game, allowing just seven points in the final 45-plus minutes -- and that TD came after one of Darnold's INTs, when L.A. took over at Seattle's 25-yard line. If the 'Hawks can avoid turnovers, they're good enough to beat anyone. If not, they're ripe to be beaten.

The biggest difference between the 2024 and 2025 versions of the Broncos? Winning the close ones. A year ago, Denver was 1-6 in one-score games. With Sunday's win over the Chiefs, they moved to 7-2 in tight contests over the last three months. As much as we've needled the Broncos for their sometimes-sluggish offensive starts -- often produced by self-inflicted errors -- their fourth-quarter performance is above reproach. Bo Nix rallied from a tough game against the Raiders to deliver some big throws against the Chiefs, especially given how little help he received from the run game. Denver's defense also stepped up once more, this time without two key starters, and the special teams were excellent. Those little details are the difference, and it's why the Broncos are looking ripe to dethrone the one-time close-game champs, the Chiefs, for AFC West supremacy.

Individual award recognition tends to come after team success, which feels like the way it should be, and the Patriots' two biggest figures in this wondrous season are up for two of the most prestigious honors. Drake Maye has made himself a legitimate MVP candidate, emerging from that ever-fascinating group of six first-round quarterbacks from two drafts ago. And Mike Vrabel, who was fired by the Titans a few months before Maye was drafted, is one of the Coach of the Year favorites. The Patriots have some flaws, and Milton Williams hitting injured reserve is a major bummer, but the schedule remains kind, with only shorter road trips remaining and the bye still two weeks away. We'll see if the defense can keep performing at a strong level, but this team has wind at its back heading into the stretch run.

Josh Allen accounted for his fourth, fifth and sixth touchdowns of the game on the Bills' three most important drives of the game, fending off the tenacious Bucs for a much-needed win. All is not suddenly pristine in Billsdom after another long day defending the run and with Allen also adding two interceptions that hurt. But it was notable that the offense could put up its highest point total of the season with Dalton Kincaid and Keon Coleman inactive. A few tough road tests at Houston and Pittsburgh await before the big, mid-December matchup against the first-place Patriots in Foxborough. Sean McDermott and Co. will need to clean up a few things in all three phases to win all of those games, but the Bills just reminded everyone -- imperfect as they might be -- they still possess the firepower to do so.

The Lions have come up short in some of their biggest matchups of the season. And outside of Ford Field, they're not performing to the level we've become accustomed to seeing, already suffering their third road loss -- the same number as they had in the past two regular seasons combined -- in Philadelphia on Sunday night. Interestingly, they still have a better playoff probability than the Bears, per Next Gen Stats, even as Detroit finds itself in third place in a tough division. This was a major setback for the offense, as Jared Goff had one of his worst games in recent memory, and the Lions were terrible on third (3 for 13) and fourth (0 for 5) downs. There's no shame in losing to the defending champs, but the Lions talked as if this was a must-win game, and yet it felt every bit as frustrating offensively as the Week 1 defeat in Green Bay. Detroit's defense stepped up, but the offense followed arguably its best game of the season with one of its worst.

The Packers ended the two-game skid, but it was Struggle City for most of the afternoon against a Giants team led by a third-string QB and an interim coach in his debut. In the final five minutes, Green Bay needed a late TD, an end-zone interception and a walk-off strip sack by Micah Parsons to survive. Packers receivers (and their DBs, for that matter) dropped too many balls, but Jordan Love delivered some remarkable throws in the victory. The Packers also got a big boost from Malik Willis on his one drive replacing a banged-up Love. It appears Josh Jacobs (knee) avoided a serious injury, but the bell-cow back could still miss some time. The Packers have one of the tougher remaining schedules of any team still in contention, so you have to assume that every week is going to be a grind like Sunday was.

Well, the QB controversy feels dead for the time being. Brock Purdy returned to action from his long hiatus and looked sharp, throwing for three TDs -- including an early beauty to George Kittle -- with only seven incompletions in an effective day. Seeing Purdy and Kittle together for the first time since Week 1 was a reminder of just how wildly injuries have sunk into this team. The 49ers took control of the game from the opening kickoff, although some quirky special-teams failures kept the score closer early on. It certainly was a strange affair, as Arizona outgained San Francisco by more than 200 yards with the Niners' defense back on its heels in protect-the-lead mode for most of the second half. The 49ers face a challenge on Monday against the suddenly relevant Panthers, but the playoffs are feeling more likely after Sunday.

