Tag: NFL power rankings

NFL power rankings: Bills beat 49ers in the snow on ‘SNF’

Happy Holidays, football fans! The Bills kicked off the holiday season with a fun win over the 49ers in the snow on Sunday night.

The Buffalo Bills (10-2) had fun in the snow with a 35-10 victory over the San Francisco 49ers (5-7) on Sunday Night Football. Following that victory, Buffalo remains in the team to beat in the AFC.

Elsewhere, the Green Bay Packers (9-3) easily took care of business against the Miami Dolphins (5-7), and the Detroit Lions (11-1) barely squeaked by the Chicago Bears (4-8) on Thanksgiving Day.

The Kansas City Chiefs (11-1) barely hung on against the Las Vegas Raiders (2-10) on Black Friday, and the Philadelphia Eagles (10-2) made a statement with a win over the Baltimore Ravens (8-5) on Sunday afternoon.

With the Denver Broncos (7-5) and Cleveland Browns (3-8) still yet to face off on Monday Night Football to wrap up Week 13, here’s a look at our latest NFL power rankings with all but one game completed.

NFL power rankings after Week 13

  1. Detroit Lions (11-1)
  2. Philadelphia Eagles (10-2)
  3. Buffalo Bills (10-2)
  4. Kansas City Chiefs (11-1)
  5. Green Bay Packers (9-3)
  6. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3)
  7. Washington Commanders (8-5)
  8. Minnesota Vikings (10-2)
  9. Baltimore Ravens (8-5)
  10. Los Angeles Chargers (8-4)
  11. Houston Texans (8-5)
  12. Denver Broncos (7-5)
  13. Miami Dolphins (5-7)
  14. Seattle Seahawks (7-5)
  15. Atlanta Falcons (6-6)
  16. Arizona Cardinals (6-6)
  17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-6)
  18. Los Angeles Rams (6-6)
  19. San Francisco 49ers (5-7)
  20. Indianapolis Colts (6-7)
  21. Cincinnati Bengals (4-8)
  22. Cleveland Browns (3-8)
  23. Dallas Cowboys (5-7)
  24. Chicago Bears (4-8)
  25. New Orleans Saints (4-8)
  26. New York Jets (3-9)
  27. Las Vegas Raiders (2-10)
  28. New England Patriots (3-10)
  29. Carolina Panthers (3-9)
  30. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-10)
  31. New York Giants (2-10)
  32. Tennessee Titans (3-9)
(Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Week 14 will kick off with the Lions hosting the Packers on Thursday.

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All 32 NFL teams (including the Broncos) ranked by FPI ratings

Going into Week 13, the Broncos have a -1.1 Football Power Index (FPI) rating from ESPN, which ranks 23rd in the NFL. 

Twelve games into the season, the Denver Broncos (7-5) have a -1.1 Football Power Index (FPI) rating from ESPN, which ranks 23rd in the NFL.

The Cleveland Browns (3-8), who will visit Denver for a Monday Night Football showdown in Week 13, are ranked 21st with a -0.9 FPI rating.

FPI is “a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team’s performance going forward for the rest of the season,” according to ESPN.com. “FPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Projected results are based on 10,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule.”

So with that background in mind, here’s a look at how the league’s 32 teams stack up based on FPI going into Week 13 of the 2024 NFL season.

  1. Detroit Lions (10-1): 9.0
  2. Baltimore Ravens (8-4): 6.6
  3. Buffalo Bills (9-2): 6.1
  4. Green Bay Packers (8-3): 5.7
  5. Philadelphia Eagles (9-2): 4.8
  6. Kansas City Chiefs (910-1): 4.6
  7. San Francisco 49ers (5-6): 3.0
  8. Minnesota Vikings (9-2): 2.8
  9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-6): 2.2
  10. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3): 1.5
  11. Houston Texans (7-5): 1.2
  12. Arizona Cardinals (6-5): 0.9
  13. Washington Commanders (7-5): 0.5
  14. Los Angeles Chargers (7-3): 1.1
  15. Cincinnati Bengals (4-7): 0.4
  16. Miami Dolphins (5-6): 0.0
  17. Los Angeles Rams (5-6): -0.2
  18. New York Jets (3-8): -0.3
  19. Atlanta Falcons (6-5): -0.4
  20. New Orleans Saints (4-7): -0.6
  21. Cleveland Browns (3-8): -0.9
  22. Seattle Seahawks (6-5): -1.0
  23. Denver Broncos (7-5): -1.1
  24. Chicago Bears (4-7): -1.3
  25. Indianapolis Colts (5-7): -2.5
  26. Tennesee Titans (3-8): -4.9
  27. Las Vegas Raiders (2-9): -5.0
  28. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-9): -5.9
  29. Carolina Panthers (3-8): -6.6
  30. New England Patriots (3-9): -7.7
  31. Dallas Cowboys (4-7): -8.2
  32. New York Giants (2-9): -8.5

The Broncos will aim to improve their rating when they take on the Browns in Week 13. Denver’s ranking is unchanged from last week.

