Now that Week 12 of the 2022 NFL season is in the books, it’s time for everyone’s favorite meaningful exercise: NFL Power Rankings! What differentiates these rankings from the others is that they’re the only truly accurate ones in the entire universe. And so let’s take a look at how all 32 teams stack up ahead of Week 13.
BLG’S WEEK 13 NFL POWER RANKINGS
1 – Kansas City Chiefs (Last Week: 1) – Patrick Mahomes had one of his worst statistical performances of the season … in a game that the Chiefs won by 16 points anyway.
2 – Philadelphia Eagles (LW: 2) – Jalen Hurts, Miles Sanders, Jeff Stoutland, and the Eagles’ offensive line all deserve major credit for Philly’s ability to run all over Green Bay. It was a historic night for the Eagles. The Birds failed to put the game away sooner than they could’ve and should’ve … but they’ll take the win that keeps them atop the NFC with a 10-1 record. It’s increasingly likely that the road to the Super Bowl goes through Philly.
3 – Buffalo Bills (LW: 3) – They’ve certainly looked more mortal lately. But having to stop Josh Allen in a critical situation is not an exciting proposition.
4 – Miami Dolphins (LW: 4) – The Dolphins raced out to a 30-0 lead before pulling Tua Tagovailoa with over three minutes remaining in the third quarter. Miami’s offense is red hot. Still undefeated when Tua starts and doesn’t leave the game early due to injury.
5 – Dallas Cowboys (LW: 5) – Can the Cowboys hurry up and sign Odell Beckham Jr. already? This long, drawn out process is getting pretty old. Lot of hype for a dude who wasn’t even that great last year and is coming off a mid-February ACL injury.
6 – San Francisco 49ers (LW: 6) – Four straight games where the 49ers haven’t allowed their opponent to score points in the second half. One straight game where the 49ers haven’t allowed their opponent to score any points. Methinks DeMeco Ryans might be a pretty good defensive coordinator.
7 – Minnesota Vikings (LW: 8) – There is evidence to suggest the Vikings are massive frauds.
8 – Cincinnati Bengals (LW: 10) – At various points this season, it didn’t look like Cincy was primed to repeat as AFC North champions. But the Bengals are right back in the mix with Ja’Marr Chase soon returning. Can they beat KC at home this week? Yes, they can. But will they?
9 – Tennessee Titans (LW: 9) – The Titans have not allowed more than 20 points in a game since their Week 6 bye. That’s the good news. The Titans have scored more than 20 points in just one game since their Week 6 bye. That’s the bad news.
10 – Baltimore Ravens (LW: 7) – We all thought that Justin Tucker field goal was going in, right? Well, it didn’t. But it shouldn’t have had to come down to that. Lamar Jackson needs to do better than completing 50% of his passes for a 87.2 passer rating. He’s produced just eight total touchdowns to seven total turnovers since Week 4.
11 – New York Jets (LW: 13) – Is Mike White actually good? Unclear. Is Mike White better than Zach Wilson? Yes. At the very least, White might be a ‘win-with’ quarterback while Wilson is a ‘win in spite of’ quarterback.
12 – Washington Commanders (LW: 15) – Make that six wins in their last seven games. Five of those have come by one score, so it’s not like they’re a juggernaut. But they’ve found a winning formula by playing ball control offense to complement a sturdy defense. The Commanders have a chance to cement themselves as a wild card team with back-to-back games against NYG … with their bye sandwiched between.
13 – New England Patriots (LW: 12) – Nelson Agholor with a costly end-of-game miscue in a loss? You don’t say.
14 – Seattle Seahawks (LW: 11) – Seattle’s run defense is an issue. In back-to-back losses, the Seahawks have allowed their opponents to have their best rushing performances of the season.
15 – Los Angeles Chargers (LW: 17) – Brandon Staley’s aggressive approach paid off in a big spot. As a result, the Bolts are still hanging around in the wild card conversation.
16 – Cleveland Browns (LW: 24) – The Browns really needed to beat Tampa to have a chance at an unlikely playoff bid with Deshaun Watson returning. And that’s what they did. Jacoby Brissett did a nice job of holding down the fort before this team’s likability immediately plummeted. Everyone outside of Cleveland (and many within) will be rooting against Watson.
17 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (LW: 14) – The Bucs have failed to seize control of the NFC South thus far. If they can’t beat New Orleans on Monday night, they really don’t even deserve to win it. But they might still anyway.
