2018 NFL Power Rankings - Week 13

2018 NFL Power Rankings - Week 13

1. Los Angeles Rams (11-1) - Aaron Donald is starting to be mentioned as an MVP candidate. He has been dominant with a league leading 16.5 sacks, but he should be the Defensive Player of the Year. The Ram defense has not been good enough, overall, to earn Donald an MVP award. Next: -3 at Chicago Bears, Sun, Dec. 9

2. New Orleans Saints (10-2) - The Saints came back down to earth with their loss to the Cowboys. Their high-powered offense was held to 10 points and 176 yards in the loss to the Cowboys. Worse yet, the Saints lost homefield advantage to the Rams. Next: -8 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Sun, Dec. 9

3. Kansas City Chiefs (10-2) - The release of Kareem Hunt was bad news for the Chiefs. To understand how bad, watch the Chiefs defense vs the Raiders this past week. The Raiders scored 33 points, gained 442 yards and had 28 first downs. The Chiefs were able to outscore a bad Raiders team, but without Hunt that will be difficult against the good teams in the AFC. Next: -7 vs Baltimore Ravens - Sun, Dec. 9

4. Los Angeles Chargers (9-3) Running back Justin Jackson came off the bench to help lead the comeback win against the Steelers. Jackson came off the bench in the 2nd half to gain 82 yards in total offense. Jackson, a 7th round pick in the 2018 draft, was third in career rushing yardage in the Big 10 behind Archie Griffin and Ron Dayne. Next: -10 vs Cincinnati Bengals - Sun, Dec. 9

5. New England Patriots (8-4) - Sonny Michel had 17 carries for 63 yards against the Vikings. Three other backs combined for 17 carries and 51 yards plus two touchdowns. The four backs also combined for 11 catches and 129 yards. There is no team in the NFL utilizing their backfield as much or as well as the Pats. Next: -8 at Miami Dolphins - Sun, Dec. 9

6. Houston Texans (9-3) The Texans have won nine straight and will clinch the AFC South division title with a win at home against the Colts and a loss by the Titans. They have a three-game lead in the division after starting 0-3. Next: -4.5 vs Indianapolis Colts - Sun, Dec. 9

7. Chicago Bears (8-4) - The Bears are coming off a bad loss to the Giants and will try to avoid another loss when the Rams visit on Sunday Night. The Bears have the 2nd best run defense in the NFL and need to be up to the challenge of slowing down Todd Gurley if they want to have any chance of winning this game. Next: +3 vs Los Angeles Rams – Sun, Dec. 9

8. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-4-1) - Blowing a 16-point halftime lead at home was bad enough, but the loss to the Chargers also moved the Ravens to within a half a game of the Steelers. With Pats and the Saints are on the December schedule, the Steelers may need a couple of losses by the Ravens in December to win the division. Next: -11 at Oakland Raiders - Sun, Dec. 9

9. Dallas Cowboys (7-5) - The Las Vegas odds for the Cowboys to win the Super Bowl currently stand at 25-1. That might not be a bad wager to place. With their defense and Ezekiel Elliott, the Cowboys could be a tough matchup in the playoffs. Next: -4 vs Philadelphia Eagles - Sun, Dec. 9

10. Seattle Seahawks (7-5) - Bobby Wagner let everyone know against the 49ers that the Seahawks still play good defense. Or at least he does. Wagner had 12 tackles, a sack, a fumble recovery and returned an interception 98 yards for a touchdown. Next: -3.5 vs Minnesota Vikings - Mon, Dec. 10

11. Baltimore Ravens (7-5) - The Ravens are visiting the Chiefs, and this should be an interesting matchup. The Ravens have the #1 ranked defense in the league and the Chiefs lead the NFL in scoring at 37 points per game. The Chiefs' struggling defense faces Lamar Jackson, who has led the Ravens to three straight victories with his legs. Next: +7 at Kansas Cit Chiefs - Sun, Dec. 9

12. Minnesota Vikings (6-5-1) Kurt Cousins threw 44 passes on Sunday against the Pats, and the Vikings only rushed 13 times in the game. They need to get their running attack going to balance the offense, which produced only ten points against the Pats. Next: +3.5 at Seattle Seahawks - Mon, Dec. 10

13. Tennessee Titans (6-6) - On paper, the Titans schedule does not look that bad. Three of their last four games are at home and they play no one with a winning record. They need to play better than they did against the Jets if they are going to sneak into the playoffs. Next: -4 vs Jacksonville Jaguars - Sun, Dec. 9

14. Denver Broncos (6-6) - The Broncos have lost cornerback Chris Harris and wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders for the season. For a team trying to make a late playoff run, those are two key players that cannot be replaced. Next: -5.5 at San Francisco 49ers - Sun, Dec. 9

15. Philadelphia Eagles (6-6) - The Eagles want you to believe that they have a shot at the playoffs, but with three of their next four games on the road, including games at Dallas and at the LA Rams, they would seem like a very long shot. Next: +4 at Dallas Cowboys – Sun, Dec. 9

16. Indianapolis Colts (6-6) - The Colts got shutout in Jacksonville, ending their five-game winning streak. It will not get easier this week with another road game at Houston. A loss by the Colts could end their playoff hopes. Next: +4.5 at Houston Texans - Sun, Dec. 9

