Between Thanksgiving, Black Friday and what turned out to be a weird, wild Sunday in NFL Week 13, it's safe to say that our NFL Power Rankings are about to shift quite dramatically — much more so than they normally do this late in the regular season. But when you have contenders like the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs on the downturn, the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers, among others, on the come up, and still so many questions throughout the NFL, this is where you'll ultimately end up.
After hemming and hawing over how to sort these NFL Power Rankings, we've landed where we need to — and that starts with the Cowboys' big climb, but we'll also dive into the most notable risers and fallers, particularly with the impact these moves have on the rest of the league. Shall we?
Risers, Fallers and NFL Power Rankings for Week 14
- NFL Power Rankings — Week 14
- The Dallas Cowboys aren't just the exciting bad team anymore
- Most important risers and fallers in the latest NFL Power Rankings
NFL Power Rankings — Week 14
NFL Power Rankings | Last Week's Ranking |
|---|---|
1. Los Angeles Rams | 1 |
2. Denver Broncos | 2 |
3. New England Patriots (Still to Play on MNF) | 3 |
4. Seattle Seahawks | 5 |
5. Green Bay Packers | 8 |
6. Buffalo Bills | 9 |
7. Chicago Bears | 12 |
8. Dallas Cowboys | 13 |
9. Philadelphia Eagles | 4 |
10. Indianapolis Colts | 6 |
11. San Francisco 49ers | 14 |
12. Detroit Lions | 7 |
13. Houston Texans | 17 |
14. Kansas City Chiefs | 10 |
15. Los Angeles Chargers | 16 |
16. Baltimore Ravens | 11 |
17. Carolina Panthers | 20 |
18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 15 |
19. Jacksonville Jaguars | 18 |
20. Miami Dolphins | 21 |
21. Cinicnnati Bengals | 24 |
22. New York Giants (Still to Play on MNF) | 22 |
23. Pittsburgh Steelers | 19 |
24. Arizona Cardinals | 25 |
25. Atlanta Falcons | 23 |
26. Washington Commanders | 27 |
27. Cleveland Browns | 26 |
28. New York Jets | 31 |
29. Minnesota Vikings | 28 |
30. New Orleans Saints | 29 |
31. Tennessee Titans | 30 |
32. Las Vegas Raiders | 32 |
The Dallas Cowboys aren't just the exciting bad team anymore
When the Dallas Cowboys traded for Quinnen Williams at the deadline, there were plenty of critics who crushed Jerry Jones for the move — myself included! In the wake of the preseason Micah Parsons trade, turning around to move another first-round pick for a defensive tackle seemed just completely misguided.
Three weeks since that move, though, we all owe Jerry Jones an apology. Because while it wasn't just the Williams move, that trade has helped push the Cowboys on track to being a legitimate playoff threat in the NFC.
Dallas moved to 3-0 since the Williams trade with a Thanksgiving Day win over the Kansas City Chiefs, now sitting at 6-5-1 on the season and viably in the hunt for a postseason spot. That's even more realistic considering that three of the five remaining games are against teams well out of playoff contention, while the other two are against a limping Lions team and an injury-riddled Chargers squad.
Even if it was against contenders, though, there'd be reason to believe in the Cowboys considering they've knocked off the Eagles and Chiefs in huge battles over the past two weeks. The numbers show exactly why that's the case, and Williams has been a huge factor in that turnaround.
We know that the Dallas offense, especially after the George Pickens trade, has been lethal all year long. They rank fifth in the NFL in Offensive EPA per Play this season, and have been able to score with almost any team. But the defense was routinely letting them down, evidenced best by the fact that the Cowboys are 30th in points per play allowed this season.
Since the Williams trade, however, they have improved to the 21st-best defense in the league in that metric. That still puts them below league-average, sure, but they are no longer a sieve, and you can see that with Williams' effect both on the pass rush and, more importantly, the run defense in the trenches. It's given the Cowboys a chance to capitalize on their explosive offense and not just simply have to win 30+ point shootouts to get a victory.
Does this mean that the Dallas Cowboys are a Super Bowl contender? Probably not — the defense is still not quite good enough to put them in that tier. But the playoffs are now a legitimate possibility, and this isn't an offense that any team in the NFC would want to face in an elimination scenario.
