NFL Power Rankings: Week 14 Edition

Week 13 of the 2020 NFL season is in the books and now it’s time for everyone’s favorite meaningful exercise: NFL Power Rankings! Let’s take a look at how all 32 teams stack up. Don’t forget to hear me talking about the league’s landscape on my national podcast: The ODDcast!

BLG’S NFL WEEK 14 POWER RANKINGS

1 - Kansas City Chiefs (Last Week: 2) - Biggest gripe with them is that they haven’t been able to cover some sizeable spreads over the past few weeks. But they’re still very much the NFL’s most threatening team with Patrick Mahomes at the helm. And now they have a good chance to get a first-round bye. Super Bowl repeat is very much on the table.

2 - New Orleans Saints (LW: 3) - The good news is that the Saints clinched a playoff spot and they might be getting Drew Brees back soon. The bad news is that it’s not a walk in a park to clinch the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoff picture. Green Bay might be able to steal that way from them.

3 - Pittsburgh Steelers (LW: 1) - Feel like people are trying to say their loss to Washington proves they’re a bum team. I mean, 11-1 is still pretty good. Just unfortunate for them that they’re now in danger of losing that No. 1 seed.

4 - Green Bay Packers (LW: 4) - The Packers were given a little late scare by Philly until Aaron Jones put the game away. Aaron Rodgers continues to cruise.

5 - Buffalo Bills (LW: 5) - Ho-hum. Just a four touchdown performance for Josh Allen against a San Fran defense that ranks ninth in defensive DVOA. Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll is probably going to get a head coaching job after this season.

6 - Los Angeles Rams (LW: 10) - Sean McVay has never lost to Arizona. LA’s remaining schedule gives them a good chance to clinch the NFC West.

7 - Cleveland Browns (LW: 12) - Well, I’ll have to eat some crow on this one. I’ve been making the case that the Browns aren’t as good as their record indicates but they shoved that notion in my face with a strong victory over Tennessee. They’re really going to make the playoffs for the first time since 2002. I do still have questions about Baker Mayfield’s consistency. But good for the Browns for finally getting here.

8 - Miami Dolphins (LW: 9) - A solid game for Tua Tagovailoa in his first game back from injury. The Dolphins haven’t scored style points in their most recent wins over bad teams but, hey, they’re currently in position for the sixth seed. Things get tougher down the stretch so we’ll see if they’re about to sink or swim. No pun intended.

9 - Seattle Seahawks (LW: 6) - This was supposed to be the year that Russell Wilson finally won MVP. The year that Seattle potentially won another Super Bowl. It’s looking like it won’t be, though. Too often play down to the level of their competition and could be in jeopardy of losing early in the playoffs.

10 - Tennessee Titans (LW: 7) - I’ll give the Titans for not quitting when they were down 38-7. But that defense is a real concern.

11 - Indianapolis Colts (LW: 8) - The Colts really should’ve lost to Houston. Their defense hasn’t been quite as strong lately.

12 - New England Patriots (LW: 13) - They might not be able to nab a playoff spot but they’re sure going to try. They’re going to need to pull off some big wins against Miami and Buffalo down the stretch.

13 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (LW: 11) - The Bucs return from their bye to finish out the season like this: vs. MIN, at ATL, at DET, vs. ATL. Should be able to pick up at least two more wins ... but will they falter?

14 - Minnesota Vikings (LW: 15) - Justin Jefferson is on track to have the greatest rookie wide receiver season in NFL history. Probably sucks to be one of the teams that passed on him in the 2020 NFL Draft. His greatness is helping Minny push for a playoff spot.

15 - New York Giants (LW: 21) - Beating Seattle on the road despite missing their starting quarterback is another signature win for Joe Judge. Patrick Graham also deserves a lot of credit for the way that Giants defense is playing.

16 - Washington Football Team (LW: 23) - Historical win for Washington on Monday night. Ron Rivera is doing a good job with the Football Team and Alex Smith is the Comeback Player of the Year favorite. Right in the mix to win the NFC East.

17 - Baltimore Ravens (LW: 16) - Will the offense finally bounce back against a bad Dallas defense? The Ravens really need Lamar Jackson to come up big for them on Tuesday night.

18 - Carolina Panthers (LW: 18) - They return from their bye to host Denver. Won’t be able to make the playoffs but they can focus on building some positive momentum heading into next year, if you believe in that kinda thing.

19 - Las Vegas Raiders (LW: 17) - The Raiders almost followed up a blowout loss to Atlanta with a loss to the NFL’s only winless team. Not feeling so great about them right now as they try to vie for a wild card spot.

20 - Arizona Cardinals (LW: 14) - If not for DeAndre Hopkins catching a Hail Mary, the Cards would be 0-5 in their last five games. Teams have successfully limited Kyler Murray’s mobility in recent weeks and he’s not carrying the team with his arm.

21 - San Francisco 49ers (LW: 20) - A win over Buffalo would’ve been big for this team’s chances of making a run at a wild card spot. Instead, their playoff chances are down to 11.9%. Not the best game for Robert Saleh’s head coaching stock.

22 - Houston Texans (LW: 19) - Brutal loss for the Texans to just fumble the game away at the 2-yard line. Deshaun Watson finally threw his first interception since early October.

23 - Atlanta Falcons (LW: 22) - After two straight 7-9 seasons, the Falcons are probably going to finish at 5-11 or 6-10 this year. Gotta get the head coach and general manager hires right. Maybe then they can get back to being relevant.

24 - Detroit Lions (LW: 29) - The “head coach we hated just got fired!” bump is real. Lions players fought hard for interim head coach Darrell Bevell in a comeback win. He did what Matt Patricia often couldn’t do in terms of beating Mitchell Trubisky. The Lions aren’t totally dead in the playoff picture but they have a tough schedule.

25 - Chicago Bears (LW: 25) - Make that six straight losses for a Bears team that started out 5-1. It’s clear that neither Mitchell Trubisky nor Nick Foles is the answer at quarterback. It should be even more clear that Ryan Pace can’t be trusted to pick Chicago’s next signal caller.

26 - Denver Broncos (LW: 26) - I can see why they wanted to give Drew Lock a chance this season but entirely sitting out of the quarterback market in the offseason wasn’t a smart move. John Elway should’ve had a better backup plan.

27 - Dallas Cowboys (LW: 27) - The Cowboys are 8.5 road underdogs to Baltimore on Tuesday night. I’m expecting Lamar Jackson to bounce back against this Dallas defense.

28 - Los Angeles Chargers (LW: 24) - If there was any doubt that Anthony Lynn should be fired, a 45-0 loss should seal his fate. The Bolts don’t sound ready to move on until after the season but that head coaching change needs to happen. Maybe they’ll look to pair Justin Herbert with, say, Doug Pederson?

29 - Cincinnati Bengals (LW: 28) - The Bengals just don’t stand much of a chance without Joe Burrow. Cincy desperately needs to upgrade their offensive line so their quarterbacks stop getting hurt.

30 - Philadelphia Eagles (LW: 30) - The Eagles finally made the long overdue move to bench Carson Wentz for Jalen Hurts. The rookie quarterback showed some promise in his first extended NFL action. The Birds need to stick with Hurts for now and see what he can do. Nothing to be gained from playing Wentz again this year.

31 - Jacksonville Jaguars (LW: 31) - The Jags have kept things competitive lately. Four out of their last five games include two two-point losses, a three-point loss in overtime, and a four-point loss. Perhaps they’ll find a way to get a second win this season.

32 - New York Jets (LW: 32) - Gregg Williams unintentionally saved the Jets from blowing their shot at the No. 1 overall pick. The most clutch loss of 2020.