The turkey legs are eaten. The bye weeks are done. When this Sunday’s games begin we’ll be into the final month of the NFL season.
In many ways, this is the beginning of the home stretch, which means our expert panel has a lot to chew on for the latest power rankings. So let’s get right to it.
As always, the panel includes editor Geoff Lowe, as well as staff writers Donnovan Bennett, Mike Johnston and Emily Sadler.
1. New Orleans Saints
2018 record: 10-1
Last week: 1
The Saints have outscored their opponents by 153 points through 11 games. It’s no fluke they’re still at the top. (MJ)
2. Los Angeles Rams
2018 record: 10-1 (bye)
Last week: 2
What’s scarier than the Rams’ offence coming to town? A well-rested Rams offence coming to town. Look out, Lions. (ES)
3. Kansas City Chiefs
2018 record: 9-2 (bye)
Last week: 3
Kansas City’s final stretch of the season begins and ends with the Raiders, giving Chiefs fans plenty to cheer about this holiday season. (ES)
4. New England Patriots
2018 record: 8-3
Last week: 5
The Patriots let the Jets hang around a bit too long on Sunday, but got the job done pretty convincingly. Now, thanks to the Steelers loss, New England holds the AFC’s second bye, which feels like it will be crucial for a team that has struggled away from home. (GL)
5. Chicago Bears
2018 record: 8-3
Last week: 6
The Bears won their first game in Detroit since 2012, and now they can clinch a playoff spot as early as Week 14. The Vikings go to New England next week while the Bears play the struggling Giants, so they could lead the competitive NFC North by 2.5 games by this time next week. (DB)
6. Houston Texans
2018 record: 8-3
Last week: 7
Houston is firing on all cylinders and became the first team in NFL history to win eight straight after dropping the first three games of the season. (MJ)
7. Los Angeles Chargers
2018 record: 8-3
Last week: 8
The Chargers rebounded from their loss against Denver with a big win over Arizona that saw Philip Rivers pretty close to perfect. Pass rusher Joey Bosa made his presence known with two big sacks and is in fine form just in time for a big Sunday-night showdown against the Steelers. (ES)
8. Pittsburgh Steelers
2018 record: 7-3-1
Last week: 4
Ben Roethlisberger’s four red-zone interceptions this year are the most in the NFL — and one of them burned the Steelers in Denver on Sunday. The road loss to the Broncos was the team’s first Week 3 of 2017. We shouldn’t be surprised they lost to the Broncos on the road, though. The Steelers’ last win in Denver was Week 9 of 2009. (DB)
9. Minnesota Vikings
2018 record: 6-4-1
Last week: 11
If only the Vikings just had to play the Packers. Against the highest-paid QB in the NFL, Kirk Cousins not only justified his own rich off-season contract, he outplayed Aaron Rodgers in a must-win game. How clutch was he? Cousins completed nine of his 11 attempts against the blitz. (DB)
10. Indianapolis Colts
2018 record: 6-5
Last week: 12
The only teams on longer winning streaks are the Saints and Texans. Andrew Luck has been able to keep his jersey clean thanks to his o-line and he’s seeing the field well. (MJ)
11. Seattle Seahawks
2018 record: 6-5
Last week: 14
With another thrilling victory on Sunday, the Seahawks are getting hot at the best time and are firmly in charge of their playoff hopes. (ES)
12. Baltimore Ravens
2018 record: 6-5
Last week: 13
In Lamar Jackson’s two games as the Ravens’ starter, he’s thrown for 328 yards and rushed for another 190. That rushing total is the most by a quarterback in his first two career starts in the Super Bowl era. Gus Edwards has also rushed for back-to-back 100-yard games, the first Ravens rookie to do so since 2000. The Ravens are riding their young backfield and rushed the ball on 33 of 40 second-half plays against Oakland. (DB)
13. Dallas Cowboys
2018 record: 6-5
Last week: 15
The Cowboys are rolling thanks to a dominant ground game and a defence that has come into its own over the course of this three-game win streak. Thursday’s game against New Orleans will give us a true measurement of where Dallas really stands. (GL)
14. Carolina Panthers
2018 record: 6-5
Last week: 14
Christian McCaffrey set a franchise record with 237 scrimmage yards but it wasn’t enough to top the Seahawks. A couple ugly early-season wins are the only thing keeping this struggling club in the playoff race. (MJ)
15. Washington
2018 record: 6-5
Last week: 10
It feels like the injuries have finally caught up to this team, and they’ll be too much to overcome. This week’s clash with the Eagles in Philly on Monday night is a must-win. (GL)
16. Denver Broncos
2018 record: 5-6
