Patriots, Cowboys tumble down pecking order
NFL power rankings, post-Week 13 edition:
1. Ravens (previous, 1): Scored fewest points of season (20) yet managed to win eighth in row against arguably toughest foe on schedule, San Francisco. Super Bowl favorites? We’d say so ...
2. Saints (4): Had never won consecutive division titles before arrival of Sean Payton and Drew Brees. Now three-time defending NFC South kings.
3. Seahawks (5): Have worked into position for at least a bye, potentially deadly development for NFC given playoff track record of success at CenturyLink Field – 10 wins in row dating to 2005.
4. 49ers (3): Schedule doesn’t let up with trip to New Orleans next. Might be a holiday blessing as Niners could well be returning to Big Easy in January.
5. Texans (7): Have never reached AFC Championship Game in franchise’s 18-season history, but this Houston team looks like it might be ready for that type of breakthrough.
6. Patriots (2): Hyper focus remains on stalled offense. But did you notice vaunted defense surrendered four TD passes in Houston, doubling season total entering game?
7. Packers (6): Happy 36th birthday, Aaron Rodgers. When Brett Favre was 36, he suffered through his only 12-loss campaign ... so you’re doing just fine.
8. Chiefs (8): Promising sign with defense rounding into what could be winning form after generating seven takeaways and surrendering just 26 points last two games.
9. Bills (12): Could they win AFC East for first time since 1995? Buffalo must go through Ravens and Steelers before next shot at Patriots.
10. Vikings (9): Gave solid account of themselves in brutal venue even without a big chunk of their offensive firepower. Still, margin for error over closing Rams is dwindling dangerously.
11. Titans (13): How about sophomore season OLB Harold Landry is having? Second-round pick has nine sacks, including one in five games in a row.
12. Steelers (16): Nice to see rookie RB Benny Snell still sporting that spinner in his mouthguard as he cruised into end zone for his first NFL TD.
13. Rams (14): Followed worst performance of season with best. Seems stars finally healthy, but they must remain aligned for playoff return.
14. Cowboys (11): On bright side, Jason Witten joined Tony Gonzalez as only TEs with 1,200 receptions ... but JW trails TG by 125.
15. Colts (10): Kicking woes continue to kill them. It’s not all Adam Vinatieri’s fault, as evidenced by Sunday’s two blocks, but they’ve left 30 points off board over course of season.
16. Bears (22): Too-little-too-late mode. Only realistic objective remaining is stretching Mitch Trubisky in order to find out if he’s still starter in 2020.
17. Buccaneers (23): Tough year for defense but nice to see rookie Devin White assert himself with monster game (TD, INT, fumble recovery) at Jacksonville.
18. Browns (15): Welp, Freddie, whether or not “Pittsburgh Started It,” you can definitely print up some shirts that read “Pittsburgh Finished It.”
19. Eagles (18): If Carson Wentz merely had Aaron Rodgers’ ability to complete Hail Marys, this team would be on its way to NFC East title.
20. Panthers (17): Why wouldn’t Carolina look at rookie Will Grier now and continue gathering information before setting QB direction for next year?
21. Jets (19): Seems they’re kind of team that plays to level of competition ... but that would be insult to Bengals, who were clearly superior in Week 13.
22. Raiders (20): Limp into final homestand to face surging Titans squad that could officially stake Silver & Black’s sagging playoff hopes.
23. Broncos (27): Nice debut, kid. Now all Drew Lock must do is roll into Houston, then Kansas City, trying to prove John Elway need not draft QB.
24. Chargers (21): Despite being 4-8, outscored opposition by three collective points this season. That’s what happens when every loss for a loaded roster is gut-wrenching.
25. Falcons (26): With Panthers, Jags, Bucs ahead, Atlanta can’t even be legitimate spoilers. Scant incentive to further jeopardize Julio Jones, Matt Ryan.
26. Redskins (28): Have racked up 13 sacks during two-game winning streak even though Ryan Kerrigan missed first start of career Sunday.
27. Dolphins (29): “Mountaineer shot” – swaggy name for one of sweetest trick plays you’ll ever see. When did it suddenly become fun to watch the Fins?
28. Lions (30): Can’t wait to see where Danny Amendola plays next. No other wide receiver has 50 or more catches plus at least 500 yards past three years all while playing for different teams.
29. Cardinals (24): Inevitable “Air Raid” offense would eventually kill Air Raided defense, now ranked dead last after surrendering nearly 500 yards per game over past five outings.
30. Jaguars (25): Have lost four straight by an average of 20.5 points ... can Gardner Minshew (or Nick Foles) really overcome those kind of deficits?
31. Bengals (32): Finally get off schneid with first win and remain in position to pick atop 2020 draft. Worth noting coach Zac Taylor has kept Cincinnati competitive most weeks.
32. Giants (31): As injuries mount and drama around embattled Pat Shurmur builds, would you pick them over Cincinnati? Eight-game skid now league’s longest.