1. Philadelphia Eagles (9-1) Last Week # 1
Week 12 Matchup: vs Bills
The Eagles keep saying they haven't yet put together their best 60 minutes of football this season and I believe them. Their MNF win against the Chiefs wasn't pretty but it was effective; shutting out the Chiefs in the second half and rushing for 3 touchdowns against the #2 team in the league. While there is certainly truth in saying, "The Chiefs beat themselves," The Eagles deserve high praise and remain at #1 on our list for a 5th straight week.
2. Kansas City Chiefs (7-3) Last Week # 2
Week 12 Matchup: @ Raiders
On the other side of the coin, the Chiefs had plenty of chances to take down the Eagles but had a season-high 5 drops in this game along with two turnovers from Mahomes and Kelce. The Super Bowl rematch must have been circled on the Chiefs' schedule all year and they played their worst game of the year and still only lost by 4. The Chiefs will be back and may see the Eagles again in February.
3. Dallas Cowboys (7-3) Last Week # 3
Week 12 Matchup: vs Commanders on Thanksgiving
4. San Francisco 49ers (7-3) Last Week # 5
Week 12 Matchup: @ Seahawks on Thanksgiving
5. Miami Dolphins (7-3) Last Week # 4
Week 12 Matchup: @ Jets
6. Baltimore Ravens (8-3) Last Week # 6
Week 12 Matchup: @ Chargers on SNF
7. Jacksonville Jaguars (7-3) Last Week # 9
Week 12 Matchup: @ Texans
8. Detroit Lions (8-2) Last Week # 7
Week 12 Matchup: vs Packers on Thanksgiving
The Lions walked away from their matchup with the Bears with a W by the skin of their teeth. The Lions hold the 2nd best record in the NFC but don't have the dominant wins or stacked roster to put them above the Cowboys or 49ers. Holders of a 3-game win streak, the Lions are 2nd in the league in yards per game and Jared Goff is putting up another MVP-cusp season. The Lions will be a dangerous team to see come playoffs this year.
9. Cleveland Browns (7-3) Last Week # 11
Week 12 Matchup: @ Broncos
10. Seattle Seahawks (6-4) Last Week # 10
Week 12 Matchup: vs 49ers on Thanksgiving
11. Buffalo Bills (6-5) Last Week # 13
Week 12 Matchup: @ Eagles
The Bills 32-6 win against the Jets was much needed. After a 4-game stretch that saw 3 losses and a firing of OC Ken Dorsey for Buffalo, a divisional domination is just what was needed for Josh Allen and company. An upcoming matchup in Philadelphia will be a true test of where they are. An upset-win can be a catalyst for a late-season run in Buffalo, while a loss will set them back to .500 with a Wild Card appearance getting farther away.
12. Houston Texans (6-4) Last Week # 14
Week 12 Matchup: vs Jaguars
13. Minnesota Vikings (6-5) Last Week # 12
Week 12 Matchup: vs Bears on MNF
14. Denver Broncos (5-5) Last Week # 22
Week 12 Matchup: vs Browns
The Broncos are holders of the longest active win streak in the NFL at this point and have completely turned their season around. After starting 1-4, the Broncos have made it to .500 and are sitting at 5th for a Wild Card slot. Russell Wilson is in MVP discussions and the Broncos defense has been Top-3 in the league over the last 6 games. Don't look now but Sean Payton may be in Coach of the Year discussions.
15. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4) Last Week # 15
Week 12 Matchup: @ Bengals
16. New Orleans Saints (5-5) Last Week # 17
Week 12 Matchup: @ Falcons
17. Indianapolis Colts (5-5) Last Week # 20
Week 12 Matchup: vs Buccaneers
18. Los Angeles Chargers (4-6) Last Week # 16
Week 12 Matchup: vs Ravens on SNF
19. Cincinnati Bengals (5-5) Last Week # 8 Week 12 Matchup: vs Steelers
The Bengals make the biggest plummet this week after the loss of their Star-QB Joe Burrow for the season. Backup Jake Browning will be taking the reigns for the remainder of the year and if his showing in the Ravens game is how the rest of the year will go, it looks like the Bengals will fall to the bottom of the ultra-talented AFC North. The Bengals were just starting to hit their stride as a team before Burrow went down and it's sad to see one of the NFL's biggest stars going down.
20. Washington Commanders (4-7) Last Week # 18
Week 12 Matchup: vs Cowboys on Thanksgiving
21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-6) Last Week # 21
Week 12 Matchup: @ Colts
22. New York Jets (4-6) Last Week # 19
Week 12 Matchup: vs Dolphins
23. Los Angeles Rams (4-6) Last Week # 24
Week 12 Matchup: @ Cardinals
24. Las Vegas Raiders (5-6) Last Week # 25
Week 12 Matchup: vs Chiefs
25. Green Bay Packers (4-6) Last Week # 28
Week 12 Matchup: @ Lions on Thanksgiving
The Packers are on a 2-game winning streak right before their Thanksgiving day matchup with the Lions tomorrow night. After a stretch of games earlier this year that had the Packers in Top-5 draft pick territory, the Packers are turning it around. Jordan Love had his best game of the year last week against the Chargers but still has a lot to prove if he wants to be the franchise guy for much longer.
26. Chicago Bears (3-8) Last Week # 27
Week 12 Matchup: @ Vikings on MNF
27. Tennessee Titans (3-7) Last Week # 25
Week 12 Matchup: vs Panthers
28. Atlanta Falcons (3-7) Last Week # 26
Week 12 Matchup: vs Saints
29. New York Giants (3-8) Last Week # 31
Week 12 Matchup: vs Patriots
30. New England Patriots (2-8) Last Week # 29
Week 12 Matchup: @ Giants
The BYE week came at an interesting point in the Patriots season, with a string of winnable games coming up in their schedule. The next three weeks entail an away game against the Giants, a home game against the Chargers and another away game in Pittsburgh. The Patriots are currently sitting at the #3 draft pick but don't feel like a team that will deliberately lose games to tank. With a win or two coming in their next stretch and a Week 18 game against the Jets, it's very possible for them to get 4 or 5 wins on the year. This begs the question... Would it be better for the Patriots to tank at this point?
31. Arizona Cardinals (2-9) Last Week # 30
Week 12 Matchup: vs Rams
32. Carolina Panthers (1-9) Last Week # 32
Week 12 Matchup: @ Titans