18 – New York Giants (LW: 16) – As discussed on the latest NFC East Mixtape episode, Saquon Barkley is not offering the same impact he did earlier this year. Barkley’s last six games: 3.6 yards per carry (459 total), 4.7 yards per reception (80 total). His longest run: 27 yards (came against Houston’s bad run defense). His longest reception: 12 yards. The combination of Barkley’s regression and the Giants being entirely too banged up has them ripe to collapse out of the NFC playoff picture.
19 – New Orleans Saints (LW: 18) – Do you think Saints management regrets trading their 2023 first-round pick to Philly after watching their team drop to 4-8 with a shutout loss? A pick that’s currently set to be No. 7 overall. Of course, they’re not actually dead in the NFL playoff picture yet by virtue of their awful division. But they MUST beat the Bucs in Tampa on Monday night to stay alive.
20 – Atlanta Falcons (LW: 19) – If you’re a masochist, the Falcons are for you. No team is better at maximizing pain in their losses. They’re elite when it comes to snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. The ultimate anti-clutch team.
21 – Detroit Lions (LW: 20) – Facing 4th-and-1 from Buffalo’s 33-yard line, Dan Campbell opted to kick a 51-yard game-tying field goal (with his kicker who previously missed a 29-yard attempt) that left 23 seconds on the clock. Dumb. They should’ve went for it and tried to win in regulation … or at least taken the game to overtime. Jared Goff deserves criticism for missing an open touchdown throw to bring up the fourth down, sure, but Campbell didn’t maximize Detroit’s chances of winning after that mistake.
22 – Pittsburgh Steelers (LW: 23) – I don’t know if Kenny Pickett is going to be a good NFL starting quarterback. I do know he belongs in the league in some capacity. The Steelers are 3-4 in his seven starts. A ‘win-with’ type of player, perhaps. Especially in a stable environment like Pittsburgh. Just have to wonder if he might have them trapped in quarterback purgatory.
23 – Jacksonville Jaguars (LW: 28) – “The stones on that guy. I would die for Doug Pederson, I swear. I would run into battle with Doug Pederson, 100%. I love the guy.” — Jags safety Andrew Wingard. Doug coaching fearlessly once helped the Eagles win Super Bowl LII. More recently, it helped the Jags pull off an upset over Baltimore. With Pederson steering the ship and Trevor Lawrence heating up, there’s reason to believe the arrow is pointing up in Duval County.
24 – Arizona Cardinals (LW: 21) – The Cards needed a win to remain on life support in the NFC playoff picture. Instead, a one-point loss dropped them to 4-8. Tough. Who is going to answer for their struggles?
25 – Los Angeles Rams (LW: 22) – With the Rams losing five straight, they’re set to pick No. 3 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. Expect they owe that selection to Detroit. They’re certainly not regretting that trade after winning the Super Bowl. But their outlook moving forward is not so bright.
26 – Green Bay Packers (LW: 26) – Their run defense is atrocious. Aaron Rodgers claims he’s able to play despite an injury scare … but there’s really no point in playing him at this stage of their season. Get Jordan Love in there and see what he can do. The 2020 first-round quarterback flashed during a small sample size in Philly.
27 – Las Vegas Raiders (LW: 30) – The Raiders are on a two-game win streak with both victories coming in overtime. Josh Jacobs is a beast.
28 – Carolina Panthers (LW: 31) – The Panthers continue to be more competent under Steve Wilkes than they were with Matt Rhule. They’re still not good but they’re no longer THE worst team in the league. Progress.
29 – Denver Broncos (LW: 25) – Russell Wilson is cooked and his teammates know it. The vibes are immeasurably bad in Denver. They’re screwed now and moving forward.
30 – Indianapolis Colts (LW: 29) – From an article titled “Jeff Saturday is not the answer, but he is not supposed to be” by our friends over at Stampede Blue: “The Colts, led by Irsay, are tanking. They have no interest in winning irrelevant football games this season and delay the progress even more, especially after a 5-year tenure with Reich that resulted in just one playoff win.”
31 – Chicago Bears (LW: 27) – Everyone knows that I’m not a Justin Fields guy. But even I can admit he at least brought some entertainment value to this Bears team. Really no point in even watching this team play if Trevor Siemian (or worse, Nathan Peterman) is starting. Bears fans should be praying for a way to Madden simulate the rest of the season if Fields’ injury continues to keep him out.
32 – Houston Texans (LW: 32) – The good news for them is they’re destined for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. The bad news for them is the pick they’re owed from Cleveland is probably about to get less favorable with Deshaun Watson returning.