The big news coming out of Sunday’s win was the wrist injury to Aaron Rodgers, which might not be a season-ender, but it’s a concern nonetheless. To his credit, Mason Rudolph was slightly more effective than Rodgers was on Sunday. The backup did his job, entering the game protecting a one-point lead and leaving it with a 22-point victory. Pittsburgh's defense also deserves credit, delivering yet another strong performance on the whole, with Kyle Dugger’s pick-six helping vault the team to the win. We’ll see what Rodgers’ status is, but getting a win after losing three of four -- and with a tough upcoming slate -- was a critical development. Pittsburgh is currently the No. 4 seed, but there’s a lot of work left before we can say it's comfortably in the postseason picture.

Tampa Bay's post-bye blues sunk a little deeper with Sunday's loss to the Bills, even if the Buccaneers still have full control of their playoff destiny. The Panthers remain right on their heels in the divisional race, and this thing is a long way from being decided. There are still four weeks before the two teams are set to meet for the first time this season, and the Bucs have endured these types of midseason skids in recent years before rebounding. I've said all season that you have to judge this team based on what it can do in January, and I still believe that to be mostly true. But the biggest development over the last few months has been Tampa's injury toll, which might be too deep for this team to do major damage in the postseason if it gets there. Todd Bowles' squad appeared to be rounding into form defensively prior to the bye, but it has gone the other direction in the two games since. That must improve, and the Bucs have to find more steady options in the pass game to stay on top in the NFC South.

Even factoring in facing a tough Browns defense, the Ravens' offense ended too many drives in empty or disappointing fashion, with turnovers and red-zone struggles (1-4) keeping the game needlessly close Sunday. Baltimore had to put it away with some trickery, as Mark Andrews turned a fake tush push into a go-ahead TD. The Ravens’ run game did most of the heavy lifting, but there has to be concern about increasingly leaky pass protection and general inefficiency when they get closer to the goal line. Lamar Jackson was up and down, undermined by some bad luck but also bedeviled by his own poor execution. The Ravens are right where they need to be to ultimately go from 1-5 to the playoffs, but the level of play still must rise. 

The Bears are still learning how to put teams away more effectively, but it's hard to argue with the final results, and darn it if they don't give you 60 minutes of entertaining ball, even with plenty of hiccups. Caleb Williams has done some things very well this season, especially avoiding turnovers and sacks, but there's still a higher level of performance that he and the offense can unlock. The reinforcements coming on defense provide even more reason for optimism. Special teams won the game against the Vikings but also almost lost it with various mistakes, part of a chronic issue. This team has scored four fewer TDs than its opponents, and the schedule hasn't been all that challenging, but you have to tip your cap to the immense progress Ben Johnson's Bears have made to this point.

Hearing Patrick Mahomes almost acknowledge that the AFC West is gone was downright shocking. Yeah, he's speaking reality, and of course Kansas City could make the playoffs as a dangerous wild-card team. But to hear Mahomes all but admit defeat in the Chiefs' quest for a 10th straight division title was jarring to my ears. They're ninth in the AFC playoff picture, and they're staring at four straight pretty tough games, starting with the Colts at Arrowhead and the Thanksgiving game in Dallas four days later. We're so used to the Chiefs coming out of the bye week razor sharp, but they never looked completely dialed in against Denver, even after taking the lead early in the fourth quarter. There's still a playoff-caliber roster here, but multiple losing streaks in a single season is an identity crisis for Kansas City.

After blowing a 19-point fourth-quarter lead at Houston, the Jaguars couldn't afford a loss Sunday, and they delivered one of their best all-around showings of the season. That it came with several key players missing -- including their top three cornerbacks and three key pass catchers -- made it all the more impressive. Trevor Lawrence wasn’t perfect, but he was effective outside of a poor throw on his lone interception. The Jags will take more performances like this from Lawrence, especially when the run game is cooking like it was Sunday (192 yards). They should be receiving reinforcements from injured players returning, with two games to prepare before the first of two big showdowns against the Colts in Week 14.

Hard to figure this team out in some respects. Sunday was a bury-the-tape type of game, with the run defense struggling mightily, poor pass protection rattling Justin Herbert, and Herbert also making his own share of costly mistakes. The offensive line issues aren’t getting fixed anytime soon, and Herbert might not make it through the remainder of the season healthy, but I honestly thought the Chargers were above this kind of performance against a middle-of-the-pack Jaguars team that was missing several pieces. I guess not. It was a nominally close game entering the second half, but the Bolts just seemed lifeless after a certain point.

Houston’s defense kept things under control while Davis Mills and the offense bogged down. The Texans drove inside Tennessee territory six times but came away with only 16 points and will be glad to get C.J. Stroud back soon (hopefully), even with Mills delivering two straight nail-biter wins in the final minutes. The Texans have the NFL’s stingiest defense, allowing just 16.3 points per game, but the offense now must ante up down the stretch if they want to make the playoffs. Next Gen Stats only gives Houston a 29% chance to make it now, even as the team currently sits one spot outside the postseason field. However, that stands to change dramatically over the next three games, with the Texans welcoming the Bills to town before going on the road to face Indianapolis and Kansas City. If they can win at least two of those games, the Texans will be over .500 and in far better shape to make the dance.

