Another hectic week of football is in the books. More Oscar-worthy finishes, several unfortunate injuries that’ll impact the postseason race and a thrilling Super Bowl 57 rematch between football’s two best clubs.
We’re now down to seven weeks of regular season football before the postseason begins. With that, let’s dive into our Week 12 edition of the 2023 NFL power rankings.
32. Carolina Panthers (32)
Okay, this is just another level of sadness.
Bryce Young was sacked seven times. The Panthers committed eight penalties for 90 yards, and the offense mustered a mere 10 points on a mere 187 yards.
There’s just nothing going right for the Panthers, who are poised to surrender the first overall pick to the Chicago Bears. Weren’t Young and Frank Reich supposed to, ahem, be a better duo than Matt Rhule and Baker Mayfield or Sam Darnold? So much for that!
31. New England Patriots (31)
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A much-needed bye week for a Patriots team in free-fall mode. With a tough schedule ahead, there’s little reason to think Bill Belichick and company will finish better than 4-and-13.
At this point, everyone is just curious what happens with Belichick — and who replaces him if he leaves.
30. Arizona Cardinals (29)
Kyler Murray had another strong outing and nearly led his Cardinals to an upset win over CJ Stroud and the surging Houston Texans on the road.
It was a spirited effort, but the Houston D came up with a big stop at the end when it mattered most. There are no moral losses in football, but it’s sure nice to be reminded of what a healthy Murray is capable of.
Arizona will be a toughie the rest of the way. They’ll surely embrace the opportunity to play the spoiler role from here.
29. Chicago Bears (28)
Brutal loss for the Bears, who saw a 12-point lead evaporate against Detroit in the final three minutes. The Bears’ D gave up 15 unanswered points before the offense allowed a safety that fittingly iced the game.
The meltdown on defense wasted a superb outing by Justin Fields, who racked up 104 yards on the ground. At least he’s building up his trade value while the Bears inch closer to Drake Maye or Caleb Williams territory…
28. Tennessee Titans (27)
Will Levis hung in there and made some big-time plays against a formidable Jacksonville defense. But it wasn’t enough, mostly because the Titans’ D slept through the entire contest in an ugly 34-14 loss.
The Titans have now dropped three straight and are 3-7 with a difficult schedule ahead. A top-three pick is not out of the question at this point. The main question on our minds: Will Mike Vrabel still be here to help make that pick? Or will the Titans start from scratch?
That’ll largely depend on how the Titans finish out these final seven games.
27. New York Giants (30)
Tommy DeVito — not the guy from “Goodfellas” — was sure to remind the Commanders to go home and get their shinebox
DeVito had an impressive outing against Washington, throwing for 246 yards and three scores in a 31-19 Giants victory to pick up the first W of his career. Hats off to the undrafted rookie for a gutsy performance.
Not much has gone right for the G-Men this year, but dominating a heated rival on the road is sure a cause for celebration. Up next, a home tilt against the Patriots in a game that might set a record for most punts in a single contest. We kid you not.
26. Washington Commanders (23)
This Washington team is painful to watch. They have a get-right home game against a rival team with a third-string QB and still lose by double-digit points.
Ron Rivera ain’t it. Neither is Sam Howell. Every loss just means the Commanders are that much closer to a tear-it-all-down reset under the new ownership.
25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (22)
Baker Mayfield kept the Bucs in it for a while, but Tampa was just overwhelmed by a deeper and far more talented 49ers team in a 27-14 defeat. The Bucs have now lost five of their last six, and it’s just becoming more and more difficult to envision a scenario where they win the NFC South.
One reason for optimism? They only face one team with a winning record over their final seven contests.
24. New York Jets (21)
Robert Saleh selfishly stood by Zach Wilson again and watched the BYU product unravel in Buffalo. Who saw that coming?!
Just another hapless day for the Jets, who’ve now lost three straight. Should Aaron Rodgers really rush his way back at this point? The season’s pretty much lost with a not-so-forgiving schedule ahead…
23. Los Angeles Chargers (20)
The Bolts just keep on finding more and more unbelievable ways to lose. They handed Sunday’s game to Green Bay on a silver platter and essentially kissed their playoff hopes goodbye.
What more can we say? Justin Herbert deserves so much better.
22. Los Angeles Rams (26)
A gutsy comeback win for the Rams over the rival Seahawks to clinch a season-series sweep. In what has been a mostly uneventful season for Sean McVay’s squad, that certainly counts for something.
The Rams’ playoff hopes aren’t completely done for, but they probably have to go 6-1 over their final seven games to sneak in. Not impossible, but we wouldn’t bet on it, either.
