NFL POWER RANKINGS: WEEK 14

BY ADAM GREENE

After weeks of shuffling all through the middle of the Power Rankings, it appears we’ve settled in for the most part with our Top 32 for Week 14.

There were no significant leaps or precipitous drops this week as Week 13 was filled with blowout wins for the most part. The close games we got were more or less expected, with only two squads from those tight contests that should feel ashamed of themselves with five weeks to go in the season — the Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings.

As such, we deliver our earned praise and much deserved punishments the only way we can.

1. ARIZONA CARDINALS (10-2)

Arizona finally got Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins back and the field and, shocker, they won again. That shouldn’t surprise anyone as they won two out of three with their B-team on the field. They can all but wrap up the NFC West Monday night with a victory over the Los Angeles Rams. Last week: No. 1

2. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (9-3)

Tom Brady was just named the 2021 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year. He’s currently leading the NFL in passing yardage (3,771) and passing touchdowns (34). There was a while where the Bucs were oddly flying under the radar. Now, with the emergence of the New England Patriots, we’re all but expecting a Bucs vs Pats Super Bowl and dreading it like a prison beat down. Last week: No. 2

3. GREEN BAY PACKERS (9-3)

Aaron Rodgers had the week off to heal up his toe and, thanks to his Covid-19 immunity (that will wear off right after the NFC Championship), he’s primed to take his team all the way to the conference title game. It’s something they’ve done regularly under Rodgers, including the last two consecutive years. The problem is, with the exception of the 2010-11 NFC title game, they’ve lost. Two of those defeats have happened at home.  Last week: No. 4

4. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (8-4)

The offense still isn’t explosive enough, but no one can complain too hard as the Chiefs are not only in control of the AFC West, but in the running for conference home field advantage. All they have to do to secure it is win the rest of the way. Last week: No. 5

5. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (9-4)

While Kansas City is in search of the No. 1 seed in the AFC, the Patriots currently control it after humiliating the Buffalo Bills 14-10 Monday night. Rookie QB Mac Jones (who might have the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award sewn up at this point), threw just three passes in the win, illustrating exactly why Bill Belichick has owned the AFC East for the last two decades. He knows exactly how to beat every team in that division, specifically. Last week: No. 6

6. BALTIMORE RAVENS (8-4)

When the Ravens are lucky, they win games like Sunday’s last second one point loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Frankly, they were blessed to even be in the game with Lamar Jackson getting sacked seven times and Greg Roman calling plays like this. Last week: No. 3

7. TENNESSEE TITANS (8-4)

Here’s the issue with Tennessee — when it comes to playing the league’s elite teams, they can match up with anybody, regardless of the players they put out on the field. When it comes to the NFL’s scrubs, this is where they have trouble. They currently hold the No. 2 seed in the AFC and could pretty much secure a playoff berth (realistically) with a win Sunday. But they play the Jacksonville Jaguars, a team that shouldn’t be able to share the field with the Titans. But you would have said the same thing about the New York Jets and Houston Texans. That loss to the Patriots doesn’t look great either. Last week: No. 8

8. LOS ANGELES RAMS (8-4)

What did the Rams prove with their dominating victory over the Jaguars? It’s hard to tell until they back it up against a winning team. They’ll get the chance Monday night when they travel to Arizona to face the NFC leading Cardinals. A loss there all but surrenders the division and puts Los Angeles on the road throughout the playoffs. Last week: No. 9

9. DALLAS COWBOYS (8-4)

With Mike McCarthy out for last Thursday night’s game against the New Orleans Saints, I had the utmost confidence that Dan Quinn and Kellen Moore would team up for a convincing Dallas victory to the point where I won a nice wad of cash on it. That was the good news a week ago. The bad news this week is, McCarthy will make his not so triumphant return Sunday when the Cowboys face the best team in their division on the road, the Washington Football Team coached by Ron Rivera, the guy Jerry Jones have hired. Last week: No. 10

