Week 12 was the week of bizarre finishes. The Vikings/Bears and Commanders/Cowboys games cut deep into the late window as miracle touchdowns, onside kicks, fumbled kick return touchdowns, missed extra points and an overtime period made for the most exciting brand of sloppy football ever.
The playoff picture in both conferences should get additional clarity soon, as teams like the Colts, Bengals, Bucs and 49ers are facing do-or-die moments in their respective seasons. Upset losses will start to have massive implications, as well.
Let’s get to the rankings:
1 — Detroit Lions (10-1, —)
It wasn’t quite the dominant performance we’ve come to expect for the Lions, as a few key bounces of the ball could’ve swung this to a much closer game against the Colts. Just goes to show how good this team is, however, as anything less than a perfect performance will doom an opponent, a distinction only associated with the Chiefs in recent years.
2 — Buffalo Bills (9-2, —)
The Bills were on bye this week and host the 49ers in Week 13.
3 — Kansas City Chiefs (10-1, —)
As good as the Panthers have played of late, the Chiefs should never have been in a tie game with them late. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes bailed them out, as he often does, but Kansas City needs to be better if they want to three-peat.
4 — Baltimore Ravens (8-4, up 1)
The Ravens pulled away late to get an important win over the Chargers. Workhorse RB Derrick Henry was the engine for this one, with 140 yards on 24 carries.
5 — Philadelphia Eagles (9-2, up 1)
Philadelphia literally ran away from the Rams in the second half Sunday night, extending their win streak to seven. In a tough NFC conference, the Eagles are positioning themselves well.
6 — Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3, down 2)
A week after I proclaim the Steelers “for real,” they go and lose to the Browns. The loss isn’t the end of the world, but it does eliminate the cushion they had in the AFC North.
7 — Green Bay Packers (8-3, —)
While it wasn’t the full-strength 49ers team, the Packers did what they needed to do and got a dominant win. It was a bit of a bounce-back for Green Bay QB Jordan Love, too, as he broke his long interception streak.
8 — Minnesota Vikings (9-2, up 2)
They almost blew it at the end, but the Vikings took care of business and stayed step-for-step with the Lions in the NFC North. At the very least, they’re building quite a cushion in the wildcard picture.
9 — Los Angeles Chargers (7-4, up 2)
They did a good job keeping Ravens’ QB Lamar Jackson from beating them with his legs, but the Chargers blew an opportunity to get a big home win. Still, they’re in the driver’s seat for the AFC’s top wildcard berth.
10 — Seattle Seahawks (6-5, up 8)
This is the Seahawks team we thought we might get this year. Starting QB Geno Smith had a good game and the defense stepped up to secure a critical division win.
11 — Denver Broncos (7-5, up 2)
It was dicey for a bit, but the Broncos continue to take care of business against lesser competition. First-round QB Bo Nix might be the new Offensive Rookie of the Year frontrunner.
12 — Houston Texans (7-5, down 3)
The NFL world is buzzing as three of the top four quarterbacks taken in the 2023 draft are in the process of surging finishes to their sophomore campaigns. Houston’s C.J. Stroud is having the opposite experience right now, as he looked like a star in his rookie year and is struggling right now. He needs to get back on track if the Texans are to stand a chance in the playoffs.
13 — Washington Commanders (7-5, down 5)
In what was easily the most bizarre game of the day, Washington lost a very winnable game against Dallas. A flurry of touchdowns in the final three minutes made things interesting, but make no mistake: the Commanders were outplayed.
14 — Atlanta Falcons (6-5, —)
The Falcons were on bye this week and host the Chargers in Week 13.
15 — Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-6, —)
The return of WR Mike Evans bodes well for the Bucs down the stretch. Atlanta’s lead in this division is not insurmountable, though Tampa Bay already lost the tiebreaker.
16 — Arizona Cardinals (6-5, —)
The Cardinals’ normally potent offense was shut down by an up-and-down Seattle defense. Arizona’s defense will struggle in big games, so they have to hope this offensive performance was an anomaly rather than a trend moving forward.
17 — Indianapolis Colts (5-7, —)
His stat line won’t show it, but Colts QB Anthony Richardson had another good game. The second-year quarterback had three big-time throws, but penalties doomed the Colts in their attempt to hang with the Lions.
18 — Miami Dolphins (5-6, up 3)
Miami is back. Despite looking dead in the water midseason, the Dolphins are a game out of the No. 7 seed after putting a beatdown on the Patriots. They’ll have a chance to make a statement in Green Bay on Thanksgiving.
19 — San Francisco 49ers (5-6, down 7)
Down many of their stars, this 49ers game against the Packers was over before it began. This team has been beat-up all season, and as some of their stars get healthy, others go down.
20 — Los Angeles Rams (5-6, down 1)
The game was close for three quarters, but the Rams couldn’t tackle Eagles RB Saquon Barkley down the stretch. It was a game Los Angeles would’ve loved to have had, but they’re still right in the thick of the division race.
21 — Cincinnati Bengals (4-7, down 1)
The Bengals were on bye this week and host the Steelers in Week 13.
22 — Chicago Bears (4-7, —)
Another heartbreaker for Chicago. Down by 10 late, the Bears executed an onside kick and managed to send the game to overtime. The Vikings won in the extra period, but it’s another positive sign for a young team. Now they need to learn to close games out.
23 — Dallas Cowboys (4-7, —)
Despite offering the game to Washington on a silver platter, the Cowboys got the surprising win. It won’t change their playoff chances, but maybe they can build on this momentum.
24 — New York Jets (3-8, —)
The Jets were on bye this week and host the Seahawks in Week 13.
25 — New Orleans Saints (4-7, —)
The Saints were on bye this week and host the Rams in Week 13.
26 — Cleveland Browns (3-8, up 2)
The Browns got a home win over the Steelers in a throwback snow game. This was AFC North football at its finest, and both QB Jameis Winston and RB Nick Chubb made big plays down the stretch to grind out a nice win.
27 — Carolina Panthers (3-7, up 1)
A lot was made of what the Panthers would do with Bryce Young, but if he keeps playing like this, he won’t be going anywhere. The second-year quarterback went blow-for-blow with Mahomes, though the Chiefs did their thing and got a walk-off field goal.
28 — Tennessee Titans (3-8, up 3)
The Titans got the upset of the week when they took down Houston in a back-and-forth game. Titans QB Will Levis had a good game overall, though he had his weekly bad interception, this time when he didn’t see a lurking safety and it cost him a pick-six.
29 — New England Patriots (3-9, down 3)
It was a non-competitive performance for New England, highlighting their lack of offensive talent despite first-round QB Drake Maye’s promising season.
30 — Las Vegas Raiders (2-9, down 3)
Starting QB Gardner Minshew broke his collarbone, but backup Aidan O’Connell could return as soon as this week. O’Connell was starting when he went on IR with a broken finger and should slide right back into role as soon as he’s ready.
31 — Jacksonville Jaguars (2-9, down 1)
The Jaguars were on bye this week and host the Texans in Week 13.
32 — New York Giants (2-9, —)
Starting QB Daniel Jones was cut on Friday and former third-stringer Tommy DeVito got the start. DeVito started a handful of games last season, but the 2023 UDFA was in over his head against this aggressive Tampa Bay defense.
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