21. Green Bay Packers (25)
Jordan Love turned in his first 300-yard game, and the result was a hard-fought 23-20 victory over Justin Herbert’s Los Angeles Chargers.
After Detroit and Kansas City, the rest of the Packers’ schedule is awfully manageable. If they can just split their next two games, the playoffs won’t quite be out of reach. Of course, a split against two of the NFL’s premier squads is easier said than done.
20. Atlanta Falcons (24)
The bye week came at a good time for a slumping Falcons team that sorely needed the mental reset. Up next, a pivotal Week 12 home clash against the New Orleans Saints — the very team Arthur Smith and company are trying to catch in the NFC South.
19. Las Vegas Raiders (15)
Antonio Pierce’s group deserves full credit for holding the high-powered Miami Dolphins’ offense to 20 points. Unfortunately, Aidan O’Connell and company couldn’t get much going offensively, resulting in a 20-13 loss in South Beach.
At 5-and-6, it’s desperation mode in Sin City now. A loss to Patrick Mahomes’ Chiefs on Sunday would probably be the final nail in the coffin of the Raiders’ playoff hopes.
18. Cincinnati Bengals (11)
What a devastating break for the Bengals. Just as they were rounding back into their championship-caliber form, Joe Burrow suffers a season-ending wrist injury in Thursday’s road loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Just crushing all-around. They may have the same initials, but Jake Browning is no Joe Burrow. With Joe Cool out for the year, Cincy’s playoff hopes are over. You just feel for this snake-bitten franchise that can’t catch a break.
17. Indianapolis Colts (19)
Well, that was a nice bye week for the Colts. The Steelers lost to Cleveland and fell to 6-4, putting Indy just one game out of the AFC’s final playoff spot.
Indy only plays two more games against teams that currently boast a winning record: The Steelers and Texans — two teams the Colts are trying to catch in the AFC wild card race.
It’s go-time for Shane Steichen’s squad.
16. New Orleans Saints (18)
Leaders of the NFC South — no that’s not saying much — the inconsistent Saints got to enjoy a bye week along with the Falcons.
New Orleans only faces one team with a winning record in the Lions. Honestly, a season series sweep of Atlanta would be more than enough to win the NFC South. At 5-5, the Saints probably just need three more W’s to lock it down.
15. Pittsburgh Steelers (13)
The Steelers are so frustrating. They can gut out close one-score wins against dangerous opponens, but then there’s instances like what we saw Sunday: The offense can’t do jack, and it culminates in a coulda-shoulda-woulda loss.
How Matt Canada remains the offensive coordinator is beyond us. That’s honestly the one thing keeping Mike Tomlin away from the 2023 Coach of the Year title.
With a soft schedule to close out the season, Pittsburgh SHOULD be a playoff team. But with this offense? They’ll be lucky to get past the Wild Card Round.
14. Minnesota Vikings (12)
The Vikings left Mile High City with a bitter taste in their mouths, having just given that game away to the Broncos on a silver platter. Then again, with a third-stringer and journeyman at QB, their winning streak was going to end eventually.
Nonetheless, Kevin O’Connell’s group is still in a good spot to lock down a wild card spot. Justin Jefferson is coming back soon, and four of Minny’s final six games come against teams with losing records.
13. Buffalo Bills (17)
The change at OC worked out perfectly…at least for one week.
Josh Allen and the Bills dropped the hammer on a stingy Jets’ defense, with the star QB tossing for 275 yards and three touchdowns. More impressively, the Buffalo rushing game racked up 130 yards on the day.
Hat tip to Joe Brady for quickly giving this struggling offense a spark. But there’s little time to celebrate with the Eagles next on the schedule — followed by the Chiefs and Cowboys.
12. Denver Broncos (16)
Well, well, well. What have we got over here?
A 5-and-5 Broncos team with four straight wins — each of the last three coming against tough competition in the Chiefs, Bills and now the Vikings.
That 70-burger against Miami feels like lightyears ago now. Suddenly, Russell Wilson is back to his Seahawks-like form, and Vance Joseph’s defense is rounding into form after a miserable start.
Denver’s next two games are against the Browns and the Texans — two clubs they’re trying to catch in the AFC Wild Card chase. Win both of those, and they essentially control their own destiny.
11. Seattle Seahawks (10)
Just a brutal loss for the Seahawks in every aspect. They had the banged-up Rams on the ropes at SoFi Stadium and still couldn’t close it out.