10. BUFFALO BILLS (7-5)

When Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer were asked if they were embarrassed by their 14-10 loss to the Patriots at the MNF post game press conference, they got offended at the question. As if their defensive performance alone, holding a team that threw the ball three times total to 14 points was impressive in some way. When you look back at why this 2021 Bills team underperformed, watch this exchange on a loop. The fact that there was no team ownership for the performance, just a “we did our job well enough on defense” attitude, show exactly the problem. It’s how losers think. As a team, the Bills sucked Monday night. You can blame the weather, on Buffalo’s own home field which they’ve played on for years, but that’s ridiculous too. Hyde and Poyer can huff all they want, but no professional football team on the planet should lose a game where the opposing QB completes just two passes. That should be an impossible feat. I’ll be shocked if Buffalo gets to the Divisional Round of the playoffs and, really, there’s a good chance now they won’t even make it to the postseason at all. Last week: No. 7

11. LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (7-5)

Justin Herbert took the first of what will probably be 15-18 years of quarterback duels between him and Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals and it wasn’t close. LA is currently the fifth seed in the AFC and should have no trouble keeping it with four of their last five games against teams .500 or worse. Last week: No. 13

12. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (7-6)

The Colts have earned their bye the hard way, as one of the four teams (along with the Pats, Miami Dolphins and Philadelphia Eagles) enjoying the latest free week in NFL history. If there was ever a time for an unvaccinated Carson Wentz to hunker down at home (and ban the NFL Films Hard Knocks cameras from it), it’s now. In spite of currently being outside the AFC bracket, the Colts can control their own destiny just by winning out. Last week: No. 14

13. PITTSBURGH STEELERS (6-5-1)

With the reports that this is Ben Roethlisberger’s final season being all but official, the team rallied and won a monster game last Sunday over the Ravens. Now, all they need to do is not screw it up Thursday night at the Minnesota Vikings. Last week: No. 15

14. CINCINNATI BENGALS (7-5)

The only thing that can knock the bad taste out of Cincy’s mouth from a dominating defeat at the hands of the Chargers, is knocking the teeth out of the San Francisco 49ers’ mouths Sunday. Last week: No. 11

15. WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM (6-6)

Not only can the WFT keep hold of their spot in the NFC playoff bracket with a win at home over the Cowboys Sunday, they can put themselves one game back of a potential NFC East title. Last Week: No. 17

16. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (6-6)

All this talk about benching Jimmy Garoppolo is not only a mystery to me, but would be a white flag on a potential 49ers playoff run. Garoppolo has a .700 winning percentage since 107, behind only Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Tom Brady. And his return sparked San Fran’s November resurgence (not to mention the fact that he’s never lost to their arch rival Rams). Maybe Lance is the guy next year, but don’t toss away 2021 just yet. Plus, it took me this long to learn how to spell his name without looking it up every time. Last week: No. 12

17. CLEVELAND BROWNS (6-6)

I’ve seen the joke that Gardner Minshew is the guy Baker Mayfield pretends he is. But I really have to ask, would the Browns have a different record with Minshew at QB this year? Cleveland needs to think long and hard before they ink Mayfield to any extension. Let him go Kirk Cousins somewhere else if you need to. Last week: No. 16

18. MIAMI DOLPHINS (6-7)

The Dolphins might be the odd man out of the AFC playoff race right now, but they’ve won five straight, have a bye to get healthier and come out of it playing the Jets and New Orleans Saints in consecutive weeks. By the time they head to Nashville to face they Titans, they should be 8-7 and right in the hunt. Last week: No. 22

19. MINNESOTA VIKINGS (5-7)

If there was a team you could almost have guaranteed would hand the Detroit Lions their first victory, the Vikings were at the top of the list. Sure, they’re still realistically in the playoff race, but this is a franchise that needs to be blown up. Mike Zimmer definitely needs to go and while they’re stuck with Kirk Cousins another season, they need to start thinking about his replacement and let him walk off into someone else’s Tupperware container. Last week: No. 18

19. DENVER BRONCOS (6-6)

The Broncos dropped their first game since trading away Von Miller, losing to the Kansas City Chiefs, a team where fielding an elite pass rusher probably would have helped. They remain in the AFC playoff race thanks to a scrum of .500 teams and the fact they host the Lions Sunday. Last week: No. 19

20. LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (6-6)

This is the Raiders team I expected to show up on Thanksgiving — one that fights for a while, but ultimately wilts at the end thanks to a season that everyone, not only on their team, but in the state of Nevada, will want to forget. Last week: No. 20

21. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (6-7)

Nothing can set a team back on the right track like facing the Jets. Gardner Minshew made his first start of the season for an injured Jalen Hurts. Hurts has a bye week to get healthy, but the team shouldn’t have an issue riding Minshew as long as his be-denimed back can carry them. Last week: No. 24

22. CAROLINA PANTHERS (5-7)

Coming out of their bye, this will be the most prepared Cam Newton has been since returning to Carolina. If Superman still exists, Cam will get to unleash him on and old foe Sunday in the Atlanta Falcons. Last week: No. 21

23. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (4-8)

With Sunday’s win over the 49ers, Russell Wilson is now 17-4 all time against San Francisco. San Fran will now go officially a full decade without a single victory in Seattle. It’s a nice swan song for head coach Pete Carroll, who could be heading off into the sunset at season’s end and Wilson, who will likely make his trade desires happen come February. Last week: No. 28

24. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (5-7)

Taysom Hill will get the start again for New Orleans and, under normal circumstances, you’d say go ahead and place your bets on their opponent. There’s just one problem with that — they’re playing at the Jets this week. There’s legitimately no telling what to expect come Sunday. Last week: No. 23

25. ATLANTA FALCONS (5-7)

Somehow, inexplicably, the Falcons remain in the NFC playoff race as a way to taunt me for picking them to grab the seventh seed in the preseason. Like the Vikings, this is a team that needs to be blown up and rebuilt from scratch. It’s unfortunate there’s no elite QB in this draft with which to do it. Either way, I’d listen to every offer for Matt Ryan that comes in. Last week: No. 25

26. CHICAGO BEARS (4-8)

The Bears weren’t terrible against the Cardinals Sunday, but Matt Nagy did nothing to keep his seat flame retardant this coming offseason. Last week: No. 26

27. NEW YORK GIANTS (4-8)

Joe Judge is just in his second season, but he’s shown the Giants absolutely no reason at all to retain him after the final whistle of Game 17. Certainly not with the coaching talent coming available and the market New York plays in. A trip across the country to face the Chargers should secure a sixth consecutive sub .500 season Sunday. There’s no way that’s good enough in The Big Apple. Last week: No. 27

29. NEW YORK JETS (3-9)

Speaking of losers, the Jets, as of Sunday, are enjoying their sixth consecutive losing season. At least they have a new head coach and new quarterback for which they can gain hope from or blame. It’s pretty much up to the fanbase and how they’re feeling each day. Last week: No. 29

30. DETROIT LIONS (1-10-1)

You know, I thought it would hurt more when the Lions won their first game, depriving us of our first winless team in a 17 game season, but it didn’t’ The Steelers had already ruined it with the tie a month ago. The victory over the Vikings, something we all should have predicted, was just a formality at this point. And, hey, at least Jared Goff’s girlfriend got a kick out of it. Last week: No. 32

31. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (2-10)

I’m not sure what the Jags can take away from their 30 point loss to the Rams last Sunday. It’s what should have happened and went down pretty much exactly as it was ordained when the schedule was released in the preseason. This was never going to be a winning team. The most interesting thing that’s happened with them is Urban Meyer’s lap dance a couple of months ago. Last week: No. 30

32. HOUSTON TEXANS (2-10)

Thanks to a Lions victory, the worst team in the league actually gets to enjoy its return to the basement of the Power Rankings. In the preseason, I suggested that Houston could turn out to be the NFL’s first 0-17 team and they still managed to win two games. That just shows how hard it was for Detroit to go as long as they did without a victory. There’s always next year, and if they can fire everyone in their front office and coaching staff before it’s time to scout, they might be able to make the most of the draft pick windfall coming from a Deshaun Watson trade. Last week: No. 31

Follow Adam Greene on Twitter @TheFirstMan.

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