NFL Power Rankings, Week 14: Bills and Eagles nipping at injury-riddled Lions heels; Ravens drop

Thanks to some luck and curious clock management by the opposition, Detroit survived Thursday's nail-biter, running its winning streak to 10 games. There's little time to exhale, with the Packers and Bills coming to Ford Field over the next two weeks. The Lions have been the best team in football to this point, but if there's something that could knock them off this perch, it's bad luck in the health department. Some early departures on Thanksgiving underscored how beat up they are defensively: Levi Onwuzurike left with a hamstring injury and Josh Paschal left with a knee injury, while Malcolm Rodriguez suffered an ACL tear that landed him injured reserve, where he'll join key pieces Alex Anzalone and Aidan Hutchinson. Other Lions were banged up, as well. It's no shock that general manager Brad Holmes would jump into action, signing Kwon Alexander and adding Jamal Adams to the practice squad. The Lions have four linebackers on IR. It's getting a little worrisome, even as the team continues to succeed.

They've wrapped up the AFC East, so the mission now moves to clinching the AFC's top seed. Tough games versus the Rams and Lions remain, but the Bills benefitted from the Ravens' loss on Sunday, which makes it more likely that the battle for the No. 1 spot boils down to Kansas City vs. Buffalo. It's nice when Josh Allen can drop back 17 times and the Bills can score 35 points with ease. They've now scored 30-plus points in six straight contests. The rushing attack hummed early. Allen essentially threw a TD pass to himself and ran for another score in the second half. Buffalo forced three fumbles and controlled the game in all three phases against a desperate 49ers team. There are not a lot of nits to pick here, and it was great to see linebacker Matt Milano -- who hadn't played since Week 5 of last season, thanks to multiple injuries -- back in a 37-snap effort. His return could really be a game changer for the Bills' defense.

The Eagles' gritty victory over the Ravens was led by a defense that contained Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry to a degree that most other NFL defenses can't achieve. Philly's D has come a long way since last season -- and, heck, even since the team's Week 5 bye. Vic Fangio has been a massive upgrade at coordinator in 2024, and he proved that Sunday with his in-season capstone. And where would the Eagles be without offseason signee Zack Baun? His success at linebacker and the play of additions in the secondary (C.J. Gardner-Johnson, rookies Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean) have been absolutely vital developments, along with defensive tackle Jalen Carter becoming one of the toughest players in the league to block. When the offense was stopped early, there was no panic; that's almost a weekly plotline now. Eventually, Saquon Barkley and A.J. Brown did what they do, finishing off the Ravens. The Eagles are a seasoned, dangerous team that can win pretty or -- like on Sunday -- ugly.

I encountered plenty of backlash for dropping Kansas City another slot last week after a victory -- but then Friday's slog against the Raiders kinda backed my instincts up. Once again, the Chiefs pulled ahead against a team that is worse than them, and once again, it was a real struggle to finish off the victory. The offense going cold and the defense wearing down has become the standard formula in recent games. This time, Kansas City needed a bad Raiders snap to keep Las Vegas from ruining a second straight holiday weekend at Arrowhead. That involves luck. The Chiefs have a serious problem at left tackle, with Wanya Morris struggling badly against the Raiders and getting benched in the fourth quarter, while rookie Kingsley Suamataia has also had his share of issues this season. Should they turn to D.J. Humphries? That might be the best option at this point.

The Vikings' defense bent but didn't break Sunday, holding the Cardinals to one touchdown in six red-zone possessions and limiting Arizona to three points in the final 19-plus minutes. Minnesota's D was on the field for a whopping 77 plays, blitzing often, and had to be physically whipped, especially coming off a grueling overtime win in Chicago the week prior. But this game really was about Sam Darnold and the offense also stepping up after a slow start, delivering two huge drives late. It wasn't pretty at all, as the Cardinals controlled things for most of the afternoon, but the Vikings moved to 10-2 and all but locked up a playoff spot. The division isn't lost yet, and amazingly, neither is the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The Vikings are a somewhat-flawed operation, but you can't argue much with the results: 10 wins, plus a two-point home loss to the Lions and a 10-point road loss to the Rams that they had a shot to tie up late.

