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The Chiefs aren’t dead yet! Neither are the Texans, Ravens and … the Cowboys? We’ll see about the last one; that narrative could be dead by Thursday night.
The Eagles are almost certainly in the playoff field, one way or another. But can we definitively say the same of the Colts, Bills, Bucs and Lions? Not yet, we can’t. Right now, I have those teams in the “likely in, but suddenly shaky” category.
I’ve realistically boiled it down to 19 or 20 teams jockeying for the 14 playoff spots, with six weeks to go. Only one team officially has been eliminated (sorry, Giants), even if I clearly reserve the right to rank other scuffling outfits lower ( especially looking at you, Raiders).
But the focus remains closer to the top. And with three important games on Thursday — including Joe Burrow’s return in the nightcap — it figures to be a big week in these parts.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving, all you Power Rankings gobblers out there.
NOTE: Up/down arrows below reflect movement from the Week 12 Power Rankings.
The Rams are big-game hunting now, and they’re bringing home a lot of trophy wins. Sunday night’s blowout of Tampa Bay marked Los Angeles’ sixth straight victory — with five coming by 14-plus points. Making it more impressive, this was the Rams’ fifth win of the season allowing 10 points or fewer. Matthew Stafford entered the game as the MVP favorite and only improved his chances of taking home the hardware, completing 25 of 35 passes for 273 yards and three touchdowns. That’s now 27 straight touchdown passes without an interception, which is just an incredible run. With L.A. now playing complementary, three-phase football — did you see Sean McVay’s smile when Harrison Mevis hit a 52-yard field goal? — this team looks awfully tough.
After throwing four interceptions one week prior, Sam Darnold wasn’t shy about slinging it against the Titans. The results were mostly good, and Darnold finished with a fairly clean stat line, although a closer look showed a few errant passes that could have hurt Seattle much more. Nonetheless, the Seahawks were mostly dominant for three quarters. And after a 167-yard game against Tennessee, Jaxon Smith-Njigba is officially on Calvin Johnson watch. JSN is on pace to become the NFL’s first 2,000-yard receiver, and Seattle’s very competitive schedule down the stretch probably means he’ll at least have a shot of toppling Johnson’s single-season record of 1,964 receiving yards. The Seahawks’ three losses have come by an average of three points, all against winning teams, and their eight wins have come by an average of 14.5 points. This is still a dangerous squad.
