Nine Straight Threes' NFL Power Rankings: Week 12

We were treated to one of the wildest “Witching Hours” in recent memory on Sunday, and if you don’t rock with NFL Red Zone, my apologies. Even Sunday Ticket wouldn’t have captured the breakneck pace of the drama as well as Red Zone did, and the best part was that we saw two contenders suffer vastly different fates at the end of the 1 o’clock window.

A few contenders suffered very surprising losses, a team with a losing record continued its impressive rise from the ashes, the defending champs had a close call, and last year’s NFC Champion might be in big, big trouble.

And the Lions? They just keep chugging along, clearly football’s best team, and yet just a single game ahead of Minnesota in the NFC North. It was a busy week, with a lot of surprising results, but at least we have some familiar, comfortable faces at the bottom of the rankings. In uncertain times, it’s nice to know that the worst teams will continue to live down to our expectations.

While they might be reliable, and even more interesting, in a messy, dysfunctional way, the dregs of the league will get less of our attention moving forward. It’s bad enough that ESPN won’t shut up about the Cowboys and Jets. You shouldn’t have to read 125 words about both of those sorry franchises every week.

As always, NST’s power rankings take two factors into account: Performance and watchability. Away we go.

Get Them a Body Bag, Yeah!

32. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-9)

LW: 32

They didn’t play last week, which means they didn’t have a chance to lose a game, which means Doug Pederson is still employed. My main question is “why?” They could further muddy the AFC South waters this week, but I wouldn’t count on them actually doing so.

Week 13: vs. Houston

31. New York Giants (2-9)

LW: 31

Surprise, surprise! Tommy Cutlets stunk, and so did the Giants’ offense, which mustered just 245 yards, and provided no spark against Tampa Bay. The biggest problem was New York’s defense, which let Baker Mayfield and the Bucs do just about whatever they wanted en route to one of Week 12’s easiest wins. Remember: This is supposed to be one of the NFL’s marquee franchises.

Week 13: at Dallas (Thursday)

30. Las Vegas Raiders (2-9)

LW: 30

They battled hard against the Broncos, and truth be told, they had a real chance to take control of the game. They just never could, primarily because they’re too beat up and not talented enough to do so. Also, Antonio Pierce’s decision-making when he was down two scores with less than two minutes to go was…curious, and not in a good way.

Week 13: at Kansas City

29. New York Jets (3-8)

LW: 27

The Aaron Rodgers era needs to end after this year. Actually, maybe it needs to end before that. It’s clear Woody Johnson thinks Rodgers is part of the problem, so why not give him the Daniel Jones treatment and start the process of moving on now? It would probably be a good move, and it would be endlessly fascinating to see which fringe contender would try to talk itself into picking up Rodgers for the stretch run.

Week 13: vs. Seattle

28. New England (3-9)

LW: 24

I’ll be honest; I didn’t necessarily think that the Pats would beat a surging Miami team, and on the road, no less, but I thought they’d do better than “fall down by 31 and get 15 cosmetic points to make things look slightly less embarrassing.” New England’s defense got shredded, and Jerod Mayo made a bizarre challenge decision that had people laughing. The most important piece (Drake Maye) is in place, but there is a lot of work to be done everywhere else.

Week 13: vs. Indianapolis

27. Carolina Panthers (3-9)

LW: 25

They almost knocked off the defending champs. Almost. The Panthers should take solace in two things: They outscored Kansas City after halftime, and Bryce Young played the best game of his career, standing in and making several high-quality throws. He looked like a different player than the guy who got benched early in the year. Maybe, just maybe, there’s something to build on with him.

Week 13: vs. Tampa Bay