A huge week for the NFL power rankings as we saw a very big shakeup in the top 10. The playoff picture continues to develop, and teams are giving their best efforts in hopes of locking down a spot as quickly as possible. We just missed on having the first team clinch its playoff birth this week, but it seems likely that the Carolina Panthers will do so next week.
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Speaking of the Panthers, we are down to just one unbeaten team left in the NFL and it is the Carolina squad that absolutely nobody thought would be the last undefeated team in the league. The New England Patriots suffered a tough loss to fall from the ranks of the unbeatens, though it took them losing almost every quality player they’ve got. Given that, I could only drop them one spot, and really didn’t feel that they should fall below the Denver Broncos at this point.
Our biggest riser this week is the Seattle Seahawks who jumped five spots with an impressive win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Hawks have been on a bit of a roll recently and are looking like the team they’ve been the past two years. For the biggest fallers, there is a three way tie between the New York Giants, Buffalo Bills, and Atlanta Falcons who all fell four spots. The Giants have watched their hold on the division slip away, while the Bills may have just fallen out of the playoff picture, and the Falcons are simply starting to fall off the face of the earth.
The Kansas City Chiefs only jumped up one spot this week, but that is largely due to the log jam ahead of them. It’s tough to move up in the top ten. However, they have now taken the outright lead in the AFC wild card race. It’s not a dominant lead, but they hold virtually all of the tie-breakers, with a chance to knock off another competitor this week against the Raiders.
Here’s how the rankings shake out…
| Team | Status | Lst Wk | Lst Result | Streak | W-L | ||
| 1. | Panthers | +1 | 2 | W 33-14 vs DAL | W11 | The Panthers’ defense is absolutely smothering opponents. | 11-0 |
| 2. | Patriots | -1 | 1 | L 24-30 vs DEN | L1 | Just too many injuries on this team. | 10-1 |
| 3. | Broncos | +1 | 4 | W 30-24 vs NE | W2 | A huge win that likely means Denver takes the AFC West. | 9-2 |
| 4. | Cardinals | -1 | 3 | W 19-13 vs SF | W5 | Not an impressive win, but still a win. | 9-2 |
| 5. | Bengals | +1 | 6 | W 31-7 vs STL | W1 | A definitive win that should get this team back on track. | 9-2 |
| 6. | Vikings | +1 | 7 | W 20-10 vs ATL | W1 | You wouldn’t be crazy to bet on the Vikes to win the NFC North. | 7-4 |
| 7. | Packers | -2 | 5 | L 13-17 vs CHI | L1 | The injuries have really brought this team back to earth. | 7-4 |
| 8. | Chiefs | +1 | 9 | W 30-22 vs BUF | W5 | The Chiefs continue to build momentum towards the postseason. | 6-5 |
| 9. | Seahawks | +5 | 14 | W 39-30 vs PIT | W2 | An impressive performance puts the Seahawks back in the picture. | 6-5 |
| 10. | Jets | +3 | 13 | W 38-20 vs MIA | W1 | Nothing helps a skid like playing the Dolphins. | 6-5 |
| 11. | Steelers | -3 | 8 | L 30-39 vs SEA | L1 | Not the time for the Steelers to be stumbling. | 6-5 |
| 12. | Texans | +3 | 15 | W 24-6 vs NO | W4 | The Texans are suddenly legit playoff contenders. | 6-5 |
| 13. | Colts | +3 | 16 | W 25-12 vs TB | W3 | Not sure how it’s possible, but Colts play better without Andrew Luck. | 6-5 |
| 14. | Giants | -4 | 10 | L 14-20 vs WAS | L2 | A missed chance to put the rest of the division behind them. | 5-6 |
| 15. | Bills | -4 | 11 | L 22-30 vs KC | L2 | Suddenly the Bills find themselves in a very tough hole. | 5-6 |
| 16. | Falcons | -4 | 12 | L 10-20 vs MIN | L4 | The Falcons are watching their playoff hopes go down the drain. | 6-5 |
| 17. | Raiders | +1 | 18 | W 24-21 vs TEN | W1 | The Raiders are hanging on to their playoff hopes. | 5-6 |
| 18. | Buccanneers | -1 | 17 | L 12-25 vs IND | L1 | The Bucs missed a chance to overtake the Falcons. | 5-6 |
| 19. | Bears | +3 | 22 | W 17-13 vs GB | W1 | A big division win puts the Bears in the Wild Card hunt. | 5-6 |
| 20. | Redskins | +3 | 23 | W 20-14 vs NYG | W1 | The Redskins have put themselves in a spot to win the division. | 5-6 |
| 21. | Rams | -2 | 19 | L 7-31 vs CIN | L4 | The Rams have to find some offense. | 4-7 |
| 22. | Eagles | -2 | 20 | L 14-45 vs DET | L3 | Chip Kelly is firmly on the hot seat right now. | 4-7 |
| 23. | Saints | -2 | 21 | L 6-24 vs HOU | L3 | The biggest problem with this team is that there is so much work to do. | 4-7 |
| 24. | Lions | +4 | 28 | W 45-14 vs PHI | W3 | Where was this level of play at the start of the season? | 4-7 |
| 25. | Jaguars | -1 | 24 | L 25-31 vs SD | L1 | Tough to say the Jags are improving when they still lose games like this. | 4-7 |
| 26. | Ravens | +1 | 27 | W 33-27 vs CLE | W2 | The Ravens won the worst game of football ever played. | 4-7 |
| 27. | Dolphins | -1 | 26 | L 20-28 vs NYJ | L2 | The scary thing is that the front office still doesn’t understand the problem. | 4-7 |
| 28. | Cowboys | -3 | 25 | L 12-33 vs CAR | L1 | This team just has no sense of what it is doing right now. | 3-8 |
| 29. | Chargers | +1 | 30 | W 31-25 vs JAX | W1 | Too little, too late. | 3-8 |
| 30. | 49ers | -1 | 29 | L 13-19 vs ARI | L2 | There is a lot of work to do in San Francisco. | 3-8 |
| 31. | Titans | — | 31 | L 21-24 vs OAK | L3 | The Titans are in a race for the top pick. | 2-9 |
| 32. | Browns | — | 32 | L 27-33 vs BAL | L6 | Bruh… | 2-9 |
That’ll do it for me, Addicts. Be sure to check back in next week to see who is moving where in the rankings. It’s been a bit of a crazy year, and I expect it will continue as we get into some very important games.