The Packers' defense has now allowed fewer than 20 offensive points in each of their past four outings and stonewalled the rushing attacks of the 49ers and Dolphins in back-to-back games. The pass rush was good on Thanksgiving, and Green Bay forced Miami to check down often, but it was the strong tackling that really caught my eye. Forcing short passes is one thing; stopping receivers in their tracks is another. The Packers' biggest test so far will be this week's rematch against the Lions, who didn't do much offensively in the teams' first meeting of the season, a 24-14 win for Detroit. That game was closer than the score appeared, and Green Bay has to like its chances of pulling off the upset after the Lions struggled with the Bears last week. The Packers aren't forcing turnovers at quite the same rate they did earlier in the season, but the offense is doing its part by providing good ball security of its own. This is a dangerous team capable of beating some quality opponents right now.

After the first-drive mishap, the Steelers got down to business and executed their best offensive game plan of the season against the Bengals. Russell Wilson appeared to still be in a turkey-carving mood post-Thanksgiving, and he took it out on Cincinnati with a series of short, crisp passes and a few long balls for good measure. Now, the Steelers will get to try that approach against a Browns team that knocked them off in Week 12. It will be a test for this Pittsburgh offense, even if the three games after that (at Philadelphia, at Baltimore, vs. Kansas City) are the real meat of the remaining schedule. The Steelers are back in control of the AFC North with the Ravens' loss. Pittsburgh knows how much is still at stake and how quickly the pecking order can flip. But getting back in an offensive groove was a key development heading into this important stretch.

Justin Tucker entered the season as one of the most accurate kickers all time, arguably the best ever at the position. Now he's viewed as a possible liability, having missed a career-high eight field-goal tries this season. Two of those came Sunday, along with a missed extra-point attempt, meaning that, on his kicks, the Ravens lost out on seven points in a five-point defeat. A similar scenario played out in the 18-16 loss at Pittsburgh three weeks ago. Baltimore perennially fielded one of the best special teams outfits in the NFL for years, led by Tucker, but those units have cost the team dearly this season in key moments. Lamar Jackson rightly pointed out that the offense could have finished off more drives; the Ravens bogged down several times in the second and third quarters, and a game that they initially led 9-0 slipped from their grasp. There have just been too many losses like this to brush off, even if some of them did come against higher-tier opponents (the Chiefs, Steelers and Eagles).

The Chargers struggled all day on offense against the Falcons, allowing a shocking five sacks (to a team that had 10 total coming in) and converting on just three of 11 third downs. They placed J.K. Dobbins on injured reserve with a knee injury prior to kickoff and handed the ball off just 12 times Sunday, gaining 55 yards on those carries, while Hassan Haskins coughed up a fumble on his only touch of the game. Thankfully, the defense did its job, logging four interceptions of Kirk Cousins (including a pick-six by rookie Tarheeb Still) and stripping Cousins for what would have been a fifth turnover had the Falcons not recovered. The Bolts also held firm in the red zone, allowing Atlanta to score only one TD on four trips down there. This was a much-needed win after L.A. dropped to 7-4, but it was hardly a statement victory, featuring a reprise of some of the team's early-season struggles on offense. The offensive line, considered to be a strength coming into the season, has been a disappointment in more games than I imagined it would be.

There were some big plays, but Bo Nix didn't have a great game Monday night while Jameis Winston was carving up Denver's very good defense. Nix's 93-yard TD dart to Marvin Mims Jr. helped atone for some of his earlier mistakes, but he got greedy on the deep-shot pick later. Nix looked better when he played more within the confines of Sean Payton's system. I don't mind him coloring outside the lines, because he can, but this Broncos offense hums along smoother when Nix takes the easy gains more consistently. Thankfully, the Denver defense made the biggest plays of the game in the biggest spots. My man Nik Bonitto had his first career pick and pick-six on the same play, later adding a big sack and several key pressures. He's been on a roll lately. The finishing move was Ja'Quan McMillian's pick-six, although Cody Barton added another interception to completely slam the door shut. The coverage busts are concerning, but the Broncos have a few dudes on defense.