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Cardinals’ loss to Seahawks drops them in new power rankings

The Cardinals fall out of the top 10 after they lost to the Seahawks on Sunday.

The Arizona Cardinals came out of the bye week and suffered their first loss in over a month, falling 16-6 to the Seattle Seahawks on the road. They saw their four-game winning streak snapped, they fell out of first place in the NFC West and out of the NFC playoff picture, and they also fell a bit in new NFL power rankings from USA TODAY’s Nate Davis.

They dropped a spot from No. 10 to No. 11.

Their 49 rushing yards in Sunday’s loss at Seattle were nearly 100 shy of their seasonal average. Good as TE Trey McBride was, this team is best when it’s balanced.

The drop of only one spot shows the belief there still is in Arizona to be competitive down the stretch, especially since four of their final six opponents currently have losing records.

They face the 9-2 Minnesota Vikings in Week 13, so they have an opportunity to take another big boost in rankings with a win, or perhaps a slight drop in a loss.

The Vikings rank eighth this week.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

Chargers hold steady in NFL power rankings after Week 12 loss to the Ravens

Despite their loss on Monday night, the Chargers did not move that much in the power rankings.

The Chargers fell to 7-4 after losing to the Ravens on Monday night.

After Week 12, let’s see where Los Angeles stands in NFL power rankings:

USA Today: 13 (Previous: 11)

“Detractors who might want to label them the Hoosiers of the NFL are eating no crow. A defense that hadn’t given up more than 20 points all season – albeit against questionable competition – has surrendered 57 at home over the past two weeks. It was also scorched for 212 yards on the ground Monday, the most ever for a Jim Harbaugh-coached team. Factor in RB J.K. Dobbins’ knee injury and … woof.”

NFL: 9 (Previous: 9)

“After a great start, the Chargers really struggled to contain the run game of the Ravens, namely Derrick Henry. Henry helped get the Ravens out of an early funk, and the Bolts helped Henry get going by missing several tackles, although they’re hardly the first team to struggle with that against Baltimore. Still, this has to worry Jim Harbaugh. His defense now has been taken apart a bit over the past six quarters against the Bengals and Ravens. But the problems weren’t relegated to the defense. The offense has plenty to worry about, starting with RB J.K. Dobbins’ knee injury. The Chargers just couldn’t get the ground attack going after he left, and Justin Herbert’s receivers let him down. Incredibly, all five starting offensive linemen were also flagged. Trey Pipkins’ hold offset a 27-yard pass interference on third-and-6 in a 23-16 game. Instead, the Chargers ended up punting, and Justice Hill cribbed it a few minutes later. No time for the Bolts to cry over the four-game win streak ending; they go to Atlanta and Kansas City over the next two Sundays.”

ESPN: 9 (Previous: 9)

Offense ranking: 15
Defense ranking: 15
Special teams ranking: 14

“By scoring metrics, the Chargers have the league’s best defense, allowing just 15.9 points per game. But that has come with the NFL’s easiest schedule, according to ESPN analytics. The Chargers’ offense has soared since a 23-16 win over the Broncos in Week 6 when quarterback Justin Herbert was fully recovered from a high ankle sprain. The offense’s ranking will likely continue to increase as the season progresses; Los Angeles ranks third in average in-game win probability.”

CBS Sports: 8 (Previous: 9)

“The top-ranked defense was exposed some in the loss to the Ravens. Now they have a tough road trip to face Atlanta, which is coming off a bye.”

Sports Illustrated: 9 (Previous: 9)

“With a relatively nonexistent pass rush and Lamar Jackson racking up almost all of his passing yards on extended plays, we have now seen just how far the Chargers have come and just how far they need to go. Wide receiver is still of desperate need, with Quentin Johnston reverting back to 2023 form on a couple of critical balls Monday.”

Bleacher Report: 9 (Previous: 10)

“The Chargers came into Monday looking for only their second win of the season against a playoff-caliber team—Denver being the only team they’ve beaten that is currently over .500. They appeared up to the challenge until J.K. Dobbins exited the game with a knee injury. L.A. made things somewhat interesting late, but they lost convincingly to the Ravens.

This is who the Chargers are in Year 1 under Jim Harbaugh. The future is bright, but Los Angeles is going to beat the teams it is supposed to and struggle against those we’re likely to see in late January. And if Dobbins is forced to miss extended time, L.A. might not even make it to the postseason.”

Where the Dolphins landed in power rankings after Week 12 win

One expert has the Dolphins as high as No. 12 in the NFL after a third straight win.