Last week: 20
Two straight wins have the Broncos back in the hunt for the post-season, and when you look at their next four opponents (at Bengals, at 49ers, vs. Browns, vs. Raiders) it’s possible they actually get there. (ES)
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17. Green Bay Packers
2018 record: 4-6-1
Last week: 16
Luckily for the Packers, the month of November is over. In the last four seasons the Packers have gone a combined 4-13 in the month of November. (DB)
18. Philadelphia Eagles
2018 record: 5-6
Last week: 22
Sunday’s game was shaping up to be Philly’s third straight loss before a 16-point comeback earned the Eagles their biggest win of the season. Credit to a decimated defence, which held the Giants to just three points and 51 yards in the second half. (GL)
19. Tennessee Titans
2018 record: 5-6
Last week: 17
Timidity and predictability on offence has limited this group’s potential. (MJ)
20. Miami Dolphins
2018 record: 5-6
Last week: 18
The Dolphins played three-and-a-half great quarters against the Colts before blowing a 10-point fourth-quarter lead, a loss that could factor hugely in a wild-card tie-breaking situation with Indianapolis. (GL)
21. Cleveland Browns
2018 record: 4-6-1
Last week: 24
Baker Mayfield not only ended the Browns’ road losing streak by leading them to their second straight win — he is also already in a tie for the most TD passes as a rookie in franchise history with 17. He’s also put up 2,242 passing yards on 62.7 per cent passing. The only competition Saquon Barkley has for offensive rookie of the year is the only man who was picked ahead of him in the draft. (DB)
22. Buffalo Bills
2018 record: 4-7
Last week: 26
Four wins looked like a pipe dream after a 44-point loss to the Ravens in Week 1, but the Bills continue to hang tough behind what might be one of the most underrated defences of the 2000s. (GL)
23. Atlanta Falcons
2018 record: 4-7
Last week: 23
The remainder of the season needs to be focused on fixing the offensive strategy. Atlanta’s offence still grinds to a halt when it approaches the goal line. (MJ)
24. Cincinnati Bengals
2018 record: 5-6
Last week: 19
The Bengals are considering moving Marvin Lewis to the front office and hiring Hue Jackson to be their head coach. But they might want to consider how his old Browns players — including Baker Mayfield — feel about him before making the move. (DB)
Hue Jackson went for the hug and Baker hit him with the “we’re just friends” handshake pic.twitter.com/khycq8Vhik
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) November 25, 2018
25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2018 record: 4-7
Last week: 28
They put together a complete, four-quarter effort and allowed fewer than 10 points for the first time this season. Tampa Bay limited mistakes and looked pretty good overall. It was bizarre to see. (MJ)
26. Detroit Lions
2018 record: 4-7
Last week: 21
The Lions have an issue with identifying and developing personnel. Case in point: Eric Ebron. Ebron has 12 TDs this season with the Colts. He had 12 total TDs in 56 games with the Lions. They’ll get another chance to develop elite talent this off-season as they are presently slated to pick eighth in the draft. (DB)
27. Jacksonville Jaguars
2018 record: 3-8
Last week: 25
The team fired its offensive coordinator and benched Blake Bortles after losing to the Bills. That’s seven losses in a row now. (MJ)
28. New York Giants
2018 record: 3-8
Last week: 27
So many baffling decisions led to the Giants blowing a 16-point lead, but the most baffling is the use of Saquon Barkley: The rookie running back scorched the Eagles in the first half, but touched the ball just five times in the second. HUH?! (GL)
29. New York Jets
2018 record: 3-8
Last week: 29
At this point we’re simply waiting for the end of the season, which will bring the end of Todd Bowles’s time in the Big Apple. (GL)
30. San Francisco 49ers
2018 record: 2-9
Last week: 30
Nick Mullens’s first road start was a rough one — he was sacked four times and tossed two interceptions in the 27–9 loss to Tampa Bay — but it looks like he’ll have another shot as San Francisco’s starter Sunday against Seattle. (ES)
31. Oakland Raiders
2018 record: 2-9
Last week: 31
The Raiders’ final five games of the season: vs. Chiefs, vs. Steelers, at Bengals, vs. Broncos, at Chiefs. Prepare for a painful December. (ES)
32. Arizona Cardinals
2018 record: 2-9
Last week: 32
Just when we thought they’d give the Chargers a challenge on Sunday with an early 10-point lead, they frittered it all away by allowing 45 unanswered points in a lop-sided loss. (ES)
