The Dallas Cowboys defense is like the Showtime Lakers.
Anytime Dallas’ defense is on the field with a moribund offense, as was the case with the Indianapolis Colts in Week 13 on Sunday Night Football, get ready for the gobs of turnovers.
The Buffalo Bills also had a great week as they are now projected to get home-field advantage in the AFC, if the playoffs started today.
Of course, Buffalo’s fortune came at the Kansas City Chiefs’ expense, who have a problem with the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Miami Dolphins also struggled on the West Coast and lost ground in the AFC East.
Here are the power rankings with Week 13 in the books.
32. Houston Texans (1-10-1)
Last week: No. 32
Things are bad in Houston when the fans are clamoring for the second-year quarterback who led the team to a 1-8-1. However, that is the consequence when Kyle Allen posts an 0-2 start and the team doesn’t even look competitive. The Texans allegedly turned to Allen to provide a spark on offense, but there has been nothing doing. Wake Houston fans up when it’s draft season.
31. Chicago Bears (3-10)
Last week: No. 31
At least Justin Fields was back in the lineup, but the 28-19 loss to the Packers showed just how much needs to be shored up for the Bears. Chicago held a 19-10 fourth quarter lead but were unable to close it out. Perhaps rookie coach Matt Eberflus can find a few fixes over the Week 14 bye.
30. Denver Broncos (3-9)
Last week: No. 30
If ever there was a week where the Broncos needed to score 10 points, it was against the Ravens. Denver has made a humongous commitment to Russell Wilson as their franchise quarterback. If Nathaniel Hackett isn’t able to come up with a better way to generate points, the Broncos must find someone who can.
29. Carolina Panthers (4-8)
Last week: No. 29
The Panthers are on a bye. They get back into action in Week 14 on the road against the Seattle Seahawks.
28. Indianapolis Colts (4-8-1)
Last week: No. 28
It’s almost like the Colts are a team led by an outside interim head coach with an assistant quarterbacks coach as their offensive coordinator. Indianapolis had been competitive and took a couple of teams by surprise, save for the past two weeks. Maybe they just aren’t cut out for prime time.
27. Los Angeles Rams (3-9)
Last week: No. 27
Sean McVay had a quarterback return that he had familiarity with in John Wolford, but the Rams’ problem has been their lack of weapons on offense. There is no doubt Los Angeles will fail to defend its Super Bowl. Now the question becomes whether the Rams can bounce back at all, or if they used all their capital for that championship run.
26. Arizona Cardinals (4-8)
Last week: No. 26
Break out the Call of Duty — the Cardinals are on a bye. Arizona gets back in action in Week 14 on Monday against the New England Patriots.
25. New Orleans Saints (4-9)
Last week: No. 24
The Saints gave up two touchdowns in the last four minutes to allow the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to even their record at .500. The Saints are a moribund in 2022 and will need to make some moves in the offseason if they want to start being contenders in an anemic NFC South.
24. Cleveland Browns (5-7)
Last week: No. 23
Somehow the Browns got worse at quarterback by adding a three-time Pro Bowler and former 2020 NFL passing champion. But this is what happens when the signal caller in question plays his first NFL game in 700 days. The more reps Cleveland has with their new field general, the better the offense will get — and the higher they should climb in the power rankings.
23. Atlanta Falcons (5-8)
Last week: No. 20
It was fun while it lasted, thinking the Falcons could be dark horse favorites for the NFC South. The Buccaneers are back on track, so, the best the Falcons can do is hope to play spoiler for the rest of their schedule.
22. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-8)
Last week: No. 16
21. Green Bay Packers (5-8)
Last week: No. 25
Aaron Rodgers returned to the lineup and the Packers beat the Bears. Christmas miracles came early this year for Green Bay. The Pack may run the table after their Week 14 bye, but will they be able to get help along the way?
20. New England Patriots (6-6)
Last week: No. 14
It’s too bad Edward Gibbon isn’t around to chronicle the decline of the New England Patriots. The once stalwarts of the AFC East are at .500 and need help, along with doing their part, to get back to the postseason.
19. New York Giants (7-4-1)
Last week: No. 19
Technically, the Giants stopped their losing streak. However, the way the tie developed was comparable to the way New York has fallen apart: inability to close out. The Giants couldn’t hold or add to a seven-point fourth quarter lead and ended up with a dreaded tie. Maybe failing to finish is a trend.
18. Las Vegas Raiders (5-7)
Last week: No. 21
As expected, now that the Raiders are so far out from catching the Kansas City Chiefs for the AFC West title, but still have a glimmer of hope to secure a wild-card, they are playing competitively. The AFC East needs to completely fall apart over the next month for the Raiders to repeat as playoff qualifiers for the first time since 2001-02.
17. Baltimore Ravens (8-4)
Last week: No. 11
The best the Ravens could muster with Lamar Jackson out of the game was 10 points. One could point to the fact Jackson is the engine, but Baltimore failed to close out against the Jacksonville Jaguars last week and scored 13 points in a win over the Carolina Panthers two weeks ago. The Ravens were 8-4 last season and ultimately failed to make the playoffs.
