NFL POWER RANKINGS WEEK 12

BY ADAM GREENE

It’s time once again to do that thing we do where we rani all 32 teams through an entirely fake criteria that I make up, but pretend that matters.

Let’s do it.

1. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (9-1)

In a Super Bowl rematch, the Eagles came out on top of the Kansas City Chiefs this time. It bodes well for their chances to make up for a game they literally fumbled away last February, but it’ll mean nothing if they don’t hoist the Vince Lombardi in this coming February. Last week: No. 1

2. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (7-3)

See? This is what happens when Taylor Swift doesn’t come to a game. All the problems that threatened to cost KC games over the last couple of months showed up Monday night, especially with this group of Subway Sandwich artists the team is fielding at wide receiver this year. If the Chiefs don’t repeat, and I’m not sure they can, they really need to address this problem come the offseason. Last week: No. 2

3. DETROIT LIONS (8-2)

Of all the “tier 2” teams, the Lions are the only one that can claim a victory over a winning squad. It just so happens to be against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1. They’ve not beaten a winner since and it doesn’t help that there’s only six NFC teams with winning records and Detroit is one of them. Last week:  No. 3

4. MIAMI DOLPHINS (7-3)

Speaking of teams that haven’t beaten a winning squad, the Dolphins are the poster child for that very problem. Yes, they’ll likely make it to the AFC Divisional Round, but there’s no reason to expect more than that unless they prove they can beat a winner. They’ll face three in a row to end the season in the Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills. Last week: No. 4

5. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (7-3)

Looking at how the rest of the 2021 NFL Draft class has played out, the Jaguars should be very thankful they were the worst team in the league in 2020. They’re the only squad that took a QB in the first round that knows they hit it. No one else really does. Last week: No. 5

6. BALTIMORE RAVENS (8-3)

With Joe Burrow and Deshaun Watson both out for the season, the Ravens might as well go ahead and print their AFC North Championship gear. All they’re playing for at this point is AFC home field advantage and a first-round bye. Last week: No. 6

7. DALLAS COWBOYS (6-3)

The Cowboys have yet to beat a team with a winning record, but last week, in what I can only feel like was some sort of haze, owner Jerry Jones assured Hall of Fame head coach Jimmy Johnson that he will be added to the team’s Ringe of Honor later this year. So, you can celebrate that, Cowboys fans, as you prepare for another NFC Divisional Round loss. Last week:  No. 8

8. CLEVELAND BROWNS (7-3)

Of all the teams fielding a quarterback they didn’t intend to, the Browns probably have the best chance to make the playoffs. With Deshaun Watson sidelined and rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson taking the reins, Cleveland decided to bring in Joe Flacco, legitimately one of the greatest playoff quarterbacks of his era, to back up the rookie along with PJ Walker. Considering Flacco won a Super Bowl with a team that used to be the Browns, is far too perfect a scenario to leave unnoticed. Last week: No. 10

9. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (7-3)

There are plenty of people putting power rankings together that have the 49ers at No. 2. I would ask those humans if they watched any NFL football in October. Sure, the Niners are good. Certainly, one of the three or four best teams in the NFC, but I’m not seeing a “second best NFL team” here. I’m seeing a team that will, once again, fall at least a game short of a Super Bowl appearance. Last week: No. 12

10. HOUSTON TEXANS (6-4)

While it might seem odd there are only six NFC teams with winning records, only eight AFC teams can claim that and Houston is one of them. While I wrote, last week, that the Texans probably won’t make the AFC playoffs, that was before Watson and Burrow both went down. They could now, which should get so many head coaches fired across the league. Last week: No. 13

11. BUFFALO BILLS (6-5)

It’s weird how jettisoning an underperforming coach, in this case offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, can immediately improve a team. The way the Bills offense looked Sunday absolutely impacted the firing of Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada and, in spite of the fact that Buffalo would beat Pittsburgh by 30 if they meet up in the playoffs, they should still be grateful. Last week: No. 15

12. MINNESOTA VIKINGS (6-5)

For the first time in his Vikings tenure, Joshua Dobbs fell short. It was just by a point and there’s still an open path to the playoffs, Minnesota faces only team with a winning record for the rest of the year. That Dobbs trade is going to pay off, if for nothing less than an NFC Wild Card loss.  Last week: No. 7

13. PITTSBURGH STEELERS (6-4)

The Steelers did something this past week they’ve not done since 1941, fired a coach during the season. Yes, finally, much to the relief of every Pittsburgh fan on the planet (and they are legion) offensive coordinator Matt Canada was tossed off the bow of the boat. Yes, after spending three seasons as the worst offensive coordinator in the league, Canada finally got what he deserved — unemployment. There are seven games left for the Steelers to not only hold onto their playoff spot, which they probably could have done with Canada, but actually make their AFC Wild Card loss interesting. More than that, there’s now some hope for the future because, I can tell you as someone who’s friends with plenty of Steelers fans, there was absolutely none Monday. Is Kenny Pickett a starting NFL quarterback? He has seven games to prove it because there’s no chance the next guy (fingers crossed for San Francisco 49ers QB coach Brian Griese) will need to believe it or he’ll be replaced in a very deep QB draft in 2024. Pickett holds his NFL future in his incredibly tiny hands. Last week: No. 9

14. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (6-4)

The Seahawks got some good news this week. Quarterback Geno Smith, injured in their 17-16 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, is expected to play against the 49ers this weekend. The bad news? They kind of suck and if there were more decent teams in the NFC, they wouldn’t have made the playoffs last year and wouldn’t this year either. Sorry, 12^th man. You root for a pretender, not a contender. Last week: No. 11

15. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (5-5)

In spite of the evidence of our own eyes, the Colts are still very much alive in the AFC Wild Card race, even with Gardner Minshew III starting and quarterback. And, honestly, we shouldn’t be surprised by that. Minshew has started and won NFL football games. Anthony Richardson, in spite of looking pretty good early before he was lost for the season with an injury, was a rookie and the team rightly expected to suffer through that kind of year. They’ve likely won more games in 2023 than they would have with their first-round QB at the helm. Still, that’s not great for the team. They need to lose and pick up draft capital. After all, no one in Indy would complain to see this team draft in the Top Five or so and select Marvin Harrison, Jr. All wins do at this point is mess that up. Last week: No. 16

16. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (5-5)

Some team has to win the NFC South and it might as well be the Saints. Whatever franchise takes this division, it’ll be blown out in the NFC Wild Card Round. Last week: No. 19

17. DENVER BRONCOS (5-5)

Sean Payton and the Broncos keep making good news on the field, but safety Kareem Jackson always manages to screw it up, getting suspended another four games for “repeated violations of playing rules intended to protect the health and safety of players.” Feels like it might be time to cut bait there to me. But, hey, it’s not like Payton can’t feel some empathy for a guy suspended for trying to injure opposing team’s players. Last week: No. 20

18. GREEN BAY PACKERS (4-6)

There’s a good chance that one or more NFC teams will make the playoffs with a losing record. If the Packers don’t want to be one of those teams, and maybe secure a spot early, they’ll need to shock all of us with a win over the Lions on Thanksgiving.  Last week: No. 25

19. LOS ANGELES RAMS (4-6)

To compete this season, the Rams needed their stars to stay healthy and that hasn’t happened. Cooper Kupp missed the first four weeks of the season and is banged up again. Matthew Stafford missed a game with an injury and has been hurt since the team beat the Colts back in Week 4. Still, Los Angeles is in the mix and, looking at their schedule, they can still work their way into the playoffs. They can’t afford to lose anymore winnable games to do it and that means they need to knock off the Arizona Cardinals this week. Last week: No. 27

20. CINCINNATI BENGALS (5-5)

Quarterback Joe Burrow is out for the season and so are the Bengals’ playoff chances. It’s not the worst thing to happen for Cincy. No team with a franchise QB should expect to make the postseason with their guy sidelined. The good news is, Cincinnati has all its draft picks and, the higher they pick in the draft, the more likely they’ll land a superstar player to help them make a serious run next year. It’s what happened when Burrow got hurt his rookie year. All it did was land the Bengals Ja’Marr Chase. Last week: No. 14

21. WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (5-5)

From the outside, it may appear that the Commanders’ preseason plan of tanking has failed, but there are still seven games to go and Washington could absolutely lose every single one. The great news for Washington is that there’s a good chance that this upcoming draft could have as many QBs taken in the first round as the 1983 draft. So, even picking somewhere in the Top 6 or 7 could end up with a legit franchise QB instead of Ryan Fitzpatrick Part 2, Sam Howell. Last week: No. 17

22. LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (5-6)

Speaking of quarterbacks that are on the Ryan Fitzpatrick path, Aiden O’Connell. Back in the preseason, I noted that O’Connell would have been a high first round selection back in the early 1990s and I still feel good about that. Unfortunately, we’re playing NFL football in 2023 and that means he’s probably a lifelong back up. Last week: No. 18

23. LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (4-6)

Brandon Staley’s seat was hot heading into last week and after their loss at home to the Lions, it’s a raging fire. It’s basically a Christmas yule log at this point, but I’m not sure Staley will remain employed up until the holiday. Last week: No. 21

