Official /r/NFL Week 12 Power Rankings

Welcome to Week 12 of the official /r/nfl Power Rankings! Where everything is made up and the records don't matter. As it currently stands, very little about this season makes sense. Maybe the itis was a key factor in some of the play this weekend. Who knows? Use this thread to rationally talk with us about this irrational season. Everyone's here!

#		Team	Δ	Record	Comment
1.		Cardinals	--	9-2	Did you know the Cardinals are 6-0 in away games? Or that they are 4-0 in divisional games? How about the fact that James Conner is currently 2nd in rushing touchdowns behind only Jonathan Taylor? Have you heard that the top receiver in yards on the team is Christian Kirk, and he’s ranked 31st overall, even though the Cardinals are a top offense? Well now you know! It will be an interesting back half of the season for this team, with games left vs. the Rams, Cowboys and Colts, while also having games left against the Bears, Seahawks, and Lions.
2.		Packers	+1	9-3	This has to be the first week in quite a while without suffering a major injury. OL looked relatively OK against what should be a good Rams DL, which is a good sign. Davante Adams is still really good. The defense played super well despite a couple big plays, can't be mad about Stafford letting it loose every now and then. Good win against a good team.
3.		Buccaneers	-1	8-3	Sure, Vita Vea may have lost a front tooth, but the Bucs picked up their 8th win of the season, snapping a three game win streak for the Colts. Leonard Fournette rumbled for 131 yards from scrimmage and 4 TD's, while the defense managed 3 sacks and 5 takeaways. The penalty problems remain, however. The Bucs have had 75 penalties against them this season, which puts them right in line with the Texans, Jets, and Jaguars. Next up, the Buccaneers will face the 5-6 Atlanta Falcons, a team that once blew a 25 point lead to Tom Brady in Super Bowl LI.
4.		Patriots	+3	8-4	Can’t get ahead of ourselves after beating up the depleted titans, though the clutch defensive performance and solid work by Mac Jones have the hot hot Pats are still rolling. The whole season we have been looking towards the games with with bills and now it’s time, the pats are heading to Buffalo with the second seed, their fate in their own hands (or possibly Nick Folk’s foot
5.		Chiefs	+3	7-4	The bye week was well timed for the Chiefs. The team had nagging injuries at key spots like right tackle and Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes needed a bye week to self scout on offense to get continue to improve it. With a 1 game lead on everyone in the AFC West and a bout with Denver coming up, it is go time for the Chiefs.
6.		Bills	+4	7-4	The Bills needed a bounce back game, and that’s mostly what they got, as they handily beat the Trevor Siemian-led shell of what was once the New Orleans Saints. However, just as Thanksgiveth, Thankstaketh away. Buffalo lost Tre’Davious White, arguably the second most important player on the team, for the remainder of the season. The Bills have no choice but to move forward, as the season now winds into it’s toughest stretch. First, it’s a Monday Night dogfight with the New England Patriots, a team on a massive upswing over the past several weeks. This is likely the most important game of the year for Buffalo. A win here gives them a pretty solid grip on the AFC East, ensuring they’ll finish with the division record tiebreaker over the Patriots.
7.		Ravens	+3	8-3	Lamar threw 4 interceptions against the Browns and won, thanks to an insane effort by Patrick Queen, Tyus Bowser, and Odafe Oweh in the absence of Calais Campbell. Browns were held to 40 yards on 17 carries, forcing Baker to throw balls into the waiting stone hands of his receivers (or otherwise being way off). Anyway, now the Browns have 2 weeks to prepare after four Lamar picks. Meanwhile, the Ravens move onto Pittsburgh, where Lamar has a 1-1 record as starter and has thrown... 3 TDs to 5 Ints. Oh no. Enjoy that 1-seed while it lasts, because this team has like a PD of +23.
8.		Cowboys	-4	7-4	Today's rant: no one turns on a national broadcast of a sporting event to watch the officials, so why do they make themselves part of the show? There is no reason that we should know the name Hochuli, or Angel Hernandez, or Tim Peel. When the officials stop being an arbiter of the game and become part of the spectacle, , something is wrong. When teams are adjusting the way they play because on official is going to apply the rules differently than the rest, something is wrong. When watching a prime time sporting event makes me wish I had joined my grandfather on an African safari, something is wrong.
9.		Rams	-3	7-4	Morale is at a season-low following this three-game skid. There’s a LOT of blame to go around, more than a blurb can accommodate—but the #1 thing that must be stopped immediately is continually handing the out free points. Stafford has a pick six in three straight games and the Packers started three drives inside the Rams’ 30 yard line this game. Asides from that, it’s minor stuff like McVay’s game mismanagement/lack of adjustments/ego, Raheem Morris neutering the top defense in the league, and special teams being an actual joke. The talent is here, execution is not.
