Phil Agius
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The Pickswise NFL Power Rankings called the big game of NFL Week 11 correctly as the #1 Eagles beat our #3 Chiefs on Monday, with a fair deal of assistance from the drop-happy KC receiving corps.
There’s no change at the top of the rankings this week, but there are some big movers in the scrum of the mid-pack positions and a couple of teams who are now facing major drops due to desperate quarterback situations.
You can check out our NFL Week 12 predictions, which include all 3 Thanksgiving Day games, and look at the NFL odds any time you like. Now, let’s get to this week’s rankings.
Pickswise NFL Power Rankings for Week 12
1 (-) Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles picked up an impressive road win in Kansas City and are now clear Super Bowl favorites at +450 odds at DraftKings Sportsbook, while FanDuel has the Eagles and Chiefs both at +450 odds.
2 (-) Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys climbed to this lofty berth last week and get to stay there after a routine demolition of the Panthers. It would be nice if they added some quality wins to validate their status, but that’s not happening on Thursday as they face the floundering Commanders. They can still be backed at +1200 odds for the Super Bowl as they are +650 odds to beat the Eagles and take the NFC East.
3 (up 1) Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens benefit from the Chiefs’ home loss to the Eagles, having won a key AFC North game against the Bengals assisted by Joe Burrow leaving the game in the second quarter. At 8-3, they are now in possession of the #1 seeding in the AFC and +850 odds 4th-favorites for the Super Bowl at FanDuel.
4 (down 1) Kansas City Chiefs
It’s quite painful at times to see Patrick Mahomes’ QB artistry being wasted on throws to a low-grade group of receivers who are now becoming directly responsible for losses in key games. They are out to +475 for the Super Bowl at DraftKings.
5 (up 2) San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers seem to be back after successive comfortable wins over the Jaguars and Buccaneers. They get an interesting divisional game on Thursday night against the Seahawks before taking on the Eagles in the big game of Week 13.
6 (down 1) Detroit Lions
The Lions are 8-2 but they’ve played closer games against the Chargers and Bears than they would have liked in the last 2 weeks. There should be a great atmosphere for their game against the Packers tomorrow as they aim for their first Thanksgiving Day win for 7 years.
7 (down 1) Cleveland Browns
The Browns drop a place despite a gritty win over the Steelers. Bear in mind that last week’s rankings were compiled when we still thought Deshaun Watson would be playing the rest of the year. A week is a long time in the NFL, but the team rallied to win with rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson, and while this week’s visit to Denver is tougher than it looked a month ago, the rest of their schedule is much more manageable than the first half was.
8 (-) Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars bounced back nicely from their pounding by the 49ers to thump the Titans almost as convincingly. They have an interesting test this week, however, as they look for revenge in a big AFC South game against the Texans.
9 (-) Miami Dolphins
Another non-mover here after the Dolphins won but failed to cover against the Raiders last week. They get a chance to pad their stats in their AFC East matchup against the Jets this week.
10 (up 2) Buffalo Bills
The Bills are back from the brink after an improved effort in the win over the Jets, but they now face a real gauntlet of games against the Eagles, Chiefs and Cowboys. Buckle up.
11 (up 4) Houston Texans
The Texans continue to climb after 3 straight wins, and while they haven’t beaten many elite teams, the league will take note if they can pick up a second win over the Jaguars this week. They are +230 odds to win the AFC South at FanDuel.
12 (down 1) Los Angeles Chargers
Yes, we know. The Chargers should really be lower than this with their 4-6 record but the rankings just can’t quit them and their 5 losses by 3 or fewer points. These guys could lose by 3 to anyone in the league!
13 (down 3) Cincinnati Bengals
We’re probably being kind here and the Bengals will be in line for a bigger drop when we’ve seen a full game of the Jake Browning experience. They will be some fun scenes in Pittsburgh if he also outperforms Kenny Pickett this week.