The Commanders arrived at their bye on a high note, ending their three-game losing streak with a resounding victory that had to be good for their souls. After their recent offensive struggles, this kind of outing -- even against the three-win Titans -- was badly needed. Tennessee's defense still ranks in the top 10 in several major defensive categories, adding a layer of impressiveness to what Washington accomplished. In the three-game losing streak, the Commanders recorded just seven total runs of 10 yards or longer -- the same number they put up on Sunday alone. Good things happen when Jayden Daniels and Brian Robinson are running well and Terry McLaurin is getting involved early. Washington can now rest up and prepare for the stretch run. The Commanders are in great shape for a wild-card spot and can keep pushing the Eagles for the NFC East title.

The Texans reached their Week 14 bye in the nick of time. At 8-5, they are in decent shape but have sputtered overall in the past month and a half. Houston had cleaner offensive execution on Sunday, playing its first turnover-free game since Week 7. But this time, instead of getting warm offensively early and then cooling off late, the Texans did their best work in the second half, even as they escaped with a narrow victory over the Jaguars. The defense kept its streak alive of games with at least one turnover forced, extending it to eight, but that was not a terrific performance against a Jags team that was led by Mac Jones for much of the day, after Azeez Al-Shaair's illegal hit knocked Trevor Lawrence out of the game -- and will now cost Al-Shaair the next three games. Houston still needs to find a way to play a complete four quarters, especially against a lower-rung team. The Colts don't appear to be fading just yet. Right now, the AFC South champs would be the No. 4 seed in the playoffs, which would likely mean playing the Chargers or the second-place AFC North team -- and at this point, I think the Texans would be home underdogs against either.

The Bucs have clawed their way back to .500, but it hasn't been easy. Sunday's win at Carolina was a grind, during which they struggled to defend Bryce Young or get much going in their own passing game. It took a back-to-basics approach in the fourth quarter, when Tampa gave the ball to Bucky Irving a dozen times, to get the offense moving late. The rookie RB ran for 97 of his 152 yards in the fourth, and Rachaad White had the big run in overtime to set up the game-winner. It's nice to know the Buccaneers can run the ball effectively in have-to-have-it situations, and Irving appears to have usurped the lead role for now, with a 25-carry effort (his most since at least high school) against the Panthers. If Baker Mayfield struggles, as he did at times Sunday, it seems the Bucs can now turn to BuckyBall.

In the history of the NFL, has any team won a game with a special teams performance as poor as what Seattle put forth on Sunday? Jason Myers made two long, clutch field goals and the Seahawks blocked a Jets extra-point try. But they also had one of their own blocked, lost a fumble on a kick return (and muffed another) and allowed a 99-yard touchdown return. The Jets had great starting field position all game, and Seattle also coughed up a red-zone possession by being stopped on fourth down. It took a heroic effort, but the Seahawks finally found a way to win this game. Keeping New York off the scoreboard from the 10:40 mark of the second quarter on certainly helped. Leonard Williams' 92-yard pick-six was the spark Seattle needed. The 'Hawks won the game in the fourth quarter, turning Breece Hall's second fumble into a field goal and marching 71 yards (46 of which came thanks to Jets penalties) for the go-ahead TD. Let's just say that it wasn't the most convincing victory for a division leader against a down-and-out team in Week 13. But the Seahawks got it done and stayed in first place.

The Cardinals made five of their six field-goal attempts against the Vikings, with all of the makes coming from 40 yards and in, but those were also five missed opportunities to score touchdowns and further build on a lead that reached 19-6 late in the third quarter. So between a 1-for-6 red-zone performance, 10 penalties for 96 yards and two Kyler Murray picks, it wasn't shocking they lost, even as they outplayed the Vikings for most of the afternoon. Arizona is now 6-6 and barely treading water, as low as the tide might be in the NFC West. The first-place Seahawks appear eminently vulnerable, and the Cardinals probably have to beat them in Sunday's rematch if they still harbor dreams of a division title and hosting a playoff game in Arizona for the first time in nearly nine years. 

