Well, shit – we’re a bunch of football writers, so I guess we have to get in on the ‘NFL Power Rankings’ action. So, here we are. Your boy “Big Natural” is a major advocate of the Bill Parcells school of thinking in that ‘you are what your record says you are.’
With that in mind, my power rankings are going to be based on the body of work. I don’t care what you were supposed to do before the season started. Nor do I care what you could do in a potential matchup. I’m placing an emphasis on what teams have actually done.
NFL POWER RANKINGS: WEEK 12
1. Philadelphia Eagles (10-1) – The Eagles continue to blow my mind. I get that people are hating on their schedule, but this team is good. You could’ve given me 15 guesses and I wouldn’t have said the Eagles would be the first team to 10 wins.
2. New England Patriots (9-2) – The Steelers are gettin’ a lot of love right now, but I still say the kings still reign. The AFC Championship is going to roll through Foxborough.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-2) – In the AFC, it’s New England, Pittsburgh, then everyone else. I would consider them one of the three legitimate Super Bowl contenders at this point in the season.
4. Minnesota Vikings (9-2) – The Vikings have a couple of really good wins under their belt in the last few weeks. It’s time to buy in on them as one of the best teams in the NFC.
5. Los Angeles Rams (8-3) – That was yet another validation win for the Rams who have now clinched their first non-losing season since 2006. Holy shit, they are ELECTRIC!
6. New Orleans Saints (8-3) – The Saints fall, but not too far after a good game against another heavyweight in the NFC.
7. Carolina Panthers (8-3) – The Panthers are a pretty quiet 8-3, having a bounce back year after a disappointing 2016. This looks like a playoff team.
8. Atlanta Falcons (7-4) – The Falcons are finding their stride, and the NFC South is suddenly a whole lot more interesting as three of the league’s 10 best teams reside in the same division.
9. Seattle Seahawks (7-4) – The Seahawks are one of those teams that look like they could get hot and go on a run.
10. Jacksonville Jaguars (7-4) – Tough loss to a mediocre Cardinals team without a quarterback, but just because they’re inconsistent doesn’t mean they’re worse than the teams behind them on this list. I still think they look like the best team in the AFC South.
11. Tennessee Titans (7-4) – The Titans are winning games despite playing pretty poorly. That bodes well if they ever decide to wake up and play to their potential.
12. Kansas City Chiefs (6-5) – After starting 5-0, the Chiefs are now 1-5 in their last six. The days atop the NFL Power Rankings on this site are long behind them and they have some competition in the AFC West suddenly.
13. Detroit Lions (6-5) – The Lions lost the division on Thanksgiving day, but they are hanging around in the wild card race.
14. Buffalo Bills (6-5) – Hard to wrap my head around what’s going on in Buffalo. One week, they look like a dumpster fire. The next, they’re beating the division leading Chiefs. As it stands, they’re in the playoffs.
15. Los Angeles Chargers (5-6) – The Chargers are hot right now, and in the muddled AFC picture, they’re right in the race for a wild card. Not only that, but they’re only one game behind the Chiefs in the AFC West now.
16. Baltimore Ravens
17. Cincinnati Bengals
18. Oakland Raiders
19. Washington Redskins
20. Dallas Cowboys
21. Green Bay Packers
22. Arizona Cardinals
23. Houston Texans
24. New York Jets
25. Indianapolis Colts
26. Miami Dolphins
27. Chicago Bears
28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
29. Denver Broncos
30. New York Giants
31. San Francisco 49ers
32. Cleveland Browns
WEEK 12 PLAYOFF PROJECTIONS
AFC
1. New England Patriots
2. Pittsburgh Steelers
3. Jacksonville Jaguars
4. Kansas City Chiefs
5. Tennessee Titans
6. Buffalo Bills
NFC
1. Philadelphia Eagles
2. Minnesota Vikings
3. Los Angeles Rams
4. New Orleans Saints
5. Carolina Panthers
6. Atlanta Falcons
Week 12 Super Bowl Prediction: New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Catch y’all next week.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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