NFL Divisional Power Rankings, Week 12: AFC North slips a spot after a rough Sunday

After 11 weeks, no division has really posed a threat to the NFC North.
Jacksonville Jaguars v Detroit Lions
Jacksonville Jaguars v Detroit Lions / Gregory Shamus/GettyImages
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It was a week in which all 16 teams in the American Football Conference were in action. Obviously, that’s because that’s because the four clubs that were off—Arizona, Carolina, the New York Giants, and Tampa Bay—all reside in the NFC.

The slate featured three major match-ups. Following last week’s action, the AFC North had risen up to the second spot in these rankings. One of those aforementioned big-time clashes involved the top two teams in that surging division. There was indeed a winner, but the division overall came up losers. This upcoming week, there will be a season-low 13 games on the NFL schedule. The AFC East and NFC South will have two teams off this week.

All told, there wasn’t much movement when it came to this week’s list.

The latest NFL Divisional Power Rankings

8. AFC South

Last week: 8th

In Week 10, all four clubs in this division took it all the chin. That wound up not being the case for a second consecutive week, although there was one horrific performance by one of these clubs. The Tennessee Titans were the only AFC South club to host a game. The Jaguars headed north looking to cool off the red-hot Lions. The Colts were looking to snap a three-game losing streak as they made their way east to face the Jets. On Monday night, the struggling Texans clashed with the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium.

Start with the Jaguars. Doug Pederson’s club enters this off-week riding a four-game losing streak and is assured of a losing season. Jacksonville’s defense gave up a mind-boggling 645 total yards in the 52-6 loss at Detroit. The Titans looked flat at home in their 23-13 loss to the Vikings. They gained 98 yards on a TD pass from Will Levis to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, and 194 yards the rest of the game. The Colts rallied in the final minute to beat the Jets, while the Texans extended the Cowboys’ woes at home with a 34-10 victory.

7. NFC South

Last week: 7th

Only two teams in the division were in action this week. Both the 3-7 Carolina Panthers and 4-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers got some time off. Meanwhile, the New Orleans Saints took on the Cleveland Browns at the Superdome, while the first-place Falcons made their way to the Mile High City to battle the improved Broncos. When it was all said and done, one of those clubs rolled to a 21-point win, and the other looked non-competitive in a 32-point loss. Suddenly, the NFC South title chase has gotten a lot more interesting.

Interim head coach Darren Rizzi is 2-0 after the Saints routed the disappointing Browns, 35-14. Taysom Hill ran for 138 yards and three scores, caught eight passes for 50 yards, and was 1-of-2 throwing the ball (albeit he served up an interception). Meanwhile, the bewildering Falcons laid an omelet in Denver and had no answers for Broncos’ rookie quarterback Bo Nix. Atlanta’s defense gave up 400 total yards on 60 plays. Hence, the Saints and Panthers have each won their last two games, the Bucs are in the midst of a four-game skid, and the first-place Falcons have now dropped two in a row after their strong 6-3 start.

6. AFC East

Last week: 6th

It was the most anticipated game of the week. Buffalo was the setting for an epic showdown between the top two teams in the American Football Conference. The 8-2 Bills took on the 9-0 Chiefs looking to fortify their first-place status in the division. The rest of the AFC East were all at home as well. The Dolphins were looking for their first two-game winning streak of the season when they battled the well-rested Raiders. The Jets welcomed the Colts to MetLife Stadium, while the Patriots and Rams clashed in Foxborough.

The defending Super Bowl champions ran into too much Josh Allen on Sunday at Orchard Park, and Sean McDermott’s club moved closer to a fifth straight division title with an impressive 30-21 victory. Buffalo currently owns the longest winning streak in the AFC via six consecutive victories. Elsewhere, Miami remained mathematically alive for an AFC East title by holding off the Raiders, 34-19. The Jets and Pats both gave up exactly 28 points in tough setbacks and are both one defeat away from a losing season.

5. NFC West

Last week: 5th

The NFC West is a combined two games over the .500 mark. That’s the direct result of the 6-4 record owned by the surprising Arizona Cardinals. The Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, and San Francisco 49ers have each split their first 10 games. Jonathan Gannon’s team was off this week and watched two of those clubs came up with victories. Sean McVay’s club traveled cross country to take on the New England Patriots. Meanwhile, there was a rematch in San Francisco as the Niners looked to sweep the Seahawks.