16. Washington Commanders (7-5-1)
Last week: No. 12
Washington came out on the positive end of the tie with the Giants as they at least battled back. Nevertheless it is concerning they weren’t able to score any points in overtime to force the Giants’ hand. If this is the type of interruption Washington gets during their winning streak, better it counts as a half-loss.
15. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-7)
Last week: No. 22
The Steelers never trailed the Falcons and Kenny Pickett looked efficient, going 16-of-28 for 197 yards and a touchdown. Najee Harris generated 5.1 yards per carry, and the defense won the turnover battle with an interception. Pittsburgh has now won three of their last four games coming out of the bye week.
14. Seattle Seahawks (7-5)
Last week: No. 17
If the San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback issues disrupt their success, then Seattle has a legitimate shot to take the NFC West. Even if the 49ers keep it together, as long as the Seahawks are rolling, they could steal one of the wild-card spots from the worst NFC East team.
13. Detroit Lions (5-7)
Last week: No. 18
The Lions’ record may be what keeps them out of the postseason, but they still have consequential matchups on the remaining slate that can be progress reports for where they are under Dan Campbell. The home bout with the Minnesota Vikings, who need every win they can to try to wrest away the No. 1 seed from the Philadelphia Eagles, will be very revealing.
12. Los Angeles Chargers (6-6)
Last week: No. 8
The Chargers’ playoff hopes hinge on the next two games. Ostensibly Los Angeles should be able to go toe-to-toe with the Miami Dolphins, but the Tennessee Titans will try to pound them two weeks from now. Sunday night represents an opportunity to materially hurt an AFC East wild-card team while putting together the necessary win streak to qualify.
11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-6)
Last week: No. 15
Tom Brady is essentially willing the Buccaneers to first place in the NFC South. With the rest of the division coming apart, Tampa Bay may not have to worry about hosting a home playoff game. What spectators want to see in the remaining month is if the Buccaneers can finally come together as a dominant team as they have been the past two seasons.
10. Tennessee Titans (7-5)
Last week: No. 10
The Titans may still win the AFC South, but as far as being a contender in the conference, they are suspect at best. Firing general manager Jon Robinson may provide some relief next offseason, but Tennessee’s problems are too big to fix this season.
9. New York Jets (7-5)
Last week: No. 13
The Jets are the beneficiaries of “failing upward” this week as they were a lot closer to the Vikings than some of the other teams that were ahead of them in last week’s power rankings. The Jets have a consequential matchup with the Buffalo Bills, and coach Robert Saleh needs to determine whether the Mike White experiment has sufficiently taught Zach Wilson a lesson.
8. San Francisco 49ers (8-4)
Last week: No 5
Brock Purdy got the job done, but the game is built entirely around the quarterback. Kyle Shanahan hasn’t had much success with any other quarterback other than Jimmy Garoppolo. Has the rookie from Iowa State learned enough watching from the sidelines to keep the 49ers offense churning?
7. Miami Dolphins (8-4)
Last week: No. 3
The mentor got the better of the apprentice as coach Mike McDaniel came up winless in his return to Levi’s Stadium. The Dolphins weren’t able to overcome the problem of a juggernaut that takes the air out of the ball, melts clock, and emphasizes the run game.
6. Cincinnati Bengals (7-4)
Last week: No. 9
The Bengals knocked off the best of the conference, albeit it was in their own venue. Nevertheless the Bengals played their style of football, the same way they punched their ticket to the Super Bowl. If Cincinnati can keep it up, they should be able to win the AFC North for the second straight year.
5. Kansas City Chiefs (9-3)
Last week: No. 2
The Chiefs lost their first November or December game since 2019, which was the year they won the Super Bowl. Maybe a loss to the Bengals was worth it then. However, their loss to the Bills kicks in Buffalo’s head-to-head tiebreaker, which gives the AFC East leaders home-field advantage, if the playoffs started today.
4. Buffalo Bills (9-3)
Last week: No. 6
The entire conference is in the Bills’ hands, and all eyes will be on Josh Allen. If Buffalo can close out the regular season and secure home-field advantage, it will be another step in the Bills’ renaissance.
3. Minnesota Vikings (10-2)
Last week: No. 7
There is plenty more to be said about the Vikings after 12 games. Kirk Cousins is playing effectively in Kevin O’Connell’s scheme, and they have a dominant run game led by Dalvin Cook. Aside from their blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys, the Vikings haven’t looked horrendous, even in their loss to the Philadelphia Eagles from Week 2.
2. Dallas Cowboys (9-3)
Last week: No. 4
While it is true the Cowboys were in a back alley brawl with the Colts through the first three quarters, Dallas’ fast break defense generated enough takeaways to score 33 points in the final frame, and that may be the most dangerous part of the 2022 Cowboys.
1. Philadelphia Eagles (11-1)
Last week: No. 1
Aside from the Cowboys on Christmas Eve, there are no other bellwether games for the Eagles. They have beaten the best their schedule has thrown them. Philadelphia must sweep the Cowboys and not lose another game as part of the formula to secure the No. 1 seed.