14 (up 4) Denver Broncos
Here come the Broncos! After a 1-5 start, they are back to .500 at 5-5 and they’re favorites at home this week against the DTR-led Browns too.
15 (down 1) Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings slot in behind the team that just beat them, but they went close enough to extending their winning run to 6 games in Denver.
16 (-) Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks also lost by 1 point this week and really should have got level with the Rams in their season series. It’s 49ers-Cowboys-49ers-Eagles in their next 4 games. Ouch!
17 (-) New Orleans Saints
The Saints stay where they were before their bye but have now placed WR Michael Thomas on IR and are still dealing with other key injuries. A divisional game against the Falcons is not the toughest return to action, though.
18 (down 5) Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers take a fall after their 2022 first-round QB lost to a 2023 5th-round rookie in Cleveland. The team fired OC Matt Canada this week, which seems like it will be popular in the locker room, and they do have some games remaining on their schedule that they could pretty much win with just their defense and Jaylen Warren.
19 (up 7) Los Angeles Rams
The Rams get back the 6 places they lost last week, plus 1 more, after Matthew Stafford returned from injury to lead them to a win over the Seahawks, their first victory in 4 games.
20 (-) Indianapolis Colts
The Colts remain where they were heading into their bye. They could be an interesting team to watch in the remaining weeks of the season as the schedule gives them a chance to finish some way better than .500 if they turn out to be good enough.
21 (-) Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders were lively in their loss to the Dolphins and they can certainly give the Chiefs something to think about getting up to 9.5 points in their first meeting of the season against the Chiefs this week.
22 (up 6) Green Bay Packers
The Packers had fallen down among the real stragglers with 5 losses in 6 games, but they get a bounceback this week thanks to a win over the choking Chargers. Detroit on Thanksgiving will be a tougher test than it has been for many years, however.
23 (down 4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
It’s 5 losses in 6 games for the Buccaneers now but their remaining schedule is far from taxing, so they still have a chance to improve on their current 11th place in the NFC playoff rankings.
24 (up 3) Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals couldn’t make it back-to-back wins in the second stage of their season, but they look so much better, and much more fun to watch, with Kyler Murray back in the team.
25 (-) Tennessee Titans
It’s 3 straight losses and 5 in the last 6 for the Titans, so their game this week against a 1-9 Panthers team who are 0-5 on the road really falls into must-win territory.
26 (down 3) Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons’ season is going so badly that they’ve managed to lose 3 spots on their bye week, with the Rams, Packers and Cardinals all moving ahead of them. They get a chance to end their 3-game losing run in their first NFC South game of the year against the Saints this week.
27 (up 2) Chicago Bears
The Bears lost this week, but running a top team like the Lions relatively close is enough to earn a boost in this dark area of the rankings. Just think where they would be if they’d held on to that 12-point lead with less than 5 minutes left.
28 (down 6) Washington Commanders
Come on, Washington. The Giants have only 2 wins in their last 9 games and both of them are against the Commanders. Luckily Ron Rivera’s team are in the national spotlight against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving afternoon, so anyone who overindulged and needs a nap at that point should be able to get one in without missing much excitement.
29 (down 5) New York Jets
The 4-6 Jets have lost 3 in a row, benched Zach Wilson and are preparing to start Tim Boyle against the Dolphins this week. This is not how they saw things going in September.
30 (up 2) New York Giants
The Giants don’t have much going for them this season but they have perfected beating the Commanders, going 2-0 against Washington and 1-8 against every other team. We have a big game for the power rankings this week as they face the Patriots with the prized #30 spot on offer to the victor.
31 (-) New England Patriots
The Patriots at least didn’t lose on their bye week, but they haven’t revealed who will be their starting quarterback against the Giants either. It’s clever mind games like this that has helped them get where they are today. Oh.
32 (down 2) Carolina Panthers
The glow of that first win of the season could only last so long and after 3 further losses the Panthers are back in 32nd spot at 1-9. The rest of their schedule is not too testing, so maybe there are more twists and turns to come in the battle to avoid last place.