Kicker Jason Myers missed a game-winning 55-yard attempt in the waning seconds, and with that, the Rams’ sweep of Seattle was complete.
Now at 6-4, the ‘Hawks basically have to beat the 49ers this Thursday to have any realistic hope at the NFC West. If Seattle loses, even a wild card spot is no longer a sure-thing.
Bottom line: It’s gut check time in Emerald City.
10. Houston Texans (14)
Starting to run out of words to describe CJ Stroud at this point. Despite a 3-pick outing against Arizona, he settled down and willed his Texans to a third straight victory — tossing 336 yards and a pair of TDs in the 21-16 win.
Rookies aren’t supposed to be in the MVP race, but Stroud is making a compelling case as a front-runner here. Houston’s sitting comfortably at 6-4, but two tough challenges await now in the Jaguars and Broncos.
9. Jacksonville Jaguars (9)
Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars made easy work of Will Levis and the Titans in a get-right game, picking up their sixth win in seven weeks.
Now the Jaguars are gearing up for Sunday’s crucial Week 12 game in Houston. Winner has sole possession of first in the AFC South, so it’s pivotal that T-Law and company bring their A-game and avoid a season-series sweep.
8. San Francisco 49ers (8)
The 49ers, as expected, cruised past Baker Mayfield and the slumping Buccaneers at Levi’s Stadium.
That three-game losing skid is now in the rearview mirror, and regardless of the record, there’s a case to be made that the 49ers are the team to beat. Their defense is clicking again, and the Brock Purdy-led offense is practically unstoppable with Deebo Samuel and Trent Wililams back in the mix.
A win in Seattle this week essentially locks up the NFC West for Kyle Shanahan and company.
7. Miami Dolphins (7)
Tua and the offense didn’t play their best on Sunday, but Jalen Ramsey and the defense were more than happy to play hero against the Raiders.
The result: A pivotal 20-13 win that bumped Miami to 7-3 on the year.
Miami should win its next four games, but then they close out the regular season against Dallas, Baltimore and Buffalo. A playoff berth is essentially a done deal if they can just take advantage of the soft portion of their upcoming schedule.
6. Baltimore Ravens (6)
With Joe Burrow suffering a season-ending injury in the first half, the Ravens didn’t have much to worry about.
Lamar Jackson and the offense delivered a dazzling performance, and the Burrow-less Cincinnati offense stood no chance against Mike Macdonald’s defense.
Season sweep of the Bengals achieved. Now let’s see if Baltimore can hold off Cleveland and Pittsburgh for the AFC North crown.
5. Cleveland Browns (5)
Not sure how sustainable their current winning formula is, but the Browns don’t have to apologize to anybody. Jim Schwartz’s defense continues to bail out the offense and steal the show — this time holding the rival Steelers to 10 points in an emotional three-point victory.
At 7-3, Cleveland has already matched last year’s win total. Absolutely impressive stuff by Kevin Stefanski here given the inconsistent play and revolving door he’s endured at QB.
4. Dallas Cowboys (4)
Another easy win for Dak Prescott and the Cowboys against a helpless Carolina team. For the third time in four games, Dallas put up at least 33 points.
With a three-game homestand coming up, Dallas is in a good spot to rack up the W’s and clinch a playoff spot before Christmas.
3. Kansas City Chiefs (2)
The Chiefs should have won the Super Bowl 57 rematch against Philly, but stop us if you heard this before: Patrick Mahomes’ receivers had butter fingers and dropped too many easy passes — none more painful than Marquez Valdes-Scantling’s go-ahead TD drop at the 1:43 mark.
But let’s not overreact here. The Chiefs were the better team against the top club in the NFL. They’re still in a good spot to finish as the conference’s top seed.
2. Detroit Lions (3)
It wasn’t pretty, but the Lions reeled off 17 unanswered points in the final three minutes to pull away from the Bears. Coupled with Minny’s loss to Denver, the NFC North is essentially on cruise control for Dan Campbell and company.
Not that the division crown is their main focus. The top seed and lone first-round bye in the NFC is still very much in play here.
1. Philadelphia Eagles (1)
The Eagles didn’t fully show up until the fourth quarter in the Super Bowl rematch — but better late than never! Jalen Hurts came through when it mattered most, and the Eagles’ vaunted defense FINALLY contained Patrick Mahomes with the game on the line.
The result was a thrilling 21-17 win in Arrowhead. They still hold the best record in football and look poised to finish as the NFC’s top seed again. The more that stays the same…
Side note: Who else is up for a Super Bowl 57 rematch in Las Vegas?
What changes would you make to our Week 12 power rankings?