Most important risers and fallers in the latest NFL Power Rankings
Faller: Atlanta Falcons
The real question for the Atlanta Falcons is how many more chances head coach Raheem Morris and offensive coordinator Zac Robinson are going to get. It's not unfair to say that this coaching staff was already skating on thin ice given the gross underperformance of the Falcons so far this season, but getting upset by the lowly Jets on Sunday is a new low that, even amid the struggles, didn't quite seem possible.
But here we are, and it's a brutal position. While I understand that Kirk Cousins is now the quarterback with Michael Penix Jr.'s injury, the truth of the matter is that we've watched Atlanta simply regress throughout the year. The defense has gone from a surprising upstart to a legitimate problem, and Robinson's baffling play-calling has gotten worse as well. It's hard to imagine feeling anything positive about the Falcons as long as this coaching regime is still in place.
Riser: Chicago Bears
Maybe we all forgot the positivity surrounding the Chicago Bears as they hired Ben Johnson this offseason, because most of us have been far too slow to give this team its due when they've wholly earned it. But the Black Friday win over the Eagles undeniably puts the Bears in a new light that we have to take seriously. Caleb Williams is coming into his own, and the rest of the roster is fully following suit, especially the backfield with Kyle Monangai's rookie emergence.
While I do still have some worries that the defense isn't quite good enough yet for Chicago to compete for a Super Bowl, they are getting closer to lock status for a playoff spot as they're in full control of the NFC North right now with just five weeks remaining in their regular season. They're going to be a factor in the postseason, and depending on how the two remaining matchups with the Packers go, we could see this team make serious noise.
And maybe see Johnson go shirtless once again.
Riser: Houston Texans
Early in the season, it was hard to believe in Houston despite having clearly one of the most fearsome defenses in the NFL. C.J. Stroud was playing poorly, due in no small part to the struggles of the offensive line, and it didn't seem like the offense would be able to do enough to make them a legitimate factor in the AFC. When Stroud was injured, that seemed to be the death knell — only it wasn't, because Davis Mills unexpectedly lit the spark for this team.
The Texans have shored up the offensive line as they've shuffled around pieces and finally gotten the trenches to gel. Stroud is now back and he just led his team past the upstart Colts on Sunday. And, of course, the defense under DeMeco Ryans remains one of the best in the league. This team is no longer one that's leaving fans wanting. Rather, it's a team that appears to be starting to peak at the right time and has the pieces to be legitimately dangerous.
Faller: Philadelphia Eagles
The refrain with the Eagles is seemingly that it's remarkable that there can be so much apparent dysfunction within the locker room and on offense specifically and yet they survive when things are going well. However, when they're in their current position after two straight upset losses to the Cowboys and now the Bears, the feeling becomes that the walls are crumbling around the defending Super Bowl champs. And not to be hyperbolic, but they might be.
We've known all season that the Eagles' vaunted defense is good but not as great as it was a year ago. However, that's become exceedingly problematic as the wheels are falling off the offense. Over the last three weeks, Philly ranks 27th in points per play on offense. Saquon Barkley isn't the tour de force he was in 2024, the offensive line isn't performing at the same level, and the shortcomings of Jalen Hurts are becoming more evident.
It'd be dumb to write the Eagles off, of course. However, it can also be true that there's a real reason to be worried about this team right now.
Teams That Didn't Move But Deserve Discussing: Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Rams
Despite a loss from the Rams and a win for the Broncos, I'm still keeping the former in the No. 1 spot and the latter in the No. 2 spot. And really, it's not all that complicated as to why.
For Los Angeles, yes, a loss to the Panthers isn't what you want to see. Having said that, they did have to go cross-country and, over the course of a 17-game regular season, we're bound to see some letdowns. On the whole, the Rams have been one of the most consistent forces in the NFL and have stepped up when the lights have been brightest. I'm not concerned about this team in any meaningful way.
In the case of Denver, though, it doesn't feel right to put a team that needed overtime and a two-point conversion stop over the zombie Commanders in the No. 1 spot. While nine-straight wins forces me to give the Broncos credit, it's not been pretty and I still am not quite to the point of trusting this team outside of its defense — but even then, they did give up 26 points to Marcus Mariota.