The Rams were blanked in the first half for the second time in the Sean McVay era (the first was Super Bowl LIII vs. the Patriots), but they rallied to score touchdowns on three of their first four possessions of the second half to pull away. The slow starts have become an issue, but the Rams do have the firepower to get hot fast. Is that enough for a team that is still scrapping its way into the playoff picture? It might be if L.A.'s as effective in the red zone (3-for-3) as it was Sunday. The Rams host the Bills this coming Sunday then turn around for a road game the following Thursday in San Francisco, so they’ll be counting on even cleaner performances in those games. They could lose to the Bills, win the remainder of their games and still get into the playoffs, but every loss from here on out will sting a little more.

It took 19 plays and more than five minutes of game clock, but Anthony Richardson delivered again with a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter. This one surpassed his effort against the Jets, leading the Colts back from down seven points late at New England to hit Alec Pierce for a touchdown pass with 12 seconds left. The two-point run by Richardson put the Colts back ahead for good. AR's still a 50 percent passer, and he threw two interceptions in the game, including one midway through the fourth quarter that could have buried the Colts. But Indy’s defense held firm after the two turnovers and got a key goal-line interception of Drake Maye to help set up the game-winning drive Sunday. Richardson might miss some throws, but he truly is dangerous, thanks to his scrambling ability and big-game mentality as a passer. Will it be enough to drag the Colts into the playoffs? Win next week’s game at Denver, and then we’ll talk.

Thursday's loss hurt Miami's playoff chances, but not irreparably. The Dolphins can still hit the inside straight by winning out, which would give them a 10-7 record, but it's going to be a stretch. Three of their final five games are on the road, including at Houston and two chilly locales (at Cleveland and the N.Y. Jets in Weeks 17 and 18). The good news is that most of their remaining opponents are not playing their best ball now. The Dolphins aren't exactly peaking, either, coming off the disappointing loss in Green Bay, but they're among the warmest of those teams, even if they still have to prove themselves in cold conditions. There's also the tackling issue (20 missed tackles against the Packers), which is not a weather-related concern. It has been a problem almost all season long and could be one of the sneaky-big reasons they miss the postseason.

Kirk Cousins has stacked three straight poor games, throwing six interceptions and zero touchdown passes, with the Falcons dropping all three contests. It’s to the point where asking if Michael Penix Jr. is Atlanta’s best option isn’t met with immediate scorn. Cousins had two four-TD games against the Bucs, throwing for 506 yards in the first meeting, but he’s just not right at this juncture of the season. Cousins’ four interceptions Sunday all came on the Chargers’ side of the field, including one in the end zone and one where he was baited into throwing a 61-yard pick-six. It was Atlanta’s best defensive effort of the season, which included a stunning five sacks and a forced fumble, allowing one play longer than 20 yards all game. The Falcons looked to be a playoff lock three weeks ago, but their chances are barely hovering above 50 percent as we speak.

The Niners remain nominally in the race, especially with no one pulling away in the NFC West. But we can tell what time it is. The season felt all but over prior to Sunday’s loss at Buffalo, and the loss plus the PCL injury to Christian McCaffrey cemented that feeling. It’s really hard to see this team going 4-1 or 5-0 down the stretch with the shape it's in. November and December typically are when Kyle Shanahan’s teams thrive, but the 49ers are now 1-3 since the bye, scoring 17 points or fewer in three straight games and allowing 73 over their past two. The 49ers lost three fumbles Sunday night and were run over by the Bills to the tune of 220 yards on the ground. It wasn’t pretty. It’s feeling more like the go-nowhere 2020 season with each passing week. 

A few of us have been yelling at the Cowboys to just make Rico Dowdle the lead back, but that just seemed too easy, I suppose. They’d been sort of on-ramping toward Thursday’s breakout performance, but it was strange the Cowboys didn’t just lean on Dowdle after his big prime-time game in Pittsburgh back in Week 5 -- even with an illness that knocked him out Week 8. Anyway, it was nice to see him flourish a bit, even if this season is sort of spoken for. Dowdle is still a player with a lot to play for going forward. The Cowboys' defense has also shown some signs of life, led by impressive second-year “rookie” DeMarvion Overshown, who has really blossomed after missing all of last season. He’s good for a missed tackle or two per game, but Overshown is making game-changing plays on a near-weekly basis, including his Thanksgiving pick-six.

