Six teams were on bye in Week 14, leading to a lighter Sunday slate. We still got some incredible games, with Jets/Dolphins going to overtime and the Bills/Rams shootout setting records.
Bye weeks are behind us now, and it’s full steam ahead as we approach the playoffs. Four weeks remain in the regular season as teams make their final playoff pushes and fight for divisions and seeding.
There are probably only five or so teams with realistic paths to a championship at this point and that number could shrink further over the next few weeks. Let’s get to the rankings:
1 — Detroit Lions (12-1, —)
It’s another tough win for the Lions. They’ve looked like the best team in the league for the majority of the season, and QB Jared Goff is firmly in the MVP discussion.
2 — Philadelphia Eagles (11-2, up 2)
The margin was closer than expected, but the Eagles stacked their ninth consecutive win on Sunday over the Panthers. It’s time to recognize Philadelphia as a real Super Bowl contender, a status that the chaos early in the season put in jeopardy.
3 — Buffalo Bills (10-3, down 1)
Tough loss to take for the Bills, who are still fighting for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. The 44-42 game with the Rams was the highest-scoring game of the season so far, and Bills QB Josh Allen had six total touchdowns — three passing and three rushing.
4 — Kansas City Chiefs (12-1, down 1)
The Chiefs keep finding new, inventive ways to win close games, this time doinking in a game-winning field goal. A team that keeps getting good luck over the course of a whole season is usually just good, and no one has more playoff experience than these Chiefs.
5 — Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3, —)
Pittsburgh ran roughshod over the Browns, winning their revenge game at home. A two-game lead on the Ravens this late in the season is noteworthy.
6 — Green Bay Packers (9-4, —)
The Packers came up just short once again, losing a heartbreaker to the Lions on Thursday night. It effectively eliminates them from the division race, but Green Bay is still in prime position for a wildcard berth.
7 — Minnesota Vikings (11-2, up 1)
The Vikings got a dominant, feel-good win over their old quarterback in his return to Minnesota. They’ve played some tight games the last few weeks, so a comfortable victory is welcome.
8 — Baltimore Ravens (8-5, down 1)
The Ravens were on bye this week and travel to New York to play the Giants in Week 15.
9 — Los Angeles Chargers (8-5, —)
The Chargers were down 13-0 at the half to the Chiefs before storming back and taking the lead late. They lost to some Mahomes magic, but HC Jim Harbaugh has closed the gap with their division rivals in his first year.
10 — Seattle Seahawks (8-5, —)
Seattle seized control of the NFC West with a dominant win over Arizona. They play the Rams in the final week of the season, a game that could decide the division.
11 — Denver Broncos (8-5, —)
The Broncos were on bye this week and host the Colts in Week 15.
12 — Houston Texans (8-5, —)
The Texans were on bye this week and host the Dolphins in Week 15.
13 — Washington Commanders (8-5, —)
The Commanders were on bye this week and travel to New Orleans in Week 15.
14 — Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6, up 1)
It wasn’t pretty, but the Bucs got it done against the Raiders to take the division lead. Despite a pair of early-season losses to the Falcons, Tampa Bay is in the driver’s seat for the NFC South.
15 — Los Angeles Rams (7-6, up 3)
It was a huge win for the Rams at home over the Bills, holding on late in a massive shootout to keep pace with the Seahawks in the division.
16 — Indianapolis Colts (6-7, up 1)
The Colts were on bye this week and travel to Denver in Week 15.
17 — Arizona Cardinals (6-7, down 1)
The Cardinals blew a golden opportunity to seize control of the NFC West, suffering a loss to the Seahawks that wasn’t all that close. Though Arizona now needs some help, they’re still in contention for the playoffs.
18 — Miami Dolphins (6-7, up 1)
It took overtime, but Miami kept their playoff hopes alive by taking down the Jets. They need the Broncos and Colts to take losses down the stretch to sneak in.
19 — San Francisco 49ers (6-7, up 1)
This was a massive bounce-back for San Francisco to end a three-game skid. As down as it feels in the Bay Area right now, they are still firmly in the mix for the NFC West.
20 — Atlanta Falcons (6-7, down 6)
Embattled QB Kirk Cousins made his return to Minnesota and promptly got trounced by three touchdowns. Something’s not right with the Falcons right now, and the calls to start first-round QB Michael Penix Jr. are growing louder.
21 — Cincinnati Bengals (5-8, —)
Backs against the wall, WR Ja’Marr Chase housed an out route to keep Cincinnati’s slim playoff hopes alive for one more week. It’s yet another impressive game for the Bengals’ superstar duo, with both Chase and QB Joe Burrow shining.
22 — Dallas Cowboys (4-9, up 1)
With the game tied 20-20 under two minutes, the Cowboys blocked a Bengals punt, only for backup CB Amani Oruwariye to try and recover it unnecessarily, leading to a Bengals recovery and the game-winning drive. It’s a brutal loss for Dallas, all but officially ending their faint playoff hopes.
23 — New York Jets (3-10, up 1)
Aaron Rodgers had his first 300-yard passing game as a New York Jet, but it wasn’t enough in a losing effort to the Dolphins. Now officially eliminated from playoff contention, Rodgers’ future with the team will be front and center.
24 — New Orleans Saints (5-8, up 1)
Saints QB Derek Carr made the bizarre choice to hurdle a linebacker head-first near the sideline on second down. The result was a concussion and hand injury that may end his season.
25 — Chicago Bears (4-9, down 3)
A 25-point loss that wasn’t even that close isn’t the result Chicago wanted after firing HC Matt Eberflus. This team has massive culture and personnel issues to fix, making this a challenging job for whoever takes over.
26 — Cleveland Browns (3-10, —)
It was a frustrating day for the Browns offense. A week after lighting up the Broncos, QB Jameis Winston threw two picks and Cleveland couldn’t get anything going on the ground.
27 — Carolina Panthers (3-10, —)
Panthers first-round WR Xavier Legette dropped what would have been the game-winning touchdown against the Eagles. It’s yet another frustrating loss in a late-game scenario for Carolina, but QB Bryce Young continues to look like the real deal.
28 — New England Patriots (3-10, up 1)
The Patriots were on bye this week and travel to Arizona in Week 15.
29 — Jacksonville Jaguars (3-10, up 2)
Jaguars QB Mac Jones, a former first-round pick of the Patriots, outplayed Titans QB Will Levis in this one. Jaguars HC Doug Pederson will be relying on Jones down the stretch to try and salvage his job, if that possibility remains.
30 — Tennessee Titans (3-10, down 2)
Tennessee lost the first round of the AFC South ineptitude bowl, managing just two field goals in a loss to the Jaguars. Levis took some big hits and couldn’t get any momentum going.
31 — Las Vegas Raiders (2-11, down 1)
Raiders QB Aidan O’Connell was carted off the field with his leg in air cast, starting just his second game since returning from an early-season hand injury. An MRI on Monday revealed it’s just a bone bruise, and O’Connell could reenter the lineup as soon as this week.
32 — New York Giants (2-11, —)
It got competitive late, but the Giants once again came up short in a winnable game. Giants QB Drew Lock is slated to start again next week if he’s healthy enough.
Looking for the latest NFL Insider News & Rumors?
Be sure to follow NFL Trade Rumors on TWITTER and FACEBOOK for breaking NFL News and Rumors for all 32 teams!