The Miami Dolphins are now riding three consecutive wins and they’ve scored 34 points in back-to-back weeks.

Their most recent performances have been reflective of the type of team the Dolphins thought they would field in 2024 before a 2-6 start. With a healthy Tua Tagovailoa under center and a blossoming pass rush, Miami is climbing its way into postseason contention.

But a trio of wins against teams that are all currently below .500 far from stamps the Dolphins as a Super Bowl favorite. A Thanksgiving matchup with the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field could provide a more realistic litmus test of Miami’s status as a contender.

Here’s where experts now rank the Dolphins heading into Week 13:

Miami will face the 8-3 Packers on Thursday night with kickoff scheduled for 8:20 p.m. ET.

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NFL Week 13 power rankings: Rams take 1 step forward, 2 steps back

The Rams took another tumble in this week’s power rankings after getting blown out by the Eagles on Sunday night

The up-and-down season for the Los Angeles Rams continued on Sunday when they were blown out by the Philadelphia Eagles, 37-20. For a team that had been building momentum by winning four of their last five games, it was a major setback, especially knowing they could’ve grabbed a tie of first place in the NFC West with a win.

What’s particularly alarming about the loss is the lopsided fashion of it. The Rams were outgained by Saquon Barkley alone and before their last garbage-time touchdown, they had just 14 points and 222 total yards of offense.

With the Rams now at 5-6, they’ve slipped out of the top half of the latest power rankings, entering Week 13 with an average ranking of 19.2. All 10 outlets below ranked the Rams somewhere between 18th and 21st, so there’s a pretty clear consensus about where LA stands after 11 games.

USA Today: 18th (last week: 17th)

ESPN: 19th (last week: 15th)

NFL.com: 19th (last week: 19th)

CBS Sports: 18th (last week: 18th)

Bleacher Report: 18th (last week: 15th)

ProFootballTalk: 19th (last week: 15th)

Yahoo Sports: 20th (last week: 19th)

The Athletic: 19th (last week: 15th)

FOX Sports: 21st (last week: 20th)

The Ringer: 21st (last week: 14th)

High: 18th – Low: 21st – Average: 19.2

There’s no question the Rams looked like a team that doesn’t belong in the playoffs on Sunday night, but they’re still just a game out of first place in the NFC West. A win on Sunday over the Saints will put them at 6-6, and if both the Seahawks and Cardinals lose, they’ll be tied for first in the division.

The season is far from over, so the Rams have time to turn it around like they did last year when they went from 3-6 to eventual playoff team.

Broncos drop one spot in NFL power rankings despite win

Despite their win in Week 12, the Broncos fell one spot in USA TODAY’s NFL power rankings this week.

Coming off a 29-19 win over the Las Vegas Raiders (2-9) on Sunday, the Denver Broncos (7-5) are now ranked No. 14 in Nate Davis’ latest NFL power rankings for USA TODAY Sports. That’s actually down one spot from the team’s No. 13 ranking last week.

Here is Davis’ commentary on Denver following Week 12.

With apologies to John Elway, but not Tim Tebow, Bo Nix is the greatest rookie quarterback in this franchise’s history. Nix’s seven wins and 16 TD passes are both team records for a freshman passer.

Elsewhere in the division, the Kansas City Chiefs are ranked No. 4, the Los Angeles Chargers are ranked No. 13 and the Raiders are ranked No. 30.

The Cleveland Browns, who the Broncos will host on Monday Night Football in Week 13, are ranked No. 26.

The Detroit Lions are ranked No. 1 and the New York Giants are ranked No. 32 (last). To view the complete NFL power rankings following Week 12, visit USATODAY.com.

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NFL power rankings: Detroit Lions are the obvious No. 1

How fitting — the Detroit Lions are the No. 1 team in NFL power rankings going into Thanksgiving Week.

The NFL contenders are starting to separate from the pretenders.

The Green Bay Packers (8-3) easily took care of business against the San Francisco 49ers (5-6) on Sunday and the Detroit Lions (10-1) dominated the Indianapolis Colts (5-7).

Meanwhile, the Kansas City Chiefs (10-1) barely squeaked by the Carolina Panthers (3-8), the Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3) lost to the Cleveland Browns (3-8), the Houston Texans (7-5) fell to the Tennessee Titans (3-8) and the Washington Commanders (7-5) lost to the Dallas Cowboys (4-7).

So, where does that leave us going into Thanksgiving Week?

The top and bottom teams in the league have been well-established. How the middle-of-the-pack clubs stack up is still up for debate. Here’s a look at our updated NFL power rankings going into Week 13.