10.		Titans	-5	8-4	The team the Titans put on the field in week 12 was not remotely close to the healthy team that was envisioned for the 2021 season. With short term IR considered, the 8-4 Titans have now used 86 players through the 2021 season, breaking the record for players used in a season passing the 2019 Dolphins (5-11) and the 2020 49ers (6-10). The Titans finally get their much needed bye in week 13.
11.		Bengals	+2	7-4	The Bengals are quietly 7th in the NFL in points scored and 6th in points allowed, giving them the 5th best point differential in the NFL. After a brief mid-season slump against the Jets and Browns the Bengals have rebounded nicely beating AFC wild-card contenders in back-to-back weeks. If they can pull off the trifecta and beat the Chargers this week, the playoffs will start to look more like a reality.
12.		Colts	-1	6-6	The Colts led the defending Super Bowl champions 24-10 at halftime, only to get outscored 24-7 over the remaining two quarters. Turnovers killed them. A fumble, a strip sack, an interception, a muffed punt. For an offense known to be reliable with the football, it was just an uncharacteristic day all around. The defense didn't do much better. While some bad pass interference calls certainly made their job harder, they just gave up big play after big play. The media will blame the loss on Reich for his gameplan of constantly passing the ball, but to be fair that strategy was consistently successful in the first half as the Buccaneers were more focused on shutting down Jonathan Taylor. The team was extremely close to getting a touchdown on the opening drive of the second half before the strip sack, so it's not like it wasn't working. The Colts just made too many mistakes. They can beat anybody in the league, but unfortunately on Sunday they decided to beat themselves.
13.		Chargers	-1	6-5	After an exciting SNF contest last week where the Chargers came out victorious, this week's game was...not that. Denver held all of the control on defense, shutting the run game down entirely and preventing the passing attack from doing any real damage. Turnovers also played a factor, and Pat Surtain II sends his regards. The AFC West is entirely wide open, and the Chargers are beginning to Charger. Next week's game at Cincinnati carries some significant playoff implications.
14.		49ers	+3	6-5	Eli Mitchell continues his strong rookie campaign, totalling 133 rushing yards this week at a 4.9 ypc rate. The 49ers dominated the time of possession again en route to a 6-5 record and the 5 seed. After 3 consecutive wins they head to Seattle to face a reeling Seahawks team coming off their 3rd loss in a row.
15.		Raiders	+4	6-5	The Raiders offense was finally able to get things going again this week and it lead to a close win over the Cowboys on Thanksgiving. The refs were awful for both teams, throwing a combined 28 flags and each team being penalized for over 100 yards. The Raiders were able to abuse the refs insatiable desire to throw flags by targeting a CB with an equal desire to hug, hook arms with, or run into whatever receiver he was covering. The Raiders are in a three way tie for 2nd place in the division now and one game out of a playoff spot. A win this week would go a long way towards helping them stay in the race.
16.		Browns	-1	6-6	It might be time to press the panic button. The Browns forced four turnovers but couldn't do anything with them. Baker is clearly hurt, the offense was in shambles, and the once amazing ground game was held to a whopping 40 yards. The Browns will head into a BYE week and revaluate things before facing the Ravens again at home.
17.		Vikings	-3	5-6	The Vikings now have a losing record despite being the only team in the NFL to put up a seven-point lead in every game so far this season. Whether it's crucial late-game fumbles, missed field goals, coverage busts or the quarterback lining up behind the guard on a crucial fourth down, this team keeps finding new ways to implode in the most hilariously embarrassing fashion possible.
18.		Broncos	+3	6-5	The Broncos, thanks to one of their most impressive games in recent memory, have played themselves back into contention in the congested AFC West. Steady Teddy did his thing again — leg injury be damned — as Vic Fangio and the defense turned Justin Herbert into Just some Sherbet. The biggest game in half a decade awaits the Broncos on Sunday Night, with all the nation watching them.
19.		Steelers	-3	5-5-1	Ever take a shower and someone in the house is fucking with the water and you go from freezing cold to scalding hot? Well, the Steelers are flushing their shit season down the toilet. Enjoy your hot and cold shower, Steelers fans. Will you get burned again next time? Frozen out? Or actually have a normal time? Who knows with this team!
20.		Saints	-2	5-6	This week the Saints answered the question "If a team had a starting lineup of Trevor Siemian, Tony Jones and Tre'Quan Smith for a whole season could they secure a top 3 pick?" Expectations weren't high as the wounded Saints limped into a Thanksgiving game and it was clear from the outset they weren't up to the task.
21.		Washington FT	+2	5-6	Washington Football Team, despite everything, despite losing 4 in a row and dropping to 2-6 is currently sitting in the 7th seed of the NFC playoff picture and have a chance to get back to .500 next week against The Raiders.
22.		Dolphins	+3	5-7	🐧🐧 For most football players, being told that you waddle would be a negative, but there's a whole flock of penguins waddling around down in Miami every time Jaylen Waddle makes a big play. 🐧🐧 Meanwhile, another Jaelen seems set to live up to his name as he's starting a campaign to screw every QB he comes across into the ground, putting up 5 sacks in the last 4 games and helping the Dolphins provide a pass rush that was woefully lacking early in the season.
