9. Houston Texans (7-5)
Last Week: 9 (-)
Houston continues to be a tough team to match up with. The Texans took down the white-hot Denver Broncos and made some key defensive stops down the stretch. The Texans might not be in contention for the Super Bowl, but they are a tough team for anyone to take on.
10. Buffalo Bills (6-6)
Last Week: 13 (+3)
(BYE WEEK)
11. Indianapolis Colts (7-5)
Last Week: 15 (+4)
I can't sing the praises of Shane Steichen enough. The Colts looked like they were about to collapse when Anthony Richardson went down with a season-ending injury. Despite the challenges that they have faced, they have been a solid football team. Now, they find themselves in a position to make the playoffs. PLAYOFFS? THE COLTS? YES. BELIEVE IT.
12. Denver Broncos (6-6)
Last Week: 11 (-1)
The streak was snapped. Denver was starting to get big eyes for a potential playoff run and now they are in survival mode. Losing one more might allow them to sneak in. Losing two would make it impossible. The Broncos have a shot but it's starting to look LIMITED.
13. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5)
Last Week: 10 (-3)
The Steelers dropped one embarrassingly to the lowly Arizona Cardinals. Not only were they ineffective on offense, but they lost starting quarterback Kenny Pickett to injury. I don't know if Mitch Trubisky is capable of making them too much worse on offense, but what they showed as a unit this week makes you wonder.
14. Cleveland Browns (7-5)
Last Week: 12 (-2)
The Browns looked sharper on offense than I expected with Joe Flacco running the show, but they got molly-whopped by the Rams, who are looking to make a late-season push. If the Browns are hoping to make a postseason run, they will need to hold teams to far, far fewer than 36 points.
15. Seattle Seahawks (6-6)
Last Week: 14 (-1)
The Seahawks could not quite take down the Cowboys on Thursday night. Despite their best efforts, which included three touchdowns from DK Metcalf, Seattle just could not make enough plays on defense to come away with a victory. They have been underwhelming on defense, especially considering the potential they showed last season. Seattle is still in the NFC playoff picture, but they are clinging to the picture by their fingernails.
16. Cincinnati Bengals (6-6)
Last week: 16 (-)
What a win for the Bengals. Somehow, the Bengals are still clutching to their playoff hopes. It does not seem promising that the Bengals will find a way to sneak in, but right now, there is an outside shot, even with Jake Browning at quarterback.
17. Green Bay Packers (6-6)
Last Week: 25 (+8)
The Packers look like a not-so-great team that is playing out of its mind right now. Let's face it, the Chiefs looked bad, but Jordan Love was playing OUT OF HIS MIND in that game. I'm not a believer in the Packers, but they could certainly sneak into the playoffs.
18. Los Angeles Rams (6-6)
Last Week: 24 (+6)
The Rams show flashes of being good, but I just can't imagine that they fight their way back into the playoff conversation at this point. It might be best to try to finish the year with Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua on the sidelines so that they can be ready for next season as a tandem.