The Panthers have had a wonderfully strange season, replete with shocking wins and disappointing losses -- but Sunday's victory was neither. Carolina already blanked the Falcons once earlier in the season, and even after falling behind 21-7 this time around, the Panthers looked like the better team. Bryce Young has surely heard the critics, but he delivered a gem on Sunday, throwing for a franchise-record 448 yards, a few fourth-down duds aside. This was the game he had to have, and the Panthers are a team we suddenly need to pay more attention to, especially now that the Bucs have lost two straight, narrowing Tampa's lead over Carolina in the NFC South. The schedule is meaty, but the Panthers still have the late bye (in Week 14) and can't be overlooked when it comes to the playoff picture.

The Cowboys needed Monday's convincing win over the Raiders after two straight losses, but it naturally came with drama, in the form of first-series benchings of CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. That at least made the game interesting. Dak Prescott threw for four TDs, including one each to the aforementioned doghouse receivers. Dallas’ defense showed some spunk, even factoring in the matchup against an offense that ranked 30th in the NFL coming into the game. Quinnen Williams wasted no time making his impact felt, providing 1.5 sacks and several pressures, and it seemed to rub off on the entire defensive front. What a way to honor the late Marshawn Kneeland. The meat of Dallas' schedule lies ahead, with several rough games coming up, but the 'Boys turned in a good overall effort Monday after a slow start. That’s something.

What do you take away from J.J. McCarthy's performance against the Bears? Similar to his first outing vs. Chicago, McCarthy was pretty bad for three quarters and pretty darned good late. I tend to defer to the larger sample size, as well as the final result. Unlike in Week 1, the Vikings lost this game, and they were trailing 16-3 entering the fourth quarter -- with McCarthy's play being a big reason for that deficit, even if a slew of dropped passes weighed heavily, too. The frustrations were tangible leading up to the drive that briefly gave Minnesota a lead in the final minute, and it's hard to imagine this passing game just clicking all of a sudden. It feels like the Vikings are on the brink, sitting at 4-6 with a 1-4 mark at U.S. Bank Stadium, and four of the next five games are on the road. The rest of the season should be completely focused on giving McCarthy as much room for development as possible. 

Is Mike McDaniel saving his job? There's a 2024 feel to the script here, with the Dolphins falling into a pretty deep hole to start the season, then reviving themselves with a run of success, including three wins in their past four games. Miami currently has a 1% chance of making the playoffs, so let's not get too excited; then again, that number looked to be (less than) zero not long ago. The best thing the Dolphins have going for them is that they play the Saints and Jets after their Week 12 bye and could be 6-7 heading into a Monday Night Football showdown with the Steelers. Yes, they easily could have been held to a tie in Madrid, but wilder things have happened than Miami potentially coming back for a postseason spot -- and the De'Von Achane-Ollie Gordon II combo looks like a pretty good one heading into winter.

The Cardinals trailed less than 20 seconds into Sunday’s loss to the 49ers, which was Arizona’s second straight game allowing 40-plus to an NFC West foe. That dropped the Cards to 3-7 and 1-4 at home, and if the 2026 NFL Draft were tomorrow, the Cardinals would be picking ninth overall. If they end up in that range or higher, it will be interesting to see if a quarterback might be a first-round draft target for the Cardinals. That might sound strange after Jacoby Brissett went 47-for-57 passing for 452 yards, but his two interceptions helped turn a 19-10 game into a laugher. Arizona’s defense and special teams (after some early breaks) also fell apart Sunday, and it’s hard to know if this team should consider itself even relatively close to contending next season as the offseason draws closer.

That's now five straight losses for the Falcons -- an absolute free fall following Week 6's win over the Bills, which probably prompted a few too many way-too-early Super Bowl dark horse thinkpieces, in retrospect. The reality is that Atlanta is 3-7 and three games back in the NFC South, facing four road games in the next five. Making matters even worse: Michael Penix Jr. landed on injured reserve, meaning he will miss at least the next four games, while Drake London's own knee injury will cost him at least a week.

Entering Sunday, the Bengals’ best hopes for making the playoffs probably rested on winning the AFC North, which was already something of a remote possibility. The loss to Pittsburgh, however, extinguished even those lofty dreams. There’s a chance Joe Burrow can return in the coming weeks, but unless he’s prepared to rush the passer or cover some receivers, it might not matter. It’s true, Cincinnati's offense took a step backward in the loss -- and to make matters worse, Ja'Marr Chase won't play this week due to a one-game suspension for unsportsmanlike conduct -- but the defense appears to be beyond hope now. The Bengals have allowed 1,421 yards, including 648 rushing, and have zero takeaways in the past three games. It’s looking like another lost season in Cincy.