24. NEW YORK JETS (4-6)

Here’s the thing about benching Zach Wilson for good. I will certainly concede, as someone who has made his living for years writing about NFL football, that I know a lot about the sport, about its players, about the workings of the league. If I didn’t, you wouldn’t be reading this right now. Someone is paying me to write this because of my NFL expertise. But, while I might claim to know more than some TV pundit, Twitter poster or journalist out there, what I would never do is claim I know more about football than an actual good NFL coach. The very idea of it is ridiculous. Robert Saleh should know more about NFL football than I do. There should be nothing controversial about that statement. Yet, Saleh still signed off on drafting Wilson at No. 2 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. And yes, he’s not the general manager in New York, that’s Joe Douglas, but no GM is going to completely shove his head coach’s face into the dirt by drafting a guy high he doesn’t like. Saleh was for this and I, a guy sitting on a couch in East Tennessee, knew when it happened it was a complete disaster. You will not Google a word that I have written in that era for any website or publications that doesn’t declare, without question, that Wilson was going to be a first round bust. The comparisons to Josh Allen were ridiculous, because you cannot “draft” a Josh Allen. You just get lucky and land a guy that turns into Josh Allen, because Josh Allen in his first two seasons was mediocre on his best day. His third season was outrageous and he’s remained in that general area since, but that’s freakishly rare. It’s the same reason that Jordon Love didn’t magically turn into Patrick Mahomes and Trey Lance didn’t morph into Lamar Jackson. Those guys aren’t made or picked. They just happen. The second best QB in that draft, at the time, was, without a doubt, Justin Fields. Every single game played in NCAA football, every single pixel of video of the 2020 college football season, proved that without a shadow of a doubt. And, yet, the Jets never even considered drafting him. Neither did the San Francisco 49ers who traded multiple first rounders to select Lance at No. 3. And, make no mistake, they would have absolutely turned in a card with Wilson’s name on it if the Jets had taken Lance. Saleh has to own this disaster. He does. He’s not getting fired at the end of this season because Aaron Rodgers likes him and he, ivermectin willing, will be back next season, if not at the end of this one. But this stink should be on Saleh. He looked at the tape, the same that I saw, and decided that Zach Wilson was absolutely worth a No. 2 overall pick when I wouldn’t have selected him before the third or fourth round. Wilson should have been Aiden O’Connell. Instead, Saleh and Douglas decided he was Jim Kelly, taken after John Elway in 1983. That’s an albatross that both guys, Saleh and Dougles, should be forced to wear. Last week: No. 22

25. CHICAGO BEARS (3-8)

Speaking of Justin Fields, there’s a good chance he might not be with the Bears next season and that should be OK with him. He’s been hurt some, played some fantastic football and drug a team led by a head coach, Matt Eberflus, who has no business being an NFL head coach, down the field the entire time. If general manager Ryan Poles, hired last year, doesn’t agree, he should be sent packing too. Considering this team owns the Carolina Panthers’ pick and that will most likely be No. 1 overall, they have to take Caleb Williams. It would be completely insane not to. So, Fields will likely be starting, and winning, for another team next season and this could work out for everybody. My money is on the Atlanta Falcons and an entirely new front office and head coaching regime there. Last week: No. 23

26. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (4-6)

Of all the teams that are playing in the NFL in 2023, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are definitely one of them. For a team that has a definite chance at a playoff spot, as NFC North Champions, no one seems to care and, honestly, that tracks because I don’t either. Last week: No. 24

27. ATLANTA FALCONS (4-6)

The only thing surprising about the Falcons through November is that more people aren’t talking about how Arthur Smtih should be fired. Because, frankly, I can’t believe he still has a job today. Last week: No. 26

28. NEW YORK GIANTS (2-8)

Is Tommy DeVito the guy? No one probably thinks so, but he played pretty well last week against a horrid Washington Commanders team. Starting quarterback and salary cap sink Daniel Jones went under the knife this past week and will be out, for real, 8-10 months. Is that bad? If Jones was the legit franchise quarterback for the Giants, sure. Considering they’ll draft high enough to possibly pick one of those and chuck Jones out the door, eating the rest of his contract, this could very well be the best thing that could happen for New York and second-year head coach Brian Daboll. Last week: No. 30

29. ARIZONA CARDINALS (2-9)

The Cardinals, along with the Carolina Panthers, are our first official losing teams of the 2023 season. Nothing will likely change this weekend as quarterback Kyler Murray is 1-7 against the Rams in his career. Last week:  No. 28

30. TENNESSEE TITANS (3-7)

While I don’t think the Titans should be realistically thinking about moving on from Mike Vrabel, the rumors are out there that the New England Patriots, if Bill Belichick retires or is traded away, could be looking at their head coach as a replacement should be very interesting for a team that will miss the playoffs for the second straight season. Last week: No. 29

31. CAROLINA PANTHERS (1-9)

No one, and I mean no one on the planet, would select Bryce Young over Caleb Williams, but that’s exactly what the Panthers have done, after trading their 2024 first round pick to the Bears for the rights to take Young, a guy that is the second best QB in his class at best and possibly the fourth best considering what we’ve seen on the field. It’s a complete disaster and multiple heads, including head coach Frank Reich’s, should roll. Last week: No. 31

32. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (2-8)

For the second week in a row, the Patriots get to sit here in last place in the Power Rankings, It’s rare to see a dynasty die so quickly, so abruptly, and so predictably since Bill Belichick, the Super Genius, all but ran Tom Brady out of town to win a Super Bowl with another NFL team. Now, the unthinkable is happening — Belichick is on the hot seat. Do I believe it? Not really. And, because of that, I remain crazy excited that the Pats will be the 2024 preseason Hard Knocks team and the only thing that will keep it from happening is Bill retiring or being “traded” away. No team run by a competent general manager and owner will make that trade. Bill will spend the last years of his career proving, beyond all doubt, that the only reason he’s considered a great coach is that he fielded the best QB in NFL history for nearly 20 years and that was just dumb luck.  Last week: No. 32

Follow Adam Greene on Twitter @TheFirstMan.

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