The New Orleans Saints' reign at the top spot of our rankings lasted just a few short weeks, as a surprising loss to Dallas on Thursday night drops them behind the LA Rams. The Chiefs, Patriots, and Chargers round out the top five, respectively. One of the storylines heading into this season was the potential for both LA teams be legitimate Super Bowl contenders. Now with just one month to go in the regular season, the Rams find themselves in the driver’s seat for the #1 seed in the NFC. The Chargers, coming off a huge win at Pittsburgh, are also sitting pretty at 9-3 and still have a shot at winning the division should the Chiefs falter any amongst the distraction of the Kareem Hunt situation.
Risers:
Baltimore Ravens
Week 14 Ranking: 12 (+2)
Lamar Jackson is now 3-0 as starting QB for the Ravens since Joe Flacco went out with a hip injury that he suffered in week 9 against Pittsburgh. The Ravens’ three-game winning streak has launched them into the 6th seed in the AFC playoff picture, one game ahead of Miami, Indianapolis, Denver, and Tennessee. Does John Harbaugh stick with Jackson down the stretch or opt for the veteran once Flacco is fully healthy?
Miami Dolphins
Week 14 Ranking: 20 (+3)
The Dolphins snapped a two game losing streak by beating Buffalo at home 21-17, as Ryan Tannehill threw three TDs to help keep Miami’s very slim playoff hopes alive. At 6-6, the Dolphins are one game out of the AFC Wild Card race, but have to face the Patriots and Vikings over the next two weeks. With that said, the Dolphins players and coaches deserve credit for being in the conversation this late in the year with such low expectations coming into the season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 14 Ranking: 22 (+4)
Bucs' safety Andrew Adams picked off Cam Newton three(!!!) times, as the Tampa Bay defense came to play against their division foes, beating Carolina 24-17. All of a sudden, Tampa finds themselves in the playoff picture in the NFC at 5-7, although it's a longshot with a tough December schedule (vs NO, at BAL, at DAL, vs ATL). With Winston playing more efficiently as of late and the defense showing signs of life, an outside shot is sometimes all a team needs. At the very least, a team once thought to be dead in the water now has something to play for down the stretch.
Fallers:
Carolina Panthers
Week 14 Ranking: 14 (-2)
What has happened to Cam Newton and the rest of the Panthers? Ron Rivera's team has been reeling ever since their humiliating loss in Pittsburgh three weeks ago. Sunday's loss in Tampa Bay drops their record to 6-6 on the year, as Newton threw a whopping 4 INTs despite facing one of the worst pass defenses in the league. The Panthers, who earlier in the year looked like a lock for a wild card spot, are now "in the hunt" with just four games left, two of which are against the Saints.
Green Bay Packers
Week 14 Ranking: 19 (-3)
There was a little whisper of hope around the Packers last week that Aaron Rodgers could maybe, just maybe, run the table (again) and sneak Green Bay into the playoffs. That was before the most surprising upset of the weekend occurred, as the Packers lost at home to the lowly Arizona Cardinals. This proved to be the last straw for coach Mike McCarthy, who was fired soon after the end of the game. Joe Philbin will take over as interim head coach for the 4-7-1 Packers.
Cincinnati Bengals
Week 14 Ranking: 28 (-4)
It speaks volumes that a 5-7 team, a team still technically in the playoff hunt, is ranked this low. But how much of an argument can be made against it? This Bengals team feels like they are in official free-fall mode after losing their fourth straight game and knowing they are without Andy Dalton and AJ Green for the remainder of the season.
Full Rankings
1 Los Angeles Rams
2 New Orleans Saints
3 Kansas City Chiefs
4 New England Patriots
5 Los Angeles Chargers
6 Houston Texans
7 Chicago Bears
8 Pittsburgh Steelers
9 Minnesota Vikings
10 Dallas Cowboys
11 Seattle Seahawks
12 Baltimore Ravens
13 Indianapolis Colts
14 Carolina Panthers
15 Philadelphia Eagles
16 Denver Broncos
17 Tennessee Titans
18 Washington Redskins
19 Miami Dolphins
20 Cleveland Browns
21 Green Bay Packers
22 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
23 Jacksonville Jaguars
24 Atlanta Falcons
25 New York Giants
25 Detroit Lions
27 Buffalo Bills
28 Cincinnati Bengals
29 Arizona Cardinals
30 New York Jets
31 San Francisco 49ers
32 Oakland Raiders
Written By: Greg Lehr
Rankings: Blitz Team