With their Thursday night victory over the Minnesota Vikings, the Dallas Cowboys are now 11-1 and the first team to clinch a playoff spot. That’s good enough for our panel to keep them atop the weekly power rankings, despite the ever-presence of the New England Patriots.
As always, our panel includes NFL editor Craig Battle, associate editor Geoff Lowe, and staff writers Donnovan Bennett and Mike Johnston.
| Rank | Team | Previous | |
| 1 |  |
In some ways, Thursday marked the Cowboys’ most impressive win of the season. The offence struggled mightily against a dominant Vikings front seven, but Dallas found a way to win and clinched a playoff berth on Sunday as a result. (GL) |
1 |
| 2 |  |
Tom Brady’s record-breaking 201st win was far from prolific, as the Patriots offence played the short passing game while the defence smothered an underwhelming Jared Goff-led Rams offence. But without Gronk in the lineup, will New England’s lack of playmakers become a problem come playoff time? (GL) |
2 |
| 3 |  |
Overcame a very slow start to score the final 29 points of the game against the Bills and keep the win streak going—now up to six games. (CB) |
3 |
| 4 |  |
Eric Berry notched a pick-six and a go-ahead PAT-return for a score to help the Chiefs edge the Falcons, who otherwise killed it in the second half. (CB) |
5 |
| 5 |  |
What horrible Week 12 no-show? The Seahawks had a major return to form in Week 13, creaming the defending NFC-champion Panthers. (CB) |
6 |
| 6 |  |
Is it time to take the Lions seriously? They’ve won seven of the last eight games and could legitimately make a run at the number two seed in the NFC. (DB) |
9 |
| 7 |  |
Three wins in a row for the Steelers. That is mainly due to the play of Antonio Brown, who became the second player in team history to put up four straight years of 1,000 receiving yards. (DB) |
12 |
| 8 |  |
Managed just 206 yards total on the road against the Jags, but still managed 20 points due to a stalwart defensive effort (they forced three turnovers, including one INT returned for a TD). (CB) |
10 |
| 9 |  |
While the loss Sunday was to a good Steelers team, the offence was frustratingly inconsistent. What’s more, losing Jason Pierre-Paul, who was enjoying a bounce-back season, threatens to have a big impact on the defence. (GL) |
4 |
| 10 |  |
Losing a heartbreaker to Kansas City at home hurts, but Atlanta fans shouldn’t panic. The combined record of their remaining four opponents is 14-34. (MJ) |
7 |
| 11 |  |
Is there a bigger AFC dark horse playoff threat than the Ravens? They’ve opened up the offence throughout the year and now Joe Flacco is playing his best football of the season. (DB) |
14 |
| 12 |  |
What a disastrous outing against the Ravens. The defence, which had played so well during a six-game winning streak, allowed TDs on the first three Baltimore drives, and the offence was overwhelmed in every way. (GL) |
8 |
| 13 |  |
That’s now four straight wins for Dirk Koetter’s team. The defence has been stepping up of late and Lavonte David’s pick-six was a huge help against the Chargers. (MJ) |
15 |
| 14 | |
After playing so well over his last two games, Kirk Cousins ultimately cost his team against Arizona with a pair of untimely turnovers in a back-and-forth game and struggled under pressure. (GL) |
11 |
| 15 |  |
After holding the Raiders’ dangerous defence in check for two and a half quarters, the Bills surrendered 29 straight points and likely ended all hopes of a playoff berth. Buffalo needs a miracle to get in now. (GL) |
13 |
| 16 |  |
Their NFC North playoff hopes remain alive, but they’ve got a big test in Week 14 as a home underdog to Seattle. Aaron Rodgers has already thrown more passes than he did in 2010 and is on pace for a career-high 638 attempts. (DB) |
21 |
| 17 |  |
Beat up on the lowly Jets with Andrew Luck back at the helm. He played his best game of the season after bouncing back from a concussion. (MJ) |
25 |
| 18 |  |
The next two weeks will likely make or break their season, at home against Denver then on the road against the Chiefs. (MJ) |
18 |
| 19 |  |
Played spoiler this weekend, quashing the positive vibes surrounding Kirk Cousins and his Washington cohorts. But probably too little, too late for their own playoff chances. (CB) |
24 |
| 20 |  |
Only the Rams, Browns, Jets and Bears have scored fewer points than the Texans. They’ve got little momentum right now after a third consecutive loss. (MJ) |
16 |
| 21 |  |
Were held to fewer than 20 points for the first time since Week 2. Drew Brees threw three interceptions in a game for the first time in two years. (MJ) |
17 |
| 22 |  |
Mike Zimmer is returning from his injury, a fourth eye surgery, and Adrian Peterson is contemplating a return of his own. But it might not be enough. The Vikings have lost four of their last five despite being tied or holding a lead in the fourth quarter of each. (DB) |
19 |
| 23 |  |
The dream is dead for the still-better-than-their-record Chargers, who are now three full games out of a playoff spot with four to play. (CB) |
20 |
| 24 |  |
The Bengals found a way to win and put up offensive numbers without A.J. Green. That hasn’t stopped Corey Dillon from saying that Marvin Lewis should be let go. (DB) |
26 |
| 25 |  |
Long gone are the days of a playoff-contending Eagles team. Philadelphia has gone 2-7 since their bye week, a stretch that has exposed a team rife with weaknesses that is averaging just 14 points a game over its last three contests. (GL) |
22 |
| 26 |  |
Outclassed from top to bottom by Seattle but all anyone was talking about was the fact Cam Newton was benched to start the game for not wearing a tie. It has been that kind of season for the Panthers. (MJ) |
23 |
| 27 |  |
All this losing would be easier to take if they were at least staring down a high first-round pick. But alas…. (CB) |
27 |
| 28 |  |
Matt Barkley is making a case to be Chicago’s QB in 2017. That coupled with the fact the Bears are starting six rookies and have an 80-percent chance at a top-five pick means the future might be brighter than you think in the Windy City. (DB) |
29 |
| 29 |  |
Monday night’s beatdown at the hands of the Colts was the definition of a no-show. The Jets have plenty of problems all over the field, but the biggest question mark remains quarterback as neither Ryan Fitzpatrick nor Bryce Petty showed much of anything. (GL) |
28 |
| 30 |  |
They lost their seventh in a row to the surprise of absolutely no one. The defence did perform admirably against the defending-champion Broncos, though, if you enjoy seeing the silver lining of things. (MJ) |
30 |
| 31 |  |
Facing a fellow bottom-five team in the Bears, the 49ers still lost by 20. Since Week 1, they’ve been outscored by an average of more than two touchdowns per game. (CB) |
31 |
| 32 |  |
Robert Griffin III wants to return and says he wants to help the team not just for the last four weeks but in the future. If he doesn’t play well enough to get the Browns out of position for the No. 1–overall pick, he might not have a choice. (DB) |
32 |