Week 13 saw the San Francisco 49ers throttle the Philadelphia Eagles, and make a case for being the best team in the NFC, and perhaps the NFL at large.
The Niners made it four straight wins after blowing out the Eagles. In the process, they closed the gap with the NFC’s top team.
Meanwhile, the Green Bay Packers upset the Kansas City Chiefs at Lambeau Field while the Houston Texans took down the Denver Broncos, one of the hottest teams in the league.
The other big news of the week saw another star quarterback go down, with the Jacksonville Jaguars losing Trevor Lawrence to an ankle injury during Monday night’s overtime loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Lawrence needed help off the field. The initial reports had him suffering a sprain, so that doesn’t look good.
At the bottom end of the rankings, both the Patriots and Panthers have lost five straight. The Patriots made a quarterback change, then proceeded to put up a bagel against the Chargers.
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Here’s the Power Rankings heading into Week 14
1. San Francisco 49ers (9-3): Are they the best team in the NFL? After what they did to the Eagles on Sunday, it’s hard to say they’re not.
2. Philadelphia Eagles (10-2): After beating Cowboys, Chiefs and Bills, in order, the Eagles had nothing left for their showdown with the 49ers.
3. Baltimore Ravens (9-3): They couldn’t have had a better bye week. The Browns and Steelers lost, giving them more cushion in the AFC North. Having the Chiefs lose also helped in their quest for the AFC’s top seed.
4. Kansas City Chiefs (8-4): Andy Reid described his team as being “up and down” with the need to be more consistent in wake of Sunday night’s loss to Green Bay. No argument here.
5. Dallas Cowboys (9-3): They’ve won 14 straight at home, and remain within shouting distance of Philadelphia with the Eagles on tap in Dallas Sunday night.
6. Miami Dolphins (9-3): Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill toyed with the Commanders secondary. Hill now has 20 scores of at least 60 yards this season.
7. Detroit Lions (9-3): Once again, they fell asleep at the wheel after taking a big lead, but woke up in time to finish the job.
8. Jacksonville Jaguars (8-4): They lost the game, lost their death grip on the AFC South and lost their franchise quarterback in the process. Trevor Lawrence had his right ankle stepped on, and rolled up on. Bad news all around for the Jags.
9. Houston Texans (7-5): If DeMeco Ryans’ defense continues to ascend, no one is going to want to play C.J. Stroud & Co. on Wild Card Weekend.
10. Buffalo Bills (6-6): They’re still on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoffs. But a couple of teams above them lost, so it wasn’t the worst bye week for the Bills.
11. Green Bay Packers (6-6): Jordan Love put up more points (27) on the Chiefs defense than any quarterback this season. Love, and the Pack are on a roll.
12. LA Rams (6-6): Three straight wins for the Rams, who have climbed back into contention for one of the NFC’s wild card spots.
13. Indianapolis Colts (7-5): They couldn’t run the ball to save their lives against the Titans. But they still managed to take down the Titans and stay in the playoff hunt.
14. Denver Broncos (6-6): Win by the turnover. Die by the turnover. Russell Wilson’s three picks did them no favors against the Texans.
15. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5): That 400-yard offensive outburst last week? Let’s just say they came back to earth in the loss to the Cardinals. And now Mitch Trubisky takes over for the injured Kenny Pickett.
16. Cleveland Browns (7-5): Joe Flacco was actually pretty good for someone who was signed two weeks ago and hadn’t played all year. But his fourth-quarter interception was an absolute killer.
17. Cincinnati Bengals (6-6): Jake Browning looked like a stud against the Jaguars. Maybe all’s not completely lost for the Joe Burrow-less Bengals.
18. Minnesota Vikings (6-6): With Joshua Dobbs turning into a pumpkin, Kevin O’Connell might go to the bullpen for Jaren Hall, and hope the rookie quarterback can keep the Vikings playoff-bound.
19. Seattle Seahawks (6-6): They were 36-0 when scoring 35 points or more. Make that 36-1 after Thursday night’s 41-35 loss to the Cowboys.
20. Atlanta Falcons (6-6): They’ll take an ugly win any day of the week, and that’s exactly what they got against the Jets.
21. LA Chargers (5-7): Brandon Staley avoided getting the boot by beating the Patriots, but he’s still on life support.
22. Tampa Bay Bucs (5-7): A date with the Panthers was just what the doctor ordered as the Bucs crept a little closer to the top of the less-than inspiring NFC South.
23. Las Vegas Raiders (5-7): Has Antonio Pierce done enough to dump the interim tag and have Mark Davis name him head coach? Doubt it. Mark Davis will still be on the hunt to make a splash in the offseason.
24. New Orleans Saints (5-7): Derek Carr is getting booed by Saints fans for uninspiring play. Add in the fact he’s been unable to stay on the field, and there’s unrest at the QB position. Looks like it might be time to go back to Jameis Winston.
25. Chicago Bears (4-8): They’re still sitting pretty with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft courtesy of the Carolina Panthers. So they can keep playing the spoiler role and win as many as possible.
26. New York Jets (4-8): Stick a fork in Aaron Rodgers comeback bid this season. While the Jets aren’t mathematically eliminated, they’re close enough. No need for any Rodgers heroics.
27. Tennessee Titans (4-8): They lost in OT, and adding insult to injury, lost four players in the process including Derrick Henry.
28. New York Giants (4-8): Who starts Week 14? Will it be Tyrod Taylor, who is designated to return from the injured list, or Tommy DeVito, who has kept the G-Men afloat since Week 9? Brian Daboll will have fun with that one.
29. Arizona Cardinals (3-10): They upset the Steelers, and now have a bye week to enjoy the victory. That would qualify as a win-win for the Cardinals.
30. Washington Commanders (4-9): Sam Howell has thrown a pick-six in three consecutive games. Not what you’re looking for.
31. New England Patriots (2-10): Look at the bright side. They moved up into the No. 2 spot in the draft order.
32. Carolina Panthers (1-11):The Panthers got a bit of spark from Frank Reich being fired last week, but still found themselves on the losing end.
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