Now that Week 13 of the 2022 NFL season is in the books, it’s time for everyone’s favorite meaningful exercise: the NFL Power Ranking! What differentiates these rankings from others is that they are the only really accurate throughout the universe. So let’s see how the 32 teams rank heading into Week 14.
BLG WEEK 14 NFL POWER RANKINGS
1 – Philadelphia Eagles (Last Week: 2) – The team with the best record in the NFL isn’t always necessarily the best team in the NFL. But how can you not give the Eagles the lead 11-1 at this stage? The Birds just bullied a Tennessee team that has a reputation for being tough and forcing opponents to really fight to beat them. The Eagles overcame their Week 13 opponents with ease and did so in dominant fashion. The offense is gearing up with NFL MVP candidate Jalen Hurts leading the way. No one talks about Philadelphia’s run defense as a major weakness after stopping Derrick Henry. Heck, even the Eagles’ struggling special teams unit showed they could put on a good game. The Eagles have earned the right to be considered Super Bowl favorites, not just Super Bowl contenders.
2 — Buffalo Bills (LW: 3) — The Bills didn’t let things snowball for them after narrowly losing to Minny in overtime; they are 3-0 in their last three games. Speaking of winning streaks, Buffalo has now beaten the Pats in three straight games for the first time since… a streak from 1999 to 2020. The Bills are also now on the shelf with their first win in the AFC East this season.
3 – Kansas City Chiefs (LW: 1) – Joe Burrow is apparently the Chiefs’ kryptonite. In three straight losses to Cincy, they allowed him to throw eight touchdowns for just one interception. KC’s loss opens the door for Buffalo to reclaim the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoff picture.
4 – San Francisco 49ers (LW: 6) – Jimmy Garoppolo’s injury understandably overshadowed a big win over a Miami offense that scored virtually at will. The 49ers have allowed an average of 11.4 points per game in their last five outings. The DeMeco Ryans defense, anchored by NFL sack leader and DPOY candidate Nick Bosa, will keep the 49ers competitive. That said, Jimmy G’s demotion to Brock Purdy leaves less room for error.
5 – Dallas Cowboys (LW: 5) – The final score of the Cowboys’ blowout win over Indy doesn’t quite tell the story of the game. It was all about competition until Dallas capitalized on the referees inexplicably deeming a Dak Prescott interception an incompleteness. The Cowboys deserve credit for finally getting their opponent to retire. But it’s also a good thing to get help in the form of a quit from the opponent.
6 — Cincinnati Bengals (LW: 8) — With a win over Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow should linger in the MVP conversation. The Bengals have a pretty rough road the rest of the way, but it’s not hard to imagine Burrow leading them to a solid finish. They look set to take over AFC North and enter the playoffs again as a dangerous team.
7 – Minnesota Vikings (LW: 7) – It’s very annoying how this team keeps making everyone think they’re really, really good. They are really due for losses after going to a 9-0 record in one-scored games. They cannot avoid bad luck indefinitely.
8 – Miami Dolphins (AG: 4) – Tua Tagovailoa had his worst game of the season against an elite defense. Of course, it didn’t help that he was without his two starting attacking tackles.
9 – Baltimore Ravens (LW: 10) – Lamar Jackson is on track to miss at least one game and potentially as many as three due to injury. With Cincy soaring, the Ravens risk another late-season meltdown. Even if they hold their own to make the playoffs, it’s hard to feel good about their chances of doing damage once it starts. Jackson has been downright awful in the playoffs so far in his career.
10 – Tennessee Titans (LW: 9) – The Titans losing to Philadelphia weren’t about beating themselves so much as being totally outclassed by their opponent. AJ Brown starting against his former team was met by the Titans firing general manager Jon Robinson.
11 – New York Jets (LW: 11) – While Mike White is an upgrade from Zach Wilson, he is still Mike White. The ceiling is so high.
