Some surprises this week, including rare non-divisional wins by Houston and Dallas and two exciting overtime games. The two teams with the best record remain in the AFC and the Jets remain winless. Oddsmakers are now predicting that the Jets might go winless for the entire season. Well, at least New York fans still have the Giants, who are in contention for the NFC East title (EVERYONE is, with all teams having only three victories).
Team Power Rankings [Last week's position]
1. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-0) [1] : Home to the best scoring defense in the league and the second most effective offense in the conference, the Steelers are quickly becoming the favorite to win the conference.
2. Kansas City Chiefs (9-1) [2] : The defending Super Bowl Champs had a scare against the Raiders, the only team to beat them this season, but they prevented the sweep.
3. New Orleans Saints (8-2) [3] : Taysom Hill substituted well for Drew Brees, but their defense helped against a struggling Falcons offense. They have another easy opponent this week, so they may not lose too much while Brees' ribs recover.
4. Indianapolis Colts (7-3) [6] : A spectacular overtime victory over the Packers, after nearly shutting them out in the second half, boosts the Colts into the Top Five.
5. Green Bay Packers (7-3) [3] : It seemed like two different teams played the two different halves, and questions are popping up surrounding the Packers offense after being held scoreless for nearly an entire half.
6. Baltimore Ravens (6-4) [5] : The Ravens suffered their second loss in a row and that defense seems to have lost some strength.
7. Tampa Bay Bucs (7-4) [7] : The Bucs hold onto the seventh position but only because there was such a gap between #7 and #8 last week. That gap has shrunk to almost nothing, and the Bucs offense looks too inconsistent to believe their power can last.
8. Miami Dolphins (6-4) [8] : The Dolphins were shocked by the Broncos, and Tua was benched in the fourth quarter. The coach claims that was simply a teaching lesson, and he is still the starting quarterback, but Ryan Fitzpatrick will get some practice time this week. A quarterback controversy at this point in the season is not a good thing for a team.
9. Los Angeles Rams (7-3) [10] : The Rams defense made the Bucs look pedestrian as they strengthened their claim on the division crown in the tough NFC West.
10. Arizona Cardinals (6-4) [9] : The Cards lost the back-and-forth battle against the Seahawks, but remain a force in both the NFC West and the league.
11. Seattle Seahawks (7-3) [11] : The Seahawks have tightened the race in the NFC West, and positions 9-11 on the Power Rankings are not separated by many points at all
12. Tennessee Titans (7-3) [12] : The Titans bounced back from their loss to the Colts by bouncing the Ravens and making the vaulted Ravens defense look vulnerable. That took real offensive power!
13. Buffalo Bills (7-3) [14]
14. Las Vegas Raiders (6-4) [12] : They tried, but they couldn't keep pace with the Chiefs offense. They shouldn't feel bad - no team can do that. Still, Derek Carr had a career day and proved that the Raiders are more than a defensive challenge.
15. San Francisco 49ers (4-6) [15]
16. Cleveland Browns (7-3) [16] : The Browns won again to vault over Baltimore for second place in the AFC North, but their win over Philly wasn't massively impressive.
Divisional Power Rankings [Last week's position]
1. NFC West [1] : Not much more can be said about this division this season, as they continue to impress, even when beating on each other.
2. AFC North [2] : With three teams in the upper half of the power rankings, and home to the only unbeaten team in the league, this is a fierce division.
3. NFC South [3] : The Saints are strong, and the Bucs and Panthers can deliver punches.
4. AFC West [5] : The Chiefs continue to strongly defend their Super Bowl title, and the Raiders are still a threat.
5. NFC North [4] : Minnesota's momentum has been stalled and cracks are appearing in the Packers. This division seems to be on a downward spiral.
6 (tie). AFC East [6] : Both the Pats and Dolphins lost this week, and the Bills were off. Not a great week for them.
6 (tie). AFC South [7] : Wins by Tennessee, Indianapolis, and Houston boosted this division. Could this be the start of an upswing?