The Bengals brought the band back together for another run after Joe Burrow’s injury-shortened 2023 season, and it felt like a reasonable approach. Tee Higgins would have one more season left with Ja’Marr Chase. The problem really hasn’t been the offense, although that side of the ball isn’t without reproach. Still, it’s mostly what has happened on defense, with a handful of strong performances being vastly outweighed by a slew of bad ones. Sunday fit into the latter category. This might have been the worst-executed game by the Cincinnati defense of the season -- even with the first-play pick-six -- and that’s saying something. The Bengals are now threatening to ruin Burrow’s prime, as they’re currently not built to thrive around him. How that might change this offseason is anyone’s guess. It’s not as if the Bengals haven’t invested in defense; the moves just haven’t paid off well enough.

Bears fans lost their lunch before the turkey even hit some dinner tables Thursday, and you know the aftermath: Matt Eberflus was sacked. Thomas Brown, who has overseen some offensive improvement as the play-caller, now gets to audition for the head-coaching job in the interim role. This is a terrific opportunity for Brown, who’s viewed as a rising star in the industry, and it could save the Bears an exhaustive offseason search if he’s successful. But -- and this is a big but -- it’s going to take a pretty impressive stretch run to change the aura around Halas Hall right now. The idea of hiring from within might not be viewed as a home-run move with the fan base. Chicago's remaining schedule is tough, but that at least provides Brown and Caleb Williams a chance to have some fun and play spoiler down the stretch. Bears fans remain very engaged; they want to see Williams thrive (more) this season. If he does, it might also bode well for Brown’s chances of keeping the job full time.

The Darren Rizzi magic fizzled in the second half of Sunday's loss to the Rams. The Saints came out of the bye week looking fairly sharp early, driving deep into Los Angeles territory three times in the first half but coming out with only six points. The defense, led by Bryan Bresee, looked good before fading in the second half. The Saints had a chance to tie the game late, running the clock down to nearly the final minute before turning the ball over on downs at the Los Angeles 9-yard line. It’s going to be tough for Rizzi to convince Saints brass that he’s the right guy for the job in 2025 without at least three more victories, I figure. Dates against the Giants and Raiders feel like should-wins, but it might require an upset or two down the stretch to give Rizzi the kind of juice he’ll want heading into the offseason.

Good Jameis Winston threw for a career-best 497 yards and four touchdowns, making throws Deshaun Watson never would have tried, leading a clutch TD drive before the half and keeping the Browns in the game until the final minutes. Bad Jameis threw three INTs, including two back-breaking pick-sixes, reminding us that, yes, he's still capable of those kinds of plays. Still, Winston has undoubtedly been the Browns' best QB this season. Just ask Jerry Jeudy, who was ghosted often by Watson but has been Winston's go-to guy. Jeudy was able to exact some revenge against his former team, even egging on the Denver crowd a few times during his 235-yard masterpiece -- 81 more yards than he ever had in a game for Denver. Honestly, I loved it. Seeing Jeudy show some life and play at that level was refreshing. I'm not trying to make "The Jameis Effect" something it's not, but it's fair to acknowledge he's given this QB-desperate team a pretty strong escape hatch, even with the regrettable mistakes.

On Sunday morning, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported that the Panthers are not expected to pursue a quarterback in the draft, which appeared to reinforce the idea that the franchise has been impressed with Bryce Young’s recent development. Sunday afternoon gave Carolina even more reason to think bypassing a QB is the right offseason approach. Even with a few rough patches in the second half, Young played well again, leading a confident go-ahead drive with 30 seconds left in regulation. He did what he had to do in overtime. The Panthers made their own bed with a slew of dropped passes, penalties and the late fumble by Chuba Hubbard in field-goal range. At this point, seeing progress from Young and the offense carries more weight than wins and losses, and it was also good to see some promising touches from Jonathon Brooks. Carolina still needs more pieces offensively, but the shell of that unit is starting to take form.

The Jets led 21-7 thanks to some wild special teams miscues from the Seahawks, getting the ball back immediately after scoring a touchdown and knocking on the door for a three-score lead. But just when it looked like a feel-good upset could be brewing, Aaron Rodgers overthrew an open Garrett Wilson in the end zone and followed it up with only his sixth-career pick-six. That it went to former Jets DL Leonard Williams (only his second career INT), who rumbled 92 yards for a game-flipping touchdown, perfectly squared the circle on the Jets’ lost season. Rodgers had chances late, but Williams had a big sack, and New York was held scoreless for the final 40-plus minutes Sunday. Watching another ex-Jet, Geno Smith, lead the go-ahead drive was just gratuitous torture for the fans at MetLife. Do they bench Rodgers or go in some other directionless direction? Interim coach Jeff Ulbrich said Rodgers will start against Miami next week, but stay tuned!

