2019 NFL power rankings, Week 12: Falcons rolling, Texans rolled

Recap: Dating back to the team’s return to the NFL in 1999 and including a playoff loss in 2002, the Browns owned a 6-34-1 record vs. the Steelers entering the prime time match-up. Baker Mayfield and company played turnover-free football for the third straight week and snapped an eight-game winless streak in the series. Steve Wilks’ defense picked off Steelers’ quarterback Mason Rudolph four times and sacked him on four occasions. Mayfield barely completed 50 percent of his passes but threw for 193 yards and two scores. The final moments were marred by the actions of defensive end Myles Garrett and others. But linebacker Joe Schobert had a huge evening.

Next Week: The Browns host a Miami team that has played much better football as of late. However, the last time Cleveland played host to this series was six years ago and it resulted in a 23-10 setback. And after knocking off the Dolphins four consecutive times from 2005-11, the Browns have dropped the last two meetings in this setting.

Playoff hopes: The Browns have won two games in a row for the first time all season. But the team will be without Garrett for the remainder of the year and defensive end Larry Ogunjobi for this week’s tilt with the Dolphins. The fact that Kitchens’ team owns a 2-0 record within the division is a huge plus for a club trying to climb uphill.

Recap: Off their stunning surprise of the division-leading Saints at New Orleans, the Falcons had Carolina on their mind as they headed to Charlotte for their first meeting of the year with the Panthers. In the shocking win over the Saints, Atlanta’s pass rush came up with six sacks. In the first half on Sunday, there were three more QB traps and three interceptions of Kyle Allen. Quarterback Matt Ryan threw only one touchdown pass but totaled 311 yards through the air despite being dropped three times. The Atlanta defense finished with four picks of Allen and a total of five quarterback traps. That means Dan Quinn’s club has racked up a combined 11 sacks the last two weeks.

Next Week: The Falcons play their third straight game vs. an NFC South rival as Quinn’s team hosts the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Atlanta has prevailed in the last five meetings in the series and a year ago came away with a pair of wild victories – a 34-29 home triumph in Week 6 followed by a 34-32 win (Week 17) at Raymond James Stadium.

Playoff hopes: The odds are certainly slim when it comes to this team reaching the postseason. But the Falcons have shown the past two week that they are going to make life tough for the contenders in the NFC South. The reversal of fortunes on defense has been simply remarkable and Ryan and the offense is playing balanced football.

Next: Nos. 20 and 19