17. Carolina Panthers (6-6) - Cam Newton is dealing with a shoulder injury and it is affecting his performance. Newton threw four interceptions in a loss to Tampa Bay. With four straight losses and a season ending injury to tight end Greg Olsen, things are not looking up for the Panthers. Next: -1.5 at Cleveland Browns - Sun, Dec. 9

18. Washington Redskins (6-6) - The Redskins lost Colt McCoy to a broken leg on Monday Night, leaving them with quarterbacks Mark Sanchez and Josh Johnson. Yes, Mark Sanchez and Josh Johnson. They are going to need a lot of smoke and mirrors and Adrian Peterson to win the NFC East. Next: -1.5 vs New York Giants - Sun, Dec. 9

19. Miami Dolphins (6-6) - The Dolphins are amazing. They were outgained in yardage by the Bills on Sunday 415 to 175, but somehow managed to pull out a victory over the Bills. They are ranked 29th in the NFL on both offense and defense yet have a record of 6-6. Amazing. Next: +10 vs New England Patriots - Sun, Dec. 9

20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-7) - The Bucs are ranked #1 in total offense in the NFL, ahead of the Rams, Chiefs, Steelers, Chargers and Saints. The -18 turnover ratio is not helping them win games, but they are fun to watch. Next: +8 vs New Orleans Saints - Sun, Dec. 9

21. Cleveland Browns (4-7-1) - Baker Mayfield threw three interceptions in their loss against the Texans, but he also threw for 397 yards and he just looks like the best quarterback in what may turn out to be one of the great quarterback drafts ever. Next: +1.5 vs Carolina Panthers - Sun, Dec. 9

22. Green Bay Packers (4-7-1) - The Packers fired Head Coach Mike McCarthy after their stunning loss at home to the Cardinals. Among the names that are being tossed around as possible replacements, Nick Saban is the most interesting. Next: -5.5 vs Atlanta Falcons - Sun, Dec. 9

23. Buffalo Bills (4-8) - Rookie quarterback Josh Allen rushed for 135 yards in the Bills loss to the Dolphins on Sunday. A day later, the Bills cut wide receivers Kelvin Benjamin and Andre Holmes. Allen needs help on the field, but that is only going to happen with a competent front office. Next: -3.5 vs New York Jets - Sun, Dec. 9

24. Atlanta Falcons (4-8) - The Falcons started the season with 10-1 odds to win the NFC. The current odds are 250-1. The Falcons lost the 2017 Super Bowl in overtime and eliminated the Rams in last year's playoffs. What happened? Next: +5.5 at Green Bay Packers - Sun, Dec. 9

25. Detroit Lions (4-8) - Detroit Lions Head coach Matt Patricia is the right guy for this team. He needs time to develop the talent but with Matt Stafford, who is on a pace to throw for over 4,000 yards for the eighth consecutive season, he has the quarterback to win in Detroit. Next: -2.5 at Arizona Cardinals - Sun, Dec. 9

26. Cincinnati Bengals (5-7) A.J. Green is done for the season as is Andy Dalton. The Bengals have the worse defense in the NFL and have lost four straight and six of seven. They are a bad football team and in need of new leadership. Next: +10 at Los Angeles Chargers - Sun, Dec. 9

27. New York Giants (4-8) - Odell Beckham Jr. threw his second touchdown of the season as the Giants upset the Bears at home. No, Beckham is not going to play quarterback. But with a likely top ten choice in next year's draft, the Giants need to draft a quarterback in the 2019 NFL Draft, on the first or second day. Next: +1.5 at Washington Redskings – Sun, Dec. 9

28. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-8) - This week, the Jags won for the first time since September 30th. The 6-0 victory over the Colts was proof that the Jags are a good defensive team and proof that they need a lot of help on offense. Next: +4 at Tennessee Titans - Sun, Dec. 9

29. Arizona Cardinals (3-9) - The Cardinals rushed for 182 yards on 29 carries, with the long run coming from Josh Rosen with a 33-yard scamper in their shocking win over the Packers. Coming off last week's blowout loss to the Chargers, this was a very good sign for the few Cardinal fans out there. Next: +2.5 vs Detroit Lions - Sun, Dec. 9

30. New York Jets (3-9) - Quincy Enunwa leads the Jets in receptions with 35 and receiving yardage at 427. To get an idea of how bad that is, Enunwa is at 79th in receptions and is 81st in receiving yardage in the NFL. The Jets passing game is just not up to NFL standards. Next: +3.5 at Buffalo Bills - Sun, Dec. 9

31. San Francisco 49ers (2-10) - The 49ers have a -20 turnover ratio, the worst in the NFL. The season has tuned into a disaster, with injuries and a roster that obviously needs depth to compete. Next: +5.5 vs Denver Broncos - Sun, Dec. 9

32. Oakland Raiders (2-10) - This may be the least talented Raider roster ever assembled. The Raiders are last in sacks in the NFL and it is not close. They have 10 sacks for the season. The Giants and the Pats are tied for 30th at 19. The running backs are average at best, the wide receivers are below average, and the defense has no stars. There is not enough help in the draft or in free agency to fix this in one season. Next: +11 vs Pittsburgh Steelers - Sun, Dec. 9