49ers climbing back toward the top
NFL power rankings, post-Week 12 edition:
1. Ravens (previous: 1): Yet another milestone in Lamar Jackson’s sights? He can break the franchise’s single-season record for TD passes, which is 33, set by Vinny Testaverde in 1996.
2. Patriots (2): No complacency for what Tom Brady admits is a sputtering offense, LT Isaiah Wynn and rookie WR N’Keal Harry, who scored his first TD, joining starting lineup Sunday.
3. 49ers (5): Despite their most impressive showing of the season, it won’t be easy retaining the NFC’s top seed with trips to Baltimore, New Orleans and Seattle looming.
4. Saints (3): Trait that should serve them well? They’re unlikely to implode. Seven turnovers are a league low, and they don’t have multiple in any game.
5. Seahawks (4): Want another great Russell Wilson statistic? When given a halftime lead of at least four points during his eight-year career, he’s 55-0.
6. Packers (6): They’re clearly vulnerable against teams that can rush the passer. Aaron Rodgers has been sacked 15 times over past four weeks (Pack 2-2).
7. Texans (12): It’s probably too early to draw a definitive conclusion, but it’s possible this defense might be playing better since JJ Watt went down.
8. Chiefs (7): Complete season sweep of Raiders this Sunday, and they’ll essentially have a three-game lead in the AFC West with four weeks remaining in the regular season.
9. Vikings (8): They’ll be hard pressed to cough up a two-game lead for the final NFC playoff berth, but two West Coast trips in the next three weeks don’t help.
10. Colts (10): Losses to the Raiders, Steelers might spell doom in the tiebreaker department for Indy, which can’t make up much ground with three NFC opponents left.
11. Cowboys (9): How much does the NFL showcase Dallas? The Cowboys’ Thanksgiving game is immediately followed
by another prime-time appearance every year since 2012.
12. Bills (15): Much has been made of Buffalo’s Division II schedule, but their next four games are against teams with winning records. What will we learn about the Bills?
13. Titans (16): Would you believe Ryan Tannehill now qualifies as the toprated passer in the AFC (111.4)? No wonder buzz is building that Tennessee might extend him.
14. Rams (11): Did they simply run into a buzz saw Monday night, or has Los Angeles really fallen off this much in less than a year? The answer is probably ... yes.
15. Browns (17): Heading into Pittsburgh with a three-game winning streak, this is exactly the kind of game where an erratic Cleveland team must maintain its composure.
16. Steelers (18): Not two years removed from Bell/Ben/Brown Triplets, T.J. Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Devin Bush might be the new faces of this franchise.
17. Panthers (20): Apparently rookie K Joey Slye hasn’t heard Carolina owner David Tepper’s unwillingness to settle for “long-term mediocrity.” Wide right.
18. Eagles (14): No matter how beaten up they are, it’s officially go time given Philadelphia’s next three opponents before a rematch with Dallas are a combined 6-27.
19. Jets (27): You probably know the Jets have been on fire the last three weeks, scoring 34 in each game. But did you know they feature the NFL’s top-rated run defense?
20. Raiders (13): As horrendous as they looked in Sunday’s meltdown, a win at Kansas City in Week 13 vaults Oakland into a first-place tie atop the AFC West.
21. Chargers (21): Philip Rivers has now been on the losing end of 61 games decided by seven or fewer points, the most by any starting quarterback in the Super Bowl era.
22. Bears (23): It’s convenient to pin the blame for this season on QB Mitchell Trubisky. But what about a running game that’s surpassed the century mark twice all year?
23. Buccaneers (24): The real question, given the Bucs’ 20th-ranked ground game, is why hasn’t high school RB Vita Vea been in the backfield far more often in 2019?
24. Cardinals (25): Chandler Jones is on track to lead the league in sacks for the second time in three seasons, yet does anybody give him acclaim he clearly deserves?
25. Jaguars (22): Only one team has surrendered more rushing TDs than Jacksonville. Only one team has scored fewer rushing TDs than Jacksonville. Hmmm.
26. Falcons (19): Anyone else wonder why the NFL decided we needed to see Atlanta and New Orleans meet on Thanksgiving night for the second time in two years?
27. Broncos (26): Shoutout to Courtland Sutton, who has developed into a Pro Bowl-caliber wideout under lessthan-ideal offensive circumstances this season.
28. Redskins (31): Best thing about Dwayne Haskins’ selfie? Zeal with which he commemorated a two-turnover performance that saw him complete 45% of his passes.
29. Dolphins (29): From “Silver Linings Playbook” department, Allen Hurns is one of the league’s nicest comeback stories, new extension in hand just months after a scary playoff injury while with Dallas.
30. Lions (28): Why wouldn’t they shut down Matthew Stafford? Maybe that comes next week, when they’ll likely be officially eliminated from the playoff picture.
31. Giants (30): Why wouldn’t they shut down Saquon Barkley? Maybe that comes next week, when they’ll likely be officially eliminated from the playoff picture.
32. Bengals (32): First, they kick Andy Dalton to the curb without a chance for parole. Then, they throw Ryan Finley to the wolves ... without a chance. Now back to Dalton? Nicely done. No better way to encapsulate 0-11.