It’s been a very disjointed season for the reigning conference champions. They allowed Mike Macdonald’s club to snap out of its funk thanks to an 80-yard TD drive in the final three minutes. The 20-17 setback means the Niners are technically in last place in the NFC West. More damning is the fact is that Kyle Shanahan’s team is a surprising 1-3 vs. their divisional rivals — two of those losses at home. The Rams bounced back from a Monday night home loss to Miami with a hard-earned 28-22 loss at New England.

4. NFC East

Last week: 4th

Week 11 in the National Football League kicked off in the City of Brotherly Love on Thursday night with a showdown between the perennial playoff-bound Eagles and the much-improved Washington Commanders. The only other game involving this division took place Monday night at Arlington as the reeling Cowboys took on the Houston Texans, who were having their own issues. The Giants were off, but made news Monday when they announced that Tommy DeVito would start in place of Daniel Jones.

It was another perplexing affair for the Birds, who trailed 10-6 in the fourth quarter before scoring 20 consecutive points on three touchdown runs by quarterback Jalen Hurts (1 yard) and running back Saquon Barkley (23 and 39 yards, respectively). Dan Quinn’s defense was gouged for 228 yards on the ground, and the club has dropped two straight after a 7-2 start. Finally, Dallas hosted the Texans on Monday night, and once again their defense was a no-show. The Cowboys dropped to 0-5 at home via a lopsided 34-10 loss.

3. AFC North

Last week: 2nd

Mike Tomlin’s first-place club extended its lead in the division, but this division slipped a spot in the rankings. The Steelers edged the Ravens, 18-16, but failed to score a touchdown. The Browns had a difficult time in the Big Easy in Jameis Winston’s return to New Orleans. Finally, the defensively-deficient Bengals once again allowed a team to reach the 30-point mark. While Pittsburgh is riding a five-game winning streak, Baltimore (1), Cincinnati (2), and Cleveland (2) have combined for five consecutive losses.

The Steelers’ two-point marked the second time this season that Chris Boswell kicked six field goals and accounted for all of the team’s points in a victory. Meanwhile, the Ravens were held under 20 points for the first time this year. The Bengals trailed the Bolts, 27-6, in the third quarter, rallied to tie the score, then saw Chargers’ running back J.K. Dobbins roll 29 yards for a score with 18 seconds to play. Baltimore has already lost as many games as they did in 2023, and the Browns are 2-8 a year after finishing 11-6.

2. AFC West

Last week: 3rd

It’s over … it’s all over. The Chiefs’ 15-game winning streak that dated back to Week 17 of 2023 and includes the club’s four-game Super Bowl postseason run, ended against the Bills at Orchard Park. Andy Reid’s team gave up a season-high 30 points. Patrick Mahomes threw for 196 yards and three TDs but was picked off two times and sacked twice. Kansas City’s defensive unit failed to sack Bills’ quarterback Josh Allen. Meanwhile, the Chargers and Broncos both gained ground on the reigning NFL champions.

Apparently, all it took was a visit by one of the worst defenses in the league for Jim Harbaugh’s club to score a season-high 34 points. On the down side, the Bolts allowed a season-high 27 points and their much-improved defense gave up 356 yards passing and three scores to Bengals’ quarterback Joe Burrow in the 34-27 win. Denver never allowed the Falcons to reach the end zone in a shocking 38-6 victory. The Raiders returned from their off week, made things interesting at Miami, but dropped their sixth straight.

1. NFC North

Last week: 1st

It wasn’t all that long ago that all four teams in the league’s best division were all at least two games above .500. Three of these clubs came away with victories in Week 11, while the waning Chicago Bears have not won a game since returning after their off-week. The skid has reached four straight games, and Sunday’s 20-19 home setback to the rival Packers, Chicago’s first divisional contest of the season, marked the second time in four weeks that Matt Eberflus’s struggling team lost on the final play of the game.

At Nashville, the Vikings made it a clean sweep of interconference opponents (5-0) with a lackluster 23-13 victory over the Titans. Sam Darnold threw for 246 yards and two scores but did turn over the ball for the third straight game — raising his season total to 14 miscues. Meanwhile, the Lions had no such issues. They rolled up an incredible 645 total yards on 76 offensive plays (8.5 average) and scored touchdowns on their first seven possessions in smoking the visiting Jaguars, 52-6. Who is the best team in the NFL these days?

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