power rankings
1.
Rams (10-1) - Cornerback Aqib Talib, on injured reserve the past nine weeks after ankle surgery, has been designated to return and should provide a boost in the secondary.
2.
Saints (10-2) - Drew Brees and the Saints were on a roll, but they drop to No. 2 after a surprising loss to the Cowboys.
3.
Chiefs (9-2) - Pity the defense that has to face them this week coming off their bye. Wouldn’t want to be the Raiders. They might be praying for a mercy rule.
4.
Patriots (8-3) - The Patriots are hoping it doesn’t take 10 more games before Rob Gronkowski finds the end zone again.
5.
Chargers (8-3) - Losing Melvin Gordon to a sprained MCL not what you’re looking for at this stage.
6.
6. Steelers (7-3-1) - All the pretty offensive numbers don’t mean a lot, if they’re laced with turnovers. The mistakes eventually catch up.
7.
Bears (8-3) - Their defense is so good, you can throw any quarterback in with the offense (Hello, Chase Daniel) and still win.
8.
Texans (8-3) - Eight straight wins and still under the radar. Does anyone really want to face this team down the road?
9.
Vikings (6-4-1) - Kirk Cousins finally delivers in primetime. Major monkey off his back.
10.
Seahawks (6-5) - Talk about the perfect closing push for the playoffs, four of their last five games are at CenturyLink Field, while their lone road game is the Niners. They couldn’t have drawn it up any better.
11.
Ravens (6-5) - Flacco? Jackson? Can the answer be both? Will it be one? John Harbaugh has all the answers to the test.
12.
Cowboys (7-5) - They look like the best of all the flawed teams in the NFC East. Amari Cooper just might put them over the top.
13.
Colts (6-5) - Andrew Luck has thrown at least three touchdown passes in eight straight games. That’s two games away from tying Tom Brady’s record of 10 straight set in 2007.
14.
Panthers (6-5) - At the midway point, they were a lock to make the playoffs. Now, they might be a lock to miss, especially with two games still to play against the Saints.
15.
Packers (4-6-1) - Aaron Rodgers still has dreams of running the table and getting the Pack into the playoffs. Given they now have to jump over three teams, it’s more like pipe dreams.
16.
Redskins (6-5) - Offense looks about the same with Colt McCoy. So does the defense. Translation: It still can’t contain the better offenses in the league.
17.
Broncos (5-6) - All of a sudden, they’ve emerged as a giant killer with an outside shot at the playoffs.
18.
Eagles (5-6) - Can’t stick a fork in the defending champs yet. Their comeback win against the Giants left them with more than a pulse in the NFC East.
19.
Titans (5-6) - Marcus Mariota finished with a near perfect quarterback rating, completing 22 of 23 passes for over 300 yards and two TDs against the Texans. Too bad it meant nothing.
20.
Falcons (4-7) - When you’re desperate for wins, you can’t be turning the ball over in the red zone. They hit the hat trick against the Cowboys.
21.
Browns (4-6-1) - It’s December, and they’re not mathematically out of the playoffs for the first time in memory. In fact, they’re 1.5 games out of the sixth playoff seed.
22.
Dolphins (5-6) - Now that they’re below .500, we can finally stop talking about them making the postseason and pretending they’re playoff contenders.
23.
Bucs (4-7) - Jameis Winston has solidified his hold on the starting job at quarterback. Well, at least for another week.
24.
Bills (4-7) - They have actually put together a winning streak as only they can. Two games, two wins, two different starting quarterbacks.
25.
Lions (4-7) - There was a time when you’d fear Matthew Stafford and his ability to lead a comeback in the fourth quarter. That seems like so long ago.
26.
Giants (3-8) - They were up on the Eagles last week, but blowing that lead meant they’re still 0-for-the-NFC East this season.
27.
Bengals (5-6) - Hue Jackson didn’t know how to coach Baker Mayfield in Cleveland. As we saw Sunday, he didn’t know how to defend him, either.
28.
Jaguars (3-8) - Benching Blake Bortles only eliminates him for now. The three-year, $54 million extension he signed with $6.9 million guaranteed next year gives him life into next season.
29.
Jets (3-8) - Sam Darnold is slowly nursing himself back to health and playing. The key word is slowly. No rush putting the rookie back into action with that crew.
30.
49ers (2-9) - Do they want to be a spoiler, with a couple games on tap with Seattle, or keep hold of the No. 1 pick in the draft? Hmm.
31.
Raiders (2-9) - At least they have two games with the Chiefs to look forward to.
32.
Cardinals (2-9) - They actually held a lead against the Chargers last week. Better to leave it at that.