Here’s a look at the league’s 32 clubs’ pecking order after Week 13 of on-field action, according to our experts.
Both teams entered as the best in each conference fell in Week 13, making for an interesting rematch. NFL Power Rankings ESPN.
In the end, we can’t say the same, the club occupying the basement in recent days is the first mathematically eliminated from the post-season race.
Without further ado, we deliver In the NFL Power Rankings ESPN After Week 13 From the regular season:
Note: The number in the first parenthesis indicates that team’s position in last week’s rankings. In the second bracket, the team’s current brand appears.
San Francisco had a great game against the Eagles and made it clear that when their players are healthy, no one can stop them. Staying injury-free is now the challenge for the 49ers as they look to take the No. 1 seed in the NFC away from Philadelphia. — E.C.
The score is outrageous, but what Philadelphia has done against other contenders still puts them in a position of power, and we have nothing but rubbing our hands when they meet the 49ers again. –LMV
Effortlessly, the Ravens rose to the top-3 in the power rankings as the best team in the AFC on their bye day, but this is no time to rest on their laurels: If the season ended today, Miami would be the top seed in the playoffs and the bye week holder, thanks to tiebreaker criteria. — R.Z.
Dallas’ vision is clear: If they beat Philadelphia on Sunday they’ll take the lead in the NFC East, but if they lose they’ll have to settle for the playoffs as a wild-card team. — E.C.
Miami continues to look like a dangerous contender against teams with a losing record, but what matters is how they fare against those in the postseason, and that’s where the big question lies. –LMV
We don’t know what will happen in the final stretch of the campaign, but it’s safe to say that the Chiefs aren’t among the favorites to reach the Super Bowl for the first time in a long time. . — R.Z.
The Lions will have to learn to take better care of their advantage, allowing the Saints to get within 3 points after they blew a 21-0 lead on Sunday. This kind of performance could send them home in January when they face a better opponent. — E.C.
The loss to the Bengals was due to more than one factor, not just Trevor Lawrence’s injury, but the fact that Houston is back in the AL South race if he misses several weeks. –LMV
Who would have imagined seeing the Texans in the top 10 in the power rankings when we started this season? Much credit to rookie CJ Stroud, but more to head coach DiMeco Ryans. — R.Z.
The Colts currently hold the last wild-card berth in the AFC, so they are the masters of their own destiny, with a relatively favorable schedule. — E.C.
There are games that mark a season, and if Pittsburgh is out of the playoffs, they’ll be looking for who to blame for this loss against the Cardinals at home. –LMV
Suddenly, the Packers are a team no one wants to stretch, and that has to do with the way Jordan Love has elevated his game in recent weeks, outshining the game’s best quarterback last weekend. . — R.Z.
After two weeks and one start with the team, Joe Flacco has already officially created a dispute between him and Dorian Thompson-Robinson as to who should be the starting quarterback in Cleveland. If Flacco maintains the level he showed against the Rams, the job will be his. — E.C.
The awakening of Sean McVay’s team, coupled with the Seahawks’ decline, has them already in second place in the NL West and in a season that seemed lost, they now cling to the possibility of making the playoffs via the wild card round. –LMV
The Broncos’ good run is over, but they are more alive than ever in the fight for AFC wild card tickets. — R.Z.
The Bills had to take advantage of their bye week without forgetting that Joe Brady’s offensive system, especially with a brutal schedule hitting them against the Chiefs, Cowboys and Dolphins over the next five weeks, had no margin for error if they had. I hope to make it to the play-offs. — E.C.
They delivered one of the most remarkable games of the season in Dallas, but, at the end of the day, they suffered their third straight loss and the outlook didn’t improve with duels against the 49ers and Eagles. –LMV
The long-awaited return of Justin Jefferson should give the Vikings the boost they need to compete in the postseason in an NFC that has only four teams with a winning record. — R.Z.
Despite the absence of Joe Burrow, we shouldn’t be surprised by the Bengals’ win in Jacksonville; Don’t forget that Jake Browning was in control of the offense throughout training camp and the season, so it was only a matter of time before the first win came. — E.C.
No points or bonuses are awarded for style wins, and the Falcons must focus precisely on winning while maintaining control of their destiny. –LMV
Khalil Mack is back to his best defensive player form of a year ago, and most importantly, his status hasn’t diminished since the Chargers lost Joey Bosa to injury, although Mack has received a lot of attention from opponents. — R.Z.
Despite their 5-7 record, the Buccaneers are in position to lead the NFC South if they beat the Falcons next week. — E.C.
New Orleans, with its third straight loss, is still in contention and despite a fresh injury to Derek Carr, the outlook is encouraging with home games against the Giants and Panthers. Don’t rule them out just yet. –LMV
It’s no surprise that the Giants announced Daniel Jones as the club’s starter for next season, as they are tied to him through a contract that offers more than $69 million in dead money. If they want to get dollars get rid of him next season. — R.Z.
The Raiders won’t clean up the Josh McDaniels mess overnight, but they can figure out if quarterback Aidan O’Connell and interim head coach Antonio Pierce deserve a long-term shot at their jobs. — E.C.
Chicago has shown its best version of the season in the last two weeks (including a win against the Vikings in someone else’s backyard) and now they will try to prove that the dramatic loss against the Lions was not an illusion. –LMV
I wonder if Malik Willis will get any chance to show what he can do in a clearly lost season at Tennessee. — R.Z.
Did Sunday’s win at Pittsburgh do the Cardinals any good? The playoffs are practically out of reach for Arizona, and every game won moves them away from the first overall pick in the draft, where they can find talent to bolster their roster. — E.C.
Ron Rivera and Brandon Staley are in an all-out battle to see who will be the next head coach to lose their job. The frustration in the team is that one of the captains (Jonathan Allen) has already made it clear that he wants to leave the organization soon. –LMV
At this point, the Jets are figuring anything out at the quarterback position, while keeping their fingers crossed behind their backs for Aaron Rodgers’ late return. — R.Z.
The only certainty in New England right now is that neither Mack Jones nor Bailey Chappe are the quarterbacks of the future for the Patriots. — E.C.
Carolina is the first team to be officially eliminated from the postseason, and questions still arise as to how they managed their only win of the campaign against the Texans. –LMV
The following participated in the preparation of these energy rankings: Eric Cervantes (EC), Luis Miguel Vasavilpaso (LMV) and Rafael Zamorano (RZ).