12 – Commanders of Washington (LW: 12) – There’s a case to be made that equality for the Commanders is more of a win for them than it was for the G-Men. Washington gets a bye before playing them again in Week 15 … at home in Landover, Maryland. They have a real opportunity to edge out New York in the NFC playoff bracket.
13 – Cleveland Browns (LW: 16) – “Deshaun Watson scored fewer points in his return than the number of charges against him.”
14 – Seattle Seahawks (LW: 14) – The Seahawks look a bit shaky. They followed back-to-back losses with a performance where they needed a last-minute touchdown to beat John Wolford.
15 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (LW: 17) – Never. Count. Out. Landing. To Mr.
16 – New England Patriots (LW: 13) – I’m not going to say coaching doesn’t matter in the NFL. But only up to a point, right? The Patriots are supposed to have one of the greatest, if not THE greatest, coaches of all time. And they’re only 16-14 with him since Tom Brady left.
17 – Detroit Lions (LW: 21) – The collective probably likes to talk about teams that aren’t as good as their record indicates more than teams that are better than the record indicates. The Lions fall into the latter category given their ranking of 17th in points differential and 14th in DVOA. They have the opportunity to increase their chances in the playoffs by beating a Minny team that belongs to the first category.
18 – New York Giants (LW: 18) – The G-Men are 1-3-1 in their last five games, with the only win being a one-possession win over the NFL’s worst team. More losses could be on the way considering they have the NFL’s second-toughest remaining strength.
19 – Los Angeles Chargers (LW: 15) – Sean Payton will coach Justin Herbert next year.
20 – Pittsburgh Steelers (LW: 22) – If the Steelers go 3-1-1 or better in the streak, they can keep alive their unbeaten streak since 2003. Their five games remaining: vs. BAL, at CAR , against LVR, at BAL, against CLE. It’s not going to be easy… but not impossible.
21 – New Orleans Saints (LW: 19) – Had they not squandered a 13-point lead over Tampa, their playoff chances would have jumped to 28%. Instead, the loss reduced their odds to 0.6%. And now they currently owe the No. 5 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft to Philly. Hard appearance.
22 – Atlanta Falcons (LW: 20) – It’s starting to be Desmond Ridder time, if it wasn’t already. There isn’t much left to learn from playing Marcus Mariota at this point.
23 – Green Bay Packers (LW: 26) – Even in one of the worst seasons of his career, Aaron Rodgers still owns Chicago. The Packers might be able to win another game this week with Sean McVay’s team next.
24 – Las Vegas Raiders (AG: 27) – The Raiders are 3-0 since their embarrassing loss to Jeff on Saturday. They have a chance to play the spoiler to some teams on the stretch.
25 – Arizona Cardinals (LW: 24) – The Cards return from their bye to host the Pats. We do not care.
26 – Jacksonville Jaguars (LW: 23) – The Jags were unable to capitalize on their big win over Baltimore, instead getting smashed by Detroit.
27 – Los Angeles Rams (LW: 25) – Matthew Stafford finished the season. The Rams should close their other key players and try to do well for 2023. Time to assess the young guys…and Baker Mayfield too, I guess.
28 – Carolina Panthers (LW: 28) – The Panthers return from their bye to play in Seattle. They really need to lose more to ensure they can draft a desired QB.
29 – Denver Broncos (LW: 29) – 14 touchdowns. That’s the number of Broncos goals this year. That’s four less than any other team. And that’s 30 shy of Philly’s NFL lead.
30 – Indianapolis Colts (LW: 30) – The Colts struggled a bit before giving up against Dallas.
31 – Chicago Bears (LW: 31) – No quarterback has ever received more praise for leading his team to a six-game losing streak than Justin Fields.
32 – Houston Texans (LW: 32) – Houston’s remaining matches: at DAL, at KC, at TEN, at JAX, at IND. Pretty decent chance they lose. Maybe they win one. Even if they do, they’re set for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