8. NFC East [8] : Nobody has four wins. Pathetic.
Week 12 picks
Thanksgiving Day
Houston Texans at Detroit Lions : Houston found their strengths last week with a return to their "pounding defense" ways. The Lions can't take that type of pressure. TEXANS, 27-20
Washington "Guess Who's Coming for Thanksgiving Dinner" gang at Dallas Cowboys : The Cowboys notoriously play well on Thanksgiving, and they come in with some momentum after upsetting the Vikings last week. However, Washington also comes in with momentum, and the inconsistent offensive play of Dallas makes them suspect. WASHINGTON, 26-20
Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers : The Steelers will have feasted on their Thanksgiving dinner, and now they will feast on the Ravens for dessert. The Ravens defense has lost some power, and the Steelers offense continues to roll. The Steelers own the toughest defense in the league now, and that does not bode well for a Ravens offensive line that has reshuffled some players. STEELERS, 27-20
Sunday early games
Arizona Cardinals at New England Patriots : The Patriots seem to having some difficulties finding their footing on offense, a vulnerable position that the Cardinals defense will be quick to exploit. CARDS, 28-20
Carolina Panthers at Minnesota Vikings : The Vikings need to bounce back from their shocking loss to the Cowboys, and they get a chance here. The weak Panthers defense will help the Vikings sometimes disjoint offense, and the error-prone Panthers offense plays into the Vikings defense nicely. VIKINGS, 27-24
Cleveland Browns at Jacksonville Jaguars : The second-worst team in the league hosts the Browns, who will remain in the upper half of the Power Rankings with a strong victory here. BROWNS, 27-17
Las Vegas Raiders at Atlanta Falcons : The Raiders travel to Atlanta to face the struggling Falcons. While the Raiders' non-divisional record is only marginal, they have the power to overwhelm the Falcons. RAIDERS, 28-24
Miami Dolpins at New York Jets : At this point, always pick the team playing the Jets. DOLPHINS, 27-13
New York Giants at Cincinnati Bengals : The Giants know that all the hopes of the New York and New Jersey fans are riding on their shoulders, with the collapse of the Jets. With the pathetic records of the rest of the NFC East, the Giants are in the hunt. With Coach Judge now exerting his judge-ment on the team (pun intended), they are starting to come together. The Bengals, on the other hand, will likely be falling apart without starting QB Joe Burrows. GIANTS, 24-17
Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts : This will be a thriller of a game! Both teams are hungry and battling for the lead in the AFC South. I'll pick the Colts, on the strength of their offense, but the Titans defense may swing this game the other way. COLTS, 27-23
Sunday late games
Kansas City Chiefs at Tampa Bay Bucs : The Bucs could surprise, but they seem to be having some confusion in their offense. They won't be able to keep pace with the Chiefs if that continues into this week's game. CHIEFS, 30-23
New Orleans Saints at Denver Broncos : Saints will roll, as the Broncos defense won't be able to handle the dual-run-pass threat of QB Taysom Hill. SAINTS, 30-20
San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams : This fierce rivalry always generates excitement, and things could very interesting as the 49ers come off their bye week regaining some players lost earlier in the season to injury. That means they will compete well with the Rams. Will they win? I don't know, it's been a while since these players worked together. RAMS, 24-20
Sunday night
Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers : I think the NFL scheduler is trying to hurt the Bears, as they are featured on prime time for the third time this season, and the Bears just don't seem to play as well. At least Sunday night hasn't hurt them as much as Monday Night Football does. Even better, they get the Packers at a time when the Pack seems a bit off-kilter. Of course, "off-kilter" describes the Bears offense to a "T" right now, as they just can't seem to generate anything. PACKERS, 20-10
Monday Night Football
Seattle Seahawks at Philadelphia Eagles : The Seahawks continue to roll, although (like the Bears) they don't particularly like being the road team on Monday Night Football. This game will be closer than it should be. SEAHAWKS, 27-23
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