What was the deal with the Titans’ run defense Sunday? This was a unit that clamped down on most opponents’ run games, but the Commanders ran for a stunning 267 yards -- the exact number of rush yards Tennessee had allowed in its three previous games combined. There were major holes up front, and the Titans’ tackling problems compounded the matter. This just wasn’t the same Dennard Wilson-coordinated unit we’ve seen most of the season. There was no coming back from that, or the 28-0 deficit the Titans found themselves in. The offense sputtered early before showing signs of life late, but 11 first-half penalties helped make the hole way too big to climb out of. Following a string of more competitive games recently, this was a full-fledged step backward for the Titans.

The Patriots had two missed field-goal tries, an interception at the Colts’ goal line and seven penalties for 88 yards, including four offensive-holding calls (two that wiped out TDs). Hard to win games like that, but the Patriots were close to doing so, leading until the Colts bullied their way on a long, clock-consuming TD drive in the final minutes. The Patriots even had a chance to win at the end of regulation before Joey Slye’s 68-yard kick came up short. But if they truly want to win some of the remaining games, they need to let Drake Maye cook. Too often, the Patriots pussyfoot things offensively and don’t ask Maye to go win games for them. It happened more than once in the red zone (where New England was 2-for-6) and it happened after Christian Gonzalez’s pick with just over five minutes left. The Patriots called for more runs than passes, and mostly safe passes. Do the Pats want to see what Maye can do in key situations, or do they want to try to not lose games in what’s now a 3-10 season? They should use the bye week to decide the answer to this.

I really felt Aidan O'Connell would be the Raiders' QB1 to start this season. The Raiders had other plans. O'Connell wasn't perfect in a narrow loss to the Chiefs, taking a few bad sacks in addition to taking the blame for the disastrous ending, but it was just about the best-quarterbacked game Las Vegas has seen in at least a few seasons. You have to wonder what might have been had O'Connell been the QB and Scott Turner the offensive coordinator from the beginning of the season. This wasn't ever going to be a top-10 offense -- and certainly not after the trade of Davante Adams -- but it had potential to be a semi-respectable unit, and the Black Friday game showed that. Still, Vegas is a bad team with only a few true difference makers on each side of the ball. O'Connell could be the starting QB next season, at least initially, but there are many holes for an organization that now has lost eight straight games.

With the Giants at 2-5 back in October, owner John Mara gave head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen a vote of confidence. As we sit here today, the G-Men are 2-10, bringing their losing streak to seven games. The problem with cutting Daniel Jones is now that one more reasonable excuse has been shown the door. So, just how busy will this offseason be for Big Blue? That could depend on how this team plays out the string of a lost season. Winning at least one of the last three home games would be nice, considering New York currently holds an 0-6 record at MetLife Stadium this season. Drew Lock was clobbered on Thanksgiving but actually played pretty gamely and gave the Giants something of a chance. Maybe they can pull an upset down the stretch.

As I wrote immediately after Sunday's close home loss to the Texans, the Jaguars have to seriously consider shutting Trevor Lawrence down for the season. Sometimes in the heat of the moment, taking that strong and quick of a stance can be a little reactionary and short-sighted, but I stand by my initial sentiment here. What do the Jags, now 2-10, have to gain from putting Lawrence back out there? The franchise face had just returned to action after missing two games due to a shoulder injury when he was clocked by Texans LB Azeez Al-Shaair, putting the quarterback in concussion protocol. Mac Jones valiantly rallied the team late in Lawrence's place, but came up a little short. I know the thought of Jones starting the remaining five games is not anyone's idea of a strong finish to the season, but the Jaguars must be pragmatic here. They have more than $200 million sunk into Lawrence and can't let him continue to take punishment for no good reason. The season was already over, but now it's really over. Don't risk making it worse.