23.		Eagles	-3	5-7	The over/under on Sunday was 40 points which is laughable in hindsight after witnessing the pathetic product both teams spewed out onto the field at the Meadowlands. Both Jalen Hurts and Jalen Reagor could have served the Eagles better by opting not to get onto the team bus and simply staying in New Jersey to sell knockoff handbags outside a QuickChek.
24.		Panthers	-3	5-7	Yesterday was the first Panthers game I've missed live since the Monday night game in 2014 where we were shellacked by the Mark Sanchez-led Eagles. The result was pretty much the same, except substitute the Eagles for the Dolphins. There's not really much left to say at this point about this team. Our offense is inept, our defense is trying to hold together but it's quickly falling apart, and our special teams might be the worst in the NFL. At least we're living rent free in the Cardinals heads for some reason.
25.		Falcons	+1	5-6	Atlanta is back in the playoff hunt with the strongest showing a team could ever ask for: a win against Jacksonville. A win that wouldn't have been without CP84. Even Arthur Smith's phenomenal coaching (probably) won't be enough to save the dome in week 13 against Brady and AB.
26.		Giants	+2	4-7	In a battle between one of the most mobile quarterbacks the NFL has ever seen, and Jalen Hurts, it was Danny Dimes who came away with zero turnovers in this low-scoring slugfest. While a win is a win, especially against Philly, it's never encouraging to see your team go +4 in turnover differential and win by just 6 points (scoring only 13 total). The first taste of Freddie Kitchens' playcalling looked better than Jason Garrett's already, a bar so low it's practically on the ground, but he and this offense will need to show more if the Giants are to come away from Miami with a win. The defense isn't always going to be able to bail out the offense like it did on Sunday.
27.		Bears	--	4-7	Don't look now, but the Bears are officially "in the hunt." No, seriously, don't look. Especially at the offense. You'll be much happier that way.
28.		Seahawks	-4	3-8	Imagine.. you haven't eaten in 3 days. But you're about to be at Taco Bell! Hooray! Oh no, they're all out of crunchwraps! Don't worry, that new cantina crispy melt taco looks pretty awesome. Oh, guess they aren't producing those anymore. Bummer. Well, you can't go wrong with the classic cheesy gordita crunch. All. Gone. Perhaps just a Baja Blast freeze? No can do. Chef Russ forgot how to PROPERLY UTILIZE the BIGGEST STRONGEST FASTEST WIDE REC- oops, meant to say the machine is broken. So you ask to speak to the manager (Pete Carroll) and he tells you "everybody just needs to step up." You are confused but just ask for some Doritos™ locos tacos so you can get the hell out of there with some food...... finally! And then you get home and realize frycook Russ spit all over that little taco's hopes and dreams. This is the Seahawks season. It's time to make like post-taco bell and BLOW IT UP FOLKS.
29.		Jets	+2	3-8	The Jets won an ugly game on the road as underdogs with a rookie QB returning from injury -- and winning ugly is a valuable skill to learn when you have a first year head coach trying to build credibility and establish a winning culture. Some fans complain about meaningless wins hurting draft stock, but draft position is likely overvalued relative to the importance of the youngest team in the league getting some wins under their belt. The Jets have a long way to go to establish a winning culture, but the days of rooting for losses should be behind us. Besides, the Jets still own the 4th pick and 5th picks in the draft. All luv.
30.		Jaguars	--	2-9	Abhorrent; Appaling; Awful; Disgusting; Dreadful; Ghastly; Gruesome; Heinous; Hideous; Horrendous; Horrid; Horrible; Shameful; Terrible; But worst of all: Predictable.
31.		Texans	-2	2-9	There is so much dysfunction in the Texans organization, that it's often hard to find a group of people that are actually doing their job well. The HC blames players for losses while benching key players for unexplained "disciplinary and standards" reasons. The failson owner continues to trust in his Rasputin-analogue VP of Football Operations. And all the while the stands get emptier and emptier, and fans get less and less invested. Everyone can understand a rebuild, but there's no building going on with the Texans.
32.		Lions	--	0-10-1	On Thanksgiving, the Lions were thankful to have Goff back (21/25 171yds 2 TD's). Goff was still the checkdown king, but had long throws for TD's to Reynolds and Hockenson. If the connection with Reynolds continues to develop, he should be the de facto WR1 for the Lions and change this passing attack substantially. The budget defense the Lions rolls out every week is still playing out of their minds, dragging every team to play some very ugly and winnable football. Since the defense is keeping the Lions in games, MCDC just needs to fix the growing pains with offensive play calling. Important note: Swift went down hard on his shoulder and left mid game, he isn't shut down for the season but most likely will be out next week. With few winnable games coming up, the decision on whether or not to shut him down will be a huge factor in the Lions getting a W.