Week 12 NFL Power Rankings: Ravens Surge, Texans Tumble

Andrew Ortenberg

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I'm an NFL handicapper here at Pickswise who was raised in a household full of sports fanatics. Since I unfortunately never had LeBron James' jumping ability I wasn't able to make it to the NBA, and chose writing about sports as the next best thing. An avid sports bettor myself, I'm excited to get to write about the industry as it gets set to take off across the country. Buckle up. For Andrew Ortenberg media enquiries, please email contact@pickswise.com.

1. Ravens (2)

I’ve officially seen enough to put the Ravens in the top spot. After their beatdown of Houston on Sunday in which they won by 34 points, they deserve it.

2.Patriots (1)

The Patriots picked up a win over the Eagles, but they didn’t look great doing it. Tom Brady and the offense really struggled, and it’s beginning to get concerning.

3. Vikings (3)

It looked like the Vikings were going to suffer the most humiliating defeat of Week 11 as they fell down 20-0 against the Broncos, but Kirk Cousins pulled off a miraculous comeback. Hopefully that’ll spur something in him.

4. Packers (4)

Green Bay is coming off the bye and has a crucial test against the 49ers on Sunday Night Football awaiting them.

5. Saints (5)

New Orleans bounced back from their shocking loss to the Falcons to solidly beat the Buccaneers on the road. The panic about Drew Brees was clearly unwarranted.

6. Seahawks (6)

Seattle also had a bye, and I remain skeptical of them because of how many of their wins have been by razor-thin margins.

7. 49ers (7)

The 49ers trailed the Cardinals virtually the entire game, and the final score isn’t at all indicative of what happened. This still doesn’t feel like a 9-1 team…

8. Chiefs (8)

The Chiefs picked up a much-needed win over the Chargers, but Pat Mahomes played one of his worst games as a pro. Fortunately their defense looked a lot better.

9. Eagles (9)

Philadelphia’s defense played well enough to beat the Patriots, but Carson Wentz and the receiving corp let them down. This team still has a lot of upside…

10. Cowboys (12)

The Cowboys looked shaky early on, but they were able to beat the Jeff Driskel-led Lions eventually.

11. Colts (14)

The Colts lost to the Dolphins last week, but that was without Jacoby Brissett. Brissett returned triumphantly from his knee injury, and led Indy to an easy win over the Jags. Things are starting to come together nicely for the Colts ahead of their pivotal game against the Texans on Thursday.

12. Raiders (13)

It’s hard to argue with what we are seeing from Jon Gruden’s team right now. Oakland’s pass-rush came alive in their Thursday night football win over the Chargers, and they’ve already surpassed everybody’s expectations for the year.

13. Rams (15)

The Rams beat the Bears, but that was mainly due to Chicago’s incompetence. Jared Goff continues to look terrible, although Los Angeles’ defense does have a ton of talent.

14. Texans (10)

The Texans had a pivotal game against Baltimore and got absolutely humiliated. Deshaun Watson could only muster seven points, and they don’t have much time to regroup before Thursday Night Football.

15. Bills (18)

The Bills snapped their two-game skid with a win over the Dolphins. They’ve mostly been beating weak teams this season, and they’ll need to prove themselves against a tougher opponent before impressing me.

16. Panthers (11)

The Panthers might’ve been the most disappointing team in Week 11, getting blown out by the Falcons. Kyle Allen is beginning to make it clear he isn’t the answer under center, and I bet Carolina wishes they had Cam Newton back right about now.

17. Titans (16)

The Titans had a bye, and it’ll be interesting to see how they follow up their win over the Chiefs in Week 12.

18. Steelers (17)

The Steelers lost to the Browns last Thursday, and were also part of the nasty brawl. Now without Maurkice Pouncey for the next few weeks, their offensive struggles aren’t going to get better anytime soon.

19. Chargers (19)

The Chargers lost another heartbreaker in the final minute against Kansas City. All seven of their losses this season have been by one possession.

20. Jaguars (20)

The Jaguars went back to Nick Foles, and promptly got blown out by the Colts. It’ll be interesting to see whether Gardner Minshew gets another shot down the stretch.

21. Bears (21)

The Bears continue to sink lower, only scoring seven points in their loss to the Rams. They’re claiming Mitch Trubisky has a hip injury, but that just looks like a way to save face.

22. Browns (22)

Cleveland finally got a huge win, and then promptly blew all the momentum. Myles Garrett is done for the season, and Freddie Kitchens at least appears to have lost control of his team.

23. Buccaneers (23)

The Buccaneers simply can’t catch a break, and they had another few fluke turnovers on Sunday. They just can’t stay out of their own way, and it’s too late to fix it.

24. Cardinals (24)

Arizona suffered a heartbreaking loss on the road against the 49ers. They led virtually the entire game before giving up a go-ahead touchdown with 30 seconds left. Kyler Murray and Kliff Kingsbury look like they’re building something special.

25. Falcons (27)

Just when it looked like the Falcons had nothing left in the tank and Dan Quinn was going to be fired at any moment, they shocked everybody by beating the Saints as a massive underdog. I still wouldn’t get too excited if I was in Atlanta fan.

26. Broncos (26)

The Broncos almost pulled off a huge upset of the Vikings, then collapsed like a house of cards in the second half. It’s only a matter of time before we see Drew Lock.

27. Lions (25)

The Lions lost to the Cowboys, and now there are reports Matthew Stafford could miss the rest of the season. Things are a disaster for Matt Patricia’s squad.

28. Jets (29)

The Jets have won two in a row, although the victories were against the Giants and Redskins. I’m interested to see what they look like this week against Oakland.