A narrow home loss to the Bears in Week 6 has snowballed into a six-game skid whose future end can't be seen. The Commanders crawled into their Week 12 bye after falling to the Dolphins in Spain, sunk by a punt-return fumble, poor red-zone execution and an overtime interception by Marcus Mariota. Dan Quinn's defense came ready to play, but it didn't change the outcome enough in a positive way. And while injuries really have been the story of the season, the backdrop is that the team appeared to be farther away from contention than it might have looked back in August. It'll be fascinating to see how GM Adam Peters approaches this coming offseason, because it's harder to gauge where this team will be next year.

I was impressed by Mike Kafka’s coaching debut, as the Giants had the Packers on the ropes with Jameis Winston getting his first start this season. The Giants are missing several key offensive contributors, especially those at the skill positions, yet they moved the ball readily all game before Winston’s late pick sunk them. Even after that, they technically still had a shot at pulling out the upset. I don’t know if Kafka has a real shot at getting the full-time job, but he certainly helped his chances after appearing to have the Giants ready to play. Taking a more aggressive approach offensively and getting old friend Isaiah Hodgins going in his return were novel developments that we’d be fine seeing more of down the stretch.

The Jets had some fun during their two-game win streak, but reality sunk in with a loss to the Patriots on Thursday, and the offense once again had its share of challenges. Quarterback Justin Fields didn't thrive, but he also wasn't helped much by the game plan. With Garrett Wilson on injured reserve, de facto WR1 Adonai Mitchell struggled in his Jets debut. The defense naturally had its hands full, too, after the trade deadline took away two of its biggest pieces. Then the Jets were met with the frightening news that one of their teammates had been shot over the weekend. Aaron Glenn has been through a trying first season in New York. There's still a ways to go and not enough encouraging developments. Can they show something down the stretch? On Monday, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported that Tyrod Taylor will get the start over Fields at Baltimore on Sunday.

Shedeur Sanders made his NFL debut -- and his play sparked an interesting Rorschach test on social media. Replacing the injured Dillon Gabriel, Sanders hit his first two passes, and he nearly led a game-tying (or go-ahead) drive late in the game, but he also helped the Browns surrender the lead. Sanders threw a bad pick under pressure, took some sacks and was guilty of an intentional grounding call, leading zero scoring drives in six opportunities. It's hard for a rookie backup to come in cold off the bench at halftime, but Sanders will need to be better prepared if Gabriel -- who is in the concussion protocol -- misses more time. Cleveland's defense did a good job most of the day, and Myles Garrett has matched or surpassed four entire franchises in sacks so far this season, but Sunday's contest ended in the same manner as most games do for these Browns: with a loss.

After beating Carolina in Week 10, the Saints will come out of their Week 11 bye with a chance to make it two straight wins when they face the Falcons in a game that has suddenly become a battle for third place in the NFC South, thanks to Atlanta's losing streak. This will give Tyler Shough (vs. Kirk Cousins) a chance to vanquish another division opponent and build off a solid outing against the Panthers. The rest of this season should be used to determine where Shough is in his development and whether the Saints must consider a quarterback in the next draft. That answer is likely no right now, but that shouldn't be something that is settled in November. Changes are coming this offseason, but perhaps a lot of the big pieces -- head coach, GM and QB -- will remain the same.

Monday was bad. The Raiders showed spunk early but quickly folded like a chair, allowing four straight touchdown drives and turning a tight game into a blowout. Crummy defensive performances aren't novel to these Raiders, but this one stuck out, and it probably could have been worse. Not that the offense was above reproach. Geno Smith had some rough moments -- also nothing new. While Brock Bowers made some plays, there were a few big throws he couldn't haul in. The offensive line looked like a unit that was cobbled together. Ashton Jeanty had four carries through the Raiders' first 41 offensive plays. There was little rhythm and even less identity, and it reflected on the scoreboard. Things got interesting briefly, but that was followed by the dreaded false start-safety combo, and an onside kick the Raiders forgot to recover. 

If we can call this the glass half full stage of the Titans' season, Tennessee's defense played as well Sunday as it has in more than a month, and Cam Ward delivered a game-tying TD drive in the final two minutes to give the home fans something to cheer about. The Texans went on to win behind backup QB Davis Mills, but there were at least some positives to come out of this one. Ward's fumbling is suddenly becoming more of an issue, and the Texans had success batting down his passes Sunday, but he has at least thrown the ball better over his last handful of starts, even while missing some opportunities. OK, that's about as positive I can be. That said, the Titans do at least have the germ of an offensive nucleus budding.