NFL power rankings after Week 12

  1. Detroit Lions (10-1)
  2. Buffalo Bills (9-2)
  3. Philadelphia Eagles (9-2)
  4. Baltimore Ravens (8-4)
  5. Kansas City Chiefs (10-1)
  6. Green Bay Packers (8-3)
  7. Minnesota Vikings (9-2)
  8. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3)
  9. Los Angeles Chargers (7-4)
  10. Denver Broncos (7-5)
  11. Miami Dolphins (5-6)
  12. Washington Commanders (7-5)
  13. Houston Texans (7-5)
  14. Arizona Cardinals (6-5)
  15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-6)
  16. Seattle Seahawks (6-5)
  17. Atlanta Falcons (6-5)
  18. Los Angeles Rams (5-6)
  19. San Francisco 49ers (5-6)
  20. Cincinnati Bengals (4-7)
  21. Indianapolis Colts (5-7)
  22. Cleveland Browns (3-8)
  23. New Orleans Saints (4-7)
  24. Chicago Bears (4-7)
  25. Carolina Panthers (3-8)
  26. Dallas Cowboys (4-7)
  27. New England Patriots (3-9)
  28. Tennessee Titans (3-8)
  29. Las Vegas Raiders (2-9)
  30. New York Giants (2-9)
  31. New York Jets (3-8)
  32. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-9)

Week 13 will kick off on Thursday with three Thanksgiving games.

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All 32 NFL teams (including the Broncos) ranked by FPI ratings

Going into Week 12, the Broncos have a -1.2 Football Power Index (FPI) rating from ESPN, which ranks 23rd in the NFL. 

Eleven games into the season, the Denver Broncos (6-5) have a -1.2 Football Power Index (FPI) rating from ESPN, which ranks 23rd in the NFL.

The Las Vegas Raiders (2-8), who will host Denver in Week 12, are ranked 26th with a -4.9 FPI rating.

FPI is “a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team’s performance going forward for the rest of the season,” according to ESPN.com. “FPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Projected results are based on 10,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule.”

So with that background in mind, here’s a look at how the league’s 32 teams stack up based on FPI going into Week 12 of the 2024 NFL season.

  1. Detroit Lions (9-1): 8.7
  2. Baltimore Ravens (7-4): 6.4
  3. Buffalo Bills (9-2): 6.2
  4. Kansas City Chiefs (9-1): 5.1
  5. Green Bay Packers (7-3): 5.0
  6. Philadelphia Eagles (8-2): 4.5
  7. San Francisco 49ers (5-5): 3.9
  8. Minnesota Vikings (8-2): 2.9
  9. Houston Texans (7-4): 1.9
  10. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-2): 1.8
  11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-6): 1.4
  12. Arizona Cardinals (6-4): 1.4
  13. Washington Commanders (7-4): 1.3
  14. Los Angeles Chargers (7-3): 1.1
  15. Cincinnati Bengals (4-7): 0.3
  16. Los Angeles Rams (5-5): -0.1
  17. New York Jets (3-8): -0.2
  18. Miami Dolphins (4-6): -0.3
  19. Atlanta Falcons (6-5): -0.7
  20. New Orleans Saints (4-7): -0.7
  21. Cleveland Browns (2-8): -1.1
  22. Seattle Seahawks (5-5): -1.1
  23. Denver Broncos (6-5): -1.2
  24. Chicago Bears (4-6): -1.4
  25. Indianapolis Colts (5-6): -2.1
  26. Las Vegas Raiders (2-8): -4.9
  27. New England Patriots (3-8): -5.4
  28. Tennesee Titans (2-8): -5.6
  29. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-9): -5.9
  30. Carolina Panthers (3-7): -7.5
  31. New York Giants (2-8): -7.7
  32. Dallas Cowboys (3-7): -8.8

The Broncos will aim to improve their rating when they take on the Raiders in Week 12. Denver moved up two spots in the rankings this week.

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After bye, Cardinals remain in same spot in new Week 12 NFL power rankings

Have a look where the Cardinals rank in USA TODAY’s latest NFL power rankings.

The Arizona Cardinals did not play in Week 11 and also did not move in their place in the NFC West, remaining in first place and even gaining a half-game because the San Francisco 49ers lost to the Seattle Seahawks.

The Cardinals are now one game ahead of every other team in the division because they are 6-4 and the 49ers, Seahawks and L.A. Rams are all 5-5.

And, guess what? They also didn’t move in the latest NFL power rankings from USA TODAY’s Nate Davis. They hold at No. 10 overall.

The NFC West leaders come out of their bye with a one-game lead but two of their next three contests against Seattle, which has beaten the Cards in five straight.

Who is ahead of them? The Detroit Lions, Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Minnesota Vikings, Washington Commanders and Green Bay Packers. You know who the Cardinals lost to this season? Four of those teams — the Lions, Bills, Commanders and Packers.

Go figure.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.